Webs of the Heart

chapter eight

I made up the part Crystal plays in Thor Ragnarok, I made it so that she could be in a marvel movie too.

Crystal POV

The next morning I was woken up by Paddy jumping on my bed, exclaiming,

"Tom is coming! Tom is coming!" I laughed and sat up, picking up Sky before Paddy could step on her.

"OK OK calm down! When is he coming?" I said, and Paddy sat down on my lap, petting Sky.

"He's coming about three this afternoon." I smiled and ruffled Paddy's hair, before sending him out and getting up. I took a quick shower and changed into jeans and a tank top, pulling my hair up into a bun. I helped Nikki with cleaning the house, and I agreed to sleep in Paddy's room with him. I spent the rest of the day helping out, and about three, Nikki and Sam went to the airport while I helped Dominic with some heavy carpenter work.

I had tied a sweater around my waist before I went down to the basement, just because I liked doing that, then when I finished helping Dominic, I put the sweater on and walked in the backyard for a little while to cool off.

Tom POV

I got home with Mum and Sam and went into my room, starting to unpack before I noticed my room was immaculately clean, but everything was still in its proper place. This puzzled me, because my brothers never bothered to do that, and my mum didn't know where my stuff went. I finished unpacking my clothes and took a shower before going back out into the living room, and I went towards the back yard, where the gymnastics mat was set up, so I could practice a bit. I went out, but stopped walking when I saw Crystal standing on one end, her hands raised in front of her, her eyes closed and her chest rising and falling heavily, as if she were breathing heavily. Then she took a deep breath and took a few running steps before doing a front flip, a back flip, an Arabian flip and finishing with a round-off. She turned quickly and did a front walk-over then a back walk-over, diving into a somersault that smoothly turned into multiple cartwheels then a final forward flip. She let out a long breath then pushed her loose hair out of her face, sitting down then lying on her back. I went over and said, standing over her and looking down at her face,

"You've got some serious skills." She jumped and sat up, laughing when she realized it was me.

"You really scared me. Goodness. Oh, and thanks. My parents put me into gymnastics when I was two, and they made me keep it up until I got a professional gymnast certificate. Same with ballet. And modern dance." She reached over and picked a blade of dead grass from the ground, twirling it around her fingers as I sat next to her.

"Oh, and painting, drawing, horseback riding, singing, instrument playing and cosmetology, though cosmetology started when I was six." I stared at her, and she asked me,

"What?"

"That seems like a lot of pressure to put on a two or six year old." She shrugged, weaving three long blades of grass into a braid talentedly.

"My parents wanted to make sure I could always make a way in the world for myseld, even if they were a bit strict about keeping my schedule full of useful things." She explained, twisting the braid into a ring around her middle finger.

"So, that's why you couldn't come over and play very often with us when we were kids?" I queried. She nodded, weaving a loose string from the mat around the grass ring.

"When my parents died, I kept up the schedule they had made for me, until I had completed training in everything I could. I completed an online course in photography, which was the last thing I did before getting started with music."

"When did your parents die?" I asked.

"They died when I was fourteen."

"I'm sorry." She shrugged again.

"It sounds terrible but I don't really miss them. They were never very god with emotions and helping me get through rough emotional stages, they always just told me to stop whining and get back to work. So, I guess I never really formed much attachment to them. In a way, they weren't exactly my parents. They were more....instructors. They were only my parents by my blood connection to them." She looked up at the overcast sky and sighed,

"Maybe if they'd been better with emotions, I'd be better at expressing how I feel instead of hiding it. I'm terrible at opening up to people. The only thing that strongly prompts me is the hope of helping someone in a similar situation, helping them to get out of it. I guess music is my way of opening up." She looked down at the sturdy ring she'd made, then she picked up my hand and put it on my palm.

"My emotions are woven into my actions, my words and my movements. Into my songs and stories. You just have to look harder than for others to discern mine."

She laid back on the mat, her hair splaying out under her. I looked at the ring carefully then put it on my middle finger, lying down next to her.

"I remember when we were little, I would every now and then see a big bruise on your arm. Where would you get those?" I asked after a short silence.

"I used to walk in my sleep, and I would run into things. And..." she trailed off for a minute, staring at the sky.

"On my way home, occasionally, there would be people who would beat me. Just for sport. So, I added self defense onto my schedule after a while, and I would fight them. It took me years to be able to beat them, but when I was fifteen, I won my first fight. After that, people would try to get the jump on me every now and then, but I fought for the reputation I earned, of someone who can't be snuck up on or beaten." She locked her jaw after finishing, closing her eyes in what looked like pain.

"Once, they carved my initials on my shoulder with a knife. I did not have the best childhood." She attempted to lighten the mood with humor, but I was in shock and awe at her stories of her youth.

"Did nobody help you?" I asked in concern.

"Oh yes, your parents were like mine as well. They kept the initial cuts clean, and took me to the hospital once when I got really badly beaten. My own biological female parent covered the bruises and cuts with make up, to make me look like nothing was wrong. But your parents were really the ones to build me back up, after my parents tore me down."

"Wow...you had a really hard childhood." I said quietly.

"Eh, it could have been worse. I could have had to work while I learned all those things. There was one good thing about my parents: they were fairly rich. So, I didn't have to pay for my lessons myself." She replied, bringing her arms up to prop up her head. I copied her.

"Tom?"

"Hm?"

"Can you keep what I'm about to tell you absolutely secret and not tell anyone at all?"

"I'll do my best." There was a pause, then she spoke.

"I'm going to be in the next Thor movie." I took a few seconds to digest what she said, then I jumped up and sat on my ankles, staring down at her in disbelief.

"Seriously?! Crys, that's amazing!" She giggled and sat up.

"I know! I'm going to be playing a girl who can control minds and water. She's going to have a big part in the movie, so I'm nervous, but I'm also really looking forward to it."

"You've gotten pretty famous." I said a little quietly, looking down at the ground. Crystal was quiet for a few seconds, then she gently put her fingers under my chin and lifted my head to look her in the eyes.

"No matter how famous I get, I'll always be your Crystal, the same one who used to wear baggy shirts and loose jeans every day. I promise." I smiled and we hugged, staying like that for a long time.