Hey Rosy, have you seen my other shoe?" Sonara called, messing with her collar.
Team AMBR had just finished Professor Goodwitch's class and were changing back into their school uniforms in the armory. The four girls had been worked to the bone during class and were about to go on their lunch break. However, the youngest of the team had misplaced her left shoe, holding back the rest of them.
"Seriously? You lost it? How old are you?" Kyra muttered to herself, quiet enough that no one else could hear her.
At that moment it could've been the fact that she was hungry, but the small brunette had given her a serious headache since the day they met only a handful of months ago.
"Did you check your locker again?" Rosalie asked with patience born of practice.
"Well, yeah. But I can't find it!" Sonara pouted.
She did another quick sweep of her personal container, loudly shifting and rattling various things inside as she searched. After a minute or so Sonara retracted, shrugging in defeat.
"Hold on, lemme see..." Rosalie responded calmly. It wasn't long before she reappeared from her partner's locker, a single black shoe in one hand and a warm smile gracing her face.
"This it?" she inquired playfully.
With wide eyes and a blinding grin, Sonara retrieved her lost footwear and shoved it onto her left foot, catching her partner in one of her signature bear hugs.
"Yes! That's it! Oh, you're amazing! And I'm soooo sorry I took so long!" she apologized, enthusiastically as ever, to her teammates.
"It's no problem, Sonara," Valerie dismissed happily.
While she loved her team all equally, Sonara could always perk someone up with her overabundance of untamed energy. It was something that Valerie had really come to like about the short statured girl.
"Yeah, sure," Kyra grumbled, brushing off the apology impatiently. "Can we go now?."
Nodding to her partner, Valerie led her team in the direction of the mess hall, their smallest and youngest member humming to herself. The four girls hurried through the expansive corridors of the academy, accompanied by the occasional growls from their empty stomach. While making up for lost time with a quicker pace, Sonara had gone off recounting one of the many 'grand' adventures that her and Rosalie had gone through when they were little. Even if the details were a bit...exaggerated, Rosalie, as usual, would happily listen to the 'Sonara version' of the story. Kyra couldn't bear to hear another one of the grating works of hyperactive fiction, and silently fumed. Valerie, to no one's surprise, was wrapped in one of her many daydreams, her fantasies all concerning a certain spiky haired boy. Unintentionally, she smiled and giggled to herself.
"Hey, who-oh..." Kyra began to ask, but soon stopped. She had thought she'd heard someone laughing, and was unsurprised to find her partner completely zoned out, eyes glossed over and a droopy smile on her face. Grabbing the back of her partner's shirt, Kyra held their team leader in place so she would stop her mindless shuffle forward.
"Uh...Val?" Kyra asked. No reply was made from the absent minded human, with the exception of what appeared to be drool escaping her mouth. "Earth to Valerie! Anyone home?!" Kyra shouted right into her partner's ear.
"Huh?!" Valerie jumped, snapping back to reality. "What is it?! What's wrong?" she asked in alarm, reflexively taking a defensive stance.
"Uhh...nothing," Kyra stated flatly, raising an eyebrow. "Unless you think that arriving at the cafeteria is a problem," she added sarcastically, gesturing vaguely to the expansive room before them.
Her cheeks turning pink, Valerie scratched the back of her head in embarrassment.
"Oh. I see," she replied, grinning sheepishly. Clearing her throat, she led her team through the maze of students, each of them grabbing their dishes of choice as they went through.
"So are we going to sit with Azure's group again, Val? I wanna talk with the fox lady and hat man!" Sonara asked.
Over recent weeks, they'd become fast friends with team KRME, and often chose to share meals or hang out together.
"Why wouldn't we?" Kyra bluntly asked her upbeat teammate. "They're some of the only people we know at this school."
Valerie interjected. "Sure thing! It's nice to have company," she said, spotting team KRME by themselves at a table.
"Yay!" Sonara cheered, and the four girls moved on.
Weaving their way through the crowded hall, AMBR placed their trays at KRME's table and claimed the bench opposite the other team.
"Hiya, guys!" Sonara beamed as she took her seat, placing herself between Rosalie and Kyra. "Howya doin?"
"Not bad!" said Rember, smiling. "Just got out of Professor Peach's class. You?"
"Came from Goodwitch's," Rosalie replied, taking a sip of her orange juice. "Oh! She said that there's going to be a big tournament against all the schools at the end of the year during the Vytal Festival. Have you heard about that yet?"
All four of KRME nodded, Jad chomping down a strip of bacon. "Yep!" he said, swallowing his mouthful. "We were told yesterday. But for now, time to rejoice! Spring break is almost upon us!"
"We'll start training more when it comes closer," Azure elaborated. "But for now, it's not a big deal."
"That makes sense. Oh, by the way Azure..." Valerie began, looking at the green eyed boy. "I was wondering if you're free later?" she asked, inwardly crossing her fingers. Hopefully, this time he'd say yes...
To the girl's dismay, Azure shook his head.
"Sorry," he replied, "I'm busy."
"Oh..." Valerie felt her heart sink a bit. She never seemed to catch a break with him. "What are you doing?" she asked, trying to sound upbeat to hide her disappointment.
Azure paused for a moment, almost as though he were choosing his words. "Gayle and I have plans for after school." He looked over to his youngest teammate. "Something we decided on recently after we got out of detention for Jad sending CRDL through a few walls."
Beside him, Rember tried to hide a smirk while Gayle positively glowed with excitement.
"Oh...okay." Valerie nodded and returned to her food. It wasn't really any of her business anyway. After that, talking died down as everyone turned their attention to their food.
All too soon the bell rang, and students filed out of the hall.
With a spring in her step and a rekindled fire in her belly, Sonara shot into action. "Awright! Imma go on ahead, okay Rosy? See you in class!" she exclaimed, speeding off on her own and leaving the rest of her friends in the dust.
Back in the mess hall Kyra sighed, applying pressure to one of her temples. "Honestly, Rosalie..." she addressed the pink haired girl, "I have no idea how you can deal with that girl the way you do. Everything she does gives me a headache."
"Yes, her overabundant enthusiasm can do that to people." Rosalie giggled, smiling warmly. "But it's never bothered me. After all, we did grow up together."
Fair point, Kyra admitted. Still...I don't think I can hold out for much longer if she doesn't tone it down a few notches.
Gathering their respective food trays, the rest of AMBR and KRME said their goodbyes and parted ways, much to Valerie's chagrin.
"Whew...another day finished!" Valerie exhaled as she and her team entered their dorm.
The afternoon half of school had been filled to the brim with lectures: half of them by the bombastic Professor Port, and the other half by the ever exuberant Dr. Oobleck. Valerie had made a habit of making sure to add the 'Dr.' suffix whenever speaking to the teacher, as he seemed quite adamant to be addressed as such.
"Yeah, yippee..." Kyra grumbled, sarcasm potent. "Can't wait to do it aaaall over again tomorrow."
"Aww muffin," Valerie quipped, grinning lopsidedly. "Do you need a hug? I bet Sonara would be more than willing to make you feel better."
"Pass," the girl with white hair declined, tearing off her uniform to get into something she was more comfortable in. "I really don't need her touching me."
Smiling, Valerie dropped her teasing and followed her partner's example. In minutes, the four girls were in very basic casual wear, each individual now free to pass the evening in their own way. Rosalie took the liberty of unbraiding her hair, running a hairbrush through her rose colored locks. Sonara was coloring in a picture book, not bothering to follow any sense of color coordination. Kyra sat on the side of her bunk, flipping through the pages of one of her favorite novels, and Valerie was now sprawled across her bedsheets, humming quietly to herself.
"Excuse me, Kyra," Rosalie suddenly spoke up, looking over to her teammate. "But I have a question that's been gnawing at me."
Kyra folded a small crease in the page of her book before putting it down.
"What?"
"Well, I have a feeling that I've heard your name somewhere before. Specifically, the 'Myst' part."
"So?"
"Well, I don't want to assume anything, but are you perchance related to Titania Myst?" Rosalie asked lightly.
Hearing that name seized everyone's attention. Titania Myst: a Huntress famous for her exploits against the Grimm in the kingdoms of Vacuo and Vale. The woman was said to have been gifted with an incredible semblance to conjure, as well as manipulate, water and ice without the aid of Dust. When paired with her innate talents wielding a blade, the Huntress was a force of nature. She quickly gained a reputation for lethality, as well as beauty from her long, snow white hair and eyes as blue as the element she held mastery over. If their teammate was of the same lineage…
Sonara stopped her activities and gazed intensely at the M of AMBR, while Kyra's bright green eyes flickered with emotion for a split second before resuming their usual disinterested look.
"And if I am?" she replied curtly.
"Wait…. Waitwaitwait! So you're really from that Myst family?" Valerie asked, voice full of awe. She'd grown up on the tales of the famed Huntress: Titania Myst was one of her favorite heroes as a little girl!
"Again, so what if I am?" Kyra said coldly.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I would be honored!" Valerie exclaimed. "To be related to the prodigy that was Titania Myst! I mean, she was amazing!"
"Is it true? For real?" Sonara inquired seriously, closing in on her older teammate as near as she could. Kyra leaned away, but couldn't avoid the questioning eyes of her team. Especially not the ones encroaching on her personal space.
Breathing out a long sigh, Kyra ran a hand through her hair and considered the questions.
"We weren't just related," she replied like she was reciting something incredibly boring. "She was my mother."
"WHAAAAAAAAT?!"
Kyra winced at the volume of her teammates. "You heard me. Also, ow," she muttered, returning to her book.
"Bu-bubu-bu-but that means..." Valerie stuttered, completely shocked. "One of the greatest Huntresses of our time is your MOM!" she shouted, her curls bouncing as she gestured incoherently to communicate her astonishment. "How could you not tell us, Kyra?!"
Kyra wasn't fazed. "I don't see how telling you that is of any benefit. In all honesty, I'd rather avoid any attention if it's because of her," she said plainly, not looking at the others.
Valerie and the others couldn't believe it. How could Kyra be so...cold about this? It was as if she didn't care.
"But why?" Sonara asked, utterly baffled by Kyra's behavior. "Don't you care about your mom?"
Kyra sighed irritably.
"No, I don't. And quite frankly, she didn't care about me either," she snapped, irritation written clearly in the sharp line of her jaw and the tension in her posture.
Sonara reeled back in disbelief. "You-you're kidding! Of course she did!" she protested fiercely, cobalt eyes ablaze.
Kyra's gaze hardened "How would you know? You never met the woman," she growled, her own emerald eyes flashing. "And what business is it of yours anyway?"
"But she isn't just some woman! She's your mom! She's Titania Myst!"
Kyra snarled. "Shut up! You don't know ANYTHING about her!" Her voice thundered in the small room, resounding harshly from the walls that suddenly felt too small.
The three teammates flinched, caught off guard by Kyra's fury. She was usually so soft spoken, even when she was being cynical and prickly. But before them was not the Kyra they knew. Not at all.
"C'mon guys, you need to-" Valerie began to say before Rosalie put a hand on her shoulder. The team leader looked back to see the pink haired girl frowning, slowly shaking her head, and Valerie withdrew.
"Let me ask you something," Kyra leered, glaring daggers at Sonara. "Do you know what it's like? To be the daughter of someone so celebrated? So revered? It's a nightmare. Nothing you do is good enough, because it wasn't how she would've done it. How she always did it better!" The girl was practically shaking in anger as she spat out the words. "And what do I get if I try something? Nothing. Nothing but failed expectations and disappointment."
Kyra paused for a rattling breath before continuing, her voice more controlled but still bitter. "Titania, my mother, she was never there for me. She could never take the time to spend with her only child. There was always somewhere else she had to be. Something important that only she could do. Even when I asked her to stay, she had something more important to attend to. Heck, my father is just as ignorant."
Sonara and the others could only listen with wide eyes as Kyra vented, tears gathering in her eyes like heavy clouds before a storm.
Kyra wiped at her eyes before looking back at a dumbfounded Sonara. "In the end, that woman got herself killed on a mission that even she couldn't do. Nevermind that I naively begged her to stay. So, in the end, I helped myself grow up. I made myself into who I am now. I didn't need anyone before, and as far as I'm concerned I don't need anyone now." Her eyes were cold and hard, her body stiff with barely-suppressed rage. "So now what, Sonara? What can you possibly say to convince me otherwise?!"
The brunette was speechless. She wanted to lash out. To kick and shout with all her might. But that didn't happen. All Sonara could do was clench her fists in barely controlled frustration.
"I...I..."
Kyra let a huff escape her mouth. She'd won. "That's what I thought..." she snapped curtly, turning away from her team.
Valerie bit her lip anxiously. She had no idea how bad wanting to know more about her partner would turn out. While they had been together for a few months now, she really didn't know much about any of her team's backgrounds. And though she wanted to step in and fix the issue, there was nothing she could really do. Slowly, she looked over at Sonara with worried eyes. The small girl's hands were trembling, and her head was downcast, eyes hidden beneath her muted brown hair. Valerie took a cautious step forward.
"Hey, Sonara? Are you..."
It happened incredibly fast. Sonara robotically strode up to Kyra, forcibly turned the girl back around, and gripped her teammate's shirt collar with both hands, the young girl shaking all over. It could've been her imagination, but Kyra also could've sworn she felt the ground shaking under her feet.
While Valerie and Kyra froze in shock, all the alarms in Rosalie's head went off.
"No! Sonara, stop!"
She knew this Sonara. She'd met this version of her a long, long time ago.
"Don't do this! You need to calm down!" Rosalie shouted, voice frantic with fear.
Numb and shocked, Kyra didn't move. Her mouth was agape, and all she could do was try to process exactly what was happening with bewildered eyes.
"Listen, you..." Sonara hissed venomously. "You think you've had it so rough? That just because mommy and daddy didn't spend as much time with you as you wanted, you can cry about it? Let me tell you something..." The small girl looked up, right into Kyra's eyes. She looked furious, murderous, but was betrayed by the unshed tears veiling her eyes. "You should be grateful for having any parents at all. For that love and attention you received, however small it was. Not everyone gets those luxuries, and you go around being ungrateful about it? It seriously pisses me off."
"Sonara! That's enough!" Rosalie scolded firmly, grabbing one of her partner's arms as she put her foot down. "Let her go!"
Sonara slowly looked at her friend with damp eyes and did as she was told, arms falling to her sides weakly.
"I...I'm so sorry..." Sonara apologized, quiet as a mouse as hot tears fell from her cheeks. Her body still trembled, and she unconsciously backed towards the door. "I-I didn't m-m-mean to..." she squeaked, mortified at what she'd almost done. The girl ran towards the door, opening it and bolting away with surprising speed.
"Wait! Sonara!" Valerie called out. Her words echoed hollowly out into the empty hall.
The remaining three girls stared blankly after their teammate, their faces frozen in shock.
"We have to go after her," Rosalie demanded. "Right now."
"Wait, what?" Kyra exclaimed in disbelief. "You can't be serious."
"I am," Rosalie said firmly, frowning. "She needs all of us right now. Even you, Kyra. Whether you think so or not."
Kyra grimaced. She seriously doubted that.
"She's right," Valerie agreed. "We're a team. We're all going."
Kyra let out a quiet sigh. Guess there was nothing else for it. "But where would we even start? We don't have any clue as to where she's going."
Rosalie's brow furrowed. "That's true. She's actually really good at hiding when she wants to, so this could take a long time."
For a while, the girls just stood there, thinking. And as the trio contemplated, Valerie got an idea.
"Go on ahead without me," she instructed, exiting briskly. "I'm going to get some help."
Both remaining members nodded as their leader left. Wasting no more time, Rosalie led Kyra out, making sure that the girl would help look for her...no, their friend.