The Secondary Wheel

Twenty

AKA- Gemini Strings Backstory

Alternate title- The Story of Five and a Half

The pitter patter of bare feet on hardwood floor ran around the house, wandering around the large building quickly. "Momma? Momma!" The young voice belonging to the feet squealed, trying to find her mother. These young feet and this young voice belongs to the one and only Gemini Strings, only this Gemini was six years of age, her hair cut to a boy cut. That is usually when the overly strict father wants all boys, make the girl look like one ad treat her like one. Good thing father was never around, or else he would be boiling with rage.

Gemini continued to run, stopping by her brother's rooms on the way to see if they knew where Momma was. First, she would stop by Leo's room, then Capricorn, then finally, the twin's room. The twins wouldn't know, though. They couldn't even walk! But, then again, has anyone ever seen a walking six month old?

"Leeeeeeeooooo!" Gemini knocked on the door of a room, the door soon opening. On the other side was a very tall man, who was exactly 18 years old (that is, to Gemini's knowledge)

"Hey, shortstack!" Leo bent down to Gemini's height, ruffling her hair and smiling, "Dad found out you were growing your hair out, didn't he?"

"uh huh!" Gemini stomped her foot, but then smiled, "But momma mercury cut it! And now my neck can breath!" She turned around in a jumping motion, sticking her arms and legs out like a star.

Leo blinked a couple of times, then rubbed his eyes. Did he just see little tiny wings pop out of Gemini's back? Huh, must be his imagination. Chuckling, he stood back up, leaning against the doorframe.

Gemini spun back around, "But now I can't find her!" She pouted.

"hmmm..." Leo tapped his finger on his lips in a playful manner, "Well, I don't know where she is, but I bet Crapri- I mean, Capricorn, would know!"

"But..." Gemini thought for a second, "... doesn't he have a.. a girl over?"

"Yeah, so?" Leo tilted his head.

"Capricorn will beat my butt if I caught him kissing the girl!" Gemini jumped up, bending her knees when landing.

Leo laughed, "You'll be fine, little miss Stings."

"okaaay... If you say so." Gemini slowly began to walk to Capricorn's room.

Gemini knocked on her brother's room, pressing her cheek up against the door, "Caaaaaap! Have you seen Mooooom?"

The door slowly began to open, Capricorn being the one on the other side. Gemini leaned to the side to see a girl sitting on his bed, video game controller in her hands, her thumbs moving at a rapid pace. "Sorry, G, no clue." Capricorn shrugged, closing the door without question.

"Thanks for the help..." Gemini mumbled, walking to the living room. At this point, she had given up finding her mom. Heck, she had forgotten what she was going to tell her, anyways.

"Susan? Gemini?" A familiar voice called, "were you calling for me?" A familiar voice called.

"Momma!" Gemini yelled, recognizing the voice and running for it.

Gemini's mother, Mercury Strings as most knew her as, was a very tall and slender woman. Her wavy red hair would go down to a halfway point down her back, and her wardrobe mostly consisted of a hood or some t-shirt of sorts. Another added feature was usually two twin brothers who Gemini nicknamed Aries and Libra, to everyone's confusion.

"Why were you calling for me, baby cakes?" Mercury laughed, bouncing a baby Aries on her knee.

"I..." Gemini tried to think again, "I don't remember..."

Mercury laughed and walked Aries over to a large crib in the corner of the room to join his brother, "A silly girl, that is what you are."

Gemini laughed along, a smile on her face. Mercury then walked up to Gemini and picked her up, then walking over to the television, "how does a movie sound right now?" The mother asked. Gemini nodded happily as a yes.

They were happy.

Everyone was.

But that would soon change.

Later that night, around three in the morning, Gemini woke up to a panicked Capricorn shaking her awake, "G! Wake up! Fire! Fire!" He yelled.

"What...?" Gemini tried rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"FIRE." Capricorn yelled louder, yanking her out of bed and running her out of her room.

Red. Red orange and yellow. Those were the colors seen in the house. It was burning everything. The couch. The wallpaper. The floors. Everything.

Gemini was scared, so scared. Capricorn continued to run her out of the house, trying to dodge the burning pieces of wood that fell from the ceiling, though some hit the two siblings, leaving burn marks on their skin that would never leave.

Finally out of the house, the two were crying messes with red blotches all over their skin. Capricorn ran them over to an ambulance, and that was all Gemini could remember before passing out.

When she woke up, she was laying on a blanket on the ground, bandages wrapped all over her body. Sitting around her was Capricorn and Leo, Capricorn holding Aries and Leo holding Libra. Each of them had the badges wrapped around their arms. Gemini soon enough realized that there was one family member missing.

"Where... Where is momma..?" Gemini asked.

The two oldest siblings looked down at Gemini, tears profusely rolling down their face. "She... She's gone, Susan." Capricorn choked out.

"Gone? You mean gone to the store?" Gemini asked, confused.

"No, gone gone, Susan." Leo choked out, trying to help Libra go back to sleep, despite the small painful burn marks on the young child's skin.

Gemini soon realized what the two meant, and she became a sobbing mess on the ground.

-

The funeral was short, but sweet. The father of the siblings was present, though hidden away in the crowd and away from the children. He made a contract with the neighbor of the children to help take care of the children until Leo is of age to take care of the others on his own.

At the end of the service, Gemini stayed a little longer than the other. Well, her and this one other man. He was tall, had golden hair, and a golden suit with a tie.

"Sad to be alone in the world, huh strings?" He asked Gemini.

"Sure is, sir." Gemini sniffed in, sucking up her tears.

"Tell you what, how 'bout I-" but then, Leo called, making the man disappear.

-

Gemini point of view:

"Six years since that day. Six years... Kind of sad." I finished.

Everyone was gathered around me, eyes looking kind of watery. You see, after we saw that.. Thing... On- wait, what's her name again? God, I'm bad with names, anyways. After being sent some more letters from the family and dad, my little group of friends finally wanted to hear about where I came from. I sniffed up some tears, and raised an eyebrow, "what are you guys all teary eyed about?"

"Gemini that's-" Nolan began, "that's terrible!"

"Well, mom is at peace now, so really-" I was interrupted by a loud a loud knock on the door.

"G!" A familiar voice shouted, "SUSAN! OPEN THE DOOR!"

I went to go answers the door, only to be greeted with a whipped cream pie to the face.

"Strings!" Viola shouted, running over to me.

Wiping the cream out of my eye, I looked out the door to see none other than Crapricorn in the flesh, laughing his butt off. "O-oh man! That was great!"