Trigger Warning: Murder, Abuse, Sexual Assault, Self harm

It’s always sad when a child is unwanted, a fate that a pretty little blonde baby was subjected to like so many others. Her real parents abandoned her, left her on the steps of a random couple without even a blanket, let alone a name. Unable to properly care for a child, they passed her off to a couple that they knew were childless and better off. It was there that the baby finally received a name: Lena Anise Parker.

If you were to ask her now, she’d tell you that she would’ve been better off had she died before the first couple ever took notice of her laying on their front steps. The Parker family was dysfunctional from the start, not that anyone outside the home could tell. Anise Parker, for all that she wanted children, was subject to the whims of her husband Philip whose only concern was making money so that he could waste it. Neither of them married for love and so, for the first five years of her life, Lena was stuck right in the middle of their constant warring, events that she rarely escaped without bruising.

None of that stopped her from growing more beautiful to human eyes by the day, drawing attention that Philip quickly noticed. Connections to the rich and powerful allowed him to start asking questions without being questioned himself and soon he saw dollar signs when looking at her instead of a nuisance to feed. She was six the first time he left her alone in a market, only for a strange man to grab her by the arm and take her away with him. She’d learned well enough by then not to raise a fuss so no one was any the wiser as the wrong person took her home.

She stayed with the stranger for a week before being returned to the Parkers, upon which time she was sequestered in her room. This would turn into a repeating pattern. Be handed off to a stranger who would treat her kindly, coach her into being a good little girl, stay there for about a week, then be handed back over to the Parkers for a time. It was always very important that she never tell anyone what was happening, it could get all those nice people in trouble and she didn’t want that, now did she?

Being with the other men was generally better than being back at home though. At least they treated her kindly when they weren’t locking her in a dark room to keep their friends from knowing she was there, whenever she was at home her only reprieve was the times she was allowed to go to school. Everyone believed her to be a sickly child, more of Philip and Anise’s lies in order to cover up the truth of their household and during this time no one noticed if a young girl missed days of school. Or, more accurately, no one really cared, especially since Lena was always so upbeat and cheerful whenever she was at school. She had learned very quickly that acting outgoing was a fast way to not only make friends, but to ensure that everyone was happy with her. Her energy was contagious and her teachers routinely commented on how much of a joy she was to have around, how she seemed to be capable of bringing out the best in the other children.

She was around eight when she was first introduced to music, a hobby that she took to like a fish to water. She discovered swiftly that she was good at it, very good, capable of picking up most any instrument and picking out a tune on it after only a few minutes of playing around. It was one of the few things that brought her genuine happiness and she was quick to take advantage of her rotating houses to acquire herself ever more access to instruments and music. If they noticed that the songs she played were sad, growing worse and worse by the week, no one said anything.

Things change slowly though, just like with everything else. A fire grew inside her, a disgust and rage that she just couldn’t shake. Her rebellion started with small acts, little things like acting like a brat instead of the perfect little angel they all expected her to be. It progressed to her sneaking out whenever she got the chance, goading them into fights with their wives or children should there be any. Years of watching for any little signs of displeasure, seeing how people respond to certain actions or words, adjusting her behavior accordingly, and as she grew she became very good at manipulating them exactly how she wanted. It advanced then to stealing.

None of it helped.

So she hides. She puts on that mask and she smiles and she laughs and she tells no one that she despises the face she sees in the mirror, that she scrubs her skin until it’s raw and bleeding, only for her to heal far too quickly for anyone to notice anything wrong.

She hit her teenage years and only got better at hiding but she was growing ever more disgusted with her life, slowly growing tired of wishing and praying for someone to save her. Lena began taking refuge in the woods at the different people’s places, spending less and less time with the Parkers as they made millions off of her and wanted ever more, always more. Being alone out there felt like one of the only places she could be herself, where she didn’t have to feel stares on her or unwanted hands crawling over her body.

She was sitting on a fallen tree, lightly picking out a song on the guitar when the sound of approaching footsteps met her ears. Lena immediately lifted her head, bright blue eyes landing on a girl not much older than her who’s regarding her with as much shock and curiosity as she holds. Upon realizing she doesn’t recognize her from any of the homes she’s been in lately, Lena offers the girl a smile and a greeting. Silence falls between the two for a little while as Lena continues picking out the song, stopping once it’s run its course.

They begin talking after that, the stranger introducing herself as Madeline and Lena immediately taking to calling her Maddie. Lena can almost feel something different about the woman, familiar in a way that she’s never felt from anyone before despite knowing that the two have never met. Madeline can tell it as well, the first person in Lena’s life to recognize her as the Eternal she is.

Hoping to keep the new friend, Lena keeps the conversation light and makes sure not to mention anything about what’s going on in her life even as they continue to meet in the safe, quiet spot in the woods. The topic of Lena being an Eternal is handled carefully on Maddie’s part, not that she should’ve worried too much, Lena takes the news in stride even if she does start getting excited about it. Ever the hard worker, especially over something that she can call exclusively her own, she jumps into learning about these newfound abilities with a dedication that few can manage. It becomes a life line of sorts for the girl and she grabs onto this power with both hands. Whenever she feels the urge to climb to the top of a building and let herself fall, instead she turns to attempting to learn and work with this power.

Even as she grows closer to Maddie, she struggles to hide the growing dissatisfaction and humiliation that worsens every single time she feels their breath on her neck. Then, one day, she just can’t take it anymore.

She can’t wash the feeling of their hands off of her, can’t stand the sight of herself in the mirror, so when he reaches for her, something in her just breaks.

She can feel his hands crawling up her arms, holding her in place, and her breath stutters in her throat, catching on a silent sob. She can’t do this anymore, can’t stand the sight him, can’t stand his fucking alcohol and tobacco smelling breath, doesn’t give a single damn how much money he paid to have her. He takes her shaky breath as acceptance instead of the cry it is. Not that it matters. Lena long gave up on the idea of heroes or of anyone coming to save her.

The feeling of his beard scratching against her neck is the final straw. She has no idea why, but in that moment she’s had all she can take. The powers she practiced with so long fire off without her meaning to, scorching his body everywhere he touches her and blinding him. She rips herself away from him, practically blind herself from how sick to her stomach she feels. Thinking back on it, she has no idea how she ended up with that knife in her hand, all she knows is she didn’t stop until he was no longer moving.

The knife clatters to the floor from her trembling hands, her eyes wide as saucers as she looks down at the scene. She’s covered in blood not her own, in a house not her own, and she can’t stay. She can’t stay here, not if she ever wants to get out of this life.

She runs. Back to the one place she’s ever felt safe, that spot out in the woods, where she falls to her knees and for the first time in her life she allows the tears to come.

That’s how Maddie finds her, curled up in a little ball, covered in blood, whole body trembling. She tells her everything through the tears as Maddie helps her wash the blood off, no judgement to be seen in her kind eyes. It’s what Lena needed, more than anything.

She managed to free herself at 16. With Maddie’s help she secured a small place to stay, well under the radar, but Lena finally had something she’d never experienced before. A degree of freedom. She wanted to take advantage of it and found herself torn between traveling and working on her abilities with Maddie. She came up with a compromise, that basically said she’d make sure to return regularly so that the two could keep up and also so that she could work on her powers.