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yourdeepestfathoms · 4 years ago

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The Suicide Queen (part two)

[Ice Skater AU]

Part 1

The Sixtended characters that cameo in this chapter belong to: Mary Boleyn- @marygrey, Meg Tudor- @me-tizi, Jane Parker- @altairtalisman, Christina of Denmark- @the-queen-of-the-castle, Anya Askew- @thenicestnonbinary, Anne Parr- @inquisitive-mess

TW: Referenced self harm

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Bessie’s eyes were stinging when she woke up that morning. She groaned, draping an arm over her face, and knew it was going to be one of those days.

She hauled herself out of bed and gazed around her small dorm room. She always thought it was rather dull compared to some of the others she had seen, simply having a bunk bed with a black couch underneath it, a desk, a single shelf for her belongings, and a venus fly trap that she took care of better than she took care of herself. Thick grey blackout curtains were drawn tightly over the single window; she preferred to use light from the lamp sitting nearby or the fairy lights strung across her ceiling. She never turned on the overhead fluorescents if she didn’t have to.

On her way down from her bunk bed, Bessie stumbled on the last rung of the ladder and nearly hit her head against the wall directly behind her. She wished she had. She longed for her skull to shatter and for her brains to ooze out, signaling that she was no more in this horrible world.

Her bare feet sunk into the fluffy white carpet in front of her couch. The softness brought on an odd sense of comfort and she sighed softly.

“Another day,” She said to the taxidermy crow sitting on her desk.

She wondered if the reason why nobody liked coming into her room was because of all the vulture culture stuff she had. Her shelf was full of various animal skulls and bones, she had a bottle full of fangs, a jar with peacock feathers sticking out of it, and even a real kangaroo fur she bought from an antique store hanging up on the wall. A lot of people found it creepy and ‘cruel’, but she found it all fascinating.

After watering her venus fly trap, which she had named Jackie, she grabbed some fresh clothes and her shower supplies and stepped out into the hallway.

Her dorm building was notorious for its decorations during the holidays. It was always set up, regardless of what season it was. Right now, black and orange fairy lights were suspended across the ceiling, with little rubber bats and spiders hanging freely, signaling Halloween. There were even a few skeletons and zombies standing around in the corners, which never failed to scare the absolute shit out of Bessie when she got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

Several girls were already awake and mulling around, getting ready for the day. Mary Boleyn and Meg Tudor were chatting loudly outside Mary’s dorm room, talking about something some idiot said in their political science class. Margaret Dymoke was waiting impatiently outside of Christina of Denmark’s room, yelling at her to ‘hurry her ass up.’ Jane Popincourt was whisking out of the bathroom, shamelessly swathed in a pure white robe. Bessie shuffled past her with her head down and entered the bathroom.

Along with Jane Parker and Anne Parr, The Beast was there to greet her inside.

“Good morning, darling,” It said from the reflection of the mirror.

Bessie used to have a mirror in her room. She had to get rid of it after she punched it while having a mental breakdown and shattered the entire thing. She remembered all the heads peeking out of the other rooms as she walked the broken thing to the dumpster outside.

Bessie felt Jane and Anne’s eyes on her as she trudged into one of the open showers. Their conversation resumed after she turned on the faucet, thinking the sputtering of the showerhead would drown out their words, but Bessie could still faintly hear them.

“…She’s so weird.”

“…Yeah. I’m surprised the counselor hasn’t called her in yet.”

“…They haven’t already? Damn. I thought literally everyone telling them about how she cries herself to sleep at night would be enough.”

“…Clearly it’s not. I kinda feel bad for her.”

“…Yeah, me too.”

Their gossiping whispers disappeared as they seemed to exit the bathroom, and Bessie was left in silence once again.

But only for a moment.

“You wanted attention, didn’t you?” Said The Beast. Even with the spraying water, Bessie could still hear it so clearly. Probably because its voice came from inside her head, and it wouldn’t quiet down no matter how hard she covered her ears.

“Not like this,” Bessie muttered. She stared down at her naked body, at the slimness of her sides, at the sunkenness of her stomach, at the cuts marring her stomach and thighs. She splayed her hands open in front of her and looked at the scoring on her wrists, the point system of her constant losing battles. She clenched her fists.

“Be grateful,” Said The Beast. “They could ignore you. And don’t say you would want that because I know how you react to being shunned.” Even though she couldn’t see it behind the curtain, Bessie knew it was smirking. “You would be alone with me.”

Bessie grit her teeth. “Shut up.”

She roughly grabbed a bottle of vanilla milk and papaya shampoo and squirted way too much into her hand. She began scrubbing it violently into her hair, making sure to rake her nails down her scalp so she could feel the pain.

Hey, at least she was bathing. Her hair had been a greasy mess for about two weeks now.

“They can ignore you, but you can’t ignore me,” The Beast said. “I’ll always be here, darling. I’m your best friend. I’m your only friend.”

“Shut up!” Bessie yelled, yanking back the shower curtain and flinging the shampoo bottle at the mirror The Beast was reflected in. At the same time, Anya Askew entered the bathroom with her showering supplies and gave Bessie an extremely confused and concerned look.

Bessie jerked the curtain back so only her head and shoulders could be seen. “Umm-- S-sorry, I was--” She glanced at the mirror, and Anya’s eyes followed, but she knew she couldn’t see The Beast smirking in the glass. “Thought I saw a spider! G-guess I was wrong! S-sorry!” She wrenched the curtain shut completely and backed up against the wall, covering her face with her hands.

“I don’t even need to ruin your life,” The Beast said, sounding like it was right behind her. “You do it for me. You make my job so easy.”

Bessie squeezed her eyes shut, feeling a few tears stream free. She sniffled and swiped them away quickly. She couldn’t cry this early in the day. She needed to retain some shred of dignity.

Turning her attention back to the shower, Bessie began scrubbing her body with apple-scented soap, wincing when any open cuts on her skin stung in reaction to the chemicals. The scars, those that hadn’t scabbed over yet, were still gooey and red, the flesh around their edges white and puckered from the water. The faint paint they caused brought a dull sense of clarity within Bessie.

God. How much more of a freak could she be? Was she some kind of masochist or something?

No… No, she only liked pain when it was self-inflicted. She didn’t like when it was put upon her by someone else. He proved that.

She shook her head, sending a scatter of water droplets flying throughout the small space. She twisted underneath the hot water, washing off all the soaps and suds still clinging to her frame.

She was clean once again.

“Or as clean as a teenage whore could be…”

Bessie just barely managed to bite back a yell, remembering that Anya was still in there with her. So, instead, she just closed her eyes and breathed out heavily.

After drying herself off and wriggling into her clothes for the day- grey sweatpants and a plain black sweater- Bessie stepped out into the rest of the bathroom. Even with the mirror completely fogged up, she could still see The Beast’s red eyes glinting at her hungrily as she walked to one of the sinks.

“You’re beautiful,” The Beast cooed, materializing in the mirror over the sink she was using.

“Shut up.” Bessie growled, thinking that Anya couldn’t hear her because of the running water.

“I’m just complimenting you,” The Beast said innocently. “You should thank me.”

Bessie glared down at the sink as she began brushing her teeth with so much force her gums began to bleed. She spit bloody toothpaste foam into the drain before washing it out, gathering her things, and storming out of the bathroom. She faintly heard The Beast chuckling deeply before the door shut.

Once back in her door room, Bessie put her showering supplies back in their place and set her pajamas on the couch for later. She brushed out her long black hair, not caring if it was dripping wet, and then gathered her school supplies, put on her glasses, and left the dorm building.

Upon stepping outside, Bessie’s glasses instantly fogged up. She took them off while walking forward, wiping away the cloudiness until they were clear again. She put them back on and saw a black truck sitting by the curb.

Bessie froze.

All the dorm buildings on Princeton University were further away from the main campus, fenced in by brick walls and a gothic-looking gate. That meant that, unless Bessie wanted to try and scale the walls, she only had one way out. And she would have to pass the truck to do that.

Gathering up all her courage, Bessie began striding towards the gate. There were kids already outside in the courtyard, surely He wouldn’t try anything…

Her confidence disappeared completely when she crossed the threshold, and Bessie fought the urge to turn and run back to the safety of her dorm. She bit her lip, willing herself not to cry as she walked by the truck. The windows were so tinted that she couldn’t see inside, but she knew He was looking back at her.

The truck rumbled to life upon her crossing the street. Bessie didn’t run, knowing that running would only make Him chase her. Maybe He would just go away if she moved slowly and acted like she didn’t care…

A tear ran down her cheek as the truck began rolling along behind her. She turned sharply and walked up a short flight of stairs that led up the curve of a small hill. Princeton University’s sprawling, plant-filled campus was then stretched out to her, but not even its thriving beauty could calm her nerves.

Bessie walked faster, keeping her head down. She knew she should be monitoring the truck, but she didn’t want to look at it. She didn’t want to risk seeing Him.

She tried to distract herself by looking around. The lush, healthy emerald green grass was sprinkled with early morning snow, glinting softly in the pale light slipping down from the blanket of grey clouds in the sky. It was too dull for shadows to be cast, and yet a dark shade grew from her feet and smiled at her wickedly.

“Come to me, darling,” The Beast said.

Bessie jerked sideways and ran right into someone without even realizing it. She heard a grunt and instantly tottered backwards, apologies spilling from her lips.

“Sorry! I’m so sorry! I-I wasn’t watching where I was going!” Please don’t hurt me…

The person she had rudely bummed into stepped back, blinking brown eyes that were so dark they looked like pieces of ebony infused in their skull. Bessie realized it was a woman a year or two older than her, and she was the most beautiful person she had ever laid eyes on.

Internalized homophobia had always been one of the many problems Bessie had, but not even THAT could disagree that this was the most gorgeous human being to ever grace the earth.

She was a dark-skinned woman, tall and muscular, looking like she was capable of crushing Bessie’s skull between her thighs like it was a watermelon, and Bessie found herself longing for that to happen, and not just because she was suicidal. Her short dark brown hair was cut into a style that screamed ‘I AM NOT STRAIGHT!!’, tucked gently into a vermillion beanie, which only fueled Bessie’s hope that her gaydar wasn’t messing up. She was dressed in black jeans and a red-and-black flannel, which had its ends tied together over her stomach. When she spoke up, her voice was husky and warm, tinged with a German accent.

“You’re good,” The woman said. “No worries!” She smiled down at Bessie, but it disappeared in almost an instant. “Hey, are you alright?”

Bessie sniffled, and she realized there were a lot more tears than she had thought. She opened her mouth, lips quivering, and pointed to the truck nearby without even thinking her decision through.

“Th-that truck,” She whimpered out. “I-it’s following me.”

Bessie expected the woman to dismiss her panic, saying something like, ‘there’s trucks everywhere!’ or ‘how do you know for sure that it’s following you?’, but instead she glared at the truck and flipped the driver off as it sped away.

“Fucking creep,” The woman muttered. She turned back to Bessie, looking concerned, and set a hand on her shoulder. When Bessie flinched at the contact, she respectfully pulled her arm away, and Bessie cursed her instinct to recoil at any touch because she really wanted this woman to touch her (just not like that, not like that--). “Are you okay?”

“Y-yeah,” Bessie said, quickly wiping away the tears that were still on her cheeks. “Th-thank you.”

The woman smiled that beautiful smile again. “No problem!” She seemed to sense that Bessie was still on edge because she then said, “Would you like me to walk you to class?”

Bessie looked surprised, but nodded fervently. “Y-yes. Please.”

The woman nodded and began walking with Bessie, scanning around the area as if she were a guard dog. “I’m Anna, by the way.”

“Bessie,” Bessie said.

“Bessie?” Anna echoed.

Bessie blushed faintly. “It’s silly, isn’t it? It’s the 21st-century, who names a kid ‘Bessie’ if they aren’t a cow?” She gave a small laugh, shifting her belongings in her arms. “Umm-- My real name is Elizabeth.”

“I think Bessie is cute.” Anna commented.

The blush turned from a light pink to a deep, dark red in an instant. Bessie’s pale skin definitely didn’t help make it any less noticeable.

“R-really?” Bessie stammered, wide-eyed.

“Yeah!” Anna nodded, grinning. “It’s impossible to create a nickname for my name unless it’s the dumb ‘Anna Banana’ one.”

Bessie giggled. “What about ‘Annie’?”

Anna thought it over, then tipped her head at Bessie with a smile. “I like Annie, actually. Good thinking, Bessie.”

Bessie’s ears felt like they were on fire, but, for once, it was in a good way. She couldn’t help but smile back shyly.

“Okay, so I actually have no idea where we’re going,” Anna admitted. “I’ve just been following you. I’m new here.”

“Oh,” Bessie said, nodding. “That explains why I’ve never seen you before. Where’d you come from?”

“Düsseldorf, Germany,” Anna said, which explained the really attractive accent. Bessie’s face burned even hotter. “I’m living in an apartment down the road. I prefer to have my own personal bathroom.”

Bessie giggled. “I get that. Living in a dorm has its perks, though.”

“Really? Like what?”

Bessie was silent. “Hang on, I’ll think of something…”

Anna laughed loudly, and Bessie couldn’t help but join in.

“You’re funny, Bessie,” Anna said as they got near the math building. “I like you.”

Bessie faltered. “R-really?”

“Really!” Anna said, then tilted her head. “You seem surprised.”

“Oh, no, I-I just--” Bessie trailed off awkwardly, not wanting to spill stupid stuff and ruin her friendship with this woman. She shook her head. “Nothing. Nevermind.” She looked at the large building looming over her. “Well. This is my stop. Thank you again for helping me. I had a really good time talking to you.”

“I did too,” Anna smiled. “See you around, Bessie.” She gave a saluting goodbye before turning and walking down the sidewalk with her hands in her pockets.

Bessie watched her go, her heart thumping wildly in her chest. Not even the frigid wind could cool down the heat on her face.

“Bye,” She whispered long after Anna had walked away.

#ice skater au #six the musical #six the musical au #six the musical fanfic #six the musical fanfiction #six the musical fic #bessie on the bass #anna of cleves #banna #bessie x cleves #cleves x bessie #mary boleyn #meg tudor #jane parker #christina of denmark #anya askew #anne parr #sixtended verse #tw: self harm

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altairtalisman · 11 months ago

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Oh look, it's a Christmas story featuring Roth, @inquisitive-mess's Ann, and everyone's favourite gaslighting queen Whitney yet again

#Sixtended Verse #Six OC #Dorothy Seymour (Sixtended)#Anne Parr (Sixtended)#Whitney Liu #Altair writes

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inquisitive-mess · 11 months ago

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I managed to write a new story before the New Year. This has been on my mind for a bit and I thought it was time to write it all out.

Dorothy 'Roth' Seymour by @altairtalisman

#Six OC #Sixtended Verse #Ann Parr #Roth Seymour #I'm trying to get back in groove in writing again #Hopefully my next one won't take too long to make

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lexartsstuff · 3 years ago

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Happy pride from a sleep deprived Parr!

My half of the art trade with @altairtalisman ! They asked for Ann Parr with an LGBTQ+ supporting mug

Side note: I love doing tired/"done with this bullshit" expressions

Ann Parr belongs to @inquisitive-mess

#sixtented verse #ann parr (sixtended)#art trade #happy pride!#lgbtq+

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inquisitive-mess · 3 years ago

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This looks amazing, Ave. Thank you

Can you do Ann(Sixtended) in F1, please?

Sure!

#six #six oc #sixtended verse #Ann Parr #not my art

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blackdiamondwrites127 · 3 years ago

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Lost Stars in the Night

Hi guys! So this epilogue took longer than I planned. First was that I accidentally deleted my progress and had to start all over again so that was annoying. Next was my work started to become a bit hectic thus losing my free time to write. And lastly, my grandfather died last week. The funeral was yesterday and oddly enough, after the funeral, something pushed me to really finish this epilogue. So here it is. The last piece to my most recent writing project. Thank you again for reading this! I truly appreciate each and every feedback given.

The following characters belong to:

Isabella I of Castile, Ferdinand II of Aragon, and Juan Trastámara: @weirdbutdecentart

Isabella Trastámara: @lexartsstuff

Marion Trastámara and Elizabeth 'Liz' Seymour: @vanessaseymour

Juana 'la loca' de Castile: @ellielovesdrawing

Maria Trastámara, Maria of Jülich-Berg, and Sibylle of Cleves: Yours truly

Characters (Description and characters change with each chapter):

Catalina Trastámara - Age twenty nine years old. She's the captain of the expedition team six whose goal is to scout areas to see if they are suitable for expansion. Her years-long goal has been to locate her father's main office to find answers about the vaccine he had given her when she was just a toddler. She wanted to find the formula so they can replicate it and distribute it to the survivors. She's currently in a relationship with Jane Seymour and has three children from a previous relationship.

Anne Boleyn - Age twenty seven years old. Her family came to Campamento Zaragoza when she was ten and has stayed there since. She's the vice captain of the exhibition team six though she often takes charge alongside Catalina rather than taking charge when Catalina is absent. The two had a rocky start given that Anne was the woman Catalina's ex cheated on her with but the two eventually became close friends. Often bonding over their useless ex. She's currently in a relationship with Catherine Parr and has a daughter from a previously mentioned ex.

Jane Seymour - Age twenty six years old. She's a member of the expedition team six. She's mostly the voice of reason of the group and somewhat of a mother hen. Always fussing over her teammates to make sure they're okay. She and her older sister, Liz, have been living in Campamento Zaragoza since most of her life. She's currently in a relationship with Catalina Trastámara and has one son from the same ex Catalina and Anne shared.

Anna La Marck - Age twenty six years old. She's a member of the expedition team six. Often referred to as the 'muscle' of the group, she's usually the one taking action first when it comes to conflicts the team encounters. She was born in the early months of Campamento Zaragoza's life span and has lived there since then. She's currently in a relationship with Katherine Howard, having been best friends for years as they grew up together.

Katherine Howard - Age twenty five years old. She's a member of the expedition team six. She's the youngest member of the team and is their go to mechanic when they have vehicular troubles. Just like Anna, she was born in Campamento Zaragoza and she's currently in a relationship with Anna La Marck, having been best friends for years as they grew up together.

Catherine Parr - Age twenty seven years old. She's a member of the expedition team six. Considered as the informant of the group. She's usually the one going head first into research when they need information on something. She has one daughter from a previous relationship and i's currently in a relationship with Anne Boleyn.

Isabella Trastámara - Age forty four years old. She is the acting head of the camp alongside her wife. She took up a leadership position after her mother and she's been running the camp ever since. She followed in her mother's plan of land expansion and was quite successful over the years with the camp expanding as far as Girona and they added fishing to their agriculture sector. She and her wife, Liz, adopted a baby boy when his mother died giving birth to him.

Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Seymour - Age forty four years old. She is the acting head of the camp alongside her wife. She retired from her captain position after many years but she still represents the expedition and patrol sector as its head. She and her wife, Bella, adopted a baby boy when his mother died giving birth to him.

Juan Trastámara - Age thirty six years old. Married to Margaret Habsburg and they have a little three year old girl they named Isabela after his departed grandmother. He's working in the armory division designing and creating wearable protection that the border patrollers and security division wear.

Juana Trastámara - Age thirty five years old. She was married to Margaret's older brother, Philip, who abused her for years until he was killed in battle. Their marriage resulted in six children that she fiercely protects with her life. She's currently in a relationship with a woman named Harley Harmony. She's a member of the security team and often patrols the streets with her team.

Maria Trastámara - Age thirty two years old. She's currently in a relationship with their long time partner, Gabriel Cursae. Her knack for mathematics got her the position of head of the inventory division and is responsible for keeping track of the camp's main inventory numbers.

Marion Trastámara - Age thirty two years old. He's currently in a relationship with William La Marck, Mari and Johann's third child and only son. They work as Campamento Zaragoza's only tattoo artist. His most common customers are those from the fighting sector and their most commonly commissioned pieces are portraits and names of departed loved ones. His proudest work is the Trastámara family crest that they tattooed on himself and their siblings.

Jocasta ‘Joyce’ Howard - Age fifty five years old. She's Kat's mother and she works at the hospital as a midwife alongside Mari, who's a nurse in the maternity ward. She's kept her daughter in the dark when it comes to her life before the End.

Sibylle La Marck - Aged twenty eight years old. She's engaged to Katherine James, who now runs the nursery. She's a member of the security team and often patrols the main gates with her squad.

Katherine James - Aged twenty six years old. She's currently engaged to Sibylle La Marck and she's a caretaker at the nursery after inheriting it from her mothers. Despite being and actual Tudor, she kept the last name, James, since she was raised by both her adopted mothers.

Henry 'Hal' Trastámara-Tudor - Age ten years old. He's Catalina and Henry Tudor's oldest son. He was named after his own father but looks more like his mother. He started despising his name after his father hurt and cheated on his mother so he prefers going by his nickname. He replaced his father by becoming his sisters' male role model.

Mary Trastámara-Tudor - Age seven years old. Catalina and Henry's second child. She's what you call a 'daddy's girl' but that label suddenly became useless after her father left them. She was still hoping her parents would get back together but stopped when her mother introduced Jane to them and she's stopped looking for her father since. Perfectly content with having Jane as a second mother.

Lillia Trastámara-Tudor - Age three years old. Catalina and Henry's youngest child together. She's her father's 'least favored' child due to her physical defects. She was born blind in one eye and her right hand didn't develop fully. Henry blamed Catalina for birthing a child with defects and unfortunately, little Lillia heard those arguments between her parents and blamed herself for them eventually splitting.

(Before you proceed, be warned that the story contains graphic descriptions of violence, blood, gore, death. Please proceed with caution)

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Epilogue

Catalina cries out when the nurse inserted the needle in her arm. Fernando held his youngest steady so she wouldn't squirm and injure herself with the needle. The nurse praised the toddler for being good after she had pulled out the needle and put a cartoon band aid, the tot had chosen prior to the shot, over the injured area.

"I'll submit the report to the department head. I'll also schedule the second dose six months in advance for you. Gracias for coming here, señor," the nurse said and left the room.

"Look at you, pequeña! You're quite brave," her father praised. Handing her precious Pancho back to her. She immediately took the plush monkey and hugged it close for comfort.

"Papa. It hurt," she whines. Gently rubbing the arm that received the shot.

"I know, pequeña, but you were brave and I'm proud of you for being a brave girl," Fernando reassured. Kissing his daughter's forehead.

Catalina pouts and pushes him away. She jumped off his lap and marched to the corner. She sits down on the cold tile floor, crosses her arms over her chest, and glaring at her father. Fernando knew that she was displeased with him. Luckily, he knew just the offering to get back to her good graces. But first, he must test the waters.

"Catalina."

The toddler lets out a 'humph' and looks away.

"Catalina, mi pequeña preciosa."

"Humph!"

Time for bribery then.

"Would you like to go to the ice cream shop for your favorite mango ice cream?" Fernando offered. He smiled when the toddler slowly turned to look at him.

"Mango ice cream?" she asked with a tone of hope in her voice.

Her father smiled and nodded. "Mango ice cream," he confirmed.

Catalina grins wide and stands up from the floor. She runs over to her father and tackles him in a hug.

"Ice cream!" she excitedly said.

Fernando chuckled and lifted his pequeña Catalina up in his arms.

"Let's go get some ice cream but don't tell mamá where we went, okay? It's our secret," he reminded.

The toddler nodded and hugged her father's neck as they exited the room.

Name: Catalina Trastámara

Age: 3 years old

Sex: Female

Height: N/A

Weight: N/A

Blood Pressure: N/A

Consent from subject's guardian: Approved

Vaccine dosage: N/A

Vaccine side effects: none so far

Vaccine effectiveness: Yet to be determined though the subject has shown immunity to the virus when exposed to a very small dosage of it.

Examiner's Note: The subject's immunity seems to have developed significantly after being given the latest vaccine. It's not perfect but it's better than the last one which was given to the subject's older siblings. Further examination needed.

Catalina shuffled the papers. Rereading everything again. She's known for years that her father had her and her siblings vaccinated against the virus that brought over the End but only her records were left in the laboratory. She couldn't find anything about her older siblings.

The letter her father penned to her stated that the vaccine given to her was the updated one and far more effective but she wasn't sure of that and she's not willing to get herself bitten by an Infected to find out.

Sure the numbers had dwindled significantly over the years but it's better to be on the cautious side.

"Lina, we found more in the other room."

Catalina puts the papers back in the folder where she found them and safely put them away in her backpack. One of her teammates and vice captain, Anne Boleyn, walked over to her and handed her more papers. Catalina quickly skims them over. Then she noticed something about them.

"These are…these are documents for developing the vaccine," she said. Quite surprised that they've found it already.

"Yep. It states the components and process needed to make the vaccine," Anne said. A smile on her lips.

Catalina couldn't help but get emotional. After years of searching for her father's headquarters, they finally found the very thing that can make the world right again.

The world can finally heal and humanity can start over again.

"This is exactly what we came here for and we've got it. Let's head back and give this to Bella," she said. Putting it in a secure folder and tucking it in her backpack. Her old friend, Pancho, strapped snuggly to it.

"I'll gather the others so we can leave. Let's meet up outside," Anne said and left to go find the others.

Catalina decided to do a bit more investigating. She exits the lab and makes the long trip up the flight of stairs. She wanted to see her father's office. To see if she could still remember what it looked like the last time she's been there. She finally reached the executive floor and she had to catch her breath for a minute after climbing up several flights.

"Really wish the elevators were working," she mutters to herself before exiting the fire escape and entering the floor.

It wasn't hard to locate Fernando's office. It was easily the one with the large double doors bearing the Trastámara family crest.

"Bella did say that papá was always extra."

She pushed the old door open and inside was a time capsule. Except for the thick layer of dust, and a bit of decay, everything was exactly the same. As if her father hadn't died at all. Catalina enters the office and looks around. She remembers visiting this office with her mother and older siblings. She remembers playing on the carpet with her beloved Pancho and sitting on her father's lap while he worked. Letting her press the enter key or the space bar from time to time.

Catalina walked over to the executive desk and used a discarded paper to wipe off the layer of dust. She traced the wood until she felt the small, barely visible carvings on the wooden surface. She smiles to herself as the memory of her swiping her father's keys and using them to carve out her name on the wooden desk. Fernando scolded her for damaging his very expensive desk but he never did replace it.

"I think he would've framed it if he had the chance," Catalina said to herself. Chuckling softly.

Something else on the desk catches her eye. It was several small framed photos. She reached out for one and wiping away the dust on the glass revealed a family photo.

Catalina immediately recognized herself as the little toddler in the photo. Bearing a wide and happy grin at the camera with Pancho clutched in her arms as she sat on her father's lap. She recognized her older siblings as well. Juan and Juana sitting next to each other and the twins, Maria and Marion, sitting on their mother's lap. Their oldest sister, Isabella, sat between their parents. Happy smiles all on their faces.

Those were the days.

She looked towards the other framed photos and wiped the dust off each one. Her father kept framed photos of her, her older siblings, and his wedding portrait with their mother. She noticed that the wedding photo had the most elaborate frame out of all the photos. The frame seemed to be made of real gold. Worthy of such a powerful couple at the time.

"I never knew you personally, papá. I only had the memories of you in my early childhood as well as Bella's stories about you. I wished I knew more," Catalina said. Staring at her father in the wedding photo.

She grabbed all of the framed photos and put them in her bag. She also grabs an expensive-looking pen from one of the drawers that bore her father's signature on the cap. Making sure they're secured in her bag before sling it over her shoulder. She heads to the door of the office to leave but before she exits, she looks back and says, "Adios, padre. Te querio." She exited the office and closed the door behind her.

"So what took you so long in there, Lina?" Anna asked as she sat in the truck's passenger seat. Right next to Kat, who was driving.

"I went to my father's old office," Catalina answered as she sat next to Jane.

"Found anything useful?" Cathy asked as she read through the other papers that they had found. Making mental notes that she'll transfer to her notepad once they arrive home.

"Well…I found some old photos of me and my family plus his favorite pen."

"I'm sure your siblings would love to see those, darling. Especially Bella," Jane said. Smiling at her girlfriend and placing a hand on her knee. Catalina smiled gratefully at her.

"It's strange, really," Anne said. "We all grew up in a dying world, trying to revive it without even knowing what it used to be before the End.

"Yeah. We're making all this effort and yet we didn't grow up in a normal setting like our parents did. We only have their stories as a basis," Kat agreed with her cousin.

"And foggy memories," Catalina added.

Anne looked over to their team leader and a question popped up in her mind.

"What was your family's story, Lina? Before the End," she asked. Voicing the question.

"Me? Well for starters, I remember my family being rich. Like living in a large mansion and such. Both my parents run their own successful and well known companies. In fact, I remember that my parents were about to head to work when the End happened," Catalina recalled. Still remembering that very day like it was yesterday. She even remembered her breakfast that she had that morning. Fried egg sandwich with mayonnaise, cheese and the bread toasted perfectly. Pairing it up with a cold glass of her favorite mango juice.

A fitting last supper for a child her age at the time.

"Same thing with my parents. They came from rich families in Germany though I was told that they were disowned when they had my sister, Sibylle," Anna contributed.

"I remember your parents telling my madre that they were just about to finish university when the End happened," Catalina added.

"I was told that my family was mildly rich back in France. Like not millionaires per se but we can afford a couple of fancy cars, private schools and things like that," Anne said. She still remembered France a bit but not that much. All she knew was that she was quite fluent in the language despite not remembering living there as much.

"My mum wouldn't say anything about our family so I don't even know who my dad was or if I had older siblings or not. I just know that she was, and is, a midwife," Kat said. She remembers her mother would have this sad look on her face whenever Kat would ask about her father or possible siblings. She decided to drop it after Joyce had snapped at her to stop asking about it.

"I recall my madre finding your mum at a petrol station convenience store while we were on the road to escape the herd," Catalina commented.

"Oh yeah. She told me about that one plus the dog bite that was mistaken as an Infected bite incident."

"I was told my family was like upper middle class. My dad used to be a police chief in London and my mum recently graduated with a nursing degree before the End," Cathy said. Not really remembering about London much since she was just a baby and she and her parents had already gone to Spain for a vacation when the End happened.

"Liz only told me what she remembered about our family home. Not much about our family in general. I knew I had many siblings and that we used to live on a ranch with horses and such. Though she often tells me stories about the man that took us in at the peak of the End," Jane said. She vaguely remembers Gonzalo but she knew him enough from the stories Liz tells about him as she was growing up.

"You mean my godfather?" Catalina asked.

"Yes. I think his name was Gonzalo, right?"

She smiled and nodded. She doesn't remember her padrino quite well but her older sibling's stories about him makes her think that he was truly a kind man who was harshly taken away from this world.

"I've heard about the story of your uncle, Lina. The first leader of Camp Zaragoza. Was he really a murderous psychopath?" Anna asked.

"He was my half uncle. And yes. Bella told me all about what he did to my family. Especially my madre," Catalina said.

"Eesh. Thank god my family came later long after he died," Anne said.

"Thank god we were too young to know and experience his tyranny," Cathy added.

Catalina was silent for a moment. Then she said, "he killed my grandmother, my grandfather, my godfather, and tortured my mother and sister."

"Oh…sorry," Cathy quickly apologized.

Catalina shook her head. "No. It's okay. It was all in the past. Though I still remember my mother having really bad nightmares after. She would come to my room and lay next to me and would cry herself to sleep," she said.

"Oh my god…," Kat muttered.

"I'm so sorry, Lina," Jane said.

"Sometimes I wish I could have done something back then to make her feel better…"

"Well, if it helps, you found the formula that could make the world better again," Anne said.

Catalina looked at her and nodded gratefully.

"Yeah."

The group arrived back at the main camp and the gates opened to let them in.

"Glad you all came back safe," Sibylle said as she approached her sister and her group. She and Anna shared a hug and gave each other pats on the back.

"You bet we did. Not much Infected roaming around these days anyways," Anna said.

"And just in time for mutter's birthday too," Sibylle said.

"Oh that's right! Kätzchen, let's stop by your mum's place first before going to mutter, ja?" Kat smiled at her girlfriend and nodded. "Sure!" she said.

"I'm going to Bella's office to deliver the goods. Cariño, can you do me a favor and look for my other siblings? Tell them to go to Bella's office once you find them, Catalina said.

Jane smiled. "Of course, darling. I'll be sure to do that before I pick up Eddie," she said.

The leader of the group smiled gratefully then left for her oldest sister's office.

"Welcome back. How was your expedition?" Isabella asked as her youngest sister entered her office.

"See for yourself," Catalina said and placed the folders on the desk in front of her eldest sister.

Isabella and her wife, Liz, looked through the papers. Then the two shared shocked expressions when they realized that what they were holding was the bible of the very vaccine they've been looking for.

"Oh my god…this is actually the formula!" Liz exclaimed.

"It's probably outdated by now but it's enough of a basis to use to create our own stronger vaccine!" Isabella said.

"Great job, Catalina! I'll bring this to the lab immediately!" Liz said. Gathering the papers and hurrying out.

Isabella smiled at her sister and hugged her. "This is a great start to making things right again! Muchas gracias, Catalina," she said. Catalina smiled and hugged her back then pulled away. "I actually found something else there too," she said. Grabbing her bag and rummaging through it.

"What else have you found?" her sister asked.

The youngest of the Trastámara children laid out the framed photos one by one on her sister's desk. Isabella looked at them. Her tears welling up with each photo she sees. She started to sob quietly when her eyes laid upon their parents' wedding photo.

"I found these in the papá's office. It was still the same as I remember it. Only a bit dusty," she said.

Isabella picked up their framed family photo and looked at it. Smiling sadly at the happy faces of her family.

"I miss those days. Those days where all I worried about was what university I should attend after graduation. I often wished I went to Madrid University like mamá and papá did," she lamented.

"You never told me. What really happened to papá," Catalina said. Looking at Isabella.

The older of the two wiped her tears away and looked down. She carefully placed the framed photo of their parents on her desk. Moving it next to hers and Liz's own wedding photo.

"Papá was bitten by an Infected. He had died and came back as an Infected and attacked mamá. Mamá had no choice but to shoot him," she recounted. Still slightly bitter at her mother for keeping this fact a secret.

"And mamá hid that fact for a long time?" Catalina asked.

Isabella nodded. "She did. I was mad at her for lying to me but…later on I realized she did it to keep us together to survive. Lord knows what would have happened if she had told me that she shot papá. I would have left with you all in my car and…probably not survive that long," she said.

"The herd would have mostly gotten to us."

Isabella nodded. "It was mamá plans that got us through those hellish and dangerous months when the herd reached Campamento Zaragoza," she said.

She remembered it as if it was only yesterday. They had finished the fortifications of the walls and secured every inch of the territory. The herd had arrived some days after they had finished and everyone lived in fear for several months. No one could go out to scavenge. They were all trapped inside behind tall walls and had to rely heavily on their existing resources. They even considered opening fire on the herd but wasting ammo was not a viable option. Isabella had to do her best in keeping everyone calm during those months and wisely ration their resources. Thankfully, their crops survived through the months. The herd itself died out slowly as the Infected rotted away until there were only bones left. The strong stench of rot caused a lot of people to be sick and the leadership council needed to have oxygen masks made for the people. Especially those vulnerable.

"What I hated during those months was the stench. I probably threw up every day during that time and got sick often," Catalina said. A look of disgust on her face as she remembered the memory of her youth during those times.

"Well hey at least you got through it," Isabella pointed out.

"Yeah but I probably lost my sense of smell for a long while after."

Isabella chuckled. She reached up to ruffle her sister's hair but Catalina nimbly ducked away and stuck her tongue out at her.

"You're so childish, Catalina," she said. Grabbing her by the shoulders and rubbing her knuckles against her head.

"Ah! Bella no!" The youngest cried. Struggling to get out of her sister's grip.

Isabella laughs and finally releases her. Catalina pouted as she fixed her hair. "And you say I'm childish," she retorts.

"We all are in a way. It's nice to act childish once in awhile," the older of the two said. Catalina smiled and nodded in agreement.

A knock on the door broke the brief silence the sisters shared.

"Come in." Isabella called. Going behind the desk and sitting down. Business as usual. The doors opened and Juan peeked in. "You called for us, Bella?" their brother asked. Entering the office with the rest of their siblings behind him. Isabella frowns in confusion.

"No I didn't," she said.

"Actually, I did. I had Jane call you and the others up here," Catalina said. Her older siblings looked at her in surprise.

"What for, Lina?" Maria asked. Standing next to her twin.

"I wanted to show you what I found in papá's office," she said.

This immediately got their attention and they crowded around the table. Looking at the photos of their family.

"Oh my god…I never thought we'd see these again," Marion said as they looked at the framed family photo. It was the last one they took before the End happened.

"And papá kept all of these in his office…," Juana whispered. Tracing the features of her younger self.

"Wow…I…I'm starting to get emotional…," Juan said. His voice cracked a bit.

"It was quite emotional for me too. Being in his office earlier. It was still the same as I remembered it. Like he never left," Catalina said.

The siblings had an emotional moment together. Huddled in a large group hug and reminiscing the years of innocence that were harshly taken away from them when the End occurred.

"I love you guys. I couldn't imagine a life without any of you. Even though you guys drive me up the wall sometimes," Isabella said. Earning her a laugh from her younger siblings.

"You'd probably be a spoiled only child without us," Marion quipped.

"Yeah but I ended up spoiling you guys instead," his oldest sister said.

"Such is the life of the oldest child," Maria remarked.

"Here here!" Juan said. The siblings shared another laugh.

The six of them stayed in Isabella's office for awhile. Just talking and reminiscing the past years they've had together.

"Mamá really did everything to give us the life she would have wanted. Even at her expense," Marion said. Their siblings nodded in agreement.

"We wouldn't have made it this far without her," Juana said.

"Yeah," Maria said.

"Speaking of mamá, I should get going. I haven't seen my children yet since I came back here after arriving back," Catalina said. Grabbing her bag and packing the framed photos in it.

"You're going to the farmhouse after?" Juan asked.

"Yep. I'm taking a well deserved vacation after the expedition," the youngest said. Slinging her backpack over her shoulder.

"Alright then. I'll just communicate the reports to Anne," Isabella said.

"Thanks Bella. I'll see you all in a week."

"See ya!"

Catalina arrived at the day care and got out of her truck. She was about to head inside when someone called out to her.

"Catalina!"

She turns and smiles when she sees Joyce heading towards her.

"Hola, señora," she greets. "Looking for Kitty?"

"Oh I already met up with Katherine earlier. She and Anna are currently headed to the hospital to surprise Mari," Joyce said.

"Oh that's right! Today's her birthday, right?"

Joyce smiled and nodded. "I think they'll be holding a party later. Anyways, I wanted to ask you a favor and it's okay if you refuse," she said.

"We'll see then. Fire away," Catalina said.

"Do you still remember the petrol station where your mother found me?" Joyce asked.

"Somewhat. I think we pass by that particular station a few times during our expeditions. Why?" Catalina asked.

"Well on your next expedition, I was wondering if you could stop by the museum near that petrol station and take Katherine there. That's where I…I lost my family," she sadly explained.

"Oh. I see. Well, I'll be sure to make a short pitstop there for Kitty." Joyce smiled gratefully.

"Thank you, Catalina. Katherine's been asking about my family for years and I feel bad for keeping it away from her. She deserves to know. Hopefully their belongings are still there."

Catalina nodded in understanding. Kitty has told the group many times how she'd want to know about her own family but her mother was still grieving them after all these years.

"I'm heading off to Girona later. I'll stop by and check if I find myself down that path," Catalina reassured.

"Thank you again. I'll see you around, Catalina," Joyce said.

"De nada, señora."

Joyce gave her a small hug before heading off on her way again. Catalina watched her go with a sympathetic smile. From what Isabella had told her, Joyce was the only survivor of her family when they found her. So it was understandable why she's still grieving and refused to tell Kitty anything about them.

She made a mental note to herself to stop by that particular petrol station sometime.

"Mama!"

As soon as she comes in, she grins and opens her arms to catch her children as they tackle her in a group hug. Ten year old Hal, seven year old Mary, and four year old Lillia all laughed happily as they piled on their mother.

"You're back!" Mary said.

"Yes I am! I just got back earlier. Have you three been good while I was gone?" their mother asked.

"Sí! We missed you though," Hal said.

"Miss you so much!" Lillia added.

"Oh I missed you too, mi niños!" Catalina said. Pulling her children closer. Then she looked at the three of them with a small frown.

"Did your father come and visit you while I was gone?" she asked.

As she expected, all three of her little ones shook their heads with sad faces. Their father was notorious in making empty promises after all.

"Of course he didn't. He's probably with his latest side fling of the week," Catalina mumbled.

"Welcome back, Lina! Glad you guys made it safe," Kath said. Walking over to them with a smile on her face. Catalina smiled back as she stood up.

"Hola, Kath. Thank you for looking after my little rascals here," she said.

"No problem! They behaved as usual so it was no trouble at all," Kath said.

"Did your brother visit them at least once?" Kath shook her head.

"Nope. He didn't even visit Elizabeth and Edward. But what did you expect from my useless brother?"

"Nothing. There was nothing to expect from him. Though it's probably for the best that their father isn't in their lives to influence them. Well we better get going. Thank you again, Kath!"

Kath smiled and nodded. Catalina took her children out of the nursery and got them in her truck.

"Can we go to the farm today, mama?" Mary asked.

"Yeah! We go swimming!" Lillia said.

"We are going there, niños. We'll be staying there for a week," Catalina said. Getting in the driver's seat.

"Yay!" the three cheered. They loved going to the farm. Especially when it was close to the beach and they could all go swimming, fishing and go dig in the sand to hunt for crabs for dinner.

"Let's stop by the house first to pack up," their mother said and drove off to their humble home.

To her surprise, Jane was already there when they arrived and had already packed their things for them.

"Cariño? When did you get here?" Catalina asked. Urging her children to their rooms to get their bags. The blonde smiled at her and said, "I heard you're going to stay in Girona for a week so I thought I'd pack your bags in advance and house sit for you while you're gone."

Catalina chuckled and gave her a swift kiss. "You somehow always know things in advance," she commented.

"It's a talent," Jane said. Cuddling close to her girlfriend.

The couple stood in silence for awhile, just holding each other close. Catalina broke the silence first.

"Jane."

"Hm?"

"What do you think about moving in together?"

Jane looked up at Catalina with a happy grin. "I would love to move in with you!" she happily said.

Catalina grins back and the two share a loving kiss. "The move will be easy since the children already get along quite well. Why don't you and Eddie move in completely once we get back from Girona?"

The blonde nodded. "I would love that!" she said. The Spanish woman smiled again and gave her another kiss.

Things really are starting to turn out for the better.

Catalina parked her truck in front of the old farmhouse and got out. She helped her little ones down from the vehicle and they walked up to the front door. She unlocked it with her key and went in. Hal, Mary, and Lillia immediately rush upstairs to get to their rooms and unpack.

Meanwhile, their mother went to the living room and towards the homemade altar. She pulls out the framed photos from her bag and carefully places them there.

"I didn't hear you come in."

Catalina smiled. "I didn't want to wake you and I'd thought I'd surprise you," she said. Turning around to face her mother.

Isabel smiled as she hobbled over her youngest. Leaning heavily on her husband's old cane. The left sleeve of her shirt was dangling about with each step. Catalina went over to her mother and hugged her.

"The little ones woke me with their excited chatter, but you still managed to surprise me. How was the expedition?" she asked. Pulling away and turning towards the altar. Her eyes widened at the sight of the framed photos. She let go of the cane in favor of reaching out to one of the photos, her wedding photo, and taking it in her hand.

"H-How did you…?"

"We found the formula for the vaccine but I also found these in papá's old office. It was untouched all these years," Catalina said. Going around and picking up the dropped cane.

"Oh Fernando. Mi amor. You were always the sentimental one out of the both of us," Isabel muttered as her thumb gently traced over her late husband's features on the photo.

"I can take you there sometime. See his office and all," Catalina offered.

Her mother shook her head. "The past has passed. I buried your padre a long time ago in our old home. It wasn't a proper grave per se but he would've wanted it if there were no other available options," she said. Gently setting the photo down.

"Mamá…the others and I are planning on traveling home next month and we'd like you to come with us," Catalina said.

Isabel looked at her daughter in confusion. "Traveling home?" she asked. Her youngest daughter nodded in confirmation.

"Sí. Back home to the mansion. Pick up some old things we left there for sentimentality. Maybe even pay our respects to padre."

Isabel thought for a moment. Going back home after all these years sounded great but she's not sure if she's ready to go back yet.

"I'm not so sure, mija. It's been some decades since we left the mansion," she said.

"I know but it'll be nice if you'd come with us."

"I'll…I'll think about it, mija. I'll be sure to give my decision when the time is right."

Catalina gave her mother a small smile before handing her the old cane back. Isabel quietly thanked her. Taking the cane and leaning against it for support.

"Let's go sit and talk. I haven't seen you in weeks," she said. Hobbling over to the couch. Catalina followed right behind.

Isabel carefully lowered herself to sit on the couch with a slight groan. Her daughter went to help her but she waved her off and sat down heavily with a sigh.

"You're having trouble sitting again. Maybe you should go to the camp to get your back checked," Catalina suggested. Sitting next to her mother.

Isabel shook her head. "No. I don't want to," she said.

"But why? The doctors can help you."

"Ever since I got bit by an Infected years ago, a bit of the virus is still in me. Even after I had to cut a part of my arm off entirely. There's no cure for me, Catalina. I just have to live with it."

Catalina couldn't help but look at the stump of an arm her mother has. She could still recall that very day. Her mother had stumbled back in camp with her entire forearm cut off. She was pale, bleeding heavily, and a bit of bone was sticking out through the open wound. The hasty patchwork she did on the stump is probably what saved her just in time. She got to drive back long enough before she could pass out from blood loss and got her severe injury treated just in time.

"What was it like? Cutting your own arm off?" Catalina asked. She's been curious since the incident but didn't have the courage to ask.

Isabel lets out a chuckle. "Why? Planning on cutting a certain body part of yours in case of an Infected bite?" she joked. Her daughter chuckled as well.

"Maybe when I'm desperate enough. Right now, I'm just curious. What was going through your head that time? What made you do it in the end?" Catalina asked. Isabel grew serious and looked down at arm. Glaring at it.

"Mamá?"

"I thought of you."

Catalina was surprised at the answer. "Me?" she asked. Pointing at herself. Her mother nodded in affirmation.

"Yes you. You and your siblings are what made me do it," Isabel said. "I realized that Bella couldn't take care of you all by herself if I was gone. Plus, I knew they would make her my replacement when she wasn't even ready yet. It was hard enough without your papá but without me…she, as well as the rest of you, wouldn't be able to have the life you have now."

Catalina nodded. It does make sense. Even though Isabella was eighteen at the time, she's still somewhat of a child herself. Needing guidance to get through adult life. So sacrificing a part of an arm was a small sacrifice in order for Isabel to live and be the guide her daughter needed. The youngest Trastámara was snapped out of her thoughts when her mother suddenly chuckled again.

"Care to share what made you giggle like a niña?" Catalina asked. Playfully raising an eyebrow at her mother.

"I just realized that cutting my own arm at a church altar made it look like I was offering a blood sacrifice to the Lord. Though in a way, it is somewhat like that. I was praying for God to save me and have mercy on me while screaming in pain," she casually said.

Catalina looked at her mother with a horrified expression. The mental image of her mother severing her own arm off made her a bit disturbed and nauseous. "Lo siento, mija. I didn't think that the image would be disturbing to you," Isabel apologized after noticing her daughter going a bit pale.

"Mamá…why? Why not try another way?" her daughter asked.

"I was scared and desperate. I was alone with an Infected bite on my arm and a blade. I wanted to live and, by God's will, I will live. For the sake of the only family that I have left," Isabel said. She pulled the old blade out from the cane. She could still see the part that she used to cut off her arm. The sharp edge chipped when she got to the bone of her forearm. Catalina placed her hand over her mother's and gently pushed the blade back in the cane. Isabel sighs and sits back on the couch. The youngest child looked at her in worry.

"Can I tell you a secret?" she asked. Catalina paused for a second before nodding. "Go ahead."

"Promise me you won't tell any of your siblings. Especially your hermana."

"Okay."

Isabel closed her eyes briefly, took a deep breath to gather her courage and faced her youngest fully.

"I've been feeling bouts of severe pain in my arm since the bite and had some sort of addiction to painkillers," she said. Placing a gentle hand on her amputated arm. Catalina looked at her in shock.

"Mamá! Why didn't you–" she exclaimed.

Isabel held up a hand to cut her off from saying more. "I didn't want you all to worry. So I kept it to myself and smuggled small doses of painkillers from the medical inventory during weekly counting to bear with the pain and show that I was fine," she explained.

"But mamá, keeping such a large secret from me? From the others? We could have helped you!" Catalina said.

"That's the problem. You couldn't," Isabel said. Her daughter looked at her in shock. "Not even I couldn't help myself. I tried other methods. Trust me, I did but the pain was unbearable and pills were the only temporary solution. I didn't want you all wasting your time worrying over something you can't fix instead of focusing on your own lives. So I decided to keep it all to myself and let my children live their lives with no worries or distractions. Especially from their madre."

Catalina had tears streaming down her face. Her mother had been feeling excruciating pain for years and she couldn't do anything about it. She felt somewhat betrayed. Isabel smiled reassuringly and wiped the tears with her thumb before pulling Catalina close to kiss her forehead.

"I'm happy I kept it from you. I didn't want you all to worry about me. Especially when you were still growing into people you wanted to be," she said. Pausing a bit to collect herself as she was fighting back her own tears. After a few deep breaths, she continues, "I never really had a childhood. My mamãe, your avó, had early onset dementia and I had to take care of her when your abuelo Chacón wasn't present. At the same time, I was studying and taking care of my younger brother as well since he was still a child and mamãe couldn't really take care of him. I didn't want you all to go through that. You deserve better."

"Mamá, we could've found a way to help you! Don't you trust us?" Catalina asked. Sobbing once more. It truly hurt her to learn that her mother was suffering for their sake. Isabel smiles at her daughter again.

"I do. I trust you all but there's just some things that a mother has to keep in the dark to protect her children. While I had no regrets in taking care of your avó, I still longed for the childhood I never had," she said.

Catalina couldn't take it anymore. She pulls her mother in her arms and hugs her tightly. Isabel wrapped her one good arm around her daughter and gently rubbed circles in her back to comfort her while Catalina cried on her shoulder.

The mother and daughter stayed like that for a good while. Only pulling away after Catalina had run out of tears to cry. She wiped away the tears as she recomposed herself while her mother sat back against the back of the old couch.

"I would like to be buried at home. Next to your padre," Isabel suddenly said. A longing smile on her face.

Catalina looked at her mother in confusion. "You're saying that as if you're dying," she said lightheartedly. Laughing a little in hopes that her mother was just joking.

Unfortunately for her, Isabel didn't laugh but the smile remained.

"I am."

"Mamá don't say that. I get that you're old but you're–"

"I'm dying, Catalina. I went to Campamento Zaragoza last week to get my daily check up and the results weren't good this time around. The doctor said that the virus from the Infected bite had mutated into cancer and I have about a year left to live if I'm lucky enough."

Catalina looked shocked at this. Her mother was dying and she only had a year of her life left.

"Mamá, there's still time. We can have you treated. We got the formula for the vaccine. We can cure it!" she desperately rambled on.

Isabel simply shook her head.

"No. I don't want any treatment. I am old and I'm tired. I want to live out my last remaining days with my family and not be stuck in a hospital bed. Please understand my wishes, mija. Now that you and your siblings have your own lives with your own families, I can finally stop trying to survive and just rest with your padre," she said.

Catalina felt hopeless. Her mother was dying and she couldn't do anything about it. "What do you want me to do? What do you want us to do?" she asked.

"Mija, don't stress yourself too much. I'll tell you and your siblings what I want you to do in due time. Let's just focus on right now. Okay?"

Catalina furiously wiped away the stray tears and nodded. "Okay." Isabel smiled at her daughter and kissed her forehead once more. They can worry about the future later, right now is what's important for the both of them.

"Gracias, Catalina. Now, tell me all about your expedition."

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14 notes · View notes

djts-arts · 4 years ago

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THE ONE WITH THE PLAN

Beginning

Oh look I included the SIXtended OCs into the comic

Christina @the-fox-arts

Jane P @altairtalisman

Mali @pandora-dusk

Hans @redlover411

Anya @thenicestnonbinary

Hen P @chimkennumget

Hans @anime-nerd05

EB @spooner7308

153 notes · View notes

yourdeepestfathoms · 4 years ago

Text

The Most Important Part of Your Body

[Wing AU; UK Tour]

My part of the art/writing trade I did with @thenicestnonbinary!! They asked for a continuation of my last fic for them and an explanation to Joan’s prophecy, so here you go! Enjoy!

Word count: 3486

----------------------

“Lighting a candle just to breathe the smoke is a bad, bad thing… Tread carefully, for we walk on hot coals… When you play with fire, you’re bound to get burned… Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, you’re going to burn with the rest of us.”

Those words kept replaying in Anya’s head no matter how hard she tried to think of something else. They kept shoving their way to the surface of her mind, ripping apart every other thought until it played on loop, taunting her, torturing her.

What did it mean?

She didn’t sleep at all the night it was said. The image of roaring flames flickered behind her eyelids whenever she closed her eyes, so she just stayed up, thinking.

That was a prophecy. She knew it was.

So what did it mean?

Would there be a fire? Was she going to light it? She couldn’t possibly see herself doing such a thing, but after the dark futures Joan told her about…

She had looked down at her claws and saw that they were shaking.

It had been six days since then, and Anya was on high alert. She was always looking for something that may start a fire- a frayed wire, a fallen light, just someone who looked more pyromaniacal than usual. But, so far, there was nothing.

Morbid curiosity soon grew to be too much- she approached Joan.

“Joan?”

She found the little hybrid in the rehearsal room, surprisingly. It was almost strange to see her out of her dressing room when a performance wasn’t going on.

Joan was tinkering with the piano, practicing with notes and a few chords. When Anya walked in, her ears swiveled around to her, then her head. Her wings perked up slightly, tail raising.

“Anya, hello,” Joan greeted, cracking a small smile.

“Hello, Joan,” Anya greeted back. She cleared her throat. “Joan, I need to ask you something.”

Joan tilted her head. “What?”

“Do you remember when you stayed over at my house?” Anya asked, and Joan nodded. “I wanted to know what that thing you said in your sleep meant. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.”

Joan blinked. “What thing?”

“The prophecy.”

Joan’s eyes widened. “I gave you a prophecy?”

Anya was confused. “Yeah, you did. Did you not know?”

“I don’t know anything about a recent prophecy,” Joan said, sounding anxious. She wrung her claws in her shirt. “What did I say?”

“Something about fire,” Anya told her, trying to swallow her own fear. “It was--”

Joan suddenly whimpered.

“Joan?”

The little hybrid was now curled on the piano stool, wings drawn in tightly around her, hands clutching at her head. She began to shiver, whimpering in distress, eyes squeezed shut.

“Joan? Joan.” Anya gently touched her shoulders, and they quaked beneath her hands. “What’s wrong? What do you see?”

“Fire,” Joan gasped raggedly. “Oh god, oh god, oh god--”

“Joan? Joan, breathe.” Anya told her, hoping to get through to her. “Come on, honey. You can do it. Breathe. Come back to me.”

Joan suddenly flinched backwards, eyes popped open, breathing heavily. Sweat beaded on her brow and ran down her pale face. She scrambled to her feet, nearly collapsing.

“W-we have to stop them!” Joan floundered, rushing for the door.

“Joan! Joan, hey!” Anya grabbed the panicked girl by the shoulders, squeezing her to try and ground her. “Hang on a moment.”

“No!” Joan yanked away from her and ran out into the hallway. Anya followed after her, watching the way she looked around wildly.

“Wh-where are they? Where is everyone?!” Joan cried. “W-we have to find them, Anya! We-- Agh!!”

She suddenly crumpled again, clutching at her head. Anya lunged down to her side and propped her up against her, stroking her with one wing.

“No! No!” Joan squirmed like she was being electrocuted. “Oh god, no! No!!” Tears were now streaming down her cheeks as she spiraled into full blown hysterics.

“Joan, what’s going on? What do you see?”

Joan screamed and shoved away from her, hightailing it down the hallway.

“Joan!!”

Anya chased after the girl, surprised by how fast she was despite her condition. She rounded the corner and found her collapsed on her knees in front of Cathy, Cleves, and Jane. They all looked simultaneously confused and concerned.

“Joan!” Anya went back down to her side and wrapped a wing around her. “Joan, honey, you need to breathe. You’re having a panic attack.”

“That’s what this is?” Cleves asked.

“Is she okay?” Cathy added.

“I--” Anya faltered, frowning down at Joan’s shuddering form. “I don’t know.”

Joan’s body spasmed. She looked up and her eyes were blank and glazed. When she began to speak, her voice wasn’t scared or panicked or anxious or pained. It was calm. Hollow.

“You feel it all over, and you can see it. And it deals with you. It really works on you. And you don't like it. You don't like it, I don't deserve that, y'know. And nobody else can really understand. You feel it all over. You feel it all over. And you just get the shakes. And it just, it comes up on you. Feel it all over. You feel it all over. Feel it all over…”

Anya swallowed thickly and looked up to gauge the reactions of the three queens: Cathy looked frightened, Cleves looked curious, and Jane looked concerned, but they all seemed to be a little unnerved.

“Was that a prophecy?” Cathy whispered.

“Was it?” Cleves asked, shifting. She shook out her wings as if they were crawling with spiders. “Brr. I’ve got goosebumps. That was freaky.”

“It’s coming,” Joan muttered, hanging her head limply. “It’s coming.” Her breathing rattled, body twitching. “We’re animated meat accepting complete infidelity of the body.”

Then, she shook her head and her eyes popped open again, grey and normal-looking.

“Joan, what is going on?” Jane asked.

“Where is everyone else?” Joan croaked. Her elbows trembled like they were about to buckle beneath the weight of her trembling body. “We have to save them!”

“Save them from what?” Cleves furrowed her eyebrows.

“The fire!” Joan cried. She leapt to her feet and scrambled down the hallway, using the wall for support. She began crying out the names of the other queens and ladies in waiting.

“Joan, wait!” Anya went after her.

She chased the hybrid to the wings of the stage, where Kat was talking with Bessie. When Joan saw the fifth queen, she let out a cry of relief and collapsed against her.

“Kat! Kat!” Joan wept.

Kat’s eyes widened and she lowered the girl to the ground. “Joan? Sweetie, what’s wrong?”

“I think it’s her visions,” Anya said. She watched as Kat swept her wings around Joan and held her close to her chest. “She’s really freaking out.”

“Oh, honey,” Kat murmured, stroking Joan’s head. “You poor little thing… Your head must be hurting so bad, huh?”

“K-Kat-- Kat--”

“Shh, shh,” Kat rocked her gently. “You’re okay. You’re going to be okay.”

“N-no-- No!” Joan tried to push away, breathing heavily.

Maggie came down from the nearby staircase, glanced at the scene, wrinkled her nose, then began walking onto the stage. Joan screamed.

“No!!” Joan shrieked, thrashing wildly in Kat’s arms and wings in an attempt to get free. “No! Don’t go in there! No!”

Maggie looked back at her. “Why?” She ruffled her wings and sniffed, clearly miffed. “I do what I want.

“No! No, Maggie, there’s a BOMB!”

And then, with a whoosh and a crash and a burst of light, the stage exploded into flames.

------

“Anne Askew was burned at the stake at Smithfield, London, aged 24, on 16 July 1546, with John Lascelles, Nicholas Belenian and John Adams. She was carried to execution in a chair wearing just her shift, as she could not walk and every movement caused her severe pain. She was dragged from the chair to the stake which had a small seat attached to it, on which she sat astride. Chains were used to bind her body firmly to the stake at the ankles, knees, waist, chest and neck.

Those who saw her execution were impressed by her bravery, and reported that she did not scream until the flames reached her chest.”

------

After an interminable time floating in a semi-conscious haze, the piercing smell of some burning annoyed her into a state of full wakefulness.

The smell of smoke and burning feathers choked her as she shuddered on the floor, slumber against a wall, nose pressed against the gritty floor. Her wings felt heavy, like they were being weighed down by dozens of logs, and an uncomfortable heat pressed down on her. Pushing herself up on weak arms, she raised her head to face the destruction in front of her.

Smoldering tendrils of curtains dot the floor from after they fell from the overhead poles, leaking toxic wisps of white smoke. Without them hanging up, she could see that half the stage had been turned into kindling, surrounding a yawning crater where the risers for the band once stood. The speakers and instruments and tech pieces were now blackened twists of scrap metal, and a hole’s been punched through the back wall, echoing into another room that was slowly being flooded with smoke and ash. Half the sprinklers above were raining water, the other half just dangled from busted pipes. She couldn’t see any bodies; the fire was too big. A few wounded in the wings with her were just now recovering from the shock of the blast; first someone groaned, then she heard someone calling for help.

Anya blinked and realized that her head must be rattled more than she had realized, because she was slumped against the wall without a memory of collapsing. She spent a few moments trying to make sense of what just happened.

As her head cleared a bit, she saw Kat pushing herself up from the ground, covered in a caking of soot. She saw Bessie on her knees, wide-eyeing the fire. She saw Cathy and Anne and Cleves and Jane and dozens of others running towards the wreckage, while others ran in the other direction.

She saw Joan standing in front of the flames, her quaking body outlined by the golden light.

“Oh my god!” Jane cried, clapping her hands over her mouth in shock.

“Wh-what happened?!” Cathy stammered in fear.

“What did this?!” Cleves shouted at the same time.

“Where is Maggie?!” Anne yelled, her eyes wide with fear.

“I tried to warn her,” Anya just barely heard Joan mutter. “I told her. I told her what would happen.”

Anne rounded on Joan, tears trembling on her lower eyelids. “What did you do?!”

“What did I do?!” Joan’s voice raised into a fever pitch. “I did nothing but try to prevent this happening! I tried to save everyone, and she did not listen to me! She went in like the ignorant fool she is!”

She turned to the fire, spreading her wings to the heat. “I saw it! I saw these flames and I tried to save everyone! I tried! I tried!”

Anne took a shaky step back. “Is Maggie dead?”

Joan did not answer, and Anne sobbed.

“Maybe I can--” Bessie stepped up and breathed in deeply, releasing a blast of frost on the fire trying to crawl into the wings. The flames were smothered, but the hell storm on the stage continued to rage wildly. She breathed out another jet of frost, fighting back the fire as more and more people began to flee the building.

“Watch out!”

There was a blur of gold as someone ran into the fire with their wings shielding their flammable clothing and hair. A moment later, they appeared again, dragging someone else by the arms.

“Maggie!!” Anne shrieked, lunging down to the body. Her friend was covered in burns and ash, and one of her wings looked badly charred, but she was breathing. “Maggie, oh Maggie! I’m so sorry! Maggie, I’m so sorry!”

Aragon frowned, then ran back into the fire. She was not immune to the bite of the flames, but her scaly wings were not flammable, and she was able to pull out two more bodies without only minimal burns.

Anya couldn’t recognize the two other corpses. All she knew was that they were very, very dead, charred beyond belief, wings turned to black skeletons upon their backs.

Anya attempted to get up, to maybe help, but a comforting hand pressed on her shoulder and a warm voice spoke to her, “Don’t move, you’re hurt.”

Looking up, she saw Cathy kneeling beside her. Her face was twisted with worry and fear. Anya’s vision began to blur as she was gazing at her.

“I’m perfectly able to--” As she talked, she made the mistake of trying to push herself to her feet. Something shifted in her right shoulder, sending a flare of pain throughout her body, making her gasp as her right arm collapsed under her weight.

Instead of saying, “told you so,” Cathy yelled for help. Medics had apparently arrived.

“Please," Cathy said, “don’t move. You have a large chunk of metal sticking out of your shoulder.”

Anya looked down and saw it gouged there. A twisted hunk of black iron embedded in her flesh, spilling out fountains of hot blood. Her vision began to blur even more. How did she not notice it before?

A painted lady Cimex and a blue Hydra in EMT jumpsuits finally made it through the crowd of people clogging the entrance and came over to where Anya was kneeling. They pushed Cathy aside with their wings, much to Anya’s dismay. She tried to reach for her friend, but the medics coaxed her into saying still while they began speaking. Something about a female black kite Avem showing signs of significant trauma and blood loss. She lost the thread of what they’re saying, because the Hydra medic started to cut the clothes off of her.

“What?” Anya croaked, and she didn’t realize how rough her voice was. The word echoed in her mind like she was in a cave. How much blood was she losing?”

“Shh,” The Hydra told her. “You need to stay still for me, hun.”

When she tossed aside a bundle of unidentifiable shreds of fabric that used to be a stage manager joke t-shirt, stained with equal parts blood and soot, Anya had to agree.

Anya felt very light-headed and dizzy, so she decided to close her eyes.

Funny. This felt a lot more peaceful than how she actually died.

“You’re right, Cathy. I’m really injured.” Her voice was a half-whisper and half-groan, and she had no idea if her friend heard her. She barely cared.

She felt the cold sting of something in her uninjured arm, and the drugs pushed her the rest of the way into unconsciousness.

------

Anya eventually woke up to bright white and the sharp smell of antibiotics. The slight dizziness she felt, and the absence of pain from her wounded shoulder told her that she’s probably still drugged-up on painkillers, if nothing else.

She was laying in a bed in a blindingly white hospital room, staring at the blank wall. She could smell blood somewhere.

She wondered how long she had been drugged insensible. She had no real memory after the Hydra medic stripped her and shot her with something. But, however badly she’d been hurt, they seem to have patched her up. She recovered to the point everyone felt safe ignoring her.

Anya groaned as she got to a seated position. She ached all over. The place where the intrusive chunk of metal once laid was now gone from her shoulder, and she realized that there was an IV tube injected into a vein in her left arm.

“Hey, don’t move around too much.”

Anya whipped her head around and saw Cathy. Relief instantly bloomed through her when she saw the blue jay unharmed and okay.

“Cathy,” She breathed out.

Cathy smiled softly and took her hand, twining their fingers together. “Hey, you.” She said. “It’s good to see you awake.”

“How long have I been out?” Anya asked, and her voice came out croaking and rough. She coughed and Cathy frowned, brushing some white hair from her face.

“A day.”

Anya’s eyes widened. “A day?”

Cathy nodded. “They sewed up the wound in your shoulder, but wanted to keep you under for a while longer. It’s nine, now.”

“Damn,” Anya muttered. “What happened? How is everyone?”

Cathy’s expression went grim. “Jackie and Sean are dead.” She said, referring to a robin Avem and cricket Cimex, both of which had been on the tech crew. “Maggie’s pretty beat up, but the doctors said she’ll make a full recovery soon. A few others are just burned.”

“God,” Anya said softly. “I can’t believe that really happened…”

“Me too,” Cathy said. “I’m just so happy you’re alive. When I heard the explosion go off I was so worried about you. I thought you had—”

“Hey.” Anya brushed her wing against Cathy. “None of that. Happy thoughts. Look, I’m here, aren’t I?”

Cathy smiled. “You are.” She squeezed Anya’s hand again, then cleared her throat. “The show is being shut down for awhile. Obviously.”

“Thank the goddesses,” Anya said. “I don’t know how anyone would be able to work after what happened.”

Cathy nodded. “Yeah. On the bright side, we get a vacation!”

They both shared a laugh.

“Where’s Joan?”

Cathy made a disgruntled expression that Anya didn’t understand. “I don’t know. I don’t really care, either.” Her voice was so hostile; Anya wasn’t used to her sounding so angry.

“Why not?” Anya furrowed her eyebrows.

“She could have stopped it!” Cathy suddenly exploded, causing Anya to flinch in surprise. “She has precognition! And she was having visions! Why couldn’t she have told us what she had seen sooner instead of crying on the floor?”

Anya frowned. “Cathy, I don’t think she could.” She said. “You saw her. She was in a lot of pain. She was scared, too. I think she was too overwhelmed to be able to speak.”

Cathy scoffed. “Yeah right. I wouldn’t just flail around on the floor with the knowledge of a bomb about to go off. She could have told us before the day even happened! She can see the furtive! Why didn’t she see this sooner?”

“There’s a lot of different futures to see,” Anya tried to convince her. “This may not have been one she saw.”

“What, is a fucking bombing not big enough for her mind?” Cathy said cruelly, her voice loaded with venom.

“It’s not her fault, Cathy.”

“It is!” Cathy yelled. “If she had just said something, then Jackie and Sean wouldn’t be dead, the theater wouldn’t be destroyed, Maggie wouldn’t be in urgent care, and you wouldn’t be hurt right now!”

“Don’t blame her!” Anya yelled back. “She tried, okay? She tried. We have to give her that. A lot more people could have died without her.”

Cathy huffed and crossed her arms. “If that’s what helps you sleep at night, alright.”

Anya clenched her jaw, but didn’t argue. She was just tired and confused and so, so worried.

She stayed in the hospital for another hour until she was deemed well enough to leave. The first thing she did was fly to the wreckage sight, even though the doctors advised she didn’t fly for a day or so.

Police cars swarmed the building below Anya. Yellow tape was rolled out, restricting civilians from going in. The theater had turned into a full on crime scene.

Anya flew to the park field next, and that’s where she found her. In the same place where she took her hunting.

Anya landed beside Joan.

“I tried.”

Anya could tell from her voice that Joan had been crying.

“I did. I really tried. I wanted to save everyone.”

“You did your best.”

“My best wasn’t enough. Now two people are dead.”

Joan looked at Anya, and her grey eyes were puffy and red. Tear tracks were stained on her pale cheeks.

“Are you--are you--?”

“I’m okay, sweetie,” Anya said. She tugged down her sleeve to show Joan the bandages around her stitched shoulder. “See? I’m okay.”

Joan sniffled and tears spilled over. “O-oh god. Thank goodness.”

Anya wrapped her wings around the young hybrid and pulled her in close. Joan clung to her like a baby bat would to its mother, latched on with her little dewclaws. She sobbed into her chest, and Anya stroked her hair comfortingly, occasionally scratching behind her ears, hoping it would help.

“I wanted to save everyone,” Joan whispered shakily. “I did. I tried.” She sniffled. “Maybe I should just do what Henry did to me when I kept giving him bad prophecies…”

“What did he do?”

“He cut my tongue out.”

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