The apple was good. It wasn't just good. It was amazing, delightful and just amazing.
I was grateful.
She grabbed my hands and ran in circles with me.
I didn't know what she was doing. Is this..fun?
She let my hands go and linked arms with me and dragged me with her.
She dragged me along with her to the royal garden where there were Porkins, Lilies, Opales, Cactuses, Apple trees, Mango trees, and much more.
I felt happy, for the first time in my life.
She pouted adorably. "I don't even like your brother.." she mumbled loud enough for only me to hear. "..dumb arranged marriage..hmph"
I chuckled softly.
"Why do you look like this..?" She suddenly asked me as she cocked her head.
My eyes widened slightly. No one had ever asked me what I went through or anything including my personal life..this was new.
"I..I'm a shapeshifter.." I muttered, fidgeting with my fingers, overthinking several situations in my head.
"You're from Argoth?"
I shook my head.
"You have rare genetics then.."
"I'm my parent's least favorite. My father committed suicide cause of me..you should probably stay away from me too before I make you do suicide too."
"Nope! I'll stay with you and be your best friend!" She grinned widely.
She grabbed me and hugged me.
I didn't know what to do or how to react..but I just hugged her back.
Tears welled up in my eyes. And they ran down my cheek one by one.
"Oh no! Why are you crying?!" She panics, waving her hands around in the air like a crazy person.
I kept hugging her and whispered. "Thank you."
She smiled and leaned down to my height to wipe my tears away.
I felt so happy.
We went towards the flowers and looked at each of them.
It was my first time out in the royal garden. I had always been stuck in my room with nothing to do but cry.
I saw a purple Polly that reminded me of her eyes and plucked it out.
I motioned to Lumari to come down since she was taller than me.
She curiously leaned down, wondering what I wanted to do or say.
She cocked her head.
I grabbed the purple Polly from behind me and put it behind her ear.
"It matches your eyes" I mumble quietly.
"Thanks" she smiles and chuckles.
I just then noticed the sun rays shine on her and embracing her eyes, making them shine.
I gasped slightly as the sight.
"Your eyes..beautiful." I point up to her eyes.
"Really..? Thanks!" She smiled softly.
We spent all day at the royal garden looking at various types of flowers and plants.
I even took a mango from one of the mango trees, which I wasn't ever allowed to take but, Lumari said I could.
So I did.
Soon, it was night. The stars glimmered in the night sky.
"So cool..it's my..first time" I was mesmerized by the night sky. It may be a shocker but, I had never seen the night sky before. So, that was my first time. And it was beautiful.
We soon went inside and I saw my mother glaring at me from a distance.
She would've abused me if Lumari wasn't there but she wanted to make a good impression on Lumari.
I hid behind Lumari as she wondered what I was so scared of.
I side-eyed to my mother and back at her and she understood what I meant and kept me next to her, holding my hand.
She was like the supportive and kind older sister I never had.
・
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A few weeks later..?
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・
・
It had been a few weeks since Lumari had started living with us.
I've realized a few things about her...
1) she's really smart. She knows the life story of the most powerful-est sorcerer in the magic-est of magic kind!
2) she's super kind and really nice.
3) and she's my hero.
I want to be just like her when I'm older: kind, nice, helpful, blah blah..
It was soon night and these days Lumari had slept with me in my room.
"But my mother has arranged a royal chamber for you.." I say as I think on why she would want to sleep with me in my bare room full of nothingness.
Is it cause she feels bad..? Then I don't need her 'charity' or pity.
I don't like to be a pity thing or someone to feel bad about.
"Yeah but I'd rather sleep here!" She grins.
"B-but.."
"Nope! Be quiet, I'm not leaving you alone!"
I nodded finally and we both lay on the ground, with some distance.
"Oh also...happy birthday.."
I widened my eyes at her words.
"You...remember..?"
She grinned playfully.
"I do." She cocked her head.
My eyes suddenly started tearing up. I know it was just a happy birthday but it felt like I was being appreciated. Like I was someone worthy enough to be remembered.
"Hey...HEY! Why are you crying?!"
I rubbed my eyes. "I'm happy, Ms Layts."
She waved her hands around trying to find something to help me even though there was nothing in my room. She turned to me and sighed.
"You can drop the formalities. Call me Lumari."
I gasped slightly. I wasn't used to calling other people by their first names, not even my brother. I call him Prince Nalr. Even though I'm a prince too.
"Ms La-.."
She shot me a glare and that looked like it meant, 'don't you dare Leo.'
"..I mean...Lu-..Lumari.."
"Good job, Leo." She grinned at me. "Hey, wanna play a game?"
"Game..?" I cocked my head. I didn't know what a game was.
"Yeah, a game. It's where you have fun and play with others? You don't know what it means?"
I shook my head.
She looked at her pink watch she had on her wrist and noticed it was very late.
"Oh..we should probably sleep, right? I'll play with you tomorrow, kay? It's 11 pm I bet everyone's asleep by now."
I nodded.
"Hey also, do you promise to be my best friend?" She grinned from ear to ear.
"I..promise." I beamed.
But this would be the promise I that soon would break.
She usually slept with me in my room on the floor. She slept across the room. I slept with the door.
The moon wasn't here yet. It mostly came at midnight. Strange, right? It was pitch black darkness in the room.
Soon, it was midnight and the moon came up. Not just the moon though...a starry sky came up.
That...wasn't good...I wasn't allowed to be in starry nights. But the light of the stars shone into my room through my jail-like window.
I didn't know what would happen to me so I just let myself be in the light because it felt so good. It felt relaxing.
It was also the first time I had seen a starry night sky.
But I honestly now wish I had never even let myself in the light of it.
My eyes flashed red. She was awake and lay on the ground away from me.
My eyes glowed a petrifying blood red. I...couldn't control myself after that.
"Ah..how it feels to be alive again!" I grinned. I didn't know what I was doing.
She stared at me confused. "What are y..." her eyes widened and she let out a gasp as I pulled out the same knife ,which I had taken from the kitchen, from behind my back. I don't even know how it get there. I don't know why I felt pain. I just couldn't even see what was happening. There was something..
..controlling me. And I hated it.
I went towards her and started off with a small cut on her hand with the knife. I held the knife up to my tongue and licked the blood from the cut off the knife.
"The sweet taste of blood!"
My voice was loud and evil but my expression shouted, 'help! This isn't me, I promise Lumari! I'm sorry!"
But of course, no one could see that.
I then held the knife up to her neck as her eyes widened.
"Leo...?" She stared at me blankly as a tear fell down her cheek.
I wanted to say, 'yeah it's me! I'm not the one doing this, I promise!' But I couldn't say that.
And then......I sliced her neck off, her head rolling down the floor.
I could hear her whisper something. "It's okay, Leo. I know you had to. Don't kill your self though, promise me." A tear rolled down her cheek.
And those were her last words.
Her eyes closed and she stopped breathing.
The starry sky moved away and it turned into a bland sky with just the moon glowing.
My eyes flashed back to my crimson eyes.
I was back..to myself.
I knew what had happened. I knew it all. And I didn't want to do any of it.
"Lumari! Why?!" I cried as tears ran past my cheeks.
That was the time I cried the most in my life.
Lumari was my savior. She was my hero. She was the one who was stopping mother from abusing me.
Without her, I was nothing.
I held her body in my tiny arms as I cried non-stop.
"LUMARI!!" I sobbed.
I couldn't do anything about it. I wanted to kill myself and meet with her in the afterlife. Maybe that was possible. But I couldn't.
Because Lumari's last words...were to not kill myself.
"I promise Lumari!"
Someone suddenly slammed the door open and I saw that it was mother. She had never come to my room before. Brother was behind her.
She saw Lumari's dead body in my arms and ran over to me, slapped me in the face, and picked up Lumari's body from my arms.
She saw the knife on the ground covered with blood. She looked at me with disgust. My brother just stood at the back, behind my mother, his eyes wide open. She picked up the knife on the ground and cut my neck. She didn't cut it off, she just scarred it. She stabbed my heart.
She must've figured out by now that I could heal myself. With my blood magic. She kept stabbing my heart.
Of course it hurt. But who was I to stop her?
She took the blood-covered knife out from my heart and threw it on the ground.
"You foolish, stupid child! What am I going to tell Mr Maynard?! That my stupid three-year-old killed his five-year-old?!"
She wasn't even concerned about Lumari. For the first time in my life, I finally stood up to my mother.
"Mother! Be quiet! Just be quiet! I have let you control me all my life and I haven't said a single word to you. But now, when my best friend is dead, you're not even sad?! She was an amazing human, better than you'll ever be! Now just be quiet. And just leave my room. I'm already stuck in this stupid prison of yours, so why do I have to follow your rules?"
My mother's eyes widened. It was probably the first time I had screamed.
She went out of my room, holding Lumari's body, with my brother following her from behind.
I hate my mother. And I hate myself.
My mother didn't announce Lumari's death publicly. She only told Mr Maynard. Which he ended up in tears and nearly murdered my mother. Which I wish he did now.
There's only one thing I know,
I have to survive life. Because Lumari doesn't want me to die. It was her wish before she left.
So I'll follow it.
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A/N: hey amazing people!! So, this is the last part of Leo's backstory. It ends at when he was a three year old. Also, yes. He killed Astrid's sister Lumari, who Astrid doesn't even know exists. (Astrid thinks she has no siblings)
Let's see what's next...! I'll be continuing from chapter 8, 'A Mistake.'
So, what do y'all think'll happen next?
1) Leo leaves Astrid alone but she follow him
2) Leo is too 'in love' with her to leave her alone.
3) Astrid notices something's up about him and asks him what it is and he ends up confessing
4) Leo confesses and then leaves her alone, feeling stunned
5) none of the above
Bye!!
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