Chapter 1: Lost Spark
The night the star fell, our world changed forever.
"Azurine, want to come to Daddy's work?" my Father asked, patting my head with a warm smile.
I nodded enthusiastically. "Okay!"
He scooped me up, and we headed out. "Be good, okay?" He smiled and nodded again.
As we arrived at the destination, we walked down a dimly lit alley. Two bald men in sunglasses and suits stood guard. I clutched my teddy bear tightly, fearful. Dad patted my head and handed me a rabbit mask. "Put this on."
I obeyed, watching as Dad donned a dog mask. The guards opened the door.
Inside, brightness and bustling activity assaulted my senses. Everyone wore masks, gloves, and white coats.
"Papa, what are they doing?" I tugged his sleeve.
"Experiments, sweetie," he replied, smiling.
Before I could ask more, a wolf-masked man approached. "Mister Hiromi, welcome! Is this your daughter?"
"Yes, my little precious, Azurine," Dad said, exchanging glances with the man.
The wolf-masked man's gaze lingered on me. "She's lovely. This is Valerie, my daughter." He gestured to the fox-masked girl beside him.
Valerie's lifeless eyes unsettled me. I smiled shyly. "Hello."
She nodded elegantly, hands clasped behind her back. "She's remarkably mature," Dad said.
The wolf-masked man chuckled, lowering his head to meet my gaze. "Why don't you and Valerie play while your father and I discuss something, hmm?"
His piercing brown eyes sent shivers down my spine. "O-okay," I stammered.
He nodded, then turned to my father, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Shall we?" They headed toward the office.
Valerie and I stood awkwardly, exchanging glances. "Umm..." I trailed off.
My gaze drifted past Valerie. A nearby room with curtains caught my attention. As they parted, I gasped. A girl my age lay on a hospital bed, frail and connected to machines.
One of their people saw me looking at the room and immediately closed the curtain.
"Azurine" I was shocked when Valerie suddenly took my hand and caught my attention "Let's go, I have something to show you." She said and led me somewhere.
We entered the door, revealing a vast work facility. As we walked along the overhead walkway, I asked, "Where are we?"
Valerie, ahead of me, turned around. "We're at the workplace."
She whispered something else, but I couldn't make it out.
I smiled and approached the railing, gazing down. "What are they doing?"
Below, workers mixed a green liquid in a large 'Danger'-marked container, transforming it blue.
"Testing," Valerie replied.
The railing creaked and collapsed. I teetered, almost falling. "Waahhh, that was close!" I exclaimed, panicked.
Still reeling, I felt a push. I plummeted downwards, horrified to see Valerie's face as she shoved me.
I woke up and saw the light on the ceiling. I felt dizzy. I looked around, trying to figure out where I was. I was lying in a hospital bed, in a room. I glanced at the glass wall and saw a girl staring at me. She had red eyes, silver-blue hair, and an extremely thin body. I wanted to talk to her, so I got out of bed and put on my slippers. But when I turned around, she vanished into the dark hallway. I looked back at the glass wall, but she was no longer there.
Confused, I returned to my bed. "What happened? Why am I here?" I looked around and saw my reflection in the glass wall. I had a bandage around my head.
"Maybe I'll ask tomorrow" I thought. I lay back down and tried to sleep, but I couldn't stop thinking about what had happened. The girl who had been staring at me-was she a ghost or another patient? If I was in a hospital, why was the hallway so dark? Where were the doctors and nurses?
I was even more confused because there were no windows, no lights-just a facility for testing.
An hour passed, and I had no idea what time it was. There were no clocks or anything to tell me. A nurse came into the room and saw that I was awake. They immediately left. A minute later, my father entered the room and hugged me.
"Oh, finally, you're awake!" he said excitedly. "I was so worried." He let go of the hug and looked at me. "Do you remember anything?"
"Not really," I said. "Where am I?"
"Why am I here?"
My father looked worried. "You fell down the trail. The trail was fragile, and when you stepped on it, it broke, and you fell along with Valerie."
"I don't remember that. Who's Valerie?" I asked.
"The daughter of Dr. D," my father explained. "You were both playing, and because of some clumsiness, you both fell together."
"Luckily, this facility-Dr. D's clinic-has everything to treat you," my dad continued. "But how come you don't remember anything, and Valerie does?"
He looked at the nurse.
"Sir, Azurine fell first, which caused a severe fracture in her head, leading to memory loss. Valerie's injury was minor, as She fell on top of her," the nurse explained.
My dad seemed convinced. "Do you want to see Valerie? She's in the next room." The nurse opened the curtains on the right side, revealing a glass wall and a room where a girl was sitting. She looked at me for a moment, then turned away and lay back down.
"Here, sir," the nurse said, handing my father a green pill. "She needs this to heal faster. Make sure she takes it after meals."
"When will she be released?" my dad asked.
"She'll be released in four days, as long as she keeps taking these pills," the nurse replied. My dad nodded, and the nurse left, grinning.
After three days of taking the pills, I started to feel strange. I began to feel emotionless and painless.
"Well, sir, she's ready to be released tomorrow," my dad smiled at me. I looked over at Valerie's room. She hadn't moved from her bed since I woke up.
Then someone entered the room. "Mr. Hiromi, Miss Azurine," the doctor said, smiling at me. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," I replied, my voice flat. The doctor looked at the nurse with a big smile, and the nurse handed him a syringe filled with blue liquid. He injected it into me.
"Did it hurt?" he asked.
"No," I said, emotionless.
The doctor smiled. "She's a strong kid," he said to my father. "Well, I'll be going now, Mr. Hiromi. I have something to attend to." He and my dad nodded. My dad grabbed my hand.
"I thought I lost you," he said softly. "I can't lose another one of my loved ones." He kissed my forehead. "I'll be going now, okay? They'll take care of you. I'll pick you up tomorrow."
As soon as he left, the nurse grabbed my hand and started pulling me somewhere.
We entered a room with a bed that had restraints. The nurse laid me down and strapped me to it. He placed something on my head, then pulled a lever. A shockwave surged through me, but I didn't feel anything. The nurse repeated the process four times, laughing with excitement.
"What are you doing?" I asked calmly.
"Just testing something," the nurse replied. "It didn't harm you, right?"
I nodded.
"Great!" he said, untangling the straps and leading me back to my room. I glanced at Valerie's room, but she wasn't there anymore.
The next day, I was released. My dad immediately tried to play with me.
"Here, I bought you some new toys!" he said, smiling as he approached with the toys.
"I don't want them," I said coldly. My father looked confused and worried.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Can I go to my room?" I replied.
"Oh, you must be tired. Sure, sweetie. Want me to carry you?"
"No need. I'm a big girl. I don't need to be carried," I said. My father looked even more confused, as this was the first time he'd seen me act like this. I ignored him and went straight to my room.
A month passed, and my father began noticing changes in me.He complained that my attitude changed. He wanted to sue Dr. D, but he couldn't find him. My father even took me to see another doctor, who suggested it might be because I was always alone, and my father was too focused on his work. He tried his best to spend more time with me, but nothing changed. It was as if I had lost my spark.
Other pov
__My father hurled a beer bottle at me, shouting, 'You're such a useless child!' The glass shattered, cutting me. "Get out of my sight!" he bellowed.
I fled to my room, locked the door, and collapsed onto the bed, tears streaming down my face. My legs and arms were a mess of bruises. I clutched the teddy bear my mom had given me and whispered, "What did I do to deserve this?" then sobbed, holding it tight.
I drifted off to sleep, but my peaceful slumber was short-lived.
"Khrizel, save yourself!" a girl with a blurry face screamed at me, her panicked voice piercing my dreams.
I jolted awake, disoriented, as cold water splashed my face.
My father stood over me, his expression stern. "Stop slacking around and go make dinner!" he bellowed, turning to storm out of the room.
Gasp-ing, I struggled to catch my breath, my heart racing.
Determined to avoid another confrontation, I rose early the next morning. Before my father stirred, I quietly prepared dinner, packed my backpack and got dressed for school.
Since my father refused to provide me with bus fare, I had to endure the scorching 1-hour walk to school.
"Is so hot, i think I'm gonna pass out" I complained, wiping sweat from my brow. The sweltering heat, combined with my thick sweater, left me dizzy and lightheaded.
I stumbled into school, exhausted, and collapsed into my seat with relief. "Finally, I made it," I exhaled deeply, quenching my thirst with a refreshing sip of water. Seeking further respite, I stepped into the gentle breeze emitted by the classroom fan, letting its soothing caress calm my overheated skin.
As I shed my suffocating sweater, the cool air provided minimal comfort to my still-aching bruises. Grateful for solitude, I noticed my classmates hadn't arrived yet. This was routine for me - always first to school, seeking refuge from the chaos at home.
The early arrival served multiple purposes a moment's peace, temporary escape from Father's wrath and time to collect my thoughts. Financial dependence on my father would have made my life easier, but his refusal to provide lunch money or bus fare forced me into this early bird routine.
Although Mother occasionally helped financially, her contributions were limited. Her willingness to support me was there, but her capacity was constrained.
Revitalized, I slipped my sweater back on and returned to my seat, surrendering to fatigue. Resting my head on the desk, I let my eyelids droop, stealing a brief moment of sleep before classmates arrived and another chaotic day began.
I immediately fell asleep and had a strange dream again. I found myself in a forest, with a river in front of me. I looked at the water, hoping to see my reflection, but instead, I saw a sheep. *Am I a sheep?* I wondered. I glanced around, feeling confused, and started walking deeper into the forest. As I walked, I heard rustling and scratching sounds coming from the bushes and trees. My body tensed with fear. I froze and scanned my surroundings. That's when I saw an eye-big and glowing-staring directly at me from behind the bushes. Slowly, the creature revealed itself. A wolf, its fur thick and wild, emerged from the underbrush. Without hesitation, it began running toward me.
Panicking, I turned and ran, my heart pounding. But the wolf was closing in. Just as it was about to catch me, a massive spirit bear appeared out of nowhere, charging at the wolf and tackling it to the ground. I kept running, glancing over my shoulder as the bear and wolf fought fiercely. Then, without thinking, I turned my focus back to the path ahead. That's when I noticed something odd. Animals-deer, a pair of white-and-black hares, a squirrel, a fox, and even a lynx-were all running alongside me, as if guiding me. The lynx was at the front, leading the way.
Suddenly, I woke up and I felt a tap on my shoulder.
"Zell," I heard Khia's voice whisper in my ear.
I opened my eyes and saw a few of my classmates had arrived.
"What time is it?" I mumbled sleepily.
Khia checked her phone. "It's 6:27. Class is going to start soon," she said with a smile.
I nodded and stretched my arms. That's when I overheard a group of girls behind me whispering.
"Why does she always wear a jacket or sweater? It's so hot," one girl said, talking loudly enough for me to hear.
I clenched my fists in anger, but I knew they were just trying to irritate me.
"Maybe she's hiding something," another girl whispered.
"If she's hiding something about her body that makes her ugly, then it would probably be her face, too," they laughed.
I turned to look at Khia, who was lost in her music, headphones in. I didn't want to bother her, so I stayed quiet, my anger boiling inside me.
"Hey, Zell," Enzo called as he approached me. He was the guy Khia had a crush on, and I noticed the girl who had been whispering about me was fixing her hair, hoping to catch his attention. I rolled my eyes at her, but she wasn't even looking at me-she was too busy staring at Enzo.
"What is it?" I asked, trying to sound calm.
"Do you have a pen?" he asked.
"Wow, this is the third time you've borrowed a pen from me. Where are the other ones I gave you?" I raised an eyebrow. "I see you've lost them again, haven't you?"
He looked guilty and glanced away. "Yeah..."
I sighed. "Well, I don't have any more. The one I gave you yesterday was the last spare pen I had."
I turned to Khia and nudged her gently. She looked up from her music.
"Maybe Khia has a pen, Enzo. Why don't you ask her?" I said, trying not to sound too annoyed.
Khia's face turned pink, and she quickly began rummaging through her bag for her pencil case.
"Here, Enzo. I have an extra," Khia said, her voice soft.
At that moment, the girl who had been whispering about me-Anita-approached Enzo and handed him a pen.
"Thanks, Anita," Enzo said, smiling at her as he took the pen and walked back to his seat.
Khia looked disappointed but didn't say anything. She went back to her music, her face a little flushed.
"Looks like you two are early," Anika, our third friend, said as she arrived. Anika was a friend of Anita's, but she was much nicer. "You're always the last to come"
The teacher arrived, and classes began. After three subjects, break time arrived. I hadn't brought lunch, but Khia, as always, saved me with food her mom had prepared. Khia's mom was like a second mother to me, treating me like her own. Khia was more than just a friend; she was my sister.
Anika usually spent recess with her other friends, leaving Khia and me to catch up. We also hung out with Bella, another close friend, whom Khia's mom lovingly packed lunch for. Bella was smart and kind but sometimes jealous of Khia's and my closeness, given their prior friendship.
We settled on the metal stairs, watching students walk by. Suddenly, a voice called out 'Hey Zel!' A plastic cup with lemonade sailed toward me. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!?"Khia shouted, chasing the culprit. James and Julian fled before Khia could catch them.
Bella wiped lemonade from my face. "What's wrong with them?" she asked.
"I'm fine" I replied, emotionless.
Khia returned, fuming. "If I see those two in class, they're dead meat!" She rolled her eyes, and we continued eating. The sticky lemonade made me anxious, hiding my bruises from prying eyes. For now, I endured the discomfort in silence.
After school, I headed home, knowing what to expect. Unfortunately, my intuition proved correct: my father was drunk again. I changed clothes and cleaned the house, carefully picking up the empty liquor bottle beside him. As I gently removed it from his hand, I accidentally dropped another bottle, which smashed to the ground.
"What was that?" my father slurred, waking abruptly. He glared at the shattered glass.
"Father, it was an accident!" I pleaded.
"It wouldn't be an accident if you had eyes to see!" He shouted, grabbing my hair and dragging me across the shattered glass. "Don't you know how much I spent on that beer? You're wasting it!"
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