Chapter Two: An Unknown Past

When Mrs. Faragonda and Timmy returned to her office, he sat in front of her desk, staring at a file folder that she had opened. In it, there was a picture of Tecna and a few months' worth of progress notes.

"So," Timmy asked hesitantly, "What happened to Tecna?"

"Do you recall a few months ago when a portal was breached on the realm of Andros?" Mrs. Faragonda began.

"Yes." He answered slowly.

"And a Zenithian fairy sealed herself away to close it?" Mrs. Faragonda continued, "Did you ever get a glimpse of the fairy?"

"No, I heard a lot about it when it was on the news, but I never got a chance to watch it." Timmy admitted. At the time, he was too busy studying for school to have an opportunity to watch the breaking news. He kept up to date with the radio as he downed his second cup of coffee after pulling numerous all-nighters. What he did recall was all a massive blur, but it was going to hit him like a ton of bricks once Mrs. Faragonda put the pieces together for him.

"The portal was a gateway to the Omega Dimension, and Tecna was the fairy who sealed herself away there." The elderly woman said, face looking absolutely grim as she told him this.

"But that's the realm where all the Magical Dimension's most insane criminals are locked up in ice! That place has sub-zero temperatures and there is no way anybody could survive! Those thugs could more than likely have murdered her!" Timmy now understood Tecna's trauma, it was no wonder she was so petrified of everything and everyone.

"Yes," Mrs. Faragonda sighed, "She was found by troops patrolling the Omega Dimension, they are the ones that make sure no one ends up down there that doesn't belong in that horrible place. When they sent her to us, she was in seriously critical condition. They got to her just in time, she wouldn't have made it otherwise."

"What… what was her condition like?" Timmy was terrified of the answer, but he knew that he had to get any piece of information he could to fully understand his assignment.

"Her skin was as cold as ice, and she was cut up pretty badly. Those convicts did not spare any expense." That was all Mrs. Faragonda could say; the memories of witnessing Tecna's condition for the first time were too much for even her to bare. Timmy shuddered; chills shot down his spine as he stared captivated at the photo of Tecna on the desk before him. "I trust you will study her progress notes from the time she's spent here. She's made great physical improvement, but emotionally and mentally…, I don't think she'll ever be the same again."

"Do you know what she was like before this happened? What about her parents, anything about them?" Timmy inquired. Surely there must be someone out there who was worried sick about their daughter.

"Her medical records state that she is the daughter of Electronio and Magnethia Logica, but it has been on record that they are long deceased. There seems to be no one else who would have her in their care." Mrs. Faragonda explained.

"And I'm assuming Tecna would be too traumatized to disclose any information to you, even if it meant returning her to a safe and loving home." Timmy guessed, but the elderly woman's face saddened at his statement.

"Honestly, Timmy…, we don't even know the circumstances. For all we know, she was being abused and the sacrifice was a suicide attempt. No one has come to claim her, and it's been two months."

"That can't be right." His response was on impulse, something inside of him refused to believe that Tecna had been abandoned, left unloved. Zenithians were known for being unfamiliar with displaying strong emotions, except for possibly anger, but that didn't mean they didn't have the capacity to love. It was just expressed differently than the norm and reciprocated differently too. It was at this moment that Timmy believed that if Tecna's parents were long dead and her life up until this point was a mystery, he felt obligated to find the missing pieces.

"Unfortunately, it is." Mrs. Faragonda only shook her head, "The last person who had your position said she's been noted to cry in her sleep when she doesn't have nightmares. The poor, poor thing." Timmy was silent, he took the file folder from the elderly woman's desk and organized the documents within it.

"I'm going to study more on the progress Tecna has made up until now. Maybe there is something I can find that can be crucial to giving her a better life." He told her.

"I sure hope so, young man, you are her only hope." Then, Timmy left Mrs. Faragonda's office

Timmy sat in the workers' cafeteria during dinner, looking at the notes that Mrs. Faragonda gave him. Suddenly, he heard a voice from behind him.

"Oh man," The voice spoke sadly, "You're the new guy who got assigned to that traumatized Zenithian fairy. That's rough, bro." Timmy looked up to see a well-sculpted brown-haired man around his own age.

"Why, do you know why they haven't got anyone to stay long enough to get her to trust them?" Timmy asked him.

"I knew the guy who had your job, he couldn't get her to come out of hiding." The man said, "She's had it pretty bad."

"So you know what happened to her?" Timmy asked him.

"Everyone here knows, dude. It's really tragic." The man's face sank as he looked at Tecna's picture briefly, "I heard that you were hired because of your expertise in technology and fascination with Zenithian advancements. It's something you two can talk about."

"I guess that's the advantage I have over the others, huh?" Timmy shrugged, not caring that much about Zenith's technology. What he was most intrigued by was Tecna herself. He did not want to get information about Zenith's secret weapons out of some poor, unsuspecting victim like some undercover double-agent. No, Timmy wanted to give Tecna the life she deserved, a better life free from the traumas of her past.

"I know that look." The brown-haired man snapped Timmy out of his thoughts, "I had that same look the moment I saw Princess Stella of Solaria. My name's Brandon by the way."

"What look?" Timmy was honestly unaware that he had completely spaced out when looking at Tecna's photo.

"Have you seen Tecna in person yet?" Brandon asked him, and he nodded. "Dude, you're going to get you heart broken, if you haven't already." Timmy knew Brandon was right. Tecna's story was heartbreaking, and the fact that it could have changed who she was, that might be the most heartbreaking thing in all of it.

"Why, have you worked with Tecna before?" Timmy asked.

"No, they tell me that she needs a gentler approach, and I don't doubt it one bit." Brandon told him.

"Then how do you know that I'm going to get my heart broken?"

"Listen man, if you are fascinated by Zenithian fairies, and if you are in any way fazed by what Mrs. Faragonda has told you about Tecna so far, you're going to be absolutely crushed. I have been friends with those who've worked with her, they've never gotten close to getting on a level with her where she can open up to them. I think you have what it takes. No one knows more than what was on the news about Tecna's sacrifice, but whatever you do find out, I will caution you, it might leave you a broken man. I have a feeling there's much more to Tecna than we realize." With those words, Timmy became even more intrigued by the technology fairy and wanted to discover for himself what everyone else was telling him. Remembering all that Mrs. Faragonda had told him, and now being warned by Brandon about what the truth could be, his nerves began to set in.

"My name's Timmy…, sorry I didn't introduce myself." He swallowed the lump in his throat after everything that Brandon told him had registered. He knew he had an advantage over anyone else who worked with Tecna before him, he knew about her world. With that in mind, Timmy quickly regained his confidence.

"Well, Timmy, I wish you the best of luck. And if you need any help, just ask. Though I don't know how much help I can give." Brandon put a supportive hand on Timmy's shoulder as he continued to stare at Tecna's photo.