epiphany ━━ prologue . . . please don't leave us here
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NOVA FELT UNEASY even before she heard voices make their way towards the living room. She felt like cold hands were going up and down her back, causing goosebumps to appears on the soft skin of her arms.
The first voice was her mother. The voice of the woman who raised her with nothing but love and care for ten years wasn't the one to give her chills. It was the other voice; one that belonged to a woman she had never heard before.
The voice wasn't shrill, but it still cut through the air with a smug confidence, like she knew something her mother didn't; like she wasn't just here to raise money for children in need.
The next things happened so fast that the little girl didn't have time to process what was happening before it was already over. The woman launched at her twin brother, Caster, her teeth getting sharper and her hands transforming into an inhumane shape as she neared him.
She thought that had been the most fear she could ever feel, but the fear going through her body as her five-year-old brother suddenly stepped forward just in time to shield their brother from the creature, would come to haunt her forever.
He let out a deafening scream as the woman—who wasn't really a woman anymore—bit down on his arm, and Nova hurriedly rushed forward towards him.
This wasn't real. It had to be a nightmare. In a few minutes she would wake and find her five-year-old half brother, Harry, in the bed next to her, no injuries in sight.
"Dean!" Her mother suddenly reappeared, her voice unusually distressed as she called out for Nova's stepfather, and didn't help ease the immense panic going through the young girl's body. "The ball! Something's here!"
Did she know what the thing in front of them was?
Then, Dean came rushing into the room, his mouth letting out a strangled sob at the state his son was in on the floor, but he seemed determined to get the ball to his wife nonetheless.
As soon as he was close enough, he picked up a ball of bronze from his pocket and threw it as hard as he could right at the monster.
It soared through the air for a moment before hitting the transformed woman straight in the chest. Upon the force, the ball exploded, leaving their living room in a complete mess and the monster to go up in a weird smoke.
✹ ✹ ✹
THE RADIO BEGAN scratching as they made their way longer away from the city. With a quick flick, Jeanne Arlie turned it off, leaving the uncomfortable silence to fully envelope her and her two first children.
Nova sat in the passenger seat of the car—something she normally would have been ecstatic about, but now, she would rather sit in back, away from her mother's disappointed face.
The woman still hadn't explained anything to them, only rushing the twins into the car, making sure Dean would get Harry to the emergency room, before driving off.
"Where are we going, mom?" The brunette boy had asked from the backseat, his voice more timid than usual as he studied at their mother's aggressive movements.
"Somewhere I should have taken you to a long time ago," Her voice shook and her knuckles turned white as she gripped the wheel even tighter.
The ten-year-olds looked at her, the fear evident in their features.
"What do you m-mean?" The worst scenarios were going through Nova's head and she bit down on her lip to prevent herself from crying.
As the car stopped at a red light, the woman turned to watch her only daughter. "Someone will explain everything when we arrive," she reached out to softly take her hand. "It'll be a good place for you, I promise,"
She nodded unsurely, looking out the window as they drove through the country. What was going to happen?
The car came to a stop in the out of a forest, making Nova look up from her lap, taking in her surroundings. It looked like a normal pine forest, the trees stood lined up next to each other, flowers were growing by their roots; nothing but nature was to see in miles range.
"Here we are, darling," Jeanne looked at her daughter with a sorrowful look. "Let's see if we can find anyone,"
The branches and leaves made sounds under their shoes as they walked a bit into the forest.
Suddenly something bright came into their view as a young boy in armour came closer to them, looking hesitantly between them.
"Help us, please!" Leanne shouted out, making the boy look even more suspicious, "They're ... they're like you!" She gestured to the two children next to her, making Nova feel small.
"Are you sure?" the boy kept a safe distance to them.
"Yes." her voice sounded almost beggingly. "Can you please keep them safe?"
The boy nodded. "If they can come through the barrier, the camp will keep them safe,"
The woman turned to the two children, crouching down to their level. "Listen to me, loves," she took Nova's hand in her right one and Caster's in her left one. "I love you so very much, and you're coming home soon, I promise, but right now, the safest thing for you is to stay here,"
"I don't understand anything, mom," Nova looked at her with tear filled eyes. "Please don't leave us here,"
"This boy can explain everything, darling," she pulled her into tight hug. "I need to go now, but I love you so much,"
She pulled back to give the other twin a hug too before gently pushing them towards the boy, who took Nova's hand into his own, giving it a gently squeeze. Her little hand against the boy's larger one made her feel even smaller.
The older boy tried to take Castor's hand too, but the older twin didn't let him; instead, he started attacking him with questions while Nova just listened, trying her very best not to cry.
She watched as her mother turned around and made her way back to the car, not looking back once.
"What's you name, love?" When their mother was out of sight, the boy turned to her giving her a pitiful smile as he included her in the conversation.
"Nova," she looked at the ground, feeling overwhelmed by everything happening.
"Well, Nova," the boy started pulling on her hand, taking her further into the forest, following the trace of her twin brother who apparently had run along, as always ready for adventure and as always ready to abandon his sister.
"I'm Ronan, and I'll show you everything around here," he squeezed her hand again, trying to comfort the girl. "I'm sure you'll be happy to be here,"
author's note nova's actually one of my favourite ocs i've ever created and i'm so excited to write this ❤️❤️
