There’s a dream I have.
In it, someone is pulling me by the hand.
A lady laughs and says, “Sorry.”
A man tells me, “You’ve got no right to blame us for this.” He looks mad.
Snow begins to fall. A lot of snow.
It’s so, so cold.
Ever since that day, I’ve always been alone.
According to the “doctor,” I came from a very poor family.
The man borrowed lots of money and couldn’t pay it back. So he sold me.
“Was it because I’m not his daughter?” I asked the doctor.
“No,” he said. “It was because you’re special.”
Am I not needed? Or is it okay for me to stay?
There were lots of kids like me in the “facility.” Kids who’d been sold. The people there did “experiments” on us.
I got to eat food and take baths. But they poked me with a lot of needles and showed me really scary movies. The movies were so scary that some kids even d■■■ watching them.
Lots of people d■■■ there.
Sometimes, kids would get sick from the medicine and d■■. Or they’d do bad on the tests, and the doctors would k■■■ them.
Everyone cried a lot at first. But no one ever came to help us. And then the kids who kept crying got turned into dolls.
So we all stopped crying.
It stung.
I hated when they put me in the cold, cold water.
They told me I had to hurt people for the “curriculum.”
But because I said no, I became the one that everyone hurt.
I joined a test to become a “daughter.”
They made lots of girls do all kinds of stuff for a really long time. Then we all had to k■■■ each other. I was so scared. I tried as hard as I could to run away.
Somehow, I knew where everyone was. I don’t know how I knew, but I’ve always been like this. Ever since I could remember.
I can see lots of stuff like that. I know where people are even when they’re far away. And I know when something scary is coming. But I don’t see it with my eyes. The inside of my head gets all prickly, and it’s like a light is flashing, telling me what I need to know.
The doctor called it “natural telepathy.” Though I didn’t know what that meant, when I used it, it was easy to run and hide.
But watching everyone else k■■■ each other from far away made my heart hurt. I’m sorry, I said. I said it over and over in my empty room.
I’m sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t help you.
I’m sorry for running away.
I’m sorry for being so weak and for cheating.
I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.
In the end, they all attacked each other.
Everyone d■■■.
I was the only one left because I was hiding.
“Congratulations, ———,” said the doctors. “You’ve passed. You truly are a special child.”
Why was I so special? All I did was run away.
Did the other kids d■■ because they weren’t special?
I didn’t understand. I didn’t understand anything. But they still took me away.
They took me somewhere very, very dark.
I hate dark places. I was so scared.
All the kids who d■■■ were there. They told me it was my fault. They were so mad.
And then I got eaten by a big monster. Over and over and over again.
Was it a dream? Was it all in my head? When I opened my eyes, everything was back to normal. But the ghosts and monsters kept attacking me.
It was the worst experiment they’d ever done on me.
It was scary. It hurt. I was so lonely.
I wished I could d■■, too.
But I was too weak. I couldn’t k■■■ myself. And that…
“How sad.”
…that was when I…
“It must be so hard being alone. Don’t you want someone to protect you?”
…first started hearing that voice…
“Then become my daughter. Here and now. If you do that, I’ll protect you. Forever.”
…first started listening to it.
“But in return, you must give me your ■■■■■ies. Don’t worry. I won’t eat them. I’ll take good care of them for you. Be at peace, Jupiter. Simply f■■■et all your bad ■■■■■ies. You have me now. I’m your only friend. Now, come. Let us form a pact…”
That’s how I became the daughter of Keraunos. From that moment on, I was known as Jupiter.