I apologize in advance- Also a warning for this chapter!
It contains violence, racism, and abuse. Enjoy!~
Adam is pulled back into the memories of his troubled past, only to find every monster has its maker.
--
Adam watched his father clean his mothers wounds, small winces coming from her now and then. The lacerations across his back still stung, but he was use to it by now. He'd be just like his father would; strong. No matter what they did to him he let it roll off of him, not giving them as much as a flinch. Standing up, Adam quietly made his way over to his parents, holding the small stuffed bear up to his mother.
She smiled gently at him, cupping his face,
"Your giving me your teddy?"
"It makes me feel better- so I wanna give it to you."
His mother gave a soft laugh, leaning down to kiss his forehead,
"Thank you, love."
His father ruffled his hair, looking down at him,
"How're you feelin', kiddo?"
Adam's small hands clenched his pants, frowning,
"My back stings; but it's okay because I was able to help mama."
His father picked him up, resting him on his knee. The mans scraggly brown hair was unkempt, unruly strands sticking out in different directions.
"You're a brave kid, Adam. Lemme take a look."
Adam shifted around, wincing as the back of his shirt was pulled up. He flinched as a cold, wet cloth ran across the whip marks on his back.
"How many did they give you?"
"Five." He squeaked out, eyes squeezing shut.
His mother leaned in, kissing his cheek,
"I'm sorry love, I should be protecting you, not the other way around."
She had a somber look on her face, her thin fingers running through his tangled hair. Adam let out a small wince again, tears welling in his eyes. He refused to let them fall. He wouldn't cry; he was stronger than that. She lifted him off his father's knee, resting him on her lap.
Adam wrapped his arms around her neck, resting his head on her shoulder. Her red curls tickled his face, making him smile. A loud bang on the rickety door snapped all of them out of the moment, his father leaning down to give him a kiss on the head before going to the door. His mother picked him up, moving to the cot on the far side of the room.
"Taurus! Get your worthless ass out here to work now!"
Adam's fists clenched, frowning. His father had worked for hours on end today. He watched his father wordlessly nod, offering a glance to his mother before walking out. Adam looked up at her brows knit,
"Why doesn't he fight back! It's not fair!"
She hushed him, putting a finger over her lips,
"Shhh. Don't yell, Adam. They'll hear you," she sighed, gently stroking his hair, "I know it's not fair, love. I know. This world isn't good to people like us, but we have to stay strong."
His mother laid down, pulling him down with her. Adam nestled against her chest, blinking tiredly. Thin fingers began to run through his hair again, the soft sound of a lullaby brightening the dull, rundown shack. It made him wonder what it was like. To have food in his stomach, his parents smiling and laughing, none of them having a worry about the next day.
He'd heard others in the mines talk about it, ones who'd been brought here, how their life was before. The idea was so foreign to him, he didn't know if he could even see his family in that setting. He remembered people saying they wanted to go home. It never made sense to him. When he asked his mother, she said home was a place you could feel safe and happy.
Adam guessed he didn't have one then.
--
Adam shoved the cart down the tracks, his tattered boots crunching against the gravel. He quietly huffed, stopping for a moment. His legs shook, his stomach growling in protest.
"Hey, kid."
He jumped, glancing at the officer before putting his head down, moving to get back to work. He didn't want to get more lashes again; at least not this soon. The man's hand stopped his cart, shaking him to his core.
"I'm sorry. I won't stop again." His voice shook, fingers tightening on the cart.
The officer, put a finger over his lips, handing him a small piece of bread. He was shocked to say the least. Was this a trap? He didn't know what to think.
"Come on, take it. Quick before someone sees."
He hesitantly took the food, stuffing it in his pocket. Adam offered a quiet thank you before getting back to work. The man returned to his post, quietly observing the workers. Come to think of it, that particular officer never had lashed out at people. It was strange. Though Adam knew better than to trust someone that easily.
As he pushed the cart out of the mine, snow began to stick to his clothes. He was use to the frigid temperatures by now.
"I'm sorry!"
Adam's head snapped to attention at the voice, stopping in his tracks.
"You're fucking worthless! It's always you! Never getting your damn work done like everyone else!" The man snapped at the woman, his fist full of her hair.
'Mama!' He looked at his mother in horror, frozen in place.
He couldn't think straight. All he saw was other workers with their heads down, none willing to do anything. Adam glanced to the cart he'd been pushing, the dusty red crystals clinking against each other.
The officer threw the woman on the ground, placing his boot on her back,
"Maybe we should teach you a lesson about what happens to those who-"
"Hey!"
The man looked in the direction of the voice, eyes widening.
"STAY AWAY FROM MY MOM!"
Dust crystal in hand, he hurled it at the officer. The object exploded on impact, knocking him, as well as the other officers around him off their feet. Adam wasn't surprised as he was promptly grabbed and slammed into the ground; didn't make it hurt any less though. Grimacing at the feeling of a boot against his cheek, he clawed at the mans leg. He already knew he was in trouble, there was no point in staying docile now.
The officer looked down at him, frowning,
"Why is it that anytime someone steps out of line, it's you?"
Adam was swiftly grabbed by his hair, his feet barely touching the ground. The boy swung his leg out, kicking the man in the knee before being dropped on the ground,
"Fuck you!" He shouted, teeth bared. He knew he wasn't supposed to curse, but it just slipped out. That's the excuse the other workers who said it used anyways.
"Disrespectful little-!" The man was cut short by a familiar face approaching him. Adam grimaced, looking down at the snow. The Overseer; that was never good.
"What happened here?" The man asked blankly, staring the child down.
"The little shit threw a crystal at me." The other man spat, sneering down at him.
He crouched down, roughly grabbing Adam's chin,
"You know, I've kept my eye on you ever since you first began causing problems," his eyes narrowed, "I've been quite generous, overlooking your little rebellions; however I'm done being generous."
Adam's nose wrinkled as he frowned, snapping back at the man,
"You're not kind to anyone! You just get what you want because you're a monster!"
The Overseer smiled at him, raising his brows,
"That's how the world works; I'm the monster," he stood up, swiftly kicking the boy in the stomach, "And you're my property."
He let out a quiet wheeze, clutching his stomach.
"Clearly, you don't understand that, but I know something that will make sure you don't forget," he turned to the officer next to him, "Go get the brand."
Adam watched his mother skittishly approach the man, panic on her face,
"W-Wait! Please this is my fault- I wasn't working fast enough! He's just a child he doesn't know any better; let me take his place!" She pleaded, body trembling.
"He knows exactly what he's doing, if he didn't he would have learned the last time he was punished."
He watched two of the officers grab his mother, pulling her back,
"PLEASE! PLEASE DON'T DO THIS!"
As much as he wanted to act brave, his mother's behavior scared him. He immediately moved to run to her, only to be grabbed by the back of his shirt and wrenched back,
"Mama!"
"Adam!"
She couldn't stop the tears from streaming down her face, her desperate pleas falling on deaf ears. His mother wasn't a strong woman physically, but she was putting up a hell of a fight. Adam was shoved to the ground, one one the men putting a hand over his mouth while another pulled his head back by his hair. He was quick to sink his teeth into his glove, a metallic taste rolling over his tongue. The man screamed, jerking his hand back,
"Little shit bit me!"
The Overseer looked down at him, cocking his head to the side. He looked stoic as always, eyes narrowing,
"He won't be fighting much longer. Just like the rest."
Adam squirmed, wincing as he made a hopeless attempt to wiggle free. His defiance and struggling was short lived once the sight of the brand came into view. That was finally when reality set in; and with that came fear. He began to panic, eyes watering.
"MAMA!"
"ADAM!"
He could hear his mother screaming, only making his panic worse.
"Where do you want it, sir?"
The man let out a hum, brows furrowing,
"His face."
Everyone went silent, even the officer's being shocked by his request.
"Are- are you sure, sir? He's a nucinese but we've never-"
"Did I stutter?" He responded, walking over to the boy, "He's an example. I've had enough troublemakers. Enough runways. I'm not giving a special treatment to anyone- and I will make that very clear today."
Crouching down, he grabbed Adam's chin, eyeing him. The faunus was crying now, full on panic setting in.
He leaned down close, murmuring in his usual monotone voice,
"I own you. I always will. You will never result to anything more than what you are here. And anytime anyone looks at you, they'll know exactly where you belong."
Adam couldn't do anything but watch as he was handed the brand, already feeling the heat radiating off of the metal. He put a boot on Adam's chest, staring down at him,
"Now know your place."
As soon as the searing metal came in contact with his skin, he screamed. The feeling of scalding metal against his flesh hurt more than anything that he could ever imagine. His screams we're bloodcurdling; even some of the officers choosing to look away. He could still hear his mother screaming his name between sobs,
"ADAM!"
As soon as they let him go, he curled up into a ball, quickly holding his face. More screams escaped him as he brushed against the burnt flesh around his eye, tears stinging as they ran down his cheeks.
"Adam!"
It hurt; It hurt so much! He wanted it to stop, make it stop-
"Adam, wake up! You're hurting yourself!"
--
Adam jolted awake, a hoarse scream escaping him. Opal was standing over his bedside, her hands wrapped around his wrist. She tried to hush him, the faint candle light offering a soft glow to the room,
"It's okay, it's okay. You're safe."
"What happened- Where-"
"I woke up to you screaming. You're still right here in my home; you're safe," she let go of his wrist, gently rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb, "You were clawing at your scar."
He blinked sporadically, brows furrowed. Eyeing her over, he began to realize it must have been the middle of the night. It was the first time he'd seen her out of her usual attire; her normal blouse and corset was replaced with a loose nightgown, her fluffy hair more unruly than normal.
"I-" he started to speak, only to be hushed by her again.
"It's okay. Just look around, take everything in. Breath."
Adam leaned back against the pillows, taking in shaky breaths. She was right; he needed to ground himself. He still felt like he was in limbo- still back in Atlas curled up in the snow. Opal saw him begin to slip back into his seemingly living nightmare, eyes staring into the corner of the room.
She gently placed her hand on his cheek, pulling him back to reality,
"Adam. Whatever it is, it can't get you here."
His eye wavered a bit, before looking to the side. He jumped a bit as she shifted off of the bed, quietly glancing over to her. She yawned, rubbing her eye,
"I'll go get you some tea, it'll be good for your throat."
As Opal moved to leave, something came over him. Adam instinctively grabbed her arm, pulling her to an abrupt stop. It took him a moment to realize what he'd done before he quickly retracted his hand, almost as if he'd been scalded. What was he doing? It was pathetic behaviour.
She smiled, placing her hand on top of his,
"I'll be right back; promise."
Adam let out a shakey breath, doing his best to avoid her eyes. He offered a small nod, which she viewed as an 'okay'.
"Just a couple minutes," she smiled, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.
The faunus watched her leave, quietly appreciating the womans choice to leave the door open so he could see down the hallway. Adam gently touched his eye, wincing. Looking at his fingers, he examined the slight smears of blood that were on them. She wasn't joking when she said he was hurting himself. He hadn't thought about that memory in who knows how long.
It made him feel pathetic, weak; scared. He must look like a scared child with how Opal was speaking to him. The sound of the stairs creaking made him jump, his eye traveling to Opal as she made her way back into the room. She placed a mug on the nightstand before settling back on the edge of the bed.
"Alright let me see."
"There's nothing to see," he muttered coarsely, frowning.
"Do you really want to let another wound get infected? Stop being stubborn and let me see."
Adam really didn't want to. He kept the scar covered most of his life for a reason; the idea of Opal focusing all her attention on it made his skin crawl. It wasn't just a scar, it was a living nightmare that would be etched into his skin for the rest of his life. A symbol for people to judge and comment about.
Regardless of his nagging thoughts, he turned his head slightly, training his eye on the quilt. He flinched as her fingers touched his cheek, wincing as the damp cloth came in contact with the scratches. It stung a bit, but it was nothing compared to his past wounds. His twitchy behaviour was more from the unearthed memories rather than the actual pain.
After a few minutes, Opal announced she was done. She folded the cloth over, setting it on the table before picking up the mug and offering it to him,
"It'll help your throat and calm you down a bit."
He wordlessly took it, staring down at the pale yellow liquid swirling in the cup.
"How can you do it."
Opal cocked her head, brows raising,
"Do what?"
"Acting like it's not there."
She puffed out her cheeks, cocking her head,
"Acting like what isn't there?"
Adam's frown deepened, his nose wrinkling,
"Don't play fucking dumb. Don't act like you can't avoid staring at it whenever you stare at me."
His grip on the mug tightened, brows knitting. It was hideous, hard to look at. She'd only brought it up once in the entire month he'd been here. She didn't avoid looking at him or trying to focus on the other side of his face. It felt like she didn't even see it.
"Because it's just a part of you," she answered simply, not seeming to see the issue.
"What do you mean i-"
"It's a scar, Adam," she leaned back a bit, pushing her unruly hair out of her face, "My father use to say that peoples scars were stories. That no matter how big or small it was a part of them that they grew from."
He quietly looked down at his tea, brows furrowing. He would never understand her or the way she thought of things.
"You have a lot if stories, but those are yours to keep or yours to tell."
She stood up, stretching a bit,
"You should finish your tea and get some rest, it's pretty late-"
Opal glanced at Adam, watching his body twitch in discomfort at the sign of her leaving. She understood; he didn't want to be alone. He'd never admit he wanted her to stay, but she could see it. Sliding over the items on the nightstand, she sat down, resting her chin on her hand,
"I'm going to stay here until you fall back asleep, don't bother trying to argue with me."
She watched his body relax a bit, eyes glancing away from her. Opal smiled, quirking a brow. As he sipped away at his tea, she made quiet, casual conversation as always, giving him something else to listen to rather than the nightmarish memories bouncing around in his head. He slowly but surely began to drift in and out of consciousness, the furrowing of his brows making it obvious he was fighting to stay awake. She gently rested her hand against his jaw, hoping that some amount of contact would put him at ease.
Adam twitched away at first before relaxing, a quiet breath escaping him. As he drifted off, he instinctively leaned into her hand, enjoying the feeling of someone else's presence. With how abrasive he was, Opal could only assume Adam was alone for most of his life. She understood that; even being surrounded by people may still give the feeling of loneliness. With how he acted with the simplest of interactions, it was obvious he'd trained himself to be hesitant to trust or to give in to any kind of physical contact.
While it was saddening to think about, it did make her happy to see him trusting her, even if it was only a bit. She stood up from the nightstand, gently brushing his hair out of his face. His brows furrowed a bit before he relaxed again; his calm breaths giving her enough confidence to leave him for the night. She blew out most of the candles, only keeping one in the taper holder lit so she could make her way back to her room.
Opal knew Adam's demons would always be there, but she hoped that she could be the thing to keep him grounded.
