Was What You Did Worth It?
It seemed like a perfectly normal family. And they were, for the most part. But when the parent's daughter was born, something happened. It wasn't anything bad, but it certainly wouldn't be classified as "good."
As the mother held her second child, a rupture of magic from within the baby took her by surprise. She thought it was nothing serious, and the doctor told her the same thing.
So they left it alone. The baby, whose name quickly became Éclair, was brought home after some time and introduced to her brother, John. Their father was often absent through the day, as he was the mayor of the town. So John raised Éclair. He taught her right from wrong, and how important it is to be kind and polite. He was always there, and he loved her more than he loved himself, even. Éclair loved her brother just as much.
At a young age, Éclair found out something startling. If she focused her will, she could transform into various animals. But she couldn't maintain it for very long. Her brother was amazed, and slightly jealous that he couldn't do it. But she would always entertain him by "taking requests."
One day, as she was practicing, her father saw her transform into. He wasn't sure what to make of it, but it scared him. Was he to be the father of such a... freak?
Of course, Éclair's father told his wife about this, and she was more horrified than he was. Neither of them wanted to be the parent of a monster like that. But there was nothing they could do. Éclair was their own daughter, after all.
So the years passed. But Éclair's father made sure to tell everyone about his daughter. Everyone in the town soon knew. When Éclair was old enough to go to school, she was forced to sit in the far corner. At recess and lunch, the other kids taunted and tormented her, calling her a "monster" and a "freak." But she never understood why. Only her brother seemed to be unaffected by the truth, or whatever was said.
"Nii-san, why does everyone hate me?" she asked, crying in her brother's arms after school.
"I don't know," he answered. "But I won't let them hurt you."
Well, he never let the bullies at school physically hurt her. Eventually, Éclair just got used to the stares and jeers she received. But as she grew up, her parents spent less and less time with her and her brother.
By the time she was 11, Éclair had a better handle on her powers, and her life. It seemed like it couldn't get worse for her. Her parents were always busy, she had no friends. How could it get any worse? The next day answered that question in spades.
The next morning, Éclair woke to the smell of smoke. And it was unusually warm for the morning. That's when she realized that the house was on fire. It took her so by surprise that she wasn't sure what to do. She needed to escape. But how? She tried opening the window, but it was locked. Her door opened to the hall, where the fire was spreading.
"Éclair!" a voice called.
"Nii-san!" she called back as her brother came running into her room.
"Follow me! C'mon!"
He led her quickly through the blazing house. When he finally stopped, they were in front of a window that led out back.
"You'll have to get down here."
"But what about you!?"
"Nothing I can do. You have to jump. Hurry! It shouldn't be a problem for you."
"No! I won't leave without you!"
"You have to! Listen to me! I looked out front. And... I just can't say it. There's nothing I can do. I'm sorry I haven't done a better job of caring for you."
"B-B-But why!?"
"I wish I knew. I'll see you later, little sister," he said as he kissed his sister on the cheek. And with that, he pushed her out the window.
Before she hit the ground, she transformed into a cat to soften the landing. Once she hit the ground, she changed back. No matter what she did, she couldn't stop crying. Her brother, the only person who bothered to even talk to her, sacrificed his life to save her.
After escaping a safe distance from the building, she turned her attention to the front. There was a massive mob of people. Their lips were moving, but their voices were drowned by the crackling of the fire. And at the front of the mob were her own parents. They had looks of hatred and disgust in their eyes. Even though the fire was loud, she still made out their words, clearer than all the others.
"Die, you witch!"
She fell to the ground, even more of a mess than before. Nothing could get any worse. Even death would be preferred. But something in her mind told her that couldn't happen. She needed to make them pay. But not for her sake. For her brother.
But even that was just an excuse to justify her actions. She really did seek personal revenge against them.
The mob began to clear out. Once it thinned out enough, Éclair began running the exact opposite direction, away from this place.
Once she had some distance, she stopped running. Her feet were sore and cut, her mind battered and bruised. She stopped at the edge of a forest. She decided to trek into its depths, regardless of what awaited her. As she was walking, she found a stream. She leaned down to drink from it and fell in. As she surfaced, a laugh began to escape her. It grew and intensified to a point where it could put Add to shame.
"So, this is it. I've got nothing. And yet, why do I not care? I know! They never loved me. So I don't love them. They never gave me a reason to care. Now that's Nii-san's dead..."
She sat in the river a little while longer, using it to clean herself of the ash and dust stuck to her. But now her clothes were soaked. She removed them and placed them on a nearby rock to sit in the sun. Once she was clean, or clean enough, she moved to sit on the rock, as well. Once she, and her clothes, were dry, she decided where to go next.
After some time walking, she came to a small village called Ruben. It seemed peaceful enough. But the same thing could have been said of her home.
"No, this won't work. I'll just stay in the forest. It was nice in there. And besides, if I run into trouble, I can take care of it."
And with that, Éclair made the forest her home. But she never lost her sense of humanity. Or her feelings of hatred. As she sat up in a tree later that evening, she spoke to her parents, as if they could her her.
"Hey, mom, dad. Was what you did worth it? Wherever you are, I hope you're happy. I really do. Because I'm coming. And I'm going to strip it all away form you, just as you did for me..."