Chapter 21: The Past- Part 2

The walls are breathing
My mind’s unweaving
Maybe it’s best to leave me alone.
A weight is lifted
On this evening
I give the final blow.
~The All-American Rejects

Aaru staggered down the filthy streets of Kerning City. It had been three days since she had left Fang’s lair. It had been three days after she had killed someone. It had been three days of freedom. It had been five years and three days since her parents had died.

She stumbled to the ground, exhausted from dehydration and starvation. He stomach rumbled like an earthquake. As she pulled herself against a wall to rest herself, she noticed the people walking past her. Most were dressed in warm clothes as to protect themselves from the wintry weather. She looked down at her own clothes: a dusty old hoodie with a white skirt. Aaru shivered, hugging herself tight, alone in the streets.

Passersby walked past the figure of the little girl as if nothing was there. No one glanced at Aaru as they made about doing their usual business. Aaru brushed her long purple bangs out of her face as she looked up at the grey and cloudy sky. The first of the snow had started to fall, at first melting upon impact with the ground, but then sticking. Soon, a flurry started to fall down to earth, making everything seem to glow white.

The wind picked up, blowing Aaru’s skirt and hair around. She tugged at the cord of her hoodie as to block out the wind from slashing at her face. Her stomach growled again, this time shaking her whole body. She needed food, fast.

Aaru managed to pick herself up after much struggle as her skinny legs buckled under her weight. She suddenly sniffed a scent in the air. Looking around, she saw a food stand a block away. Slowly, she started to trudge through the thin layer of snow on the ground towards the vendor.

Half way there however, two boys walked out of a store and spotted her. They looked at each other and a wicked grin spread across their face. As Aaru half walked half crawled towards the food vendor, she was suddenly stopped by two pairs of boots impeding her way. She strained to look up at the two boys. They were no more than twenty-two, judging by their sleek faces and skinny bodies. Each of them wore a devilish grin.

“Well well, look what we have here Matt,” One of snickered.
“Why yes, Simon, if it isn’t a broad,” replied Matt.
“Don’t worry girl, we will help you,” Simon said, still wearing the grin.
“You, you will?” Aaru stuttered as she shivered in the cold snow. She was now kneeling in front of the two men.
“Yea, we’ll take good care of you,” Matt said. Without another word, they lifted her up roughly. Before she could scream, Simon covered her mouth tightly. Matt swooped Aaru off of her feet, and started to carry her towards a desolate alley. Aaru’s purple eyes screamed out, wide with terror. This was it, she thought, She was going to die here.

Aaru had no strength left to fight in here as Matt dumped her behind the dumpster. She could do nothing as he bent down towards her legs. She could do nothing as he ran his hands up to her waist. She could do nothing when he grabbed her skirt and gave a sharp yank. However, when she felt his hands on her thighs, voice suddenly collided all at once into her head. She heard Matt’s thoughts, Simon’s thoughts, the couple walking down the street, unaware of what was going on in the alley’s thoughts, even the food vendor’s thoughts. She could hear them as if they were speaking. Oh man, I can’t wait to see her body – Jeez hurry Matt, I want me some – So Melinda said to me the other day – This cold is ruining my business. The voices came back. The feelings came back.

She knew exactly what the two goons were going to do, and by god she was not going to let it happen. In a split second, Aaru concentrated her thoughts of anguish and despair straight into the two men’s minds. The next moment, they found themselves lying splayed across the alley, blasted back from Aaru. She had gotten rid of two voices in her mind. However, the other voices soon followed suit and escaped from her. Soon she found herself hearing only her own pounding head as she fought back tears.

Aaru shivered from the cold and fright. She had killed three people now. Each time she took a life, she felt another part of her soul being ripped apart. Slowly, she managed to pull herself together and stumble out of the alley. Food had long been forgotten now. The smell of the food stand was enticing, but didn’t worry her anymore. Disgusted at the way people acted, she decided to sit besides a heater of a nearby convenience store. There was a little melted snow around the heater, forming a pool of cool water. Three days of thirst could not hold back any longer as Aaru bent down and cupped the water into her hands.

I guess I’m stuck here now, she thought to herself. Aaru found some clothes and some cardboard in the nearby garbage bin. Hastily, she put up a makeshift shelter and laid down on the rags with her head by the heater. It had been the first feeling of warmth she had felt in a long time. Aaru laid with her hands behind her head, sighing in comfort. Surprisingly, this was better than the bed that Fang had provided her for the past five years.

A sudden noise made her jump up, banging her head on the windowsill above. As her head swam in pain, she looked around and spotted a black and white cat, mewing at her. Deciding it was safe, she laid back down, now looking at the feline. It was not that skinny, but wasn’t well fed either. There was a scar across the cat’s nose and left ear. It stared at Aaru for a while with mild interest, then persisted in her search for food.

A few days later, Aaru had named the cat Thomas, after her own cat back when she had a right home. Everyday Thomas would wake Aaru up and she would scratch him behind the ears, making him purr gently. Thomas would find food, in exchange for a bed provided by Aaru. It was the only relationship that Aaru ever found to have worked well. But there were still times where Aaru thought of her knight in shining armor. No matter how much she distrusted men at that point, she still had enough room in her mind and heart for that little hope to exist.

Aaru laid on the rags next to Thomas’s purring body. She closed her eyes and an image of a Dragon Knight with an Omega Spear popped up in her mind, but she slashed out at it. Sleep overcame her and she dozed off into her fantasies.
~~~~~~~~~~~~

She felt herself being picked up by strong arms. Aaru tried to open her eyes, but they were glued shut by the cacophony of voices in her head. They kept calling to her, wanting her to save them, to be with them, to love him. Amidst the blood curling screeches and terrible moans, Aaru could always hear his voice standing out. “Stay with me, Aaru, everything will be alright.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mark carried Aaru’s lifeless body back over to Annikabelle and Raeken, stepping over bodies as he went. He could only pray none of them were his friends. A bright white light rushed past him, impaling one of his zombie pursuers. Mark looked ahead and saw Annikabelle release another Holy Arrow towards the mob of zombies.

“Annikabelle! Something’s wrong with Aaru! I need you to heal her!” Mark screamed as he approached. As Raeken, Mark and Latia held the zombies off, Annikabelle laid her hands on Aaru’s cheeks. However, when she tried to heal her, nothing happened. She tried again yet again, but the emerald mist never appeared.

“Mark! Something else if afflicting her. Something not physical, but mental. I can’t heal her mind!” Annikabelle hollered back amidst the continuous screams and moans. She turned to Guosim, Damien, and SolarKatz. “Kids, take Aaru, and keep her safe.” The three nodded simultaneously and bore her body to a corner still not infested by the zombies. They looked on as their mother rejoined the fight for survival.

Mark dodged a slash from a long bloody claw and brought his Omega Spear around in an arc, lobbing off a few heads with a scream. He then stuck the spear head first into a zombie’s foot and punched it straight in the face. Its head whipped around and Mark heard its spine crack with a sickening crunch. Snarling, Mark jumped up, grabbing his spear from the ground as he went, and sliced it down on another zombie’s head, chopping it in two.

Suddenly, Mark felt a slimy hand close around his neck. He thrust his spear backwards and felt the hand release with a moan. Turning around, he dodged just in time as a zombie jumped over the fallen bodies at him. Mark slid backwards along the ground and the zombie landed on the spear head, impaling itself to death.

Next to him, Annikabelle shot arrow after arrow at the zombies. One of them got close, jumping off of a lounge chair to get to her. She quickly caught it with the butt-end of her staff and sent it flying across the lobby. It landed with a dull thud on the wall and slid down to the ground, leaving a trail of red and green ooze.

Turning back, she found herself suddenly surrounded by a group of zombies. She heard Raeken yell her name from afar, but could not see him. Annikabelle closed her eyes and gripped her Dark Ritual firmly. A white light suddenly appeared and formed a halo around her. It grew a set of wings which unfurled themselves, throwing the zombies around her away as if they were rag dolls. As the light diminished, she saw Raeken to her right, being forced back towards Aaru.

Cold electricity flowed through Raeken’s battle hardened hands. He shot a bolt of lightning through a few zombies, impaling them to the wall As the Thunder Spear faded, the zombies dropped from the wall, limp and lifeless. After impaling several more zombies, Raeken noticed he was just in front of Latia, who was protecting the children and Aaru. Raeken ran towards Latia, smashing his staff on a few skulls.

“Latia,” he yelled, getting her attention, “Give me your hand!” With her free un-clawed hand, she grabbed Raeken’s and together, they spun around and kicked out hard, bringing down a row of zombies and making more stumble over their bodies. Raeken grinned as he pummeled another group of zombies with beams of ice, making a frozen wall of the undead.

Latia aimed at the zombies’ heads, specifically their eyes. If they could not see, they could not attack. Her Steelies became pieces of flying death and blindness as they pierced one undead head after another. She jumped from one lobby chair to another, throwing her stars continuously.

Suddenly, one zombie caught her foot in mid-jump and she was sent hurling to the floor. Before the zombie could jump on top of her for the kill, she sprang back up and ran towards the wall. The zombie followed clumsily, clawing at the air in front of it. Latia ran up the wall and did a back flip, landing behind the bewildered zombie. She casually walked up to it and stuck two Steelies deep into the zombie’s skull. Before its body hit the floor, Latia had whipped around and thrown two more Steelies at zombies behind her. The stars hit their targets square on the forehead, who both completed a humongous back flip before landing face down on the floor.

Soon, Mark, Annikabelle, Raeken, and Latia found themselves right next to the rest of the company huddled on the ground. They sensed a losing battle as the mob of zombies just kept on coming; there seemed to be an endless amount of reinforcements. Now, all eight of them were backed up against the corner. Exhausted, there seemed to be no way out. They were finished.

All of a sudden, an arrow crashed through the window to the company’s right. As it soared, it magically lit on fire and exploded in a fiery ball of flames. Mark smiled, knowing that zombies hated fire and light. The zombies, taken aback by the sudden introduction of fire, stumbled backwards in confusion.

The hospital doors slid open with a ding of a bell. Two heavy sets of boots thundered in. A man walked in, covered in an expensive Lycanthrope fur with a hood, carrying the legendary Dragon ShineBow. The whole aura of the hospital seemed to lift. The company watched in awe as the Ranger lifted up the bow and strung on four Soul Arrows. When he released them, they seemed to home in on their targets, hitting them right in the forehead.

Without pausing, the Ranger shot some more Fire Arrows at the horde of zombies, effectively blocking them from the company with a wall of fire. Screeching in terror, the zombies turned back and stumbled over each other trying to get away from the roaring flames. Soon, the hospital was silent except for the crackling of the fire which magically died away too.

The company looked on in awe from the smoldered bodies to the Ranger who was now stepping towards them. He came up right in front of them, examining each member of the company. His eyes fell on Aaru who was shaking uncontrollably, her eyes still closed. The Ranger pulled back his white furry hood to reveal a woman’s face. Raeken and Mark gasped spontaneously. Serena.

Her entire body was covered in the white Lycanthrope coat, save her hands and feet. She wore black boots and gloves, contrasting her white overall. Her face was perfectly shaped. Her piercing green eyes continued to stair at Aaru. With one hand, she reached behind for her hair tie holding together her long blonde hair in a ponytail and untied it, unfurling a mane of silky smooth hair. As she stepped forwards, she wrapped the hair tie around her wrist.

“Mark, Raeken,” she whispered as she stared at Aaru, “Is this her? Is this the One?” Mark and Raeken nodded furiously, mesmerized.
“Come,” she said as she turned around towards the hospital’s front door, “We must get her to my house. El Nath is not safe anymore.” Without another word, Serena, followed by the rest of the company, stepped out into the blizzard and the howling wind. The hospital door closed with a ding of a bell.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rain fell in Kerning City. The sky split apart with thunder and lightning. Her windowsill had kept most of the rain off of her, but she felt the excess rain water seep into her rags. Aaru opened her purple eyes. If there was one thing that did not deteriorate from her days in the ghetto, it was her dazzling purple eyes. Next to her laid Thomas who purred gently as he slept.

Suddenly, it hit her. Tomorrow was her sixteenth birthday, and the mark of the sixth year anniversary of the murder of her parents. As she laid there, her mind kept wandering of, asking what life would be like if her parents were still alive. She saw herself in a mansion held aloft in one of Ellinia’s many Magic Trees. She saw her parents waving and smiling at her through the window as she left on her first date with her knight in shining armor. She saw Thomas purring and watching her on the windowsill. Tears welled up in her eyes, spilling over the side of her cheeks. Why did this have to happen to her? Why couldn’t she be one of those normal girls with normal families? All I ask, she thought to herself as she sniffled in the rain, is for my life back.

Aaru sat up against the wall and hugged her legs next to her chest as she sobbed into the rain.

“Excuse me, are you ok?” A strong voice encompassed Aaru like a watchdog around sheep. Aaru looked up teary eyed at a blurry figure standing in the rain.
“Get away from me, I’m warning you,” Aaru stammered as she tried to push herself away from the figure as far as possible.
“Hey, I won’t hurt you, where are your parents?” the figure asked in an actual authentic tone.
“They are dead ok? My mother’s dead. My father’s dead. MY WHOLE GODDAMN FAMILY IS DEAD!” Aaru screamed in exasperation.

The figure was silent for a moment, then simply continued on, “Well in that case, you will have no problem in my program.”
“I have no interest in you or you F***ING PROGRAM!” Aaru lashed out in her rage.
“I know you can hear other people’s thoughts, or used to be able to,” The figure calmly replied, as if Aaru did not just swear at him. “I can offer you a place in my program where we can recover and hone that skill. Only a special breed of magicians contains this unique skill of telepathy. I believe you are one of the few.”

Aaru looked up, blinking away tears to see more clearly. A tall Mage stood in front of her. He had a long white beard and twinkling blue eyes. He held on to a Kage for his walking staff. His other hand was in his robes. He looked at Aaru’s shivering body, and then continued on, “When you graduate, you have the option of erasing your memory. Start anew, if you know what I mean. However, few choose that path because-”

Aaru’s purple eyes suddenly flashed in interest. “Erase? Erase my memories?” she stammered quietly as she continued to look at the interesting man before her.
“Yes, like I said, when you graduate—”
Aaru cut the man off with a large hug. Her sudden movement had made Thomas jump up in fright. “Thank you, thank you so much!” Aaru cried into the man’s robes.
“However, since you have taken the memory erasing to such a profound effect, I must warn you, if something tragic or life-threatening enough happens, your brain will remember your past,” the man informed hesitantly.
“Anything is better than my life now,” Aaru murmured. For once after six years, she had hope.