Broken Hero

Chapter 20

Thunder rumbles in the distance as they make their way back to the dorms.

“Looks like we’re in for a storm.” Eclipse mumbles, looking at the clouds as the moisture in the air tingles against her skin.

Anna looks nervously at the clouds. “Y... Yeah.”

A smirk plays on Eclipse’s lips as she looks at her. “What’s wrong? I thought storms would be comfortable for you, considering the lightning and all.”

The smirk falls as she sees how scared Anna is. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“I don’t like storms.” Anna rubs her arms, jumping as thunder rumbles again, closer this time.

Eclipse holds the door open as she darts inside. “How about I walk you back to your room?”

Anna nods and presses closer to her as they walk down the hall, eyes darting around. “Actually... do you mind if I stay with you? I don’t do so well alone during storms, and I don’t like bothering Azura.”

“Yeah, I don’t mind letting you stay with me for the night.” Eclipse opens her dorm room and lets her inside. “Make yourself comfortable while I get a quick shower.”

Anna sits on the bed as Eclipse turns on her soundproofing before going into the bathroom. She did her best to be quick, but by the time she returned, Anna was curled up at the end of the bed, asleep. Eclipse smiles softly as she moves her to the pillows and pulls the blanket over her, tucking her in. Going to the closet, she grabs a spare blanket and pillow before curling up on the floor at the end of the bed.

“Eclipse?” Something pokes her arm, waking her up.

She rubs her eyes as she looks at the time. “Anna, it’s three am, go back to bed princess.”

Anna giggles a bit. “What are you doing down there?”

She yawns as she turns on her back and looks up at the girl staring down at her from the bed, “Sleeping. Like you should be.”

“I mean, why are you on the floor?” Anna rolls her eyes.

“Because you were on the bed.” Eclipse yawns again, closing her eyes.

“Oh.” Anna starts to stand up. “I can go back to my room.”

She opens the door just in time for the thunder to make a loud bang, causing her to yelp.

“Anna, lie back down.” Eclipse gets up and gently guides her back to the bed, closing the door so that the room is soundproof again. “I don’t mind sleeping on the floor for one night.”

“But... I don’t want you to be uncomfortable for me.” Anna whispers as she sits on the edge of the bed.

Eclipse tilts her chin up with a finger and kisses her forehead. “Thanks, princess, but I’m OK. Go to sleep.”

She pulls the blanket up over Anna’s shoulders again before lying back down. Once she hears Anna’s soft breathing, she relaxes and goes back to sleep. The next time she wakes up, the sun is shining through the window. She turns over to see Anna watching her from the edge of the bed.

“Having fun?” Eclipse yawns.

Anna smiles softly. “You look peaceful when you sleep. I kind of like watching you that way.”

Eclipse stretches, ruffling her hair. “You’re adorable.”

Anna’s face turns bright pink as she stands up. “I’m going to head to my dorm now.”

She puts her hand on the door as Eclipse speaks up. “You know, if you want to talk about it, then don't hesitate to come talk to me.”

Anna stops for a second before turning around. “You mean it?”

“Of course.” Eclipse pats the floor beside her.

“Ok.” Anna sits beside her, hugging her knees. “First off, my birth name isn’t Anna. Warfalcon helped me change it when I joined. It’s Claire... Claire Einhart. My father is a business mogul, Dirk Einhart. When my mother became pregnant, he had hoped that I would be a boy so that my older brother would have someone to help run the business. But when I was born a girl, it disappointed him since he didn’t believe females were worth much. It was made worse when I started developing abilities, and my brother didn’t. No matter what I did, it was never enough, and his resentment just kept growing. I was ten years old when he first hit me, and it was like a floodgate opened. From then on, he would find any excuse to hit or torture me. One night, he realized I liked storms and was energized by the lightning. So, he threw me in a closet and didn’t let me out until the next morning. That became his favorite game. Every time it stormed, he would beat me and then lock me in a closet until the rain had stopped.”

She pauses for a moment as Eclipse looks at her. “That’s why you don’t like storms?”

She nods and continues. “When I turned twenty-one, he started looking for someone to marry me off. He figured it was the only way I could be useful, I guess. He found another family in a similar business who were looking for someone to marry their son. Tyrone was just as bad as my father. They decided we would wait for the wedding until after we were twenty-four, but as that day grew closer... I realized that I couldn’t live like that. So, I ran. I spent two months on the street before Warfalcon found me and offered a spot here. That was five months ago.”

Eclipse rubs her back. “I’m glad you felt safe enough to tell me.”

“I felt that I owed you.” Anna smiles weakly.

“You never owe me.” Eclipse smiles back, but Anna doesn’t seem convinced. “Alright, what if I show you something? It might make you feel a little better.”

Anna looks at her curiously, “You don’t have to...”

“I know, but I want to. Just don’t say anything to anyone else. Warfalcon and his parents are the only ones who’ve seen this. Besides my... partners.” Eclipse takes a breath as she stands up and pulls her shirt up over her back.

Anna gasps, and Eclipse hears her stand up and then her fingers run down her back, tracing the scars. “What...”

“My birth mom.” Eclipse puts her shirt back on and sits on the bed. “I’m from a planet called Urandia. When we are born, we have pale grey wings, and part of our DNA is missing. At sixteen, we choose something from one of a few categories to blend into our DNA: Creature, Mythical creature, or element. But when my twin brother and I were born, we were already blended with two elements each. While he was light and fire, I was dark and water.”

Anna listened intently. “That seems kind of awesome... why...”

“Ever see a baby that had supernatural abilities? There's a reason we normally wait till sixteen. Phoenix, my brother, was easier for them to handle, but me? Imagine having nightmares or seeing shadows jump out at you every time your baby is hungry.” Anna shivers, “Exactly. It drove our parents crazy until they couldn’t deal with it anymore. They originally tried to kill me in ways that looked accidental, but it never worked. So, they tried to beat me into submission instead. Thinking punishment might force me to control my powers. My mother was blended with electricity and loved to use it as a whip on my back. When I was five years old, the king of our world caught them abusing us. He arrested our parents and then took my brother and me in as his kids.”

Anna looked surprised. “Wait... You’re a princess?!”

“In a way, yes.” Eclipse laughs. “But I never really liked that title.”

“Ok... follow-up question, why are you on earth then, and what about your brother?” Anna asks, looking confused.

Eclipse looks at the ground. “When I was fifteen, I was sent here to learn more fighting styles, but I crash-landed nearby. Warfalcon’s parents were on vacation and found me. They took me in and tried to use their connections to contact my parents, but they had cut off all communications outside Urandia. My brother... is dead.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t...” Eclipse interrupts her, shaking her head.

“It’s ok. Another story for another day.” She smiles softly.

“I can’t go home, though. The person who caused my crash is still out there, and she’s a threat to my family. So, until I can get rid of her...”

Anna nods. “Thanks for telling me, though I’m not sure how it was supposed to make me feel better.”

“Because now you know that you’re not alone.” Eclipse smiles. “I’m here for you, no matter what. I won’t let them hurt you.”

Anna looks surprised and then smiles. “Thanks, Eclipse. That means a lot.”