It was quiet throughout the room. Sunlight was streaming through the window from outside making the illusion that the world was peaceful. A girl with thick black hair laid down in her bed reading a letter from one of her dear friends. She carefully examined every curve of each letter with her light blue eyes.
She sighed and let the paper drop to the wooden floor. Rajah, her saber toothed snow leopard, raised her head and narrowed her eyes on the paper that had fallen effortlessly to the floor. "Elise!" Her mother called for her. There was a clicking sound and her mother had entered the room.
"Elise, honey, it's time to go." Her mother said in a soft voice, peering in from the crack of her door. Jane saw the restlessness in her daughters eyes, the dark circles forming under them, the permanent frown that was placed upon her lips. She had been this way ever since the incident that had forced her to drop out of the Nova Corps training class.
The incident that forced Elise to move back in with her parents and to be under careful watch at all times. She hadn't been the same since. Before she was impulsive and open minded but now, she's timid and scarred. Elise sighed once more before tossing aside the blankets and sitting up. She carefully grabbed both her legs, numb from the accident and put them at the side of her bed.
Jane quickly brought the green wheelchair from the other side of the room and watched as her daughter struggled to get in it. She refused help from anyone if offered. Several minutes later, Jane was clipping Elise's dark hair back into an elegant bun, that matched her formal, long, coral gown.
Jane crouched down beside her and grabbed her hand. "Sweetie, I know it's been hard but everyone is worried about you, you're taking a long time to recover, maybe you should go and see a healer." Jane proposed looking into her daughters expressionless eyes that began to water. "Alright. I'll go." Elise agreed before clenching her hands together.
"You're sister is going to be surprised to see you at her graduation ceremony." Jane whispered excitedly before wheeling her out of the room. Outside the auditorium a group of close family and friends had gathered to greet Jane and her infamous daughter.
Elise looked around at her surroundings, they were on Xandar for her sisters graduation and had been staying at a small condominium Nova Prime had established for her since she and her counter part Vesper had saved their world a dozen times over. People of strange colors, hairstyles, and clothes gathered from all around towards the auditorium.
"Elise!" A little girl with pig tails jumped onto her lap, the girls little brother clinging to the side of the chair. "Anya. Jackson." She tried to sound excited to see her two cousins but it was hard for her, it had been months since the last time she's smiled. Even longer since the last time she could sleep without having nightmares of the incident.
A light touch of a hand was on her shoulder, it was small, harmless, familiar. She glanced up to see Vesper, her counter part. Vesper crouched down to the side of the wheelchair where the small children were playing.
"Anya. Jackson. Maybe you should go inside the auditorium and find your parents for us." Vesper mused slightly smiling at the children, who in turn ran up the steep steps of the building. "How're you holding up?" Vesper asked as she stroked Elise's bangs. "I'm ok." Elise replied short with a monotone voice.
Vesper moved behind her and grabbed hold of the wheelchair and began wheeling her towards the handicapped entrance. "Have you…been able to get feeling back?" Vesper wondered, trying to make small talk.
"No. And the nightmares won't stop either. Ever since Bageer I've been afraid to do a lot of things on my own, I can't even brush my hair without flinching. I feel weak and useless, and hearing that Madelyn, Percy, and Walker are trying their best to help the world is making me feel like we're not needed anymore Ves," Elise confided in her friend. "Maybe Bageer was right. The world has changed so much in the past two thousand years. I don't think it needs us anymore."
Vesper stopped and leaned down again to face her friend, she examined her lifeless blue eyes like she had since they were born. "You're right," Vesper admitted. "Maybe the universe doesn't need us. But what if some time in the future it does and we're not there to help." Vesper went back to push Elise through the doors of the auditorium, she wheeled her down the red, carpeted slope to the very first row where her father and mother were sitting.
Vesper put the brakes on the wheelchair and sat on the other side of Elise's father and stared up at the stage. "You look beautiful honey." Elise's father, Nessan, commented towards her, Elise nodded her head in acknowledgement. "I'm sure your sister has done you proud in graduating in the advanced course of the Nova Corp program, Elise." The voice of her Uncle Arthur commented from the row behind them.
"She has. I'm surprised she actually wanted to join the Nova Corp." Elise said staring back up at the stage. "Well, when you couldn't finish, Alice tried her best to make it to the top of her class for you. She wants to make you happy." Arthur boasted towards his niece hoping it would cheer her up. But when she didn't look back and instead looked to the palms of her hands he knew he had failed.
The room went dark and a spotlight formed on the Nova Prime. Elise had met her once. Once. Out of the countless times that she had saved Minaria, and even tried to join the Nova Corps she had met her once and that was orientation day for training.
She began with a speech about chivalry and peace, followed by a brief history of the Nova Corps, she greeted some honorable guests that were seated on the stage with medals around their necks. They were a group that called themselves the Guardians of the Galaxy. Elise wanted to scoff but she felt it rude to since they saved Xandar from Ronan.
Nova Prime then went on to announce the honor roll students. Her sister Alice was twelfth in line to be called up. "Alice Guinevere Newton, honor roll." Nova Prime called up the bubbly girl with curly light brown hair pulled back in a bun, wearing a dark grey graduation robe.
She handed Alice a plaque, shook her hand, took a picture and then Alice was on her way up to the podium. "Um. Hi, everyone. My name is Alice Newton and I'm from Minaria." Alice spoke into the microphone nervously. "It's a great honor, to be receiving this today-" It didn't take long for her to get interrupted. "Isn't your sister the Unix?!" Alice looked into the crowd, slightly baffled. "Um y-yes that's correct. Elise Newton is indeed my sister. But I would like to focus more on-"
"Isn't she supposed to be saving Minaria?"
"Minaria? How about the universe?"
"I haven't seen her in a while! Is she dead? Did we miss something?"
"Can we ask why she wasn't here to protect us from Ronan? She's supposed to help us all! She's our Unix too!"
"What about Vesper?! You know the Purity! Why didn't she help us!"
Alice backed away from the podium as people began yelling at her, screaming questions, demanding answers. Elise could almost feel the daggers shooting at her from all over the room, she knew it was her fault for not overcoming her fear of being defeated to not come to help Xandar.
Vesper stared down at Elise with worried eyes, Jane traded spots with her so she could sit next to Elise in case the auditorium got too messy for her. A man came up to the podium, clenching its sides and glaring at the crowd.
"Hey! Hey! Hey! Let's not start a riot in here!" He barked into the microphone. Elise recognized him as one of the people from the Guardians of the Galaxy group. He was tall, with a bulky structure, red hair and facial hair, with teal eyes. "So the Unix was in a bad state to help you out, big whoop. Everyone has bad days but at least we were here to help you." He rambled out.
Elise perked an eyebrow up in question. Was this supposed to help her and make her feel better? And if it was in what way? Elise put her face in her hands in frustration. The crowd had become hushed and the man let Alice go back to the podium. She looked at the crowd as if they were beneath her.
"My sister is only 23 years old. Since the day she was born she was told that she was going to do something great no matter how big the sacrifice. About four or five months ago, she was willing to sacrifice herself to keep a race of people from being wiped out. Since then she's been wheelchair ridden and depressed. Now I know she's in a bad place right now but I know she can get through this in time if she's patient. But for now I promise that I will do the best I can in protecting you." Alice stepped away from the podium and walked off stage, the auditorium was silent even her family was in awe.
Alice walked down the steps and over to the first row were her sister was placed. Everyone kept staring at her, even Nova Prime who hadn't announced the next graduate. Alice stared down at her sister for a while, Elise could see the tears forming in her eyes but Alice didn't let them fall. "I promise I am going to make you proud." Alice swore before running up the incline and out the door.
Elise stared back up at the stage towards Nova Prime who gave her and inconsiderate glare then started to announce the next graduate. Elise's parents scrambled up and after Alice, her aunt, uncle, and cousins followed shortly behind. It was just Vesper and Elise now.
The man that had stopped the crowd from going insane stared down at Elise, an almost sad tint to his face as Elise kept staring up at Nova Prime. She only glanced once to him but kept her eyes glued on the graduates. Only he and Vesper witnessed the single tear that dropped from her eye and strolled down her cheek.
