Stormcaller pt 36 -- Thorn's Past

Thorn shifted from the rubble, examining the minor scratches she had gained. /There are advantages to being immortal.../ she thought. She examined herself further, and found that her plan had worked. /Perfect./1

Clouds began to swirl overhead, and thunder and lightning crashed in their eternal dance. That damned god was there, yelling at her daughter. The day had come.2

A mother sat with her young child, who giggled as the rain cloud floated above her head. The mother winced as she cut her palm slightly, allowing a trickle of blood flow onto the amulet in her hand. She looked over at her daughter and smiled.3

"Rose," she said. The young girl looked up at her. 4

"Yes, Mama?"5

"Rose, I have something very important to tell you. There is someone after me. He's a very bad man, no matter what he says. He's going to come for me, and he will probably catch me." She handed the amulet to her daughter. "I want you to take this. If he ever finds you, Raise this to him. Hold it up before him, as if you were giving it to him. Can you do this?"6

Rose took the pendant, and placed it around her neck. "Uh, huh."7

Rose awoke to a crash of thunder, and her brother shaking her. "Go outside," he said. 8

"Why..."9

"Go!" he yelled, making tears well up in Rose's eyes. She didn't like being yelled at, especially not by her brother.10

She ran down the hallway, and out the door. Clouds were swirling around her house. Her Mama and Papa were yelling. Rose ran into the garden, and hid in the rose bushes her mother had gotten her name from. The thorns stuck her from all sides, and made more tears well up in her eyes, but something told her that she need to be quiet. She closed her eyes and wished that everything would go away...11

Rose opened her eyes slowly as the sun began to rise. It seemed to come so slow...12

The house was gone. Her Mama and Papa stood before it, looking at the rest of the town. Her Mama began to cry. Rose was about to come out, when the man appeared again. He said something, and her father began to yell. There was lightning, and then...13

Rose sat, horrified, as she watched her mother die. Silent tears fell from her eyes. Her brother lay amongst the rubble of the house, and her mother lay in front of it. Her father sat there for a long time, seeing that all he had was a dead son, dead wife, and a daughter who had been lost to the storm, and after some time, took his own life. 14

Rose sat there, now numb to the thorns of the rose bush that still pierced her skin, and her heart froze, and her wings turned black. The amulet lay forgotten around her neck, the thorns scratching her skin, and left, to find someone who would take care of her. Not love her, but take care of her. Somewhere where she could start over...15

Thorn stood, brushing rubble away from her, called to the god, and held up the amulet, as if offering a gift...