THE STAR'S DYNASTY

A SCARRY NIGHT

Nebula's Memories pt. 2

TWs

“Late today? Where have you been, kid?” demanded Crudelis Donovan or she called him 'Fatty Crude', her so-called father.

Crude wasn't actually fat, he's only big and muscular with belly that doesn't match his arms. He held a black glass bottle; his face burning red and his eyes seemed tired from obviously not working. Rigel also caught some unpleasant smell that was coming from him. Drunk. That was what she could figure out. She was done with everything he did to her when he was in that state. Taking some careful steps up to her room, Rigel walked slowly while Crude taking a short nap on the couch.

“Hey! Answer me!” said Fatty Crude thickly. But Rigel haven't got a word for it. She just didn't want to talk about it. So she remained silent and made her way quickly upstairs.

Her bedroom wasn't really a place that can be called as 'bedroom'. Because there was no bed. It actually used to be a store which both of Crude nor Julie wanted to use it anymore. Rigel put down her bag and lying on a thin old mattress that was put in the middle of the room.

It was such an exhausting day, at least to her with all of the things happened. She couldn't help but still thinking about those freaking men. Was it because of their utterly weird clothes but somehow familiar? They knew her name and was searching for her. If what the Donovans told her was true, they wouldn't even care about her live-dead matter.

And again she all of those nightmare came to haunt her. It was comfortingly hurt even it made her happier for a while. Rigel knew it was only a dream but that was the happiest she ever had. Too drawn in her delusions, her eyelids was getting heavy and heavier then she was deep asleep.

Salty air came to her sense, sound of waves knocking hard against rocks, trees on mountain flapping in the strong wind. A tall enormous building stood on top of the hill rocks in the middle of endless wide ocean. About hundreds of gruesome creatures in robes were sliding around the building, guarding it.

The dream changed, Rigel was in a dark place with the same intense vibes as in the previous dream. A broken dusty window on the side, she caught a glimpse of a black robes sliding with a whoosh. She felt stomach twisted, Rigel realised she was in the building she saw just now.

Out of nowhere, she heard a scratching noise echoed across the room. Rigel was completely taken aback by a dark-haired woman wore black white stripe robe sat with her back to Rigel. She was doing some four lines and a longer line cut across it on the wall. It looked like she was counting or kind of like that. There's no mistaken this place is a prison. It was obvious from the stripe robes, the steel door and people screaming in distant begging to get release. She may have never been to anywhere before, but she was pretty sure that she never read about a prison built on an endless sea.

The woman was muttering something remorsely. Was it hallucination? She just heard her own name. If she thought about it again, it could've been someone else's name or she must be misheard it. The mutters was interupted with sobbed, then Rigel felt herself walking toward the woman. As near as she got, she could hear something like “I'm sorry,” but to whom she was sorry for?

There was some dates, written with something red. Rigel caught '27 January, 11'. The same date as her birthday. What a coincidence that she will turn eleven this winter too. Rigel looked around the prison and it seemed that her bedroom was a paradise compared to this.

Looking at this poor prisoner, she wondered what kind of crime she did. It must be some highly offense crimes or else why did they got her locked up with the steel door instead of the usual one? She looked very thin and unkempt. Her robes seemed never to have been changed since she get arrested and her hair was also dry as if it hadn't been washed in decades. Has any of her family pay a visit? How about her loved ones? Is this criminal have someone on her mind that she genuinely care about?

Rigel suddenly got this urge where she wanted to hug this woman; this stranger. Somehow she understand it really well how does that feel to be caged in a horrible place. Though she must admit she chose to live here rather than with Donovans honestly. Rigel's hand was nearly reach the woman when she woke with a start.

“Wake up kid!” her foster mother, Julie Donovan knocking on the door with a loud bang. Rigel was back in her room, it was dark and sun was nowhere to be seen. Grey clouds ahead marched along with the cold wind. Maybe it was nearly dusk, just it almost raining.

Rigel wiped her sweaty face with the hem of her school uniform – she wiped it even more roughly when she was disgusted with that actual tears. Will this be her new nightmare that is going to haunt her every night? Rigel reminded herself how the dreams felt utterly real, like she could even felt the wind and smelled the salty air.

Scarred

After done with bath, Rigel saw the chocolate bar and her report card othe study table. Miss Wilkins asked her pupils to get their parents to sign it. But Crude or Julie wouldn't do it, she knew. Not that Rigel care if they didn't want to. Her marks was good enough, there's no need for them to approve it. Rigel heard Julie yelled her name to get downstairs, but no. It wasn't a dinner call. It must be Julie wanted Rigel to iron her husband work shirt. It's like was really Crude going to work for night shift, while Rigel wholeheartedly swear that the Crude jerk didn't going anywhere than places to waste on Julie's money. Like maybe some places for alcohol, drugs and gambling. Rigel kicked the study table in rage and slammed the door hardly behind her.

“Faster! I already heated the iron,” said Julie.

Her cheeks grew hot as she tried calming herself down from anger. Rigel passed a big photo frame, when a sound of cracking glass echoed behind her. She turned to see Mrs. Donovan's large photo frame was on the floor, the shattered glass everywhere. Her heart gave a deadly pump, again. She looked around but there was nothing to see but empty corridor. Rigel heard footsteps coming and knew she was dead.

"What is that sound?! What -" Mrs. Donovan came, frightened at the destroyed painting.

"You little—" she ranted, her eyes bulged out.

"That wasn't me! I swear!" before Rigel could even explain furthermore, Mrs. Donovan grasped a handful amount of her hair and slammed her head onto the wall. Rigel's vision went blurred, her head spinning crazily that she wanted threw up so bad.

"WHAT A WASTE TO RAISE YOU!" she jeered behind Rigel who was held the pain back in her head.

"Did I ask you to?" she heard herself talking back in a slow, weak voice.

"This is why your own family didn't want you, it must be that freak ability of yours. You see? NOBODY WANTS YOU!"

"KILL ME THEN!" Rigel shouted. She felt a stabbing pain in her chest.

I didn't want myself either.

Through her blurry vision, Rigel saw Mr. Donovan emerged from the downstairs holding the black glass bottle. She couldn't figured out much of his expression but clearly it wasn't good.

"What all of this ruckus is?" half asleep, face red from drunk – he loosened his belt and took it off.

She knew what was going to be. Rigel got on her feet and ran to her room. But even before she could lock the door he already pushed it open and with his extraordinary energy, it made Rigel thrown away on the floor. A jarring blast of lightning sent to her brain. Rigel wondered the bone was finally cracked after it got whip for millions time. But this time it was really hurt, she couldn't feel the pain normally as though it were numb. Rigel couldn't think of fighting back for now. The pain in her head, her back was shot up like fire. She just wanted to die right now so this could end very soon. Don't cry. Don't cry. Rigel kept telling to herself. The big man in front of her raised the glass bottle and before she could realized what happened, her head burst open as warm thick liquid trickled down from her sweaty forehead to her cheek. She cursed herself for being too weak and everyone for being a jerk silently. Mourning, about how fragile and vulnerable she was – wondered how these little, powerless hands could fight. Humiliated by the weakness she has.

The man grabbed her right hand; dragging her along the corridor. He threw Rigel down the stairs as the familiar jarring pain flew through the nerves but somehow with the balanced energy she could still clinging to the stair holder. Rigel wanted to ran outside, to the opened place; maybe somebody could help even that was impossible. She remember there were no neighbors nearby.

Without warning, a force from Crude's kick pressed against her belly made her stumbled upon the staircases. The pain was so intense, so all-consuming that she forgot where she was or what happened. All she could do was holding her belly with the bloody hands; writhing and wincing, begging the time to pass faster, begging the death to take her any time now.

The pain was like fire burning her legs. She winced. It blew up in her head with a terrifying blankness. It was nauseating. She started to quiver. The leather belt grasping at her throat, pulled her back firmly. As Rigel was gulping and gasping for air, she clawed her fingers at the belt uselessly and used her last breath to scream for help as though anyone would hear. Not seconds after Rigel was free from the strangle, she had been hit on the face and other part of her body mercilessly. For a moment the world became dark, the pain reached her brain faster than lightning bolt that even it was physical, her head was surely going to burst. Blood was everywhere on the floor and her school uniform which wasn't white anymore. Rigel was coughing more blood with the dried throat as her hands appeared bloodier than ever.

"YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT! WHO'S GOING TO CLEAN THESE UP!?" Julie shouted as she sprinted to her room then came back with what it looks like, an iron. The thing was heated, the steam vapored around the metal. Closing her eyes with fear, her left chest and bruised skin burned with numbing, excruciating pain. Rigel was screaming so loud than she ever was in her life. She couldn't feel the left side of the body anymore and the right part was in unimaginable agony. The pain made her head exploded with a blinding whiteness. It made her dizzy, like millions of poisoned needles jammed through the veins. Her chest moved up and down rapidly, tried gasping for some oxygen.

"GET OUT!" the woman yelled. Losing balance, Rigel scrambled away slowly out of the house. She walked aimlessly to an endless darkness. A sense of humiliation, anger and despair enveloped her. Hating and blaming herself for everything that happened. Even the world seemed to agree with her when startling thunder rumbling uphead deafened her ears, wind rushing across the wheat field. Then Rigel regretted her decision, but it was too late now, the door could never be open for her. She yelped as another thunder shook the ground. It was dark, cold and she was all alone. Rigel has nowhere to go nor has anyone to help. She kept walking on her weak shoeless feet, her body was shaking in agony. Brought nothing to live but the burning sensation on her left chest, the pain down in her spine, the injured head and some other unrecognized part.

Supernova

Tears trickling down her cheeks as she felt the familiar throbbing pain and her cheek grew hot although it was freezing outside. Rain started to pouring down as she sat near a lake, under some shrubs. She stared blankly at the lake and heard it called her name. It was luring her to went down there. Even with the strong wind pushed her aside, Rigel still approached the edge of the lake. But she was utterly tired, Rigel couldn't stand the pain anymore then she felt her belly squirmed, next moment she found her stomach's contents all over the ground. The world went darker once again, only became aware when her waistdown numb and freezing with icy water and nearly drowned herself in the river right now. She accepted it. Just some more steps, then all of this will be over. Beside, no one care and no one's going to know that she's already dead.

Rigel sobbed. The dreams flashed before her eyes; the man who held little Rigel dearly in his arms, the woman who was whispering nice words into her ears and people laughing merrily in the background. Rigel smiled, glad that she used to be loved, happy that she was once her parents' child. Breathing heavily, her mouth wet with blood and water. Tears welled in her eyes socket, letting out all. Rigel rarely crying, because for her, it symbolised weakness and she hates being weak.

No one's here, it's alright.

A voice told in her head. Rigel couldn't breath properly, even exhale and inhale was all painful to do. Rigel could see the surface. The reflected light got farther and farther away. Her vision faded, and life was slipping away from her body. The air leave her lungs as water replaced its place. Her head was finally became a peaceful place, Rigel never felt this calm before.

“I’m sorry.” Her last thought before everything went completely dark.