THREE MONTHS LATER
Teresa ignored the grains of sand and dirt prickling her bare knees as she kneeled below the glass window. Her head was just high enough that her eyes were visible, giving her a perfect view of Samuel and Daphne. Teresa giggled, she'd had a feeling for some time now that her brother and his friend were perhaps a little bit more. As if Samuel's goofy grin while he listened to her talk wasn't enough, Daphne suddenly reached up and planted a chaste kiss on his lips. Samuel was left completely frozen even as the girl wrapped her arms around him briefly, then let go and started off in the opposite direction. His younger sister could only giggled.
Oh, was she ever going to tease him for this.
When he came inside a few minutes later, the dark haired girl hid behind around the corner, a smirk tugging at her lips. Samuel slowly entered the hall, glancing around in all directions before deciding it was safe and starting for his room
Teresa put on an innocent smile and stepped into view.
"Afternoon, big brother!"
Samuel stopped dead in his tracks and whirled around, eyes wide.
"Teresa!" He exclaimed. "What are you doing?"
"I should ask you the same question," Teresa answered, casually walking towards him. "So, how's Daphne?"
She made sure to emphasize the girl's name heavily, and it seemed Samuel got what she was implying.
"She's fine," he answered curtly, entering his room. "We were just talking."
"Talking," Teresa repeated with false naivety. "You can do that when your lips are attached?"
Samuel banged on the wall with his fist in annoyance. He stuck his head out to glare at her.
"Just knock it off," He all but ordered her.
Teresa, however, wasn't done yet. She followed Samuel into his room, squeezing her way in right before his door closed. The teenager groaned, but said nothing else. Teresa watched him amble over to his bed and sit down, opening his drawer and shifting around.
"You know we're leaving soon, right?" She asked him. "Father said we're going in two days."
"I know," Samuel answered distractedly. "That's why I was saying good-bye to Daphne. As a friend."
Teresa raised an eyebrow at that last bit. He'd added it after a second long pause, in the most defensive voice humanly possible. It never occurred to Teresa before what a bad actor her brother could be, at least when it came to stuff like this.
"Okay," Teresa said with a shrug, not meaning it at all. "If you say she's just a friend, then I'll believe you."
"Good," Samuel muttered, furrowing his brow as he continued rummaging.
"What are you searching for?" Teresa asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Nothing," he answered much too quickly.
'He's really secretive today,' Teresa said to herself.
She quietly watched her older brother continue his search until his hand suddenly stopped moving, and a triumphant grin appeared on his face. He pulled out a small object Teresa couldn't identify. Then she noticed a long string attached to the object that lead back into the drawer and it dawned on her.
"Is that your necklace?"
Samuel smiled and held it up into the light. Teresa's eyes traced the lines of the pendant, which was really a large tooth, belonging to a bear Samuel had managed to kill on his first hunting trip with Dad. Teresa had to suppress another giggle. Samuel always went on about how he'd chased the bear down and delivered the final blow after scaring it into submission. Her father's account of the story was far more realistic: Samuel had been walking along a cliffside and slipped, leading him to almost go over. He grabbed some rocks to pull himself back up, and one very large one fell and hit a passing bear on the head.
The beast hadn't even died, according to her father, but it was knocked unconscious and several of it's teeth had fallen out. Samuel just grabbed the biggest one he could find and got mother to make a necklace of it for his birthday. Thought he didn't always wear it, Samuel always kept it nearby.
The teenager gazed at his treasure for a few seconds more, then turned his attention back to his little sister.
"Yeah, so what?" He half-demanded.
Teresa shrugged. "I just don't understand why you don't wear it more often since you like it so much."
"Because," Samuel drawled. "This isn't just some trinket or piece of jewelry. This is a confidence booster."
Samuel threw the chain around his neck and puffed his chest out, proudly displaying the charm to his unimpressed little sister.
"With this one, nothing can stand in my way! I can take on the world!"
"And impress your girlfriend?"
"Yes!" Samuel responded without thinking. "Impress my girl… she is NOT my girlfriend!"
Teresa just laughed and ran out of the room. She didn't know if Samuel was chasing after her or not, nor did she care.
For the first time in what felt like forever, Teresa was in a good mood. They would be leaving Vereor forever the day after tomorrow, and she couldn't be more excited. Her parents were too, though they hid it better than their oldest daughter. Even so, it was rather noticeable since they began packing over a month ago.
The only person who showed even a bit of sadness over the move was Samuel, mostly because he didn't want to leave Daphne, Teresa suspected. No matter how much he denied it, she knew he liked her.
Teresa moved briskly down the hall to her bedroom, a smile on her face.
She passed a particular room with the door wide open. As if on cue, a cry rang out from inside the instant she passed by. Suddenly, Teresa's good mood vanished completely. It didn't take long for her mother to arrive, tearing into the baby's room at warp speed. Teresa stood back, frowning as her mother lifted the baby girl into her arms and rocked her back and forth, whispering soothing words under her breath.
In spite of all that had happened, Teresa still didn't like her new little sister. She didn't outright hate her anymore (at least, that's what she told herself), but she doubted they'd ever be particularly close siblings. She just hoped the girl didn't take a liking to Samuel when she was older. Her parents being obsessed with the baby was bad enough, Teresa didn't need her brother jumping on the bandwagon too.
This should have been a simple mindset to keep, it really should have. One thing, however, made it incredibly hard for Teresa to dislike her sister properly.
"Oh dear," her mother murmured when the baby refused to calm down. At that moment, the woman noticed her other daughter standing in the doorway and breathed a sigh of relief. "Teresa, come here and hold her, will you?"
Teresa fought back the urge to scowl and walk away. The last thing she wanted was to be any closer to that baby than she already was. Swallowing her anger, Teresa did as her mother asked, holding out unwilling arms for the tiny bundle.
"Watch her head," her mother spoke an unneeded warning.
Teresa arranged the baby in her arms, and frowned deeply when her sister's crying began to cease, until she was completely silent and staring up at Teresa would large, questioning blue eyes. The dark haired girl stood there awkwardly, still as stone. The baby didn't mind, she was perfectly content with staring at her sister, filled with a wonder that left Teresa uncomfortable.
She heard her mother sigh happily.
"That's just so sweet," she gushed. "It's like she knows that she's alive because of you, Teresa."
It was true, at least it may have been true. Teresa didn't know what it was for sure, other than the fact that it was cruelly ironic considering how much she didn't want to ever be around her sister.
No matter what the reason, in the three months since she'd been born, that baby never shed a single tear when Teresa held her.
"Teresa?"
The girl looked up from the book she'd been reading. Her eyes went to the wide open door of her room as her mother called her a second time.
"Teresa, could you come here, please?"
Teresa blinked. Confused, but obedient, the young girl slid off her bed and walked out the door and down the hall. She would have stopped at the living room, until she noticed the kitchen was lit up.
'That's odd,' she thought to herself. 'Dinner's not for another hour, isn't it?'
Teresa rounded the corner, bringing the kitchen into view. It took a moment to register her family sitting at the kitchen table smiling at her, and another moment to notice that dinner had already started, and it appeared tonight's meal consisted of all her favorite foods.
"Happy 11th birthday, Teresa!"
The girl blinked. She glanced around, as if expecting someone to jump out at her and tell her this was a joke.
"But, my birthday's not for another two weeks," she said dumbly.
Her father laughed and shook his head.
"We know, sweetheart," he answered her. "But since we'll be traveling for several weeks, there's a big possibility that we won't able to celebrate it properly."
"So we decided the best thing to do was to simply celebrate now," her mother added.
"I even got you a present," said a smirking Samuel. "No need to thank me."
"That's good," the grinning Teresa said as he went to take her seat at the head of the table. "I wasn't going to."
Her parents laughed as took turns hugging and kissing their daughter, before the entire family sat down and began to eat. Teresa noticed the baby sitting in her high chair, eating some baby mush. Though she felt a small twinge of annoyance, Teresa was too happy right now to be fully angry at the baby.
Instead, she dug into the array of meat and vegetables, eating as much as she could while her mother lightly chastised her. She wouldn't have room for dessert, her mother reasoned.
When the meal was finished, her father brought out a small cake. It wasn't fancy, but then none of her birthday cakes had ever been particularly stunning. Teresa didn't mind, it looked wonderful to her. Her father allowed her to cut it, and she made sure to give herself the biggest piece, she was the birthday girl after all.
And as she ate, Teresa glanced out the window at the stars twinkling above. She'd long ago stopped believing in magic and wishes, but still, she closed her eyes and made a birthday wish.
'I wish we could always be happy like this.'
The next night found Teresa walking home after her final day of work with that sour laundress.
She'd taken great pleasure in informing the old woman that today would be her last day. The laundress just sniffed and set Teresa to work, refusing to give over her final pay until she completed that day's work.
Teresa kicked a can down the road as she got closer and closer to the house. She felt like grinning forever, even though it would probably hurt her cheeks at some point. She couldn't stop thinking about Reprospes and what a great place it must be. Her Aunt was probably a wonderful person who would take great care in helping them get settled and acquainted with the town. Samuel might sulk and miss Daphne, but surely he'd move on and find someone else.
Plus, if she was really lucky, the baby might take a liking to their Aunt or one of their cousins and forget about her. Then Teresa wouldn't have to hold her every time she cried anymore.
Oh yes, that would be very nice indeed.
Teresa kicked the can hard, sending it flying ten feet. Smirking, the girl narrowed her eyes and broke into a run, rearing her leg out as far as she could when she was close enough and sending the can flying. She opened her mouth to let out a whoop of joy, but a crash somewhere down the alleyway stopped her at the last second.
Teresa blinked and focused her eyes and ears on the pitch black space. She heard another, louder crash and then a soft, perpetual sound of… chewing?
The dark haired girl rolled her eyes.
'Don't tell me another stray dog is eating out of the garbage.'
She casually walked to the edge of the alleyway, peering into the darkness. Her eyes adjusted, allowing her to see a shadow of something. Something that looked less and less like a dog every second she spent staring at it.
In fact, if she didn't know any better, Teresa would say it looked like a human, but what human would be rummaging through garbage?
She heard another sound then, one that was a great deal different from those crashes. She heard a loud snap, like something very hard had just been broken in two. Teresa watched the figure raise whatever it was holding over it's head, then casually toss it behind him. It landed at Teresa's feet, right into the light letting her see just what it was with perfect clarity.
An arm.
A severed, human arm.
Teresa stared at it, blood running cold and knees giving out.
A scream tore out her throat before she could stop it, and even though she backed up, she could see the creature in the alleyway draw itself to full height and turn around, it's demonic yellow eyes shining in the darkness and baring down on her.
A youma.
She heard it growl, followed by a heavy footstep. Teresa didn't need any more prompting, she sprang to her feet and ran, faster than she ever thought herself capable.
The beast roared behind her, and several other roars answered it. Teresa's fear grew with every single one she heard. Just how many youma were there in this town?
She made her way back home with ease. Even in her terrified state, she managed to navigate properly. Teresa ran up the stairs to the porch and tore the door open, not even bothering to check if it was open.
"MOTHER! FATHER!" She screamed, running through the front entrance and into the empty living room. "MOTHER! FATHER! SAMUEL!"
The house was quiet, much too quiet for Teresa's liking. She could hear the youma stomping around outside, as well as the screams of their hapless victims as they were torn to pieces.
"SOMEONE!" Teresa continued to cry. "THERE ARE YOUMA, FATHER! MOTHER!"
"Teresa?"
The girl stopped and whirled around. Relief washed over her as she took in the sight of her father, standing with a curious expression in the doorway of his and her mother's room. Teresa wasted no time in launching herself into her father's arms. The girl cried loud, heavy tears, burying her face into his shoulder.
"Hey, hey now!" Was her father's startled response. "Calm down, sweetie, tell me what's wrong."
Though she was still scared and crying, Teresa knew they couldn't just sit here. Those youma could decide to break in at anytime, they needed to get out of here.
"Father, there are youma," she forced out as she pulled away to look in his eyes. "Don't you hear them? I saw one eating someone just now, and there's a bunch more too. Father, we have to hide. We have to-"
"Oh, Teresa," her father breathed, pulling her close again. The action got her tears flowing again, leaving her unable to say anyway as she allowed her father to rub her back calmingly. "It's okay, it'll be okay. Don't cry, you're a brave girl, right? Brave girls don't cry."
"I'm scared," her voice was muffled and shaking. "What if they get you or mother or Samuel or-"
"Shhh," Her father silenced her again. "Don't think about that. It's going to be okay."
Teresa said no more, just nodded her head a bit and tried hard to calm herself, while her father spoke in gentle tone.
"There you go," he said when her sobs stopped. "That's my brave girl."
Despite her remaining fear, Teresa gave a tiny smile. Of course her father would protect them, what reason had she to fear?
"You're so brave…" her father repeated lovingly. "…and you smell delicious."
Teresa gasped.
Her father held her tighter, letting out an inhuman roar. With a scream, Teresa pulled her knee up into his stomach, causing him to loosen his grip on her. Teresa took two clumsy steps back before falling to the ground, and watched, her eyes going small with fear, as her 'father's' body twist and grew. His skin began a sickly dark green, his eyes turning yellow. He stood hunched over, bearing down on the young girl.
"What's wrong," the youma growled mockingly. "You scared of your daddy?"
It reared it's head back and laughed loudly. Teresa could almost hear her father's laugh somewhere behind the monster's.
"He tasted great, you know," the youma gloated. "I haven't had such a good dinner in weeks."
He drew himself to full height, and took a threatening step forward.
"And you'll make a good dessert."
Teresa didn't move. She didn't say anything. All she could do was stare at the beast wearing her father's skin. Mocking her with it's monstrous eyes and gnashing teeth. Unspeakable fear took over, her whole life flashed before her eyes. This was it. This youma had killed her father, and now she would follow.
Somewhere within that crippling fear, Teresa felt a flame of vengeful anger. She wished she had the power, like those Claymores sent to kill these horrible beasts. If only she could kill this monster, avenge her father, stare into it's demonic eyes as she held it's life in her hands and coldly snatch it away.
If she could only do that, she'd do it gladly.
With a smile on her face.
Teresa saw drool falling from it's teeth, it's hungry eyes never leaving hers. She refused to close them. Even if she was afraid, she wouldn't give this monster the satisfaction of knowing that. She'd kept her eyes open and dry for as long as she remained alive.
Because of this, Teresa was given a full view of Samuel running up behind the youma, a large piece of wood in hand. With a loud scream, the teenager brought the makeshift weapon down on the youma's head, making it cry out in pain and clutch it's head. Samuel hit it again and again, taking no time to rest and screaming like a madman the entire way.
"RUN, TERESA!" He shouted to her at one point. "GET THE BABY!"
She didn't listen. She stood rooted to the ground while her brother continued his relentless assault on the youma, which was unable to fight back thanks to Samuel's constant movements. Finally, Samuel brought it down on the monster's head with one powerful smack. Completely worn out, the youma moaned and fell unmoving to the ground. Teresa just kept staring at it, unsure of what to do or say.
Then Samuel dropped the wood and grabbed her arm, roughly dragging her away from the body.
"What are you doing?" He demanded. "I told you to run, that thing's not dead. It could wake up at anytime!"
He lead her down the hall to the baby's room. Somehow, all the screaming hadn't woken her from her slumber, but Samuel ripping her out of the crib certainly did. The baby cried out, and Samuel immediately shoved her into Teresa's arms, ignoring her protests.
"She doesn't cry when you hold her," he reasoned.
Samuel pulled Teresa back out of the room, though a bit more gently than before. He had to be mindful of the baby, after all.
They ran out the door, Teresa only barely getting a look at the still unconscious youma that wore her father's face like a disgusting mask. That's when she was reminded of something, or someone, very important.
"Samuel, what about mother?"
Her brother shook his head and ignored her question.
"Samuel!" Teresa tried again.
"Just be quiet, Teresa," he hissed at her. "We can't let them hear us."
That was not a satisfying answer, not by a long shot. Teresa turned around, finding her parent's window lit up by candlelight. Without thinking, she ripped her arm out of her brother's grasp and took off back towards the house.
She heard him shout after her, but didn't care. Teresa had to know where her mother was. She headed for the window, momentarily forgetting the baby in her arms. The room was on the first floor, so Teresa merely needed to stand in front of the window and peer inside.
She saw her mother almost immediately. Her heart stopped.
Her mother lay there, her upper body hanging limp off the bed, her chest torn open and her half eaten innards scatters to and froe.
Her eyes were open, wide with eternal fear and sightlessly returning Teresa's gaze. The young girl's mouth opened wide, and she almost brought a hand to it before she remembered the baby in her arms.
She was only vaguely aware of Samuel calling her name. She felt him grab her arm and violently pull her away, bringing her somewhat back to her senses.
"You idiot," he said in a loud whisper. "I didn't want you to-"
A roar rang out from inside the house. The youma had woken up, it seemed. Samuel reacted instantly, pulling Teresa into the forest behind the house. He didn't really need to, this time, Teresa was running on her own.
They sprinted through the forest, Teresa trying to step lightly even in her frantic state. As Samuel predicted, the baby remained completely silent, to the point where Teresa wondered if she'd actually fallen back asleep.
She didn't know how long they ran for, but they hadn't gotten far enough to escape the youma, as one let out a roar only just behind the thick branches and enormous tree bark. Both siblings stopped immediately, freezing in place and listening for more sound. Samuel motioned for Teresa to remain silent, then his eyes widened as he caught sight of something behind her. Before she could ask, Samuel grabbed her again and pulled her towards a dead tree, whose bark had a large hollow covered from view by the steep slop of the pathway. They climbed down, careful not to disturb the baby and entered the small cove. It was a tight fit, but they managed to get in and out of sight. Now it was just a matter of staying hidden until the youma left.
Teresa tried to control her heavy breathing, Samuel was having similar trouble from what she could hear. The baby was still silent, and Teresa had to pull her close due to the darkness, just to make sure she was still breathing.
She felt tears forming fresh in her eyes, the vision of her dead mother, and her possessed father coming back at full force. She lowered her head, unwilling to let Samuel see her cry. It didn't do much, as her shaking shoulders gave her away. The next thing she knew, Samuel had grabbed her , forcing her to look up at his eyes.
"Stop that," he said in a soft, but commanding voice. "Don't cry."
Teresa opened her mouth, but all that came out was a hiccup.
"Don't cry," Samuel repeated with a great deal more force behind it. "Dammit Teresa, you can't do this right now."
"But-" she whimpered. "Father… Mother…"
"They're dead," Was his harsh response. So much so, that it felt like he'd literally punched Teresa in the gut. "They aren't coming back, and I know you're sad, but crying won't do anything. It's a weakness, only weak people cry."
He removed one hand, bringing it to his chest. Teresa followed it with her eyes, and noticed for the first time that he was still wearing the bear-tooth necklace. He pulled it up over his head with one hand, and then used both hands to throw the string over Teresa's head. She stared at him in confusion, her hand unconsciously going to the hard tooth.
"You have to be strong now," he told her more gently. "That's what Mother and Father would've wanted, understand?"
She nodded, though right now, she didn't feel particularly strong.
"Just keep that necklace on," he continued. "It's a confidence booster, remember? As long as you're wearing it, nothing can hurt you. You're the strongest girl, no, woman in the world. Don't forget that, and never cry."
Again she nodded. She repositioned the baby in her arms so she could raise an arm to dry her tears away. It was only then that she realized that for all his talk of strength and weakness, Samuel's own eyes were shining like water.
Footsteps. Loud footsteps appeared above them. Samuel and Teresa froze in place, the latter pulling the baby closer to her. Samuel wrapped his own arms around her, careful not to hurt the baby. He held Teresa close as they both listened to the sound of the footsteps, now accompanied by a low growling.
"There're humans here," the monster ground out. "I can smell them."
Teresa took in a sharp breath. The monster was coming closer, she could hear it's steps louder every time. Another set joined them at that point. Two youma were coming towards them now. Teresa pressed her face into Samuel's shoulder afraid that she would cry out if she didn't.
"Come out, little human," the second youma taunted. "Come out, come out wherever you are!"
This was it.
She knew this was it. The monsters were practically breathing down their necks. Just a little more and they'd find their hiding place. Once that happened, all of them would die, and join their parents in whatever afterlife existed.
Teresa heard Samuel take in a breath as he pulled away from her. The dark haired girl gazed up at him, and found his eyes wide with sadness and determination. He raised a hand to silence her before she even had the chance to open her mouth.
"Remember what I said, Teresa," his voice was strange. What was that tone? "Be strong, don't ever cry. Protect our sister, okay?"
She did nothing. She had no idea what to do or say in response to that. His face faltered a bit, losing some of the determination, but gaining a great deal of sadness and regret.
And he was crying again.
"I love you, sister. Never forget that."
Then he jerked away, shooting to his feet the second he was out in the open and broke into a run.
"COME ON, YOU BASTARDS!" Teresa heard him shout at the youma. "I'M RIGHT HERE, SO COME AND GET ME!"
"SAMUEEEEEL!" Teresa screamed after him.
But the roars of the youma as they tore after her brother drowned her out completely.
The next day dawned, and all was quiet.
Teresa didn't know where the youma had gone, and she didn't know how Vereor had faired or if anyone was even still alive. She just knew the youma were gone. Likely to rest after their filling meal of her mother. Her father. Samuel.
Everyone but her and the baby, who still rested in her older sister's arms, blissfully unaware of the world around her.
Teresa didn't bother going back to town. It would've been the smart thing to do, she realized, but she didn't care. She could never go back to that town again, no matter the reason.
She walked aimlessly through the forest, no destination in her mind except 'forward.' Her steps were shaky, her mind clouded from lack of sleep. Still, she pushed on, for if she stopped moving, she feared her head would fill once again with thoughts of her family.
What had happened to the youma possessing her father?
Had her mother's remains been further feasted upon?
How long had it taken for the youma to chase down Samuel and make him their dinner?
What about Daphne, and the laundress, and that gang of thugs? Were they alive or in a youma's stomach?
More than anything, she had to avoid these questions.
She heard tiny moan, and felt fidgeting in her arms before the baby's hand shot up. It weakly smacked against Teresa's chest, making her look down.
"You must be hungry," the girl muttered absently.
The baby lowered it's pudgy arm and opened it's eyes. Teresa's dark brown eyes met the baby's crystal blues. Eyes just like their father's.
Just like Samuel's.
Teresa stopped dead in her tracks. She fell to her knees, dropping the baby into the soft grass. She wasn't injured, but began screaming anyway. Teresa let out a shriek of her own and punched the grass just beside the baby's face.
"This is your fault," she growled, her head down and her breathing becoming heavy again. "Everything… IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"
Her scream sent all the nearby birds flying away. Even if the baby could understand her, she didn't listen, and simply kept bawling. The fires of Teresa's anger grew higher than ever.
"I HATE YOU!" She screamed in the baby's face. "None of this would've happened if you didn't exist. We would have been safe in Diogel. Father and Mother and Samuel would be alive. We wouldn't have been forced out. It's all because of YOU!"
By now, the crying had ceased, but it did little to appease the baby's older sister. Teresa smacked the grass again, tears streaming down her face as she stood back up and began to walk away, leaving the baby in the clearing.
"I never want to see your face again," she spat over her shoulder. "I hope you make a good meal for the youma."
She took three steps before the crying started again. Teresa almost stopped, but kept moving. It was better off this way, she'd survive easier without the baby, and she hated it anyway.
What did she care if it lived of died?
She made it to the edge of the clearing. One more step, and she'd be out of sight. That baby would be out of her life forever.
"Protect our sister, okay?"
Teresa stopped, a gasp ripping out from her throat. The face of her brother was clear in her thoughts, the last time she'd ever seen him. Her tears continued, harder this time, but she brushed them away.
She remembered that she wasn't supposed to cry anymore.
"Okay," she hiccupped. "Okay, Samuel. I won't cry. I promise you, I'll never cry again."
Teresa turned around and walked back to the sobbing baby. She picked her back up, rocking her a bit like their mother used to. The baby quieted instantly, and the sisters stared into each other's eyes until Teresa sighed and looked up, starting again for the forest.
'Mother, Father, Samuel, please watch over us.'
She pushed a tree branch out of her way.
'I swear I'll protect my sister, and I'll never cry again.'
She moved around a mud puddle, not wanting to get anymore dirty that she already was.
'I'll keep moving, and I'll keep living.'
That night, she found another tree for them to hide under, and rocked the baby to sleep before closing her own heavy eyes.
'I promise I'll keep...'
Early morning rose over the town. A farmer on the outskirts exited his home, stretching his tired bones in preparation for another day of work.
His assisstant was already on the job, which made the farmer smile in approval. The young man was a hard worker, that was good.
They went through the daily routine in silence, just like any other day. Then the assisstant suddenly stopped, just as the farmer heard a rustling behind him.
"Look," the assistant said, pointing at the bushes some feet away.
The farmer drew himself to full height, following the younger man's finger with his eyes. He was stunned when he realized what the man was pointing at.
A girl, no older than ten or eleven, holding a bundled up baby in her arms. Her hair was a complete mess, her eyes an empty void. Her body was covered in cuts and dried blood, and her skin was ashen, like she hadn't eaten in days.
"Oh My God…" the farmer breathed.
As if only just noticing him, the girl looked up. She continued walking until she stood right in front of him, and held the (supposedly) sleeping infant up to him.
"I think she's sick," she said in a hollow voice.
Her knees buckled immediately after. The farmer barely had time to grab the baby from her before the girl slumped to the ground, out cold.
Teresa didn't know how longed they traveled. The sun rose and set all on it's own, she could hardly keep track anymore.
She slept when she could, and ate whatever small animals she could kill. Feeding the baby had been the hardest part. Teresa noticed a few days later that she still had the money the laundress had given her. What she had was barely enough to buy a week's worth of food, but it wasn't like there was any place in the forest to buy anything.
She mostly fed the baby berries she picked off the bushes. She remembered her father once telling her how to tell the difference between good and poisonous ones. It usually satisfied the baby's hunger, and she always had enough water thanks to the abundant of lakes and rivers.
Even so, Teresa could do little to protect her sister from the cold night. She didn't even know how she herself had survived this long. It had to be her will to live. She clutched the necklace to her every night, reminding herself and she was strong, and that she would survive.
She found a town by accident, the very same day her sister started making an unpleasant coughing noise. It seemed luck was on her side for once. Even though she was relieved, it seemed the long period of almost no sleep was finally getting to her. She barely had time to tell the first person she saw that the baby was sick before everything went dark.
Teresa regained consciousness, but refused to open her eyes. She felt a soft bed underneath her. Harder than her old one, but a bed nonetheless. She'd almost forgotten it felt like to sleep on something besides grass and tree bark.
As she thought this, her memories all came flooding back. Teresa gasped and shot up in bed, frantically taking in her surroundings.
She was in a large room. Her bed was against the wall and identical ones sat on either side of her. She could see other people in those beds, still asleep as the sun had just barely begun to raise. Teresa pulled the covers off and slid out of bed. She found to her immense displeasure that her legs where still weak when she fell to the floor and had to struggle to get back up.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
Teresa heard someone approach her, then grab her by the shoulders and carefully lift her back onto the bed. It was a woman of about 50 years old, dressed in a plain brown frock. Her graying hair was held back in a tight bun, and she studied Teresa with an analytical, but not unpleasant eye.
"You're too weak to move right now, dear," the woman said as she helped Teresa back in bed. "It's a miracle you and your baby are even alive."
The baby…
"Where is she?"
Teresa tried to get out of bed again, but the woman was much stronger than she looked (or was Teresa just weak right now) and pushed her back down easily.
"Stop that, you're going to make yourself sicker."
"Just tell me where my sister is!"
The woman stood back, looking sympathetically down at the child.
"You're sister is fine for now," she explained. "She's made it this past day, which is a good sign."
Though her words were reassuring, her tone wasn't.
She walked away before Teresa could ask anymore questions. Teresa was left to wallow in fear that the baby was dead for another hour until the woman returned with food for the now awake patients.
"Where's my sister?" Teresa asked the second the woman's attention was on her.
"She's stable," the woman answered. "We won't know anything for a while longer, but I think she'll-"
"You THINK?" Teresa shouted.
The woman held out her hands in surrender, hoping to calm the dark haired girl down a bit.
"I'm sorry," the woman's voice took on a stern edge. "I see you don't want me to sugarcoat it. We're doing all we can for your sister. She isn't here because we keep infants and younger children in a separate room. She's alive and breathing for now, but she's still very sick. It's all up to the Gods whether or not she makes it."
Teresa stared at her until she couldn't bare to any longer, and let her eyes drop. Her heart sunk, sadness overtaking her, but her eyes remained dry as ever.
"What were you doing in the forest anyway," the woman suddenly asked. "Where are your parents?"
"Dead," Teresa answered, forcing the emotion out of her voice. "Them and my brother. The youma killed them."
She heard the woman draw in a breath, and got a tiny amount of satisfaction from finally getting to her.
"We've been looking for a town called Reprospes," she went on as if having a casual conversation about the weather. "I don't really know the way, so I'll probably never find i-"
She stopped. Having looked back up at the woman, she was surprised to find her eyes wide with shock, before a warm smile crossed her wrinkling features.
"What?" Teresa demanded more than asked.
The woman ignored her tone, as her smile became a grin.
"Young lady, you've been through so much trauma in your short life, but today, the Gods are on your side."
The woman raised her arms outward, as if trying to make herself seem bigger.
"Welcome to Reprospes."
Teresa memorized the address her Aunt sent in her letters. From there, it was only a matter of the woman, whom Teresa discovered was a doctor named Jill, sending an attendant of hers to go and get her Aunt.
Not ten minutes later, the attendant returned, accompanied by another middle aged woman, this one significantly prettier than Jill despite her age. Teresa hadn't been sure what to do when she saw the woman. Her entire goal all this time had been to find Reprospes, meet her Aunt, and try to rebuild the shambles of her life.
All she could do was look into eyes like the ones she'd been seeing in her baby sister. The blue eyes she'd never inherited from her father. Somewhere along the line, a dam broke, and Teresa's Aunt dissolved into tears, hugging Teresa close and ignoring Jill and the attendant's objections.
"You're here," she sobbed in Teresa ear. "I'm so happy."
Unfortunately, Teresa wasn't ready to leave the hospital. She was still weak and needed a lot more rest. Her Aunt, Rebecca, stayed with her for several hours, talking in length about Teresa's father and all the things they did together as children. Teresa listened to every word, even when her Aunt trailed off to talk about something completely different, which was often. Teresa refused to fall asleep until her Aunt's story was done. She wanted to make positively sure this was real, and not just a cruel dying dream as she wasted away in that endless forest.
Days went by. Her Aunt visited constantly, never accompanied by her husband and children, when struck Teresa as a little odd. Aunt Rebecca reported every day that the baby was alive, but still sick. Teresa herself couldn't stop worrying. She wasn't sure when these last few weeks she'd begun to care for her sister so much, but the fact remained that somehow, she'd found it in herself to do so. That was all that mattered.
One night, almost a week later, Teresa heard Jill and Aunt Rebecca speaking in hushed tones that she could barely make out.
"…'s recovering nicely… tomorrow for sure."
Teresa heard her Aunt let out a relieved sigh.
"Good, I'll let them know."
'Let who know,' Teresa wondered. 'My uncle and cousins?'
Teresa continued to ponder this until sleep finally overtook her.
The sun was bright the next day, mirroring Teresa's general mood quite well. The girl ate her breakfast fast, she was excited to finally get out of this stupid hospital for good. Now if only her sister would get better, everything would be…
No, that wasn't right. Everything would NOT be perfect. Her parents and Samuel would still be dead, nothing could ever change that. Teresa felt horrible sadness anytime they crossed her mind. It used to be that when this happened, tears would try to force their way out of her eyes, but she always held them back. Now it was as if they'd given up the fight, because she never even felt like crying anymore.
Nothing could ever be the same again, she realized, but that wouldn't stop her from moving forward. With Aunt Rebecca, and her uncle, and her cousins, and her baby sister, she make a new life. And someday, she'd be happy again.
"Teresa?"
Jill stepped into the room, a smiling Aunt Rebecca right behind her.
"How are you feeling, sweetie?" The latter asked.
Teresa returned her smile. "Great, I'm just glad to finally get out of here."
Aunt Rebecca laughed and shook her head.
"Not as glad as I am, I'm sure."
Teresa refused to be helped out of the bed. She was strong enough to do it herself now. She did allow Jill and Aunt Rebecca to guide her to the door. Jill informed her that her sister was getting her daily check-up, but promised she could come back tomorrow and see her if she wanted. Though Teresa was quite pleased with the idea, her aunt remained oddly tight lipped.
They walked in silence down the street. Teresa didn't mind as she took in the new looking building and crowds of people wandering the town. It really was a lot like Diogel, she thought to herself.
"Father was right," she whispered.
"Did you say something, dear?" Her Aunt asked.
Teresa shook her head. "No, I'm just talking to myself."
They arrived at her Aunt's block, and Teresa noticed that two carts were parked outside the home her Aunt pointed out as hers. Her Aunt suddenly seemed more at ease, she'd been rather tense the entire walk home.
Upon entering the house, Teresa once again stared in amazement at the inside. It was larger than even their house in Diogel had been. Her Aunt's family must have been incredibly wealthy. Teresa smiled and closed her eyes, bringing a hand to her chest to grip her shirt.
Her eyes opened again when she realized something was missing.
"Samuel's necklace," she gasped.
Teresa turned and started for the door without thinking. A hand shot out and grabbed her before she could get too far.
"Teresa, where are you going?" Aunt Rebecca asked.
"I forgot something at the hospital," the young girl explained. "Can we please go back and get it?"
Her Aunt gave her a peculiar look and didn't answer. That was the first sign Teresa picked up on that something wasn't right. The next was when Aunt Rebecca wordlessly lead her to the living room, where two men dressed all in black sat waiting for them.
Teresa had a good feeling neither of these men were her Uncle. They both stared at her like she was a bug under a microscope, smiling in ways that made Teresa's hair stand on end.
"I'm sorry to keep you waiting, gentlemen," her Aunt said respectfully to them. "Here she is, she's been given a clean bill of health."
One man stood up, and Teresa instinctively backed away. He strode forward with an air of superiority and took Teresa's chin in his hand, lifting her head one way then the other until she slapped him away and moved back against the wall.
"She's a tough one," the man's voice was like oil. "I think she'll make a fine soldier."
"Soldier?" Teresa repeated.
Her eyes darted for her Aunt, but the woman refused to look at her as the second man handed her a large sack.
"That should cover the payment," the first man said. "I'm sure you'll have no trouble paying those debts of yours now. Thank you so much for your business."
Aunt Rebecca nodded and walked away, not even looking back as the second man grabbed Teresa, holding her arms so she couldn't struggle, not that she didn't try.
"AUNT REBECCA!" She called out desperately.
The woman turned a corner, going out of Teresa's line of sight.
The two man dragged her screaming and jerking to their cart and pushed her inside. She was immediately grabbed by a third man, who shoved a smelly cloth under her nose while she continued with weakening efforts to fight back.
"Calm down," One of the men said to her. "This'll be easier on all of us if you don't struggle."
Teresa tried to scream as her consciousness slowly faded. Thoughts of her parents and Samuel and her sister went through her mind. Just as her vision completely faded, and her thought process was about to stop, she thought she heard the man again, speaking in a mocking tone.
"By the way, Happy Birthday, Teresa."
'When I next woke up, my eyes and hair had been drained of all color.
'I was a soldier for the Organization now, made only to kill youma. I never found out what happened to my sister. After all this time, I can't even remember her name. Or my parent's for that matter. I can only recall Samuel's. Yes… him I remember very well.
'If my sister still lives, I suppose it doesn't matter. She'd be an old woman by now, at least I think so. These years are all staring to feel the same to me, it doesn't matter how much time goes by as long as I can still do my job.
'And even though I've defected, I will continue to hunt any youma I see. That's my duty, not to the Organization, but to myself. Myself, and my mother and my father and Samuel.
'I'll fight as hard as I always have, and never let anyone take me alive.
'And while I've learned from Clare that it's okay to cry, I'll only do it when absolutely necessary.
'The rest of the time, I'll just keep smiling.'
A/N: I'm too tired to write a proper one right now. Origins is complete, so next chapter will be the main storyline again.
Thanks for reading and be sure to review!