The Past (private)

[Lucia Drusa Severa]

Lucia age 6

“Papa…” A young girl walked into the dark room where her guardian sat alone.
Tears lined her eyes and poured eagerly down her flushed cheeks. Her dark hair lay in a mess, scattered over her face and even matted to the sides of her cheeks in some areas.
In her arms, the little girl held a blonde mass close to her chest, against her blue play dress. The object of her affection, this mass she held, had been a golden retriever, just a puppy. She held it tight, lovingly and protectively by its neck; the puppy’s feet and tail dangled suspended, and it did not move or make a sound.
The crying child tugged desperately at her guardian’s pants, “Papa…” Bringing a hand to rub one eye and wipe away the runny snot from her nose, she sniffled and hiccupped a bit. She sobbed in anguished moans and continued to cry, standing in front of the man who looked after her, needing his attention.
“I loved ‘im but he died!” The next sobs came out harder, and the girl rubbed her cheeks affectionately against the dead puppy’s head.
The dog’s fur was wet in places, and was matted and clumped together in other areas, and it looked like the girl had been crying over him for some time before coming out to her guardian.
“I loved ‘im so much…!” She looked up into the man’s face, her eyes reflected centuries of sorrow but they held innocence too. This puppy was not the first pet her love had killed, and she couldn’t understand why everything she cared for left her or died.

[Szandor Colden]

"…Quanti ci sono con lei?"
"Papa…"
Szandor looked over as the child called him; it was rare that she referred to him as her 'Papa'. "Bene. Avrò per chiamarla sostiene... Sì, sarà dallo stesso numero. Ringraziarla." Setting the phone back into its holder, he placed a gentle hand on the back of the girl's head, "Luci."
Poor child; he could see the anguish in her eyes and feel the despair pouring out of her. Carefully, he picked Lucia and the puppy up and set her down in his lap, "I know you loved him. Don’t cry, Moonshine."
He brushed aside the hair from her face with a rough hand, and wiped away some of the tears from her cheeks, keeping one arm around the girl.
"Let me see him," grabbing the puppy by the scruff of the neck, Szandor held him up to observe his condition. The animal was definitely dead, even though Lucia had only had it for a couple of weeks. A rotten odor was beginning to permeate from the small corpse. "He stinks," Szandor said lightly, hoping to get a smile from the young girl. "How did he die, Luci?" He suspected he already knew the answer, but was interested in how the child would respond.

[Lucia Drusa Severa]

"He dasn't stink!" Lucia protested in a fit of tears. She felt insulted for the puppy she'd loved, and grabbed for it, pulling it back to her chest roughly, like it was a stuffed animal.
She did not meet Szandor's eyes at his question, but buried her face in the dog's fur. Brown hair fell back over her face, and draped over her arms and the puppy too.
Worry and shame washed over her, and she continued to cry. When she spoke, her voice came out in broken hiccups, "I was... was just playing with him...!" She shook her head over and over, she hadn't meant it, it was just a game; she hadn't meant it, honestly, so her puppy could come back to life now...
Curling in a little ball in Szandor's lap, Lucia leaned into him and sobbed. Her tiny fingers grasped his shirt, and she cried into his chest for the end of her world. Was she not good enough to be loved? How come all her pets died?
Her face was red and streaked once again with tears, and when she opened her mouth a glossy bubble of saliva, snot, and despair formed around her lips. "I didn mean to...! I jus' want 'im back!"