Memories of Sapphire (ONC 2020)

~The Origin~

"Please," Mrs. Sapphire choked out. She clasped her daughter's hand tightly. "Please live a long, healthy life. A long life is full of happiness, dear. Remember that."

Thea stifled a sob as her mother weakly pushed her lab coat into her daughter's hands. It had mysterious-colored stains, but it smelled of her mother's delicate perfume, and the tears began to trickle down her cheeks.

"You're destined for great things. You're a Sapphire, after all."

"I love you," Thea squeezed her mother's hand.

The edges of the woman's lips curled into a small smile before her hand went limp, and her azure eyes rolled to the back of her head.

"No," Thea cried. "NO!" She sunk into a hysterical fit as the team of nurses tried to calm her down. But all Thea could do was scream- scream loud enough in hopes that her mother would hear it and squeeze her hand once more. All Thea wanted was one more day. No. Just one more second- a second to promise her mother she would live a long, beautiful life for her.

"You have to bring her back!" Thea wailed, grabbing onto her mother's gurney. "Father, too! They can't just leave me alone like this!"

The doctor came in and grimaced at the sight. The girl was garnering the stares of other patients sharing the room, but they all felt for her. There was nothing like losing someone you loved. The pain stabbed a hole through Thea's heart, and she crumpled over in disbelief. If only her parents had lasted a little longer and hadn't fallen prey to illness, she would have created an empire of memories with them.

~~~

"Quick and painless, quick and painless," Thea chanted to herself as she injected the needle into her thigh. The stinging sensation quickly faded as she ejected the needle and carefully applied a bandaid over the small bubble of blood that had formed as a result. But this temporary pain had helped her maintain her youthful appearance for the past 200 years. Glancing in the mirror, she looked about twenty-two with a bright smile and vibrant eyes. She grew up well despite that dreadful summer night in 1820. And as she checked the time on her watch, she realized that even though 200 years had passed, she hadn't fixed her habit of being late.

Thea reached for her mother's lab coat and swung it around her shoulders while slipping on some clogs. There would probably be a long line outside the clinic that stretched down the street. If she was being honest, she never once thought that her business would be this much of a success, but then again, the concept of her clinic was quite unique.

The girl parked her car in the lot of her clinic and grinned when she saw the line that was growing with every passing minute. She quickly tied her hair back into a ponytail and straightened out her teal-colored scrubs before emerging from her car. Giving off the feeling that she had woken up late and almost run a red light would not give her clients a very good impression, would it?

"Dr. Sapphire!" the first person in line cheered, and everyone behind him echoed. They clapped for her, and she waved before heading inside the homely-styled clinic.

Instead of the sterile, white walls of a typical hospital, Thea had spruced things up with a refreshing coat of sea-foam-colored paint. It reminded her of her favorite place on the planet- the beach. She had strung lines of seashells across the ceiling and had hung up her own works of art on the walls.

Thea led the first patient into a room and sat him down in a comfortable, leather chair she had brought over from Sweden before the rise of their famous furniture store of a maze. He looked around, impressed by the equipment, and Thea pulled up some files on her laptop, garnering his attention.