#fandomcaseymix writes

The sun had almost disappeared below the horizon, but Macaque only felt a quiet satisfaction. Perfect. In the dark, he had a better chance of going unnoticed.

Ahead loomed a massive mountain with a green peak. At its base stood a stele carved with hieroglyphs. For a moment, the black-furred monkey lingered on it, then immediately turned away and strode toward the enormous cave entrance. It resembled the gaping maw of a wolf, waiting to devour some lost lamb.

Absolute darkness resided inside the cave, but his six ears and keen eyesight had no trouble navigating the path he had walked hundreds of times before. In the near-dead silence, his footsteps echoed through the vast chamber. But that silence was broken by the clanking of chains. Macaque stopped, silently watching the shadows move against the opposite wall.

One by one, torches flared to life inside the cave with a soft whoosh, illuminating the space with orange-yellow flames. At the farthest wall, a massive simian figure stirred. Under the firelight, its emerald-green fur glistened like a true gemstone, and large, snow-white strands shimmered in the twilight, as if woven from the brightest light. The beast raised its head and turned to face Macaque, its vivid eyes, the color of the bluest ice, burning on its face, its long tail with a bushy tassel on its tip thumping against the floor. A marking in the shape of a three-leaf clover glinted on its muzzle—two "leaves" encircled the eyes, while the third one pointed downward, framing its nose. The face marking's color resembled dried blood, but Macaque compared it to red jasper.

The demon calmly regarded the giant monkey, subtly wincing at the grinding and clattering of the chains dragging behind it. He endured it, though the old wound inside him began to bleed anew.

His life mate, the mighty wuzhiqi. This monster, the size of his own kaiju form, bound in iron shackles and chains, with sunken cheeks and dark circles beneath red-rimmed eyes—this was his wife.

Chuān Lícǎo.

Macaque clenched his jaw, feeling the sting of tears from the flood of emotions. It pained him to see his wife suffer—not just from the shackles chafing her limbs and neck, but from the agony in her heart. It was unbearable to think he could do nothing to ease her pain. He couldn't even wrap his arms around her to show that he was there, that he wouldn't abandon her, no matter what.

Yet beneath his sympathy, something else stirred within him—a wrath coiled like a restless cobra. Macaque was furious at everyone: the celestials, Wukong, MK and his team, everyone who had a hand in putting Lícǎo where she was now. The punishment she endured was for something no one would ever understand.

No one would understand the grief of a mother who had lost her cub.

It might sound cynical or cruel, but Macaque didn't care in the slightest about those who had been—or could have been—caught in Lícǎo's wrath. Yes, innocent humans and demons might have died, but no one cared about the cause of her rage. She unleashed a flood and tsunami that was barely stopped? That was enough—she was a monster. No one cared why she did it.

Macaque sighed quietly, but mustered the strength to smile at his wife.

"Hey, Peony," he greeted with a smirk, flicking his tail. "How are you?"

He mentally slapped himself for such a thoughtless question. But Lícǎo didn't respond or take offense—there was no point. Macaque stepped closer and sat beside the giant monkey, sighing softly.

"Sorry. Stupid question…" the demon apologized, closing his eyes for a moment. "I'd even say 'insensitive'."

Lícǎo slowly shook her head, a low rumble emanating from her throat as if to reassure him that it was okay. She wasn't upset. Throughout all the years they'd known each other, Macaque knew that the wuzhiqi was a remarkably calm being, one who seemed incapable of anger or resentment. Still, he knew: Chuān Lícǎo could get angry. It just depended on the reason.

"Wukong and the others are trying to support me, but…" Macaque shook his head with a sigh, ruffling his already disheveled hair. "I can't help but be angry at them for what they did to you, Peony."

Lícǎo listened to her husband in silence, occasionally grunting to show she was paying attention. The six-eared macaque spoke of recent news, how he'd slowly begun interacting with the Monkey King, his successor, and his friends, how he was beginning to understand their reasons for acting as they did. He just kept talking and talking and talking…

And Lícǎo? Lícǎo listened to every word.

"I haven't stopped searching for our son," Macaque continued his monologue, wearily rubbing his eyes. "Well… We haven't. Wukong, his student, their friends, Red Son, and the Demon Bull family… I won't let myself think that our Kǎihù…"

Lícǎo nodded slowly, acknowledging his sentiment. She smiled softly, lowered her head and nuzzled her nose against his cheek, rumbling quietly. It warmed her to know that her husband had never stopped hoping that one day they would find their son, wherever he was. At first, she had been furious at being confined here, shackled, but now, years later, she understood she had been wrong. Yes, she couldn't accept the tragedy of losing her only son whom she loved deeply, but that didn't mean innocent people should perish because of her grief and rage.

Macaque sighed quietly, burying his face in her thick mane. After a few minutes of silence, he spoke again:

"You know… I heard MK say something interesting once," he said, lifting his head to meet his wife's gaze. "Hope dies last. As long as hope lives, everything will be okay."

Lícǎo rumbled in response, as if in agreement. Macaque smiled slightly, heartened by the sound.

"I'll find him, Peony. I swear it by all the powers of the universe, Lícǎo," he said firmly, brow set with determination. "I'll find Kǎihù."

Lícǎo nodded, rumbling softly. Macaque nodded back and wrapped his arms around the massive beast as best he could. His wife shifted and curled around the demon, as if wanting to shield him from all misfortune. In such an embrace, it seemed to them that the world beyond no longer existed. The two monkeys purred softly, responding to each other's gestures, and after a few moments, they drifted into a deep sleep, their thoughts echoing just two words.

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"That's it, Rora, easy." Optimus said, putting his servo under my paws. I chirped with zeal and finally climbed onto the mech's shoulder. "Well done. Try again, little one."

I snorted, turning my whole body so that my head was in the same direction as Optimus's helm. After making sure that my body was stable, I opened my wings and, straining my legs, jumped. My wings lifted me higher and higher, until instead of Optimus there was a red and blue spot. Hovering for a moment, I leaned back and fell like a stone down, diving to the ground. I could hear Prime’s worried cries, but I ignored them. I wanted to show him that I knew what I was doing, and at the same time I needed to check the full readiness of my flying limbs. It was important for me to make sure that my wound was completely healed.

When I was close enough to the ground, I abruptly opened my wings and leaned to the left, gaining altitude and drawing something like a spiral around Optimus. When I stopped, the mech stretched out his hands, and I landed on his forearm with a satisfied look. Prime's face showed displeasure as a proud chirp came from me.

"Oh, so you're having fun," he scolded me and wagged his finger, squinting his optics. "Don't scare me like that, Rora. Never, do you hear?"

I let out an adorable purr and rubbed against the mech’s chestplates, simultaneously apologizing and asking not to be angry. As if I were saying: "Soooorry..." in the tongue of the thorntails. Prime glared at me for a minute, then he softened.

"Okay, okay, I'm not mad. For now," Optimus said, to which I chirped happily, letting him scratch me under my beak.

What's happening? Well, Optimus took me outside so I could stretch my wings. The wound healed pretty quickly, about the fourth day after I arrived at Prime's house. About fifteen days have passed since my rescue, judging by the notches I made under the platform of the red and blue mech. Every day, Optimus left in the morning and returned in the evening, spent some time with me and studied, and we went to recharge together. To my surprise, he treated me as an equal, as if there was an ordinary Cybertronian in my place, but an unintelligent animal. It was a big advantage for me, because he didn't talk to me like I was a dumb animal. I was probably like a raven in mind, but I can't repeat other people's voices. Alas, thorntails are not mockingbirds, so I had to communicate with the sounds that Mother Nature gave me. Oh, and I also found out that I have amber-orange optics, just like my human eyes.

"Chirr!" I chirped happily, raising my tuft.

"Optimus!"

I squeaked questioningly, turning my ears and my head towards the voice. Optimus followed my example and smiled slightly. Two Cybertronians were approaching us a few meters away. One was a blue and orange mech with an oversized chin, and the other was a yellow femme with a kind of ponytail. Wow, of all people... I mean, bots.

Sentinel and Elita One. Cool, it's going to be more fun now. No, although I dislike the second Prime, I feel sorry for him to some extent. After all, it was his idea of exploration to an organic planet, which cost Elita a brutal metamorphosis.

"There you are," Sentinel said as they approached us. "Where have you gone? We were worried, actually!"

"Hello, Sentinel, Elita," Optimus replied a little guiltily, but a friendly smile stretched across his face. "Sorry, there were... urgent business."

"Business? And what kind of..." Sentinel broke off and his face fell in surprise when he noticed me sitting on the red and blue mech’s arm. "What kind of thing is that?!"

When I heard the last word, I hissed in displeasure, raising the tuft of feathers on my head in anger, like a formidable fan. The wings half-opened, and the feathers and tail spikes cracked threateningly. Small charges of electricity chattered pleasantly in my beak, ready to rush into the chosen target.

Come on, call me a "thing" again, I dare you, Sentinel, and I'll fry all your neural circuits! I thought viciously, showing my anger with all my appearance. I dare you, and even Optimus won't save you...

"Is that a thorntail?" Elita asked, looking at me curiously.

Her voice sobered me up a bit. I shuddered and slowly turned my head, looking from Optimus to the femme.

Eh? Why did I react so sharply because of a harmless word? Usually, nothing bothered me except comparing me to Nata and reminding me about my mom, but here... Does the thorntail's body really affect me that much? Judging by the notes of the doctor, these little creatures have a considerable sense of self-worth. Although their intelligence was a little weaker than that of the Cybertronians, but this didn’t prevent them from showing their displeasure. The character may vary, of course, but everyone has common features.

Optimus nodded in response to his friend's question, then turned to the blue and orange mech.

"First of all, she's not a 'thing’, Sentinel," he chided his friend and gently smoothed the feathers on my head. He always did that when he wanted to calm me down. "Secondly, I needed to monitor her recovery so that she wouldn’t worsen her condition."

"It’s a female?" Elita asked and carefully extended her servo towards me.

"Yes. Her name is Aurora," Optimus replied with a smile and moved his hand so that I was closer to the yellow femme. I tilted my head to the side, my tuft lifted slightly with interest. "I recently found her on the street with a damaged wing. I try to go out of the habsuite more often to let her fly."

"Aurora... It's a beautiful name," Elita replied softly and gently scratched me behind my ‘bangs’. This caused me to squeak and tweet happily. "She's very cute."

"Chirrr!" I replied, wagging my tail.

"I thought they all disappeared during the war," Sentinel said.

"They did, yes, but this little girl was lucky to survive," Elita smiled, continuing to give me scratches. My tail rattled with spikes again, wagging, and my body vibrated with purring. Gods, what a thrill it is...

"Chirr!" I chirped and shook my head, interrupting the caress. When I turned my head to Optimus, I was confronted with a strange expression on his face. It was... jealousy? He was jealous?! Damn, OP, are you kidding me? Have you forgotten about the incredible loyalty of the thorntails to only one chosen master? Dude, you amaze me...

Oh, Prime, now you're going to get it all!

With the help of a jump, I climbed onto Optimus's shoulder, and, leaning my hind legs on both his shoulders, wrapped my front paws and wings around Prime's helm. I proudly tweeted and gave the mech and the femme a sly look, raising my tuft in a fake threat. My whole appearance probably looked like a sparkling, who clutched his favorite toy to himself, not wanting to share it with anyone, and at the same time saying: "Mine!" I snorted loudly, showing my position of possessiveness (even if I pretended to be one).

Elita and Sentinel burst into laughter. Rather, Sentinel cackled like a horse while Elita chuckled softly. There was a tired sigh from Optimus, and the red and blue mech crossed the servos on his chest.

"Ha, ha, very funny, guys," he replied sarcastically, apparently measuring them with a displeased look. With a chirp, I moved to Prime's right shoulder and rubbed my head against his antennae. He turned his helm towards me and scratched me behind the ear with a slight smile. "Thank you very much, Rora..."

In response, I just tweeted, looking at my friend with puppy optics.

***

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

Damn this fucking coding! Damn this fucking Fate!

What the fuck am I being punished for?!

Okay, keep calm, don’t panic. Don't fucking panic. Don’t. Panic.

Another turn brought me back to the hall fork. I howled, chirping in frustration. No matter how grateful I am to all the higher powers for a second life, but, holy shit, this devil's body has already got me. The more I was with Optimus, the more pressure this coding put on me. It was hard to call it instincts, although it was similar to them, but it wasn’t easier for me. The notes said that at the beginning of the establishment of a bond, the thorntail was constantly attracted to the chosen Cybertronian, like a male to a female in heat. Yeah, not a really good comparison, but it more or less describes my current state.

The state that caused me to get lost in the giant corridors of the Academy.

I howled again. My desperate chirping echoed through the rooms, bouncing off the walls like a small ball. For a while, the sound still carried through the corridors, until someone's footsteps sounded somewhere far away. Someone's obviously big feet were walking quite slowly, maybe a little slower than Optimus, but not too fast either. The steps were measured, even majestic, it was probably someone with a fairly high status. Who could it be?

I tilted my head to the side with a questioning chirp, as a voice came from around the corner.

"Axel?.." asked the voice of an unknown mech, and a gigantic shadow appeared in the corridor.

Uh-oh... Damn it, where should I run?!

I lowered my ears in fright, staring in horror at an unknown shadow.

"Eep!" I squeaked in fear and started backing away.

The footsteps approached, and the shadow moved on. There was no end of it in sight, which made it clear that the bot that was throwing it away was a literal giant. And for him, I'll be the size of a bug, if not smaller. Even though I had grown up a little during my life with Optimus, for other Cybertronians I was a real shorty. I reached the red and blue mech somewhere up to his knee, that is, my height was about two meters. At this time, adult thorntails were about three meters tall. Damn it, what will he do to me if he sees me?! He will crush me completely!

"Chirrrr!" I screamed in panic when a giant black and blue foot stepped in front of my beak.

"Who are you?" A deep, stern voice came from above.

When something heavy hit the floor, I jumped up with a chirp and slowly raised my head, looking at the stranger in front of me. White and silver were added to the black, gray and blue, and in the mech's hand there was a rather large hammer. Looking closer, I saw a familiar face with a dark blue helmet and white antennae. The blue optics looked at me calmly, boring into me with a demanding gaze. He was obviously waiting for an answer from me, but... What am I supposed to say? He won't understand me for sure.

Wait a minute... A hammer, huge height, blue and white paintjob... Is that Ultra Magnus?! That's lucky... I don't know if this is good or bad but it was still worth trying to at least squeak.

I chirped uncertainly, crouching slightly to the metal floor, ready to run away. Ultra Magnus softened a little and got down on one knee, apparently noticing my fear.

"Do not be afraid, little one," he said, lowering his voice a little. "I guess you got lost here, right?"

I straightened up and whined sadly, hanging my head sadly and nodding.

"Come here," Magnus asked, carefully holding his servo out to me. The movement was so precise, as if he had done it before. It felt as if the commander-in-chief had dealt with thorntails at some point in the past. Right, he said the same name I heard from the medic. Axel. Ultra Magnus must have personally known that medic and his partner.

I lifted my head to look at the mech, sniffed his digits and climbed onto a huge palm with a soft squeak. After waiting for me to sit down, Magnus slowly straightened up, obviously trying not to scare me, and turned somewhere towards the corridor. He was probably on his way to his office, and then I was squealing. Oh, how embarrassing... For some reason, I felt somehow ashamed that I was distracting such an important bot from his probable affairs that require his presence.

"Chirp..." I chirped, lowering my ears guiltily, and looked at the head of Cybertron with apologetic optics. He lowered his helm and smiled faintly.

"Do not worry, little one," he assured me in a calm voice and returned his attention to the corridors of the Academy. "You don't need to apologize to me. Let us find your master."

I nodded, tweeting.

"I suppose he's among the Academy cadets, am I right?" Ultra Magnus asked as he approached another closed door.

I tweeted a few times, nodding my head. It was logical. The fact that a thorntail like me had snuck in here meant one thing: his master was studying or working here. Although, I probably created problems for Prime with my behavior, because I didn't have the Autobot symbol on me. Just some kind of neutral animal that is smaller than an adult (or rather, a small wild animal that foolishly wandered into the walls of the Academy). Sigh, now I feel ashamed in front of Optimus. I hope he doesn't get in trouble because of me.

"Good." Ultra Magnus smiled a little, apparently not noticing the change in my mood, and sat down at his desk. He sat me down in front of him and looked thoughtfully at my body. Magnus must have scanned me for any information chips that could help me find my master. Bored, I tilted my head slightly to one side, raising my tuft and one of my ears, as if showing interest. My orange optics narrowed, which made me look at the huge mech with an attentive squint.

"Chirrrp," I chirped, ruffling the feathers on my head, and stood up on my paws. Magnus barely noticeably raised his optic ridges, apparently interested in my further actions. I went to a holoscreen and some kind of keyboard, looked at the buttons with glyphs and chirped again, looking up at the mech. He understood what I wanted and pressed a few buttons, opening something that looked like an input line on the screen. Nodding, I began to walk around the keyboard, pressing the keys with the necessary glyphs. A few seconds later, two words appeared on the screen.

I. Aurora.

Ultra Magnus hummed thoughtfully as a sign of understanding.

"Your name is Aurora?" He asked softly.

"Chirr!" I chirped joyfully, nodding my head with my feathers stuck up.

"Do you know your master?" The blue mech asked again.

As a response, I chirped again and tapped the keys with my paws and beak, erasing the previously printed words. Two words separated by spaces reappeared in the input line.

Optimus. Master.

When I finished typing the words, I turned to the giant Cybertronian and chirped, pointing at the holoscreen. A small but noticeable smile appeared on the face of the head of Cybertron.

"Ah, Cadet Optimus," Ultra Magnus said after reading the inscription.

I cocked my head to the side, interested, and chirped questioningly. I may be wrong, but Magnus seemed to have high hopes for Optimus. Ah, how lucky it is to be here. If he is expelled, then I will follow him. Call it the thorntail coding, but I think I'd go after him even without it.

"You were lucky to meet him, young Aurora," Magnus said and held out his digits to me, looking at me expectantly. I just tweeted back and lightly pinched the offered limb. My tanks rumbled. Ultra Magnus gently smoothed the feathers on my head. "I see you're hungry."

"Chirr!"

I dozed off for the next few hours, perched on the edge of Magnus's desk. Sometimes I could hear him talking to someone or typing on the keyboard, muttering something to himself under the olfactory sensors. I heard all this thanks to my super hearing, as well as the fact that I slept quite lightly. There was silence all around, which acted on my tired mind like an alien lullaby. Or rather, like an ordinary lullaby, only... performed by a Cybertronian.

There were hurried and anxious footsteps outside the door which I recognized. These were the steps of Optimus. Ultra Magnus must have called him after class ended to hand me over to him as my master. Damn, he doesn't even know I'm here. Oh, if Mags hadn't bumped into me, Prime would have immediately panicked that I'd run away. Poor mech... I should have shown myself more restrained, and not succumb to the damn coding.

The door swung open, and Optimus's voice rang out in the room.

"Ultra Magnus, sir, did you call me?" He asked. However, just a second later, an exclamation was heard, "Rora?!"

Okay, where should I start?

Firstly, it hurts to die. Ouch. And to realize that you died in such a stupid way is even more painful. Two times ouch.

Secondly, I woke up in an iron body. My first reaction was my loud screech of horror, but instead of the usual "AAAAAAAH!!!" there was a completely different sound. It was a fucking chirp mixed with some computer signals. So, my words "What the fuck?!" turned into "Chir-r-rup, beep?!" In addition, all sorts of squiggles kept flashing before my eyes, pardon, optics, which led to the first shocking discovery.

I'm on Cybertron.

It would be more accurate to say it was the second discovery. The first was my own body. Or my frame. I would have been glad to wake up in the body of some Cybertronian, even in the form of a protoform, but I was very disappointed. I ended up in the body of an animal. A very small animal. I was just tiny compared to the little Cybertronians. Okay, to hell with the tiny shape, but I never expected to become a GRIFFIN, damn you all...

That first day, I was freaking out for a while, stunned by the unexpected turn of fate. Then, having calmed down more or less and looked at myself, I was able to find my new look very good. My whole body was royal blue. On my head was a sky-blue tuft of five feathers and big cat ears. On the sides were funny "sideburns" that consisted of three sky-blue upturned spikes. Instead of a tassel on the tail, flexible spikes of sky-blue color stuck out, which bristled or folded with the power of my thought. The fingers of my cat's paws, my belly and the feathers of my wings were also sky blue. As for the color of my optics, I didn't know it. There were no mirrors on my way, unfortunately.

Oh, it took me a long time to get used to the wings, especially to learn how to fly. But I had to do it quickly, because the street does not spare weaklings and slowpokes. Yep, that's right: I woke up in some kind of Cybertron alley and had to live like a street animal.

Thanks a lot, Madam Fate. What a bitch you are.

And I also had a big white eight-pointed star shining on my chest. Strange design.

It wasn’t easy to survive. I often got kicks and been thrown at all sorts of objects from big iron freaks. At such moments, my small size proved to be a huge advantage, no pun intended. I was so nimble that these Cybertronians, from whom I stole energon, couldn’t hit me in any way. Neither by servos nor by the objects they were throwing at me. I was also cold. Very cold. It would seem that this shouldn't have bothered me, but... I was constantly freezing. I had to curl up into the smallest ball to preserve the warmth of my frame and sleep in all sorts of not very pleasant places.

For the most part, I was very lucky. I cheated as best I could and used my martial arts skills to trick the big bots and get myself a precious fuel. Compared to my previous life, being a street bum was much more difficult. Probably, many of us have been thinking about how cool it is to be a cat or a dog or any other pet. You are loved for nothing, you get free food and water every day, you’ll be scratched behind the ear and patted on the head. You sleep, eat, play and get affection from the owner. What a paradise!

Just one detail. If the cat is lucky to find an owner.

But there is also a downside to the coin. The world is full of abandoned animals, which, for example, people do a lot of harm to. Constant hunger, fighting with other animals for food, suffering from wounds or septicemia. Your life literally depends on your luck and skills, it can end literally today if you fail to get food. There are two ways: either die somewhere in an alley, or stumble upon some kind-hearted person who will pick up a tramp like you. That's just life.

This time my luck ran out. Not only was I hit by something big, but I also fell into a dumpster or some kind of it. While I was recovering and trying to crawl out of the smelly box, its lid slammed shut. I must have bumped into her when I was hit. It wouldn't have upset me much if it hadn't been for one thing...

This lid pinned my wing between itself and the edge of the container. And I'm not going to say how much it hurt, like hell. My piercing scream was very eloquent.

All that remained was to lie helplessly on a pile of garbage, wince at the stench of waste and rumbling in tanks and pain and wait for my end. I kept whining, chirping and squeaking, lamenting my unfortunate fate. The arguments about how I came to such a life were repeated over and over again. A party at Alex’s, a quarrel with Alex, a quarrel with Alice, a quarrel with Nata and my death under wheels. And so on in a circle. A party, three fights, death. A party, three fights, death.

At some point, I started whistling a tune. As it turned out, I can do that in this body. Moreover, my Cybertronian whistle was almost no different from my human whistle. Except that it looked like a sound processed by an autotune.

"Here's a little song I wrote,

You might want to sing it note-for-note

Don't worry, be happy..."

I loved music and singing, but, alas, the structure of my systems did not allow me to sing. Although my processor understood that I was singing, my ears instead of words heard the same sounds as always. Chirp, beep, whistle, blip, tweet, eep and so on. Just wonderful. Apparently, this is due to the fact that the soul of a human, who, moreover, is from another world, was reborn in the body of a Cybertronian. It is quite reasonable that I did not understand my own speech. However, I understood the bots I was running away from. Although, maybe it's because I'm a Cybertronian beast, which, theoretically, is dumber than Cybertronians as the dominant species? Hmm, it's interesting, but I'm definitely not a dumb animal that can only be taught to follow commands and respond to its name.

When I got to the middle of the second verse, the lid suddenly slowly opened. Rather, someone held it up to see where the sounds were coming from. I raised my head sharply, causing my tuft to perk up with interest. When my optics saw my unwitting savior, my gaze caught on his red and blue coloring. And I would have recognized those funny antennae and yellow stripes on the helmet anywhere. Optimus Prime himself stood in front of me in all his youthful glory.

Oh, for fuck's sake... Where did I get to? Into the world of Transformers Animated, fuck it! I don't even know if this is a good thing or a bad thing, because it was one of my favorite animated series among Transformers. I felt terribly sorry for poor Optimus, because before he crashed with his team to Earth, he was left without friends and was expelled from the Academy. I won't list it, but you know what I mean.

And judging by the fact that I ended up on Cybertron and met him, all those troubles that the series told us about have not happened to Optimus yet. It seems that I was incredibly lucky.

"Oh, you poor thing," Optimus cooed, giving me a pitying look. He slowly extended his servos towards me, clearly intending to take me in his hands. I flinched and tried to crawl away, but immediately chirped, hitting my damaged wing.

"Chirp..."

Optimus stopped, noticing my concern.

"Shhh, it's okay, little one, I won't hurt you," he said as he tried to convince me. "I want to help."

I lowered my ears and pressed the tuft to my head, fearfully hiding it in my shoulders.

"Chirrp..." I replied again, crouching down to the trash under me. My wing throbbed with pain and sparkled, crackling with static. I hissed. "Hiss..."

"Shh, easy, little one, you'll only make it worse for yourself," Prime spoke up, noticing my discomfort. "I want to help you. Will you let me?"

I turned my ears to his voice, and my tuft slowly lifted as a sign of surprise and interest. Once upon a time, I would have agreed without a second thought, screaming like crazy, because he was my idol. However, now, having suffered so much pain from bots and living on the street, there wasn't much enthusiasm. The thought that I might be harmed now flashed quickly, but then it disappeared. Seriously, this is Optimus! He wouldn't hurt a fly! Well, he will hurt in return if someone hurt him or his friends, hehe.

Noticing the change in my mood, Optimus beamed.

"That's it, well done," he held out the servo closer and gently scooped up my frame in his hands. When I got close to his chest plates, I noticed that in terms of size ratio, I was like a kitten in a human's arms.

My injured wing hung limply, which made me chirp softly in pain again.

"It's okay, little one, I got you," Optimus comforted me, hugging me closer to him. I raised my head to show that I was listening to him attentively. He added, "Now we will go to a place where you will get help. Your wing will be as good as new!"

I chirped, gratefully looking at him with my optics, and put my head on a part of his arm, I think, on his wrist. Oh, Optimus, you are an eternal optimist. You'll carry me here rather than we'll walk together to the place you're talking about. At some point, I managed to doze off, listening to the Prime’s sparkbeat. Although I felt more or less safe with him, I still kept my ears sharp. No matter how much I struggled with this animal coding, sometimes it was very useful. It doesn’t to sleep or recharge safely.

A slight movement made me open my optics again, but this time I lazily raised my head to look at Optimus. Noticing my slightly sleepy look, he smiled.

"Don't worry, you'll just be examined," the mech assured me, and carefully placed me on something that obviously served as a medical platform. I carefully got up on my paws, spreading my wings out of habit, and immediately squeaked when I felt a sharp pain and heard static.

Another bot, apparently a medic, touched my wing with incredible care, making me hiss softly.

"Calm down, little one, I just want to see what I have to deal with," he said firmly.

I chirped in compliance and squeezed my eyes shut. I didn't see what manipulations the bot was doing, but I almost didn't feel the pain. This mech is a real master of his profession! He obviously has a lot of experience fixing small robots, especially small ones like me. Come to think of it, my luck didn't turn its back on me for long. Yes, I fell into the tank and damaged my wing, but I was found by Optimus. Isn't that a plus? A huge one! Although... If I'm going to stay with him, that means...

Shit. What a mess I got into, that’s for sure. Not in the middle of things, but at the very beginning, but it didn't make me feel any better. I was a little scared that I was in that particular segment of the timeline, because I knew what would happen next and what everything would come to. Not very accurate, not to the smallest detail, of course not, but I more or less remember the main points. Perhaps if I come across some other small moments, I will remember the whole picture. Well, I'll have plenty of time to think.

"Done," the medic's voice rang out. I opened the optics and looked at my already repaired wing, covered with noticeable welding seams. The mech spoke again, "You'll have to do without flying for a while, little one, but soon you'll be able to fly like before."

I cocked my ears and chirped happily, tuft followed their example, displaying my emotions. The medic grinned and gently stroked the feathers on my head as if he had done it before.

"I didn't think there were any thorntails left," he said sadly, causing Optimus, as well as me, to be surprised.

"Thorntails? I'm sorry, but I've never heard of such a species," Prime said, puzzled. I turned my head, looking from him to the medic. What are thorntails? Is this what I am now? Hmm, considering that I do have thorns on my tail, the name quite speaks for itself.

"No wonder, young one. These creatures are very rare," the medic answered the question. He looked at my chest plate, scratched a little, removing the dirt, and smiled thoughtfully. "Well, you were lucky to come across a female. You must know, young mech, that thorntails are very loyal creatures. Besides, they are very smart."

At the words about being smart, I proudly lifted my head, squeaking with flattery.

"Loyal? How loyal are they?" Optimus asked, holding out the servo to me. I got up on my paws, approached the outstretched hand and rubbed my head against his digits, making it clear that I trusted him.

"Until the end of their functioning," the medic replied and smiled sadly. "If they lose their master, they won't bond with anyone else. Or they will bond, but it will be very long and hard."

"You know quite a lot about thorntails, sir," Optimus remarked and lightly scratched me behind the ear. I chirped with pleasure. God, how damn pleasant it is!

"That's right, young mech," the medic replied and somehow sighed sadly, making me look at him in surprise. The white-red mech had a sad expression on his face, and there was a small drop of nostalgia in his optics. Maybe this guy had encountered thorntails, so that's why he is so aware of them? Something must have happened to them, which is why he feels so sad. The medic continued, "During the Great War, I had a thorntail as my partner. His name was Axel. He was a nice mech, but he only talked when there was work that needed to be done. He was the one who told me everything I need to know about his species."

"What happened to him?" Optimus asked and scratched me under my beak. There was a sad sigh from the medic.

"He died in one of the fights," was his reply. "Axel protected me while I was helping the wounded bots."

"Oh... I'm sorry, sir," Optimus immediately apologized, looking at the medic with sympathy.

"No need, young mech," he shook his helm, smiling slightly.

Breaking away from the pleasure of scratching, I decided to approach the Cybertronian who fixed my wing. I rubbed against the palm of one of his servos, which he used to lean on the work platform. I chirped and looked sympathetically at the mech, touching his servos with both of my paws. I wanted to show that everything was fine, it wasn't his fault. His friend Axel clearly knew what he was doing because he was protecting him. And he definitely wouldn't want his partner to be so heartbroken and self-flagellating.

Out of the corner of my ear, I heard Optimus chuckle.

"Well, the thorntail doesn't think so," he said. Although I didn't see him, I imagined his smile.

"I see, young mech. It seems I can't stop talking, heh," the medic remarked with a grin and awkwardly rubbed his neck cables. I walked away from the mech, returned to Optimus and patted his forearm with my paw, squeaking.

"It's okay," Prime smiled, gently picking me up in his arms. I whistled in agreement and nodded my head.

"Ah, before you leave. Here, take this," the medic said and held out some kind of slab, it seems the bots called it datapads. Optimus looked at the Cybertronian with a slightly puzzled expression and, holding me in one servo, took the proffered object. The mech added, "Here are all the notes about the thorntails. You obviously need them more than me."

Optimus made a serious face and nodded.

"I'll write them down and return the datapad to you as soon as I can, sir," he said decisively, to which the medic shook his helm with a smile.

"Keep it for yourself, young mech. I don't need them," the mech looked at me, then at Prime. "Take care of her, my friend. This little girl is small, but she will make a good partner and a friend in the future."

"Thank you, sir."

After leaving the medical facility, Optimus walked in a direction unknown to me. I'm sure he'll go home to read all the information about the thorntails later, so that in the future he'll know what to do with me. Sure, I will survive on my own, but at least this way I am not in danger of being accidentally crushed by someone. The rhythmic rocking lulled me a little, but I didn't let myself fall asleep. I wanted to see all the beauty of Cybertron that we only came across on the way, and to imprint them forever in my memory. Now I understood why the Autobots missed this planet. It's probably hard when there's a house that you can't go back to, or you can't go back because of the lack of transportation. Oh, I'm homesick now.

Poor Dad... How hard it will be for him to go through this. First Mom, now me... I hope Alice doesn't act like a total bitch and supports him. Although, I don't think I'll be able to see it. The dead don't care anymore.

In the end, I didn't notice how I dozed off in the arms of the red and blue mech holding me. Optimus just let out a good-natured laugh, which I heard as I fell asleep. Apparently, I was so tired during the day that I fell asleep right away.

I wonder what will happen next.

***

The next day I woke up feeling hungry. For about five seconds, I was blinking my optics in confusion, not understanding where I was. High walls, soft lamplight and a comfortable platform on which I slept. And opposite there was another platform, a bigger one. And it was empty.

I tried to spread my wings. There were a couple of welding seams in the place of the second fold of my left wing, and any movement caused a slight unpleasant itch. Memories of the previous day instantly appeared in the processor. Right, I fell into a dumpster, my wing was crushed, Optimus pulled me out and took me to a medic who patched up the damage. And now I was in Prime's habsuite.

Gorgeous.

I got up on my paws and looked at myself. I still had dirty stains on me, and I also smelled like a dumpster. Well, I hope Optimus is still at home, otherwise I wouldn't want to walk around like a smelly bum. I wonder why he didn't bathe me when he came to his apartment, so to speak.

Ah, right. I fell asleep. Maybe he didn't want to wake me up.

Sighing, I looked down. It didn't seem very high, but I was afraid to jump. I rarely flew when I needed to get somewhere. Usually my wings helped me get somewhere, but the descent was carried out by planning. In fact, I've never suffered from acrophobia. I've always felt great at a big height. Usually, fear arose when I looked down and thought how far I would have to fall. It was only then that I felt real fear. But then it disappeared pretty quickly, as soon as I saw the beautiful landscape that was visible from a height.

Well, the planning down option is immediately discarded. I may be an animal, but I'm not stupid enough to make it worse for myself. Let's make some noise.

I approached the edge. Bracing my paws, I pushed off with my hind legs from the platform and landed with a resounding thud on the same metal floor. A surprised chirp escaped from my throat when my optics saw the huge door. I moved closer to it, hoping that she would open up, but... Nothing happened. Damn, now I'm locked in a compartment now, smelling like a scrapheap. Standing up on my hind paws, I began to scratch the door with my silver claws and chirp insistently. I had to shout quite loudly, because I didn't know exactly how thick this moving wall was.

About five minutes had passed when the door slid open, revealing Optimus standing behind it with a datapad in his servo. Surprise showed on his face.

"Oh, you're awake, little one," he rejoiced. I tweeted a greeting. Prime put the datapad away somewhere and picked me up in his hands. He smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry that you had to rest like this, I didn't want to wake you up. You've been recharging so charmingly.

"Chirr." I replied, as if to say that everything was fine. And the compliment about the charm made me put my ears to my head in embarrassment.

"Well, it's time to bathe you," Optimus said and went into another room, apparently to the washracks.

I was silent, looking curiously at my surroundings. I didn't get to see much, because my entire view was blocked by the Prime’s frame, so I had to wait. Entering the washracks, the red and blue bot turned some switches, and an unknown liquid poured into a cube the size of a large box. It didn’t look like water because of its strange color, somewhat resembling the color of blue ice. Nevertheless, for some reason I was able to understand that it was a cleansing liquid. Like our earthly water in the shower, only with added detergents. What? It’s convenient! No need to waste time on soaping up and then washing off the foam. It's all in one liquid.

When there was enough liquid in the cube, Optimus stopped filling it, touched it with his fingers and slowly lowered me into an improvised tub. Surprisingly, instead of the expected cold or coolness, I felt warm. It was so pleasant and relaxing that I couldn't hold back a squeak of pleasure, and then a purr came from my chest. A chuckle reached my ears.

"I see you like it, little one," Optimus said with a smile when I looked up at his voice. "The thorntails seem to like baths."

"Chirrup!" I chirped in agreement, putting myself under the gentle fingers of the red-blue mech. He grinned again and began to scrape off the stuck dirt and rid my body of an unpleasant smell. During the whole time of bathing, I kept hearing a satisfied whistle or chirp from me, causing the mech to smile. I liked the way he took care of me so much that my tail wagged almost at the speed of a propeller, spraying Optimus with cleaning liquid. He scolded me without malice, shaking off the drops of the liquid with a laugh.

When the bathing was over, Optimus took out a cube with a bright pink energon. No sooner had he opened it than my self-control abruptly left me. I began to curl around Prime's legs, chirping insistently, occasionally getting up on my hind legs and jumping with short whistles. I couldn't use the wings, even though I instinctively flapped them, so I had to make do with the rest of the body. For a moment, the thought flashed through the processor that I was behaving like a starved animal, but now I was almost dying of hunger. I didn't care how I behaved, I just wanted to eat.

"Whoa, take it easy, little one," Optimus exclaimed in surprise, shifting from one pede to the other in an attempt not to step on me.

I chirped again, demanding, but still sat down next to him, fidgeting impatiently on the floor. My tail wagged often, crackling softly, like a rattlesnake's rattle. Thanks to the folded spikes, a slightly menacing effect was created, but Prime didn’t react to it in any way. Either the sound didn’t frighten him in any way, or the gesture of the thorntails meant something positive. It would be necessary to study with him the datapad the medic gave.

"It looks like you're really hungry," Optimus noted, lowering a small cube, whose equivalent was a low glass, to the floor. I looked at the vessel with hungry optics, then turned my gaze to Prime, as if asking for permission. He grinned, nodding. "You can, little one. Just take your time, okay?"

I immediately dipped my beak into the nutrient liquid, greedily drinking every drop. I was hungry in the morning, so I ignored this advice. Sorry, dude, but of the two of us, only one lived on the street, eating shit. And it's definitely not you.

"Hey, hey, slow down, little one, you're going to choke!" Optimus tried to warn me, to which I hissed. However, instead of hissing, there was a dissatisfied gurgle. Of course, a couple of droplets got into my olfactory sensors, making me sneeze and snort. Prime looked at me with annoyance and sighed. "I’ve told you..."

I sneezed and squeaked, lowering my head guiltily.

"It's okay, little one, you were just hungry," Optimus said encouragingly, putting away the empty cube, and lifted me in his hands. "I can't imagine what it's like to live on the street and not get enough fuel. You've probably been through a lot."

Oh, OP, you better not know that, I thought, and raised my head, lifting my tuft of feathers as a sign of interest.

"But you're strong to be able to survive at such a young age," Prime smiled, stroking me between the ears.

For a moment, there was a screech of tires in my head, as if the car had braked sharply at full speed. Wait a slagging minute. I'm so small because I'm still a cub?! How much time have I spent on the street, living like a tramp? Not so much time? Or a lot of time, but because of lousy nutrition or lack of it, I didn’t grow up? Is that why I'm literally a kitten in his servo for Prime?

I repeat. Fate, you're just a heartless bitch.

I chirped with pleasure and purred again, rubbing my head against the palm of the mech as a sign of gratitude. I was sincerely glad that he was able to hear me and save me. In return, I wanted to help him in any way I could to repay him for saving my life. For example, to save Elita from the fate of a techno-organic, because no one wants to be poisoned by spiders and turned into a freak. Yeesh. As I recall, it gets creepy.

"Hmm," Optimus drawled thoughtfully, starting to scratch me behind the ear. I purred louder, covering my optics with pleasure. "You could use a name. I can't call you little one all the time, right?"

Distracting myself from scratching, I chirped in agreement, wagging my tail. Optimus's gaze fell on my chest plates, where a white eight-pointed star shone brightly. He was silent for a couple of minutes, apparently thinking about something, then smiled.

"How about... Aurora?" he suggested and stared at me with his attentive optics, waiting for my answer.

I thought about it. I didn't want to change my name because I liked my original one, given to me by my parents. I wanted to be outraged that I would never part with the proud name Gerda, but there was a problem: I couldn't talk. In the sense that someone understood me, but now no one understood me. The medic mentioned that Axel talked to him and they understood each other. Could the same thing happen to us?

Although, on the other hand, Aurora is not a bad name. If I remember correctly, it’s the ancient Roman goddess of dawn and morning light. This is also the name of the star that can often be seen at dawn. Basically, considering that big star on my chest, this name is perfect for me. I wonder... If we can still establish that bond, should I tell him my real name. Although... I'm dead. My real name is just a distant echo of the past.

I mentally shook my head. Let's not drive the horses. It takes time for the connection between the Cybertronian and the thorntail. Such things don't tolerate haste.

"Chirrp," I replied, nodding my head. "Chirrp!"

"So, Aurora it is," Optimus beamed and gently ran his palm down my back. I continued to purr, arching like a cat, but over time I began to feel sleepy. It seems that bathing in a warm liquid has greatly relaxed me, so I began to fall asleep. Optimus apparently noticed and, making me comfortable in his hands, whispered softly, "Have a nice recharge, Rora."

I'm at the loss of words. It's just mind-boggling! How did I fall for such a vile provocation?!

Damn you, Alex!

He knew, that bastard, that I didn't have a very good relationship with Nata, my arrogant sister. Even though she's a stepsister, I don't get along with her at all. It especially infuriated me when she was set as an example to me. Every quarrel with my stepmother began with the words "Why don't you be like my little Nata?" At the beginning of our acquaintance, I silently listened to all those 'achievements’ that I should have, but later I got sick of it. As soon as I heard that disgusting, sugary ‘little Nata’, I just ran away from home. I was literally sick of this comparison with her. I don't want to brag but there's nothing to compare. Besides, these ‘achievements’ are somewhat dubious to me.

Damn you, Alex!

Who's Alex? My classmate who invited me to his birthday party. We were friends once, until he tried to hit on me in every possible way. Alas, he was destined to go to the friend zone. Afterwards, we quarreled over his... ‘attempt’ of suicide. He tried to poison himself with sleeping pills and alcohol, threatening me beforehand. After that, of course, he apologized and swore that he wouldn't do it again, and I bitterly forgave him. Then we didn't communicate much, at the "Hi! How are you?" level.

It would have stayed that way until the very day that divided my life into before and after came.

As I mentioned earlier, Alex invited me to his birthday party. It seems to have been in early August. It was an ordinary hot day, suitable for walking or outdoor activities in the backyard. I was the last to arrive by my car, as my shift was quite late at work. Working at a fast food restaurant was exhausting, so the party was a good option to relax. Grabbing a gift on the way, I went to the country house of Alex's parents, who left it for the celebration. When I got to the place indicated by the GPS, I parked my "Chinese friend" (blue Changan) in front of the gate and headed home with a gift-wrapped coffee package in my hands.

I pressed the bell and waited. Bitterness appeared in my mouth. Although we were not on very good terms after that incident, I considered it unacceptable to come without a gift or with something useless. I knew that Alex loves coffee, so I decided to buy some very high-quality and delicious sorts. I even added a couple of new ones for him to try. I hope Alex likes it. Otherwise, why am I trying to restore our friendship?

The click of the lock and the door handle brought me back to reality. The door swung open and a blond head peeked out. The blue eyes sparkled with joy when she saw me.

"Gerda!" Alex exclaimed.

"Hi, Alex," I smiled and rubbed my neck guiltily. "I hope I'm not too late for the party?"

"No, no, why, Gera!" my friend shook his head and motioned me inside. "Come on, come on, now will be the best part."

"Cool. Here you go," taking off my shoes, I handed the box with the bow to the birthday boy. "Happy Birthday, Alex."

"Thanks, Gerda," he replied, accepting the gift, and we awkwardly hugged.

"You're welcome."

He led me into a large living room where about ten people were sitting. Five guys and five girls. The company was diverse: there was a goth girl, a couple of hipsters and a geek. The others looked quite ordinary.

"Everyone, this is Gerda, my best friend since high school," Alexander introduced me.

The celebration continued. The company turned out to be very pleasant. We got along with geek from the first minute, having discovered several similar interests. Like me, he was also a devoted fan of Transformers and knew a lot about the characters in this long-running franchise. Alex even jokingly called us the Terror Twins. Of course, we laughed and decided among ourselves that I would be Sunstreaker and he would be Sideswipe, since I was more cynical than he was. I think his name was Mark. Good guy.

Almost everyone drank alcohol, the rest made do with juice or lemonade. I was among the latter ones, since I was driving. There were a couple of times when they tried to dare me, but, alas, alcohol tastes disgusting to me. I don't know why, but I can't drink, for example, beer with the same pleasure as most people do.

When it came to the games, everything began to slide into shit.

There was a game of "I've never..." The rules were simple: you had to continue the sentence with words about an action that, so to speak, he or she ‘have never done’. If someone performed the mentioned action sometime in the past, then he or she took a sip of his drink. I watched this game in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, suggesting it as entertainment.

Oh, Jesus Christ, if I'd known what this was going to lead to, I would never have suggested it. I wish I'd kept quiet then.

"I've never... been to the friend zone," said one of the hipsters, Max.

For a moment, I felt goosebumps run down my spine. Almost immediately I said to myself, what is it about Max's words? Surely many people have had moments when your crush doesn’t return the feeling. Just ordinary things that often happen in the daily life of each of us. It was just a fact, so I calmed myself down without giving away my emotions. However, remembering that, I could tell that it was the first red flag.

The second red flag was Alex himself. It was him who took a sip from his glass, which obviously contained alcohol. I was wary again, trying to convince myself that the story was about someone else. About anyone, but not about me.

"Wow, Alex, I didn't know," Mark drawled, smiling broadly.

Alex silently took another sip. My mouth suddenly felt incredibly dry. I have a bad feeling about this.

"It was back in school, in the tenth grade," he said, lowering his head. His voice suddenly became so cheeky that it became clear to everyone in the living room that he was drunk, and very drunk. Alex continued, "At that time I was friends with a girl I had been in love with for a long time... "

After drinking something obviously alcoholic from his glass again, Alex began to talk about that very case. Every second I tensed up more and more, and a powerful alarm bell rang in my head. The desperate hope that my school friend would talk about anything but this was immediately lost in agony.

No, no, no, NO! my subconscious screamed at me. Tell him to shut up! He shouldn't have said that! It's already in the past!

But Alex kept talking and talking, remembering that stupid incident. It was stupid because this jerk did a really dumb thing. What kind of genius would mix alcohol with sleeping pills and threaten his best friend with suicide? That day I was really scared that he might die! After all, Alex almost died of a fucking overdose back then! So why did he remember this particular story?!

I gritted my teeth and began to clench and unclench my fist that was free from the glass of lemonade. The feeling of nails digging into the flesh was a little sobering, preventing me from panicking. Yes, it's unpleasant to remember, but it's just a game, right?

Suddenly something clicked in my head. Just a game. Yeah. Right. Just a drinking game.

Holy shit, what have I done?..

When Alex finished his story, there was silence in the room. I nervously ran my eyes over other people's faces in the hope that someone would put in a word. Alas, everyone remained silent, staring at Alex with dumbfounded eyes.

"Damn it, Alex... It was... " Max began awkwardly, not knowing how to express his feelings.

"Stupid," I said, gritting my teeth. "Very, very stupid."

"Yes, that's right. It was very stupid, Alex," Max agreed and looked at me with a smile. "Thanks, Gerda."

"That's right, dude. It's not very cool to do that," Kate, the goth girl, said. "And what did she tell you after the incident?"

I couldn't stand it anymore.

"I said it was the dumbest thing one could do," I said, and took a sip of lemonade, already resigned to the outcome of this game.

"You? He talked about you?" Max was surprised.

"Alas, but yes," I sighed and looked at Alex with disapproval. "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell that story, Alex."

Alex gulped down the entire contents of his glass and looked back at me. His gaze wandered, clearly trying to focus on me. His head, like his whole body, literally swayed like a pine tree in the wind.

The third red flag. Alex is drunk.

"You know, Gera, I just realized something," Alexander suddenly began and smiled wryly. It made me a little uneasy, but I tried to stay calm. He was obviously going to say something stupid or even funny.

I was wrong.

"It's not for nothing that you are constantly compared to Nata, " Alex glanced at the empty glass.

I squeezed my eyes shut. I took a deep breath and exhaled noisily through her nostrils. How it infuriated me when they told me that. In my school years, it easily drove me mad, but now that I'm 24 years old, I take it more or less calmly. I've often wondered what we're like. Yes, I admit, Nata studied better than me, participated in various competitions, even won some of them, but I was doing something else. I participated in martial arts sports competitions, which I prepared for without sparing my efforts and earned awards. Dad was happy for me, and my stepmother called me a wild kid. Something like "fighting is not for girls".

We are too different. And a comparison to make you change is a so-so way.

"Yeah?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. "And why is that?"

"At least she has a mom," Alex finished his sentence.

CRASH!

I started violently, as if a pistol had been fired into my chest. It was the most painful scar in my life. To bring up my mother again in order to hurt me was despicable. No, even worse.

It was disgusting to the point of nausea.

I slowly got up from the chair in which I was sitting, and, bypassing the fragments of the broken glass, approached Alex. He didn't seem to notice my angry face, still smiling drunkenly. The others obviously tensed up when they saw how I approached my friend with the grace of a tigress.

"You know, Alex, I sincerely believed that you had improved," I began so calmly that it scared people. There was disappointment in my voice. "That we have long forgotten about that incident. Apparently, I tried to restore our friendship in vain."

I smiled sadly and slowly shook my head.

"I've had enough, Alex," I paused, clenching my fists and holding back bitter tears. "It's over between us."

Without waiting for an answer, I immediately ran out of the house, grabbing my jacket. Crossing the yard in a few quick and wide steps, I went outside, opened the car door and, getting behind the wheel, started the engine. The blue Changan purred softly, obeying me. I carefully turned around so as not to damage other people's fences, and drove away from the house. It was dark. It was already night, so I turned on the headlights.

When I was already driving through the city and stopped at a traffic light, I decided to check the time.

2 a.m. Damn it. We got carried away with it, that’s for sure.

Sighing, I continued driving on the navigator. I just wanted to cry until I passed out, but my conscience wouldn't let me break my car. After all, I spent a lot of money and effort to buy my beauty on wheels. I took more translation orders and extra shifts at the restaurant to save up enough money. it's beyond words to express how glad I was when I received this treasured bunch of keys. At one point, I even gave the car a name.

Lan Long. The Blue Dragon in Chinese. There was, of course, a variant of "Qing Long", but in this complex language, the word "qing" means a completely different color. So, I chose Lan Long.

My thoughts flowed smoothly to the memories of my mother. She died from a severe injury when someone tried to rob her. There were some other details, but it's painful to remember. Let's just say her body was abused. I was 13 years old at the time. Me and my father lived alone for about a year, until he met Alice and her daughter Nata. A very proud woman who tried to make me an excellent student, arguing that, I quote, "there are no children with B’s in my family". Yeah, yeah, good luck with that. Even when I graduated from university, our relationship was far from ideal.

When I got to the courtyard, I parked, turned on the alarm and entered the high-rise building. There was silence all around, except for the occasional buzzing of the elevator. I've been living with my dad while I'm saving up for a mortgage. This annoyed my stepmother very much, and, again, she compared me to Nata. Dad, of course, defended me, saying that it was enough to annoy me but Alice started talking over and over again about what an irresponsible lazy person I was.

Yeah, yeah, a lazy woman who works her ass off on two jobs to earn for her own apartment, sure, tell me about it.

Before I could take off my shoes and my jacket, the light in the hallway abruptly turned on. I immediately squeezed my eyes shut, grimacing at the sudden change in lighting. After waiting for my eyes to adjust to the light, I saw her. Alice. And she doesn't look very pleased.

"Why are you so late?" Alice immediately rebuked me, crossing her arms over her chest. Her long dark hair was loose, as if it had just been washed. Did she stay up all night to fight with me again? Ah, it doesn't matter. Her blue eyes narrowed angrily, clearly demanding an explanation.

Yeah, yeah, squint all you want. It won't scare me anymore.

"None of your business," I snapped, unbuckling the straps on my sandals.

"None of my business? How are you talking to me?!" the stepmother roared.

I rolled my eyes as I took off my jacket and put the keys in my own box. My set of apartment keys and car keys were usually there. I'm an adult now, so they're separate from everyone else.

"I'm talking the way I see fit," I snapped back.

"You weren't taught to respect your elders?!"

Fuck, I thought, rolling my eyes again. Here we go again...

It's the same thing every time...

"Age is not an argument in dispute," was my answer.

Alice's face was distorted with rage. The thing is, in arguments with her, I talked calmly, while she goes on shouting. A useful tactic, by the way. Such people shout at you in the hope of bringing you into conflict. When their screams don’t work, then, faced with a lack of reaction, they become even more furious.

Although, I must admit, I even like to look at this twisted face with anger.

"You... you little, ill-mannered..."Alice started to insult, as another voice rang out.

"What's all the noise?"

My sleepy father in pajamas and Nata in a nightgown appeared in the hallway. Hearing her husband's voice, Alice waved her arms in my direction.

"Your daughter was hell knows where and decided to come back just now!" She started complaining again.

"Gerda was at her friend's birthday party," my father replied calmly.

"And why don't I know about it?!" the stepmother roared again.

Oh God, is she really dumb?

"You should have listened," I reminded her rudely. "I told you before I left for work, but you chose not to answer me."

There was silence for a couple of seconds. All Alice did was make noises, obviously trying to answer something, and that only made her angrier. Dad just rubbed his eyes tiredly, and Nata looked down at the floor in embarrassment.

I blinked in surprise. Was I seeing things? Nata... is ashamed of her mother? Well, that was... unexpected.

"You're just an insufferable girl!" Alice found the words.

I raised my eyebrows, completely unimpressed by what I heard. So what? And I can't stand you.

"How did your mother handle you at all?!"

I flinched again, as if from a blow. It's there again. Damn. I could forgive everything. Forgive the nagging, forgive the comparison with Nata, forgive the complaints about me to my father, forgive literally everything. But I would never forgive mentioning my mother as a way to hurt or control me. And to forgive this nasty old witch is even more so.

"Mom!" Nata said reproachfully.

My father pursed his lips, he was also hurt by this. We were both hurt.

I put on my sneakers and slowly straightened up, clenching my fists. My amber eyes narrowed furiously, and my lip curled up, exposing my teeth. From the outside, I looked like a bristling tigress, ready to pounce on the enemy. It's usually hard to make me angry, but right now I was just furious.

"Don't. Touch. My. Mother," I growled, emphasizing every word in my voice. "I know how annoyed you are with my presence and disobedience, but don't worry..."

My voice turned snide and malicious.

"As soon as I save up enough money for a mortgage, I'll disappear from your life in a flash, you old hag," I grabbed my jacket from the hanger and went outside, slamming the door.

The sun had risen during our quarrel, but it was too early for the day. Stamping my feet furiously, I left the courtyard and quickly found myself in an alley with benches and trees. I wanted to tear and throw everything that came to my hands, but I just didn't have the strength to do it.

I blinked, and the first tears rolled down my face. I'm so sick of these quarrels and screams. All these ten years I've put up with her rotten character, just to make Dad happy. He didn't forget about Mom, which I was grateful for. We often spent time together talking about her. And I always wore a handmade silver griffin bracelet without taking it off. Over the years that I've worn it, of course, it has darkened a little, but it didn't bother me. It was a gift from my mom for my birthday.

"This is a griffin, a hybrid of an eagle and a lion," she said when she handed me this beautiful wide bracelet. "It represents the unity of heaven and earth. And it will be your protector, Gerda."

I chuckled. Yeah, my protector.

"Gerda!"

The smile immediately disappeared from my face. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Nata's running figure and, getting up from the bench, began to walk away. Anywhere but away from her.

"Gerda! Wait a minute!"

I didn't even turn around, I just kept walking. I don't want to see her at all. What does she want from me?

"Gerda, I want to talk to you!" Nata shouted.

I stopped. To talk? About what? That she's better than me? No, you don't have to. I've had enough.

"Gerda," I heard Nata's voice behind me. "I'm sorry about that..."

"Sorry for what?" I snapped, turning around. "That your mother dared to touch my mother, who, for your information, is dead? Ha! Like hell I'll forgive that!"

"But... She was worried about you..." Nata tried to convince me, but I was adamant.

"Really? Doesn't look like it," I growled. "All she does is compare me to you all the time!"

Nata looked down guiltily.

"I don't like it, too!" She shouted. "At first it was nice that Mom was proud of me, of my achievements, but now... I never thought she would compare me to you..."

"Well, surprise! You're the last one who didn't know about it!" I snapped, turning to leave.

"Gerda! Stop!"

"What?!"

I didn't have time to turn around to see what hit me. A car horn rang in my ears, and an unbearable pain shot through my whole body. It was like I was rewound in a meat grinder, and then abruptly spat out as unnecessary. I heard the screeching of tires, Nata’s screams, who asked to call an ambulance, the worried voices of the driver and passers-by. There was only emptiness in front of me and the only one thought in my head.