What if Queen Channary recovered from regolith poisoning? What if the fire happened but they arrested Levana and found Selene still alive? She was kept in a tank for several years until she was strong enough to have the surgery. Channary teaches her how to use her powers and starts hiding her cyborg parts. She learns of all Channary wants her to learn for when she is queen.

I am super sorry that this chapter is late. I have not really been in the mood to write lately for whatever reason but now I'm back after a little break! This chapter is also kind of a nonsense chapter which I have no idea why I added it into my outline but I did. I think that's why I had such a hard time writing it. I was considering just deleting this chapter all together but I had something semi-good already written. I hope you enjoy it! :)

-Kath

Chapter Nine: Cinder

I watch, hopeless and trapped, as Violet enters the playhouse in a daze, a candle just given by my cruel, psychotic aunt in her hand. I scream out in warning, all sound muffled as if I'm underwater, as the blanket thrown over the glassless window catches fire.

I look, stomach sinking, as Violet is sleeping away, oblivious to the rapidly spreading fire. Little me's eyes are half open, watching in confusion before drifting off into a painful and sweaty sleep.

I feel a few tears run down my face as the first of the flames skim over my little feet, my little face scrunching up in shock and pain but otherwise falling still. My breath becomes short when the flames finally engulf me, spreading up my body after being tired of teasing me.

I watch as little me cries out in pain, breathing coming up short, and I start to wither. Open your eyes! Run! Get out of here!

I finally look away when I see my skin turning an ugly black, skin and muscle sizzling. Half of my left foot is already gone. I turn, tears flowing down my face as I run away from the horror of reality.

Except I don't make it super far. It's like running in water. I trip over rubble, smoke filling the air. Time had seemed to move forward in my rush to leave.

I look around, trying to see through the smoke. I cough, waving it away only to find myself looking at little me, almost unrecognizable. My hair is gone as well as two of my limbs. A lot of my skin is burned away, leaving damaged tissue and muscle. The playhouse barely stands, smoking and rickety as it sways.

I take a step forward but my movement seems to make it worse, the structure finally collapsing onto me, blocking most of me off from the rest of the world. It's a miracle I survived.

Having a hard time breathing in all this smoke, I turn again, running toward the exit only to be blocked off by a group of onlookers. I'm pushed back into the room, falling until I lay next to my little self. I see my tiny body breathe, chest barely rising as the playhouse shifts, something rolling next to my hand. I look down, screaming. It's my left hand, cut off from the rest of me.

I continue screaming as I peer up between the playhouse remains, into my little face, heavily damaged. I close my eyes, sick from all the crying and smoke still hanging in the air.

I open them to see my little self has moved, kneeling in front of me awkwardly, damaged eyes staring into me. She moves forward, grabbing her missing hand to stroke it against my check, her mouth opening up in a twisted smile.

I freeze, inhaling the smell of charred flesh and feeling it against my smooth, wet cheek.

"Born . . . from . . . the . . . cinders. . ." My younger self utters, having trouble speaking with missing pieces of flesh from my mouth. "as . . . a . . . broken . . . phoenix . . . ready . . . to . . . take . . ." Her eyes flutter shut, collapsing against me. I jump, pushing her off of me. I stand, the room twisting and turning as I try to focus on one thing. Everything starts spinning at a rapid rate until I collapse from the dizziness, a silent scream still lodged in my throat.

I'm startled awake by someone shaking my shoulders. The scream that was previously stuck in my throat is set free when I lose my balance, falling off the couch. I land on the floor with a thud, an oof escaping my lips. My head bangs against the floor, and I grab hold of it with my gloved hands, rubbing away the forming headache. I roll on my back, peering up at Winter towering over me with a concerned expression on her face.

I sit up looking around the room at all the bagged dresses scattered about. I stare at them, confused, my brain trying to remember everything before I passed out.

Oh right. All of the dresses showed up after a week of being succumbed to my overly large chambers. I started to unbag some, placing about twenty in my closet before I felt my eyes droop. Going through dresses is trying business.

I place my right hand on the edge of the couch and my left against the coffee table where it clanks, groaning as I pull myself up.

Winter steps back so I don't bump into her, sitting down on the couch. I glance around the room at all the different colors, eyes finally landing on an obsidian floor length one. I shiver, my little self's charred and blackened body flashing in my mind. I sigh, sitting down next to Winter and slumping against the back of the couch.

I force a smile, her eyes only turning more concerned, but she doesn't say anything, only watching me. I stare back, waiting for her to speak first.

As usual, she looks absolutely stunning with her curly, silky black hair and simple white dress. What I would do for natural beauty like her.

While your beauty disappoints, let's hope your powers don't. My mother's insult rings in my head, and I wince as I feel the headache increasing.

I finally turn away, eyes landing on the obsidian dress again. Suddenly, it's like I'm back in the rubble left in the nursery, staring at what I've become. Born from the cinders.

My own foggy, unseeing eyes staring back into my clear, artificial ones. My charred, missing hand gently rubbing my tear stained cheek.

"Selene?"

I shake my head of the gruesome dream, turning to look at Winter again. She lays a hand on my gloved one, squeezing it gently. "Is everything alright? You seem pretty shaken."

I grimace, removing my hand from hers so I can fiddle with the edge of my glove on my metal hand, making sure the metal isn't visible. "Yeah, just a nightmare is all."

She arcs a perfect eyebrow, eyes narrowing slightly as she tries to read me. She shakes her head, sighing and resolving to the fact that I'm not going to explain any further. She looks at my gloved hands and down at the boots I am wearing. It looks awkward with my shorts and sweater but it's all I've had until all the dresses showed up earlier today.

"Why do you wear them in here? No one else is here besides you."

I shrug, not really wanting to talk about it. The truth is, I don't like seeing the gleam of metal out of the corner of my eye all the time. It's easier to forget about them if they are covered.

Even though they are always on my mind. My mother doesn't seem to want me to forget about my imperfections. My monstrosities, as she put it.

"I'm still not quite used to them yet. And sometimes in the sun, the metal temporarily blinds me." Well, technically not wrong.

She smiles wearily, turning to look at all the dresses scattered around. She points to the obsidian one, eyes in a daze as she goes off in la-la land. "That one reminds me of you."

I look at her confused, waiting for her to elaborate.

"The nursery was left in a pile of cinders and rubble, fire marks left on all the walls. I didn't see you but I imagine you looked like you were born from the cinders."

I shiver, mind flashing back to my younger self who had chanted the same words. Born from the cinders.

"Oh, I like that." She says, shaking her head in a daze to smile at me. She cocks her head, looking me over. "It suits you."

"What does?"

"Cinder," It rolls off her tongue nicely, but I still wince, thinking of my charred body.

"I guess, but please don't call me that. I'm Selene."

She gives me a weird look, cocking her head even further. "Selene may have been you once, but no longer. I shall call you Cinder, my cousin." She smiles, mischievous, as I give a weak one of my own.

Once again, my mind stares at the nightmare I just had. My practically dead body with my cloudy eyes speaking to me. Born from the cinders as a broken phoenix ready to take.