No One's Perfect (A Zodiac Story)

Lost Memories

Cygnus

" 'Xcuse me." My chair was nudged slightly to the side, a brush of fabric against my arm alerted me to the presence of a person moving behind me. 

I turned my head to see Pyxis take his seat next to me at the dinner table. His face was slightly flushed- for what reason, I didn't know. He seemed like he had gotten here in a hurry, though. 

Pyxis. As much as we had tried to avoid each other, somehow, someway, our red strings of fate got entangled yet again.  

I pushed the food on my plate around in silence, appetite lost. Ophiuchus looked over at me in concern, so I forced a bite of mac and cheese into my mouth. The creamy substance soured in my mouth instantly, and I found myself wanting to spit it out immediately. 

Everyone was in a bad mood. The secrets behind our mall trip had just been revealed, and even those who had "passed" the test were silent. 

"Ophiuchus, can I go get my jacket? The air is a bit chilly where I am." I asked Ophiuchus breezily. He nodded, and I left. 

I walked down the hall and went straight to my room, flopping down on the bed with a heavy sigh. Even after all these years, I still couldn't get over him. My first friend. My first crush. My first kiss. 

Pyxis was my first of many. 

My first tears shed over a boy. My first heartbreak.

And even after so long, I still couldn't twist my heart away from him.

Goddamn you Pyxis, you stupid buffoon. 

Five Years Ago

"Cygnus, this will be your new home now, okay? Take a good look around."

The clueless eleven year-old me nodded, following behind the tall, strict women who led me through the sterile white halls. 

My first glimpse of Astrolia Hospital. It wasn't a pleasant one, needless to say. My parents had died in a fire three days ago. Tomorrow would be the night of my twelfth birthday.  

"I'm going to go in there to discuss some things with the adults. You stay right here, now." The lady, spoke, jarring me out of my thoughts. The door shut behind her, leaving me alone. 

The hallway suddenly felt very cold and quiet. 

As if my inner prayers had been acknowledged, a group of kids my age suddenly rounded the corner and walked down the hall towards me, a blond young man leading them cheerfully. They laughed at something he said- I was too far away to make out the exact words- but it was a black haired boy at the end of the line who had looked up. His eyes met mine, and like a moth to flame, he broke away from his group and walked towards me. 

"What's a pretty girl like you doing out here all alone?" He asked, when his group had turned away and out of sight. I frowned, giving him a quick once-over before replying. 

"Hello." 

The boy blinked awkwardly, all the words he was going to say dying on his lips in an instant. 

"Why, hello." He started again, his smirk fading to half-smile that was threatening to leave his face. 

"I'm Cygnus." I pressed on. This is how others talked, right? An exchange of formalities was the beginning of every conversation. 

"Pyxis. Pleasure to meet you." His lips curled upwards once more, as if to say, sure, I'll play along. A mischievous glint flashed across his bottle green eyes.