Octavia

Chapter 1 Memories

Octavia and Roderich.
The words went together almost perfectly in the girl's mind, never one without the other, and so on and so forth...

It had all happened when they were merely children.
Octavia had just had her twelfth birthday, Roderich being fourteen at the time.
The two had clear resemblance, as Octavia had his dark, almost black hair and purple eyes, though she didn't wear the glasses he sported.
Her hair was long, to her mid-waist, and styled with a full-fringe.
It has always looked like that, even years later...
She had always been pudgy yet energetic, short but sweet...
Perhaps she fit the rhyme;

"Sugar and Spice,
And all things nice,
That's what little girls are made of"

Octavia had always felt rather alone, and desired to be with her brother constantly, the only person who paid any exceptional acknowledgment to her being.
At first she had the feelings confused for romance, and had spent many nights sick with worry that what she felt was disgusting and wrong, and would often times stay up the entire night with these thoughts swirling around her young mind.
As she matured she came to realise these feelings were not of romance, and instead of the need to be noticed and adored by him, from fear of losing him.

They had moved to England when Octavia was nothing more than a babe in arms and Roderich staggering up to his second birthday.
Their parents were hardworking people, but had been on the poverty-stricken side of Austria, so had moved to England for hopes of a better life.
They lived in a small fishing village on the South-East of England, where their father would be away for weeks at a time earning a meagre living of catching fish to then sell either on the market or to big-name companies.
Their mother was a schoolteacher in the local school, very stern, hair-scraped back and long skirts worn.
They lived an hour from the actual village, living in a small house by the cliffs.
This was a fatal error.

It just happened, on those days after her birthday, that Octavia and Roderich had gone for a walk along the cliffs, something they were more than trusted to do.
It was a sunny day, and the only thing to sullen their mood was the constant warning signs by the cliffs, telling people that if they had come to jump off the cliffs, to turn back and seek help.

It had all been a mistake.
A mistake.
Mistake.

"Be careful Octavia, the cliffs are corroded you know!" Roderich warned the dark haired girl, jogging a few steps to snatch ahold of her hand "The last thing I need is you tumbling off! Mother would never forgive me!"
Octavia rolled her eyes, giggling as she hugged Roderich, the wind picking up as the weather chilled.
"You worry too much! Come on! Perhaps we'll see Antonio or Gilbert! They like to fly their kites around here don't they?" Octavia exclaimed.
She set off once more, giggling as her and Roderich made a race to who could reach Gilbert and Antonio first.
Roderich was in the lead but Octavia was intent on catching up to him.
Behind Roderich, their was the sound of rock crumbling and a small gasp from Octavia, but he didn't hear a scream, so he supposed all was well.
After a few more steps, he became suspicious over the lack of joyous laughter behind him, so he slowed down, turning.
Octavia was nowhere to be seen.
He retraced his steps, only finding a small chunk of the cliff crumbled away.
Was she playing a trick on him?
After calling for her a few times, he became worried.
"It's not funny anymore Octavia! I'm getting worried!"
The Austrian happened to turn his sight downward, nearly fainting as he saw the gruesome sight of Octavia on the beach below, face down in the sand.
He'd never run home so fast in his life.

Octavia wasn't dead.
Nearly - but not dead.
She was in a coma, the bottom of her spinal cord and various other bones broken or crushed.
She spent many months - almost a year unconscious in hospital.
Roderich came in on Christmas Day, talking to her for the entire day until he had to leave as visiting time closed.
He must have been their almost eight hours, just talking.
When Octavia woke up, she could not move her legs.
Roderich remembered the first day she came home, sat in a wheelchair.
She had looked out of the living room window toward the cliffs and began to cry.
She wouldn't stop until he held her close, and didn't sleep until he sang to her.