Aeon (Chimera 2.5)

Contradicting Everything That Was Known

November 4, 2057: Sukori, Kirunda, 243

The house was usually pretty quiet, even when everyone was there. The only person that talked a lot was Kita, and even she spent most of her time doing something quiet like reading or drawing. But Shawna found herself alone in the kitchen that morning as she started making herself a pot of coffee. When she was younger, she'd avoided coffee because she saw how anxious and jittery the caffeine made Meadow feel. But right now, she definitely needed something to wake herself up.

Tonja was still asleep upstairs, Chizu was at work, and Kita was at school. Arias was in the living room, but when Shawna walked by he didn't seem to be doing much of anything. She hadn't interacted with him much since he first showed up, so she still wasn't too sure what Tonja meant when she said there was something off about him.

And she can't even pin it down yet, either, so I don't know what she keeps going on about.

When the pot was ready, Shawna poured herself a cup and took a careful sip. It was hot and bitter, but she didn't really care. She hadn't slept well last night, and she couldn't be bothered to add anything to the coffee or wait for it to cool down.

Shawna shrugged and walked to the living room, being careful not to spill any of her coffee since she'd filled the mug to the brim like a dumbass. Arias was still lying there, seemingly in the exact same position as before. It didn't look like he'd moved at all.

Arias was small, even for a kid his age, and he looked even smaller curled up on the couch the way he was. His skin seemed oddly pale, but maybe that was just the lighting. Shawna wanted to say his eyes were blue, but really they seemed to be a dull gray. His hair was also gray, but it at least didn't look blue.

As Shawna sat down on the other couch, she looked at him and thought he was looking at nothing. But then she realized she was wrong--he was looking at his arm. At first she couldn't see why, since the curtains were drawn and the lights were off. And then it hit her.

Scars. There were scars all over both of his arms, but they were faint and hard to see, especially in the low lighting. And some of them reminded Shawna of the scars she'd once seen on Meadow's arms years ago.

No, that can't... he's eleven. He's so young, and he...?

"Um... good morning," Shawna said. Arias glanced at her, and it was the first time since she walked into the room that he even acknowledged her presence. Either he'd been ignoring her, or he was just that zoned out.

"Morning." Even in just that one word, his voice was flat and monotone. It didn't convey any emotions at all. His face didn't seem to change much, either. He just kept staring straight ahead.

"How have you been doing? You seemed kind of dazed when you showed up."

"I think I'm okay." Arias sat up and hugged his knees to his chest. Now that he was sitting rather than lying down, Shawna could see more scars on his shoulders and neck. "I'm just getting used to being here."

He spoke and moved very slowly, like he was afraid of saying or doing the wrong thing. As if he was scared someone would scold him if he did something wrong. And it didn't take Shawna very long to realize that was probably the case. After all, she was still trying to get rid of those same habits.

Shawna took a sip of her coffee, being careful not to burn her mouth in the process. "So, if you don't mind me asking... do you have any family?"

"I have a brother. I've been trying to find him."

"For how long? How old is he?"

"A few years. He's about two years older than me, so... he's thirteen."