Laying back in Pidge's chair on the bridge, I searched through the data on the tracker. All the paladins were asleep, but I've never been much of a good sleeper. After seeing nightmares and memories haunt my dreams night after night, sleeping is more of a luxury to me.
The luminescent screen reflects on my face, the rolling numbers scroll in my eyes. Taking another sip of the 'coffee' Pidge taught me to make, I try to keep my eyes open, waiting for my sister's signal to appear, glowing on the screen, lighting the hope in me. But I keep waiting. And waiting. I feel my eyes drooping with fatigue, almost closing until a tiny red dot blares in the darkness. Gleaming with hope.
Her energy signal, she's alive.
I grab my daggers, helmet and communication device and I run to the pods.
I should be back before they notice I'm not here.
The pod awakens and I jump in, setting a course for the glowing red hope. The large door opens, and I press on the power. Space welcomes me, the stars sparkling through the abyss.
I'm approaching the signal, slowly but surely it's getting closer. I approach the planet, it looks... demolished. Surely I'm in the wrong place?
I land the pod on the grey ground, activating my spacesuit and I take a step onto the breaking land. Broken buildings echo around me, screaming of memories and stories. Cracked and splintered trees loom over me; the ground wavering under my weight. What happened here...
I rush closer to the signal, hurrying towards my hope. I feel myself tripping over my own feet, ignoring the obvious truth punching me in the gut, I hear ominous booms of thunder beginning to stir above me. I keep running. Closer, and closer I run towards the signal. But, what I find, is not what i wanted.
'Here lies a soldier who died fighting to defeat the tyrant, Zarkon.'
Only one grave amongst the piles of ash and dirt. Ellaria. No surname, no age, no nothing. Just some withered roses leaning against the ancient stone plaque.
Y/n: "no...no... NO!" I fall to my knees, in front of my destroyed hope. Grief and anguish fill my chest.
Y/N: "why..."
Pain consumes me. Vibrating against my torn heart. Thunder booms above me as tears seethe through my skin.
I hit the ground in anger, then something opened on the grave. A small, black box.
I sniffed, pulling back the tears, but they kept flowing. Shakily, I reached into the box. A small, marked stick. I lifted it out, holding it in my injured palms.
Y/n: "I- I don't understand..."
I looked back into the box, no letter, no nothing.
I must have sat there, crying for hours, I don't know. Once I finally lifted myself from the ground, my eyes were red, hands bleeding and dry, arms burned and charred, I have no recollection of using my strange abilities... how did that happen?
I ambled back to my pod, slumped in my seat, I took off my helmet, H/C hair falling over my shoulders. My tears had left me, but the pain had not. I set the course for the castle of lions. The trip went quickly, I could see the luminescent glowing of the castle in the distance of space.
The door whirred open and I let the pod slowly land on the ground. I grabbed the strange stick from the seat next to me, holding it in my shaky palms. I released the door above me, climbing out of the pod slowly. I ambled out the door, down the corridor, all the lights were still off. Slumping back into Pidge's chair, I watch the red signal slowly fade away on the screen, dissipating into nothing, just like my hope.
Amongst all the grief and pain, I remembered the family I have now, they took me in, despite me sneaking into the castle, despite the fact I'm not a paladin of Voltron, they still accepted me as part of the team. The loss of my sister is painful, but my family is here. Voltron. The paladins. Coran, Allura...Keith.
I eventually must have drifted off because when I awoke, Shiro was looking out at the stars.
Y/N: "Hey team leader."
SHIRO: "You scared me Y/N, when did you get there?" He laughed, I walked closer, admiring the stars and planets.
Y/N: "I've been here for hours. Did you not see me when you came in?"
SHIRO: "I must have been distracted." I watch the expression on his face change to concern and worry.
Y/N: "It's not your fault Zarkon tracked us Shiro, there's going to be some kind of explanation."
SHIRO: "Am i that transparent?"
Y/N: "Don't beat yourself up about it okay? We'll figure it out as a...team."
SHIRO: "Wow, that seemed very hard for you to say, but thanks." We both laughed and enjoyed the company of the stars.
After a while, the other paladins got up and I went back to my room. I stared in the bathroom mirror, looking at my puffy eyes and dark eye bags hanging below them. I splashed my face with water, washing the remnants of tears and dust off me. I climbed into the shower, the cold water stinging my burns, which I don't exactly know where they came from.
I let my mind travel back to the fading planet. The sky was clear when I got there... so where did the thunder come from...You don' think... no it couldn't have been me, but... I guess it would explain the burns. So my powers can be triggered by emotions? I guess I have a lot to learn.
I dried myself off, dabbing at the open burns, I pulled on fresh clothes and smoothed out my hair, pulling it back into a ponytail. I stared into the mirror again.
Maybe the reason the galra kept me in the darkness was because of my powers, maybe that's why I was banished from my home at such a young age. So the vision of my home crumbling... the baby, was someone else?
I looked down at my arms, the spiralling symbols. Wait, they've grown? The symbols were now creeping up my neck, almost reaching my face. How am I supposed to hide them now?
Maybe... just maybe... I shouldn't? What would everyone say? If they really are my family, not that I know much about having one, they wouldn't banish me? They deserve to know, but maybe I should start slowly. I wont hide them anymore.
I walked away from the jacket in the corner of the bathroom, leaving what I'd bee hiding in ever since I arrived. I felt afraid, but good. Maybe I could finally feel apart of the team. Like Pidge said, no secrets. She was brave enough to tell everyone, maybe I should too.
I ambled onto the bridge, clenching my tense fists, my eyes darted around at everyone. Fearing if they would hate me like my people did, I took small steps over to where Shiro stood, staring at a map of the stars.
SHIRO: "Hey Y/N."
Y/N: "H-hey." I couldn't help but stutter, he has been so kind to me, such a great leader and friend, the thought of losing my family hurts.
He slowly turned to face me, I looked away, feeling my eyes dart around the ground for something to focus on. I walked away briskly, feeling ashamed of my arms, I hid behind Pidge's chair.
KEITH: "Y/N, why are you hiding behind a chair?"
He turned the corner of the chair and I turned away, trying to cover my arms as much as I could.
I saw his hand reach out in front of me, stretched out. I looked up slowly, he smiled a little. I grabbed his hand as he helped me up from the ground.
KEITH: "Woah, I didn't know you had these cool marks, they're beautiful." He traced the marks on my arm, admiring them. My chest loosened a little as I heard those words.
Y/N: "Thanks mullet."
KEITH: "What happened to your arms though? They're all burned..."
Y/N: "Oh, the gladiator malfunctioned a little, probably short circuited or something."
KEITH: "Oh, did it hurt you?"
Y/N: "No, not really, it's healing."
KEITH: "Be careful, I don't like seeing you hurt." He smiled weakly and walked back to his chair, brushing his hand through his dark hair.
I amble back to Shiro, he's still staring at a map. I stumble over the words to say.
Y/N: "Hey team leader, sorry for running off, it's just-"
He turned to me, beaming, genuinely smiling. He placed his hand on my shoulder.
SHIRO: "I'm glad you're opening up to the team, as a leader, and a friend, I'm proud of you Y/N."
Y/N: "Thanks, I ran off because I was so nervous, I thought you all would, well, abandon me."
I shuffled my feet, stuttering over the words.
SHIRO: "Y/N, You're family, and part of the team now, we would never abandon you because of who you are, or your past."
His words almost brought tears to my eyes but I swallowed them away before they could escape.
Allura walks through the door, purpose in her steps. She doesn't see me yet, which is good.
ALLURA: "Shiro, a pod left last night. Is everyone here?"
SHIRO: "What?"
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks to the people that read this, and the people that vote on it! It makes me so happy! Especially with big exams coming up, I need all the good things i can get lol. Have a great day! What do you think the stick your sister left is?