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Description
The table is wiped down as water rushes over the dirty dishes. The footsteps upstairs are clearly audible. The girl's eyes drift away from her tea, upwards, as does the man washing dishes. She tucks her hair behind her ear.
"Big brother," she says.
"Yes Jade?" he responds.
Three identical young girls tumble down the stairs, the only difference in their appearances are the styles of their black hair. The first one to come down has her hair tied up on a half ponytail, followed by her youngest sister with a braid, and then the middle child of the three sisters whose hair is cropped short as opposed to the other two's incredibly lengthy hair. They all run out the front door without saying anything. The girl sighs, staring at the door when it slams shut.
"It's hard to believe they're all ready almost 13," she says, returning her gaze to the teacup. "It's been 3 years already since they came under our care." Her thoughts have likely turned to the eldest sister of the triplets that just left, a dear friend of theirs who had raised the girls, and sacrificed her own life to protect them.
"What I find hard to believe is that someone as grown-up and mature as you is only three years older than them," he looks at her, standing there, swaying to some silent music in a memory long past.
"Big brother," she says again.
"Yes Jade?"
She is silent.
"Jade?"
"I'm scared big brother," her whisper is hollow. It carries through the large, now silent, house.
"I know you are," he says, continuing to wash the dishes. "But I told you that you don't have to be."
"What if I'm not strong enough?" she asks, her voice shakes, and her body begins to tremble.
"You aren't strong enough," he says bluntly. She winces. "But you will be, you have a lot of time."
"Big Brother."
"Yes Jade?" She turns the cup in her hands, a nervous habit she picked up as a child, when she was scolded for biting her nails and cracking her knuckles.
"Why have you been lying big brother?" He turns his head towards her. She closes her eyes, avoiding his gaze and trying to shut out something else in her head.
"What are you talking about?" His voice is peircing.
"She's always talking, she won't shut up! Why won't she shut up!" The crashing, shattering sound is deafening as the teacups falls to the floor. Large, wet, soapy hands clasp her around the head, and shakes her roughly. His hazel eyes lock with her bright, jade green ones.
"What has she been telling you!" he shouts. She starts crying. Her tears are a strange, milky white color, the sign that there is something else inside her, that she is not alone within her own head.
"She is saying that you don't love me, that you blame me for everything," she whimpers. "She is saying that nobody will ever believe me, that she is just a voice, and the others will just think I am insane. She is saying that you won't protect me when they try to lock me up, because you don't love me." Her tears soak her face, mixing with the soap and water.
"She's the liar Jade!" he shouts, still shaking her.
"Theo you're hurting me!" she screams. He freezes.
"I...I'm sorry little sister," he stutters, dropping his hands to her shoulders.
"I know you are big brother."
"She is a liar Jade, I will never let her hurt you, I'm sorry." He uses his thumb to wipe the milky tears from her cheeks.
"I'm sorry I listened to her big brother." The tears continue to stream down her cheeks, clear now.
"It's not your fault," he whispers.
"We're all we have left, aren't we big brother." She emanates an aura of sadness and downheartedness.
"Yeah, it's just us." She starts to cry again, so he holds her, stroking the back of her head. She stands perfectly still, the salty, clear tears streaming down her face.
"We won't be alone forever, one day our family will come back," she whispers after a while.
"That's right," he says, but she hears his lying tone.
"I love you big brother."
"I love you too Jade."
"Big brother?" she whispers.
"Yes Jade?"
"I'm still scared."
"I know, I am too."
Time passes, and as the weeks drag on, they torment them, something smiles in joy with every painful moment. But there is a happiness born that the girl is unaccustomed to, everything was somewhat good until...
"Theo!" the young woman screams, her voice breaks. The man falls to the ground with a thud. Chaos surrounds them, but to the woman is is a thousand miles away. She runs to him, screaming "Theo!" over and over again.
"Jade," he whispers as she kneels next to him. Crystal like tears run down her face.
"Don't die Theo," she sobs, reaching for the bloody wound on his side. "I can fix this." Weakly he grabs her wrist.
"No Jade," he starts, coughing, crimson liquid spraying from his mouth. The woman sets his head in her her lap, supporting him, stroking his dark brown hair.
"Please let me save you Theo," she cries again.
"And let you put your own life at risk, never. With very little strength he reaches up and tucks a stray strand of jet black hair behind her ear. "Poor Jade." He strokes her filth streaked cheek. "No 16 year old should be forced to carry the burden that our ancestors have placed upon you."
"No 19 year old should be forced to die like this!" she half-screams at him. The chaos continues, and the enemies who struck down the man still remain, but they hold themselves back in fear. "Don't leave me Theo, I can't be alone."
"You will never be alone," his failing voice manages to say. His hand strays to the block, crescent moon mark on her forehead.
"You said you wouldn't let her hurt me Theo," she whispers. "How can you protect me from her if you are dead?" His face falls for a moment, but then a weak smile crosses his lips.
"I never break my promises Jade." His arm falls to his side at last. He tries to say something, but he can only mouth it. She watches him carefully. "I...Love...You...Jade."
"Theo?" she pauses, listening. "Theo?" The rise and fall of his chest has stopped, his hazel eyes stare at her emptily, and that smile is forever plastered on his lips. "THEO!" Her voice rips across the battlefield that used to be their home. He does not answer anymore.
Finally the enemy approaches. The woman, her heart breaking, hears them.
"You killed him," she says, her voice is far away, she is lost to the pain inside her mind, she remains completely still, her eyes fixated on the man. She can hear the sound of metal swords being pulled from their sheaths, wolves and other dangerous animals growling, setting to attack. "You killed him!"
"We have come for you Lady Jade," one says. "We have come for you, vessel of our Queen Manahia."
"You killed Theo!" she screams. There is a silent, but deafening snap as the pressure drastically increases. The enemies are immobilized by the force exerted by this small, unmoving child.
"If you come with us nobody else has to get hurt," another one says, gesturing around them. "All of this can end right now, nobody else has to die." They act calm, but the truth is, fear has clamored into their stone hearts, and is strangling them alive. The most dangerous beings of this earth, are frightened by this lone young woman.
"It's far to late for that," she says, she can't look away from the body. "Why... why would I go with the bastards who killed the only man I can ever love?" Her voice is as cold, and as frightening as death itself. "It is too late for your petty promises, too late for your lies. The entire world can go to hell for all I care, you can kill them all but I will never submit to you." Something deep inside this frightening woman awakens, it's power is guarded by another force within her. But this force is weak to her wrath, and she pushes is aside and grabs the seed within herself. Her tears turn that milky white again, then slowly red.
She is engulfed in the white light of a power that is not her own, that belongs to someone else. The owner of this power is enraged, but is no match for this woman's subconscious. To just look upon this woman would most certainly mean death. For now Jade, last of the Elites, daughter of the moon, wields in anger the power that a thousand years past threatened to rip the world to pieces.

Description
The table is wiped down as water rushes over the dirty dishes. The footsteps upstairs are clearly audible. The girl's eyes drift away from her tea, upwards, as does the man washing dishes. She tucks her hair behind her ear.
"Big brother," she says.
"Yes Jade?" he responds.
Three identical young girls tumble down the stairs, the only difference in their appearances are the styles of their black hair. The first one to come down has her hair tied up on a half ponytail, followed by her youngest sister with a braid, and then the middle child of the three sisters whose hair is cropped short as opposed to the other two's incredibly lengthy hair. They all run out the front door without saying anything. The girl sighs, staring at the door when it slams shut.
"It's hard to believe they're all ready almost 13," she says, returning her gaze to the teacup. "It's been 3 years already since they came under our care." Her thoughts have likely turned to the eldest sister of the triplets that just left, a dear friend of theirs who had raised the girls, and sacrificed her own life to protect them.
"What I find hard to believe is that someone as grown-up and mature as you is only three years older than them," he looks at her, standing there, swaying to some silent music in a memory long past.
"Big brother," she says again.
"Yes Jade?"
She is silent.
"Jade?"
"I'm scared big brother," her whisper is hollow. It carries through the large, now silent, house.
"I know you are," he says, continuing to wash the dishes. "But I told you that you don't have to be."
"What if I'm not strong enough?" she asks, her voice shakes, and her body begins to tremble.
"You aren't strong enough," he says bluntly. She winces. "But you will be, you have a lot of time."
"Big Brother."
"Yes Jade?" She turns the cup in her hands, a nervous habit she picked up as a child, when she was scolded for biting her nails and cracking her knuckles.
"Why have you been lying big brother?" He turns his head towards her. She closes her eyes, avoiding his gaze and trying to shut out something else in her head.
"What are you talking about?" His voice is peircing.
"She's always talking, she won't shut up! Why won't she shut up!" The crashing, shattering sound is deafening as the teacups falls to the floor. Large, wet, soapy hands clasp her around the head, and shakes her roughly. His hazel eyes lock with her bright, jade green ones.
"What has she been telling you!" he shouts. She starts crying. Her tears are a strange, milky white color, the sign that there is something else inside her, that she is not alone within her own head.
"She is saying that you don't love me, that you blame me for everything," she whimpers. "She is saying that nobody will ever believe me, that she is just a voice, and the others will just think I am insane. She is saying that you won't protect me when they try to lock me up, because you don't love me." Her tears soak her face, mixing with the soap and water.
"She's the liar Jade!" he shouts, still shaking her.
"Theo you're hurting me!" she screams. He freezes.
"I...I'm sorry little sister," he stutters, dropping his hands to her shoulders.
"I know you are big brother."
"She is a liar Jade, I will never let her hurt you, I'm sorry." He uses his thumb to wipe the milky tears from her cheeks.
"I'm sorry I listened to her big brother." The tears continue to stream down her cheeks, clear now.
"It's not your fault," he whispers.
"We're all we have left, aren't we big brother." She emanates an aura of sadness and downheartedness.
"Yeah, it's just us." She starts to cry again, so he holds her, stroking the back of her head. She stands perfectly still, the salty, clear tears streaming down her face.
"We won't be alone forever, one day our family will come back," she whispers after a while.
"That's right," he says, but she hears his lying tone.
"I love you big brother."
"I love you too Jade."
"Big brother?" she whispers.
"Yes Jade?"
"I'm still scared."
"I know, I am too."
Time passes, and as the weeks drag on, they torment them, something smiles in joy with every painful moment. But there is a happiness born that the girl is unaccustomed to, everything was somewhat good until...
"Theo!" the young woman screams, her voice breaks. The man falls to the ground with a thud. Chaos surrounds them, but to the woman is is a thousand miles away. She runs to him, screaming "Theo!" over and over again.
"Jade," he whispers as she kneels next to him. Crystal like tears run down her face.
"Don't die Theo," she sobs, reaching for the bloody wound on his side. "I can fix this." Weakly he grabs her wrist.
"No Jade," he starts, coughing, crimson liquid spraying from his mouth. The woman sets his head in her her lap, supporting him, stroking his dark brown hair.
"Please let me save you Theo," she cries again.
"And let you put your own life at risk, never. With very little strength he reaches up and tucks a stray strand of jet black hair behind her ear. "Poor Jade." He strokes her filth streaked cheek. "No 16 year old should be forced to carry the burden that our ancestors have placed upon you."
"No 19 year old should be forced to die like this!" she half-screams at him. The chaos continues, and the enemies who struck down the man still remain, but they hold themselves back in fear. "Don't leave me Theo, I can't be alone."
"You will never be alone," his failing voice manages to say. His hand strays to the block, crescent moon mark on her forehead.
"You said you wouldn't let her hurt me Theo," she whispers. "How can you protect me from her if you are dead?" His face falls for a moment, but then a weak smile crosses his lips.
"I never break my promises Jade." His arm falls to his side at last. He tries to say something, but he can only mouth it. She watches him carefully. "I...Love...You...Jade."
"Theo?" she pauses, listening. "Theo?" The rise and fall of his chest has stopped, his hazel eyes stare at her emptily, and that smile is forever plastered on his lips. "THEO!" Her voice rips across the battlefield that used to be their home. He does not answer anymore.
Finally the enemy approaches. The woman, her heart breaking, hears them.
"You killed him," she says, her voice is far away, she is lost to the pain inside her mind, she remains completely still, her eyes fixated on the man. She can hear the sound of metal swords being pulled from their sheaths, wolves and other dangerous animals growling, setting to attack. "You killed him!"
"We have come for you Lady Jade," one says. "We have come for you, vessel of our Queen Manahia."
"You killed Theo!" she screams. There is a silent, but deafening snap as the pressure drastically increases. The enemies are immobilized by the force exerted by this small, unmoving child.
"If you come with us nobody else has to get hurt," another one says, gesturing around them. "All of this can end right now, nobody else has to die." They act calm, but the truth is, fear has clamored into their stone hearts, and is strangling them alive. The most dangerous beings of this earth, are frightened by this lone young woman.
"It's far to late for that," she says, she can't look away from the body. "Why... why would I go with the bastards who killed the only man I can ever love?" Her voice is as cold, and as frightening as death itself. "It is too late for your petty promises, too late for your lies. The entire world can go to hell for all I care, you can kill them all but I will never submit to you." Something deep inside this frightening woman awakens, it's power is guarded by another force within her. But this force is weak to her wrath, and she pushes is aside and grabs the seed within herself. Her tears turn that milky white again, then slowly red.
She is engulfed in the white light of a power that is not her own, that belongs to someone else. The owner of this power is enraged, but is no match for this woman's subconscious. To just look upon this woman would most certainly mean death. For now Jade, last of the Elites, daughter of the moon, wields in anger the power that a thousand years past threatened to rip the world to pieces.