My head hung loosely on my shoulders, my hands only hanging onto the handles of the escape craft out of habit, not consciously. My eyes drifted upward, seeing Sam, her head knocked against the hull. I breathed in the stagnant air, the others in the pod in about the same state as me. That poor girl…

I looked at Thadeus's helmet in the top right of my HUD, unmoving as ever. The most I would ever see him do is lean his head from side to side, maybe nod or shake his head. I sighed and let the memories of my past finally come back to haunt me after mere hours of holding them back.

12 Years ago

"Happy Birthday!" yelled my parents in unison.

I smiled with glee, a white ball of fur jumping onto the table, his yellow eyes looking into mine.

I laughed, "Tikky, you can't be up there!" I said, the cat cocking his head to the side and jumping into my lap, curling up and laying down, purring softly.

A present was handed to me, "This one's from me sweetie." said my mom.

I ripped into the present, opening the small box that had been wrapped in purple colored paper. As I removed the lid I beamed with joy.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I said, removing the small white eyepatch.

I removed the one already on my head, the black leather beginning to wear thin. I squinted as my light sensitive eye took in so much light at once. i slipped into the new one quickly, my violet eye the only one showing once more. My dad now handed me a present.

"Hope you like it sweetheart." said my dad, his voice kind and caring.

I tore into the multi colored, bright wrapping paper of this much larger box. when I opened it I pulled out something I'd been longing for for a while now, my parents always saying I would get it when I was older. I squealed as the radio was revealed. Both my parents chuckled as I wrapped my arms around my dad.

"It's perfect Dad." I said, grabbing the radio and setting it up on the living room's table before turning it on.

I began to sing and dance, my arms swinging and my legs twirling me around. I sang along to the song I barely knew the lyrics to.

"Come on Mom and Dad, dance!" I said.

They both chuckled before making their way over and dancing along with me. My dad picked me up and spun me in the air, a high pitched squeal followed by laughing coming from my newly 8 year old mouth. I giggled as he set me down. We danced into the light before celebrating by eating cake and ice-cream. Always my favorite.

1 Year later

I was scared. Everyone was scared. Except for my parents, my parents were strong. Right? I was holding onto my dad's hand in my right and my mom's in my left. We were running with a crowd of people. The sky was oddly purple that day. My favorite color.

"Stick with me sweetie ok, just hold on." said my dad for the third time.

I didn't know why everyone was so scared but the atmosphere itself rattled me. Tikky was in my bag, his head peeking out the top. My dad pushed a man out of the way, shoving through people. I couldn't see where we were going, or why.

We eventually came upon a large gate, some very strong looking men guarding it. They were holding guns too. My dad and mom let go of me for a moment. They were yelling at one of the men. He looked sad, sorry almost. I got knocked down by a man in the crowd. When I went to get up, I was shove away from my parents.

"Mom! Dad!" I yelled out, but they couldn't hear me over the chaos in the street. I fell over again and when I stood back up, I couldn't see them anymore.

I panicked. I started pulling on people's legs, trying to get their attention. None of them paid me any mind. I started to lose it, tears rolling down my cheeks. Soon I was out of options. I began to run. I ran back to house, thinking that my parents would have to eventually come back. I ran my little legs off, my humble home finally coming into view. I stormed up the stairs and flung the door open. I went inside and slammed the door shut. I ran to my room and curled up in my closet. It was my old hiding spot, only my parents would know to check here. I pulled Tikky out of his bag and pulled him into my lap, stroking his soft white fur, receiving a meow and a few purrs from him.

I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

It had been at least an hour, why weren't they back yet? They should have been back by now, an hour is a long time, I reasoned. There were loud booms outside, causing Tikky to tuck further into my lap. There were booms and pows and weird sounds I'd never heard over the sound of shouting.

I heard the front door swing open, the booms and shouts becoming much louder. I squealed and curled tighter. The shouting was in the house, it was a man. He was yelling at other people. Heavy footsteps came through the house, one pair coming into my room. I became completely silent, waiting for him to pass by.

Tikky meowed.

I placed my hand over his mouth a moment too late. The footsteps stopped for a moment, the footsteps returning after a moment, but headed towards the closet. the door opened and i screamed.

"Hey! Hey! It's alright, I'm not gonna hurt you." said the man.

I couldn't see him with my head tucked towards the wall. I slowly looked up and into the face of a soldier. He had some stubble along his chin, and a bushy moustache.

He reached out to touch me and I jumped away from his hand.

He drew his hand back and yelled to someone in the front of the house. Another soldier ran in and saw me. He reached in to grab me and the same result was gotten from him. He grabbed me anyways though and dragged me out of the closet, kicking and screaming with Tikky in my arms. He sat me in the living room, surrounded by men groaning in pain, bloodied up and covered in bandages. I looked to up and saw a man not too far away that was missing a leg. I immediately tucked myself back into a ball. I kept my head lowered through all the movements that followed. I was lifted into the air after a few struggles. I was sat down on a seat somewhere, it was pretty dark in here. I didn't want to look up, so I never did.

2 Years later

I was at the orphanage. I recalled the events from two years ago, the ones that seemed so similar to today's. I was at the orphanage in which the kids stole food from one another. The same orphanage where I had cried over Tikky's death after he fell to the cancer. The same orphanage that I was now running from. The covenant were back, they'd found me again.

Being one of the older kids of the orphanage I corralled kids towards the evacuation point, though I knew they were too slow. I cursed under my breath and grabbed the nearest older boy.

"Get them out of here. I'll give you some time." i said, a certain steel to my voice which I'd gained over the years of emotionless waiting.

"What are you talking about? You can't do anything to stop them!" Yelled the boy.

This was why I didn't like boys, "Watch me." I said, shoving him away.

He ran off, continuing to lead the kids. I looked around me and grabbed a branch that had fallen off of the trees in the wind. after a few moments of looking I found another maneuverable limb, taking them each in a hand. I stood and waited for the covenant's advance. which was soon rising over the hill. I quavered in the wind like a leaf. As the covenant spotted me, they took aim. The one at the front, an elite from what I'd heard from the boys' gossip, stopped the others, activating a sword in his right hand. He walked toward me, towering a full 5 heads over me. I was always a short kid. The elite went to thrust his sword at me and I slid out of the way, smashing the branch over his arm.

the wood splintered and flew in all directions, the elite not even moving from the blow. The line of strange creatures went to fire once more but he stopped them again. he stared at me for a moment, my eyes hard, my jaw strong, but my body trembling in fear, the broken limb still held in my right hand.

The elite deactivated his sword and walked towards me. I broke the other branch over his head, a yellow spider web like structure igniting across his body. He kept walking and picked me up, throwing me over his shoulder. I screamed and flailed and made sure that getting me wherever he needed me was going to be a challenge. He seemed amused almost.

I beat at his back and watched as the ground disappeared from underneath his feet, replaced by metal. The ground slowly got farther away, until we were far gone. I slowly silenced myself as his footsteps became repetitive. I soon felt my body thrown onto the floor of metal, a heavy door shutting in response. I looked up and saw that I was in a cell, in unfamiliar surroundings. Surrounded on all sides by intricate walls of purple.

Weeks later

It was the first week that was terrible. I hardly ate and never moved. When I finally did move, my ass was so sore I can not explain to you. Now I was eating normally, still confined to this cell. I was scared as hell but I wouldn't let them know that. I didn't know why I was here, or where we were going, but it was taking forever.

I sighed, sitting on the lone purple bench in the cell. I looked at the door. I was tempted to attempt a lockpick. I had learned skills like this at the orphanage, most of it second nature by now. I removed my hair pen and walked to the door.

I jiggled and cursed for hours before the cell's door finally clicked. My heart missed a beat when I heard that sound, that sound meant freedom. I opened the door cautiously and peeked out. Seems they thought I was too insignificant for a guard. I stepped out and shut the door behind me. I walked down a random corridor, hoping there would be no odd men out in the ship, anyone simply walking around. I kept walking for a while before I came upon a hangar. It was full of mysterious looking ships and weapons. I stalked in, the hangar empty for a reason I can't explain to this day. I walked up to a curvaceous looking ship, a large hatch open across the entire ship. I walked into the middle, the machine filled with controls.

I would come to study these symbols and levers for the next few weeks, picking the lock on my cell whenever I saw fit. The covenant had seemingly forgotten about me, the meals even becoming staggered and rare. It was on one of these days my world would change forever.

I was studying one of the machines, this one much bigger than others, when the entire vessel shook. I gained my balance before reluctantly peeking out of the ship. The hangar shook again, this sending me sprinting for cover.

I found refuge behind a pile of boxes as covenant poured in to take the ships and fly off. I watched as they flew out and immediately were engaged in combat. I ducked farther behind the crates, reminding me of hiding in my closet so long ago.

I ran out of the hangar and into the larger portion of the ship, almost abandoned because of the attack. I ran through the corridors for what seemed like forever before I came upon a strange sight. Sparks flew from the wall in one of the hallways, the sparks making themselves in a circular fashion. I watched curiously for a moment before a circular chunk of ship fell to the floor. I winced away from the crash as a mass of marines jumped in. One marine took notice of me before the others, walking over to me. This marine was a girl, she looked at me and studied for a moment before smiling. She removed her helmet and kneeled next to me.

"Hey there, you're safe now ok?" she said, smiling with the smile of a mother.

I nodded, my mental barriers almost breaking as this woman with the shoulder length brown hair and the bottle green eyes reassured me. Suddenly the hallway erupted in action. Marines shouted and shot, light twangs and ticks coming from covenant weaponry. I watched as a marine fell and the woman ran over to him, kneeling over his form. She removed some medical supplies from her bag and tending to the man.

"You aren't dying on me today Terrence!" she yelled, gripping the man's hand in hers. She wrapped him up and helped to his feet, helping him limp back to the entrance they'd made.

"Grenade!" screamed one marine, a blue flaming orb falling in the middle of the hallway, right in front of me, and right beside everyone else.

The woman that saved me threw Terrence and dove onto the grenade, I couldn't move, could hardly think as a marine yanked me to the side, the woman that had just saved everyone in this hall took the blast with her own body. Her body thumped up before falling back to the ground. I stared in shock at her. She gave her life for her team in no time flat.

"Claire!" screamed the marine who had grabbed me, a tragic hint to his voice.

My eyes were unblinking, my mental walls doing all they could to stop me from crying over a woman I'd just met.

I barely felt the sting of the purple needle slice across my face, scarring me for the rest of my life. I blacked out after that, waking up in a different ship, my head wrapped with bandages.

Present

I gulped as I recalled that memory. Taking a deep breath and forcing myself to sleep.

Ooh how i love it when stories tie together all nice and smooth like.

Till next time,

TheLooneyBin