Thirteen (Mono×OC)

Memories

"Mono, did I let Six walk to her death?" I asked. "No! No, Thirteen, Six is resourceful. We'll see her again, and we'll have a safe place for our motley family." He said, sitting beside me and letting my head rest on his shoulder.

"Hm. You're right. Can't be negative." I said, even though I still felt bad. "Wanna play Twenty Questions?" He asked. "Yeah." We cycled through a few rounds of questions until one caught me up.

"What's your best memory with The Hunter?" Mono asked me. "What brought this on?" I questioned. "I wanna know more about your life, before we met." He said. "Hm... my best memory with Connor is from when I was eight, I think."

~Five Years Ago~
~Third Person p.o.v~

A younger, smaller Thirteen crawled on all fours through the tall grass. Her red hair was longer, tied into a ponytail. She was following the steps of a large beast, and when she got close enough, she pounced.

"Eh Lord!" Connor yelled as a weight fell on his shoulders and his eyehole was covered. He heard distinct giggling and reached up, lifting the tiny human off him with ease. "Thirteen!" The man exclaimed, "I told ya not teh sneak up on me! I could've shot ya!"

"Yeah, but I need to practice hunting!" The girl exclaimed, pulling a still living rabbit from her shirt. "How did ya even keep that there?"

~Present~

"Wow." Mono said, "How did you keep a live rabbit in your shirt?" He asked. "It fainted." She said.

"What about your earliest memory?" He asked. "Ooh, that one's fun." She replied.

~Eight years ago~

A five year old Thirteen watched as a half deranged Hunter dug a pike into the soft wood of the floor. "Now, understan' I'm doin' this for both of our well-bein's." He said, attaching a metal cuff to the strawberry headed girls leg.

The girl didn't like it one bit. The cuff was tight and heavy, and the chain rattled loudly with each step she took. The Hunter ruffled her hair before going down the attic stairs.

The half-feral girl started growling and pulling at the chain, and the peg attached too it. Frustrated, the small girl focused on the chain, wishing it would just break.

The chain shivered and cracked, a small shard falling off. The girls concentration snapped, and the chain lay still now.

She crouched down and picked up the shard. "Float." Thirteen said, hovering her little hand over the chain and lifting it. The metal links floated. "Drop." Thud. "Break." Crack. "More." Crick. "Shatter." Creeeaaa-CRACK! She was loose.

~Present~

So that's how you discovered your ability!" Mono exclaimed as the Nomes snored nearby. "But... why didn't you break off the cuff?" He asked.

"Eh, I tried, but it just irritated the skin around my ankle too much." I replied, "My powers are lackluster at the moment, but they're getting stronger."