Everyone Says I Have My Mother's Eyes
A vision of something plays repeatedly in her head. She didn't have the words to even begin describing it. It was big. Bigger than the really tall buildings she saw in pictures. She's certain that something so large must be equally important. Another person might want to look deeper and find what this vision could be of and what it means. However, she is not interested in the slightest.
Isabella Millie Lavere is much more interested in the recollection of her life that was playing before her. Most of it is scenes of loneliness. A girl sitting in her shabby excuse for a home playing with whatever objects could pass for a toy or, if she was lucky, being allowed to wander outside unsupervised. The rest contain the presence of a beautiful woman. Tall, dark hair, pale, and with unforgettable deep red eyes. Nothing could ever make Izzy forget her mother, even if it seemed she sometimes forgot about her. When she was around, those eyes always seemed to follow her. Judging her. Waiting for her to make a mistake. Maybe looking for something to praise, though, if she found something, she never voiced it. She was always too slow or too clumsy or simply just not good enough. A glass she dropped, a stain that set in, an improperly gagged guest. There was always something worth punishing, but it wasn't all bad. It was the only time her mother smiled at her, after all.
Unfortunately, the present reminds her that didn't last. A pool of blood stretches out across the cold concrete floor of the 'storage room'. It was where her mother kept their guests until she was finished with them. It was where she'd been taken for her most recent punishment. It was where she believed she would die. As long as it brought them closer, then that wasn't so bad. But she'd been a bad, greedy girl. She realized, as the life was drained from her, that she wanted more. So, she took it. The beat of another heart sounds beside her own. It's panicked, sounding like it could explode at any moment. Though all Izzy can think about is how warm it feels. They'd never been this close before. It was a good feeling.
But it still isn't enough.
She stares at the pool and reaches out a hand. From it, a mouth grows on her palm and a tongue extends to lap at the pool. She feels the inside of her arm shift around as it becomes more mouth-like and drinks in the blood. She never understood why her mother loved the taste so much before. Now, it seems sweeter than any candy she'd ever had. A shiver runs down her spine and the other heart calms. She brings herself lower to the ground so the rest of her body can taste it.
But it still isn't enough.
Even when the pool is reduced to just the mess on her skin, she needs more. She needs to feel warmer.
Deep red eyes peek out from behind a pair of sunglasses. There's a hunger to them as they watch as two girls pass by. One was fair-headed, the other dark. It was the latter that caught her interest. She'd been so distraught when she found out her father was no longer in Brockton that she was wandering around stress-eating. She had no idea why he was stuck in some birdcage or how to get him out. Her only plan was to keep eating until she became stuck with him, but then it happened. While she was wandering the city, a sweet scent pulled her along until she found something special. No, not just sweet. Familiar.
She thought they looked a little alike and she smelled so good. She would need a taste to be sure, but their powers were so similar. Even if she was wrong, she thought she had to have her. Ivy was so cool and beautiful and confident. Ivy was everything she could ask out of a sister. Ivy would be her sister. A jolt of excitement runs through Izzy. Every fiber of her being screamed to go after her and she had to rein her thoughts back in before she slipped into another form. But it was too early for that. She couldn't come to her like this. It would be too sudden.
She needed to get closer. She needed to understand her. She needed to make herself into a good girl.
Weeks of observing and collecting information told her the blonde girl was apparently Ivy's sister, that they were both popular heroes and that they were currently on their way to school. She'd been a little upset at the first part. That girl didn't smell right and she wasn't sure she wanted to share her sister with anyone else. It wasn't fair. Her first idea was to take that awful girl's skin, but the second thing she knew would make that difficult. Even if she got rid of her, it would be difficult to pretend she was her. She'd have to try to mimic her powers and there would be too many people watching her.
Instead, she settled on another way. School always sounded interesting to her. There were so many people. Mother never let her go, but now no one could stop her. There were details here and there that needed to be ironed out. A home, a parent, and a new her were all required if she didn't want to be caught. Those wouldn't be too difficult, though. She'd be going to school with her sister soon enough. They'd be best friends. Ivy would forget about that other girl. When she revealed herself, they would stay together forever and ever. Maybe they could save their father.
The other heart drums in her chest. It must be lonely, she thought. They were never enough for each other. She knew that now and thought she understood her mother a little more. Her mother had been silly though. No matter how much she drank, she never seemed satisfied. But Izzy would fix them.
She would make them whole. One way, or another.