The History Of Marron

Chapter 25: Family Tree

I woke up to find myself fully clothed and lying on a bed again. But instead of having pain seize my body all over I felt fine, no it was more than fine I felt awesome. I shot straight up and didn't even have to mutter a curse as pain didn't recede to my brain. I slowly lifted my shirt and felt for the large gash, not even a scar. I smiled, that healing machine was magic. Whoever invented it had to be loaded.

I examined my surroundings, noting the fine details in this room, I was laying on a twin sized bed and next to me was the identical twin. Two drawers and a lamp stood by both ends of the bed, a small closet at the farther right and a bigger draw next to the door. It wasn't as great as my room but I couldn't find myself to complain, it was the best thing I'd seen ever since leaving my house besides the lab I had been in.

The door creaked open and I brought my gaze just in time to see a small figure dash inside the room. We stared at each other for a while, no words seeming to come to mind.

"Mommy okay?"

I stared some more, forgetting this kid was about five. His strength had added to his numbers that I actually seemed to have forgotten he was still a baby. As a bookworm I read a plethora amount of novels and you may think I'm ludicrous with the theory I'm about to spit out as this only happens in books and comics but I'm coming to believe that he's not an alien but a kid who'd been exposed to some chemicals to make him that way. Putting it all together my theory sounds pretty legit, with the earth as broken as it is it could've been possible that he could've been exposed to radioactive chemicals. I would find my answer before I bring him to his guardians.

"Fine," I muttered slowly.

He let out a bright smile and I too found myself being forced by his smile to smile as well.

A soft knock sounded on my door, not even having a chance to invite them in they invaded anyway.

"Heard voices, had to see for myself," Kimi told us with a small smile as she held the edge of the door, her head poking through the door

"Dinner's ready," she added to the silence that had crept into the room.

I quickly denied though I appreciated the thought, but I still didn't find myself being able to consume food. I was healed physically, but not mentally. The magic of the tube could only work to a certain extent.

I reluctantly got up from the bed as she gave me the puppy eyes imploring me to at least play with my food. I agreed, not having a problem to have a food war. I got up from the bed and surprisingly found a pair of sandals that looked about my size lying on a carpet. I put them on and headed out the room and walked out the narrow hallway. I grabbed the scenery, the bunker was pretty huge. It had a nice living room that automatically leads you to the kitchen.

I entered the kitchen, it was a decent size as it had all the necessary items a kitchen needed. This safe haven was full of surprises as I expected it to be a rundown building that was still standing and people huddled together by a fire trying to keep warm and eating beans from a can or heating something up from the fire, but here I was in a bunker that's basically an apartment with everything a living quarter needed. I headed for an empty seat at the dining table, diagonal from where the blonde man who was already feasting on a bowl of rice sat. Kid sat next to me.

Soon we were all settled in and the food was given to all.

"Aren't you going to eat honey?" I had assumed in the beginning that she was talking to me and I was going to tell her she knew the answer to that question then I realized she was directing her words to Kid.

"If the boy doesn't want to eat Kimi don't force him to," Jin argued for Kid, waving a piece of chicken in the air.

"But he hasn't eaten since they found us, he needs nutrition Jin, it's not healthy," Kimi defended on Kid's behalf.

Jin pursed his lips then brought his attention to Kid, "You hungry boy?"

Kid stared at Jin for a moment, "…no" Then brought his attention back to his swinging feet from under the table.

I stopped rolling a ball of rice with my right hand as my cheek rested on my left and looked over at Kid and simply told him to eat. He looked up at me and quickly said 'yes ma'am' before grabbing the spoon that had once been lying idle on the table. His hand was shaking as he grabbed a spoonful of rice and while closing his eyes as though the rice was goop he put the spoonful in his mouth. He chewed slowly then soon realized the food as it had smelled was good, his eyes popped open and he began gobbling down the food.

I smiled before rolling my eyes, glad to see that I had such an authority over him. I wouldn't have liked to be placed in a situation on helping a disobedient Kid.

Kimi stared at Kid for a moment, shock written on her face. She'd been begging him to eat for days and now all I did was tell him one word and he was finally eating.

"Problem solved," Jin muttered before taking a bite of his chicken.

For the rest of the meal, the room was struck with silence. It's not as though we had a choice to control the quiet atmosphere though. Small talk surely couldn't come easy now anymore. No more nice weather we're having to use as a kick start of conversation.

I grew tired of playing with my food and passed my plate to Kid who'd been tugging at my shirt for the longest as he silently begged for my food as he was too afraid to ask Kimi for seconds.

Kimi had gotten up and begun collecting bowls and plates. I found myself getting up and took Kid's empty bowl.

"No need dear, I'll wash em," she quickly dismissed my kindness as I had made my way over to the sink and began pulling back at my long sleeves to prepare to wash.

I looked at the sink, a big pan used to make the rice was soaked in water as it awaited to be washed. Though it wasn't much dishes that pan would take a good minute to clean and she had already taken her time and energy to cook it would be the least I could do especially for not eating the food she'd prepared.

"I insist," I told firmly and I caught her smile knowing now she couldn't deny my help now.

Once I did my part in helping I was called upon the blonde man to take a seat next to him on the couch.

Kid found a spot right next to me.

"Jin, let the kids get some rest whatever you're trying to show them show them later," she scolded him as she now began drying off her hands, he didn't listen as I watched him still hold a dusty thick book and made no movement to put it back.

Kimi made her way over, wondering why her husband hadn't moved and why me and Kid was still here. Her eyes caught sight of the thick dusty book.

"You couldn't have waited a few more days?" her voice was almost inaudible.

I sat there confused as though they were speaking in riddle and just listened on hoping they would fill me in on what they were talking about.

"I..I just needed to know if it's her," he mumbled, ashamed.

I cleared my throat, catching both their attention, not wanting to be left out on whatever they were discussing and now I just wanted to know what was in this book they wanted me to see.

"I don't want to force you or anything but if you mind answering a few questions for us it will be gladly appreciated," Kimi asked me.

I looked at the book, then back at the couple who had a saddened look on their face.

"Sure," I mumbled quietly.

They placed a slight smile on their face.

The blonde man hands shook furiously as he tried to open the book, but it seemed like what lied beneath the cover was too much for him to handle.

Kid who was next to me impatiently opened the book, revealing it was a photo album.

I found my eyes staring hungrily, capturing every detail in each photo on the first page.

"Do you know who that is?" Kimi's voice asked me softly.

I felt my mouth open but no words escaped my throat, instead, a tear escaped my eye. I wanted to shut the book quickly, but I couldn't find my hand to complete such an action, instead, I found myself still analyzing the photos. With shaking fingers I touched a picture and caressed her face.

"M-mama…"

I felt so many questions swarm through my mind, like how did they acquire such photos? Who were these people exactly? And how did they know my mother?

"Mama?" the man asked me slowly.

I pushed the book to the floor and wished I hadn't as the page turned instead of closing, and my eyes widened even more as they caught sight of the other photos.

"W-who are you people?" My voice was shaky, "And how do you have their pictures?" I continued on getting up from my seat and looked at them both, wanting answers.

Kimi just squeezed her apron tightly while the man wouldn't meet my gaze.

"You said Lazuli was your mother?" he finally met my gaze, his expression unreadable.

"Huh? I don't know a Lazuli."

"But you just said she was-"

"Do you know the boy in that photo?" Kimi interrupted her husband, referring to the pictures I had seen on the next page.

"He's my uncle."

She stared at me with glistening eyes as she held in her tears, "Lapis," she mumbled lowly.

I was about to say that wasn't his name, then I remembered when we would go out and they would call themselves Lapis and Lazuli. But how did they know this?

"They're our children," Kimi mumbled softly.

I stared at them both wide eye, not being able to sink in the words the woman had just uttered. Their my guardian parents which makes them my…GRANDPARENTS!

I wiped my tears. So many questions I wanted to ask so many things I wanted to know, but as the couple was already too emotional about this topic I decided not to pry. Had my guardians runaway from home and had their parents think that the beast had killed them? I wanted to reassure them that they were alive and that in fact I'm looking for them, but I also decided not to.

I headed to my room, Kid on my tail.

I couldn't force myself to muster an ounce of sleep and after forcing Kid to go to bed after fighting with him for 30 minutes arguing that the only way he'll be able to grow is by sleeping and he arguing back that he didn't need sleep made me weary. But I couldn't see myself getting a wink of sleep, not after uncovering this new information. I am their grandchild...they are my grandparents...they are the parents of my guardians. My brain was slowly processing this new and exciting information. I believed I was alone, that if...if my guardians are dead I would be the only one left in my family tree. But here they were, exact breathing replicas of my mother and uncle. Their appearance was too identical to my guardians but I decided not to pay much mind, then Jin was asking me these questions I felt odd of him to ask, but now as I put the pieces together he was trying to figure out of I was his daughter...my mother. I never knew much about my family tree as my mother and uncle told me there wasn't much to discuss. My father died from an incurable illness and we'll that's all they told. Never had they mentioned my grandmother or grandfather who was well and alive, they look physically and mentally tired but they were still breathing to live another day. I didn't want to ponder on why such information like this crossed passed them. I just anticipated the day till I finally find them.

I turned my body to face the window instead of Kid's backside. Though the curtain blocked most of the light illuminating from the moon and interfered with the beautiful view I still found myself smiling. I sighed lowly, before turning my body back to face Kid's backside and decided to get some rest.

It wasn't long enough that I was awoken by a nightmare, it was the cruelest images my brain could create, my guardians being tortured and eaten by the beast as I stood there hopelessly watching with fear as my body was frozen by a spell he casted on me.

My body that had shot up quickly and shook violently as images of an inhumanely amount of bloodshed plagued my mind. I looked over at Kid's direction and he seemed to haven't heard me panic which I was glad for as all my hard work of putting him to sleep would've been in vain.

I pulled the sheets off of me and got up, passing Kid who was sleeping on the twin bed closer to the door. I headed to the bathroom, I decided not to turn in the lights, not wanting my eyes to burn. I turned on the faucet and dipped my hands in the cold water before rubbing it on my face a few times. I wiped my face with a nearby hand towel and looked in the mirror. The bags that were once under my eyes were all gone, I wonder if the healing tube managed to remove them as I found myself caressing the lower portion of my eyes.

I stopped abruptly as my eyes caught something else through the mirror, I know felt like I was in one of those horror movies my mother loved watching so much. A cruel smile played on its lips and I felt my entire body freeze. I blinked and looked in the mirror again, the figure was gone. I gave a low sigh of relief, I was just being delusional. I turned off the faucet and placed the towel down, ready to take my leave.

A strong pair of hands gripped my neck and covered my mouth. I felt my fear rise.

"Scream and I'll kill you right here and now," the voice held no sympathy, just pure rage, and hate.

My eyes widen as I recognized the voice all too quickly, I looked through the mirror staring at the situation I was now placed in. I hadn't seen him clearly through the dark but now I could make out the lavender hair and the sword strapped behind his back.

I weighed out my options, if I screamed everyone in this building will be in trouble as he seemed to only want me right now, I couldn't protect a whole building, could I? I didn't want to risk anything so I obeyed even when I thought about biting his hand I wouldn't get anywhere.

"Mother," the beast said.

Mother?

The shower curtain was pulled back and a woman with blue hair emerged from the tub. I tried to piece what was going on, the beast called her mother…was she really his mother or someone he hypnotized to make her believe she was his mother?

She held out some specialized looking handcuffs and cuffed me. I stared at her with pleading eyes hoping she would stop being hypnotized and see what she was doing to an innocent civilian. She didn't budge as she pressed something to my neck that zapped me but also brought my eyelids to grow heavy.

Sorry Kid, Kimi, and Jinwas the last thing that went through my mind before everything grew dark.