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Through the lack of color, the darkness is oppressive. Maelle can feel the heat of fire on her face. She raises her hand to touch it, but the glow of fire blinds her. Flames from her arm reach out to brush against her hair as her hand continues to her face. The movement is slow but she eventually makes contact with the burning surface on her face. It is smooth like porcelain. Her fingertips find an edge and dig in, ripping it from her skin. Cold air on fresh wounds leads to a new sensation. Her hand holds a mask, the same mask that woman was wearing. The mask drops from her burning hand, and right before it hits the ground, her eyes open.
The open sky greets her, dark blue speckled with stars. Maelle’s heart hammers in her chest as she sits up and pulls her knees in close. Imaginary flames bite at her and all she wants to do is close her eyes but more fire greets her there. So she cries.
Her panting breaths make her dizzy and her chest feels too tight. She attempts to make a noise but all that comes out is a strangled gasp.
A soft hand startles her but with a glimpse of brown hair and a quiet voice, she settles into it. Maelle’s eyes slip closed to a calming darkness. She leans forward to place her forehead on her knees as the hand slowly brushes over her shoulders in comfort. He talks to her but she can't make out the words. She takes a deep breath, fully filling her lungs.
“I’m just so tired Gustave,” her voice is rough from sleep but the hand on her back stills. She leans in to him in a mock embrace, trying to find more comfort in his presence. “It’s all so confusing out here, I almost wish we stayed in Lumiere but you-” The body stiffens under her. Maelle’s breath catches as her eyes fly open. “You’re not-” She shifts away from the hold, eyes slowly moving up to catch the man in front of her.
His eyes are sad, but the white streaks and scar give him away.
“ Verso ,” she says it like a whisper. Something deep within her, an almost foreign feeling, makes his name feel right. Verso’s face is somber, like he is grieving something or someone. She stares at him as he pulls his face into a more neutral expression.
“I didn’t mean to… I’m- uh, sorry if I scared you,” his voice is gravely yet soothing. Maelle notes the differences to Gustave’s voice.
“No- I thought you were-” she takes a breath as she studies him. There are many differences, but a similar familial feeling settles deep within her gut. “Do you have siblings?” She keeps her voice low to not wake anyone else.
“To sisters,” he watches her as she moves over to sit next to him.
“Tell me about them?” She looks at him pleadingly. He eventually looks away and sighs, raking a hand through his hair.
“I have one older and one younger. You know Alicia,” Verso makes a face but refuses to look at Maelle.
“The one with the mask?” She asks quietly. He only nods in response.
“The other, Clea, is… intense, to say the least. But I don’t know if she’s-” As he talks, Maelle slowly rests her head against his arm.
“Gustave was like a brother to me,” she keeps her tone soft, barely above a whisper. “After he died… I kept thinking, how will I ever continue? Why should I keep fighting after I lost everything?”
Veso slowly puts his arm around her in a loose hug, allowing her to move away if she wanted.
“I know killing Renior won’t fix it. But… I don’t know what else I can do.” Tears fall but she wipes them away quickly.
“Maelle,” he says her name like it means something. Like she is more than some random teenager he just met. “You remind me so much of my little sister,” his voice breaks like he is about to cry. “Just- don’t become so entrenched in your grief. Sometimes people drown in it. He wouldn’t want you to be consumed by grief.” He talks as if he is speaking from experience.
Maelle stays quiet, letting his words sink in. Verso shifts a little before speaking again.
“Hey, have I ever told you about the time Monoco stole one of my legs in an attempt to transform into me?” Maelle huffs out a breath in amusement and shakes her head. “Well, it was a while ago, “ he begins with a slight smile. “We had some down time between adventures so I was just lazing around when Monoco came out of nowhere and lobbed off my leg! Then I had to chase him around with only one leg! Esquie thought it was hilarious…”
Verso’s voice is soothing. Maelle leans her head against his shoulder. She settles into the feeling of companionship, sitting here with someone so strange yet so familiar. As he continues telling his story in a soft voice, Maelle drifts off to sleep, no longer plagued by the fires behind her eyes.
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Fire is like an old friend to her. Beautiful from afar but terrifying up close. She knew the dreams would start up again after she regained her memories from her other life. But knowledge won’t save you from the primal fear of it.
Fire, in its purest form, surrounds her. She feels the skin on her face melting from the heat of it, but all she can do is watch. Verso, her brother, stands in the middle of the burning room with a face of calm acceptance. Smoke is filling her lungs but she attempts to shout for him.
“Verso! Please, no!” She tries to reach out for him but part of the ceiling crumbles in front of the door. The final glimpse she sees of Verso, he is still standing calm.
“It’s okay, it's okay,” His voice is almost drowned out by the roaring flames.
Then, the ceiling crumbles entirely, flames bursting out to scorch her face and neck. Alicia can only scream as she is blinded. She struggles to feel her face, hands reaching up to see if it is still there, but there are hands on her wrists, stopping her from clawing her eyes out.
“Maelle, Maelle, wake up,” the voice whispers, but who is he talking to? That name is… oh . Her painted memories come flooding back to her. She takes a breath and hums, testing her voice before she opens her eyes.
Verso is leaning over her with her hands softly clutched in his. He looks just like him, except for his scar and his hair.
“Verso…” the tears fall and for a moment, he looks scared, dropping her hands to sit back. She sits up to follow him, but has enough sense to keep her distance. So he watches as she quietly sobs. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry-” she repeats it like a mantra just under her breath. She isn’t sure if she is apologizing for confusing him with her brother or for causing her brother’s death.
It takes a minute for Verso to give in, carefully placing a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. She wipes her tears before looking up at him.
His eyes are still sad, “It’s okay.” he says it like her brother. She could close her eyes and pretend, just for a moment, that he is still here, but that isn’t fair to this Verso. The two of them, her and this Verso, don’t really know each other. At least not like how they knew their own siblings, but it is still similar.
“Can-” her voice cracks as the tears continue to fall, “can I hug you?” He looks down at her and she thinks he is going to refuse. But he slowly opens his arms and nods with a somber smile.
Maelle doesn’t need to be told twice. She surges forward, wrapping her arms around him. He gives a soft huff at the impact before placing his arms around her. Maelle embraces him as if she will never see him again. In her brain, she tries to convince herself that he isn’t her brother, but then he starts speaking.
“You’re okay, I’m here,” it almost feels practiced, like he has done this before, but it is comforting nonetheless. He lets her cry, refusing to pull away until she does.
“I miss you,” she whispers once she has more control of her breathing.
“I know,” he holds her slightly tighter, the warmth of him enveloping her. Maelle settles into the embrace, tears slowly easing as they both breathe together. The silence is comfortable, but she breaks it as soon as she settles.
“Thank you,” and she really means it. She pulls back only to find Verso’s cheeks also have tear tracks. She reaches out and wipes them away, guessing she probably looks just as bad. “I’m sorry again,” she finally says. “I- uh, dreamed of his death, well, it was more like a nightmare…” he stays quiet, allowing her to continue. “It's my fault, I know, but that doesn’t change the grief.” Verso shakes his head, silencing her.
“No, I’m not him, but I know I would have done it too. For Alicia, for you, I would do anything to keep you safe.” The eye contact grows intense, so Maelle closes her eyes, she doesn’t want to start crying again.
“If I had just listened to Maman, if it had been me instead…” Verso gathers her up in his arms and sighs.
“What's past is past, you are here now, you can't change what has already come to pass.” She looks up at him as he speaks, his face is serious when he finishes. A stunted laugh escapes her.
“Where did you learn that one?” A smile takes over his lips.
“Definitely not Esquie,” he pulls away to study her face, “how are you feeling? Better?”
“Yes, thank you,” She smiles a little. At this moment, she does feel lighter. It's as if the weight that has been placed on her got a little less heavy.
They sit together in the cold night air huddled up next to each other like siblings. Every now and then, Verso would point at a constellation and talk about it. Maelle listens intently, adding comments when needed.
By the time the sun rises, they are sleep deprived but happier. Maelle feels as if a small piece of her old self found its way back to her again. It was something she lost after the fire, something her brother took with him. But even with a painted ghost of him, she feels at home.