Manic || Arcane Fan Story (Silco x OC)

Chapter 2. Reborn again

3 years have past since the incident on the bridge, which caused many families grief and strife. Vi and Powder now live with Vander, along with their friends Mylo and Claggor. I, myself, moved into an old friend's house close to where Viktor and I lived. I still see my brother everyday, but it isn't for as long anymore, ever since he became assistant to the Dean of the Academy, who happens to be Heimerdinger. Viktor keeps asking about that day and I always tell him that I wasn't there when it happened, but I had to lay low for a couple of weeks.
I've been having problems with my arm, like it was become worthless over time. I talked to Vander about it, but he knew nothing as well.
"Sorry, Rose. But the best we can do is put a guard on it, like mine." He said once, gesturing to his own arm guard, an injury that was caused by an old brother of his. I sighed and nodded, hoping it might help me out. We went and had one made in the Lanes, before he helped me put it on. It covered my whole arm, but allowed me to bend it at the elbow. I was slightly annoyed as it hinder my parkour abilities slightly, but I learned to deal with it.
Over the next couple of weeks, other parts of my body started feeling weaker as well, but Astra, my housemate, gave me some medicine in hopes that it'll help gain some of my feeling back in my body. I've been only getting worse since, and I chalked it up to the fissure air and water, affecting my body internally.
"So you don't have a clear idea about what's causing this at all?" Viktor asked, sitting across from me at a cafe near the bridge. He told me that they had the best coffee.
"Yea, but I've been taking some medicine, to see if it'll help. I think it's just the fissure air, being around it for so longer." I replied back, sipping my cup of coffee that Vik bought for me. I don't have the money that they want in Piltover.
"Your whole life, if you want to get technical." He chuckled slightly, and so did I. The cup slipped slightly in my hands, before I readjusted my grip, holding the handle and the base of the cup. Vik noticed and sighed, placing his own cup down.
"Why don't you come to one of our hospitals up here? They might be able to help you." He said, and I shook my head, placing my cup back ont eh saucer before I drop it.
"And they're going to let me in? I'm sorry, Vik, but I'm not using your status as Assistant Dean to get things up here. Plus, we've got doctors in the Lanes. I'll be fine. If anything gets worse, I'll come up here, okay?" I said, in hoping I can convince him to leave it be. He just sighed and nodded, taking another sip form his cup. I follow suit, finishing the rest of my coffee.
We left with a hug, like we always do, on the bridge. I was walking across the bridge, waving to Vander, who always waits on the other side for me when I go to see Vik, when I started stumbling. I could see Vander start running towards me as my legs gave out and I fell to the floor, hitting my head on the side of the bridge before hitting the floor myself.
"Rose!" I heard Vik and Vander say at the same time, as I started blacking out. Before the darkness completely consumed me, I saw that girl that rescued me all those years ago, standing at the end of the bridge before she walked away, and my vision turned back.
I woke up in my old room, in Astra's house, both Vander and Vik were sitting next to my bed, talking. I coughed slightly as I slowly sat up, holding my head as it started pounding.
"Rose." The two men said, as they noticed me sitting up.
"W-What happened?" I asked, my memory a bit blurry, barely remembering anything from the moment I hugged Vik goodbye, and now he's sitting next to me in the Lanes.
"You gave us quite a scare, Ro." Vik said, placing a hand on my leg. Only one problem, I couldn't feel my legs.
"What's wrong, Rose?" Vander said. I must've had a look on my face.
"Umm... I don't know. I can't feel my legs." I start internally panicking. The thought of not being able to use my legs scares me. Not being useful just meant that you're trash in the Lanes, especially as I steal for a living, literally. Vik and Vander just look at each other before looking at me, worried out of their head. Soon, Astra popped her head into my room.
"I may be able to help." She said, walking into the room, Vik and Vander looking at her.
"This is Astra, my housemate. She helped us out when we were younger, Vik." He nodded, remembering her.
"I'm getting some new medicine in from Nox, an experimental one that is to help us in the fissures, prevent sickness and disabilities. They're sending some over to us to try." She said.
"Anything to help Rose." Both Vander and Viktor said at the same time. She just nodded before looking at me. I smiled before yawning slightly.
"I think it's time to let Rose rest, considering the concussion she received." The boys nodded before saying goodnight to me. Viktor gave me a kiss on the forehead before leaving. As soon as the door closed behind them, Rose turned back to me, her kind face showing a scowl.
"Considering that I'll have to look after your broken ass, you'll do as you are told and drink this medicine. If you don't, I'll dump your body in the river, where you should've been put years ago." She spat with venom on her voice. For once in my life, I was scared of someone other than the enforcers. I nodded quickly before looking at my hands. I heard the door close and footsteps leading away from my door. I sighed shakily. 'What just happened?' I thought as I lay back down again, closing my eyes and drifting off to sleep.
It's been a few weeks since I last saw Viktor and Vander. Well, I think that's their names. I hear Astra always saying their names, but I can't put a face to it. Astra won't let them in to see me, telling me that I was resting and couldn't see anyone at the present time, even if I wasn't. I haven't been able to get out of bed, my legs still numb and unfeeling so I've been taking a special medication, which I soon found out was called Shimmer, that Astra has been administering me. I never asked question, scared to be hit by her again. She became abusive after my incident on the bridge, leaving me alone for hours on end without food or water, and only seeing me when she was to give me the Shimmer. The purple liquid was given to me in small doses to start with, one every day.
Astra walked in at her usual morning time, 7 o'clock in the morning, giving me the first dose of Shimmer. She practically threw it at me, and I barely caught it with my shaking hands.
"Drink it, or I'll make you." She snapped at me, standing in the doorway, to make sure I drink it. My hands shaking as I brought the small vial, containing the purple liquid, to my mouth. I drank it in one go, hating the burning sensation in my stomach. I lurch over the bed, coughing my lungs up, as the purple liquid dripped from my mouth. I wiped away before a hand grabbed my hair and ripped my head back. I yelped in pain as she forced me to look at her.
"Good girl." She smirked before throwing my head forward and leaving the room. She did this everyday. I don't know if it's to scare me, or to make sure that I knew my place, which is beneath her.
But slowly over time, Astra started giving me more of the Shimmer. It hurts my stomach to drink it and my brain and memories started getting really fuzzy, but she always told me to suck it up, or it was the river threat. If I didn't get a death threat from her during the day, I was on luck's good side. I've only been getting worsed, but I always chalked it up to the fissure's air and water that I've spent too much time in my childhood years. I've started coughing up blood, causing more concern for me, as I soon realised that Astra had a plan to get rid of me in some way, but I couldn't confront her about as I could barely move my body as it is.
It was nightfall, I've just taken my medicine and feeling drowsy, when I heard two voices, one was Astra, and the other was male, one that sounded familiar but I couldn't put my finger on it.
"This is the third shipment of shimmer that you've asked for in a month. No one uses that much of it that quickly. Especially with your track record." The male voice said, sounding unimpressed.
"I-I'm sorry, sir. But it's for my daughter, she's gotten very sick and she needs the extra doses." I heard Astra say.
"It still doesn't explain the extra doses you keep asking for. With the amount we give you, you could kill someone with that amount in one day." I heard another female voice say, venom dripping in her voice. I sat up, listening to the conversation. 'I knew it.' Confirming my theory about Astra, I stayed quiet as they kept talking.
"I'm also using it as well, including my sister who comes by every so often." Astra said, nervously, like she had something to hide. Which she did. Me. I felt the Shimmer coursing through my body as my stomach burned and the coughing started. I hunched over the side of my bed as I heard the voices stop talking before footsteps start walking towards my door.
"It's just my daughter. She has a really nasty cough at the moment." Astra said, but I kept coughing. The footsteps didn't stop, my head buried in my arms as I kept coughing. I felt liquid on my arms, and I knew blood was coming out with the coughs.
"Sounds like she's a smoker, and yet there's no smell of cigarette smoke in here. What are you hiding, Astra?" I heard the male voice say again, as the door to my room opened. I didn't even had the strength to look up as I heard hurried footsteps and felt a hand on my back.
"Stupid girl. I told her to stay quiet. She never listens." The venom reappeared on Astra's voice before I heard a low growl as footsteps were heard again, Astra pleading and the snap of bones, followed by a thud. I sat up quickly, only to get a dizzy spell and fall backwards, falling off the bed and hitting my head on the wooden floors. I look up to see a familiar face looking over mine.
"You... you're from the bridge..." I said softly, as the woman looked over me. The man also looked familiar as I focused on the unscarred part of his face.
"Who are you?..." I raised a hand to his arm, as he held me in his arms.
"Girl?" A girl's voice rang through my ears, sounding distant. My arm slipped from Silco's arm as I started feeling numb
"Rose!" I heard the scarred man shout before the world started spinning and turned to black.