I know! Another Transformer story. I love the Prime series, and enjoy the Bayverse movies a lot. This story's not going to be a romantic story, sorry to disappoint. But it will contain a lot of family stuff. And who doesn't love when Optimus as a protective father-like figure? Anyway, I also have a love of dragons. But I won't say much more regarding that or I'll spoil the story.
No major warnings here, aside from violence, blood, minor mental age regression and some minor gory details. Please enjoy!
Azura grimaced as she endured another tray of food being dumped on her head by one of the students of the school she attended. It was just another day for her, being bullied by the other kids. She was used to it. It has been going on ever since the other students found out was from an orphanage, not even in a foster home, and they somehow found it funny that she had no family. She did not understand it.
"Now you look perfect!" The snotty, stuck up, brunette sneered with a big grin on her face. "You look like the dirty, ratty, orphan girl you are. You're nearly fourteen now, and nobody wants you. Not even a foster family!"
The crowd laughed and jeered at her. Daniel, a blonde haired boy, walked over to the brunette and kissed her cheek. "That's my Samantha! Putting the ugly, orphan girl in her place."
Azura said nothing, as she learned a long time ago that no one listens to an orphaned child. Even the carers at the orphanage stopped caring for her. And Azura was getting tired of it. She did good in her school, but college was probably not going to happen.
"I hope you wear all that garbage for the rest of the day," Samantha sneered some more with an arrogant grin. "I want to see all of that by the end of the day. Or I'll have to make sure you know where you stand again. On your knees."
Azura said nothing as the bell rings. She was relieved. She waited for the other students to leave before she made her way to the bathroom. Tears roll down her cheeks as she walked over to the mirror. She had no friends in the school. Just about everyone avoided her. The teachers were polite, but preferred talking to the other students.
She knew she was just a useless, orphaned girl. Though she knew she might not be. Azura's story was not an easy one. She was found on the side of a country road completely naked as a new born with nothing but a strange crystal. A kind man had found her and brought her to a hospital. But her birth parents were never found, so she was sent to a foster home for the first three years of her life before ending up in an orphanage.
She was moved around several times until she came to this orphanage in Cheyenne. She did not know why she was placed here. She had far less chance of being adopted out here than somewhere in Florida. But she was fourteen now. That meant she probably won't be adopted. And she was upset about that.
She stared in the mirror, staring at the bright, blue eyes that were staring back at her. She was beautiful, she had wavy, golden hair and she had a faint tan to her body. She didn't understand why she was abandoned, and she didn't understand why no one wanted her.
Azura thought about just leaving the school for the rest of the day. But the last thing she needed was her carers to get mad at her. But she could go and get started on making money. Azura had been earning a little money from working people's yards and cleaning their cars. She was saving up to leave this town. And she kept her money well hidden, as any money found is confiscated.
Deciding to bite the bullet, Azura went to her next class, which was math. She was able to slip in unnoticed as the classroom was positioned weirdly with the white board at the back of the room instead of the front. And the teacher had her back turned so Azura sat in the back seat, farthest away from everyone.
She opened her book to listen and take notes, while also working on her math homework on the side. It took ten minutes before someone flings a piece of paper at her and hits her in the forehead. Azura flinched and looked at it in surprise.
"Nathaniel Davis!" Azura looked up as Mrs Jones shouted at the curly, red haired boy. He jumped at the loudness of her voice. "I saw that! Don't make me send you to the principal's office. You only get one warning!"
Azura knew that would not stop the other kids as she remained focused as best as she could. She was glad that Mrs Jones did not acknowledge her that much during the class. She only paid attention to the other students as they continue to throw things at her every few minutes. Nathaniel and two other students were sent to the principal's office because of it.
Once the bell rang and Azura moved onto her last class, which was history. She didn't care much about this class, as it was rather easy. She sat at the back again, ignoring the sneers from the other students as the teacher, Mr Walter, began the lesson. Unlike before, most kids were quiet as Mr Walter gets scary when he is angry.
Azura was just glad she was never at the end of that anger. While she listened, well, half listened to the lesson, Azura would think about things. She had been having weird dreams recently. She would dream of some strange world with massive robotics brings. And they were all happy to see her.
And in these dreams, a rather large bot with a blue head and red chassis had the kindest blue optics she would ever see. Something about this bot made her feel like she knew him somehow. And the dreams would change to her seeing some strange object. It is a golden object, the orb itself had strange blue markings on it and the item seemed to be important and familiar at the same time.
None of it made sense to her. She did not know why she was having these dreams. She has dreamed about the large bot when she was younger a few times, but now it seemed more frequent. She didn't understand it. There was also another thing that didn't make sense to her. In the last few years, she has somehow been able to manipulate elements.
She first noticed this when she was watering the garden for one of her customers and as she watering, there was a sudden gush of wind and she had put up her arm instinctively to block her face from getting wet, though nothing hit her. When she lowered her arm she saw the water droplets just sitting in the air. Confused, she waved her hand in disbelief and the water flew into the garden.
That terrified her at the time and kept her hands to herself. But she did get curious again and has been playing with water whenever she has the chance. She makes sure no one sees her of course. And she's managed to make water freeze, boil and even crystallize and gelatinize water. It was definitely something she was fascinated with.
She also found she could manipulate the wind, lightning and fire, all of this was something she had learned over time. And she was still left with the question of why she had these gifts. In someway, she was glad no one adopted her as they might find out about this. But she still wondered why.
If she was left on the side of the road with completely nothing, her parents may have done that to protect her. But she did know the truth. Azura just wished she was like the other kids. She was even envious of the children who had a single parent. At least they had someone to go home to.
The bell rang and school was finally over. Azura waited until all the students left before she made her way to her locker. She ignored the sneers from the other kids. She pulled at the strings of her grey hoodie as it was a little chilly at the moment and she just wanted to get to her first job.
She ignored the large, black, print on the door of her locker, which read Loser, and opened the door. She placed her textbooks inside and grabbed out a dull green folder. This one had all the information for the people she worked with to tidy their garden and wash their car.
She gasped when she was shoved into the locker roughly and she let out a shaky sigh of irritation. "I see you didn't get rid of anything, loser!" Samantha sneered at her as Azura put the folder into her bag. "Guess you can leave without a bruise..." She shoves her again, a lot harder this time, and Azura yelped as her arm grazed the bar of the door. "On second thought, my job is done." Azura did not move as the students laugh at her. She heard the girl turn away and walk with her friends. "See you tomorrow, loser!"
No you won't.
Azura was relieved that the girl left her alone. She grabbed a small, ugly box that she kept locked in her locker. She shielded the box with her body so she unlocked the box and pulled out a necklace. The pendent was the very same blue crystal that was found with her on the side of the road. It was the only thing she had of her birth parents.
She slipped the necklace on and hid the crystal under her hoodie. She knew no one would hesitate to do something to it if they saw it. She kept it hidden at all times, even at the orphanage. Azura closed her locker and turned to leave, only to pause when she noticed a group at the end of the hallway. They were casually talking, but she knew they were waiting for her.
Azura turned away casually and walked away. She knew that they would only pay attention to her when they decided to look her way, so she had her chance. She managed to slip out the side door without anyone noticing, much to her relief, and made her way through the wooded area behind the school to the next path by the road. She couldn't risk being spotted.
Now that she was free from school, Azura felt relief. She could finally relax. After all, she planned on buying a one-way bus ticket tonight. She didn't care if she would be a runaway. She would at least be free to make her own choices.
I can easily find people to earn money from.
Though while she was walking down the street, she saw a red, dodge, challenger with a bull horn ornament on the hood. It was parked on the side of the road opposite her. She smiled as it looked really nice. It was the kind of car she would wish to have.
As she walked by it though, she had a strange sense of familiarity. She frowned and tensed because she's never felt that before. She shrugged and kept walking, only to yelp loudly as something hit her from behind. She yelped as she felt bike tyres roll her over her and the laughter of several kids.
She grimaced as her chin had grazed the ground. She looked up when it stopped, glaring at the kids who rode away with loud laughter. She sat up with a groan and gasped when she realized she couldn't feel the necklace around her neck.
"Oh no..." She glanced around at the ground and spotted the crystal in the drain, floating in the water towards a sewage drain. She scrambled to her feet and ran to it. "No, no, no!" She just managed to snatch it from the water and held it with shaky hands. She hugged it against her chest as tears fell from her eyes. "I can't believe I almost lost you..." She took a deep breath and looked at the crystal. "The only thing I have of you. If only you kept me...at least I would be happy."
She put the necklace back around her neck and slipped the crystal under her hoodie. She stood up and continued to walk, hoping that there would be no further incidents with any other students. Thankfully she did not have to go too far as the house was a few blocks away from school.
When she arrived at the house, she knocked on the door and an elderly woman opened the door. "Don't tell me those kids did something to you again?" The frowned as she looked over Azura as she saw the rubbish on Azura's hoodie and the graze on her chin. "I still can't believe that the school let the kids get away with it."
Azura shrugged. "I am afraid there isn't much more I can do, Liz. But I intend on trying to make my life better. I am afraid today's the last day I'll be tending your garden."
The lady looked the girl in surprise. "Oh? Did someone finally adopt you?"
Azura shook her head. "No. I am actually going to buy a bus ticket and leave tonight. I have had enough of this town."
The woman looked at the girl sympathetically. "Aw, honey. I am do sorry. If I was younger I would adopt you without a second thought." The woman looked at her garden and smiled at the girl. "Well, I am going to miss you. You do the best job with my garden than my own grandkids. It only needs a water and some weeds to come out."
Azura nodded. "I will go and get started now, Liz."
The woman smiled at the girl as Azura placed her bag down to walk over to the garden to begin removing the weeds. "Hmm…I'll make sure to tip you extra for your efforts, Azura. It has been a pleasure having you around, and I want you to make something great for yourself."
The girl looked over her shoulder and smiled at her. "You don't need to do that."
"But I want to. It makes me so angry when people are so cruel to people for stupid reasons." Liz suddenly seemed to have an idea. "Hmm…I am going to get something. I'll come out and check on you soon, sweetie."
Azura just focused on what she needed to do, and to work as fast as she could. She looked up in surprise when she heard a loud engine and glanced around before she spotted the red dodge parked across the street. She frowned as it was the same car she had seen before. But there was no visible driver, so she didn't know how it got there. She hoped she was not being followed. That was the last thing she needed right now.
Ignoring the unsettling possibility, she continued pulling the weeds out of the garden and checked on the flowers that were in the garden. A few were a little sad, though she glanced over her shoulder slightly to make sure Liz was not watching her. Her influence on elements seemed to extra to the very earth itself. She looked at the flowers and ran her fingers along the soil, energizing it…at least that is what she calls it, and watched as the leaves and petals were no longer drooping, and were once again healthy.
Smiling, she continued working the bed before moving onto the next bed. She spent an hour on the garden before grabbing the push mower to cut the little crash that the lady had in her yard, even though the grass was not that high. Once that was done, she grabbed the hose to water the garden. She did wonder what the old lady was doing at this time, but she guessed she could be dusting or something.
She took another fifteen minutes watering the garden properly and checking the time on her watch. She was glad she had plenty of time to get to the orphanage once she finishes here. She heard the front door open again and the woman walked out holding a bag, and an envelope. Azura looked at her in surprise. "What is this, Lizzy?"
The woman smiled at her kindly. "I made up a bag for you with everything you will need for a while. I know how hard it is for teenagers, and I have no doubt it is harder for you. So I packed some new clothes for you…" Azura wanted to protest almost immediately. "Some shampoos, body washes, can of pepper spray…" She raised an eyebrow at her. The woman looked at her kindly. "You never know if you will need it, dear. And…" She held up the envelope with a smile. "Your usual payment and a little extra. Make sure you keep it well hidden."
Azura did not know what to say. "I…really don't know what to say, Liz. That is too much. All I do is help you with your garden."
The woman shrugged as Azura put the hose down and walked over to the tap to turn off the pressure. "I want to help you, Azura. A girl should not be without these necessary things. And besides, I do not know where you plan on leaving to, it is best that you are prepared. I even packed some food for you. I know you are used to not having much, but there are some things in there for you."
Azura took the bag and smiled at the woman. "Thank you…" She walked over to her schoolbag to put the bag inside. "I wish I could stay with you, Liz. You would be a great person to live with." The woman chuckled a little and sniffled softly as tears filled the woman's eyes. "I promise when I can, I'll come back and pay a visit. Out of all my customers, you're my favorite." She began to roll up the hose as she did not want to leave that laying around. "I am just glad I am leaving before winter settles in."
"I agree. I hope you can get some place warmer than here. Wyoming's lovely, but I wish I could afford to move to Florida. I would be much happier there than here." Lizzy hugged Azura once she hung up the hose and the girl hugged her back. "I am going to miss you, Azura. Be sure to stay strong, and make the best life for yourself. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise."
"I promise." Azura let a few tears fall and the woman kissed her cheek. "I better go. I need to keep up appearances with Gothel…I mean, Miss Honey, at the orphanage."
Lizzy chuckled in amusement as the girl picked up her bag and put it over her shoulder. "Hopefully they won't try to bring you back. I do not know if they will call the police when you leave, but I can only hope that you manage to keep hidden while you figure out your life. Make sure you get your high school diploma too."
Azura nodded. "I promise I will. I intend to…" She turned and walked away from the woman. "Thanks for everything, Liz…I'll be sure to come back at some point. That is a promise."
She heard the woman sobbing softly and she was tempted to turn back to comfort her, but decided against it. She had to get back or she would likely get punished to the point where she might not be able to escape. Though Azura glanced at the red dodge when she walked by it, though she pretended to not take much notice as she did not want to alarm whoever might be following her. She did glance over her shoulder when she reached the end of the street and it was not following her, so she hoped that she was just paranoid.
The orphanage had thirty other kids in the building Azura lived in. Most were girls and were around eight to ten years old, making Azura the oldest of the orphans. There were a few boys, but most of the kids were girls. But they were all subjected to the same thing. They were forced to do chores around the building, they were forced to do homework and they were hit with a belt if they disobeyed, even if it was not on purpose.
Azura hated it there, but she would get to escape tonight. So she would endure the abuse for a little bit longer and she would be out of there. And she was going to be very happy. Luckily, the curfew on returning to the place was five after school, and she got back thirty minutes early. And she was not surprised when she saw she was the only one who returned to the orphanage early, but she slipped into her room to put her bag under her bed as she had been told to do and to avoid Miss Honey.
However, she knew that would not last long, so she went to the kitchen to see what the woman wanted to have made for dinner. When she saw it was an easy meal of mashed potatoes, gravy, steamed vegetables and steak, Azura got to work. She made sure to get out some herbs though so she could make the potatoes and steak taste better than just with plain pepper and salt.
Five minutes into peeling the potatoes, Azura heard an annoyed sigh from outside and knew it was the woman. "On my god, those brats have not returned yet! I don't know why I try to make them do anything, they are so lazy!" She slammed the kitchen door open angrily and was surprised to see Azura. "Oh…Azura…when did you get back?"
"About ten minutes ago," She responded in a quiet voice. "I wanted to start on your dinner, so that you don't have to wait long, ma'am."
The woman seemed pleased by this. "Hmm…if only you showed up at this time every single day. This is more like it." Miss Honey smiled slightly. "I guess you'll get the reward of an extra roll of bread for your dinner. I hope you appreciate it."
"Thank you, ma'am. You are very generous." Azura wanted nothing more than to spit on the woman's food as Miss Honey expected all the kids to say that. "What do you want for dessert?"
The woman thought for a moment and shrugged. "I'll just have a piece of the apple pie that I did not eat yesterday. Make sure you heat it up and put ice-cream with it."
"Understood." Azura glanced at the door as she heard voices of the other kids.
"Finally! At least you can have help with the dishes!" Miss Honey stormed out of the kitchen and Azura heard the woman yelling at the kids that have arrived.
Azura sighed deeply and focused on her task on completing the woman's dinner. By the time any of the other kids were forced to do the dishes, Azura had the steamer on and was boiling the potatoes while making up the gravy. Miss Honey always expected fresh gravy, not the store-bought gravy. Azura was rather good at making gravy and she was often the one in charge of it. At least Miss Honey will be happy.
While she focused on Miss Honey's food, two of the girls walk in so they could make up the food for the kids. The only food they ever got here was bread, porridge and tin sardines. There was never anything else. Azura was lucky that they could have the free sandwiches that were provided by the school. At least it had something else on them that was not sardine. But as Miss Honey did not believe the kids needed anything else, this was the food they were given.
And while she did save money, Azura did buy fruit when she could, and the occasional chocolate bar. Since she had the money, she could treat herself with it. Though she never brought any of these back to the orphanage. Miss Honey would make her out to be a thief, and maybe bring the police involved.
Once Miss Honey was given her food, Azura waited so that the woman could taste it. Once she did, the woman nodded. "Hmm…you passed. You're the only one here who can cook. Go and get your food, brat. Then you'd better make sure you take my plate when I am done and get me that apple pie slice."
"Yes ma'am." Azura turned around and went back to the tiny dining room where the kids were forced to eat.
They all could have just one bowl of food each for breakfast and dinner. She filled her bowl with the porridge, grabbed the two rolls she was allowed and sardines. She took a seat in the corner. It was quiet as most of the orphans didn't speak to each other. Mostly because Miss Honey hated them being loud, and the only time they really spoke was when they were going to school.
Azura at her food quickly though, as she had to ensure she did what Miss Honey told her to do or she would be in trouble. She did not want that at all. She stood up even when she was not finished and placed her plate onto the dish trolley as she made her way back to Miss Honey, but not before she grabbed out the apple slice piece and placed it into the microwave to heat up.
The woman looked up from watching TV. "And I was this close to grabbing out the belt!" The woman sneered, holding up her fingers to show how close she was. "Is the apple pie being warmed up?"
Azura grabbed the plate and cutlery, nodding to the woman. "Yes, ma'am. I will bring it out to you shortly. Would you like red or white wine to finish the night, ma'am?"
Miss Honey raised an eyebrow. "Hmm…thinking ahead…I am afraid I can't. Doctor's orders or something…" She scoffed and looked back at the TV. "Just hurry back with that pie!"
Azura walked back into the kitchen to grab out a cold plate before grabbing out the pie from the microwave and moved it onto the plate. She grabbed out the ice-cream to put two scoops onto the plate, knowing Miss Honey will want more than two scoops. Grabbing a clean for and spoon, she brought the sweet dessert over to the woman.
She looked up and smiled. "Good." She placed the plate on her tray to dig in. "Go and start turning down the beds. I want everyone to be in bed in two hours, that will give you time to do your homework."
"Yes, ma'am." Azura bowed her head and walked away.
Nothing more was said as Azura went into the bedrooms to turn down the beds, including Miss Honey's bed. She hated going into the woman's room. It always smelt horrible, even when the windows were open and she did not know why. But she didn't take long and turned down the beds for all the other kids while they were made to do other chores.
Azura had finished in thirty minutes before she started on homework. Every kid had a small desk of their own to use in the rooms they were forced to stay in. The room Azura slept in had four bunk beds and one single bed. Azura had the single as Miss Honey gave it to her as a reward for doing the laundry five minutes quicker than the other kids.
Azura didn't really do much on her homework, and Miss Honey didn't really check it anyway. She just wanted the kids to do something before she would start screaming for them to get to bed. And as the hour and a half passed, Azura put her stuff away to slip her white nightie on while the others weren't looking, as it would be over the top of her clothes.
"Alright, brat!" Miss Honey shouted, clapping her hands angrily. Azura quickly got under the covers before the woman walked in and was laying down when the woman saw her. "Everyone, into their pyjamas! Now! It is time for the lights to go out, and I am not going to tell you again!" She held the belt out as the girls scurried to put their nighties on. Miss Honey watched the girls undress and slip the nighties on. Azura hated that the woman made them do that and not have privacy. "Alright, bedtime!"
All the girls got into their beds and Miss Honey shut the light off. "Goodnight, Miss Honey!" They all said in unison, another rule she had in place.
The woman closed the door and Azura simply laid there, waiting for two hours to pass. When she could hear that all the girls were asleep, Azura reached under her bed and grabbed her bag out. She slipped out of the bed and crouched on the floor to make sure she had everything she needed, including her birth certificate. There were not signatures from her parents from it, but it was something she for identification.
Once she knew she had everything, she tiptoed out of the room, avoiding the floorboards that would squeak from any kind of weight. The door was not loud at least, so she could open and close it without worry. She could hear Miss Honey laughing from her room, probably from one of her beloved shows. Azura tiptoes towards the front and stepped into the foyer of the orphanage.
She was almost tempted to do something in there, but she would get the woman's attention and get into really big trouble. The main issue was the front door. It did squeak and groan when it was opened. So, Azura unlocked the door carefully, grimacing at the sound of the click before she opened the door slowly. She paused when it squeaks and froze, waiting for anyone to stomp towards her.
There was nothing, and she opened the door wider so she could slip out. Once she did, she ignored the squeaks as she closed the door and ran down the stairs in relief. She felt a huge weight lift from her shoulders as she looked back at the building with a smile. She took a deep breath of the cool, night, air and walked down the street to make her way towards the bus station, knowing that the ticket counter was open all the time.
Little did she knew was there was something that looked almost like a bird flying in the sky. And it proceeded to follow the girl as Azura walked through the street, completely unaware of what was likely about to happen and change her life forever.