The Shooting Star

2. Sanctuary

Averines eyes opened for just a moment, and she saw a face. They had glasses, and their eyes were a soft shade of blue. She felt herself being lifted off the snow, but she passed out not long after.

「 Don't you think he's getting too old for this kind of stuff? Letting him play with dolls as a baby is passable, but he's nearly 10 years old. 」

A distant voice...it sounded clouded and distorted...it felt like she was listening through a clogged speaker.

‪【 I detest it. However if it's what he wants to do then let him do it. Half of his childhood was practically spent in a cage after all, not like it was his fault.‪ 】‬

Another distorted voice...it sounded familiar. She couldn't do anything but glance at their clouded faces. It felt like she was nothing more than a spectator for the moment.

‪【 Make sure he's back in his...room within the next three hours. I want these test runs to be over with.‪ 】‬

「 Whatever you say, sis.」

That voice...was becoming more recognizable, and it sounded like Marie. It made her wonder if she heard the voice of her Mother...even for just a moment. Why couldn't she remember her face? Has it truly been that long?

Before Averine could think any further, she felt a warmth over her body as her eyes slowly opened. She stared at the ceiling...and struggled to think at all. Her head was pounding, and her entire body felt sore.

Before she could try to process what was happening, a door creaked open. Averines' glance turned over, and she saw an older woman at the entrance, and she held a bowl of what could be soup. The woman looked similar to who she saw before she passed out.

༻Oh you're awake! I thought you weren't going to make it for a second there!༺

Her voice was soft...and didn't have a trace of malice. It was reassuring.

Averine tried to move her body, but struggled to do so. Even trying to move her finger hurt too much at the moment.

༻Sorry about not getting the placements perfect. I'm used to having a bunch of hospital grade stuff, a lot of it was more or less makeshift. I did what I could from here, but that did leave me using a lot more stitches and bandages then usual.༺

Averine couldn't look down, but felt the tightening on the adhesive and bandages. She felt like a mummy.

❝...t-thank you... ❞

Averines voice was quiet and weak, yet the womans' smile seemed to brighten at her response.

༻Oh it's no problem at all! You're always keeping us safe, it's the least I could do. You can call me Patricia, but Pattie is okay too!༺

❝ May I ask...where I am? ❞

Averines voice was healing rather fast. It seems like she recovers a little faster then one usually would.

༻I brought you to my home! My daughter wanted to be the one to carry you but she ended up doing something different. There were two of you but the other one's wounds seemed...a little too extreme for me to handle. While I carried you back, they gave her a proper burial. I'm sorry if it was someone important...༺

Patricia scooted onto the bed, and rubbed Averines head. Her tone shifted from excitement to sympathetic.

❝...she used to be. Don't feel bad about it though, I'm sure it's not what she would want. ❞

A small, shaky smile came from Averine as she felt Patricia's hand. It was a touch of comfort, and that's all Averine wanted right now.

༻Oh...I see...༺

Patricia nervously chuckled, and glanced over at the soup she brought in.

༻Would you like something to eat? I can't imagine you wouldn't be hungry after having so many scars on you. ༺

Patricia grabbed the soup bowl and held it in her lap. She then dipped a spoon in and out, slowly bringing it to Averines mouth.

༻Now say Ah. It doesn't taste bad I pinky promise.༺

With a light blush across her face, Averine reluctantly opened her mouth and tasted the soup. It was flat out delicious...and made her shaky smile even bigger.

༻There you are, it'll help you get big and strong again!༺

Averines smile was slowly returning, as she listened to Pattie speak. She appreciated the hospitality, even if it wasn't exactly demanded from Pattie.

They continued the pattern of soup-feeding until the bowl was empty. It was no secret that Averine heavily enjoyed the food.

༻Wonderful job! You're getting better by the second! Now get some rest and I'll be back in a bit okay?༺

Averine tilted her head at her words... but she was gone faster than she could be questioned. Averine took the quiet to recollect her dream.

Whose voice was she hearing..? She has aunties... or just friends..? Averine didn't want to believe it was her mom, and was doing her best to avoid accepting it. She tried so hard...that she ended up drifting off.

Healing seemed to be tiring.

A small moment passed, and Averine awoke yet again. She attempted to move her body, and it didn't hurt as much. It was enough to be able to walk off, which she was happy to do. Averine scooted off the bed, and stood next to it. She almost fell onto the floor, but quickly caught herself. The room she was in had a comforting style to it, like she was in a room made for fairies or some sort of forest creature. After a small amount of glancing, she spotted a small note on the table. It read:

༻Had to step out for a moment! Feel free to try on any clothes you find here, as a welcoming present! -Patricia༺

Averine looked under the note, and sure enough there were several different cabinets on the table it rested on. Shirts, pants, skirts, leggings, it felt like every option was available. She picked out several outfits to try on, and began to remove the clothes she already had on. Each outfit had the same colors, simply different patterns and articles of clothing. Averine was obsessed with pink and white.

While she was changing, she went into her head yet again. She was thinking about several things at once, from her past to what to do now. It seemed like Patricia recognized who she was, and it felt nice to be appreciated for her efforts. Fighting off so many threats and villains did get exhausting sometimes. Since she was lost in thought, Averine began to change her clothes slower and slower.

While Averine was absorbed in her thoughts, the same door from before creeped open again.

˗ˋˏ°• Hey Pattie, do you know if we have anymore of those chicken pa- •°ˎˊ˗

The person that walked in immediately froze when she saw Averine with only a bra on, and a skirt to cover her lower half. Thankfully the bandages covered most of her body, but bits and pieces were still visable. Averine snapped back from her thoughts, and her glance shifted over to the green haired person. Their eyes were a pretty Hazel, and their figure was a mix between masculine and feminine. They both froze and simply stared at each other, and after a small moment they both began blushing.

˗ˋˏ°• ...sorry for...uhm...walking in... •°ˎˊ˗

They stuttered over their words, and slowly stepped back out of the room. They closed the door as they exited, and left Averine to herself yet again.

❝...pretty.. ❞

Averine whispered as she glanced down again, as she continued to put on her clothes. Maybe she'll make a new friend when she's done, if they're up for it.