The warmth of something laying across her body. A bright light against the back of her eyelids. Stiffness around her throat.
Neo tried to groan, slowly coming to consciousness. She could hear an intermittent beeping sound off to her right, and the shallow breathing of someone else on her left. She squinted, trying to blink back the harsh white light and figure out where she was, what she was doing.
Memories were slow to come. Neo could remember heat, and being hugged tightly to her mother's chest. Were they… running?
As the bleariness in her eyes began to lessen, her gaze fell on the source of the breathing. A large man, sitting in a chair and laying his head down on the side of her bed. He wasn't her father… but his golden hair was familiar. Where had she seen him before?
Neo raised her eyes, still needing to squint while taking in her surroundings. She was propped up in a hospital bed, a white blanket draped over her small body. The room was large, at least for her. Long light filaments were set into the tiled ceiling, casting harsh light down into the room and banishing any shadows that dared trespass.
'Did I get hurt…?' Neo slipped a hand out from beneath the blanket and raised it towards her neck. Her head felt rigid, and breathing was difficult. Delicate fingers came into contact with a hard surface, and it took her a few moments of feeling along its length before she realized it was some sort of cast. She'd seen those before, but at the ripe old age of nine and a half, never imagined needing one for herself.
'Why am I here?'
Neo's eyes returned to the large man, trying to recall where she'd seen him before. That hair… awakening to a golden light before darkness claimed her once more...
A spark of recognition flashed through her mind, bringing with it a flood of emotions. Those waves crashed against her inner walls, shattering the dam of suppressed memories and bringing them all surging to the forefront.
Tears rolled down her cheeks, and her hands began to shake.
Screaming. The terrible screaming. Neo stared into her lap with wide eyes, hands curling into fists around the hem of her blanket. Her breath quickened, lungs protesting with each labored gasp. Neo pulled her legs up, closing herself off while being assaulted by a cascade of memories.
Running. They had been running for so long. When Neo's legs gave out, her mother had picked her up instead. She'd told Neo not to look, to keep her eyes shut. Neo had been so afraid though, so terrified. She couldn't help but open them to try and see what they were running from. Beasts made of fangs and black fur, eyes crimson with the promise of death.
There had been so much blood, so many people…
Neo fought to breathe. Her entire body was shaking. She leaned forward and stuffed her face into her arms, blanket quickly soaking up the tears that flowed freely. Neo needed to hide, needed to rid herself of the visions dancing in her eyes. Air rasped from her lungs. She began to panic, more memories rapidly assaulting her in vivid succession.
Neo choked as she tried to inhale. Her chest heaved, shaking from the strain. Her mother... She was okay, wasn't she? If Neo was alive, then her mother had to be too!
'I have to ask that man. He'll know. He can tell me where she is!'
Neo raised her bleary eyes, and wiped the tears away as best she could. She winced in pain while trying to swallow, feeling a blockage in the back of her throat. Getting her breathing back into some modicum of control, Neo opened her mouth to speak. Her body trembled in fear.
'E-Excuse me?'
…
Neo frowned in confusion. No sound had come out. Desperate for answers and determined to try again, she gulped back the pain in her throat once more and took another labored breath. Forming the words like she always had, Neo tried to lend her voice to them.
Only a dry rasp escaped her lips.
Panic and confusion overwhelmed all else. Neo swallowed, and tried to work moisture back into her mouth. What was happening!? Why couldn't she speak!? She needed to get this man's attention, needed to ask him where her mother was!
'Hey!' Neo tried to shout. Her throat protested at the attempt, and she covered her mouth hurriedly while beginning to violently cough. Still, she'd made no sound other than a rasping exhale.
Neo's vision began to dim. She was still coughing, still struggling to breathe. Terror suffused her entire being. Each labored breath only made her more afraid, furthering the downward spiral of despair. The beeping of the monitor increased in speed, and a blaring alarm began to sound from overhead.
Neo had already closed her eyes. She flinched when she felt a thick pair of hands on her shoulders. Only a breathless gasp escaped her lips, the most she could manage given her current situation. Those hands pulled her in the next moment, wrapping her entire body in a sudden and warm embrace.
"Shhhh, shhhh, it's okay. You're alright. I'm here. Everything's going to be fine," the man's deep voice rumbled, trying it's best to soothe her.
Neo's body quaked, but having those arms around her, finally being acknowledged? Both helped her to relax. She still shook, still fought to breathe, but ever so slowly, the beeping from the monitor began to lessen. The man continued whispering, holding her tightly until her vision returned and her breathing relaxed. Neo flinched when she heard a door slam open, but he only held her that much tighter.
After a few long minutes, Neo finally managed to calm down. She rubbed her face against his chest while trying to clear the tears from her eyes, then weakly pulled away to signal that she was ready.
The man took the hint and pulled away as well. Without his much larger body surrounding her, Neo once again blinked back the sudden light. A nurse and a doctor had entered the room while she was being held, both present now to make sure she wasn't in need of further treatment. Neo felt her panic rising again upon seeing them, and chose to focus on the blond man instead.
The man's face was hard, seemingly chiseled from stone with two piercing, frigid blue eyes. They looked upon her with a mixture of compassion and sorrow, only the slightest glimmer of warmth managing to crack the surface. Even so, it felt more comforting than anything else in the room, so that's where Neo's gaze remained.
Working up her courage, she raised one hand to shakily point at her throat. Neo opened her mouth, and mimicked trying to talk before shaking her head, hoping he would understand the gesture.
The man's eyes darted to the doctor fearfully, gaze alone calling upon her to voice her opinion. The doctor nodded and hefted a black rubber tube from around her neck. Neo frowned and shrunk away worriedly, watching closely as the woman placed two prongs in her ears and held a silver disk out towards the young girl.
The doctor's eyes widened upon noticing Neo's apprehension, and she retreated momentarily. She smiled lightly, and spoke in a low, reassuring tone. "It's alright. Nothing to be afraid of. I just need to listen to you breathing. This is a stethoscope. It'll help me check and see what's wrong with you so we can try and make you feel better, okay?"
Staring warily, Neo nodded acceptance and tensed as the woman's hand approached. The silver disk was pressed against her chest, slipping down slightly past the material of her hospital gown. Neo shivered for a moment, but quickly grew used to the feeling as it warmed to her touch.
"Okay," the woman spoke soothingly, "I need you to breathe in… then breathe out… Take your time... Breathe in as deep as you can, then let it all out slowly. Can you do that for me?"
Neo nodded timidly, shying away from all the eyes on her. She prepared herself, then tried to breath in deeply. The air rasped as it entered, but she managed to take a deeper breath than any from earlier. Neo kept going until she couldn't anymore, and let the air out as slowly as she could manage.
The woman nodded and moved the stethoscope. Neo took her signal and breathed deeply again, managing to repeat what she had before. The second breath was even less ragged than the first, Neo finally starting to become used to the situation. She exhaled slowly, trailing off until she had no more air to give. The doctor repeated the process two more times, asking Neo to sit forward so that she could place the disk against her back instead.
After she'd finished, the doctor pulled away and bit her lip. The older woman had a worried frown twisting her features, but quickly tried to hide it when she noticed Neo watching her. The frown shifted into a weak smile, and she gestured for the blond man to follow her before pulling away from the bed.
The man gave her a brief smile and patted her knee, "I'll be right back, okay? I'm just going over there to talk with the doctor. You'll be fine until I get back, won't you?"
Incapable of speaking, Neo could only repeat the weak nod she had used earlier. The man smiled reassuringly and stood, following the doctor across the room. They both stood facing the corner, and spoke quietly so that Neo couldn't hear what was said. At one point he glanced back in concern, but otherwise continued speaking with the doctor in hushed tones.
Left with nothing else to do, Neo's eyes shied away from the nurse while taking a closer look around the room. Her gaze eventually fell upon a clipboard and pen on one of the counters, and she hesitantly caught the older woman's attention before gesturing over to it.
The nurse understood easily enough, and crossed the room to grab the clipboard for her. Neo waited anxiously as she searched for more paper to use, eventually exiting the room for a minute and returning with a small stack. The nurse raised the clamp and attached the paper beneath before handing it, and the pen, off to Neo.
Neo rested the clipboard against her raised knees and began to write. It was an arduous task. Between her shaking hands and the fear gripping her heart, Neo had to take several passes until the words were actually legible. The nurse waited patiently, every so often sending a hesitant glance in the direction of the doctor.
Once she was done, Neo set the pen down and held the clipboard in both hands. The trembling in her fingers grew worse, and she couldn't quite bring herself to actually look at the nurse. Summoning up her dwindling courage, Neo shut her eyes entirely and spun the clipboard around so that she could read it.
'Where are my parents?'
A quiet gasp was all Neo received in return. Everyone stilled, no one doing so much as drawing breath while they stared at the question that had been posed. Neo's heart fell in her chest, fearing the worst. Worriedly, she squinted her eyes open to make sure they had read it.
Neither the nurse, nor the doctor could meet her gaze. Their eyes remained glued to the floor, a paleness to their cheeks and grief twisting their features. Only the blond man remained unflinching, but even so, his face was still filled with a deep-seated regret.
Tears brimmed once more in Neo's eyes. She slowly pulled the clipboard back towards herself, spinning it around in the process. Her knees drew up further, and she hid her face in them while tightly squeezing the words against her chest. Neo's shoulders began to heave with unsuppressed sorrow, incapable of even voicing her own sadness. Only the hint of a whine occasionally escaped her lips. Otherwise, her grief was vented in silence.
'Mom… Dad…'
Neo couldn't believe it, and yet knew it to be true. The last vestiges of memories were swirling through her mind, the dregs that she had suppressed the most fiercely. Neo and her mother had been found, right before the end. Her mother had tried to run, and the grimm had given chase. Jostled and confused, Neo had been slammed to the pavement beneath her before the woman began to scream.
Then came the blood... a flash of claws...
And suddenly, unimaginable pain in her throat.
In a panic, Neo's hands darted up to the hard surface of the cast. What were they hiding from her? What would she find when she removed it? Frantic, Neo's hands scrambled along it, in search of the clasp.
The nurse moved to stop her, but she was too late. Neo's hands found the clasp, and with only a moment of struggle, popped it open. Freed from the overbearing tightness around her throat and with only seconds to spare, Neo slipped her hands past to feel her own flesh.
They froze on contact, a sudden lance of fear jolting through her body. The nurse froze as well, caught waiting now that Neo had already begun to feel for herself the damage that had been done. Fingers returned to motion unsteadily, lightly trailing across her throat.
'It's…' Neo wasn't sure exactly how to describe it. Her skin no longer felt as smooth as it had before. Each gentle tug sent a small twinge of pain through her body. Some areas were fine, while others had changed into what felt like jagged strips across her flesh.
Eyes wide and darting around in a fear, Neo spotted what she was looking for next. A small hand mirror rested on one of the nearby tables, meant for assisting in procedures instead of cosmetic purposes. Even so, Neo knew it would work the same and gestured for it to be brought to her.
The nurse was less willing to accept this time around. She looked to the doctor instead, who in turn looked to the man. He stared at Neo with a measuring gaze, appearing to size her up for a few long moments. Neo glared in return, making it clear that she wasn't accepting anything less than her current demands.
With an eventual nod of acceptance, the man crossed the room and picked up the mirror. He stepped closer, staring at her hands as they shook nervously. Instead of simply handing her the mirror, the man sat on her bedside first and placed a comforting arm around her shoulders. Neo looked up into his eyes, and only grew more fearful upon seeing the guilt held there.
The man spoke softly, "I'm sorry I didn't get there sooner. If I had, well…" he shook his head, "I was able to offer up some of my strength to heal you. It was only enough to keep you alive, but the damage… The damage was too severe to fix everything. The doctor thinks one of the beowolf's claws may have struck your vocal cords. That's why you're having trouble speaking. She'll need to run some tests first, but she has high hopes that you should be able to speak again, in time."
The man waited, watching her face closely to see if she understood his words. Neo was at least a little confused. She didn't know how he could have given his 'strength' to her, but even so, she got the jist of it. Seeing that a small spark of weak resolve remained, the man finally held out what she desired.
Slowly, with trembling fingers, Neo accepted the mirror. She gulped, breathing quickly while turning it to face herself. The mirror was still low, reflecting her hospital gown. Inch by nervous inch, she twisted it further, reflection climbing higher and higher until she could finally see what the grimm had done to her.
Neo's strength vanished in an instant. Her fingers slackened, dropping the mirror down into her lap. She stared blankly at nothing, visions of the brutal scars crossing her throat now dominating her mind's eye. Neo had no more tears to give, and could only sit numbly while the man attempted to comfort her. She hardly felt it compared to the overwhelming pit of despair sinking deeper and deeper into her chest.
Ignoring the man completely, Neo instead rolled away from him. She grabbed the hem of her blanket and raised it higher, covering the hideous scars that now decorated her throat. The blanket continued, until no part of Neo remained visible to the world. Knees pulling up towards her chest, she hugged herself against them while burying the side of her face into her pillow.
The man remained at her side. It was a few minutes before Neo heard the door open, the other two occupants leaving her to her grief. The weight on the edge of her bed retreated, loud steps moving back around before the man sat heavily in the chair he'd previously vacated. Neo only clutched herself tighter, feeling unbearably alone despite the man's presence.
He cleared his throat with a quiet cough, "We… didn't want you to see that yet. I'm sorry. Finding out about your parents, and that at the same time…? I can't even imagine how you must feel right now."
Neo didn't move. She couldn't possibly summon up the courage to speak, to communicate in any way, but she was willing to listen. Regardless of what he said, she doubted anything was ever going to fix the hole in her chest.
"I know things look bleak. Your life has taken a terrible turn for the worse... It doesn't have to stop there though. As bad as things are? They can always get better. I've already spoken with the hospital director, along with some officials from Vale, and…" the man sighed once more, "I know it won't be the same. No one could ever replace the family you already had, but… I'm sure as hell willing to try. I've already filled out the necessary paperwork, so… if you want… once you've spent however much time you need here in the hospital… I would love for you to join my family."
Neo's body tensed beneath her blankets. It was a surprising offer, both kind and generous, but he'd been absolutely right when he said it would never be the same. Her mother and father… who could ever replace them? It wasn't possible. No matter what happened from here on out, they were never coming back. She was never... never going to see them again.
No more of her mother's hugs after coming home from school. No more curling up beneath her blankets, and falling asleep while her father read her favorite books. No more home at all… Everything was gone, lost to the grimm… Neo choked up. All of her friends, everyone she'd known in town… Even despite how her tears failed her, light sobs racked her chest.
"I know it's a lot to think about. You have a lot to process, and that's going to take some time. I'm not expecting an answer soon. There's no rush. Just… think about it? And remember that even if everything else is gone, you still have a future. Your parents wouldn't want you to give up, and neither do I. I'm here for you, whatever you need, for better or worse..."
The chair shifted, scraping against the floor for a moment. Neo's shoulders raised, half expecting to feel a hand on her again. Instead, the steps faded away. The door opened, held there for a few long moments.
"Get some rest. You might not feel up to it any time soon, but once you do, I'd love for you to meet some of my children. Just a few at a time, but… I have seven girls and a boy. We're a big family, and if you joined us… you'd never have to be alone again."
Those words hung in the air for a few more moments before the door finally closed. Neo didn't bother peeking from the covers, oddly aware that his presence has faded without needing to check for herself.
She firmly pressed all thoughts of his offer out of her mind, and pulled the blanket tighter around herself to make sure it wouldn't fall free if she slept.
Neo didn't want anyone else to see her scars...
She didn't want to see them herself, either.