Andy doesn't bother throwing her clothes in the hamper as they'll probably need to be dry-cleaned, she just drops them onto the floor beside the shower as she steps into the spray of nearly broiling water. She smells like someone who's never been introduced to soap or antiperspirants, sweat and gore and dirt creating a truly horrible stench that Andy is all too happy to rinse down the drain. When all of the larger smears of dirt and dried blood have been removed Andy grabs her body wash, squeezes out a large dollop, and scrubs until her skin is pink. When Andy is certain she's gotten everything she turns her attention to her hair. It's a long process, longer than Andy is used to, but eventually she feels less like a zombie and reluctantly turns off the water. Grabbing her towel Andy wraps it around her body before stepping out of the shower and making her way over to the sink where she wipes the steam off the bathroom mirror. so she can get a good look at herself.
She doesn't look any different in the mirror now then she had the last time she'd looked just days before, nothing's changed; same hazel eyes, same red hair, same olive skin, her features seem too sharp but Andy thinks that might be because she's freaking about what she is and is trying to see if there's anything that makes her stick out that maybe she hadn't noticed before. Nothing. Andy drops her towel and blinks at her body. It's the same too, and she kind of hates that there's no bloody wound or terrible scar from where Yura stabbed her because without one it feels like maybe Andy's imagined this entire situation. And which is worse? Being a non-human entity or being crazy?
Grumbling about lucid dreaming Andy yanks on a pair of pajama pants and pulls a top over her head before leaving the bathroom.
Aunt Phoebe should be back soon and there's so much they need to discuss, so much that has to be explained before Andy can pretend that being mislead her entire life isn't a violation. Is it even a violation? It feels like one. Andy feels like she's been lied to, feels like her entire life was build on a stack of cards that have only just begun to topple beneath the pressure.
The fridge is fully stocked which means Phoebe went to get groceries as some point over the last couple of days. Nothing looks all that appetizing so Andy shuts the door but does grab an orange out of the fruit bowl. She peels it quickly, tosses the remains, and sits at the table to pick apart her snack while she waits her her aunt Phoebe. The longer she has to wait the sicker she feels and it isn't until long after Andy's finished her orange and has contemplated calling her aunt that she hears the front door swinging open.
She's out of the kitchen in seconds, racing to the front door where her aunt is kicking off her shoes. Andy flings herself at the older woman before Phoebe can even process what's happening. Heavy sobs escape her as Andy clings to her aunt, clutching at the back of her suit jacket and babbling on about the well and Inuyasha through her tears. Eventually Phoebe manages to push her away, hands coming up to cradle either side of Andy's face and those wide, blue eyes wide as she searches for signs of injury.
"Andy? Andy where have you been?" Aunt Phoebe asks frantically.
Andy had this whole thing planned out, figured she could start by telling her aunt about the well and then work her way up to demanding answers as to why she wasn't told about her little, secret powers. But as Phoebe drags her into the kitchen and sits her down at the table Andy can't seem to bring herself to remember the exact details she spent nearly an hour contemplating. All she can think about is how her aunt Phoebe looks like she might cry and is talking about how relieved she is that Andy isn't hurt, which makes Andy gag a bit because in all technicality she should be hurt.
"Why didn't you tell me?" She asks, tears blurring her aunt's features.
"Andy? I don't understand."
"Why didn't you tell me before? I set someone on fire, Aunt Phoebe!" Andy doesn't think this is a lie. She can't remember what happened the first time she attacked Yura but she remembers the heat, there's no way she hadn't set the woman on fire.
Aunt Phoebe pales when she processes what Andy confessed to.
"Who Andy? Who did you set on fire? When?"
"Yesterday!" The words come tumbling out of her mouth in a jumble as Andy tries not to cry, "Kagome and I were dragged into the well and then all of these things started happening and then Yura attacked us and I, I, I just got so mad." She presses the heel of her palm against her eye and tries to catch her breath.
"Dragged through the well, sweetie, you aren't making sense."
"The Higurashi well! Kagome and I went back in time and I set someone on fire! She stabbed me and I wasn't even hurt! Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you saying something before? Is this why we're always moving? Because I'm some sort of fire breathing thing?"
Across from her, aunt Phoebe closes her eyes for a long moment before opening them as she reaches across the table to take Andy's hands in her own. When Andy doesn't pull away from the touch one of Phoebe's hands drift so that she can wipe her thumb over the swell of her cheekbone where tears have dampened the skin. She hasn't done this in years, not since Andy was twelve and cried after she fell down the stairs and broke her leg, the gesture is comforting and sweet and only makes Andy sniffle harder. This is all going to shit. She's supposed to be having this adult conversation about who her parents were and what she is and all she ends up managing to do is sound like a crazy person.
"Why didn't you tell me I wasn't normal?" Andy chokes out.
Aunt Phoebe is silent for a long moment, pulling away from Andy to tug at the thin chain dangling around her neck. It's a nervous habit she's always had and the fact that she's fiddling with it now tells Andy that she's just as nervous as Andy is.
"Please, Aunt Phoebe." She begs, because she needs to know.
They share a long look before her aunt nods hesitantly and says, "I don't know where to start, there's so much I need to tell you for you."
"How about you tell me what I am."
"In mythological terms you're represented as a phoenix; life eternal and all that. A never ending cycle of life and death... I think it was the best way for people to comprehend what you were and it just sort of stuck."
Whatever Andy had been expecting her aunt to say that certain wasn't it and she's quickly draw up short. Aunt Phoebe has got to be messing with her, because there's no way Andy is a magical fire bird. A startled laugh slips through her lips before Andy can stop it, the shrill sound echoing through the kitchen even as Phoebe nods.
"I remember when we first met your explained it to me as," Phoebe clicks her tongue, clearly trying to remember something, and then says, "you were born of the sun, a being of light and fire that found fascination in humanity as we first began to crawl. It never made much sense to me back then but now I think I understand what you meant. From what I've been able to piece together you were probably born sometime after the Big Bang, but before life began forming on Earth."
"Wait, wait... Just... Wait. You're trying to tell me that I'm some sort of cosmic bird lady? That's not possible." Andy's hand shakes as she holds it out in front of her, palm facing Phoebe to silence her.
Her aunt shakes her head as she speaks, "Think of it as you're more of a primordial being who is represented as a bird because humanity needed something comprehensible."
"I don't understand! How can I be anything primordial when I'm," Andy waves a frantic hand at herself which makes her aunt smile sadly as she reaches out to stroke red hair out of Andy's face.
"You told me once that you were here before Gods and you would remain long after any remembrance of them faded from the universe."
"This isn't explain anything, Phoebe!" Andy yells, brushing her aunt's hand away with an aggression she's not used to.
"Don't you think I know that? I'm not sure how to explain this to you Andy! Every time we've had this conversation before you'd been farther along in your awakening and you had more access to your memories!"
"Why do you keep saying that! I told you? How could I have told you anything! Who are you?"
Because she can't be her aunt, not if what she's saying is true and Andy really is some sort of entity that has been lingering around since the dawn of time. This is all too surreal, Andy had been expecting some weird explanation about how her mom or dad made a deal with a god or something and got a fire-breathing-death-baby in the process. It might be a little easier to believe if Phoebe wasn't being so cryptic about everything. Andy doesn't think the woman is lying but how can any of it be true? A glance at the blonde has Andy wincing, because Phoebe looks so sad, devastated really, and there's nothing worse than seeing the woman who raised you upset because of something you did. Of course, Andy probably hasn't done anything to Phoebe and the woman is probably just being sympathetic but... still. It's not a pleasant thing.
"How do i know you, Phoebe? You aren't my aunt, are you?"
"No... No, I'm not."
"Then who?"
"My name, my real name, is Iphigenia." Phoebe, no, Iphigenia offers a little smile, "You saved my life."
"What?"
Her aunt nods. "My father was a King of Mycenae, millennia ago... He angered a goddess just before his ships were meant to set off for war and she ordered my death as repayment for the slight against her."
A brief image of a dark haired girl no older than her standing bejeweled and terrified before another man carrying a sword with the same dark eyes as the girl flashes through Andy's mind but it fades quickly, leaving her feeling as though she might be sick all over the kitchen floor. Andy takes several deep breaths to steady herself before turning to the woman who raised her.
"I saved you?"
"Yes. I'm not certain how but you did save me and ever since we have been companions, family. You're really the only family I truly remember." Andy shakes her head and goes to speak but stops when the blonde raised her hand. "I have something you might want to see."
Then the woman is gone and Andy is left to take slow, measured breaths in the kitchen to keep herself from panicking as she thinks over everything Phoebe told her and if demon can exist why can't other beings? Andy giggles a little bit hysterically as she rakes a hand through her hair. What are Kagome and Inuyasha going to say when she tells them? Does Inuyasha suspect? Can demons smell it on her? No. If that were the case Yura wouldn't have attacked them the first time. So maybe it's just Inuyasha, maybe he's on a different level then other demons and has seen enough that her being a cosmic bird isn't going to freak him out... Though, Yura was a hair comb and he hadn't been surprised by that. The shuffle of her aunt entering the kitchen has Andy looking up just as the older woman places a box on the table.
Andy doesn't recognize it but her aunt obviously took good care of it over the years. The wood is shiny, the metal isn't tarnished and gleams brightly, and there's no resistance as her aunt pushes the lid open to reveal... pictures, and a few journals. Andy thinks there might be more but she's too busy staring at the picture her aunt has given her. It's of a woman in a pretty dress that bares the tops of her shoulders, sharp features displayed to the camera as she stares into the lens without so much as a smile. A second or two passes before Andy realizes it's her.
Without much thought Andy digs through the box, carefully examining old photos of her and a dark haired woman who looks about twenty or so. The age of the photos vary but the newest of the lot is a photo of Andy and the woman who must be her aunt smiling brightly from where they're sat at a cafe table in what might be somewhere in France. Hands tremble as she puts the photos back among the contents still remaining in the velvet lined box.
"You look different." She offers, a bit unsure of what else to say.
Her aunt laughs, a sharp burst that ends rather quickly as she tugs on her necklace to reveal the pendant to Andy. It's pretty. The chain is thin and carries a golden disk with the image of a man etched into it's safe. If Andy couldn't feel the power radiating off of it she might be convinced to not give it a second glance.
"Several years after you found me you convinced a goddess to bless me with long life... She also gave me this," Phoebe's face begins to morph and change even as her hair lengthens and turns dark, "so that I could change my looks, but sometimes I opt to use my natural features."
"Oh.. Right, right, yeah. Makes... total sense." Andy says, tone pitching a bit too high.
"It's had it's uses over the years, especially now that technology has advanced so much. It's easier to change my face and pretend to be a different person than to attempt to hide from the world." Her aunt explains.
"But what about me? I mean, these are photos of me isn't that a bit obvious?"
Phoebe's face takes on an expression of exasperated fondness that Andy can't help but smile at.
"You didn't have a name when we first met, you know. Apparently names weren't something you needed or paid much attention too." Phoebe brushes her curls over her shoulders, "It wasn't until a few months later that I was pointing out constellations to you and you decided you liked Andromeda. It stuck. I tried changing your name later when technology started to evolve but you were always insistent on being called Andromeda when your memories came back so I gave up trying."
"Do you think I'll get them back? My memories?"
"It takes time, but by the end of your awakening I'm certain that you'll have them." Phoebe says, nodding slowly as she tries to assure Andy.
Awakening. That's what Andy's doing right now. Waking up. Coming into her powers. Whatever she wants to call it the process is apparently not a short one which puts her in a bit of a precarious situation considering she's going to be fighting demons for the jewel shards. Maybe there's a way to speed the process along, something that can make Andy less of an unreliable mess.
"Phoebe? Or Iphigenia? What do you prefer?" She asks the woman sitting across from her.
"Aunt Phoebe is fine."
"Aunt Phoebe then... Is there any way to speed up the awakening? So that I can understand my powers better before I end up hurting anyone?"
Her aunt, because she's still her aunt, licks the corner of her mouth before offering a tentative nod and a, "The more you use your powers the quicker memories will come back to you I suppose. Why?"
Compared to everything else they've talked about today, in light of everything they've talked about today, telling her aunt that Kagome is some reincarnated priestess with the ability to go back in time shouldn't be all that surprising. She's not sure how her aunt is going to react when Andy tells her about the jewel shards and their quest to gather said shards before something really bad happens. Though, her aunt shouldn't be that surprised by anything Andy has to say. Not when everything she's told Andy is so bizarre that she's still not sure it's even true. Deciding that it would probably be best to just explain the situation so that aunt Phoebe can help her figure something out Andy squares her shoulders and meets her aunt's wide, dark eyes.
"Remember when I said Kagome and I were pulled through a well? I wasn't lying. Kagome had some jewel called the Shikon no Tama inside of her and a demon called Mistress Centipede wanted it for herself so she went after Kagome. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. We got pulled in together and then more things happened which only got worse after Kagome accidentally shattered the jewel shard... So now we have to get those gathered up and taken care of because if we don't something really bad is going to happen."
"You said you went back in time?" Her aunt asks, dark brows furrowed.
She looks so different without the necklace hiding her features. Aunt Phoebe's skin is a rich olive hue, tinted more red than green, her eyes are a pretty dark brown, and her features are a bit softer than Andy's used to seeing. There's a splattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose and her cheeks, even the inner corner of her eye has a bit of freckling. Adorable. Aunt Phoebe is truly adorable. The hazy memory Andy has of a younger Phoebe- Iphigenia?- truly doesn't do her any justice. If whichever goddess wanted her sacrificed because of her looks, well, it doesn't make it morally ok but Andy kind of understands why. There's just something about Phoebe that's eye catching, some of it could be that she's literally changed her entire appearance in a matter of seconds but still... Andy doesn't understand how someone can be this adorable.
"Yeah. I think we were in the Sengoku period."
"Do you plan on going back?" Her aunt asks.
And there's no hesitation when Andy nods and says, "Of course I am. I'm not leaving Kagome to find the jewel shards on her own, I can't, she's the sister-of-my-soul and I'm not going to let her go off on her own."
Silence settles between them. Andy takes the time to study her aunt as this is perhaps the calmest she's been through the entire conversation. Probably because Kagome is involved now and if there's one thing that is always going to be a constant in her life it's her determination to keep Kagome safe. It'll be easier now, she supposes, to do that. More exposure to demons during their hunt for the shards means more opportunities to use her powers and if what her aunt says is true then Andy's going to be able to unlock those powers quicker and easier.
"There's no changing you're mind, is there?" Her aunt asks, tone almost resigned.
"Not when Kagome's involved." She says as she leans back and crosses her arms over her chest.
"Then we'll have to figure out what to tell everyone." Her aunt rises and offers a slightly too tense smile as she says, "I'm going to start dinner, do you want anything in particular?"
"No, I think I'm going to lay down for a bit."
"Of course," her aunt kisses her forehead, "I love you."
"I love you too, Aunt Fee."
She leaves the kitchen seconds later, retreating to the safe space provided by her room, once the door is shut Andy shuffles over to the bed and flops down face first to bury her face in her pillows. A primordial being. Who would have thought. Not Andy, clearly, she thought she was going to be a fire demon love child. Sighing, the red head rolls over to stare out the window at the sky. Neither she nor Kagome had talked about when they would be returning to Kaede's village but she thinks that it'll be within the next day or so. It'll be enough time for them to gather their school work and other materials before they come back. Speaking of school... The two of them are going to need a really good excuse as to why they keep skipping classes. While Andy suspects her aunt will have something planned out for her by the time they leave, well, Kagome isn't going to be as lucky. Because her grandpa likes to get a little over zealous when he's explaining things to people and Andy can only imagine the excuse he's going to make for his granddaughter when people start asking questions.
As she drums her fingers against her stomach Andy wonders if there are other non-human beings living in the modern world. She didn't even know she wasn't human until yesterday so it's entirely possible there's an entire community of non-humans living among them. How many could there be? Aunt Phoebe said that back when they first met Andy was acquainted with Gods and Goddeses, and she knows demons exist, so what else? Maybe there's some sort of underground community center where non-humans meet up to talk about their problems and bitch about how annoying humans are. Maybe her aunt runs the group. Hysterical laughter spills out of Andy, it comes and comes and comes until suddenly Andy is choking on a strangled sob as she curls around a soft blue pillow.
With everything that's happened a good cry is probably well deserved at this point but Andy isn't really crying because of Mistress Centipede of Yura. Right now she's crying over the complete fucking mess her life has become in the span of a few hours. And it is a mess, there's no downplaying just how devastating all of this is. Maybe it would have been easier if Andy had been farther along in awakening, better even. Having actual memories to draw from when her aunt isn't able to explain something to her sounds a lot nicer than making things up as she goes. She really only has a vague understanding of what she is, there are so many cultures with myths relating to the phoenix and while there are several commonalities it's not like any of them are going to be truly accurate. If she really is a primordial being how could they be? Even humans today have trouble understanding the universe and evolution as a whole. Most people don't even believe there's life beyond Earth.
Andy hiccups as she uses the corner of her pillow to wipe her tears from her cheeks.
Needing something productive to do to get her mind off of everything Andy decides to pack for her next trip to the past. She rises, makes her way over the closet, and drags a large backpack out of the back. It's a battered thing that she normally uses as a carry on when she and her aunt go anywhere but it'll have to do. She probably won't need much, it doesn't seem like they'll be stopping often to was clothes regularly and Andy thinks she can get a few days out of a pair of jeans so she grabs two from the built in shelving unit where she stacks her folded items and tosses them onto the bed. Shirts are going to be a different story. With no way to tell what the weather is going to be like Andy grabs a few sweaters, a few t-shirts, and a couple of camisoles which all go on the bed with her jeans, finally she gathers several different sets of undergarments, socks, pajamas, and a pair of shoes that are more suited for hiking than her uniform shoes are. With her clothes gathered Andy begins the process of packing.
One pair of jeans is set off to the side along with a sweater, everything else is carefully rolled and shoved into the bottom of the bag. After shoving the last of her clothes into the backpack Andy makes her way to the bathroom with her toiletry bag so she can pack that as well, she also grabs some supplies from the first aid kit because there's no way someone isn't going to end up without some sort of injury. Andy puts the kit back and makes a mental note to tell her aunt that she should probably run by the store so she can stock up seeing as Andy has taken a good portion of the supplies... Actually, she should probably take the whole thing. Andy quickly returns to the bathroom to grab the first aid kit and proceeds to her room once more. It's a struggle, getting everything into her bag but if there's one thing Andy isn't it's a quitter. Eventually she manages to shove everything in and get the backpack closed up, and while it looks a bit precarious Andy's confident it won't burst open on her.
She places the bag at the foot of her beg next to her shoes, puts her chosen travel outfit on top of it, and wonders if she should pack anything else. The knife she took from the dead man is still in her possession but Andy doesn't know how much good a knife is going to do her when she doesn't even know how to use it... Maybe Phoebe does. Seems a little silly to think that a woman who's lived through some pretty horrific time periods wouldn't know how to at least defend herself. Inuyasha would probably be able to help her too, maybe. The knife ends up shoved in the front pocket of her bag before Andy makes her way into the kitchen to see if her aunt needs any help setting the table.
"Was I any good at fighting?" She asks as she steps into the kitchen, causing her aunt to startle slightly and level Andy with a heated look.
Considering Phoebe is currently chopping vegetables her ire is understandable... But from the looks of things they'll be having briam tonight. Which is nice, Andy likes Briam well enough.
"What?"
"Was I any good at fighting, you know, before?"
"Why do you need to know?"
Andy shrugs and moves closer to her aunt as she says, "I dunno. I just figured that with all the demons we're going to be brawling with to get the jewel shards it would be nice to know I'm not going to be getting anyone hurt."
"Personally I always thought your abilities made up for your lack of weapons."
"Are you seriously trying to tell me that I didn't know how to fight?"
Her aunt shakes her head, huffs a laugh, puts down her knife, and levels Andy with a look of fond amusement. It's a look she's gotten a lot from her aunt over the years, probably one she's gotten for centuries before now. Andy shifts from foot to foot, trying to decide if her aunt is being serious or not because Andy couldn't have lived entire lives without learning at least some combat training. Like, what even are the odds of that happening?
"I'm sure you had some sort of training at some point but I never saw you utilize it."
"So how did I protect you then? Or myself for that matter? I mean, if I can still die wouldn't I want to minimize the risk of getting my head lopped off?"
"You would have come back."
"Phoebe."
"What do you want me to tell you, Andy? I wasn't exactly a seasoned warrior when we first met. Anytime you ever needed to defend me you always just relied on your abilities and that was that." Her aunt picks the knife back up and spins it between her fingers, a show of skill that has Andy making a low noise of anxiousness in the back of her throat. "Set the table."
Andy goes to pull out some plates and the required cutlery as her aunt dumps all of her cut vegetables, herbs, and seasonings into a bowl. Her aunt continues to work as Andy sets the table, a quick task seeing as there are only two of them. When she returns to her aunt's side the older woman is sliding the dish into the oven so Andy sets the timer for her.
"What about you? Were you trained?"
"No, I never wanted to wield any sort of blade as my passions were more for music and the arts, so that's what I focused on," Her aunt says with a shake of her head. "You made sure I had the ability to defend myself if the need arose but I never wanted to be a warrior and you never tried to force me."
"Oh."
Looks like she'll just have to hope that none of the demons they fight are all that smart or that her powers don't decide to flake out on her. Wouldn't that be her luck? Running off into battle and finding out about a minute into a fight that she can't actually fight and she doesn't have her powers, vague as they are, to use for her own defense. It's almost laughable. Probably would be if the reality of the situation weren't so nerve wracking. She'll just have to get Inuyasha to train her, maybe he'll be able to help her understand some of her abilities... Andy wants to thunk her head against the table as she turns to look at her aunt, who's currently putting the kettle on the stove.
"So, you said I always relied on my abilities? What are those exactly? Am I going to spontaneously combust one day?" Andy asks with a laugh that only just manages to hide her panic.
"I don't know what all you can do, Andy, but you said you set someone on fire?" Her aunt asks, lowering herself into the seat at the table beside Andy to wait for the water in the kettle to boil.
"Well, kind of? I definitely melted her sword."
"Makes sense. You'll be able to do more than just melt swords in a few years, fire manipulation is something pretty much everyone gets right about you in the mythologies."
"So I could totally combust at random moments, then."
Great.
"Not necessarily. I've seen you bounce back from some pretty traumatic injuries without so much as a scratch, the whole rebirth thing usually comes at the end of your life cycles." Her aunt drums her fingers against her thigh as she speaks.
"How does that work then? I mean, clearly I've died quite a few times over the past few years."
"You die, you come back. There's not much to explain, Andy." Her aunt replies.
"I meant about the bouncing back."
"Healing has always been one of your strong suits. I've seen you bring people back from the brink of death without so much as batting your eyelashes... I'm sure there's more you could do but I always got the impression that you didn't want to talk about some of those things so I never pushed. With as much time as you'll be spending with other non-human entities you're probably going to be experiencing your awakening at an excelled rate."
"Excelled rate?" Andy squeaks.
"A normal awakening starts when you turn sixteen and usually takes about ten to fifteen years to finish." Her aunt taps purses her lips for a moment, looking to be deep in thought, and finally adds, "With as much exposure as you'll be given to other supernatural powers and the level of danger being so high I wouldn't be surprised if your awakening took about two? Maybe three years? Of course, it could be much longer or much shorter."
The timer goes off and Phoebe quickly makes her way over to the stove to flip the vegetables over in the pan and stick them back in for another thirty minutes or so. She hums as she works, the sound doing absolutely nothing from the pressure starting to build in Andy's chest.
There's a lump forming in her throat and it seems to cut into Andy's esophagus as she swallows it down. While not panicking yet she's certainly getting there. This is a lot to take in, fire manipulation and healing and rebirthing, but that's not even the least of it according to her aunt. Because Phoebe doesn't know what all Andy can do and seeing as she's apparently a cosmic bird that's had billions of years to come into her own, well, she probably has quite a few handy tricks up her sleeve that she'll become aware of as she awakens. Which is another thing entirely because she's exposing herself to high risk situations and in response her body is going to keep her safe by shoving billions and billions of years worth of memories, powers, and ideologies into her head in the span of only a few years. A few years that just so happens to be several years earlier than they usually decide to show up ... Andy is up and racing for the bathroom, tripping over her feet, and only managed to make it to the toilet seconds before she starts to heave.
Bile rises from her stomach, spills past her lips, and leaves the taste of battery acid in her mouth. Andy shakes, her eyes burn, and even when there's nothing left to cough up her body still tries to expel the contents of her stomach in a series of violent dry heaves that makes Andy feel more shitty than the actual vomiting had. By the time she stops heaving Andy is a shuddering, sobbing mess that doesn't even realize her aunt has pulled her away form the toilet, gotten rid of the evidence of her anxiety, and has ushered her out of the bathroom until she finds herself being seated on the couch with a glass of water being tucked into her hands. She swipes at her tears as she sips at the water, trying to calm herself down by focusing on the slight cucumber taste that soon replaces the battery acid.
Phoebe coos at her as she moves to sit on the couch beside Andy, wrapping her arms around the girl and pulling her into a hug as she rocks slightly. Andy clings to her aunt's blouse as she takes deep, stuttering breaths.
"Oh honey, it's alright." Phoebe whispers against her temple, warm breath fanning over Andy's cheek where her tears have left when streaks down her face. "It's alright, I'm here, I'm here."
They rock there on the couch, back and forth and back again with Phoebe whispering comforting nothings in her ear until the timer in the kitchen goes off. Upon hearing the shrill beep Andy pulls away, takes another deep breath, scrubs at her eyes, and nods to her aunt, who is staring at her through worried eyes and so obviously trying not to be overbearing in her concern that it's almost funny.
"I'll check the briam." She says before rising and making her way into the kitchen, Phoebe hot on her heels.
She ignores the older woman as she grabs a hot pad off the counter beside the stove, she slides her hand into it before opening the oven. The hot pan is quickly placed on the stove top, the vegetables are checked, and the oven is turned off before Andy carries the pan over to the table. Dinner is a pretty quiet affair. She and aunt Phoebe make small talk but neither of them really discuss anything, they don't share witty banter or sarcastic remarks and by the time Andy's finished with her first serving all she wants to do is go to bed and sleep. She helps her aunt put everything away though, because she wasn't raised a heathen, and then quickly excuses herself for the evening.
Before she can leave the kitchen, however, her aunt Phoebe is pulling her into a tight hug and cupping the back of her head with her palm.
"I love you, Andy, so, so much." She says, the words light and soft in her ear.
There are no apologies, no promises that things will be any easier or that this is the last time Andy is going to find herself struggling, and Andy finds herself squeezing her aunt a bit tighter around her middle as she buries her face in the other woman's shoulder.
"I love you to, Aunt Fee." She breathes before pulling away and sliding passed her aunt.
The older woman doesn't stop her, doesn't try to say anything, and for that Andy is thankful. She makes it to her room in seconds and to her bed in less time than that, curling up beneath the covers and rubbing the side of her face into her pillow in an attempt to get comfortable. With as stressful as the day has been and with so much happening in such a short amount of time Andy finds herself slipping off before she's even really managed to get comfortable in her own bed. Before sleep takes her Andy tells herself that tomorrow will be a better day. Whether or not she actually believes that is the question.
~X~
A/N:
I would like to point out that while I got the idea after watching Dark Phoenix, Andy is not based solely off of Jean Grey of Marvel's Phoenix Force despite it playing a major role in my inspiration for this work of fiction. I'm going to be attempting to pull ideas from many different cultures and interpretations of the Phoenix from different media sources, obviously not everything will be added to Andy's character as I don't want her to be omnipotent but there's going to be some interesting concepts that will go into play as the story progresses.
If anyone has any questions feel free to ask them and I'll try to explain my reasoning for specific writer's choices that I make. Some things might come into the story later on so whether or not my answers are really in depth will depend on that but I truly do love interacting with reviewers. I haven't done a very good job of that for this work but I will attempt to make more of an effort from this point on.
Thank you for all of your support and please don't forget to Favorite, Follow, and Review!