Here's the prologue. Hope you enjoy (;
Prologue: First Memory
My name is Ayame
The first memories of most people go back to when they were three or four. Some people claim to remember even earlier than that. My first memory happened when I was just one year old.
It was a large windowless room. I remember that everyone was standing, because there were no chairs. Bright lights on the high ceiling shined down at us, and all along the walls were painting of beautiful men and women. There were a lot of people standing around me, I was in someone's arms. They were holding me gently, cuddling me, making me feel very secure and comfortable.
I was wrapped up in some kind of cloth, I think it was a cloak. Probably Hermes's. It was warm, and I was half asleep, my eyes were closed.
I remember a melodic voice saying, "It's just a baby."
"She just turned one." A rougher, deeper voice answered. The speaker was closer to me than the other. "Her parents were at the market, so it wasn't too hard of a job."
"You brought a baby?" It was more of a protest than a question, and this speaker was far away. The rumble of a man.
"I hope you did leave a letter of some sort." Someone commented mildly.
"We had no choice. She has the mark. Look, see for yourselves." Then someone pulled my arm out from the bundle I was in. I gave a little cry, it didn't hurt, but the cold air had rushed in.
"Don't!" The speaker was the one holding me; I could feel the vibration of her body. "Don't hurt her."
"See for yourselves." The man was turning my arm now. I opened my eyes to see what was so interesting. Everyone crowded around me, and I tried to take my arm back. The cold air had already seeped in.
The man let go of my arm and the person holding me gently tucked it back in for me. She patted the cloth around me to make me more comfortable, then patted my forehead. I gurgled with pleasure.
"That's fine, Apollo, but... We already have the four children to look after, and a baby is so much more work to take care of. Couldn't you have—" I closed my eyes again. The harsh lights hurt. The gentle hand continued to caress me.
"Are you questioning my decision?"
This voice was full of authority, the last word echoed.
Silence fell. After several moments, I heard a quiet shuffling toward me, then someone said softly, "What a beautiful baby... what's her name?"
"Her parents named her 'Ayame'. Fitting, isn't it?" Someone replied, laughing.
That's the last thing I remember before falling asleep.
I've pondered for hours on this single memory, run it through again and again in my head until I had practically memorized every detail. The color of the floor, their expressions, the vivid colors of the painting on the walls.
I tried so hard to remember more, to remember anything, anything before that, but I can't. It's like the time I spent with my parents had magically been erased. I wish, so much, that I could just remember one thing about them. One tiny little thing that I would be able to hold on to.
But there isn't anything.
I had been taken from my parents when I was only one year old.
Who were my parents?
Were they kind and loving?
Or were they harsh and abusive?
I guess I'll never know.
But they did leave one thing with me.
My name.
Ayame.
The clan did try to change it.
I cried, screamed, threw tantrums. I would not let them take my name away from me. They gave me their arguments, they screamed and argued and fought with a child. But they did not win. I would not let them take my name away from me.
Sure. When it comes down to it, 'Ayame' and 'Iris' are basically the same name. They mean the same thing, don't they?
But to me, one is precious. Because it's the only thing that I had before being brought into the clan. And that means a lot to me.
My name is Ayame.
And it always will be.
Hope you liked it. Please review :3 If you have any questions, comments, complaints, etc. feel free to ask/say them X)
