>>Hael (Age 11-13)

I walked out from the library with an aching in my chest. There was a feeling there, a strange feeling inside of me. I think it stemmed from seeing so many people but still being isolated.

It was an awful feeling. I didn't like it

I clenched my chest over my shirt.

I didn't like it at all. On my way out, I saw Ezio, he noticed me as well but he chose to ignore me. Ezio was neither good, nor bad with me, he just minded his own business, and that included ignoring me so that others wouldn't question him.

Helena did try to spend her time with me but since she was the Queen, she was busy most of the time.

I didn't try to go to my mother. Helena told me she needed space, so I gave her space. This is supposed to be like this, right? She'll get better.

I hope...

Maybe when she gets better, the other people here will get better too.

I went out of the palace to walk around when the kids approached me.

"Hey," The same boy who had thrown the ball at my face stopped me.

I did pause to look at the group

"Look," They all stared at me, in the years they hadn't seen me, I had grown up a little after all, "We want to play with you," Another one added in

"Yea," They all chimed in,

"Come with us,"

I blinked at them in confusion. They want to play with me? Why? They didn't like me because I was a half, so why now?

"Why?" I asked

"Because we were wrong," The boy said and the rest agreed

"The Queen told us to make up with you," Another one said

"Come on," The boy offered me his hand, "We have somewhere to take you."

I think I was happy because of this. Talking to people felt nicer than being all alone. And I wanted to take that opportunity. My mind chose the happier side of things and made me believe that perhaps better things were coming my way.

"Okay," I was about to take his hand when he removed it

???

"Come on," He said, gesturing to me to follow him and then he started running. I didn't get any time to think about what he did and ran after them.

Where were we going?

My feet pounded against the forest floor as I raced blindly through the underbrush. The voices of the kids faded, drowned out by the roar of my own heartbeat in my ears. I wanted to ask where we were going but part of me was also scared. I didn't want to lose what I had barely gotten.

We stopped at a cliff. There a late teenager stood there grumbling something.

"Hey Laila!" A girl called out to him, "We brought your fiance,"

???

Laila turned around to look at me, then a furious expression overcame her face.

Fiance? Who? Me?

Wait, what's a fiance?

"You!" Laila pointed at me, "Come here," She gestured to me to come over. I pointed at myself in confusion as I walked over.

And then, suddenly, I found myself standing on the edge of the cliff, the ground dropping away beneath me into a yawning abyss.

Oh, this doesn't look good.

"I don't know why the Queen thought about making us a pair, but I don't like you," I heard the giggles of the other kids.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I replied.

"What? The Queen didn't talk to you?"

"I shook my head at her,"

"Don't lie to me!" She got angry, "She talked to me about making us a pair, saying I'd be good for you!" Her anger rose, "Why do I have to be good for a human?!?!" I looked at the kids as I moved away from her and noticed them pointing fingers at me and whispering.

My heart fell. It was an immediate relation that they just wanted to lure me to Laila who was much older than them and make a fool out of me.

My breath caught in my throat as I stumbled to a halt, the realization of where I was. I was at the edge of the cliff

"..." I had no idea what to say to her. I had heard nothing about this whole thing.

"Why?" She grabbed my collar, "What did I do?"

"I don't know," I shook my head at her.

"It's because you're a half bastard." Laila pushed me off the cliff, "I'm never going to be with a halfie!"

Even when I was falling on the ground, my eyes remained on Laila as she looked down on me, watching me fall with an angry yet satisfied expression. She held no remorse for pushing me off the cliff.

The impact that came next was something I hadn't expected. As soon as I hit the surface of the water, the sharp rocks there pierced my shoulder brutally,

I yelled out in pain but that was muted by the water, the same time as the clear color of it began to dye red with my blood.

For a moment, I was lost in the darkness, the roar of the rushing currents drowning out the sound of my own panicked thoughts. And then, with a surge of desperation, I kicked against the water, my limbs flailing as I fought to reach the surface.

What was this? Why was I going through so much pain? What did I do? Every time something happens, I'm not even aware of the reason.

The darkness pressed in upon me from all sides, its suffocating embrace threatening to drag me down into the depths below. I struggled against the current, my chest burning with the need for air, my vision growing dim as the world spun out of control.

Maybe it's better if I stop trying. My brain is already suppressing so many of my emotions, I probably won't turn out normal. Or at least that's what the book I read said.

I stopped struggling and let myself fall

And then, just when I thought all hope was lost, a pair of strong arms wrapped around me from behind, pulling me upward with a strength born of desperation.

!!!!

She swam up with me and with a gasp of relief, I broke through the surface of the water, my lungs filling with sweet, precious air once more.

I clung to my savior, my aunt Helena, as she dragged me to the safety of the shore, her hands steady despite the urgency of the moment.

"Hael," She put me down on the ground, "Oh dear," She pressed my chest, forcing the water out of there, "Oh My! Are you alright!!?" I coughed the water out.

Then I coughed some more. Trying to move my body, I turned and stood on all four, puking the water out. Helena patted my back, then used some healing magic on me.

She kept patting me with the other hand till the point I was done, and started to breathe heavily. I looked at her, "Why did you help me?" I asked out of pure curiosity.

She looked at me in surprise, "Look, you're not my responsibility. Your mother needs to do something but since she isn't, I have no choice but to take responsibility for you."

"But aren't you my aunt?" I asked because she's technically my family but she says I'm not her responsibility?

"Yes, and I'm doing this because I'm your aunt-" I wanted to listen to her, but I couldn't because my body drifted me into a sleep-like state and I was unconscious before I knew it. Or perhaps I simply fainted because I didn't want to listen to excuses that would make me feel even worse.

***

My eyes opened groggily in the middle of the night. The moonlight was searing in from the open window of the bedroom. But I most likely woke up because of the voices outside my bedroom.

"He looks more and more like his father," It was my mother's voice, she was sobbing.

I sat up on the bed

"Hestia," I heard Helena's voice, "He takes after you, his hair, his eyes, his features! He taken them after you," I got off the bed and walked to the door

"But he grows like a human, and the older he gets, I see glimpses of his father in him," My mother answered and I opened the door just a crack to look at them.

"That's not his fault," Helena answered, she had her back to me while they both stood at the lounging space in the palace, their figures illuminated by the full moon.

"I can't," My mom shook her head as tears streamed down her face, "It's too hard for me, I can't look at him,"

"This is why everyone warned you," Helena said, "Even father told you not to fall for a human."

"I couldn't help it then!"

"And look where it brought you!" The Queen got angry, "Get your act together Hestia, he is your child!"

"No!" My mother fell to her knees, "He's his child!" She buried her face in her palms, "Everytime I look at him I'm reminded of Ernand," She sobbed.

"If you're that bent on it! Then might as well hand him over to his father!" Helena yelled and my mother froze.

She slowly raised her hand up to look at her sister, her tear stained face looked like it had found momentary enlightenment, "You're right," She smiled. It had been years since I last saw her smile.

"He shouldn't be here to begin with."