[FieldsofIris]

"Shit, shit, shit!" The heavy rains beat upon the Slums' muddy alleys, turning the walkways into an even bigger mess. They were unusually empty, silent of people, but thunderous with the sound of the echoing downpour. The only other sound was a distinctive pattern of splashes indicating hurried footsteps.

A young woman turned down a thin alleyway, dashing deep into one of the shadowy enclaves it enclosed. She leaned heavily against the wall, panting quietly and peeking around the corner, as if hiding from something -

"ANDROMEDA!" - or someone, rather.

The young woman cursed once more, and pressed her hand into her side, working herself further back into the small, concealed space. Another louder, heavier group of splashes alerted the woman of her incoming pursuers. She closed her eyes and held her breath, praying to any god or goddess willing to listen that they would fail to find her.

After a moment, the footsteps halted, and she could hear the sound of whines and yips of search-dogs. The boss had certainly pulled out all the stops this time, she thought contemptuously, masking her fear in a façade of confident disgust.

After a few moments, she could hear the men taking a different route, the dogs leading them off of her trail. She sobbed out a sigh of relief, sliding down the wall of the enclave. Pulling her hand away from her side, she grimaced at the blood she saw coating her fingers. She tore off the hem of her (undoubtedly expensive) designer gown and folded it, pressing it against the gash in her side as a makeshift band-aid.

She rested her head back and tried to take deep breaths, prepared to wait as long as she would have to in order to escape. Escape whom? The "family" that had taken her in so generously, so many years ago. She winced, whether at the memory, or the pain, she couldn't tell. Either way, she allowed herself to reflect on what had happened that fateful day, and how it had forever changed not only her life as a whole, but herself as a person...

[FieldsofIris]

Many years ago. . .

"Mum!" A much younger Andromeda ran across the overgrown yard to where her mother sat waiting, tail curled around her feet. "Mum, look'it!" In all of the young Paragon's hurry, she failed to watch where she was going, and fell, tumbling wings over tail the rest of the way across the yard.

Her mum stood quickly, craning her long neck downward so her head was right above her daughter's body. "Andy? Are you alright?" At that, Andy's head popped up, covered in mud. She giggled, and her mother let out a sigh of relief. She began nudging her up gently with her nose, and Andy thrashed around until she could push herself into a standing position once more.

"Now, what is it that you wanted to show me?" At that, Andy's face lit up, and she brought around a tiny wing for her mother to see. There was a small tear in the membrane of her wing, causing her mother groaned at the sight. She stood and turned around, walking back into their small home. "Come inside, now, and we'll patch you up -"

"No, mum, look'it," the young Paragon repeated imploringly. Andy squeezed her eyes shut in concentration, a bright blue aura glowing around her. Her mother rolled her eyes, and turned around to scold her, only to stare at the wing in shock. The tear was healing itself, the hole pinching back together until there was no sign of there ever being an injury.

As soon as it was shut, Andy opened her eyes back up, the blue glow fading away. She turned her face up and grinned at her mother. "Did ya see it? Did ya see it?" She asked excitedly, beginning to hop around.

Her mother nodded absentmindedly, and brought around a large wing to push her daughter towards the shack. "Yes, dear, very nice. Now come inside, okay? No more playing outside today." Andy groaned, but went along with her mother's ushering. She ran inside, oblivious to her mother pausing in the doorway and turning back to the yard. She slowly scanned the area, focusing to see if -

"Mum, I'm hungry!" The older Paragon sighed, shaking her head, and continued on her way back into their home.

After the door was shut, a large man stood and backed away from their rickety fence, contemplating all he had just witnessed. Turning away, he pulled out a small walkie-talkie, and raised it to his mouth.

"Boss, ya ain't gonna believe dis," he grinned maliciously.

[FieldsofIris]

That night, when Andromeda's father came home from yet another fruitless venture on the job application trail, her mother pulled him aside, out of the child's hearing range - not that Andy had noticed, as her mother had given her the task to organize the books on the kitchen counter - in order to discuss wht had happened earlier.

Not long after they had disappeared into another room, her father came out with a huge grin on his face, and nuzzled his cheek against his daughter's.

"How was your day, my little star?" He asked her in a teasing voice. Andy giggled in response and flicked her tail at his snout.

"Did mum tell you what I did?" She grinned excitedly. Usually, this question was asked nervously, but, this time, she was sure she wouldn't be in trouble! After all, she hadn't done anything wrong. Her father's eyes shone with a flicker of fear before fading just as quickly as it had come. However, his grin hadn't faltered during this moment of hesitation.

"She did! I'm impressed with you, Andy!" She positively beamed at his praise. After all, she didn't get to hear it all that often. Her father was a busy Paragon. Her train of thought was interrupted as he spoke again. "But, little star, there is something important that your mother and I need to discuss with you." The child's smile fell from her face as her mother came out from the other room and sat next to Andy's father.

[FieldsofIris]

"Andromeda, you are a growing girl, and you are very smart," her mother began. Andy nodded and smiled slightly at the praise, her nerves preventing a full smile from emerging. "Your father and I need you to understand what we're telling you, and to listen to what we say very carefully. Okay?" Andy nodded again, staying silent in the tense atmosphere of the room.

Her father took a deep breath, looking more tired than Andy had ever seen him. "What you showed your mother today is a powerful gift, my child," he said, voice rumbling. "Very powerful. You can help many others with it -" Andy did grin at this. She loved to help! "- but the time for you to use your gift is not now." Her hopes were dashed, and tears filled her eyes.

"Did I do something wrong?" Her voice quaked with the question, but her mother quickly put her fears to rest.

"No, Andy, my sweet child, of course not." She leaned down to nuzzle her cheek, but refused to linger as she re-righted her posture. "But, we live in a dangerous place. There are bad people who want your gift to themselves, who would use it selfishly." Andy scowled. She knew that selfishness was a bad thing. "Unfortunately, to keep these bad people from getting your gift, there's going to have to be new rules around here. Okay?"

Her father didn't wait for an affirmative response before continuing where his mate had left off. "You cannot, under any circumstance, tell anyone about your gift, Andromeda. The less people who know, the less likely it is for the bad people to know. Okay?"

"Okay, papa." She understood, but that didn't mean she had to like it. Her father saw her distaste and sighed fondly, leaning down to brush the top of her head with his snout, an action which her mother repeated.

[FieldsofIris]

Her father went on to give her a full set of rules about using her gift while her mother prepared dinner still managing to keep a watchful eye on her daughter and mate. That specific conversation ended along with dinner, and her parents didn't bring it up again that night.

A while later in the evening, Andromeda went to bed, reflecting on all that her parents had told her before drifting off to sleep. She woke up the next day apprehensive, surely expecting major changes in her daily routine now that she had exposed her gift to her parents. But her mother still nuzzled her in greeting, and her father still ran his giant wings over her scales on his way out the door.

Life went on like normal, except for the fact that Andy's mom didn't let her stay out past dusk. It really upset Andy that she couldn't stay with her friends longer, but, after awhile, she stopped bringing it up. I guess things did change a little, she sighed. But she refused to let it bother her.

Instead of playing with her friends, Andromeda began to turn more towards the shelves of books in her home for companionship. Throughout that first year, as the evenings grew longer, so did the time she spent reading. Eventually, she stopped spending time with her friends at all - at least, time outside of school - in favor of reading.

Years went by this way, and, by the time she was 16, Andromeda had not only become a breathtakingly beautiful young woman, but she also rivaled the likes of even her teachers in intelligence. In the meantime, her father had found a steady job, and her mother was able to rest easy. Both of her parents were proud of her, and, despite her social alienation, she was happy.

Until the night that forever changed her life.

[FieldsofIris]

That night, in her human form - as she was always in for school - Andromeda had sat in her bedroom to read after cleaning up from dinner. Her parents had retired early to their own room, as well. They were getting older, so they got tired earlier. They deserve to rest, Andromeda had always thought. She had told them so, too.

They had actually listened to her for a change that night, though, and, after eating a late dinner, went straight to bed. Andy welcomed the silent house, though, as it allowed her to immerse herself in the book she had picked up from the library that day. In fact, she was so immersed in the fictional world, she didn't notice the smoke that crept under her door and began to fill her room.

I wasn't until the light of her room became muted that she even looked up from the pages. She was immediately alert, and tossed the book to the side in favor of rushing to her parents' room.

"Mum, papa!" She skidded into their room, only to notice that they were gone. Her eyes widened in fear, and she turned to see the fire creeping closer to where she stood. In a split second decision, she jumped out of the window in her parents' room. Luckily, their home was only one floor, so she landed safely outside.

"Papa! Mum! Where are you?!" She called for them again, and ran into the street, looking for them.

"Andy..." her dad sighed in a deep rumble from where he was collapsed on the side of the street. She rushed to him, and dropped to her knees. "Your mother -" He began coughing harshly, soot and drool spilling from his snout onto the street below him.

[FieldsofIris]

"Hang on, Papa, don't speak," her voice quivered slightly as she closed her eyes against her tears. "I'll help you." Her father opened his mouth to protest, but it was too late. Andromeda laid one hand on his throat, and another on his chest, before beginning to glow a bright blue.

"A-ha!" A large, callused hand grabbed her by the back of her neck and hauled her away from her father. "So you're da one we've been lookin' for!" A large, bald man with a nasty smirk turned her to look at him. "Thought you could 'ide from us lookin' like dat, did ya?" He took Andy's wrist instead, and began dragging her towards a large group of suited men.

In shock, she went along with him for a short time, before snapping out of it. "NO!" She screamed, ripping her arm away before running towards her father again. She didn't get far, though, as the goon tangled his thick fingers in her hair and yanked, causing her to cry out.

"Let me go!" Tears streamed down her face as another group of goons circled her father. "Papa, papa!" The goon snarled, and lifted her by the hair to face him. He looked at her for a split second before backhanding her to the ground.

"I hate it when women cry," he sneered, before grabbing her by the wrist once more, dragging her across the rough pavement. Andy fought back as hard as she could, but she was distracted, watching the men around her father. Her eyes widened as she saw a man pull out a gun and point it at her father.

"PAPA!" He looked at her, and smiled, one last time, before the man pulled the trigger.

[FieldsofIris]

The loud crack of the gun was drowned out by a horrific roar, as her mother swooped down onto the men. Andy barely registered what happened before all of the men around her father turned to ash. The man dragging her had paused, mouth curled in a snarl, before barking orders to another group of men behind him.

"Mum!" Andromeda renewed her struggle, hitting the man who held her with all of her strength. She had to protect her mother, she couldn't let them take her, too! The man looked down at her with a strange mixture of amusement and fury before tossing her to the ground, as if she weighed nothing.

She turned to get up, but froze as she heard another loud bang. After a moment of silence, Andromeda whipped around to see her mother, standing there, tall and proud. Andy smiled in relief, right before her mother's heart burst in her chest, causing her to collapse. Andromeda couldn't help but to stare at her mother, unsure of what just happened.

"Mum," she tried to whisper. But her voice failed her, and her mouth only gaped open like a fish's. At the first sight of blood pooling beneath the dead Paragon, the goon scoffed, before putting his gun away and turning back to Andromeda.

"No one left ta save ya." He almost smirked, but it came out like a grimace. "Get up, kid. There's no use fightin' us now." He held his hand out to her, but she snarled at the gesture. She stood on her own, still not taking her eyes off of the bodies of her parents.

The goon sighed, and gestured to four of his underlings.Two ran past Andromeda to begin dragging the bodies of her parents towards their still-burning home. The other two rushed forward and, each grabbing one arm, began pulling Andromeda towards the large black limousine parked a little bit away from her former home.

Andromeda didn't take her eyes off of the house until she was forcefully shoved into the limousine. As they began to pull away, she couldn't help but look back, watching her house and parents go up in smoke, filling the night with the acrid stench of death.

[FieldsofIris]

Back to the Present. . .

At some point during her reminiscing, tears had begun streaming down her face. She didn't bother to wipe them away, and instead let the heat of them make trails down her face, mixing with the coldness of the rain. It was soothing, in a way, to know that they hadn't broken her, that they hadn't taken away the Andromeda she saw in her memories.

With that thought, she called upon her inner discipline and dragged herself to her feet. She bit the inside of her cheek as the wound in her side protested. She would have healed it by now if it wouldn't give away her location. I won't let them find me again, she vowed to herself, and instead pushed through the pain as she peeked around the wall of her hiding place.

After assuring herself that the goons were nowhere to be found, she padded out into the alley silently. She took a steeling breath before turning and heading back out to where she had come from. She paused at the entrance of the alley and darted her head out quickly before pulling back and pressing herself against the wall, heart pounding. She hated feeling exposed. Exposure means vulnerability, her subconscious reminded her. But it's necessary in small amounts.

After a moment, she repeated the movement, but slower this time. She scanned the area, then ran across the open street into the adjacent alleyway. She pressed herself against the wall again, listening for pursuers. After a couple minutes of silence, she turned and ran down the alleyway, paying special attention to the ground in front of her to avoid obstacles.

However, due to her intense focus, she didn't see the tall figure standing in the way in front of her.

[FieldsofIris]

Andromeda hit the figure at full speed, sending them both hard to the ground. Landing on top of the figure, she heard a loud chattering in her hear as two muscular arms wrapped around her smaller frame. Immediately, she began hyperventilating, thinking she had been caught by a lone goon. She brought a fist down onto the shoulder next to her face.

"Oof!" The figure exhaled in surprise, but managed to keep its arms wrapped around the woman on top of them, while the other voice's chattering took on an agitated edge. This only made Andromeda struggle harder. "Hey, now," the figure's voice soothed, and their arms loosened around Andromeda, who immediately sat up to see her captor. "Easy does it, ma'am, I don't wanna hurt you."

The woman beneath her looked up at her with a small smile on her face, as the Sonling next to woman glared up at the looming figure of Andy above them. "Are you alright, miss?" Suddenly, as if a dam had burst, she began to sob quietly, and flopped back down onto the figure below them. "Hey, now, it's okay, nobody's hurting you," the woman tried to soothe her. After a minute, the sobbing still hadn't let up.

Dahlia glanced down at Kosok with a confused look on her face. The Sonling merely shrugged. She rolled her eyes at his "help", and, using one arm to cradle the smaller woman in her arms, pushed herself up into a sitting position. Kosok took his usual place on her shoulder, and Dahlia frowned down at Andromeda. Was that... blood? She paled, and scanned the area for hostiles. Kosok noticed the wound as well, and utilized his knowledge of first aid to quickly seal the wound.

Without hesitation, Dahlia swung herself up onto her feet, and began running back the way they had come, Andromeda still cradled in her arms. "Hang on, ma'am, we're gonna help you," she said firmly.

[FieldsofIris]

A few years ago. . .

Andromeda's eyes cracked open what must have been awhile later, and she sat up, looking around in confusion. Where was she? Then, looking at the interior of the limousine, it all came flooding back, hitting her like a sucker punch to the gut. She squeezed her eyes shut and brought a hand up to stifle the sob that threatened to escape. Oh, god, my parents...

She was hit with a wave of nausea, and she leaned back into the seat to try and gain control of herself once more, taking long, controlled breaths until the panic died down. Once she was sure that she wouldn't fall apart, she sat up again, and looked out the window. Where were they taking her? But more importantly... What do they want with me?

She remembered trying to heal her father, when the goon had come up and grabbed her. She froze, then remembered what her parents had told her all those years ago, when she first showed them her powers. There are bad people who want your gift to themselves, who would use it selfishly. Andromeda's blood turned to ice as she watched the scenery flash by out the window.  What are they going to do to me?

The limousine suddenly pulled into a long driveway, leading up to a large gate. The vehicle stopped for a moment, before the gate opened, allowing them to continue further down the driveway. Andy turned and looked back, watching the gate slowly close and lock behind them. Mouth dry, she swallowed and licked her lips, then turned and looked out the window at the large mansion they were approaching.

Whoever wanted her power must be rich and powerful to own a house so large. A business executive, then? Maybe a politician? While musing to herself, she didn't realize that they had pulled up to the mansion until the limousine jerked, the driver parking right in front of the large building. Well, she inhaled shakily. I guess I'll find out sooner rather than later.

[FieldsofIris]

Suddenly, the door opened in front of her, and she jerked back in surprise. The driver, a small old man, stood in front of her, the door held open in his loose grip. He smiled kindly at her and offered his hand to help her out. She looked up at him with suspicion, but after a minute of scanning his face, she relaxed, grabbing his hand. He was surprisingly strong for an elderly man, pulling her to her feet with little difficulty as she slid out of the vehicle. He closed the door behind her, still holding her hand loosely.

Andromeda stared up at the large house before turning her face to the old man. "Sir," she whispered, her voice hoarse from crying and disuse. "Please, can you tell me where I am?" His expression stayed the same as he looked back up at her through squinted eyes, yet he made no move to answer her.

Instead, he began walking forward, turning back after a step or two to look at her with the same kind smile. He pulled her hand gently, urging her to follow. She stared at him for a moment, dismayed, but began walking with him. He nodded, pleased, and continued on his way up the drive and into the house. They halted in front of the doors, and he stepped forward to knock lightly.

The door swung open, revealing a tall, thin man in a nice suit. He looked down his nose at Andromeda and the driver before sniffing, turning, and walking further into the mansion. She scowled and looked down at her companion, who took it all in stride, trudging forward into the large building with the same smile as before. She stepped forward into the entryway, then hesitated, turning back to look at the outside once more.

She felt the old man pull on her hand once more, and she sighed, resigned to her fate. Turning back to the large entryway, she steeled herself, squeezing the driver's hand as she stepped further into the unknown, the old man being the only comfort at her side as he squeezed her hand in return.

[FieldsofIris]

They had been going down the large hallway for awhile now. Just how big is this house? Just as Andromeda was getting ready to yell 'Are we there yet" up ahead to the tall man, she saw a large set of doors emerge out of the dimness of the hallway.

She gulped, apprehensive, and looked down at her companion. Not entirely oblivious to her inner turmoil, he squeezed her hand once more, and even brought his other hand around to pat hers reassuringly. She smiled at him, but her smile slid off as they approached the tall man, who was waiting impatiently in front of the doors. He scowled down at them as they took their time arriving next to him. Without a word, he turned and, after grabbing both door handles, swung them open in a dramatic fashion.

Andromeda gasped as the large office-like room was revealed to her. Her gaze raked over the back wall, almost entirely made up of floor-to-ceiling windows revealing a beautiful backyard - which appeared to be a garden/woodland hybrid. It was just like her book! She nearly forgot herself as she moved to run up and peer out of the windows, but froze as she heard a nasally voice echo in the large room.

"The girl, sir." The tall man looked over his shoulder at said girl and sneered. "Might I say you will have your hands full with this one." Andromeda pointedly ignored him and listened for any response, or which there was none. She couldn't see who the man was speaking to, either. She craned her neck to try and see around him, causing him to roll his eyes and step off to the side, revealing her captor.

[FieldsofIris]

Though she had never seen the man before, in the moment that she first laid her eyes upon him, Andromeda knew that he was cold-blooded. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up as he leered at her, a cold sweat collecting at the small of her back. She could feel her hand clench sporadically in her companion's, but the old man took it stride, and squeezed back as best as he could.

The man's eyes raked down her form, and, when he got to her shaking knees, he huffed sharply, amused. Andromeda jerked at the sudden sound, causing his eyes to shoot up and stare deeply into her own. The two were locked onto each other, he being the predator to her prey. After a long, tense moment, the man stood, pushing away from his desk, and began stalking towards her.

The driver shifted slightly in front of her, as if shielding her from the incoming threat. Andromeda felt her lips pull into a shaky smile as she shifted her gaze from the boss to her companion. The boss, however, did not look happy. He snarled down at the old man, but the driver refused to budge, staring up at the other man in challenge.

The boss snapped his fingers, and suddenly, a tall, muscular goon came into view and grabbed the driver's shirtfront, yanking him away from the frightened girl and lifting him up to eye-level. The old man still glared, holding his ground, which only served to infuriate the guard. With a vicious sneer, he began to harshly shake the old man while the boss looked on in amusement.

As soon as the goon had appeared, she had recognized him. He was the one who killed her mother, she knew it! Andromeda let fury encompass her fear. She refused to let anyone else get hurt.

[FieldsofIris]

The goon stopped shaking the old man for a moment, and laughed as the driver's head simply lolled to the side. With a final snicker, he tossed the body to the ground, presumably dead; who could have survived the brutal force with which the old man was shaken?

The boss nodded, and turned back to his prize, just in time to see her leap at the unsuspecting goon with a cry of rage. Luckily for the goon, the boss' reflexes were just as fast as his employee's, and he caught the girl in midair by the throat, effectively cutting off both her shrieking and attack. Andromeda choked, the force of the man's grip causing her to panic and gasp for air as he held her off the ground.

After a moment of enjoying her squirming, he pulled her face down to his, their noses the barest inch apart. "Do not do that again." His voice was low, commanding, and full of quiet promise for consequence were she to disobey. He felt her shiver at the thinly-veiled wrath in his tone, and, satisfied, threw her to the ground, hard.

Andromeda's head snapped back, hitting the floor with enough force to daze her. The boss stared down at her for a moment with a stony visage before his wolfish grin returned. He turned and spoke to somebody she couldn't see, and her ears rung too loud for her to hear what he had said. But it must have been an order, for not even a second after he had finished speaking, she felt a set of arms pull her up to a standing position and begin dragging her into an adjacent room.

Her head hung loosely, her gaze still facing the office. She caught a glimpse of two maids grabbing the feet of the driver's body - his cold dead eyes rolling back to stare at her accusingly - before the door closed behind her.