Anomalies

Chapter 4: Memories

Chapter 4 Memories:

"I protect them here because of a promise" shes says, she turns around, walks up and sits next to Artur, " A few years ago, I was only a teenager, my mom died not long after my birth so my dad was the one taking care of me. Before, we didn't live in the undercity, we lived in the upper section, making money was hard, my father needed to take care of me and always be on the job to get barely enough for us to survive, he was a construction worker, it was dangerous and with the lowest salary. My dad, knowing that this money wouldn't be enough for the both of us, knowing that getting another job would be impossible with me to take care of, thought that the only way out was to make more money by trading metal illegally. It didn't last long before the security department quickly noticed the missing metal and started searching for my father, the city was no longer a safe place for the both of us, so we went in the only place we could without getting caught, "the undercity", the conditions here were even worse than in the city, the only way of getting food was through pillage in the buildings or stealing from the other refugies. We were barely surviving, until one day, my dad went outside our shelter, looking for any food or water, noticing that he was gone for a long time, I went outside myself to find him. After hours of wandering, I finally found him, he was sitting there, next to a beautiful tree, I thought he was sleeping, so I went to wake him up. When I got closer to the tree, I passed out. The next thing I saw was waking up, next to a woman, she looked so kind, she ressembled my mother that I saw in her photos: flowing red hair and emerald green eyes, she reassured me and told me that I was safe with her, her name was Nebulia, she had two beautiful daughters, Sunny and Luna. I asked her where my father was and how was he, at that moment, I learned that my father died, due to the overdose of the drugs and gas the tree released, he was apparently laying there for hours, if only I could have went out sooner.", a tear flows on Stell's cheek slowly. Before Artur can say anything, she recomposes and continues:

"Nebulia was taking care of me from that moment, I never understood why, out of pity? Or just pure kindness? Probably. She was like the mother I never had, keeping me, like one of her own children. I was doing my best to return this gratitude, helping them in every tasks I could accomplish. I learned not too long after that they were all anomalies, I already knew their existence from the announcements of danger up in the city, saying that every anomaly is dangerous and destructive, but Nebulia showed me another version of it. She was an anomaly, but she was kinder than any human I saw in the whole world. I stayed with her for years and loved her with all my heart.

Through out the years in the underground city, I learned the majority of all it's dangers, other than the mirage trees, SARCO is an even bigger threat, drones and hunters were always nearby and I learned to be careful around them. 5 years after the death of my father, I wanted to thank Nebulia for all the care she was giving for me by offering her a gift, it was a small globe which showed image of space inside it, she told me that with this globe, she could show the stars to all of us. After months of planning and preparation, I was finally able to get the globe in a destroyed store, excited I rushed home, extatic about the idea to finally please my adoptive mother for all the work she was doing for the 3 of us. When I arrived home, I happily showed Nebulia the globe, before she could say anything, an explosion destroyed the entrance of our home, with my excitement, I did not notice that I was follow by a hunter, the worst outcome, he coldhearlty attacked us, I was petrified, in tears, Nebulia did not hesitate and with her powers, she had hold off the hunter long enough for me to take the sisters and run.

I was waiting for Nebulia to come with us but instead she had thrown us into the sewers, opening a way to escape, I was in tears, beggind her to come with, but she refused. Her finally words to me were "Run and protect your sisters Stell! Your their last hope! Survive!", she told me that she was sorry that she was abandonning us and finally, she said that she loved me. I wanted to stay, to cry, to fight with her, but I knew I had to run, the girls were crying uncontrolably, begging to come back to their mother. I took them and we ran as hard as we could, we heard screaming, explosions, then nothing. After hours of running, we stopped here, in this shelter, we didn't move for days.