Era of Ezri

Humanoid freak

After my earth-shattering discovery that I was something far from normal, Jordan guided me down a long series of stairs that led through an odd and lopsided-looking home.

The layout was extremely peculiar,  there were stairs everywhere leading to different levels in the house but, many of them were either hidden or blended in with the walls.

Each floor was like a separate house from a different era, with contrasting styles and decorations in comparison to the levels above and below.

However, one thing that remained the same was the long row of family portraits lining every corridor, going back decades. And there was no denying the similarity in looks between every individual in a frame and the three siblings I'd just met.

It was clear Rio, Cynthia and Jordan were siblings, they had the same curved nose, wide mahogany lips, slightly arched eyebrows and gentle amber eyes with a hint of grey that complimented their silky brown skin tone.

I stumbled through the house on shaky legs, using Jordan as a crutch. It was clear I'd been asleep for quite some time and it'd be a while before walking feels natural again.

The siblings led me to their living room, which despite being oversized, was packed with ornaments, instruments, paintings, vases, souvenirs and whatever else you could think of; it seemed rather homey. But, there was something unusual about the objects in the room, it seemed like they were alive and vibrating with electricity, but it was only a feeling.

Briefly, I studied the room in awe before Jordan led me to sit down on a purple velvet sofa.

As soon as I sat, a sharp pain nipped the underside of my thigh, I jumped up from my seat only to spot a leaf-shaped broach sitting on the chair.

Chuckling, Jordan picked it up from the seat before offering it to Rio.

"Auntie's broach!" Rio eagerly snatched the piece of jewellery from her brother and left the room, most likely going to return it to its rightful place. Cynthia shook her head at her sister's forgetfulness.

As I began to examine the colours on an old stained mirror leaning against the fireplace, Jordan interrupted my thoughts, his smooth voice filled with warmth.

"Our mother was quite the hoarder, constantly travelling between different worlds and returning with the most random gifts for the whole family." Jordan began to smile. "Precious stones, saxophones, scooters, chairs.... literally anything you could think of."

His smile then slowly began to fade and his tone went cold.

"She claimed this 'expedition' would be her last. The last time she'd neglected her children and the last time she disregarded our father's self-destructive habits... and indeed it was her last trip, because she never returned. They never even found her body."

It felt as though the temperature dropped and I suddenly became aware this room wasn't as cosy as I'd initially thought. In here, the air was almost stale and the large rectangular windows were so dirty you could barely see through them.

All of the ornaments were yellowing and the smell of copper and rust lingered in the air.

The living room was hardly a living room at all, it was a shrine and an abandoned one at that.

"Who says she's dead?" Cynthia spat.

Jordan huffed.

"If she were alive I would've found her. I spent years searching and sacrificing time I could've been dedicating to my research, all because I cared too much for a woman who didn't care about me."

"How dare you speak so poorly of our mother in front of an audience and try to ruin her reputation, should I remind you she's the reason we exist? You make it seem like she hated us."

Jordan chuckled darkly. "Don't you get it Cynthia, we never existed in her perfect world. I'd rather she'd have hated me than barely acknowledge me at all, it proves we meant nothing to her. Uncle Brok raised us as his own and he's the only person I'll ever owe anything to, even if he isn't here to collect the favour."

Jordan now wore a forlorn expression as he spoke. "Our uncle was a selfless man, he had a heart so big he couldn't turn anyone away...." Jordan paused to look at me. "He's the reason you're sat here today, when we saw you lying in an abandoned garden, he rushed to help you. There was so much blood, the scent was so strong you could taste it.

You looked like you'd fallen in a puddle of red and you were drowning in it. It was shocking to see that much blood pouring out of a body as small as yours, but then again, most of your insides had been torn out.

My uncle said 'you must've had an encounter with a monster', what was left of your organs were shredded beyond repair, I still don't know how he managed to save you."

I listened intently to Jordan as he recalled the events of a night I had no recollection of, in fact, I couldn't remember anything other than an image of my mother.

"Uncle Brok ran over to you and looked into your eyes, even though you were barely hanging on he said 'you didn't deserve a fate this cruel', so he brought you back to our realm in hopes of saving you.

Even months after he'd brought you to his lab and made no progress, he refused to quit. 'I'm her only hope' he used to say and he dedicated the final years of his life to fixing you.

You were our wacky uncle's last creation. And now here you are, alive and breathing, ten years later. None of us ever thought you'd wake up but none of us had the heart to take you out of charge."

I was overwhelmed, actually overwhelmed was an understatement, not only do I not remember who I am but, now I find out I've been a lab rat for some mad genius who claimed he was trying to save me and instead made me into some humanoid freak.

Author's note 

First impressions of Jordan?

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-Y