83 Tana

Warning: This is a short diversion from the main story to an important character's past, it is one of the more tragic stories and may be triggering for some.

(Tana's POV)

10,000 years ago

"Vetro is a problem."

"Yeah... he's starting to scare me. We have to do something about him." I heard my siblings conspiring behind my brother's back they went on about how they would sedate and restrain him. Even before now, on occasion, I've heard them call him cynical, cruel, or insane but he's never been anything other than kind to me, so it's hard to believe them, and hearing them talk about "doing something about him" is the only thing that scared me. Instead of talking to them about it, I met with my brother secretly to warn him about their plans.

"I can't believe... they would say that about me." He whispered, smiled gently, and ran his fingers through my hair. 

"Thank you for telling me, Tana." I smiled proudly,

"I'm sure everything will be okay if you just talk things out. It has to be a misunderstanding, you're not a danger to anyone" He rolled his eyes but maintained the smile regardless.

"You're looking more like mother every day... so beautiful." His choice of adjectives made me blush. Plus my mom is the definition of beauty in my eyes so I was extremely flattered. 

"Thank you... Oh but don't brush off what I'm saying and forget to talk to them!" He nodded, looking away from me for a second then sitting on a bench near his window.

"Oh... I will, I promise." 

It was a disaster. The next day, fires as far as I could see surrounded my homeland and the severed head of two of my younger brothers lay on the ground just outside my home. I searched for what was left of my family and met with my sisters who were screaming that Vetro had gone mad, that he killed our father and brothers, and that he was after Mom next, he even destabilized the core of the planet, according to them, but I couldn't believe it so without hesitation I yelled,

"You're wrong! V wouldn't do that! If he did, he'd have a good reason." They stared at me in bafflement.

"Yes, he would! You don't know him! He killed Dad! I saw him! And he smiled after doing it, Tana! He smiled!" Larina shouted,

"There's no way!" Because if that was true... this could be my fault, my brothers died because of me... my father... maybe even mom, because I trusted him. Taking my silence as being on his side, my sisters raised against me. It took everything I had just to defend myself, and by the end of it, I became a murderer as well. My desire to live gave me such strong telekinetic abilities that I tore them apart. But in the fight, my face was left disfigured. Half of the skin was torn off and Larina laid a curse with her dying breath. 

"May the wounds inflected by me never heal so you can never forget how you betrayed your family." Her voice was weak but full of conviction and the words were effective. The only thing I could do to stop the bleeding was stitch her face onto the half of mine that remained. Once the fighting ended, Vetro and I were banished, 3 of my siblings managed to overpower him and my mom put up a barrier that kept him from returning to the home world. With nowhere else to go Vetro and I flew back to Earth and built a home on an empty plot of land.

Whenever I asked him what happened he would either ignore me or say they attacked him first so he had no choice but to fight back... I wasn't there so I still don't know what the truth is. We lived together for weeks it was peaceful. Vetro suggested that I wear bandages over the part of my face which was Larina's so I wouldn't stand out too much and I tended to the field, made clothes to sell, and did whatever I could to blend in with the humans, buy food, and get by.

"Look at what I made!" I said to Vetro who was standing stoically by the window, gazing outside. I had embroidered a robe with a pattern of fallen feathers. To me, it was symbolic and sentimental.I expected a reaction from him but he only glanced at my work and clicked his tongue,

"Why are you wasting your time making merry and trading with the humans?" I was stunned, he'd never used such a curt tone with me. Every day before this he would shower me with compliments, noting that I am still beautiful and how much I've matured; likely to repair my broken self-esteem.

"... because we live here now..." I muttered softly, then he replied,

"So what?! They should be bowing down to us, not buying our wares... It is cute that you perfected such a useless hobby, though." He frowned for a moment, not at me, but out the window, towards the world and then he returned to his room, slamming the door so hard that the whole house shook. For the first time, I felt frightened of him. It only lasted a short while. I should cook him a nice meal for dinner tonight... and maybe work on some clothes, especially for him. That should cheer him up! V worked so hard to build this house just for us and I know he's just as depressed as I am. I worked hard on both projects, closing the curtains so I was free to use my powers without worry. After I finished cooking and wrapping his gift I knocked on his door.

"Hey! I'm sorry to bother you but-" He jerked the door open, visibly annoyed. Vetro was only wearing a robe and his underwear... I would think he was sleeping but he was oddly sweaty. "I made stew and ... a surprise for you," I stated timidly. He leaned against the doorframe and looked down at my body slowly in a way he'd never done before.

"How thoughtful." He mumbled, "Is there a special reason?"

"Oh yes, you! I know you're not happy living here, I just thought I could cheer you up a little." V ran his fingers down my arm and I flinched then he forcefully grabbed my wrist and dragged me into his room.

"How kind, I was just thinking about you." He replied tossing me onto the bed.

"What are you doing?" I asked, sitting up and trying to leave but then he pinned my wrists down to the bed, gripping them together with one hand "That hurts... I can't move" I complained. 

"Oh shut up." He said while lifting my dress, and covering my face. I felt his free hand roam over me and I squirmed away.

"St-stop... I'm not sure how I made you mad, but I'm sorry." In response, he tore off my underwear and thrust into me over and over. I lost my my breath and couldn't form coherent words, and he couldn't see my face so I don't know if he realized I was crying. I doubt he'd even hear it over his grunts and moans. I'm not sure how long he was on me, time became a blur and once it was over I was a trembling whimpering mess. The only indication of time was the stew I made had completely spoiled. My sweet brother, only ever pet my head and hugged me... is the trauma from being kicked out of our home changing him? It was hard to relax around him after that, no matter how much I tried to convince myself to empathize,

"Is this my surprise?" Vetro asked, looking at the dining chair he uses most days. I opened my mouth to speak but fear overtook me so I just nodded. He then opened it to find the shirt I designed for him. "Blue... my favorite color." He then sniffed it and smiled at me brightly, "Thank you." My defenses fell a bit,

"You're welcome..." He changed into the new shirt in front of me, which made me uncomfortable then he came close to me and kissed my forehead.

"I love it." He stated cheerily. This... this is the Vetro I'm used to. He's back to normal now!

"I'm glad, I worked really hard on it." After my response, he kissed my lips and when I tried to back away he stepped forward with me until I was pinned to the wall. When he finally stopped kissing me he licked his lips and said,

"I love you more, though." I gasped and he pressed his lips to mine again, searching my mouth with his tongue and grinding against me. That was when I realized how he always saw me. Even if I said no or pulled away he still had his way with me, weeks later I gave up on protesting and stayed still hoping he'd grow bored but he never skipped a day, and most mornings I woke up to his fingers, his tongue, or his d*ck. He would even refuse to let me eat or drink unless he got his hands on me first. Leaving bruises or breaking bones when I struggled too hard. Being able to heal quickly almost seemed like a curse, because of it he had no qualms about being rough with me. It was a year later when I started desiring his touch, I had gotten so used to it that I became stressed we were intimate. I know he conditioned me to crave him, just because I realized that, it doesn't mean I knew how to stop. "Good morning, Tana," he said, coming into the kitchen and standing beside me, immediately groping my ass.

"Hey... I made breakfast." I wasn't surprised at all by his actions. I even felt numb when he hiked up my skirt and got behind me.

"Smells delicious... I'll eat soon." He put his hand on my back, forcing me to lean over the countertop, and followed his daily routine of satisfying himself with me, taking a break to eat, and then mounting me again on the kitchen floor. I laid there unable to move, and watching him get a drink from the fridge once he decided to get off of me... My heart feels cold, this isn't the life I ever wanted but... maybe I am in love with V and this is normal... I'll just try to be happy. Perhaps he was just forceful because he feared I would reject him... he was always a kind person so, that's the only thing that makes sense. An hour passed and I pushed through the pain in my cervix to get off the floor and gather the new items I created to try to sell them at the Marketplace. Vetro glared at me and asked, "Where are you going?" I was stunned, I leave at least once a week to sell things, he should be used to it by now.

"I'm... going to look for buyers... so we can get a few more groceries."

"Why the fuck do you insist on mingling with those things?!" Things... does he mean people?

"We shouldn't stand out, it would be weird if neither of us did anything for money," I explained.

"... So what if the humans get suspicious? If anyone makes a fuss, I'll kill them. I'll kill every human in this town if I need to." My heart was pounding with the fear I had learned to repress, again "Do I need to chop off your arms and legs so you stop trying to leave me?"

"I... I... I'm coming back, you know." I reassured him. Even if I left him my addiction would always bring me back. Whenever I thought about leaving home before I'd blackout and when I came to I was in his bed... so I gave up on that thought, there's no point.

"I just hate being apart from you." He cooed softly, putting his fingertips under my chin. "Fine, let's go together." There was a new pain in the pit of my stomach with his suggestion but I tried to swallow my feelings and smile at him.

"That's the perfect solution," I answered gracefully, then we kissed passionately in the doorway. The usual people greeted me and I could see how much V hated sharing my attention. It made me nervous.

"Is this your husband?" Linda, a woman who frequents my shop often asked.

"Um... yes..." I replied and Vetro laughed, as if he was mocking me, not amused. When she left he whispered,

"Why are you lying?" 

"I just think that's the impression we give off... Plus if I say you're my brother, it would be hard to explain... the way you look at me." I argued back quietly,

"Oh... so you feel the need to conform to the Earthlings' sense of morality. We're not even the same species, why are you trying so hard to be like them? You're acting just like mother. Both of you are fools." He sounded bitter as he complained so I tried my best to let it go and interact with the customers. No matter who spoke to me, V seemed angry but voiced his distaste whenever a man came near. If a male customer lingered too long he would touch me in a vulgar way and glare, marking his territory. I didn't manage to sell much and when we got home V was more aggressive with me in bed, than usual. He accused me of wanting attention from other men over and over. The ferocity increased when I apologized and begged for forgiveness.

Whenever I went out to the Market after that he came with me and wouldn't allow me to bandage my face. Even the regulars wouldn't buy from me.