The Seven: Origins

Couples came to meet with us. The first couple came and they were drawn to Zylia. Her hair was like violets, according to the woman. I saw the woman smile at Zylia and I knew she wanted her.

It stung to know that she was going to call this woman "Mommy". But Zylia was comfortable with her so I let her take her that day.

"When will I be home, Mommy?" She asked. I bit back a sob.

"You'll be home one day. I promise." I couldn't lie to her. But I knew I'd have them home one day.

The next couple wanted my little bubblegum baby, Kenzi. They kept up with her hyper personality and she wanted to go with them.

"Mommy, I'll be back, right?" She asked.

"Of course, Bubblegum. I love you so much."

Zylia and Kenzi had been easier. When Dahlia left, Kennie and Arika went berserk. They screamed and kicked and sobbed until they fell asleep. I assured them that their sisters would be home eventually.

Kennie threw a fit as she left with a kind couple. She yelled that she would not eat her vegetables ever again. I laughed but inside I was dying at seeing her fiesty attitude go. Arika stopped talking. Kennie, her best friend was gone. Dahlia, her favorite thing to defend was gone. By the time Arika left, she'd only told Aunt Schizo to tell me she loved me.

The day after Arika left, I went to talk to my two remaining daughters. My oldest and third youngest, Kalo and Cadance. I couldn't find them. I looked all over and as I passed their room again, I saw a little green sneaker disappear under Kennie's bed. I went and pushed toys aside and found Kalo and Cadance huddled together under the bed.

"Babies, what on God's green earth are ya doing under there?" I laughed.

"I won't let you send Cadance away too. Then I'll be all alone." Kalo told me.

"Kalo, honey...they're coming home. Think of it as a...vacation. And you're doing them separately so you don't get so attached and needy."

"I don't want them to leave me."

"See? You're already attached and needy, baby doll. Come out of there and talk to me." I held out my hand and they looked at each other.

Cadance reached her tiny hand over and took mine. I pulled her out and fixed her pigtails before helping Kalo out.

I spent as much time with them as I could before Cadance left. Kalo had never been a crying kind of baby. But as soon as Cadance waved goodbye to her from the car, Kalo burst into tears and didn't stop for almost two days.

The day before Kalo left, I took her to the basement where I taught them. I sat her on a stool and drew my blood into a vial. She watched, mesmerized. I took a new needle and turned back to her.

"I'm going to put my blood in you. It might sting but I promise it'll be a good thing in the long run." I told her. She nodded and I injected it straight into her heart. She didn't even flinch.

"Someone is after us, aren't they?"

"Yeah.." I nodded.

The gold in her white eyes eyes darkened and both of our fangs extended. Someone was beating on our front door. I picked her up and ran to a closet under the basement stairs. I lifted the carpet and opened the trap door. I'd already predicted that Dimon would come.

Kalo had a backpack in the hiding place. It led to the street, a narrow tunnel, separate from the sewers and unknown to anyone but Chris, myself and our daughters. It went on for twenty miles north and south.

"Go north. Don't make a sound while you're this close. At the end of this tunnel, get out onto the street and find this address. I love you." I closed the trapdoor. The last thing I saw was the gold in her wide white eyes, sparkling up at me.

I closed the closet and kissed the door.

I whispered, in Greek. "I love you, my little angel."

Then I raced upstairs. Chris was facing Dimon and 12 or 13 other men. It was a very unfair fight. But we would give it our all.

{Schizo}
I felt Rory's fear and I called Ezra and Izzy and told them to meet me there. I got there and walked into the living room. On the floor was my sister and her husband. Their hearts were missing, meaning I couldn't revive them. At least not yet.

I called the Council and my parents and informed them all. I couldn't tell them it was Dimon because I had no proof yet. Ezra and Izzy helped me take the bodies to my house. I put them in the coffins I kept in my sub-basement. No one could take them from there. All I had to do was find their hearts and bring them back.

{Kalo}
The tunnel was lit but not a lot. I was a little scared. Mommy had been when she closed the trapdoor. Her eyes got so big. The tunnel was big to me and I felt like I was all alone in the world which made me cry. I followed the tunnel for an hour and then I sat down to rest my feet. I missed my sisters. But I knew I would find them again. I got back up and kept moving until I found the address. I knocked on the door until a nice-looking lady opened the door. Her eyes got big.
"Kalo Desoto? What on Earth?"

I told the lady and her husband that Mommy and Daddy went to heaven and she seemed to understand.

"So what do we do?" The man talked quietly.

"She told us not to call the police when the time came...she said no questions asked, just take care of Kalo." The lady answered.

Their names were Robert and Regina. They gave me a room and a bed of my own. But it still wasn't home.

{Schizo}
"Skylar, you can't just make accusations like that. You need proof." My father told me, slightly irritated that he had to repeat himself.
"Who else would have done it?" I snapped.
"I didn't say I doubted you. I simply can't let you risk your authority like this. We will find out where Aurora's and Christian's hearts are and we will revive them but until then you must be patient."
"Ypomoní!?" I shouted.
"Skylar,dear, please stop shouting." Mother frowned.
"Yes. Patience." Father replied.
I spun out of the room. My sister was dead. Her daughters scattered around the country, and he wanted me to have patience. For the first time in my life, I was afraid. And I had no clue where to start.

{Kalo}
Regina and Robbie were so nice. They took good care of me until I was 9. Then we got into a bad car accident. They didn't make it. It's strange because everyone said I shouldn't have lived.

From then on, I didn't get attached to any foster parents, even the nice ones. I couldn't remember my real parents. I didn't remember or know anything before Robbie and Regina. But I knew I didn't fit in anywhere. Especially with bright white hair and eyes.

In junior high, I started changing. I started developing odd gifts, like hearing people's thoughts and I realized my skin was impenetrable unless I wanted it to be.

I bounced from foster home to foster home because I fought with other girls. But I was simply defending the girls that couldn't defend themselves. I discovered the world may very well be beautiful but it's just as deadly.

When I was fifteen, I was skipped to the twelfth grade. They said I had the intellect of a college graduate. I finished high school easily. When I turned sixteen, I started looking for a job.

When I wasn't working, I hung out around the house and tried to avoid Hank, my foster mom's boyfriend. He creeped me out and his thoughts were repulsive.

One night, I sat in my room, drawing on my notebook when he stopped in my doorway. I looked up cautiously. He smiled. He was attractive, I supposed but what he thought about made him hideous.

"Hey, pretty girl." Hank crossed his arms and leaned on the door jamb.

I nodded once and waited on him to leave. Instead, he just stood there. I clutched my pen tighter, feeling chills up my spine. He stepped into my room and closed the door. I stood up with my feet apart. Hank didn't seem to mind that I got up. He reached for me and I swatted his hand away.

"Ooh. So you're playing hard to get. I don't mind a challenge."

His dark eyes glittered and they reminded me of something I could not remember, a certain evil from a past life maybe.

I stood my ground and he suddenly shoved me backwards and I fell on the floor. But I rolled away as soon as he tried to get on top of me. I crawled quickly towards the door. Yelling would help but my mind told me I could handle it on my own. Hank seized my ankle and I swiped my other foot across his face. He grunted and I felt his grip loosen. I ran out of my room and barely made it down the hall when he tackled me from behind.

As he reached around to undo my pants, I realized no one was home. The only part of him I could see was his hand by my face. I smiled to myself as I brought the pen up and stabbed his hand as hard as I could. He let out a scream of pain.

I grinned down at him as he writhed in pain.

"Guess I need to move out, huh?"