armie had found maë twelve years ago.

a car had dropped her on the sidewalk out the front of a run-down, weed-infested, graffiti-covered park.

inside the car was the man known as 'paul.' the man maë thought about frequently. the father.

the father who then handed maë a note reading:

IF FOUND RETURN TO GALE AND HILLARD HOBS, 34 STAITON DRIVE, MACE HEIGHTS.

and then he drove  a w a y.

leaving tiny four-year-old maë alone on the sidewalk of the ghetto.

hillard and gale turned out to be maë's mother's parents (the mother who had left her a long time ago).

the thing that had fascinated armie the most was the maë never cried about the ordeal. even as she watched her father drive away, as the police found her along in the gutter, hours later.

as she was handed into the arms of a pair of old people she'd never met before.

instead, maë would result to bursts of anger in which she would scream, smash glass, punch walls and throw her belongings around the room.

armie's sisters had dubbed her: μικρή φωτιά.

little fire.

due to the feistiness of the four-year-old and the wild, orange, ringlet-chaos on her head.

and so, for the next twelve years armie followed maë wherever she went. watching over her, taking care of her.

every year, on her birthday, armie would ask his aunt eos to make the sunrise beautiful. iris to form the rainbows and nephele to keep the rain away.

every day, armie fell more and more in love.

every night, maë would lie and look up to the sky. and armie would swear she could see him.

she never did.

but, never mind that.

maë's seventeenth birthday was close approach and armie already had her gift ready.

the star would let her gift rip across the night sky as she lay there and watched. he would, at least, show her his love.

yes, armie would send his gift soon. three more days.

. . .

little did he know that his gift would end it  a l l.

info:
• eos - goddess of the dawn
• iris - goddess of rainbows and messenger of gods
• nephele - a phantom, goddess of clouds and hospitality