Disclaimer - All recognisable characters belong to their original owners. I do not make a profit from writing this; I simply do it for my own amusement. No copyright infringement intended.

PROMPT: Birthday

TW: Death/Wanting to die

The Collins Dictionary defines a birthday as:

1. the anniversary of a birth

2. the day of a person's birth

3. a day marking or commemorating the origin, founding, or beginning of something

4. the festivities or celebration marking such a day or anniversary

...

Everyone has a birthday. It's meant to be celebrated. A time when everyone gathers and spreads joy… most of the time.

On the day that Rosalie Hale was born, it was dark and quiet, and her mother refused to make any noise. She couldn't risk anyone knowing. For the last six months, she'd been kept as a prisoner, locked in a cage as they watched and waited. They knew it would be soon but just didn't know when. Lillian Hale didn't have a plan except to be as quiet as a mouse and hope and pray that someone found her. Anyone. At this point, she would settle for a demon, a mage, a Valkyrie, a vampire - anyone. And they didn't even need to save her, just her daughter. Poor Rosalie. Barely an hour old and already condemned to a life of slavery. When they found her, their plans would be put in motion. Rosalie's small body would be hooked up to a machine, blood taken from her as they analysed every single cell in her body, trying to work out why she was different.

But they wouldn't be able to. Because there wasn't an answer. It just was. Rosalie just was. She was a miracle, born in a time of great strife. She was meant to symbolise hope and peace, and love. Instead, she would be used as a weapon. Exploited. Tortured. Experimented on. Tears fell from Lillian's eyes because this was it. There was nothing she could do. Every motherly instinct was telling her to fight, to try and get them both out of here. It was impossible. She had been trying for the last six months. It was only because of Rosalie that she had kept herself alive. When she found out what they had done to Joe, she wanted to curl up and die. She had actively prayed for death. Prayed to the Goddess above that she would be taken. And then Rosalie had come along. Lillian was filled with hope and love for this tiny creature growing inside her. She had vowed to protect her, cherish her until her last breath. She wanted to be able to promise her normal things; a swing set to play on, a dollhouse, even a warm bath. None of that was for her, though.

No. Rosalie's life had already been mapped out before her. She would be used and abused.

All because she was the last of her kind.

The last bear shifter.

I have the very flickering of an idea…