Chapter Text
Jason Todd and Marinette Todd didn’t have a great life, but they had the other and that’s all they needed. They never had a true safe place before, always running from their father or taking care of their drug addicted mother. Jason went out at night to get money for him and his younger twin. Marinette would always try to come with, but he wouldn’t let her, telling her to make sure their mom was ok. Then one night Mary Todd overdosed, and their father never returned. They were forced on the streets just trying to survive.
________
It was their 8th birthday, they didn’t have much, but they still found something to gift the other. With the little money that the drunk doctor had given her she went to a small thrift store and found a book titled
Peter Pan
and just
knew
that Jason would love it! She quickly paid for it and ran back to their safe house.
Jason looked at the small amount of money he had made last night. He had stolen the bolts off of some middle class car and had been able to turn them into his dealer for a bit of money. He looked around different shops when he spotted a small ball of red yarn and some crochet needles. Checking the price he saw that he had a little more than enough. He could skip dinner tonight, as long as his little sister was happy he’d be fine. Buying the yarn and needles he quickly ran to their safe house where he knew she’d be waiting.
When he got back to their abandoned run down apartment he quickly hid his gift in a cupboard in the rundown kitchen. When he turned he saw his twin rapping up something in her blanket before turning to face him with a bright smile.
“Happy birthday Jay-Jay!”
She sang, running towards and barreling him into a hug. Quickly picking her up and giving her a small spin he said,
“Happy birthday Mar.”
She was so light, she was getting lighter everyday and he hated it.
“Guess what?!”
She said cheerfully. She was always trying to be happy, always trying to lighten the mood when things got too dark.
“What happened?”
He asked, gently setting her down. She may have been his twin, but she was so tiny compared to him.
“D.D. (Drunk Doctor) gave me $15 today after I helped him stitch some people up!”
He gave her a small smile at that and ruffled her hair. He was always worried about her working for D.D. There are just some things that a 7-year-old, now 8, shouldn't see. The fact that she’s doing stitches for him and sometimes setting smaller bones like fingers or wrist back into place worries him. He can see the dulled look in her eyes when she gets back some evenings. It scares him to the core, especially when she walks right past him and just sits in their little blanket bed without a word. The nights she would wake up screaming or crying were the wor- it’s not time to think of that now. She’s fine and happy. Just focus on the right now.
“I had jus’ enough money after buyin’ your gift to buy us some P-pain au cho-chocolat!”
She said with a grin after correctly pronouncing the French syllables.
“You didn’ have-“
“But I wanted to! So don’t try to deny or give it back!”
She pouted, crossing her arms. He chuckled and pulled her into his side, bringing her over to the rundown kitchen.
“Go sit and I’ll see what we have for dinner.”
She nodded and sat on the torn up chair and watched him intently. Looking around he was able to find some bread one of the other nurses that helped D.D. had given them when they had left the apartment-hospital a few days ago. He smiled and brought it over to the small bar counter where Marinette sat with sad eyes.
“What’s wrong, Mari?”
“You gonna eat tonight? If ya don’t I won’t either.”
He sighed knowing that with her stubborn nature that she was being serious.
“I’ll eat, I promise.”
He said looking her directly in the eyes. Her smile returned as she let out a small,
“Yay!”
They split the meager piece of bread and Jason felt terrible for not being able to give her more.
After dinner Marinette quickly grabbed the book covered in her blanket and brought it over to him and shoved it in his hands excited to see his reaction.
“Happy birthday!”
She said with one of her blinding bright smiles. He gave a small smile back and unwrapped the object from the blanket. The object was firm yet bender easily, and when he pulled it out he found a worn paperback book titled, Peter Pan .
Twiddling her thumbs nervously as he was just staring at the book Marinette began to ramble,
“I thought you might l-like it ‘cause I know ya really liked looking at this books in the shops, a-and I thought that this would be a good gift since you li-“
“It’s perfect.”
He said cutting her off mid ramble and pulling her into a hug which she gladly returned. He gently pushed her away with a small mischievous smile. He walked over to the cupboard where he had placed his gifts and took them out carefully handing the small plastic store bag to her. She took it with gentle hands and opened it only to let out a gasp as she saw them. Now a little nervous he asked,
“Is it okay?”
“It’s more than okay!”
She said looking up with such a bright smile he almost had to cover his eyes. She didn’t belong in such a rundown place like Gotham.
“It’s-it’s….amazing!”
He was relieved. She quickly ran over to a different cupboard and brought out the two small pastries.
“Let’s make a wish!”
She said knowing that they didn’t have any candles.
“On the count of three! One….Two…..Three!”
She closed her eyes tightly making her nose scrunch up a bit. He chuckled at how childish she acted even after everything they’ve been through. If he had to wish for anything it’d have to be that no matter what, they’d find each other no matter what happened.
After a few seconds she opened her eyes and picked up the piece in front of her and took a bite. She smiled at the taste of the delicious pastry, it was the best thing she had eaten in a long time.
When both were finished slowly eating and enjoying the sweet Marinette smiled and tugged him towards their makeshift beds made of one or two thin ratty blankets and the hardwood floor.
“Will you read me your story?”
She asked pleadingly, her eyes shining excitedly. They haven’t shined like that in a while. Who was he to say no to a face like that. Quickly settling in with Mari laying on his lap he began to read Peter Pan to his tiny twin while she drifted off to sleep.
________
“You know,”
Jason began the next morning as they were getting ready to head over to D.D.’s.
“You could be Tinker Bell.”
“And why is that?”
She asked with a raised brow as she made sure her tattered shoes were secured onto her feet.
“Well, for starters you’re both tiny,”
He began earning an annoyed glare.
“You’re also stubborn, fighters, helpers, very resourceful, and you help others to fly and feel like kids again.”
She snorted as they left the abandoned apartment through the fire escape.
“Didn't know you were so cheesy.”
He let out an amused smile,
“Well, it’s about to get cheesier then because I’m now calling you Pixie Dust.”
She rolled her eyes,
“Really?”
“Yep!”
He responded proudly while popping the ‘p’.
“Then I’m calling you Peter Pan!”
“And why’s that Pixie?”
“Because your middle name is Peter, because you guide and protect me from danger, and you take me on wonderful adventures when we have enough for a small getaway in the city.”
A small smile grew on his lips until she said,
“Not to mention you both get into WAY too much trouble with questionable adults and you’re a thief in the night.”
He snorted and pushed her a bit in retaliation,
“Got me there Pix, you’re too clever for your own good.”
________
They arrived at D.D.’s just in time for her shift.
“There you are Mare, need you to wash your hands, put on those gloves, and stitch up Carson.”
“What happened this time?”
She immediately replied, her voice once happy and full of life now bare of all emotion that was there only a few minutes prior. Her eyes began to lose their bright blue color and dimmed to a dull gray in the terrible lightning. She’s safe here, D.D. wouldn’t put her through anything too harsh, Jason had to remind himself as he saw his little sister go behind some medical curtains. He needed to get some money, she’d be fine. D.D. Would protect her from the gangs and the streets while he was gone. Quickly he left the makeshift hospital apartment to begin his job of pickpocketing on the streets; he didn’t return until the end of Mari’s shift at 5. They needed to get home before dark, nothing good ever happened to those who traveled Gotham in the night.
________
It was November and their anniversary of now three continuous years on the street. They huddled together with other street kids in some abandoned apartment to keep warm as they had no heater and no fire to keep themselves warm with. Winter was always the hardest for Marinette, it was always just too cold for her and it didn’t help that she got sick easily. She hugged her 11 year old brother closer to her and curled up against his chest as she tightened the blanket around herself.
“It’s ok Pix. I gotchu.”
He murmured into her hair as he ran his fingers through her dark tresses. Both felt an overwhelming sense of dread for the near future, though they just assumed it was because it would snow soon which left the large possibility of getting pneumonia or hypothermia and dying in the street. Both siblings knew something bad was going to happen, they just didn’t know exactly what it was or when it would happen. Both clung to the other in search of warmth and comfort as each feared the unknown of what was lurking in the shadows and just waited for them to drop their guard even the smallest bit before it struck.
________
December. It was Christmas Eve and she was trying to find a suitable gift for her brother when two men came up from behind and grabbed her. She was able to fend them off for a bit, as Jason and the other kids had taught her moves to defend herself, but there was a third man she hadn’t seen in her panic to escape. The next thing she knew were black spots dancing in her vision, a loud ringing in her ears, and an ache in the back of her head. Then, there was nothing.
________
Jason had looked everywhere for her. She wasn’t back at their safe house, she wasn’t at D.D.’s, he couldn’t find her in the store district, he asked some of the street kids around after hours of searching for his answer. Apparently a small girl with long black hair in a bun was taken by three guys who wore nice black jackets and drove a fancy sleek black car. When he heard that, he could barely breathe, but he needed more information in order to find her. So he asked them if they saw which way the car drove, his answer was simply, “West”.
Sh**! He had a feeling that they were already gone, but he’d be d***ed if he didn’t put all of his effort in making d* sure that they really had gone overseas. Rushing towards when he finally reached his destination he grit his teeth and broke into the parking lot. One of the kids told him the license number, and if he saw it here, he would be ready to take his revenge. As he wandered around, he saw a tire iron lying around and picked it up, it may come in handy. After what felt like hours of wandering, his heart came to a halt as he saw the license he was praying he wouldn’t see here at all. It confirmed his worst theory, he wasn’t going to see his baby sister for a long time, if not indefinitely. Tears welled up in his eyes as he grit his teeth. He knew what he had to do, and he wouldn’t stop at anything until he got her back. First things first though, he would be taking some revenge on these guys’ precious car.
________
Marinette had been living in Paris, France with her adopted “parents” Tom and Sabine Dupain-Cheng for two years now. They had adopted her from some “CPS agents”, the traffickers, a few days after she was taken. Apparently, she was worth about €6,000. They were nice people, truly they were. They gave her her own room, let her decorate it, let her talk in English as they slowly taught her French, and gave her warm meals and new clothes. It’s just…..she just wanted Jason back! She wanted her brother, wanted him to have this too, wanted to hug him, have him read to her, sing to her! She wanted their secret conversations, wanted to spar with him and the other street kids, create a nest out of blankets that they could share!
Today Tom’s mother, Gina, was coming over. Apparently she’s a world traveler, and Marinette could respect that, she wanted to escape Gotham for years, and now she wants to run away from here to go back to Gotham, back to her Peter. She wanted to be free and go wherever one wanted, with her big brother. The school year was supposed to start next week, and her birthday was just a few weeks away.
Meeting Gina was…..interesting to say the least. She was a tall, graying woman with a thick Italian accent. She also had a lot of energy, and she even let her ride with her on her motorcycle around the city! They sat together on a bench eating ice cream from some guy named André. The flavors Marinette got were…….also interesting. “Black chocolate for his hair, blueberry for his eyes, and a hint of coffee as a nice surprise”, or whatever that meant. The guy was weird, and kinda sketchy. She didn’t trust him. The ice cream was good though.
“You know what, you remind me of leetle fairies like in the stories, so that’s what I will call you!”
Announced Gina with a proud smile. Mari smiled for a second before it disappeared at the thought of a similar nickname, one she hasn’t heard in nearly two years.
“I had a brother before I was taken here.”
Mari began surprising Gina and herself honestly. From what Gina had been told Marinette didn’t talk about her past, nor did she warm up to new people quickly.
“When we were living on the streets I got enough money to get him a book he was interested in. It was called Peter Pan . He read it to me before bed every night till we finished it. He taught me how to read with that book, and he called me his Pixie Dust, or Pixie-Pop because I was his little Tinker Bell and he was my Peter Pan.”
Her voice faded at the end as tears pooled at the edges of her eyes and one escaped down her cheek at the memories she tried so hard to suppress. You could never show how you really felt while on the streets or else others would take advantage of you. But she wanted her brother back D*it! Gina cooed softly and wrapped her in a gentle hug while she wiped away Marinette’s tears.
“It’s ok my leetle fairy. Your secret is safe with me.”
That’s when she decided, she really liked Gina. There was just something about her that reminded her of her brother, and something warm that reminded her of their mother when she wasn’t high that made her feel at home.
________
School started almost like the last two years had, with a fight with the brat, Chloe, while Marinette had been minding her own business while sketching in her notebook while she waited for her neglectful teacher to finally enter the classroom. She drew a red yarn hat similar to the one she had made for Jason for Christmas nearly four years ago. The main difference was that the picture looked a lot neater than the one she made.
There were a few differences to class this year though. An annoying new girl with glasses sat next to her, apparently Chloe’s friend was supposed to come (but didn’t), and finally one of her classmates turned into a giant rampaging stone monster. It reminded her of Gotham, of her real home. It was a really nice feeling, almost nostalgic with the amount of running and screaming that had occurred. Now that’s not to say that she wants people to scream in fear, but that didn’t stop the feeling of calm familiarity that washed over her when it just suddenly happened.
When she got home and saw the small octagonal shaped box on her desk, she knew not to touch it. No, instead she asked Tom and Sabine if they put it there to make sure it wasn’t some trap of some kind,
“Sabine, did you leave something on my desk?”
She didn’t like calling them mama and papa. It didn’t feel right. She only called them that when other people were over so people didn’t get suspicious and ask about her past. She’d probably break down (hit them), and she just did not want to think about what caused her to become a resident of a place she didn’t want to come to in the first place. So, Christmas was not something she enjoyed celebrating, and winter was the season she hated the most.
“Yes dear. Someone asked me to give it to you for helping them after they fell on the street. Isn’t that sweet?”
She simply nodded and thanked her before she headed back up to her room where she carefully opened the box with the knowledge that the probability of it being a trap was lower than it being some dumb gift. She was rather surprised to find that it was a pair of earrings with a ball of glowing light. She was shocked, but she wasn’t scared, she had been through and seen enough crap on the streets and in her old home to be scared of a ball of light. The light formed into a giant bug who then introduced herself and explained everything that happened and all that she needed Marinette to do. Marinette watched and listened in silence as she processed everything that had been said.
“So I can be like Batman and Robin?”
She quietly asked with stars in her eyes. She never officially met the man and the boy wonder, but she had seen their shadows on buildings and had even witnessed them swing toward the Batsignal on occasion. She had always dreamed of somehow helping them, and this was her chance to do it in a different city! This had been her wish since she was old enough to understand the true horrors that went on in her home city. Now with determination set in her eyes she gave a determined smile and called out the phrase she was told.
“Tikki spots on!”
{Thank you CyberGeist for the design}
She jumped up to her skylight and searched for a suitable place to throw and latch her yo-yo so that she could pursue the monster that was roaming around the city. As she looked around she finally noticed her costume. It was a skintight material that hugged her whole body, strangely airy when she moved and ridiculously light. It was almost like she wore nothing at all which made her exceedingly grateful for the weight of the armor she could now see around her body. It was heavier than the under suit but not by much. Like the under-suit it was a stunningly dark shade of black but it was outlined with glowing lines of red. She felt around the top half of her body and felt a split v shaped chest plate connected with glowing red lacing under her armpits and along her side connecting it to a back piece. A high armored collar sat around her neck like a necklace and fit perfectly in the center of the v of the chest plate. Grieves connected to sharp angular thigh plating that was also laced at the sides in the same glowing red thread. Tall scarlet boots with v shaped tips encased her feet, emphasizing how small they were. Her torso, knees, and upper arms were left bare except for the skintight black under suit. Leaf shaped pauldrons sat on her shoulders and black and red bracers sat on her forearms, the black fabric of her suit covering her fingers. A belt sat on her hips above the grieves, an odd disk on her right and a small cylinder on the left with several pockets in between and all around the rest of the belt. Finally, her hair was done up in a Tinker Bell bun with two ribbons sticking up in front of it.
She finally spotted a good perch and threw her yo-yo tugging it taut to make sure that it would hold before she swung. It was almost like swinging from one fire escape to the other when they were running from gangs and other unsavory people in the alleyways. As she swung she noticed how torn up different areas were and began to follow the destruction from her perch atop the roofs of the city. She saw her “partner” on the roofs too. She didn’t trust him, then again she never really trusted anyone but her brother before. But that’s what had always kept her alive, so she was ok with never truly trusting anyone. The fight was over rather quickly after she cast her Lucky Charm and purified the Akuma. She just was not prepared for her annoying new seat mate to come shove her stupid phone right in her face and ask none stop questions. She pushed the girl away from her and, without saying a word, she turned to leave.
“Wait, what do we call you?”
The annoying girl called out.
“Harmonia Axyridis or Lady Beetle for short.”
Was the only response given as she swung away. She could do this. Everything would be fine. Even in the day she could be as cool and collected as her heroes were.
________
Everything was
not
fine. The brat of the school was taken hostage, along with the short girl with blonde multi-colored hair after the guy got akumatized again with the ability to now turn others into his stone army. She was starting to feel one of those random sores she constantly felt as a side effect from stunts that occurred in Gotham coming on in her left arm (this one being from when some random police officer thought she had tried to steal his wallet–she hadn’t..this time– and had hit her with his baton a few times before leaving her to fend for herself), and she was
not
happy.
When she arrived at the Eiffel Tower where the monster holding her two classmates had fled, some random cop with red hair just started yelling at her and saying that this entire scenario was her fault! She had no trouble putting that stupid cop back in his place, letting him shiver and shake in his spot when the most obnoxious voice started to sound from the top of the tower. Looking back up, she saw that the monster was speaking, but in a different voice. Unlike the monster's original voice, this one was smoother and held a condescending saccharine tone that made her want to punch whoever was speaking in the face. She quickly pulled out her yo-yo and began to record his voice, who knew when she would hear it again, and it may come in handy at some point in time.
She rolled her eyes as Hawktrash, sorry manners, Hawkmoth began to blame her and her partner just like the cop had.
“That’s funny. Didn’t realize we were the ones that turned people into monsters. Do you remember doing that Chat?!”
She yelled down from the top of the tower in an almost bored tone.
“No, I don't Lady Beetle!”
He said from beside her, a cheeky grin on his face.
“Good! Now listen here Hawky, you are just another disgusting villain. I grew up surrounded by villains. If you think you’re safely hidden in your layer while having other people do your dirty work you’ve got another thing coming. I don’t care how long it takes, we will find you, and when we do I hope you’re ready. You’re nobody, absolutely nothing compared to what I’ve seen and lived through. So watch your back.”
And with that she jumped into action and began to restrain the stone being with her yo-yo. Before she could completely restrain the monster, it had thrown the blonde of the Eiffel Tower at a high velocity, no doubt Hawky’s way to intimidate them. Too bad she really hated her and had seen people die in more gruesome ways. She didn’t want the girl to die, in fact she wanted to keep as many people alive as she could, because that’s what it meant to be a hero! It was just, she was almost desensitized to death, so despite the feeling of shock and slight fear that coursed through her when she saw the monster throw Chloe, she wasn’t afraid of what she would see if they didn’t reach her in time. Thankfully, Chat was able to quickly grab her before she hit the ground. And once he was sure she was safe, he rejoined her in the battle. With a signal of her head he took over the battle using evasive maneuvers to distract, but never hit him thus never giving him more strength. With Chat distracting the monster she was able to call for her Lucky Charm, a parachute. With a quick look around she knew what she needed to do. She jumped back into the battle and practically shoved the charm at Chat.
“You’ll need this soon.”
Was her only words as she wrapped her yo-yo around a frame of the tower and around the stone monster's hand holding both the girl and the object and made them “kiss”. It was disgusting honestly, she wasn’t one for that kind of thing, but it worked. Now that the object had fallen she was able to destroy it causing the monster to turn back into his original form. Chat grabbed the boy and pulled the parachute cord as they both fell allowing for her to quickly catch the girl as the shell on her back opened exposing clear see through wings that she used to descend to ground safely. After she captured the Akuma and purified it, she threw her charm in the air and fixed everything. The Press began to swarm her, but she just glared and quickly flew away.
When she returned to school the next day she saw a blonde boy at her desk messing with her seat. She knew that this must be Chloe’s friend, so she simply told him off and threw the piece of gum away with a tissue. After school he apologized and explained the situation. She could tell he was telling the truth and that she couldn’t really fault him, so while she was on speaking terms with him, she still avoided him. Of course Alya thought it was because she liked him which she disagreed with. But she kept pushing it which made her cheeks redden with frustration but she thought it was a blush, a show that she did actually like him and was just “in denial”. It was disgusting, why would she like some typical blonde who hides who he is for good publicity. She saw through his façade easily enough. He simply didn’t understand the world and how it actually worked, none of them did. They hadn’t seen the things she saw, they didn’t understand what the real world was really like and she hoped they never would. She had gotten lucky, in another life she may currently be trapped in someone’s basement with unspeakable things done to her. In another life, she wouldn’t have gotten sold to Tom and Sabine. She was lucky, that’s all there is to say. These people, they were privileged.
Alya would never stop talking about setting them up no matter how much she told her she didn’t want to date this man. She wouldn’t date anybody that her brother didn’t approve of. He always knew who they could actually trust. Unfortunately, Glasses just thought she was “ shy ”. How rose tinted were those glasses of hers?! She came up with all of these convoluted plans. Not to mention she told everyone else in the class, and for some gosh dang reason, they believed her! It was humiliating , honestly what is wrong with these people?!
________
Now, she was 14-years-old, and a new player set foot into her territory. One Lila Rossi. Marinette may not
like
her class, but they were her, for lack of a better word, pack. They were
her
responsibility and she would not let them be taken by some
con
. She blamed her protective instincts from when she took care of the younger street kids with Jason. He would protect others no matter what, just like Peter Pan with the Lost Boys and she wanted to be just like him. Her Peter….she hoped he was okay. She often prayed to whatever God existed that her brother was alright, that she would see him again one day.
Lila spun grand stories, stories with so many holes it was like a spider's web. They were enticing and once you were stuck in them, it was unlikely you would ever be able to leave them again. Marinette would not stand for it, she would not let this two-faced b* hurt her annoying pack! She tried to disprove Lila’s words and show them the truth, but even though she did her best to protect her oblivious children, no one would listen to her. They would all brush her aside and call her jealous. Then when she got a little too frustrated and spoke in English Lila used it against her as none of the others, Lila included, understood it. But there she was, the center of attention spouting out,
“Of course I know English.”
And,
“How could you say such a thing Marinette! They’re your friends aren’t they?!”
First off, no they were not her friends, they were just kids she needed to protect from their own and others stupidity. Second, she only called Lila a stupid con along with other names that her Peter would be proud of. His “Little Pixie”, is not polite when she has to deal with cons that thrive on the hurt they cause others. Sadly the kids just didn’t understand the dangers of this liar and they cast Marientte out, and unlike before, she didn’t have her Peter to lean on when all she felt was hurt and betrayal.
________
Things only got worse from there as over the years as Hawkjerk grew stronger and more powerful. More and more people died which meant she had to bring more people back to life. The random pains she felt grew more frequent, and many of the places that hurt weren’t even places that she had gotten seriously injured before! The pain seemed to appear nearly every day, and only in the day if it didn’t linger that day. She noticed that this would happen sometimes in Gotham too, but the pain was
never
this bad. It did not help that Hawkmoth kept sending his stupid butterflys at the worst of times! Now she was 16 and she was dead tired. She looked down at the streets below and saw people in weird angles on different pathways, the streets painted red with streams of blood flowing through them as the giant lava monster ran rampant throughout the city. When was the last time she got more than an hour of sleep a day?
Chat had started showing up to less and less fights. He was fine in the beginning, he was funny and fairly clever. The constant ask for dates was annoying, but she could deal with it.
Then after yelling at him a year after they first began as heroes in a fit of frustration caused by sleep deprivation, Lila, the class, and last minute commissions, she was running off of fuels and when he asked mid-battle while trying to kiss her cheek, she just snapped. After that he glared at her and told her off saying,
“If you really don’t trust me and if I’m bothering you that much, then I’ll gladly leave you alone! Good luck Lady Beetle.”
Then he left without a trace. She had managed though. Soon after she found out who had recruited her and Chat and yelled at him for entrusting a kid to such a complex and life-altering task. Once she was done, she demanded he teach her everything he knew so that she would have a better chance at winning now that Chat was less likely to show. And teach her he did. He taught her the guardian language, trained her with the powers of every Kwamii, and how to make potions. Once she had learned everything that he could teach her he said that he wanted to make her the next guardian.
“My life is not getting longer Marinette. You know everything now, and I know that you can win this fight. There are things that I want to do before I pass on, and for that I need to pass my title on to you. I am so proud of the woman you have become Marinette, and I know that you will become someone even greater.”
He said calmly with a hint of solemness as he slowly removed the Turtle Miraculous.
“Thank you Master Fu. I promise that I will make you proud.”
He gave her a small smile and offered her both of his hands with his palms faced up. She took both of his hands into her own and let him pass the guardianship over to her after he had said his final goodbyes to the Kwamii. After that he had forgotten everything about the miraculous and herself. And with that, he left Paris to live with the woman he loved all the way in England.
So here she was. She had begun to use the mouse and fox far too often for comfort, she had to throw in the dragon a couple of times too, and the magical strain began to cause terrible pain in her body, amplifying the phantom pains that she already received. She was worried that she wouldn’t be able to win this like she said she would. So with a tired spirit that seemed to fall apart more and more each day, she went off to fight the Lava Monster.
________
For some reason on the afternoon of April 27 everything just
hurt
. She didn’t remember doing anything last night that would cause these types of pains. Then everything just felt…...numb. She didn’t know why, but she just couldn’t feel….anything, and that was terrifying. She didn’t know what was going on, why it was happening, or what to do to make it stop and go away! All she felt was sharp aches and pains all over her body, soon silent tears began to fall down her cheeks, but she still couldn’t understand why. She didn’t leave her bed that day, didn’t eat, didn’t drink, just sat there with the void that filled her mind and the pain that rendered her body seemingly useless.