"So, where were you? I will understand if you wish not to say." Astraea again was sitting across from her mother this time with Chinese take-out in front of the three of them. Amanda was sleeping on her legs again and Astraea had an arm around her. Thankfully Pathea agreed to adopt Amanda under a fake name so her father would never find her.

"Do you have a spare room where I could put Amanda. I don't want her to wake up."
"Sure, follow me." Pathea led them to a small room that only had a bed and a dresser and a drawing of a younger version of Pathea holding a baby that looked so much like Astraea.

"This was supposed to be your room. I never lost hope that you would find me, and looks like my wish came true." Astraea smiled and set Amanda down on the bed and covered her with the blanket. Astraea turned out the light and walked with her mom back to the living room. She sat down across from Pathea and took a breath.

"Mama, I'm not going to ask you to not treat me any different from the way that you are now. I know that it would be wrong to. I am trusting you with this information a lot earlier than I am used to. Also, please don't interrupt me as well. This is hard for me and it will probably always be." Pathea looked conflicted and then she nodded.

"Alright then. But I can say that very little of what you have to say will change what I feel as your mother." Astraea half smiled though mostly it was in doubt.

"The thing that stole me are called erasers. They were created for a group called the school or at least how I knew them. Their real name is Itexicon Corporation. I don't remember much of my younger years at least till three. After that, I was in a Romanian circus, and yes it was the same one that you worked with a while ago. After the incident, I lived on the streets till the erasers found me…" Her voice broke, and she took a breath. "That is when I found out that the School was truly hell on earth." Astraea took off her coat and unfurled her wings as far as she could then wrapped them around her in a form of self- hug. Pathea never said anything but her heart quickens then slowed down. "I was the only avian there that showed a power and they wanted to use it." Astraea heard Pathea suck in a breath at that statement but Astraea had to say if not for her mom but for herself. "They wanted me to be a weapon. And they were not afraid to break me to get it. I had a family there, five to be exact. The scientist there threatened to kill the youngest, Angel if I did not do what they said. They… they…. I …" Her breathing get faster as memories built inside her head.
Suddenly she was no longer there…

The area was covered in dried blood. Star wasn't looking at her surroundings but at the tv a bit in front of her showing her flock

"Remember Subject Number Av.183 if you obey they will not be killed." Star nodded and then that cursed collar was removed and she felt energy fill her body. As the tv was removed a young girl was shoved in by erasers. She had burnt orange hair with cat ears replacing her own. Fur was covering most of her skin with patches of dark brown skin showing thru. The feet were the most feline shaped. They looked just like paws. She hissed at everyone. Bright green eyes one shaped like a human the other shaped like a cat. The chains that were binding Star was unlocked while the cat-girl still had hers. "Kill her." The two words that froze Star to the bone.

*Kill an innocent, or optionally have one or all of the flock killed? I can't…*

"NU! (NO) I won't do it!" The voice chuckled.

"Alright then." The doors opened again and Angel was dragged in an unconscious, blood dripping out of her nose. Star could feel her heart stop. Two erasers held up Angel and a third had a short dagger pressed to her throat. "Now I will give you one more chance to obey before that eraser will slit her throat. NOW KILL HER!" Star looked back at the cat girl then back at Angel. She then ran forth and with a strand of water in her hands, she stabbed the cat girl in the stomach. The waterbending to pierce her heart. A gasp came from the feline girl. Her face contorted into a mix of emotions eventually landing on shocked relief. Tears fell down Star's face as she felt the blood covering her hands. Star stared into her eyes as the light faded and after what felt like hours she felt rough hands pulling her from the corpse. The collar tightening just shy of choking her and the water fell down and mixed with the blood. The scent of copper penetrated the air."Well done Subject Number Av.183, you are officially a monster and a freak. After all who will love you after the blood that you just spilled."
Astraea heard a quiet voice right next to her saying something. That is when Astraea realize that she was talking it sounded English with Romanian thrown in. Like she no longer could keep the two languages separate.

"I am sorry… mama. I am sorry. Imi pare rau (I am sorry)." It was a loop that she was saying not necessarily loud but not quiet either. Pathea had her arms around her hugging so that her face was in between her shoulder and head.

"It alright. I do not blame you. You did what was absolutely necessary for your family." Astraea started to cry even heavier, more memories of the children none much older than she was and their blood on her hands, their screaming echoing her ears. The shuddering breaths that she heard, gasping words that had no meaning to the ones who gave her orders. Words that burned her very soul. Words that echoed every night as she slept.

"Astraea, you are not a monster. You are not a freak. You were a scared little girl who had to make a choice of a soldier. Did you even for one second enjoy it?"

"NU! NO! Not ever mama. Not ever."

"Then you are not a monster. A monster would enjoy it Astraea. You are mentally destroyed because of it. You never deserved any of this." Astraea felt herself being lifted up out of her seat and being led somewhere in the apartment. "My daughter, look at yourself and if you have any injuries let me take a look at them. I know that you may never understand but I care for you. And I want you to be safe." Astraea looked up and saw herself in a mirror. Long curly black hair, dull turquoise blue eyes filled with tears. A stained black t-shirt that she pulled out of a dumpster in New Jersey and a pair of jeans out of Pennsylvania, that she had to use an old rope to hold them up. Then she looked at her neck. A bit of an ugly red triangle fabric was tied around her neck. With shaky hands, she reached up and undid the knot that was hidden by her hair. The cloth fell and Astraea didn't look at her mom's face.

"The flashback that just happened was only the first time. Soon they got tired of me using my power and kept the collar on me at all times. So much that as I grew the collar continued to cut into my skin. Or each time that I disobeyed they tightened it to where I could barely breathe half the time." Astraea looked at the mirror. The pinkish 'collar' was about 2 inches thick. The edges looked frayed and faded. The middle was a mix of her olive green skin and a light pink. By far she knew that it was her worse scar. "It had faded a bit after I left three years ago. But I don't think that it will ever truly fade. I am so…"

"Astraea Jones if you are going to apologize for something that is Not your fault so help me I'm going to... going to..." A sob emanated from the back of her mom's throat. "I'm not going to do anything to you." Astraea felt arms wrapped around her and a head . "You are my baby girl who lived through hell on earth, and you're still kind toward others." Astraea felt tears land on her shoulder.

"Mama,I don't understand. What do you mean I'm …. I .…"

"Family never gets left behind." Astraea's breath hitched and folded her wings to her back. She twisted her body just enough to look into her mom's face. She looked into Pathea's cobalt blue eyes. They were red with tears and a small smile.

"Thank you, mama. Thank you so much."