4. Our own past

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own this.

I hated Santa Teresa. I hated its rules and its religious discipline. I hated the lack of freedom and how much it changed Adelina.

I always dreamt of escaping and doing what I was sent here for. I never forgot our purpose here but my Cêpan did. She stopped believing. She thought this was a second chance for us and was thankful to a God that wasn't even ours. Maybe she believed that if we hid and had a peaceful devoted life, the Mogadorians wouldn't find us.

But they did, and her efforts of ignoring our true identity backfired.

The town and convent are both gone. So is my best friend, Héctor Ricardo, and Adelina.

My Cêpan didn't teach me what she should have, so I lack of training and I'm not as strong as the others. I'm not a warrior and my Legacies aren't really useful in the offense. Even though my healing Legacy has proven helpful, it still doesn't kill Mogs. Dulce gave me a taste of what this is going to be like and I know if I don't work my hardest, I will put everything in jeopardy.

We're hiding in Chicago right now, at the top of the Hancock Tower. Six was the first one opposed to such a big city, but it turns out that there are so many people, no one notices you. Hidden in plain sight, is what Nine calls it.
It's great. We have enough room for the six of us and it's very well equipped.

Living together with the other Garde has its perks, but it also has its downsides (like, having to bare Nine in the mornings). It has definitely brought us closer and we've use the time not only to train, but also to get to know each other better.

It wasn't long until we started talking about what we did before the found each other and, sadly, how we lost our Cêpans.

"No training?" Nine asks incredulously.

"My Cêpan tried to ignore everything Loric. She didn't want to talk about it." It hurts to say this because I loved Adelina and she died for me in the end, but she didn't help. She lost faith.

"Not even when your Legacies appeared?"

I sigh. I remember how she made me promise never to use my telekinesis again and that I stopped telling her when I got a new Legacies. I remember the times I decided to talk some sense into her, but she kept lying to herself.

"No."

"What about the scars in your ankle?"

"She always made up an excuse."

It's a fairy tale, Marina.

"Wow, and I thought Sandor was a jerk sometimes."

"Nine!" Six calls out with a frown.

"It's okay." I say softly while Nine holds his hands up in surrender even though he's smirking at Six. He always tries to annoy her, but it looks like flirting. "I'm just going to go to bed. It's late and we need to wake up early to train." Six smiles gently, understanding.

"Good night."

I make it to my and Ella's room but I hear someone behind. I turn around and I'm surprised to see it's Eight.

"Hey." He rubs the back of his neck looking nervous. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm just tired."

"Do you- want to talk?"

"It's fine." I smile softly.

"I heard it sometimes helps to talk about things." He tries again.

"Really, it's okay. I don't want to bore you."

"Marina, you would never bore me." He smiles.

We end up in his room sitting on his bed and I tell him everything.
How Adelina and I went through Europe until we came to Spain and stayed there. How she lost faith in Lorien in the convent but instead started believing in God and the Bible. How, even though, I was in an orphanage full of girls my age, everyone hated me and I had no friends until Ella came. I told him about Héctor Ricardo and that he died because of me.

To be honest, I'm a bit nervous when I tell him about the girls. I know he has been alone and he didn't even have the opportunity to have friends, but he doesn't make any hurtful comment. In fact, he tells me that Gabby and La Gorda didn't deserve me and that they were just stupid bullies. I smile at that and think that they would have all been crushing on him if he had been there. He would have been popular and loved; they would have been really excited to see him in town. I push those thoughts aside and keep telling my story.

Eight listens through it all, like he's really interested. He asks me things and is really sweet. He holds my hand when I tell him how Héctor Ricardo and Adelina died and I almost cry remembering it.

When I finish, a moment of silence follows until he speaks.

"You're wrong, Marina." He says to me. "You're strong. I don't think you know how much. Maybe you can't beat me or Nine in training yet, but that doesn't mean you're weak." He runs his thumb through the back of my hand, up and down. "Devdan liked to quote, you know," he smiles sadly "he once told me that courage is not the strong oak that sees storms come and go – it's the fragile flower that opens in the snow."

"That's beautiful."

Eight shrugs playfully. "I have my moments." He smirks.

He makes me laugh and it feels so good and refreshing.

I hope you liked it! I want to thank . . .Five who wrote the amazing "The return of Lorien - my version". Without her this one-shot wouldn't exist!

The quote Eight uses is actually "Courage is not the towering oak that sees storms come and go-it is the fragile blossom that opens in the snow." - Alice M. Swain

Please, give me some feedback and/or prompts! I need to know if you guys like what I'm writing and, you know, the more reviews, the faster I'll update because I will know this is what you want.

Thanks for reading.

See ya soon!

Sonia