Thrill of the Hunt *Obi x OC* (COMPLETE)

Viva la Pluto

Chapter 13: Viva la Pluto

 "In the locket is a little girl with brown hair, her hair tied up in pigtails with blue flowers weaved into them. Her eyes are a deep beautiful blue and she's wearing a flowery dress. That's the picture in the locket right?" He nods. "That's my daughter, Nemi Leone. That's all I have left of her."

Obi slowly releases my hand as my words fade out. He's staring at me in shock, that much I can tell but I can't tear my eyes away from the locket. It feels like I'm moving in slow motion as I bring the locket to my chest and hold it. Now that I have it, I'm never letting it go again. I open it and smile softly at the picture of the little girl inside. It took a lot of searching to find someone capable of doing her picture for me this small. I paid so much for this painting to be done but I got it.

"Y-Your daughter? There's no way." He finally stutters out.

"She would have been six this year." I mumble.

"You definitely don't look old enough to have had a child six years ago."

"Looks don't matter. If your body hits maturity, whether you want it or not if a man has his way with you there's a chance a baby will come out of it. It definitely wasn't in my life plan but despite what her father did I wasn't going to punish her for it."

"You barely look eighteen though..." I don't think he's processing this very well.

"I'm twenty. I was about to turn fifteen when she was born, fourteen when she was conceived."

"Her father-?"

"Was twenty-five and a horrible man... I wasn't willing. It was the worst day of my life. She was the only good that came from it."

"What happened to her?"

I don't answer him as I put the locket back in it's rightful place around my neck.

"Bad things happen to good people." I hum as I get to my feet. "As much as I'd love to stay and tell you more of my dead child, I must be on my way."

"Wait-" He starts but I jump up into the nearest tree and quickly try to put as much distance between us as possible.

I realize that I've left my sword behind a few hours later, but it's replaceable. The only thing I need is my locket. I just want to go home and hide away in peace and forget about everything.

I stop short in one of the trees as I feel a familiar tug, like I know the area. I can't tell from up here why though. Even with the early dawn light, it's still a bit dark. I move to the edge of the trees before dropping down into the clearing. My eyes widen as I stare at the remains of a small old cottage almost completely hidden under vines and foliage. The rose bushes under the front windows have grown up to cover them completely and the little bird bath in the yard is now growing plants and grass. I pull my mask off and let it hit the ground as I wipe at my face. I haven't been here in three years... not since... I find myself stepping forward, following the overgrown remains of the stone path to the door. I painted it blue since it was Nemi's favorite color at the time, same with the shutters on the windows. They've fallen off now, lost in the roses.

The door sticks but I manage to get it open and I step inside. Everything is covered in thick layers of dust but none of it seems to have changed from the day I left. The windows stayed closed and in tact so no plants or animals seem to have gotten through to damage anything. On the floor by the couch is a pile of wooden blocks painted in bright colors where she played, her stuffed bear lying on its side on the center cushion so he could watch her stack the blocks. The book I'd been reading is on the side table to the left. I walk into the kitchen and my eyes fall on the sheets of paper and the colored wax sticks she used to draw with on the table. The sticks have melted and re-hardened over the years, leaving a small mess but I can still see the little squiggles on the page. The purple one was me, the pink one was her. The dishes I'd just washed are still on a towel on the countertop where I left them from our breakfast that morning. It's like we were seriously frozen inside. If I went into the bedroom, I'd find my bed still unmade, an over-sized white shirt draped over the chair in the corner, and a basket of what used to be freshly dried laundry sitting at the foot of the bed for me to fold and put away. Nemi's room would have her bed unmade, her blanket stretched across the floor like it was every morning, her favorite pink pajamas wadded up in the floor by the dresser since she knew how to dress herself. The second drawer would still be open since she hadn't been able to reach it properly to close. Her stuffed animals would be in a large circle on the floor, lined up with the rug I'd made for her out of old shirts. She would sit in the center with a book and would read to them, though she herself didn't know how to read. In the middle of that rug would be a large, dark red stain that also covered the book that was in her lap. There would be dark red footprints and smears leading away from the large stain and fingerprints on the door frame where I'd fought to not be dragged away. My screams would be echoing through the room as she took her last breath. I would see myself sobbing as I held her a few torture filled hours later. I never got to hold her and tell her that it would be okay. I wasn't the last thing she saw as she left this world behind.