Quick side note: I do not own any of the character's besides Isabel's parents, some soldiers, and civilians. Others belong to the author of the manga. Also, the pic at the top was drawn by me, just a quick sketch of Isabel for you guys to get an image of. Also, enjoy. :)
Prologue
'I want to die...' Isabel pulled herself, full of anguish, toward the wall, supporting her aching back to it.
'This pain, I can't handle it, I should have died days ago.' her eyes were heavily sagging, hunger rolled in her empty stomach, and her throat yearned for clean water. What a laugh, no one could fill themselves, nor ever feel the taste of clean water here in the underground.
She ludicrously sighed, accepting death, though the agony was torture. Not only was her hunger unsatisfied, but wounds, burns, and cuts had been inflicted upon her.
'Hmph, at age 10, you would have hoped to see a glimpse of the sky. Well, not here at least.' There was no hope for living any longer. She thought she could make it without her parents, eventually climbing her way to the surface, and even see the great walls surrounding the city. Whether it was Wall Maria, the outermost wall, or even no wall. Either one, she didn't care. But she had been born underground, murderous crimes, stealing, kidnapping; it was all here. What she would have sacrificed to live above this underground prison she had tried to break free from. She was starting to believe even Titans couldn't break out. But she never knew how to fear them, for she had only experienced stories. But she was just a human of filth, one of the many corpses down here just to be picked off the streets. No one would have sympathy for her. Hah! No such word even existed...
And they was it; she closed her eyes, thinking what the afterlife would bring her, what it had in store for miserable, pitiful, little Isabel. But something stopped her. She heard someone coming...
She would have never believed herself if she had told that her big brother would save her...
Chapter 1: They were There, They were gone.
"Isabel!" she heard her mother call, " Come help me with the clothes." A young Isabel stood up from the ground, she had been messing around in the dirt.
"Coming!" She answered connectivity, rushing toward her insistent mother. Isabel endured the wind she carried against her scarlet-red hair, the pigtails lashed at her shoulders. The small white dress she wore whisked freely in the out door's wind, it was hardly recognizable as "white" any longer though. Dirt and other disorder had been stained against the thin cloth. She wore no shoes, even her mother was barefoot. Even if she had shoes, they would most likely be stolen, or even killed for that purpose. That's why mother only did outside work in the back, where they were shielded from catastrophes that beheld them in the city.
Her intuition quickly brought her to the soothing mother she knew so well, standing obediently by her right wing. The woman softly patted her daughter's head, beaming at Isabel with favour flashing in her eyes.
"Thank you, sweetheart, " she praised, tending to the clothes that lay in the broken down, but useful basket of wet clothes, " Could you help me hang the clothes out to dry? "
Isabel nodded energetically, " Sure! " she bounded over to the undersized basket, picking off the dress that lay at the top of the pile. She stared at it passionately, remembering fondly that she had seen her mother wear it often: the blue laced dress, radiating in elegance, yet simple due to their everyday lives. Isabel had always wanted to wear it, but she lacked both size, and permission to wear it.
Her mother had apparently noticed her gazing at the dress. She rested her hand upon Isabel's, "When you get older, I'll let you have it, " she startled her daughter with the sudden touch.
She gawked at her mother in awe, eyes glimmering in excitement, " Really? You mean it? "
"But of coarse! I never needed the blunt, old thing anyways, and of coarse I would happily give it to my only child, " her mother insisted.
"Thank you.." Isabel gushed, holding it tightly to her chest with pleasure, eventually hanging it to dry.
She now devoted herself to finish the job, eventually accomplishing her feat in a matter of minutes. A feeling of pride that swelled in her at the end of her work, she eventually wandered lazily back inside. The walls were cracked, and had an appearance that seemed it could fall any second. The floor was of stone, but the other half of the empty house was of creaky floorboards. She and her family slept in the single room in the house, which was quite cramped. But compared to others, this would be like a mansion to some people, "according to the Underground." That was something her father and mother had said to Isabel countless times. Maybe they thought she would forget it?
Originally, the Underground had been created so that criminals would stay out of the main cities above ground. But people began to have families, and some started to make their own choices, even besides the common crime life. It came to a conclusion where the government didn't know who to trust anymore in the underground hell, so the way out remained locked. They told the civilians through their defence, were protecting them from the titans if they were ever to breach the walls. Isabel doubted that they had ever seen a titan to be making assumptions like that. She also disbelieved that the titans were even real, for she had only witnessed stories. But putting that aside, the government ignored the fact that crimes were running the city. The soldiers rarely gave assistance to dispose of the criminals, nor help the citizens that were harmed. She could almost see them now; scoffing at us "filth" as they sit in their high chairs, sipping tea while mocking us from afar. Well screw them, because she had a plan to get her family and herself out of this abyss, just so she could reach a better life. She just had to...
Her mother abruptly interrupted her daughter's thoughts, " Just wait for your father to arrive home, " she ordered, pulling her own red-amber hair to the side, " He will bring us something to eat soon. "
And that was all Isabel could ever do: wait. She was sick of it, impatient to grow older, just as her mother had said before. She had dreams, images of her mother, father and her living in an actual home above the Surface, wearing that same dress she desired so much to wear. Eating actual food, and actual water. She would do anything in her power to make it happen.
The red headed girl nodded respectfully toward her mother, and went over to the single room, playing with a few wooden blocks her father had bought from a merchant once. She knew it was better than lying around, expecting nothing to come out of her desired dreams.
About an hour full with the nuisance of stillness had passed her when she heard a knock at the door.
"Dad!" Isabel kept in excitement, rushing eagerly towards the wooden door. But her mother grabbed her arm before she could grasp the handle.
"Now Isabel, you should know better, " she scolded mildly, " You never open the door without knowing who the person is. You can never know who may be waiting outside the door."
The concerned woman pushed her weight against the door, clamping the handle tightly, "Who is it?"
"Now Michelle, don't be like that! I thought you would've recognized me knocking at the door by now, " a voice spoke earnestly, but in a tired manner.
She sighed thankfully and opened the door, " Don't do that, John! You gave me quite the scare! Isabel had almost swung open that door before I could even say 'stop!' "
It revealed to be an older man with dirty blonde hair, a dark furrow seeping beneath his eyes, but they gleamed in an interested look, " Well, when your father finally comes home, wouldn't you be happy, too?"
"Dad!" Isabel leaped,thrilled, into her father's arms, taking in a breath of his recognizable scent. He wrapped his long, dirty arms around her.
"It feels good to see such a sweet face around here," he nudged her under her chin with his finger. She smiled, giving him a kiss on the cheek. As long as he was home, she would never want to go outside, unknowing of the terrible things happening inside the sinful city.
After the short reuniting of the family, Isabel's father brought out a ragged brown emptied it out on the small table. All that was in it was a short loaf of bread, a single potato, and a cold piece of chicken. Aside from that, an unworthy looking jug of partially clean water was set aside. Isabel guessed it was from the dirty river down south of here.
"That's it? " her mom rested her hand on his back. Her face was brimming in anxiety. Isabel felt troubled as well. They never had enough food to sustain them fully, but they usually had more..
"That's it.." her father sighed, though the look on his face seemed disappointed in his own abilities.
"Its alright, dad, " Isabel stared blankly at the food, stomach clawing at her insides, " I won't have to eat anything, so you and mom can eat more. "
Her father blinked at her in surprise, " No, I couldn't bring myself to starve you. You're the one we mainly need to feed more, then you can become big and strong!" His tone was expressive.
"Are you sure?" Isabel stared into his exposed eyes, " I've seen how you are when you come home; sad, tired. I don't want to see you like that! If you are going to work that hard, then you should at least eat more! " she felt her voice vibrate in her throat.
"I have a family now, and the reason I work is to keep the both of you alive. I would give my life to let my daughter reach the surface, and one way for you to achieve that goal, " he reached for the bread, shoving it in front of her, " is for you to eat. "
The scarlet-haired girl only stood there, moved by her father's demands. She found herself choking on her own, confided tears. Only to find when trying to hold them back, felt her throat, and her heart, ache terribly. She took he bread from her dad, a tear falling onto the dry loaf.
She smiled sweetly at her father, " Thank you, dad. " As she would have expected, he hugged her tightly, and she wished to stay in those arms forever. "Well," her mother interrupted the slight performance, " why don't we cut the drama and eat. We haven't had anything since yesterday, so I know the three of us are starving at the moment."
Her father, rising from the stone floor, chuckled slightly, "You're right, let's go ahead and sit down."
Isabel's mother evenly divided the bread into three halves, allowing her daughter to take the chicken while the three of them shared the potato. Like she had assumed, her hunger was not set at ease, but it was enough to sustain her.
Soon, a conversation followed the small meal between the two adults. Many things they spoke of, Isabel couldn't understand, but there was some things she could easily comprehend.
'Father seemed to be complaining, at the least. Something about how much money he earns.' She knew that her father argued with the man he worked for, and had skeptic feelings toward him. Isabel narrowed her eyes, in deep reflection, full of displeasure for that man, ' Dad deserves more attention. I bet he completed his actions more than the idiots he works for ever will! '
Yes, it was true; her father worked for the government, which she despised. But not as one of the police, nor the soldiers that sacrificed themselves to destroy the Titans beyond the walls. Apparently, the people bed down here were no more than trash. Instead, his job was to keep the river flowing. Their water supply in the Underground she knew was very short, and often, there was no hydration in the nearly empty waterway. He would travel many miles underneath the burdened city, and brought back the little water they had.
Sometimes, he would even obtain injuries down there, but due to the fact that he was barely paid, and the lack of medical supplies, many times he was unable to heal himself. If she ever went to work with her father, she would demand that he be properly cared for. She didn't even care if it meant she would be arrested, if it was to defend her family, she would do it.
Slightly bored of the conversation, Isabel cut short of the enraged topic, " Hey! Dad, when I get older, I promise I will go down there with you and give them a piece of my mind!" She shouted recklessly.
Her parents glanced beside them, chuckling as they went along, " Is that so?" Her father grinned, " if you can tell me what 35 plus 27 is, I'll let you."
Isabel ceased to move, embroiled in the problem. The familiar griping feeling of her stomach occurred when she was in a state of confusion:also known as math.
"Ummm,you...You put...uhh, " Isabel stuttered, counting on her fingers.
"Well!" His look inquiring, but amused," Do you wish you had learned math from me now?"
"Sh-shut up!" her head rose, angered by her stupidity," There's no need for math in the Underground, anyways!" She quickly changed her embarrassment to reassuring herself of the need for adding, ignoring her fault and blaming the fact that math existed. But she loved her family; even when they could get a little weird.
"Are you warn enough?" Isabel was being "tucked in" , but there were almost no sheets for her to be tucked into, they were so ragged and stained. Though her mother still wrapped the torn sheets over her.
"Mom, why do ask me that every night?" she asked in an annoyed tone, pulling the sheet over her mouth.
"Because, it is what a mother like me is required to do. I would be a terrible parent if I didn't take care of my child." Her mother insisted.
Isabel felt her eyelids drop, wanting to rest. She didn't feel like getting into a conversation at the moment, she was tired. She understood what her mother was trying to say, she just didn't know what "required" meant.
"I'm warm," she closed her tired eyes, laying on her stomach like she always did. She knew her mother was watching; feeling the same warming gaze upon her. Hearing her mother leaning over her,Isabel felt the woman's lips rest on her head. Although her eyes were closed,she could see her mother smiling.
"All right, then. Good night." Her mother's footsteps sounded away, hearing her lie on the floor nearby with only a blanket underneath her. Isabel felt angry with herself not to offer a blanket of her own. So later that night, she waited silently for her parents to fall asleep. Then Isabel rose from the sheets, wrapping one softly around her mother's cold self. And she went back to her own bed, knowing her mother would be warm.
Before she awoke, she heard the harmonizing voices of her parents. They spoke quietly, Isabel figured so that they could avoid waking her. She could tell by the vibrations of their voices that her dad was at the front door; ready to leave. She felt as if the sheets had almost torn, ripping them off her back, dashing toward the door. She stopped as her family caught sight of her. Her father exchanged a affectionate smile.
"Good morning, Isabel," he nodded, addressing a grin upon his face,"I see you're up early."
Isabel breathed, trying to walk steadily toward the door, but clumsily fell instead. Thankfully she hadn't landed on her head, but she fell heavily on the side, the pain soon surged through her brain.
Her mother had a concerned look on her face, stepping foreword, foot shifted across the wood. But Isabel stood before her mother offered assistance. She held her head, supporting it with her hands dye to the dazed state she had been forced into.
The tall woman shook her head, sighing," Honestly, Isabel. You should at least try to stay calm. No telling when the floor or walls could give way if you ran into them."
Isabel head swayed weakly, forgetting it had ever happened by reasons for falling. Before she fell over again, she regained balance, hugging her father before he turned to leave. She could feel him, the pulsation she felt was on account of him laughing at her mistake. She punched him regarding her feelings, hitting him on the shoulder. She knew he was only teasing her, so Isabel said goodbye.
"Come back home safe, " she told him confidently. She had heard that statement coming from her mother many times before, though Isabel wasn't completely sure what it meant. What could she mean; that there was a possibility he wouldn't?" She only had an assumption to what manner was said...
"Women and their worries," her father chuckled. Isabel could tell that he was in a teasing mood.
"But don't worry, Isabel," he patted her head, " I will."
Those words filled her her with such certainty that he would. She nodded, trying to act cool, but knew she would miss him truly. No matter how many times he left. She would always have the feeling that she may not see him again.
Isabel's view was attentive upon him, leaving out the door, and vanishing in the streets soon after. She wondered how cruel the world out there truly was. She didn't keep her eyes off him until he left her sight, eager to confirm his safety.
Even Isabel turned to notice her mother was watching her husband's footsteps intensively. I guess they would stay afraid for him every day now, missing him uncontrollably, hating that he left them each day.
But her mother realized that they had only waisted time, pulling her daughter aside to assist with the daily chores.
Isabel was more than bored today, yet exhausted from all the work. She knew it had to be done, and she was usually more attentive, but today she felt different. But she couldn't rest that stress on her, so she kept quiet.
Later that morning, they had both finished their everyday tasks earlier than usual. Her mother then told Isabel to stay quiet as her mother took a nap. Isabel sat on the stone floor, back to toying with her blocks as she usually did. But something was strange; she felt a sudden yearning, she didn't even know what it was!
But the longer she remained still, the more she realized that she had this obsession for years! It was so clear now, how could she have been so blind? She wanted...
She wanted to go outside.
But how could she? Her mother had warned her of the outside terrors in the city. So many murderers lurked in the cities underground, and the additional kidnappings hadn't sounded too promising either.
But Isabel reassured herself; maybe if I just stay in my house's sight, even just for a little while, I should be fine, right?
Isabel, gathering her shy courage, decided that today she would finally go outside by herself . She checked to see if her mother was truly asleep, swerving around the corner to confirm. Her mother slept soundly, not making a noise. The room was dark, no light touching it. She knew her mother wouldn't wake up in a while.
Quietly, Isabel walked up to the locked door. Carefully, she undid the lock, pulling the door open. Although the city was blocked off from the light, she still shielded her eyes. Why?
She soon saw that she had been wrong as she stared up, glimpsing it for the first time. She had always thought that the only light she saw was from candles or lights through her window. But this light was different; it was warm and seemed to regenerate her strength. Her heart beat quickly, each sound vibrated through her chest. It was truly a sight to behold.
The light seeped down through the darkened openings of the governed ceiling. She never knew light existed Underground!
An overly excited girl, Isabel bounded outside her house holding no regretting thoughts. She eagerly ran through the streets. No one seemed like they wanted to hurt her, nor even take the time to even look at her. They only looked tired, or busy, some of their faces were unreadable. But none of them seemed threatening in any way, so she felt relaxed.
She spun around, red hair whisked at her filthy face. Her eyes grew wide as she saw one of the sun rays glistening down onto the earthly ground only yards away. She urged herself to run towards the heavenly sight, something she could never enlighten her dark heart alone. But it was a so breathtaking, Isabel feared she could never move. But she heard her footsteps, bare feet walking towards the sun beams with desirous emotion. She allowed it, now sensing the sudden warmth on her skin. She stared down unintentionally, seeing in surprise that a green leaf had sprouted from a stem, confidently facing the sun.
'Now how did that get there?' Isabel pondered, though celebrating its vibrant colours. She never even knew that such beauty could exist Underground. She didn't know much about how plants grew, only that they needed sunlight and water. But the ground was moist, and the sunlight was slightly dimmed, but apparently was enough to give proper growth.
Isabel smiled, happy for the little plant, and happy that she could see a little of the Surface's sun. She tried to imagine the sky up there, the way she pictured it now was different from before. The sky was bright blue; the sun would always shine upon her darkened face. She closed her eyes, feeling warmth upon her face.
She didn't know how long she stood there, but after a while, she started to hear a loud uproar nearby. She opened her eyes, turning them toward the uprising clamour.
She then saw a group of boys. She couldn't tell how old they were, but she knew that their age was more than Isabel's.
They started to make their way slowly toward her, dark eyes meeting on her. Isabel was nervous at the group walking directly at her, but she wasn't afraid, just annoyed. Her wrath placed on them, she hated that their ruckus had interrupted the moment of her experiencing of the first glimpse of sun.
Sullenly, she turned toward them with a bothered look, staring them down. They soon reached her, exchanging offending looks. Isabel narrowed her eyes, disliking them almost immediately.
"What do you want?" Isabel grumbled, irritated. They only smiled in aggression, the tallest stepping foreword.
"Were only here to see why a stupid little girl is roaming the streets by herself. You should go back to the garbage where you belong," he snorted.
Isabel wanted to kill him, but realized she should have stayed home,"Unlike you, I don't live on the garbage like rats. I have a home and a family who loves me, and I'm pretty sure the only family you have are the lice scattered in your hair," she spat mockingly.
His friends grinned at her comeback, while the boy, she figured the leader clenched his fist bitterly.
"Shut up, brat!" He yelled, " I bet those are just lies, because even if you had a family, they would never love you. They'd just throw you to the streets, stopping by the nearest bar, drink their hearts out, and forget you even existed!"
Isabel didn't know what to do. She had never had to deal with such people before. She knew nothing she could say would change the mind of this repulsive boy. Then would she run back home to mother, knowing she would punish her? Isabel had a feeling she had already awakened, so there was no point.
Except to show him.
Before another thought entered her mind, she had her hands clenched into a fist, thrusting into the face of the boy. It caught him by surprise, and he fell to the ground with a thud.
His followers only stood paralysed, unknowing of her sudden rage. She kicked at his stomach, violently repeating herself until the wind was knocked out of him, and he passed out. This was the first time she had used her father's tactics.
"I will never forgive you for insulting my parents!" She screamed at him, even though he was no longer conscious.
"Y-you..." One of the boys stuttered resentfully," You little brat!" She found him leering over her, pulling his arm back to show a pipe aimed at her in assault, his hand shook with anger.
Isabel swerved her hips around, smashing her heel upon his bone where the foot and the leg met. It worked! She heard the bone crack, followed by his screams of anguish. He fell while grasping the broken foot in his hands, clawing the ground to endure the pain. The long pipe clattered on the ground with an echoing noise, catching the attention of nearby citizens.
The remaining two launched themselves at her with threatening arms; each holding either a knife, or a long stick. The one who held the branch smacked her on the shoulder, it's long wood drove pain through her arm. Next he swung the stick at her mouth, this attack was weaker, but had almost broke her jaw. But she tolerated the great suffering, blocking his next attack by wrapping her right arm across the same-sided ear, striking his neck with the same hand, breaking his next assault. His knees bent, allowing Isabel to strike his face with malevolent force, hitting him once more at the nose. His bloody face rose, able to punch her mouth the same spot as before, but he was too weak from the beatings that he took, and had only bruised her.
The boy behind the one she brought down clasped the knife tightly, and rushed quickly at her. He slashed her arm, leading by jumping backwards, preventing her to counter. Before her reaction, he had managed to slash her side, which burnt terribly of piercing sufferance. But his attack had been to wide, exposing his full Sid with outstretched arms holding the blade. Isabel followed with a side-kick, preventing him to turn to strike again. Before he regained his balance, she punched his right arm between his muscle and shoulder, hitting his pressure point, causing him to drop the weapon. His arm went limp, all he could do was watch a nine-year-old girl uppercut under his chin, sending him a sudden stop on the hard ground. As the dust cleared, many nearby civilians rushed to assist her, others holding the ones that attacked her tightly.
"Hey kid, you alright?" one man walked up to her, reaching for her injured shoulder with harmless arms. Isabel backed away, tense with sufferance, trying to dodge his assistance. She gave a frightened look, turning swiftly and dashing back home.
She neglected to turn back, refusing to take the help the man had offered. She was too demented, rigid from the scene recently played out. What had she done? What if they went after her again in the future? Her mother would defiantly notice her bleeding daughter with cuts and bruises coming through the door. But that was the least of her worries... Would they eventually track her down; killing both her and her parents?
But Isabel ignored these thoughts; she had to get home first before anything else happened. She cursed herself sightlessly before entering the door, unknowing of what lied past the wooden entry.
She busted through the door, swinging it open without looking up to see her mother's concerned face. Though she heard the woman yelp in surprise, she disregarded the angered yet anxious expression upon her mother's face. She felt her hand grasp Isabel's arm tightly, but she ignored her, attempting to hide her face.
"Isabel, are you listening to me?!" her mother sharply cried, " I've been looking for you all around the house, and the whole time, you were outside?!"
She heaved her arm from her mother's hold, breaking her questions by sitting outside in the back, passed over the distress upon her mother. She concealed her wounds, burying her nose between her legs, grasping her side to shroud the blood stains with her hand.
"Isabel!" her mother apparently had enough, clenching her daughter's shoulder; the one that had been injured only minutes ago. Isabel wailed due to the torture that surged through her veins. Her mother leaped backward in shock, noticing her injured shoulder. She bent down to look at her face, though Isabel turned away. Still, her mother grabbed her chin, exposing her bruise over her mouth.
"Ow, ow.. ow!" Isabel shouted, a tear formed under her left eye. Her mother clasped her hands over her mouth, showing much astonishment. She watched her mother as she examined her side, blood began to seep down further, staining her clothes. She carefully removed her daughter's hand from the cut, gasping as she touched the sticky red liquid on her hand. Isabel instinctively pulled it away, staring at her own hand.
" What happened to you?" she said in a directive tone, " What happened when you were outside?" She remained silent, not wanting to answer her mother, knowing that problems would only pile on top of each other.
"Isabel, you got into a fight, didn't you?" She narrowed her eyes, " This is why we keep you from going outside." Isabel's eyes narrowed. She had only defended her family, and this was how her mother rewarded her?
"They started it..." Isabel muttered under her breath.
"So you were attacked!" Her mother rose without warning to obtain a wet cloth from inside.
"It wasn't my fault they insulted me!" she yelled.
"Well, it was your fault when you left the house without permission. You could've been killed!"
"But I didn't, I'm fine!
"No, you are not fine. If you were fine, you wouldn't be this injured!"
"Bu-but..." Isabel whimpered, wincing as her mother wrapped a long, white cloth around her waist.
"No, you are not allowed to go outside without me or your father any more," she scolded," Now tell me what happened now!"
Isabel looked away, denying her mother's demands, " You don't need to know anything."
Her mother stayed silent for a while, tending to Isabel's wounds. She never intended to hurt her mother's feelings, but also didn't want to cause more worry. Trying to avoid the subject, she showed her mother her shoulder to reveal the sharp pains surging through it. Her mother sighed, aiding her wounds with the clean water storage they kept. Isabel flinched at the cold and wet cloth pressed against her shoulder, but the pain soon faded after a while. She wanted to forget it had happened, but it only brought the frightening image back to her. Truth was, she had been absolutely terrified at what happened. She still shivered at the sight of the blood that oozed down her arm, and cried at the pain inflicted across her mouth. Her mother couldn't expect her to have a heart of steel, right?
"I've never felt this much pain before, though, " Isabel clenched the dress tightly, persisting the gathered shooting pain in her heart. A soft tear trickled down her cheek, dropping down to her lap.
"I didn't know I could hurt them that much. I wanted to leave after I hit the first one, but then the others hated me for it, so they tried to kill me," Isabel admitted, not thinking of the consequences that followed.
Silence followed Isabel's confession, and she was afraid what the woman would say. Unexpectedly, her mother gripped her daughter's hands with her own, holding them up to her chest. Isabel felt her pull her further, falling into her parent's arms. She sat there, confused. Lifting her face from the comforting mother's shoulders, she stared at her fazed.
"A-aren't you angry at me, Mom?" Isabel stammered relentlessly.
The fretful parent hugged her tightly, " No, I am just concerned for your safety, darling. I would never forgive myself if anything had happened to you."
The young girl sighed, she tried to worm out of her mother's arms, the pain from her wounds only hurt more," Mom, you're hurting me."
"Oh, I'm sorry! I forgot.." she smiled weakly, pulling her arms away. Isabel could tell she was still shocked at what just happened. It would have been better if she had never left the house in the first place. She regretted it all.
Although after tending to her wounds, Isabel was sent to the smaller bedroom. She sat alone in the room, ruing that she had gone outside. But then she remembered the amazing feeling of the sun shining on her face. The warmth was overwhelming, and she was happy she had seen it for the first time. Whenever she looked out the window, or watched her father leave for work, she had never seen the actual city. Besides the hollow guilt she felt, there was still joy that shone through it.
That same day, Isabel was cared for, later she rested. She knew her father would know what happened, but she couldn't predict his actions. She could only wait for him to arrive. She listened carefully for the door, waiting for the next creak sound of it opening. She even tried to hint the slightest movement at the stairs before the wooden door.
Just then, she heard a sound of the door swinging open. She jolted upward, only to be brought back down by her striking pain. She clenched her side tightly, wondering how the scene would play out. Hand on the floor, Isabel supported herself up. Her head felt awful dizziness, making her head spin terribly. Enduring through it, she lifter her hand from her side and rested it on the front of her. The stinging feeling was gone, leaving behind an aching pain.
After the light headedness wore away, she heard the echoing voices of her parents ringing through her head. Her father's was interrupting her mother, speaking in a greatly enraged tone.
'Is he talking about me?' Isabel had to know. Wiping her face with her hands, using her wound, stopped the annoying ringing that surged through her brain. He parents spoke more clearly now.
"I'm sick and tired of everyone I've worked with!" Her father yelled, "They just sat there as the little boy was drowning. I saw nothing, not even the slightest hint of sympathy for him! I told them to help the poor kid, and they only looked at me like I was some sort of idiot!" He said angrily, hands covering his face. He sat in the chair nearby.
"I finally went down there, and swam after him. I managed to bring him and bring to shore. That's when my boss grabbed me and started yelling at me. He told me that I had been foolish to save the boy like that. He actually told me that I should have waited for the military to come and save him. How could someone be that stupid? So I yelled at him, only to get punched in the face. He said to me that I wouldn't get paid for two weeks, and refuse to give out any food or water to our family."
Isabel, who was hidden behind the wall, peeking into the conversation, could not believe this.
'What? How heartless can those people be? And in return, all dad gets is punishment? Something is terribly wrong,' Isabel shivered to herself.
The girl glanced at her mother, who reached for her husband's shoulder, "It's alright, " she comforted nervously, "I'm sure that we will get through th-"
"Don't you see?!" he snapped, pushing her hand away, "There's nothing down here for us, nothing! What's worse is that we will never leave, never reaching the Surface... To hell with that!"
Isabel felt totally frozen, like she had a heart attack. What did her father say? He doubted that any of them would get to the Surface? What was with this sudden change of heart? She felt so scared, not wanting to make a move. She then saw her mother clasping both hands over her mouth.
"Please.." she cried, "Don't say that, Isabel may be awake.." Her daughter felt herself gasp, taking a step backward.
"Just because we have both given up, doesn't mean Isabel should either. I don't want her feel the fear we have. She still has her life to loose; we've already lost ours."
Isabel clutched the cloth that covered her chest, heart aching terribly. She walked backward to retreat to her bed, but tripped over her feet and fell with a loud thud. As her feet swung underneath her, she saw through them her parent's shocked expressions. As they crashed to the floor boards, she heard her mother's sharp yelp. Not her usual voice, it was different than Isabel remembered. Was this her true side?
"I-Isabel!" her father got up his seat, " What are you-" by the face he was making, she guessed he had found out she had been listening into their conversation.
Isabel scrambled up as her father made her way toward her. The liquid forming in her eyes, stared into his. She ran into the other room, pulling the sheets over her head, bundled in the warm cloth. Her cheeks were stained with her tears, stinging her lip down to her chin. She then heard her parent's footsteps thunder across the wooden floor.
"Isabel, wait!" her father called after her.
She winced as she felt their presence next to her, shutting her eyes tightly, wishing for them to leave.
"Go away!" Isabel rose her voice, tears breaking her words.
"I-I didn't know you were listening..." Her father said quietly.
"Is this what you've really thought? All these years have you just been lying to me for my sake?" she cried," I always thought that we would get out of here together, well apparently not!"
"Isabel, our hope is for you to escape. We know that he have almost no chance of living before they let anyone out, that's why we didn't want to tell you. We always knew that you'd have to leave without us, but it seems like we haven't taught you how to carry on..." she felt her mother's arms wrapping around her back. She wanted to push her away, to tell her she would survive, too.
The sheets covering her head fell, "You...you have to survive mom..." she cried. Her father came around and stared at his daughter's face. She thought he might be shocked, but hugged her as well.
"Just promise us, Isabel," she flinched at her own name being said,"No matter what happens, you will make it to the Surface, even without us. Alright?"
The sudden weight of the change of events had surprised her. Everything had happened so quickly, she wasn't even sure if the reader even knew what was going on. (LOL)
But she had already made the promise to leave the Underground. She would have to neglect her stronger feelings and make this promise.
"I will," she whispered.
Little did she know it was about to leave her all to quickly...
Isabel's eyes shot open at the loud bangs surrounding her. She jolted upward to find that they were only knocks at the door. Her quick breathing slightly blinded her from seeing the dark room about her. Eyes adjusting to the black surroundings, saw that her father was out of bed. Her mother was sitting down in her blankets. A look of dread flashed in her paralysed face.
What had she been doing before? All the young girl could remember was falling back asleep after the awful promise she had to keep. Now their where long knocks at the door, almost sounding as it was splintering due to the force banging at the house door. What was her father doing?
"John, who's at the door?" Isabel kept her eyes glued on her mother, who was radiating in worry.
'Wait, if dad's inside, who was knocking at their door?' anxious thoughts filled her mind. Curiosity, followed by quiet fear fuelled within her. Using the fear as her devices, got up and peeked over the corner. Her eyes glanced back at her mother as she saw her open the back window. 'What was everyone up to?'
Shifting dark green eyes at her father, jumped back as a booming voice sounded behind the wall.
"OPEN THIS DAMN DOOR NOW!" a man screamed at the other side.
Isabel could hear it all clearly now; crashes sounded about the city outside. Screams of torment echoed about the streets, followed by loud bangs. Her parents had warned her of this sound. The military had these weapons call "guns", and she ad been told they made those terrifying noises. That was it: they were gunshots.
After witnessing her father standing protectively at the door, shot a glance at the window. Each crash flared a bright red light that shined through the window, and the nasty smell of smoke filled her nostrils. The mocking calls of the Surface could be heard, 'The world's on fire, the world's on fire, ' they would chant.
Indeed, the walls that protected her couldn't hide the images of the city falling around her. Her mother ran toward her, sweat fell from her face as she grasped Isabel's hand.
"Momma, what's going o-"
"Shh!" her mother hushed, clasping her hand around her daughter's mouth, " There's no time to explain, we just need to get-"
Isabel and her mother screamed as an explosion sounded outside their door, breaking the wood, shattering the windows into a million shards. Her mother held Isabel in her arms, turning her back to the explosion. Opening her eyes, Isabel pulled away and checked to see if her father was alright. He was stranded on the wooden floor, groaning as shards of glass fell off him. Five large men appeared in the doorway, all wearing the same uniforms.
The uniforms held the appearance of a short, light brown jacket. Patches were located shoulder-height across from each other, a picture of the symbol of "The Military Garrison". Another was visible on the front chest symbol was a picture of two red roses upon each other, protected by a simple, white frame. The rest of the uniform was covered by a light coloured shirt, a brown sash surrounding the waist. the white pants were covered by dark brown knee-high boots. A single rifle hung across each of their backs, revealing the metal pipe-like opening above their heads. Many of them also held small, wooden handguns. One of them had smoke forming from the small opening of the gun, and Isabel swallowed in fear. Their figures seemed so majestic, Isabel remembered seeing them march through the streets, staring at them in admiration. But now...
The largest man stared down at her father, Isabel was held back by her mother so she couldn't go after them.
"We have to escape, Isabel!" her mother whispered sternly.
The red-head instinctively pulled away," We can't just leave dad!" she growled slightly louder.
Isabel gasped as two long tears fell continually down her cheeks, " He said we must leave now, to the main Underground city's capital. There's nothing more we can do for him," her mother cried between words.
"Isabel..." she held her daughters hand, tears falling to her bare feet," I don't want you to see this."
Isabel's eyes widened, insanity taking over her tears that formed in her eyes, her head pulled back to the five soldiers that formed above her father's beaten self. The tallest one grasped his neck, fingers choking him, digging further into his neck. Isabel screamed, "Stop!" but her mother held her tongue by the hands that covered her mouth.
"This is what you get for stabbing one of my men just now, you piece of Underground trash!" the man snarled. Isabel's eyes immediately caught sight of a lifeless body outside the door frame, revealing a pool of blood staining the stairs.
Between words, her father managed to choke out the words," You..would've-*cough*.. killed me-*cough*..anyways..."
The man exchanged a sadistic smile, " Your right, " he hissed, pointing his gun at her father's head, "now you'll get to experience all the pain this bullet will bring you. And just because of your "wise" decision," he sarcastically said, "I don't think I'll spare your wife and daughter, either!"
"Wha-" she watched as her father's dark green eyes flash in grave shock," YOU LEAVE THEM OUT OF THIS!" he spat, trying to release the man's grip from his neck.
"Too late," the man hissed smugly. Isabel's felt a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something she hadn't felt before. What was going to happen? Her eyes brimmed in tears, she couldn't say anything due to her mother preventing her to move. She neglected to close her eyes from the sight. The clicking sound of the gun shifting as the man held it at her father's head.
Isabel's mother held her tightly as she tried to rush to her dad. Her face was buried in Isabel's shoulder as she tried to pull her daughter back, crying silently. It was pure torchure to watch helplessly as the soldier pulled back the trigger, followed by a quick, sharp-
BANG!
Isabel jumped by the sudden gunshot. At the first second, it seemed as nothing had happened. But soon, a spray of dark red liquid poured from the head wound. Gallons of blood shot onto the floor as her father looked into her eyes one last time. Those now were lifeless, emotionless you could say. Isabel screamed as the lifeless body plunged to the floor, the last she saw of her father. To prevent her daughter from seeing anything more, she swooped Isabel in her arms, crawling quickly out the window and falling to the ground outside, accidentally dropping Isabel. Quickly, she swooped the girl back up, this time, she hung over her shoulder.
Tears streamed endlessly down her cheeks, the only image besides the falling buildings and the streets on fire was the one where that bullet went through her father's head. All she could do was stare at the ground below her. Her consciousness got the better of her, she gasped and looked at their house.
Horror spread across her face as the men stepped out of the house hundreds of feet away, lighting the house on fire.
Isabel pounded her fists on her mother's back, " DAD!" her shrieks sounded off the burning buildings. Tears trailed helplessly behind her, shattering to the cold earth. Her eyes narrowed in hatred, staring right at the man who killed her father. His face was strait, horrible sharp eyes standing victoriously at the remaining steps of their house. His dark, short cut hair was visible in the light of the flames. She would always remember that face...
"Mom..." she helplessly whispered. Tears drenched her mother's shoulder, arms wrapped tightly around her neck. She cried loudly into her mother's smoky scent, not caring if anyone heard her, because right now, everyone was crying.
Suddenly, another soldier broke out of another house. Isabel stared him down with hatred. None of them deserved forgiveness for this, never! He stared at her with a confused face, eyes shining brightly in the fire's light.
"Get those two now! What have we trained you for?! Kill everyone in the southern district!"
Isabel rose her head, blinded by grief, eventually saw the five men start rushing down the street. Along with the man that had stared at her.
'No! They're coming after us now! Wasn't killing my father just now enough?' the voices above she could still hear humming above her.
"Mom!" she stared down at her mother, whose tears fell like her daughter's. She took a quick turn toward a darkened alley, no fires awaiting them.
There were no soldiers either, but Isabel continued to hold her breath. The alley was wide, yet narrow as well the further they went. Stairs led upward to a building's roof. Isabel exhaled with relief.
"Now we can esca-AAH!"Isabel yelled as her mother dropped her in the nearby crate. She fell inside, scattering the storage of rotten potatoes along the floor. Her mother shut the crate closed, resting a nearby rock on top of it.
"What are you doing mom?! We can escape together!"
"No, you will live, and you will never come back for me! Her mother stared through a small hole in the box," There's no way you can live if you come with me, so wait until all the soldiers leave, alright?"
"Mo-mom? I-I can't!" She stuttered, tears only continued to fall.
"I love you so much, Isabel!" tears fell as she stuck her hand through the crate, touching her face one last time. As she heard her name one last time from her mom, the woman kissed her forehead passionately. Her mother then dashed forward, Isabel watching every step that she took. She sat there alone, paralysed and the sound of voices and yells that sounded past her. She held her breath, secretly trying to hide herself from the sickening military.
'No! They're going to catch her!' Isabel panicked, trying to move her legs, but the grief and pain within her soul ached too badly for her to stand. No more steps were taken by anyone, her mother frantically reaching for the bars that led to the stairs above. Her legs dangled, reaching for the bar.
'Come on! You can make it! Please, don't get caught!' Isabel cheered silently, eyes refusing to blink. She watched as her mother scrambled over the stairs. Isabel smiled, urging her to move forward,' She made it!'
But that hope only lasted a second. Isabel forgot that the soldiers had guns, and soon heard once again the terrifying bang coming from the monstrous weapons.
Her mother had been shot in the back, and instinctively let go. She landed on the cold earth, screaming in agony. Isabel smashed her shoulder against the roof of the crate, ponding it with her clenched fists.
'NO! YOU CAN"T HAVE HER, TOO!' she thought with all her might, continued to pound at the box, growling to urge herself out. But the military soldiers had grabbed her by the hair, her screams were breaking Isabel's heart. She weakly pounded at the wooden cage, crying quietly.
"Stop...let her..go.." Her tears burnt terribly, falling down her currently stained face. They continued to torment her remaining parent, the one who had killed her father held a knife to her throat.
"Where's that little bitch you were carrying a little while ago? Oh, and don't worry, we'll take GOOD care of her," he leered over her amusingly.
"I'd rather be thrown over the wall for the Titans!" her mother spat in his face.
He growled impatiently, "Wrong. Answer.
'No...' Isabel realized in horror what followed. But if she said anything, they would both be killed. Why was this happening? Why?!
Her eyes widened as the man brought his arm back, ready to stab the helpless woman while the others held her hair upward, her knees dug deeper it the dirt. Isabel watched as he killed her mother, she would never forget that moment when he slit the neck of her only family left. Her eyes rolled upward, her remaining body fell into a pool of her own blood. Nothing would ever be the same as her mother mouthed those last words:
'Isabel.'
Those words fell to the pit of her stomach, wishing for her to hurl everything up. A bit plunged to the floor as the saw the last sight of the fiery walls. She would now be finally alone in the dark. She didn't care if they found her. She was already loosing her consciousness, everything around her turned to flames, then into smoke, followed by darkness. But she was already in the darkness as she saw that last flicker of hope flash in her mother's eyes. The hope for her to live; it had died soon after her mother's cold body fell to the earth's arms. But she couldn't carry on that will, not now, not ever.
Darkness closed her eyes, and darkness clouded her last ounce of hope. Her family was dead.
A mixture of dark and light surrounded her. She opened her eyes lazily, looking around the room. But she realized she wasn't in her home. She was indeed trapped. Suddenly, she remembered she was in a crate. Why was she here? And where was breakfast?
With her remaining strength, pulled herself upward, along with the roof of the crate. The bodies that filled the cities didn't scare her for some strange reason. She wondered why, pondering at the subject for a few minutes. Arguing with herself saying,' Why aren't you scared? I bet you're scared, just too afraid to admit it. See? Now you're DOUBLE scared!'
She only regretted speaking to herself, she was such a child. In fact, why was she in the streets in the first place? She continued to stare at the corpses about the small city, smoke clouded the air with it's thick smell. She sneezed, not caring that she sneezed all over her hands. She curiously looked behind her shoulder, sleepily wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. Her eyes stared in hesitation, radiating with pure horror. At the bottom of the stairs that hung above, was a darkened pool of blood, her mother laying drenched with the scarlet liquid.
"No..." Isabel neglected the scene before her, daring not to move. Those dark stiff eyes seemed to fix on her, sending cold shivers through her body. The image of the knife stretching across her neck, slicing through her throat caught in her mind. Limping toward her mother, eyes stared in disbelief. Her eyes were cold, still stared in one place. Her throat was drenched in blood, along with the dress that she wore. Isabel stepped into the red liquid, shocking her that so much blood had been spilled. Her hands over her mother's side, turned her over on the woman's back, revealing her face that met the darkened light. Blood had drawn down her mother's cheek, the young girl gasped. She rose her head, dirty hair itching her shoulders. She spun her head around , looking to see if there were any survivors.
"Someone?! Anyone?!" she called into the city," Please help! I need help! The bleeding had stopped long before she had woken up, but Isabel didn't realize this.
"PLEASE! SHE'S GOING TO DIE!" she wailed, screaming over and over for help. Why wasn't anyone helping? Was everyone already dead? She gasped, she could just get dad for help!
She left her mother's side, racing alongside the crate she had hid in, swerving around the corner of the building. The fire was gone, all that was left was the endless roads of burnt buildings. She finally came to her own home, she neglected that it had been burnt down and entered the doorway.
"Da-" she screamed as she had been cut off by soot and wood fell in front of her. she covered her mouth with her shoulder, coughing as she called his name again," Dad! Do you hear me dad?" Her heart felt like it was being stabbed at the sight of yet another body. She knew it was her father's, remembering the incident. The body was burnt, but the house still reeked of death. Tears of panic crept from her eyes, swerving back around to go find her mother again.
She came to her mother's side panting, bent over the blood-stained earth. Knees, hands, and feet were all covered in the sticky liquid, but she didn't care.
"Mom? Mom, wake up! We gotta' go home! Dad's dead, and your injured, we have to go now!" she shook her mother, body stiff and cold, "Why are you so cold, mom?" she gave a weak laugh, " Are you too cold? Come on, I'll get you a blanket, so let's just go!"
"Mom, please! We can't stay here! It's too dangerous!"
Just then, she remembered everything. Her mother was dead, and there was nothing she could do to save her. She felt the memorable tears stream down her dirty cheeks, lowering her head to let the tears fall to the stained earth. She didn't know how long she stayed there, but she left after a long time. She didn't make another promise. She only left tired and hungry, her empty heart dragging along.
Like she had said before, she wanted to die. She didn't want to feel this pain anymore. The empty stomach had stayed that way for two weeks at the least. She wished for clean water, but knew the only water there was were the puddles in the long streets. She had avoided the large towns Underground and stayed more along the borders. But she was usually chased away by the military police. She banged her weak fist to the ground, cursing along with it. Pain rushed through her arm as she remembered the pain she held. She clutched her arm, wincing in agony.
"Not gonna' try that again," she grumbled,"Not like I'll ever get the chance, anyways." She knew she was going to die against this wall. She watched people pass her by normally; just going about their day. They never gave her such as a look, but Isabel didn't blame them. They probably thought she was just another corpse. But the girl was about as good as a corpse for the past few days. She didn't even have the energy to cry. But she would accept her death with her head high. A lone tear drifted down her face as she looked up to the roof of the Underground walls.
The light shone down across her face. She somehow looked to the right and found a little plant; like the one she had found the day she first touched light. Except, the only difference was it's leaves were torn, and the stem wilted.
"Ah, " she smiled, choking over her overwhelming tears," It looks like we're going to die together, little friend." Wait, she thought she had said she was too weak to cry? Isabel ignored the thought, and continued to stare at the sunlight above, still speaking to the little sprout.
"I hope there will be light when I die," Isabel whispered," But, as long as I have my mom and dad, then I am fine if it's dark."
Just then, she heard footsteps sounding towards her. They shifted across the dirt that lied on the earthy surface. She slowly turned her head to see a older looking boy that evenly walked toward her; holding a knife in his hand. The light was too bright to tell what his face looked like, but even if she could, she would be too dizzy due to her hunger. All she could wait was for him to kill her. The closer he came, the more she let go to the earth. She would face death with a smile on her face, because that was what her parents would want...
The sounds of his footsteps stopped, and she felt his shadow looming over her. She looked at his face, and surprise struck her in the remaining heart she had left.
"What are you doing?"
Oh, hello ! Nice to see you again!
Sorry, Im such a slow writer, this took me two months to finish, and I apologize. But Im going to start working on the next chapter soon. I will take any criticism because I know this sucks...LOL. XD
Shoutouts to Sky, Dean, The Reaper, and Shonen, so please check em' out, K? Love u, guys!
I was listening to a bunch of songs ive been listening to during writing this, so here are some songs, bro! Jar of Hearts by Christina Perri, 9 crimes, Runnin' by Adam Lambert, Ordinary Human by OneRepublic, and Something I Need by OneRepublic. So enjoy these songs, and if you already know them...
It's official. U ARE MY LONG LOST TWIN.