The One Who Survived
Chapter 2
Cirro woke with a start. She sat up quickly from her small pallet on the floor, icy sweat pouring from her face. Cirro's limbs were all shaking from the fright of the dream. But she knew in her soul it was not a dream, but a vision. A very perplexed descriptive vision of the past. Cirro breathed heavily for a few more moments of time, before starting to her enviroment. Cirro's room was more of a cell than a sleeping chamber. It owned nothing but a small cold metal chair, to place Cirro's clothes, a barred window, glass absent from the metal tubing, and a muddy moth riddled cot on the stone floor. Chilling breezes filled the room in giant waves, filling Cirro's lungs with the much needed fresh air. Her oil stained hair drooped long and free to her shoulders, hiding the bare skin from the bitter howl of wind.
Cirro stood up and changed quickly, she didn't want to keep Master Mandarin waiting to begin another day of assisting. Yes, it was true, Cirro was a formless clone. Ruled by Mandarin and bent on whatever her master said. But unlike most of the clones, Cirro was completely different. She had free will. She could feel and understand more things than would have been possible to a clone. Formless, even if they have the DNA of another, were still obedient to the Skeleton King. And their master had ordered them to obey Mandarin, but only while they were under his roof. But Cirro possessed knowledge incapable by most. Cirro had ice blue eyes that sparkled in the light and raven hair that glossed no matter how filthy she was. Cirro only ever wore long slender white pants that were hidden at the waist by a matching skirt/jacket. Sunset orange gloves hid her hands and a scarf did just that to her skinny neck. But the pumpkin mask-like streaks that streamed down her cheeks were jagged and uneven. The female clone twins, Chira and Chiru, often mocked her for this, and the fact she was shorter, younger, and much too skinny to help Mandarin with anything.
Cirro felt worthless on occasion. But the fact that their overlord had never grown tired of her kept Cirro's spirits alive. If it was one thing about Cirro, it was that she never gave up, much like the boy who's DNA she carried. Cirro was often misunderstood by other clones and therefore was alone. And that grew to be much of a nerve buster for the child. But there was one terrible secret Cirro had hidden from her master ever since she was created, it was her heart. Yes, because of her amazing free will she had inherited the good pure heart the boy owned. But wasn't this wrong? Wasn't Cirro supposed to be evil? These thoughts were the ones to break Cirro. She could never understand why, but she had always felt free of Skeleton King. There was no one to control her destiny, heart, mind, soul, or body. But Mandarin would try to help that. For months at a time he would lock her up in a black cell, teaching her his ways. The mutant primate would do his best to keep the outside world and all its glories out of Cirro's head, but no avail. But Cirro hid her emotions and knowledge from him beautifully, enough to make him think his tactics were working. Cirro skipped silently to Mandarin's lab, ready to assist him as her job foretold. You see, the day Mandarin created Cirro he gave her the occupation of being his lab assistant. She would help him with new projects and the experiments on Chiro.
Once Cirro reached the lab, she discovered it empty. The monitors and sets were up and running, but no huge master. Then a thought entered Cirro's head. Without even considering the consequences, Cirro trotted to a large cell window, Chiro's to be precise. The window displayed a lowered level of the factory with the walls painted in some kind of rock. And there he stood at the bottom, hunched up and barely moving. Get closer to him, A bold voice said inside her mind. Cirro did as she was told and marched down the lab staires, to the large heavy metal doors. "What do you think you're doing down here, Cirro?" A Chiro clone hissed. This would be easy getting into that cell, even with a guard. Cirro was too clever to let a simple clone out-wit her. "Master Mandarin wants a new test on the prisoner. And we both know what happens if the master doesn't have his way, right?" Cirro spoke in her sweet high voice to convince the clone further. He fell for it. "Very well," the boy replica unlocked the portal and stood aside. The black thing swung open to reveal a darkly lit room. And there curled up in the floor next to the wall, was Chiro. He had his back turned to Cirro, and he was shaking. Chiro was probably cursing Mandarin for locking him up in a freezing cold cell. Cirro felt sorry for him. She carefully sat mutely next to his quivering form and whispered, "I'm sorry. Sorry for all that has happened to you. I' m so sorry for what Master Mandarin has done. I'm just sorry." With that notation, Cirro pulled herself up and skipped out of the room, lighthearted. As if the weight of the world was lifted and evaporated. But as soon as she stepped out of the cell, her high spirits crashed. There stood the ruined orange primates Mandarin, and the clone guard.
They both wore evil smiles, signaling Cirro had been caught. "Good work my clone," Mandarin turned to the guard. Cirro shot death penalty glances at the Chiro clone, who cowered slightly behind their master. If it was one thing or another, it was that almost all the clones feared Cirro. She didn't know why, though. Most of them probably hated her as well because Mandarin favored her most and promoted her to lab assistant. But whenever she pasted any one of her 'brothers' in the halls, they avoided her as best they could. It only made Cirro feel worse about herself. And after only a few days of life, her self esteem had already plunged into darkness. Mandarin carefully approached the clone girl, picking her up and easily restraining her, despite her futile struggles and squirming to freedom. And with that, Mandarin started back to Cirro's cell
Author's Note: i had orgionaly written this on paper, but this is completely different. More to come for the next chapter! A close up on how Mandarin treats the clones, even if they are on his side.