WARNING: Upsetting content.
Talks about bereavement, grief and deaf.

Note: After a conversation I had with someone, and looking at the comments, I feel like I needed to explain the last chapter a bit more. I know where the arcs will lead, but you're all in the dark about it, so I need to remember that when writing.

There's just so much to get through, and I worry that you won't be interested if the dynamics stay the same for a while. There are atleast three storylines that need to happen before any long-term change happens in the trainees' personalities and bonds.

I've decided to use more point of views, so you can see the characters' reasons for doing what they're doing. I actually really like doing point of views in my stories, so you'll be seeing more of them!

__

ASHRYN'S P.O.V

The revenge mission is coming along nicely.

I have copies of Faizah's medical file, a copy of the written promise Aoife made, you know, the one where she vowed to protect my family.

My beautiful, amazing—burnt to a crisp family.

It's hard work doing both training and plotting.

I promised myself that I wouldn't let my hatred for this agency impact the mission.
The people of Agoraville don't deserve that.

My morning training sessions with Raph are... purely for work purposes.

You know, I can't have him slowing us down.

He's actually not a bad fighter.
All I have to do is threaten to break one of his toy—gadgets, in half, and he works pretty hard.

He doesn't distract me at all though.

No.

No way.

My mind is still firmly on my two missions.

Rhiannon and Makoto though—those two seem to think this is just a social event where they hang out with their friends.

The other day, Rhiannon and Makoto were talking about their worst dates, and I was so confused.

Why would anyone put themselves through the pain of getting to know someone, falling 'in love', and then getting their heart broken?

That'll never be me.

I have a rule.
If a date is good, go on three more.
If they're all good, have as much fun as you want—but only for a night.
If you know what I mean.

Ok, those rules were actually made because I moved around so much.

Yeah, I didn't have a traditional childhood.

When most kids in my class were learning how to ride bikes, I was already skilled in jujitsu, and was learning judo.

But I couldn't ride a bike.

When most kids in my class were playing with their friends, I was practising to withstand ancient torture techniques.

But I never played with my friends.

I never made any friends.

And neither did Raphael.

Maybe that's why I like his company.
He doesn't have any friends—like me.

He's also never talked about his family. I haven't either, so that means I never have to re-live any painful memories.

Things are just easy with him.

And I know he won't judge me, because his life isn't exactly perfect.

It's actually quite surprising.
I mean, who knew someone who hopped from house to house would enjoy the company of the snobby rich tech weirdo?

I'm getting off topic.

I need to focus.

I have a lot to do today.

★★★

"Faster, Eila!
Where's the energy?
Fight harder!"

Caia shouted instructions at Eila, who was punching a punching bag in the fitness training room.
Wisps of hair stuck to Eila's temple, her sweat acting like glue.

Eila wasn't the best fighter—not even a good fighter, truthfully, but she was tougher than she looked.

Caia sighed, furiously shaking her head. "Eila, no–look", she said, before balling her fists and punching the bag.

Eila watched as her wife pummelled the bag, not wasting any seconds by pausing.

"You have to fight hard and fast.
You're going to be up against people who don't care about feelings.
They'll k*ll you the first chance they get.
You can't hold back."

"I understand."

"Do you?
This is life or death, Eila.
Do you really understand?"

Eila saw the worry in her wife's eyes. Caia's grip on Eila's hands showed her just how scared Caia really was.

She had never seen her wife like this.

"Yes, I... I do.
I do understand, Caia."

★★★

The burnt remnants of Ashryn's home hadn't been cleaned.
Not since her first visit.
Her twin brother, Harrison, wouldn't have liked all the mess.
He was definitely the tidiest sibling.

Ashryn knelt down and gently placed her hand on the ashes of her former house.
She gently brushed them aside, her eyes focusing in on a picture frame that stuck out.

She pulled it out of the rumble, a sharp pain shooting through her chest when she saw the picture inside it.

A young couple—not too young, were huddled up on a bed, the faintest smiles on their faces.
In their arms, lay two babies.
The baby girl had deep red cheeks, whilst the boy was far paler.
His eyes though—they were full of curiosity and innocence and joy and...love.

Ashryn smiled through the tears that were threatening to spill.
Her twin brother's eyes were always his most adored feature, closely followed by his smile.
Ashryn enjoyed using him as a human lie detector, because he could never hide the truth in his eyes.

The young couple didn't look very happy, but upon closer expection, you could see the way the woman's hand wrapped around the little boy—like he was a precious jewel that she wouldn't let slip away.
And the man's eyes weren't looking at whoever took the picture.
They were looking at the little baby girl in his arms.
Like he was her guardian angel.

That was how love was shown in the Williams household.
Not through hugs and kisses of affection, but through carefully crafted tasks designed to equip the children for every horror life would throw at them.

Except for this.

No one could prepare her for the task of cleaning up her deceased family's home.

"Oh my!
You're back again, are you, dear?", questioned a woman.

She was the same woman Ashryn saw when she first visited.
Her white hair seemed fluffier—like a cloud has found a home on her head. Her freckles were rather faint before, but they were much more visible now.

"Oh!
Y-Yes... I am.
I just couldn't get this place out of my head, you know?"

The woman nodded.
"You ran off rather quickly last time."

"I-I know.
I just... I felt so bad for the family."

"It's awfully tragic.
They had their whole lives ahead of them!
The oldest one was only twenty one."

"Uh, how, h-how did you know the family?"

"I had just moved in about two weeks before the fire.
Apparently their mother had died a few years prior, and their father wasn't in the picture anymore.
The oldest had a twin sister too, but she didn't live with them."

"Did...did they speak about her?
The sister, I mean?"

The woman nodded.
"Oh, all the time.
The eldest gushed about his twin!
He didn't talk about his personal life much, none of them did, but when he spoke about his sister... it made me smile."

Ashryn desperately wanted to know more about what her brothers thought about her.
Their thoughts were all she had left to hold on to.

"She sounds nice.
What was she like?"

"He said she was the strongest person he knew.
She was also very protective of them.
I got the impression that they weren't the kind of family that were particularly affectionate, but it was clear to see that they loved each other."

Ashryn felt her head ache, a burning and throbbing sensation rippling through her brain and squeezing her skull.
Her heart ached just as much, but the pain was like she had just been punched multiple times.

Her tears broke free of the prison she had kept them in, and they rolled down her face, blurring her vision slightly.

The woman's face softened.
"Oh, sweetheart...", she whispered, before reaching out for her hand.

Ashryn shook her head.
"I'm fine, I'm fine...sorry", she assured. She furiously wiped away her tears.
"I have two older brothers.
I-I can't imagine something like that happening to them."

"Oh, lovie!", she exclaimed, before pulling her in for a hug.

Ashryn's whole body tensed up.
She wanted to run away, but the woman's hold on her was far greater than her desire to leave.

"I know, it's awful, darling."

When the woman pulled away, Ashryn froze in that position for a brief moment, her mind and heart completely hollow.

She felt too many emotions at once and was desperate to cling on to something, anything to ground her.

"Are...are th-those Calista's Marks?", she asked, her brows furrowing in confusion when she noticed them.

These were slightly different.
There was a slight blue hue on some of the petals, which was abnormal for this species.

"Yes, dear.
Beautiful, aren't they?"

"H-How long have they been there?"

"Um, gosh, I'm not sure.
They were there after the accident, I know that for sure.
They're rather resilient flowers, perhaps they survived the fire?"

No.

Calista's Marks shouldn't be anywhere near here.

Her younger brother, Henri, was allergic to them.

Someone must've planted them after the fire.

But they take a month to grow.

None of this made sense.

Why would her brothers keep flowers in the house when they knew one of them was allergic to them?

Unless... someone planted them.

A dark mist clouded Ashryn's mind, and her aching pain was replaced with a rush of pure anger that coursed through her body.

Someone tried to kíll her brothers.

_________

Hi!

The next update will most likely be in a few weeks. I wanted to finish the second part of this two-part chapter so the connected chapters are done.

I'm very excited for the next chapters, but I need to really focus on the description for them, so I'll most likely be writing it after I've completed all of my assignments.

I found out that one of my comfort shows has been cancelled, and it's just kind of knocked my mental head-space a bit. The show got me through quite a lot of stressful times this year, but I've been thinking about it, and one of the best things it showed me was that friendships are so important, and that watching family/friends group dynamics grow, blossom and just how they interact in different scenarios is something I really enjoy.

I want that to translate more in my work, and I want you to find escapism through this book series.

I also want to thank you, because these applyfics have helped me through tough times a countless amount of times.

The P.O.V was more of a 'stream of consciousness' or 'ramblings', rather than a coherent structure, so I'm very sorry that it's quite random.
I wasn't sure how to make it flow.

Caia is pushing Eila quite far, but the latter did agree to this. Do you think they'll be able to find a balance to their relationship now that Caia is training Eila?

Ashryn's section was particularly emotional to write. For all the bravado and 'nothing can harm me' attitude she exudes, Ashryn is actually a deeply hurt young woman.

I liken her emotional state to a balloon that's being filled with water. More and more water keeps getting added, and it's weighing her down. Sooner or later, the balloon is going to burst.

I've added a few things to Ashryn's storyline recently, and I'm exciting to write the storyline and see everyone's reactions to it.

Did someone kíll Ashryn's brothers on purpose? If so, who? And why?

DoodleYeet

LeMystical-Puffle

ruesbennett

SoniczurcX

bardsarethebest