A/N: The first part of this story is practically copied and pasted from the original story that I got my inspiration from but I changed the story so that it was my own in a way. I've also borrowed many, many characters from the two main fanfics that have given me my inspiration to write this story. Those two stories are 'Ikinimaya (Staircase to Heaven)' by Bambina_Rose on AO3, and 'Clouds on The Horizon' by Jerathai on fanfiction, both of which I have asked permission of to borrow their characters. The story will be told in both first person point of view and third person point of view intermittently but I will have a Horizontal line break whenever the point of view does change. The first chapter will be explaining the origin of the main character of this story, so you will have to wait until at least chapter 3 'til we actually get to Pandora.
Two people walked the littered, filth infested streets of what had once been the cultural center of the southern United States. The time when the city of New Orleans bustled with music, food, smells, languages, and people of every culture one could think of seemed like a fairy tail compared to what it looked like in the year 2129. After centuries of humans over working the land, deforestation, pollution, and war after war after war had led to the whole planet becoming one giant cloud of pollution who's air could barely even be breathed. The sky was so almost always covered in a layer of smog so thick that sunlight was barely able to reach the earth's surface and on the days that one could see the sun it was so intense that it was dangerous to leave the shade. And all of this pollution had heated up the atmosphere to such an extent that the earth no longer had seasons. The overpopulation of the earth had lead to the last of the wildlife on earth going extinct after their habitats were destroyed to make room for the overgrown human population, which now numbered over 20 billion. Only a few animals had managed to adapt to survive in this now dying planet. The world's oceans and rivers had become so polluted by factory runoff that if one were to drink from or even swim in any of the earth's rivers and oceans would be a death sentence. Living anywhere near what remained of the world's oceans wasn't much better since the coast's were constantly hit by massive storms and factory waste that drifted ashore from the open ocean which resulted in everything from rapid disease to acid rain.
No city showed this better than New Orleans. It was now almost impossible to survive here and the only things left of the practically dead city were streets littered with garbage, rubble, and bottles from whatever alcohol one could get their hands on, and people who couldn't afford to pay to get out of the city.
The two people who walked the now silent streets of what had once been the French part of the city wore cloth wrapped around their heads and bodies to protect themselves from the blistering heat of the sun. They suddenly stopped in their tracks as they passed an alley from which they could hear what sounded like a fight. They turned the corner and gaped at the scene playing out before them.
A little black girl, no older than three years of age was fighting with another child, a slightly older boy, as they were both trying to get a piece of clothing. The girl was trying to be smart by attempting to trip the other child but her opponent was just too strong as he quickly grabbed her by her forehead and shoved her back into a pile of rubble before running deeper into the alley and disappearing from sight. The girl got up from the pile of rubble while holding her head and her stomach as she tried to control the pain coming from both parts of her body. She had no idea how long it had been since she had last had anything to clench her hunger, much less her thirst. She suddenly jumped back when she saw two shadows block the sun from hitting her body. The shadows belonged to the couple that had seen the fight from the main street who had rushed over to help the little girl and make sure she was not hurt.
"Stay back. Stay away from me" she yelled at the couple as she attempted to scramble away before she tripped on a piece of garbage. The cloth wrapped couple also took a few steps back as they were surprised by the sheer power and deepness of the voice coming from the girl's tiny body. "It's okay little one, it's okay. We don't want to hurt you." said the woman as she stepped out from behind her spouse, who's voice sounded sweet, calming and affectionate. Both she and her husband pulled a water bottle and candy bar from either of their packs as they got down on one knee and offered them to the little girl who very hesitantly walked up to them and quickly grabbed the offerings before scurrying back a few feet. She practically chugged down the contents of the water bottle before she attempted to peel back the candy wrapper but the wrapper was being stubborn with her as she was unable to break the wrapper. She suddenly found her hands being guided by the much larger hands of the man who had seen her struggling to get the wrapper open. She noted how rough and strong they were, yet at the same time incredibly gentle and soft. "Thank you." she said in a nervous, timid voice that held none of the power or depth of the voice she had when she was yelling at them not a minute earlier.
Now that the child was no longer yelling at them and her throat had been given the sweet relief of water the couple noticed that her voice held the slightest hint of a Hispanic accent. "Your welcome little one." the woman said. "Do you know were your parents are?" she asked, to which the couple could see the little girl's eyes start to get watery before she responded simply with "their dead."
That was the last thing she said before she unleashed enough tears to have filled a river. The couple gently pulled the child into a warm embrace in an attempt to ease her pain. The girl no longer cared if she trusted these two strangers or not, the bear hug they were giving her made her feel too good to care.
After the child's crying had subsided, the women softly and gently asked "What happened to them?" The girl suddenly was brought back to a memory that she wished she could forget that constantly plagued her mind.
"Sweetheart, we want you to go down that street 'till you see the big red and white bus that is waiting for you." "You're not coming with me?" The little girl asked her visibly sick parents as they looked into her deep blue eyes. "No sweetie, we can't come with you, but that bus will take you to a better place, a place far better than here, far better then what we can give you." Despite her parents' words, she was having none of it. "Why can't the big bus take us all to the better place?" she asked with sadness in her words. "Because if the people at the bus see us with you then they won't let you onto the bus. You need to run before the bus leaves." The child hugged her dying parents with all of the passion and strength she had. Her parents knew that they shouldn't have let their child touch them but they figured that if she hadn't already been infected by the disease that was about to claim their lives then she was probably genetically immune. The couple watched with tear filled eyes as they pushed their child out of the alley they were standing in out into the street where the humanitarian bus was waiting.
The child ran as fast as she could down the street, unable to see the bus yet because of the thick layer of smog that filled the air. She suddenly heard the sound of a vehicle starting its engine, she ran even faster. She arrived at the bus stop just in time to see the red and white bus driving away before it disappeared into the cloud of polluted air.
The little girl stood there for a long time before she decided to go back and find her parents. When she finally found the alley where she had last seen her parents she found it empty. Unable to think of anywhere else her parents might have gone she started following the river, which was now full of nothing but trash-riddled, lifeless, black water. She walked along the sidewalk that ran parallel to the river until she found what she was looking for, the bridge that she and her parents would sleep under.
When she got closer to the structure she saw the dirty mattress and blankets that her family called their bed. She got closer still and saw the sleeping form of her parents lying on the bed, eyes closed, completely motionless. She was now standing a few feet away from her parents.
"I missed the bus, I'm sorry." she said to her parents, her voice full of regret. When her parents didn't move she became curious and started trying to shake her parents awake after they didn't seem to wake up. The more she tried to shake her parents awake the more it became clear to her, they were never going to wake up.
The little girl finished telling the story to the couple that now sat in front of her, tears still streaming down her cheeks. The couple didn't even have to say a word to one another before they had decided on what they were to do next, the look they both had in their eyes when they made eye contact told the other that they both knew what they had to do.
"Would you like to come with us to our home?" the man and women both said in unison. "you-eh-uh, what?" was all the little girl managed to get out after she was taken aback by the question she had just been asked. The couple seemed to find her literal lack of words amusing as they both slightly chuckled at the child's response. "We have two boys of our own at home and I know that they would absolutely love to have a little sister." Said the woman with a parental, motherly voice. The child, still in aw at what they had just asked her was unable to respond. "We would hate to see such an adorable, high spirited young lady waste out here. You don't have to come with us if you don't..." the woman was suddenly cut off from her words as the little girl leapt into her arms as she wrapped her own arms around the women's neck. "Well then, let's take you home." the man said once the child had finally released her arms from his wife.
"Before we go..." said the girl as she crossed her arms, her voice once again full of power and emanated maturity which made her sound far older then she was. "...what are your names?"
It suddenly dawned on the couple that they had forgotten to formally introduce themselves. It also dawned on them that they didn't even know the name of the child that they had just offered to become their daughter. They removed the sun blocking cloth from around their heads to reveal two white/Caucasian Americans. The woman had dirty blond hair, a kind smile, and a gentle face that matched her voice. Her husband sported a head of dark brown hair which had been shaved on the sides, he also had a well kept beard and a small birthmark on his cheek, but when he smiled deep dimples appeared on both sides of his face. "I'm Alicia Sully and this is my husband Eric Sully." The women- Alicia, said. "Now what is your name little one?" Eric asked in a voice that was reflective of his touch from earlier, strong, yet at the same time, gentle. "My name is Céleste Siana. It's nice to meet you Alicia and Eric." The couple looked at each other and shared a laugh before grappling Céleste into another bear hug.
Later that night...
Alicia and Eric had brought Céleste back to the hotel they were staying in while they were in New Orleans. They had already planned to go back home the next morning so it didn't trouble Céleste that they were staying in New Orleans one more night before she got to meet her new brothers. On the way back to their hotel room the three of them stopped at what must have been at least 3 different stores, (all of which were in the downtown sector of the city since that was the only part of it that still had shops, or even electricity for that matter). From these shops they acquired everything from food to new clothes which Céleste wore like she had never worn anything more comfy in her whole life, which Alicia and Eric easily believed.
Once they had gotten back to their hotel Alicia took it upon herself to help the little girl get cleaned up. Alicia and Céleste had been in the bathroom for so long that he was starting to wonder what she could possibly be doing in there that was taking this long. Suddenly the door opened and Eric got his answer. The little bouncing bundle of energy and excitement that came charging out of the bathroom looked so different from the little girl that had first gone in that, for a second, he honestly thought this was a different girl.
Her hair had been washed out and half of it had been tied up into a bun just behind the top of her head. The other half had been brought back into a long, fluffy pony tail. Also, her hair was no longer black but more of a shiny, dark brown. But the most noticeable thing by far was her skin. It wasn't even the same color as before.
No wonder it had taken Alicia so long to get this little girl cleaned up, her whole body had been covered in so much dirt and filth that it made her skin look several shades darker then it actually was. She now had the skin of a dark Latino child, rather than that of a black child, and now that her face had been cleaned up Céleste's Latino facial features now became more visible. However, her hair was far too curly and her skin a bit too dark to be that of a pure Latino. The child's new found parents hypothesized, and later confirmed through DNA testing, that one of her biological parents was black and the other Latino, specifically, her mother being Latino and her father being black.
Somehow, her new skin color wasn't even the most fantastic feature about this child. Now that her face had been cleaned up and they had proper lighting, they could now take in the color of her eyes. They were a dark shade of blue that was so deep and pure, it was unlike anything they had ever seen.
A few hours later...
Eric and Alicia sat under the covers of their hotel bed as they watched the sleeping form of the child they had just unofficially adopted.
"Heck of a day, huh?" Eric said, breaking the silence. "Well, in a way this was the reason we came here. To help the people affected by the Coronavirus outbreak that tore through the city six months ago." Alicia said in response. "I just didn't think we'd be taking it to the extent that we'd be bringing home a 3rd child." said Eric. "Well their was no way that we were going to let a child who's been through so much at such a young age fend for themselves on the streets of New Orleans. I mean, both of her parents knew they were going to die of the virus and they made a last ditch attempt to save their child by trying to get her on that bus." Alicia stated. "Nasty thing that Coronavirus. How long have we been dealing with that thing? What, early 21st century?"
"It just keeps mutating too fast for us to make an effective vaccine. It's truly amazing that she was able to survive on her own for the last six months."
"Not as amazing as her eyes. Have you ever seen anything like them in your life? They remind me of..." Eric stopped and locked eyes with his partner before they both finished the sentence in unionison "...the night sky." The couple both chuckled before Eric asked "How is it that you always know exactly what I'm thinking?" "Because I know you better than anyone else on the planet, and you better never forget it." she stated before planting a kiss on her husband's cheek.
Her expression quickly became one of curiosity as she could see in her husband's own eyes that there was something bothering him. "What's wrong honey?" she asked her spouse with concern in her voice. "Do you think we should make her call us mom and dad?" her husband asked bluntly. Before she responded Alicia lightly smacked Eric upside the head for asking such a question. "No, we should not make her call us that. Look at this situation through her eyes. Your parents are both dead, you've been surviving on your own for the last several months, and now you are about to become the daughter of two complete strangers you haven't even known for six hours. Let her call us what she wants. At least until she gets comfortable. If she gets comfortable." Eric looked at his wife with a questioning look on his face. "Why wouldn't she get comfortable?" Alicia just about smacked him again. "I know neither of us have ever been street smart three year old's, but I'm pretty sure you don't survive as long as she has by being the 'easily trusting' or 'nice' type. I mean, did you see the look in her eyes when she was fighting that little boy? I never would have known that eyes so blue could possess so much..." she stumbled as she looked for the right word. "...Fire" Eric said, finishing Alicia's sentence for her.
"What about the boys?" Eric asked after a minute. "What about 'em?" Alicia questioned. "Well, how do you think they will react? I mean, it's not everyday you come home to find that you now have a three year old sister you've never met before." Eric stated. "They'll be fine, you and I both know that they've wanted a sibling for a while." "Yeah, but does she? Céleste probably thinks that the second those two boys walk in the door she's going to be at the bottom of the Totem Pole and I don't want her to think she'll need to fight for a spot." Said her husband as he expressed his concern. "She will be fine. We just need to make it clear to her that if she needs anything or feels upset about something she can tell us." Alicia said to which she could see the worry on her husbands face disappear and be replaced with confidence and self-reassurance.
The next day...
As the car pulled up to the Sully house Céleste could only stare in awe at the structure through the window. She had no idea that they made houses this big. The structure before her was three stories tall, had a medium size front yard and from what she could see, at least two towering trees that peaked just over the top of the roof from what must have been the backyard. A few hours after they had arrived they heard a bus pull up too, stop in front of, and then drive away from the house. "That will be the boys getting home from school." Eric said after hearing the bus start to drive away. Céleste mentally did a double take as her whole body stiffened at the thought of meeting her two new older brothers. Alicia, seeing the intensity on her new daughter's face said to her... "Céleste, why don't you go wait in the living room for now. We'll bring the boys their in a little bit." She explained. Céleste nodded her head in agreement before turning to walk to the living room. Right before she rounded the corner she looked back at Alicia and saw her adoptive mother give her a suggestive wink. With that one simple action all of the tension in the little girl's body evaporated as she quickly made her way to the living room and started looking for a hiding spot from which she could scare her new brothers.
A couple of minutes later she heard footsteps approaching the living room and her hiding spot. When she could hear the footsteps round the corner that led to the living room she jumped out of her hiding spot and, from the looks of it, almost scared the life out of both her new brothers and adoptive parents (less so with Alicia because she knew it was coming) Céleste quickly took in the sight of her two new brothers. Alicia and Eric had forgotten to mention that they were identical twins. They looked to be about a year and a half to two years older than herself. When she saw that they were twins she quickly started scanning the two, looking for differences she could use to etell them apart. She quickly noticed that the one on the left had a head of scruffy, long hair that went all the way down to his shoulders in the back, and he seemed to put his weight on his left leg. While the other was the exact opposite. He put his weight on his right leg and his hair was short on top and almost clean shaven on the sides. After the two boys had gotten their breath back after being scared so badly they introduced themselves as Tom and Jake.
After they had introduced themselves they all just stood there for a moment in silence before Céleste started to giggle slightly. The boys looked at each other in confusion before Jake asked "What's so funny?" Céleste could no longer contain herself as she suddenly broke out laughing harder than she ever had before. "Did you see yourselves when I scared you?" The little girl half yelled at them once her laughing had subsided enough for her to speak. The boys both crossed their arms in unison before one of them said "Well, one thing you'll learn quickly in this house, what goes around comes around." Céleste quickly stopped laughing before crossing her own arms and saying "I accept the challenge." This was going to be fun.
A/N: okay, thank you for reading this first chapter till the end. The next chapter will jump forward 12 years to when Celeste is 16 years old and she gets herself into a bit of good trouble. That's all I'm going to say about the next chapter. I hope to see you in the comments section. (If your wondering what color Celeste's eyes are literally google "Night sky blue" and you will see the color I was trying to describe)