Where the Roots Begin

For I shall learn from flower and leaf

That color every drop they hold,

To change the lifeless wine of grief

To living gold.

-Sara Teasdale

"Fine", Orion said. Not the one in the cage, the one closer to her.

And with a groan, he started changing.

His face twisted, and Alessandra was filled with nausea as she saw his bones moving.

He changed. And he wasn't Orion anymore.

"My name is Dmitri. That back there, that's Orion".

His features were sharper. His hair was dark brown and more tangled than Orion's was. He seemed older, but not older than twenty. His eyes seemed pitch black. They also had a darkness, a shadow, warning not to look at them for too long. He was good looking. But he also looked terrifying.

And he had that accent she could recognize anywhere. The other Alessandra's accent.

"You see, I sent him to you to bring you here, but he got carried away. He did keep you alive, though".

"Right. Might I ask why or how you turned into him?"

He laughed softly.

"Well, I decided to do the job myself, since he wasn't going to. Now how, that's another story. Shall we save it for next time?"

He stood up and left. He simply left. Just like that. He had left Alessandra and Orion locked up in a cage in the middle of a forest. It was unbelievable, and Alessandra tried to pierce him with her look as he walked away, to make him turn around somehow.

But he didn't.

"Are you all right?" The true Orion asked, worried.

"I'm fine. What happened to you?"

"Well, long story short, he wanted me to bring you here. I didn't agree with his methods. We fought. At the moment I thought it was strange that he would get so upset, until I found out he just wanted some of my blood. He took some, and used it to turn into me. How he did that, though, I have no idea".

"So, you never told me your name,"

"So if something like this happened, you could tell it wasn't me. So you wouldn't be fooled. His ego needed that".

Alessandra smiled.

"Smart".

But how do they even know my name?

Orion ran his hands through his hair, and managed to get some dirt out of it. She realized he probably kept it dirty so she wouldn't notice it was actually white.

For the same reason he wore gloves, she realized. Because he wasn't wearing them now, and she could see the familiar scarred designs.

"You're the Orion. From the Lab. The Akraqsew".

It wasn't a question. He looked surprised, and Alessandra felt a little pleased with herself.

"I got there when you left", she explained.

"And you met Sewell, I suppose", he said with a smile.

"I did. He misses you".

"I bet he does".