"You can see her now."
Anomaly smiled. "You sound so formal, Arklio."
Her son sighed heavily. His eyes pleaded with her. "I'm sorry. It's just… I'm nervous. About her. About her future. Her life."
Anomaly placed a kind hand on his shoulder. "She'll be fine."
She walked into the other room. The grey walls stared back at her. They were always grey. There was never any more color, because the world around them would paint them differently soon enough, with moonlight and sunrises that could make a poet cry.
Raised above the floor was a small bed, enclosed in wooden bars. Sleeping inside was a tiny baby. Bright crimson glared at Anomaly from the small girl's face.
Anomaly sucked in a deep breath, lifting her tiny granddaughter out of the crib. "Red?"
Arklio nodded gravely. "I told you she was… unique."
Anomaly looked at the small girl's face, stroking it gently. She clicked her tongue soothingly as the tiny eyes opened, a deep black that glittered with a hidden intelligence.
"She's so beautiful." She whispered, pressing her cheek against her granddaughter's, stained with red.
"She's different." Arklio replied bitterly.
Anomaly shot a withering glare at him. "She's your daughter."
"And nothing matters more to me." Arklio completed for her. "But I'm scared for her, Anomaly. This world rejected you, simply because you voiced your opinion. What will happen to her in a place like this?"
"We'll find a way." Anomaly insisted. "There's always the ARC; she'd be welcome there, if all else fails."
"I don't want her living there, either. Face it, Anomaly; she'd be nothing but a freak in a place like that!"
"But she's your freak. What the world thinks doesn't matter."
"But I care about her too much to let her face the worst parts of humanity." He replied. "I've already done that to you; I won't let it happen to her."
Anomaly smiled softly. "How many times must I say I've forgiven you?"
"As many times as I can apologize."
Her smile widened as she turned back to the little baby in her arms. "What's her name?"
"I was thinking…Lauranai."
Anomaly smiled. "It's beautiful." She smiled at her granddaughter. "She's beautiful."
The baby opened her black eyes once more. A smile crept up her lips.
Anomaly chuckled. "Hello, Lauranai."
Arklio's eyes grew distant. "I won't deny it's been hard; she has her mother's eyes."
Anomaly sighed. "Tanai would have been happy for you, Arklio. She would have been proud of her child. You know that."
Arklio said nothing. The story of Tanai had been whispered through the city, the stuff of legends before it was even ten days old. The Predator attack had only been thwarted when the young woman had given her life; and her child had been saved after her death.
Many said that the red on the newly named Lauranai's pattern was the result of her mother's death. That her blood became a part of the little child, shown upon her small features in delicate swirls of crimson.
"She will be different, Anomaly. She will be hated by those who loved Tanai, and she will be loved too much by others. The life of a celebrity… the life of a freak… Lauranai will know them both."
Anomaly's pale blue eyes locked on her son's. "Tell me, Arklio. You say that those who loved Tanai will hate her. Are you included in this number?" One of her eyebrows rose.
"Never." Arklio shook his head fiercely. "I have been the cause of too much pain in this family. Never again."
Anomaly smiled very softly. "Very well, then."
For a moment, neither of them said a word. The silence was not uncomfortable; while they had once been mortal enemies, Anomaly and Arklio no longer held any arguments with each other.
Finally, Anomaly spoke up. "Do you mind if I have a moment?"
Arklio shook his head. "Not at all. I'll just… go to the other room, shall I?"
She nodded, and he left.
"Well, Lauranai." She whispered carefully to the little child. "Here we are. I'm a grandmother already."
The baby let out a small, soft, adorable little noise. Anomaly smiled at her and lifted her out of the crib once more.
"I think you need a nickname." She continued. "Your name is a little long; your friends won't like it. Besides that, your new Florlic may have a problem remembering it as well."
The baby just looked at her.
"That's right; I'm getting you your first Florlic. One of Kesea's grandchildren, no less. A little puppy just about your age."
Lauranai giggled, and Anomaly smiled, tickling her under her chin. "What? Is grandma funny? Is she?"
Lauranai laughed as Anomaly held her in the air, laughing with her.
"Oh, Lauranai. You'll grow up too soon." She sighed. "I often wonder if your father's right. If you won't be accepted. If you will be exiled, just as I was."
Lauranai seemed to sense the change in mood; her glittering black eyes were suddenly serious.
Anomaly kissed the top of her head. "Too early to worry about that, though." She sighed.
She paused for a moment, staring at Lauranai.
"How about Red?" She asked at last, speaking English for perhaps the first time in months. "Does that sound good?"
Lauranai smiled.
Anomaly smiled back. "Red. Very well, then. Your father won't be happy with me, but we won't tell him yet, will we?" She chuckled as she kissed the top of her head once more.
"I told you she was going to get her first Florlic from me. Respect that."
Arklio rolled his eyes. "Yes, mother."
Anomaly lifted the small, pure-white creature to her eye level. It was tiny now, but it would grow, along with Lauranai.
The small girl was sitting in her room, whacking a few rocks against each other. She smiled at her grandmother as she walked into the room.
Anomaly gently placed the small Florlic on the floor.
The dog sleepily opened its eyes. It yawned hugely, its wings unfurling as it did so. It shook itself off.
Lauranai let out a happy squeal and threw her arms around the little dog's throat. Instantly responding to her excitement and joy, the dog licked her face, making Lauranai laugh.
"Well, they're getting along." Anomaly chuckled.
Arklio could not help smiling as the two tackled each other, laughing –or barking, as the case may be- as loudly as they could.
Twelve Years Later
"LAURANAI! GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!"
Red grinned at her Florlic as it landed next to her. "We're in trouble this time."
The Florlic barked happily as it placed her on the ground. Normally, children were unable to ride Florlics at Lauranai's age; they were too heavy for the winged dogs to keep in the air. However, Lauranai was smaller than most, and her Florlic, Ikeila, was incredibly large.
"What did I tell you about going back in time?" Her father demanded as Lauranai skipped up to him.
She rolled her eyes. "I was just having a little fun…" She muttered.
"Oh, leave the girl alone, Arklio. She's just a kid." Anomaly came up beside her son, flipping her hair casually behind her shoulders. "I certainly got into worse trouble when I was her age."
"When you were her age, you were banished from the city, trying to survive Predator attacks." Arklio growled. "Hardly a perfect role model."
Anomaly grinned. "What were you doing, anyway?" She asked Lauranai.
"Making a couple Greeks believe in Pegasus." She replied, patting Ikeila on the head.
Anomaly laughed. "I often wondered if they were the source of that particular myth." She informed her granddaughter, her hand joining Lauranai's on Ikeila's head.
"You. Did. What?" Arklio spoke through clenched teeth.
Lauranai rolled her eyes. "It's no big deal, dad."
But there was far more to her statement than her casual tone implied. Her eyes were locked on his in defiance, though her anger was not truly directed at him.
He sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Go to your room, Lauranai. Your grandmother and I have something to discuss."
Pain flashed in her black eyes; she knew what they were going to 'discuss'. She looked at Anomaly pleadingly by reflex alone; she hoped desperately that her grandmother didn't notice.
She walked slowly to the house, trying not to run, trying to disguise her tears, burning against her bright, crimson pattern.
"Well?" Arklio asked.
"Well what?" Anomaly replied.
"You know what, Anomaly. Don't play dumb with me; it hasn't worked since I was two."
Anomaly smiled very softly, very sadly, but she seemed determined to get the question directly from him. "If you want to ask me something, ask. Don't make me guess."
He clenched his teeth in frustration. "Do you think she was lying? Do you think she really…?" His voice cracked.
Anomaly's eyes grew distant as she sighed. "I'm afraid not, Arklio. I saw one of her friends open the anomaly for her. It wasn't her doing."
Arklio let out a deep, heavy sigh. Hope seemed to drain from his features. "She seemed so… casual about it."
"She lied, Arklio. She lied because she wants to impress you. She wants you to think she can open anomalies. She doesn't want to be different."
Arklio sat down on the ground, placing his head in his hands.
"She went back in time, yes." Anomaly continued, sitting next to him. "She didn't want you to think that she's different, when she's still completely convinced that it'll only be a matter of time until she gains control. She's trying to convince herself more than she's trying to convince…"
Her statement trailed off as she saw a gleam of metal in the sand. She raised an eyebrow and wrapped her fingers around it.
A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she looked at the little object. The small camera lens looked back.
"You." She completed, then turned her gaze to Lauranai's window, where the young girl was gazing at them.
Her black eyes were full of tears as she turned away from them, closing the window behind her. Anomaly destroyed the small camera.
"How much did she hear?" Arklio asked softly.
"All of it." Anomaly replied confidently.
Lauranai shoved one outfit after another into the backpack. Her two knives were inserted into her belt, and she put an old cell phone into her pocket, attaching to it with a quick thought.
Ikeila tilted her head curiously.
"We're going, Ikeila." Lauranai said firmly. "And we're not coming back."
If Ikeila was surprised by this, she didn't show it. She turned around and gripped one of Lauranai's books, placing it in the bag, then turning to pick up a few of her clothes.
Between the two of them, packing was simple. The Florlic knew what Lauranai wanted and needed, even if Lauranai herself had forgotten.
"Red…"
Lauranai flinched as her grandmother knocked on the door. She whirled around defiantly to face Anomaly.
The metallic blue pattern surrounding Anomaly's eye seemed to mock her. It wanted to torture her. It hated her. It loathed her.
I can open anomalies. It seemed to be saying. I've been able to do it since I was a child. And what can you do, Lauranai? Nothing. You're pathetic.
"I'm going, whether you like it or not." Lauranai snapped.
Anomaly shrugged. "Does it look like I'm stopping you?"
"You'd better not." She retorted, turning back to her bag.
Anomaly watched for a minute. "So, Red. Where are you going to go?"
"Somewhere. Does it look like I care?" She replied testily. Ikeila nudged her hand, giving her a small computer chip that was hastily deposited in the backpack.
"Well, you're going to need to go somewhere."
"You survived in the desert for six years. Who says I can't?"
"That's me. But you're not me, are you?"
"Are you saying I couldn't?"
"Not at all. I'm just wondering; do you really want to?"
Lauranai froze for the briefest of seconds before continuing with her work. "I don't want to be here."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm sick of being different, ok?"
Anomaly nodded slowly. "Ok. So you're different. You've got a bright, red pattern, and you can't open anomalies. I can understand that."
"Good. So you can get out of my way, right?"
Anomaly thought about this for a moment. "I think not."
Lauranai clenched her teeth, a habit she'd picked up from her father. "Why not?"
"Because you're not telling me the truth. You're not leaving because you're different; you're used to that. Our whole family is 'different'. So why are you really going?"
Lauranai didn't' say a word. She just kept packing.
"Red…?"
Lauranai sighed heavily. "I'm going… because of you."
Anomaly folded her arms and leaned back against the wall as Lauranai turned around. "Now we're getting somewhere."
"I'm leaving because of Sam. Because of you. Because of my mom." She glowered at her. "I mean, look at me! Half of my family is in our greatest legends! You, Sam, my dad, my mom! You're all famous, and everyone expects me to be exactly like you!"
By this point, her rage had gotten the best of her. Tears were flowing out of her eyes. "The whole world expects me to be a legend, but I'm nothing but me! Little 'old Red, the girl who can't open an anomaly to save her life! I'm pathetic, worthless in their eyes! Your stories will go on in history, but I'll just be the name in the back of the book that everyone forgets. I'll never be like you!"
Anomaly nodded slowly. "So you want to go somewhere else. Somewhere that doesn't know your name, doesn't know who you are."
Lauranai looked at her, then gave a single, slow nod.
Anomaly smiled. "Why didn't you just say so?"
She held out her hand.
Lauranai looked at it for a moment, then took it with a deep sigh. Anomaly started walking away, with Lauranai and Ikeila close behind.
Arklio looked at them as they entered the room. His eyes were sinking in dark circles, exhaustion written in every line on his face.
"Are you certain?" The question was directed at them both.
"Yes." Lauranai replied.
Arklio turned to his mother, who nodded.
He sighed. "Very well."
Lauranai looked at Anomaly, who pointedly raised her eyebrows.
"This is the last time you'll see him for a while. You should probably say goodbye."
Lauranai looked at her father and walked over to him slowly. She wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I'm sorry, daddy." She whispered.
He smiled very softly. "Ah, you could never be content here, Red." He looked at Anomaly. "It's in your blood."
Lauranai swallowed; her father never called her 'Red.' "What is?"
His smile widened ever so slightly. "The stars."
He hugged her tightly for a moment, then released her. His eyes focused on Anomaly.
"Take care of her." He ordered.
Anomaly nodded. "Of course. She'll be safe with them, don't worry."
Arklio nodded curtly, smiled once more at his daughter, then walked out of the room.
"I love you, dad." Lauranai whispered.
Her vision changed as she looked through the camera she'd put in his room. She saw a tear travel down his face.
"I love you too." He said softly.
Anomaly gently tapped her shoulder. "You might want to get all of those cameras out. You may need them."
Lauranai nodded and called the cameras to her. The small pieces of technology walked slowly in her direction, and she lifted them all up, placing them in her pocket.
Anomaly smiled at her. "Time to go."
Anomaly seemed more at home in the desert than she could ever be within the city walls.
As soon as she was outside, her stride lengthened. Goose bumps traveled up her arms as the wind played across her skin. Her eyes grew more focused and clear, darting about cautiously. It seemed involuntary; more of a natural reflex than anything else.
She walked quickly, forcing herself to slow down whenever Lauranai fell behind. Despite the fact that Anomaly was already a grandmother, she wasn't very old. Lauranai never asked exactly how old she was; probably around fifty? Maybe older; but Anomaly still had a long life to live. Most people of their species lived for a hundred years- if they ever reached old age.
So she was still young enough to run quickly. Faster than Lauranai thought she could manage.
But her own self-doubt proved untrue. As soon as her feet hit the sand, it became so much easier. She started to catch up to Anomaly as time went on, and soon came to a point where she thought she'd outrun her.
Finally, Anomaly stopped. She was famous for being able to stop in a split-second, and Lauranai saw it first hand on this night.
She stopped a second too late, then reversed and met up with her grandmother.
Anomaly's metallic blue eyes were distant as she stared at the space that appeared empty. "We're here."
Lauranai raised an eyebrow. "All right… and where's here?"
Anomaly smiled softly. "Your new home."
She held out a hand before Lauranai could say anything. It was closed in a fist that slowly began to open, palm up.
A light blazed in her hand, growing bigger and bigger with each second that passed.
"An anomaly." Lauranai breathed.
Anomaly smiled. "There are some good people there. They'll help you. It may seem a little confusing at first, but you'll get the hang of things."
"There? Where am I going? What's in there?"
Her smile widened. "You'll see. It's a brilliant place. I know you'll love it."
She gestured for Lauranai to walk through.
Lauranai looked to Ikeila for support. The Florlic whimpered; she knew even less about what to expect.
She took a deep breath. "I'll miss you, grandma."
Anomaly smiled. "Miss you too, Red. But we'll see each other. Every so often, I'll come visit, all right?"
Lauranai nodded, speechless. It was all so fast, so quick. Now that the time had come, she wasn't sure she wanted to go.
She took a deep breath and stepped through the anomaly.
