Chapter Text
The year is 2129. The deforestation and subsequent extinction of the remaining animals on Earth has begun the planet's descent into the grave. The population of humans has topped at 18 billion. The air is so polluted it's not recommended to go outside without a mask, the waters are filled with toxic waste from big factories, and the onslaught of war and death that continues for the 1%’s pocket expansion takes its toll on the people and the planet alike. It’s misery at its best. It’s the 7th layer of Hell at its worst. In what used to be New Orleans; home to swinging jazz bands, Mardi Gras parades and the many esoteric, voodoo shops that lined the streets, is now a wasteland. The natural disasters and exploitation that rocked the once great Crescent City have turned it into a desolate place, one that many prefer to avoid. The streets are littered with rubble, garbage, various broken bottles of whatever alcohol was left in a storage room, and people. Few can manage to keep money in their pockets, having to provide food and clothing for those they love, they don't have enough money to buy a house. So people live on the streets, underneath ancient awnings and hollowed out buildings to escape the acrid rain, the blinding sun and the dust storms that come through the town. On a particularly sweltering day, a couple makes their way through what used to be the old French Quarter. They murmur to themselves, pitying the poor souls who’ve had the “unfortunate luck” to be stuck in their situation.
A commotion in a ruined building to the left drew their attention, as they approached they gaped at the scene before them. A little black girl, no more than 3 maybe 4 was fighting another child, a little boy, for a scrap of clothing. The girl was quick, trying to trip the boy into a pile of debris, but he was quicker, and he pushed her into the debris with a grunt. She landed in the pile groaning as the boy scampered away. The couple looked at each other, unsure of how to proceed from this point when the little girl rose from the debris. She held her head as she sat up, groaning from the pain and the blinding light of the sun that beat down on her mercilessly. She sighed as she felt hunger grip her stomach. She had no idea how long she’d been without food, much less a proper shirt and shorts. ‘Guess I’ll have to look elsewhere..’ She thought to herself, picking up her dignity and her seemingly dwindling will to continue, vowing to get that boy back should he ever cross her path again. She hadn’t noticed the strange couple walking up to her until their shadows covered her from the sun. She scrambled away, startled at the closeness of these random adults. “Get back! Get away! Leave me alone!” The couple was taken aback, such a big voice for a little body. “Shh.. It's okay.. We’re not gonna hurt you.” The woman came from behind her spouse, her voice soft and soothing. “We just want to know where your parents have gone-” “I don’t have parents.” The girl said defiantly, much to the shocked (and yet not surprised) faces of the couple before her. “What happened to them..?” Said the man.
“I..” The girl's face dropped from its scowl, kicking a can next to her only to have it come rolling back. “I don’t know where they’ve gone.. I just know I woke up here.. I’ve been here ever since..” She sighed looking out over the churning black river water. She wondered to herself what it would’ve been like hundreds of years ago. She turned to the two strangers as they whispered to each other, giving her a moment to examine them. They were covered in neutral colored clothing, and had head wraps of some sort to protect them from the sweltering heat of the afternoon, which had already made her sweat through her rags. From what little skin she could see underneath they were white people, and she mentally grimaced. You’d think racism and the like would be water under the bridge by the 22nd century, but history seems doomed to repeat itself, no matter the time frame...
“Hey! Excuse me! Can you help me?” The girl walked up to a circle of white people, their huddled group drunkenly bickered amongst themselves up until they spotted her. Silence followed as she watched them, hungered, tired, unfocused gazes laid upon the girl, “Yeah? What’d’ya want kid?” Said a gruff voice from the group. “Um, I was wondering if you have seen my parents..? I woke up over there just now and I don’t know where they’ve gone..” Her voice got quieter by the minute as they scowled and glared at her. “Look kid, we’ve all got our own problems, yeah? Go find your deadbeat parents somewhere else.” Said a man in the back. And with that, another few glares from the group and she made her exit, not wanting to stay longer. She scampered along, hiding on the second floor of an old collapsed masquerade shop. The torn masks and dulled feathers covered the floor, dusty, dirty, and hadn’t been touched in years. She looked around the room, crumbling and left to rot. She sighed, wondering why those people shunned her, couldn’t bother to at least give her a clue. She sat by what was left of a window and wondered.
Until, she noticed she could hear some people talking from her perch and when she peeked out of the window, she saw it was the group from before, and they weren’t but a few feet away. It didn’t help that they weren’t quiet in the first place, their intoxicated stupors showing through their slurred voices. “D’you think we should’ve helped her? She didn’t look more than 3-” “So what if some brat lost their parents? We’ve all lost somebody because of this fucked up government, these fuckin' idiots in office with big bucks in their pockets, not caring bout the people who have to work to death just to make some-hell not even-a FEW ends meet.. So what if some blackie lost her parents? She’ll need to learn that this world isn’t kind to anyone, not even the smallest child.” Silence fell over the group. And in that moment, as she watched the fading afternoon sun sink into the horizon, watching the dying light douse the room in glaring yellow and her skin a molten tawny color, the only thing she could think to think of was why the man called her “blackie” when clearly her skin was brown.
It wasn’t until a few hours later; when she’d felt it safe to leave the building under the cover of dusk and shadows, while she wandered her new surroundings, the old Quarter gave her an empty feeling. Long abandoned, derelict shop fronts and restaurants stared at her, empty doorways and windows gaping at her, their dark deserted insides putting a chill to her bones. Until she stumbled upon what looked like a mystics abode. The candle light from inside drew her in, the only living building in the square. As she crossed the threshold her tiny body gave a shudder, something about the atmosphere set her insides on high alert. She felt the energy in her body tense like a coil ready to spring as she took in the unfamiliar surroundings. Animal skulls and poppets hung from the ceiling, jars of age-old spices, things floating in mysterious liquids in jars, books, candles, and incense burners lined shelves and the floor.However, she made note that unlike the outside; the air here didn’t smell of toxic pollution and dirt, it smelled of old smoke, perfumed, heady and left to hang in the air from the last time someone lit an incense. Or, from the last time someone found such a thing. (they stopped making incense in the early 2100s when they ramped up production of turning natural materials to fuel and things).
As she walked further in, greedily breathing in the air, fascinated by the things around her, she suddenly felt a presence in the room with her. She whipped around, “Who-who’s there?.. Come out please..” She felt the presence bounce all over the room, until it seemed to be right next to her- “BOO!” Said a voice, making the girl jump out of her skin with a shriek. She jumped back, taking in the newcomer with frightened eyes. The stranger was an old woman, her ebony skin wrinkled, her hunched over posture and frizzy white hair gave the girl an impression of a madwoman. But just when the girl was going to make a run for it, the old woman peered down at her with bright green eyes and the girl felt no malice, no anger, no hate emanating from them. The woman chuckled as the girl relaxed a bit. “Now you ask who I am, but you've walked into my shop like it's your own! I think the question that should be asked is who are YOU, dearie?” The woman cocked her head to the side, her sea foam green eyes staring at the girl expectantly. It was in this moment however, that the girl realized she didn’t know her name. She shook her head and sighed, “I don’t remember my name.. Or how I got to this place.. Or where my parents are..” She trailed off, thinking back to the man from the group. “No one I talked to wanted to help me..” Looking up at the woman through tear ladened eyes, “Ca-can you help me..?”
The woman could see this child’s pain as clear as the nose on her pretty little face. She smiled softly and sat next to the girl, a hand on her cheek, her thumb wiping away her tears. “I will help you child.. We’ll put you on the right path..” The girl didn’t know what she meant by path, or who the “we” was, but she knew she could get help from this old granny. After some food and what little water there was, the girl began to ask questions. Who was the old woman? What was this place? Why are there dolls and skulls hanging from the ceiling? The granny laughed and patiently took each question in its stride. The woman’s name was Rosa, but the girl could call her granny if she wished. The place they were in, was an old witch’s shop, which had been passed down to Rosa after the witch had left town. She told the girl some stories and some things about the shop, making the little one laugh and squeal in delight.
After a particularly scary story the girl sighed. “What’s wrong, ma chère? What’s got you all mixed up inside..?” Rosa said, lightly tickling the little girls tummy, making her giggle halfheartedly before looking down at herself and frowning. “Granny Rosa..? What’s a.. Blackie..?” The girl looked up at her, seeing the shock on her face. “Where.. Who said that..?” Replied Rosa. “There was a group of people I asked for help when I first woke up.. I listened to them after I left and they said “so what if some blackie lost her parents..” She mumbled to her, leaning into the woman's side and looking at her skin. “Aren’t I brown granny..-?” “Hush now child.. Don’t you listen to them, ignorant idgits. They weren’t white people were they-? Who am I kidding of course it was..” Rosa groaned to herself in disbelief. How could someone say such things about a child? Especially to one so young yet so.. So..
Rosa took this moment, and gazed at the little girl, taking in her appearance. She had a big mane of thick curly Q hair, soft looking ringlets of jet brown strands, brown sugar skin, cupid’s bow lips, a little button nose, a beauty mark on her right cheek, and her eyes.. She had never seen a girl with eyes as blue as hers since.. Rosa knew the familiarity in this face.
“Granny Rosa..?” Rosa shook herself from her trance and sighed, “Listen chèrie, there’s gonna be people in this world who don’t like you.. Some won’t like you because they know you and just don't like you, or they don’t get along well with you. Some won’t like you because they think that you’re better than them. Some.. Some won’t like you because of the color of your skin.. They’ll call you all sorts of names.. Say all types of things.. Simply because they think that the color of your skin makes you less than them.. Do you understand what I’m trying to tell you..?” The girl looked at her, a bit uncertain. “Is that why the white people called me blackie..?” “Yes baby.. They think your skin makes you lower than them. Not every person will, but for the few that will, know that they are in the wrong.” The girl still looked unsure. “Why..?” “Because..” Rosa continued, “Your skin is beautiful. Just as mine is, just as your parents skin, just as every black person’s skin, in every shade under the sun. We’re all beautifully and wonderfully created, and some people are just jealous.” She leaned in, whispering as if to share a secret.
“They just mad that black don’t crack when old age sets in.” Rosa chuckled, and when the girl understood she laughed too. “Well how old are you granny?” Rosa feigned offense. “Never ask a lady her age!... but if you must know, I’m old enough to be your great grandmother and then some.” The girl gazed at the old sage in awe, wondering if she’ll get to be that old one day.
As that dusk turned to evening, the stories and questions and laughter continued on, and the candlelight grew dim, Rosa still pondered about the girl. Watching her flip through the books on her shelves, she slipped away to a corner of the store, hidden away by a star studded curtain. Pushing it away and entering the sequestered cushion covered room, she pulled out a deck of cards. Sitting at the makeshift table in front of her she began to shuffle. ‘Who could this girl be.. Why did she feel so.. Familiar..? And why does she look so much like..?’ As cards slipped out of the deck from Rosa’s rapid shuffling, the pictures on the cards showed something akin to an answer, but something was still missing. Studying the cards intently, she asked just one more question as she shuffled again. ‘What is her name..?’ Two more cards came out immediately. Rosa flipped them over and grinned. Having gotten her answers, she thanked the deck and stashed it away.
The girl was playing with a poppet that Rosa had made a long time ago when she came into the front room. “And just what have you got there..?” The girl turned around with a smile and said, “It looks like me!” Indeed it did. Down to the curly strands and the mole on her face. “I made that a long time ago you know.. Back when I had met a little girl who looked a lot like you..” The girl looked up, surprise and disbelief on her face. “You.. You knew my mama..?” Rosa nodded and sighed. “It was so long ago, I had almost forgotten.. But she came here one day, searching for something just like you did.. She told me she had yet to find what she was looking for last I had seen her.. But, I think.. In fact I just know it now..” She looked down at the girl, her eyes shining like stars in the night sky. “You, ma chére, were the answer..” Rosa placed a hand on her face, watching a smile break through the pain of not knowing where her mother had gone. “Does that.. Does that mean that.. I might find her one day..?” Rosa sighed with a slight shrug, “I’m not sure my dear.. There are many things at play here..”
Suddenly, a yowl was heard in the shelves behind them, startling the girl. “Wh-What was that?!” She trembled behind Rosa, looking around wildly from behind her. “Now hush up little lovely you’ll wake the babies..” And before the girl could ask, a pair of blue eyes looked at her from the shelf, and a calico cat had stepped out from behind the books. “Mrow?” The orange, black and white cat had questioned the sight of the little human hiding behind her caretaker. The girl's face brightened with childish delight and she whispered, “A kitty..?” Rosa chuckled as the cat bounded down the stack of books and rubbed against the girl's leg, purring like a motorboat.
“That my dear is Étoile, she’s been my cat for a long time now, and.. well wouldn’t you know it..” Rosa trailed off, peeking around the edge of the bookshelf with a chuckle. “Her babies are just as cute as she is..” The girl ran around the edge of the shelves peering into a little rocking crib at 4 tiny little motley colored kittens. Barely old enough to open their eyes. The girl knelt down and gently rubbed a finger over a gray kitten's head, caressing it so lovingly it made Rosa’s heart ache just the slightest bit. “They’re beautiful..” Said the girl, as tears welled up in her eyes. “Chére? Come here darlin, I wanna show you something..” Rosa shuffled off as the girl pulled herself away from the kittens, Ètoile having laid back down with her kittens for some rest.
The girl followed the shuffling noises to a dresser that Rosa was currently rifling through. “I know I have it here somewhere, hold on.. Aha!” She pulled out a dusty old book, the hardback covering ripped off of it from years of abuse. “What’s this?” “Open it and see.” Rosa placed the book in front of her, and as the girl flipped through the pages, she gasped lowly to herself. “What is this..? Where are these.. Things..?” “These things you see? Are planets… Stars.. Places so far into the sky you’d need more than a rocket and some fuel to get there. This is outer space.” The girl couldn’t believe the pictures on pages. Stars, so many stars and planets, she never knew there was so much out there.
“It’s.. It’s so much.. I wanna go there..” She stopped on a page, drawn to it, trying to comprehend the words there.The picture displayed a blue-ish purple sphere, orbited by 3 smaller spheres. “Granny Rosa can you-” “Don’t you worry, I got you covered. This page is talking about a gas giant, a real big planet made of gas and things. It’s name is Polyphemus, and it has 3 moons. They haven’t named the other 2 moons but this one-” Rosa pointed to a slightly larger-than-most moon that looked like Earth back in its heyday.
“-this one’s name is Pandora.”
The girl traced the green parts of the moon, seeing-practically feeling how expansive it was. “Do people live on Pandora?” “Mhm. They say a group of people live there, they’re called the Na’vi.” “Na’vi?” Rosa nodded, “Indeed. They say that the Na’vi people are mean, savage brutes, who want nothing to do with humans.” Hearing this didn’t sit well with the girl. “Are the Na’vi really mean people..?” Rosa shrugged. “I don’t know. Pandora’s too far to travel too in my old age.. But you know, they used to say the same thing about black people too..” The girl looked around, taken aback. “They called us savages..?” Rosa nodded grimly. “They called us many things. They did horrible things to our people, and then blamed us for things we had no control of in the first place. They sought to take our motherland from us, and keep us under their thumb. Keep us blind and ignorant to the truth. But we escaped from that, or so we had thought..”
The sage woman sighed, feeling the fatigue and ache in her old bones. “I don’t know if the Na’vi are truly savage people. But they’re right to not trust us humans. We’re nothing but trouble for ourselves. I can only imagine what those poor souls are being subjected to by the hands of our military and government..” The girl felt a strange pull in her chest, but before she could continue, Rosa had placed a hand on her head and looked her square in the eye. “I think I’ve got it.” The girl shrugged and wasn’t following. Rosa turned around rummaging through another drawer before pulling out an old tiara. “Ma chére, from this day forth, you shall be known as Céleste Lacouronne.” She placed the circlet upon the girls crown of curls and smiled in satisfaction. “There now. A regular princess in the making.” The newly named Céleste could only smile through her joyful tears, beyond ecstatic with her new name and her new friend.
‘Safe to say that didn’t last..’ Céleste couldn’t understand the way things played out from that night forward but she realized that the man from the group was right. This world isn’t kind. “Excuse me..? Excuse me dear..” Céleste looked up, putting her past memories on the back burner. “Yes?” She answered, the couple probably need directions or something. “We were wondering.. Well, if you’re okay with it..” The man had stumbled over his words when the woman came a bit closer, much to the wary discomfort of Céleste. “We were wondering if you’d like to come home with us.” Céleste stopped her inner thought process, having been blindsided by this question. “C-you-uh.. What?”
The couple chuckled a bit at her befuddlement. “Would you like to come stay at our house? We already have 2 boys, but I’m sure they’d love a little sister..” The man nodded, looking at Céleste expectantly. “You don’t have to if you don’t wanna but, we’d hate to see such a spirited young girl like you waste away here. If you’d let us, we’ll take care of you..?” He trailed off, his gruff voice putting a soothing balm over Céleste’s nerves like she hadn’t felt in a while. She looked at these two, wondering what they could get out of taking her into their home.
‘Well.. They look nice enough.. Beats being here by a mile..’ And if it came down to it, she could always run away. She internally nodded to herself. The decision had been made. “Okay. I’ll go.” The couple smiled at each other, happy to know that she’d come with them. “But first..” Céleste interrupted, crossing her arms in front of her. She let the silence permeate the air, their faces turning a bit uncertain. A soft smile pulls at the corner of her mouth and says quietly, “What are your names?” The couple chuckles, removing their hoods and sunglasses to reveal a lovely looking pair.
The woman had short brown slightly curly hair that was cut at her shoulders, crystal clear blue eyes and, now that Céleste had a clear view, a warm smile. The man had brown hair as well that was cut around the sides, with a bun crowning the top. He had a well-kept beard and a scar on his cheek, but when he smiled a dimple showed up on both sides. “I’m Alicia, it’s nice to meet you, and this is my husband Eric Sully.” Alicia’s voice was sweet and light, like a spring breeze. “What’s your name little miss..?” The man-Eric, asked. Céleste smiled and walked over to them both, reaching a hand out for a friendly shake. “My name is Céleste Lacouronne. It’s nice to meet you, Alicia, Eric.” They looked at each other and laughed, grappling Céleste in a big bear hug before Céleste had a chance to get defensive. “Welcome to the Sully family Céleste.”