Mysticon Origins

The Rebel, Part One

"Well, you can't say they don't have a point." Said Eleanor, in a cool demeanor, already with her first cup, laying her feet on the table without a care in the world. "The realm as we know it is changing, whether we like it or not. Don't you think we should change along with it?"

"Eh, maybe. Even so, I'm not giving up ole Eleanor." Alan then turned his head to Eleanor, staring lovingly. "Named after the the love of my life."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, captain." Eleanor responded with the same look in her eyes as her husband, the same loving look. They were just about to share a kiss, only to be interrupted by the sound of groaning. They then divert their attention to Zarya, just entering the kitchen.

"Well, well. Look who decided to join us." Eleanor said, walking over to Zarya and kissed on her forehead.

"Yeeesh, you look like a zombie fresh from the grave kiddo. Did ya sleep well?" Alan said, telling her daughter like it is. Zarya never did mind how blunt her parents can be, she'd rather know the harsh truth than a beautiful lie.

"Actually, no. Hardly slept a wink."

"Well what's wrong, sweetie?" Eleanor said, concerned.

"It was a bad dream, that's all."

"Wanna talk about it?" Alan asked.

Zarya was very tempted to tell her parents at first. She always looked to them for guidance. Yet, at the time at least, she was not in the mood to talk about it. She was still trying to make sense of her dream herself. "Maybe later, it was kind of... weird." Zarya made her way to the fridge for orange juice. She was just about to drink it straight out of the carton.

"Hey!" Alan Shouted. "You know better than that." Zarya then opened the carton wider, smirking while she did so. "That's my girl!", to which Zarya was chugging it down. Apparently, Alan wasn't all about teaching his daughter table manors

"Sailors." Eleanor said, shaking her head while smiling. "Why not take a walk, Zarya? Might take your mind off things. Just don't be gone long, homeschooling starts in an hour."

"You can count on me Mom." Zarya said, taking one last sip before she gave her parents a quick hug each and went on her way, grabbing an apple while she was at it.

Eleanor and Alan then wore worried looks on their faces. "Don't you think we should finally tell her?" Eleanor asked. In truth, they still hadn't told her she was adopted.

"I suppose he's old enough to know." Alan sighed. "We'll tell her when she gets back." He said that, though he wasn't sure if he meant it or not.

***

Zarya had been walking a good while down the woods. She made short work of the apple she took, leaving only the tiny branch to tell the tale. After a few more steps, she got where she needed to go, the coastline.

Zarya stared out into the horizon, almost absent minded. Indeed she had a rather strange dream she had last night, but the question that bothered her most was, did it mean anything? She stared for what seemed like hours. Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind her.

"Yo, Z-Star!" Said a young girl about Zarya's age, in pink peasant attire and yellow eyes and tan skin. It was none other than her best friend, Kitty Boon. Zarya turned around and smiled, happy to have a little company.

"Hey, Kitty! Whatcha doin out here huh?"

"Sneaking out of being grounded, same as usual." Kitty and Zarya both giggled at that. "What's your excuse?"

Zarya's expression then turned rather melancholy, catching Kitty's attention almost right away. She had never seen Zarya with such a worried look before... not since she broke Eleanor's prized archer trophy by accident. Zarya then sat down on a log, as she explained. She knew if there was anyone she could talk about it too, it was Kitty.