"Kryse! Could you come help me for a moment?"
"Sure thing!" I set Frodo, my grandmother's cat, down on the couch and wandered out into the kitchen.
My grandmother was wearing an apron that had the "3 Stooges" printed all over it. She was leaning over a large, delicious-smelling turkey. Her salt and pepper hair was tied into two braids and those braids were clipped to the top of her head.
"What do you need me to do?" I asked, tying my own auburn hair back into a ponytail.
"Could you hold that bowl while I put the potatoes in it? There seems to be no room on this counter."
"Okay,"
I took the big, porcelain bowl in my hands and held it tightly while my grandmother scooped mashed potatoes into it.
Frodo came walking silently into the room and gazed at us with big eyes. He must've come in because he smelt the turkey.
"Meow." he said.
"Meow." My grandmother answered. I set the bowl of steaming potatoes on the set table and gazed about for more work to be done, since it did not feel right to just leave yet.
"Kryse," the front door opened and my stepsister, Ana, was there. "Are you going to come out and play?"
I looked at my grandmother with my green eyes. She nodded, smiling.
"Go on out," she said. "The turkey needs ten more minutes."
I grinned and grabbed my white, fluffy coat from its hook. I followed Ana outside and down towards the pine trees. I breathed in deeply. The air was crisp and cold. It felt good to be outside.
My other siblings, two steps and on full, where playing in, around, and under the pine trees. These trees were not very tall and they were good for climbing in.
I swung up into my favorite tree and climbed as high as I could go. At the top, I lay down on some branches, stealing the idea from one of my stepsisters. There I got ready. The games my siblings and I normally played, now that I was getting older than most of them, I was a powerful beastie who waited until another person came underneath my tree to pounce. Being the oddity that I am, I can pull this sort of thing off.
One of my step siblings, Alexander, howled underneath my tree. He did not know I was outside the house yet, let alone in the tree. I swung my legs out over the branches I was laying on and I began to climb down.
A couple branches from the bottom, I saw that Alexander had his back to me. He was staring up at Ana, who was hiding in another tree. I leaped to the ground, startling him and gave a howl, to mock him.
He gave out a small, "Ah!" and ran off giggling. I didn't quite feel like chasing him. My tree was comfortable.
Before I climbed up into the tree again, I saw a car pull into the driveway. I decided to abandon this game and I dashed off to meet those who had arrived.
The guests were my uncle Daniel, my aunt Alicia, and with them was:
"Matthew!" I cried, running up to my cousin and giving him a large hug. He had been away with the air force on some random island out in the middle of nowhere. It was good to see him again.
Thanksgiving was wonderful, as always. Family talk, food, what's happening in the world, food, weather, food, swim team, and food.
I sat back in my chair as the conversations began winding down and smiled. I was feeling pretty good about seeing my family. And hearing everything they had to say.
~*~
When it was time for me to go back to my father's house, I decided to go with my dad in his truck. My other siblings all wanted to ride in my stepmother's vehicle and it would be crowded.
As we came to an intersection, I was just beginning to fall asleep. Then something hit the side of the truck. My head cracked against something and my vision blurred for a moment.
When I came to my senses, I was shocked to find a large chain attached to my chest. I was sitting next to what look myself. The chain was connected to my body's chest as well. I was overly confused.
Something hit the truck again. My body went flying out of the smoldering door, taking me with it.
I hit the pavement hard, crying out. When I looked up, a saw...a man.
He had bright blue hair that stuck up in odd angles. His clothing was white, his pants were wide and billowing, and from my angle, his shirt was open in the front. He had a large, black hole in his abdomen and a crooked, black 6 tattooed next to it on his back.
"Who...?" I gasped. "Who are you?"
He turned, icy blue eyes boring into my green ones. Attached to his right cheek was a visible jawbone. I tried to make out what exactly it was, for nobody could have an extra jawbone. Or a giant hole in their abdomen for that matter.
When my head cleared and I could see perfectly fine again, the man was right in front of me. He had a sword at his waist and he unsheathed it. He took hold of the chain.
"What is that?" I asked. He looked at me as if I were stupid.
"If this chain is split, you die." he said as if it were the most simple thing.
I came to the realization that I was my soul and my body was...well, my body.
As I came to this conclusion, the man took his sword and sliced through the chain close to my chest. I stared.
"Why-?"
He backed away with a satisfied grin on his face. I looked down at the chain. The broken links had become mouths and had started eating themselves. It was painful.
"What is this?' I asked, flummoxed and wincing.
"When the last link is devoured, you become a Hollow."
"A what?"
"Hollow." He sounded annoyed. "Anyways, it was this or me eating you."
"Eat...me?"
"Tsk." He was looking at me as if I were 5-years-old. "I'll explain once the process is complete."
I whimpered to myself as the links slowly diminished until there was only two left. The man looked absolutely bored, waiting for whatever he was waiting for to be done.
The last link was unbearably painful. I screamed as it began to eat through my skin.
Suddenly, the pain stopped. I began to bubble and grow, but at the same time, I think the man was doing something funky with magic. I roared in fright, knowing now that I had become some sort of monster. I was filled with hot power. I was full of energy I could do anything! And I was filled with a ravenous hunger.
Then the power seemed to fade. I was shrinking down. I was beginning to take on a shape more of that as a human.
My auburn hair had come out of the ponytail and was now hanging down my shoulders. I was wearing clothing of similar material and style as the man. There was a bony frill on my head, like a crown. And there was a neat, little hole at the base of my neck. Just above my collarbone.
I fell to my knees, drained of energy. The man came up to me and asked for my name.
"Kryse." I said.
"My name is Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, Sexta Espada. And you are my subordinate."
