A Star's Life : Growing Up, Growing Old

Open Wound

Ci was never really excited for training. All it meant for her was staring into her mother's animated dead eyes. It hurt every time.
She started to hate her mother's blue eyes. They never used to be blue. They were supposed to be red, red like fire. Red like love. Her mother used to love her. She used to love her and her brothers, and her mothers. She used to read them bed time stories. She used to bake them cookies after a rough day at school. She used to give them goodnight kisses.
Now she just exists. She stinks like any corpse would. Except this corpse moves and speaks. She glares at her only daughter. Ci couldn't help but yearn for the glare to turn back into the round soft eyes that she saw in her childhood. She longed to see the flame engulfed wings of her real mother, not the fake blue feathers her corpse bore. She wanted to ramble with her mother and elder brother about new inventions and physics. All Ci wanted was for her mother back, not someone possessing her corpse.

Ci picked up her sword from the shed. She looked at the shiny blade, unimpressed by the reflection she saw. Ci almost looked just as dead as her mother. Was that thing even her mother anymore. Ci didn't know anymore.

"Chop chop Cicirella." The corpse taunted her with electric blue eyes. She hated it. She hated hearing and seeing the thing that took her mother away. Ci just screaming in anger at the thing. No words, just a pure scream of hatred. The thing just stared at her indignantly. It stalked off, fluffing up its feathers. Ci survived long enough to know that meant impatience. Impatience meant Ci was going to get roughed up even worse today.
Ci sighed, stalking to the deadest patch of grass on the ranch. "Don't act stupid. Get in your stance." The corpse ordered, white hair swishing in the wind, electricity crackling over her arms. Ci only nodded and slid her left foot forwards, holding the sword forwards with both hands. She leaned back to keep her gravity centered. "Use your words brat." The corpse ripped out with an even harsher glare.
"Yes, mother.." Ci let out defeatedly, staring her opponent down. The moment she blinked is the moment the match was decided. Just like always, Cyberus moved first. Striking Ci first, the only mercy given was letting Ci move to not take a sword to the stomach. She didn't get out unharmed though. The attack left a large gash going from her naval almost to her spine.
Ci yelped in pain, fleeing back instinctually. "Get back here you coward!" The corpse ordered, but Ci couldn't hear. All she knew, was to run. So she did. She ran all the way back to the house, throwing her sword into some bushes as she ran for the safety of her aunty's arms.
Ci swung the door open and slammed it closed behind her. Only there did she crumple and look at her newest wound and soon to be her newest scar. Even with a black shirt on she could see blood. Tenderly she lifted the soaked fabric, her side was swimming in blood. Ci counted herself lucky that no organ was struck, but her head was struggling to keep itself together. The lights were too bright on her eyes, her head was pounding and squeezing and empty all at the same time.
Ci leaned on the door for support, sliding down the dark oak door and onto the floor with a weak cry. Tears slipped down her face, precious water being wasted. Ci didn't know what the consequence of this failure Cyberus would torture with. She could only hope it would be sleep deprivation, but Cyberus was not that kind. Not even kind.
Ci gasped for air, alerting her aunt that she was inside once again. The shadow like lady peered into the kitchen with a saddened expression. "Cici, my poor baby." She cooed with tears welling up in her own eyes. Her giant dragon wings falling from their perfect hold. "Buhime! Get the healing kit!" She yelled up at Ci's older brother. Ci winced a5 the noise, tears flowing a but more freely.
"Aun Es." Ci mentally scolded herself for not being able to pronounce such a simple word. Aunt Esper didn't seem to mind nearly as much. "Yes my Cici, Aun Es is here, don't worry my beautiful little cardinal." Aunt Esper cooed softly, lifting Ci so her wound wouldn't be irritated. Her giant wings swallowed her niece like a blanket. Ci was so glad her aunt never changed. She stayed as loving as she always had been.
Ci didn't remember getting upstairs. When she came to she was in her soft bed, her wound stitched shut and healed to the point of not bleeding out if something accidentally goes wrong. She sighed, feeling her arms and legs ache as though she had been trampled or thrown down the tallest building she could imagine. She flipped onto her not injured side and curled up, laying her bright red wings over herself like a blanket. It was nothing much, but it was better than nothing.
Ci didn't know how long came between when she fell back asleep and when a knock on the door awoke her. At least she didn't know it was Cyberus. Cyberus didn't knock. She either slammed the door open or screamed at her.
"Come in." She replied weakly, her voice trembling and her words sloppy. In waltzed her beloved older brother. Big, bone headed, broad, and very cuddly. In his arms was a cup of Aunt Espers hot not-chocolate. "Howya doin' Ci?" Buhime crooned, putting the steaming hot mug on her nightstand. Ci weakly laughed. "How does surviving being stabbed sound?" She joked, poking Buhime in the arm. He feigned hurt. "Oh you wound me sister. My blood is on your hands." He cried jokingly, Ci could only laugh at her brother. Somehow someway he always knew exactly what to do to cheer her up.
The pair mostly just sat in bed that day, Buhime leaving occasionally to get a gadget he was making or food for the both of them. They knew it was only a matter of time until Cyberus blew her fuse again. When she did, they both hid under Ci's bed after wrapping her torso gently in plastic wrap to keep the dirt out of her bandages. There was screaming and glass breaking just as there is every time. Luckily Esper got her sedated faster than most. Count their lucky stars cause the little ones wouldn't even be home for another two hours. Lucky them.