As if life hadn't been hard enough. Jet bounced from orphanage to orphanage as a child. Never staying in the same place more than a few months. As she hit her teens, she knew adoption would never happen for her at her age, she bolted and lived her life on the streets. She ended up in the small town of Lake Cowichan, British Colombia Canada, her life had become what most would expect after a rough start such as this, messing with the wrong crowd and getting involved with minor drugs, pot mostly and illegal activity, vandalism, minor theft, the typical teenaged "I'm rebelling against everything" sort of behavior.
By the time she reached 19, having spent most of her young life drifting and merely living, an older lady would often pass by Jet on her way to the grocery store and always gave way more money towards Jet's panhandling career than most would even think of. Money turned into money and food, which in turn became money, food and clean clothes, which eventually after much convincing that she simply wanted to help Jet the way she wished someone had helped her daughter, turned into the invitation to stay with her in her home and given a chance at a life, a chance to start over. Delphinia Treves, that was her name. She took Jet in, got her on her feet and got her a job at the grocery store, yes..the very same grocery store Delphinia found excuses to go to on a nearly daily basis in order to bring Jet all the little gifts that made her think that perhaps not all people were horrible and not all would treat her as she had been treated her entire life. Delphinia, mama Delphie as Jet would come to call her, gave her hope for humanity.
At the age of 23, Jet was working in her small town's local vet office. Cleaning, answering the phones, booking appointments and near the end was even helping the vet with surgeries. Nothing too extensive of course, stitches or administering anesthetic.
She was 25 when the outbreak hit, still living with mama Delphie and helping around the house especially after she had her stroke last summer. Mama Delphie was a proud woman but she knew when she needed help, and she needed Jet almost as much as Jet needed her when she was 19 and living on the street. They first heard about the outbreak on the news happening in mostly bigger, more populated cities, Kelowna, Vancouver..then it was hitting smaller towns. No one seemed to know what it was, only that it was advised by authorities to stay away from anyone acting strangely, which was a very vague announcement to give to the public considering all they had were questions that no one seemed to be able to answer.
Dr Bishop, the vet at the office never came in on that last day...the day the outbreak was no longer contained. Jet was doing the usual, checking the voicemail for cancelled appointments, getting ready to open the doors. Such noise from outside, cars crashing, people screaming. Was there an accident, or had the outbreak finally reached them? Within seconds she had her answer..Mr Noonan from the florist next door...covered in blood threw himself at the office window...garggling and seemingly scratching at the window as if there were a delicious piece of cake behind the window of the bakery. This was it...the outbreak arrived. Jet raced to the back of the office, grabbed her jacket and snuck out the back door...the way she had so often done while sleeping in abandoned buildings as a teen and sneaking out the next morning before the cops showed up to bust any squatters. People were screaming for all angles, was there a safe route home? A safe route to mama Delphie? She's barely mobile, what if they get in?
It must have taken Jet no more than 10 minutes to get home. You would think the car would have been a safer transport, but they were piled up on every corner, people trying to flee and in a panic causing more obstacles than anything else. Jet's feet were far quicker, more agile...and silent. She finally arrived home, but the door, the door wasn't shut. Jet grabbed one of mama Delphie's silly little garden gnomes she treasured so much and slowly opened the door, stepped and and carefully scanned the living room.
Nothing.
Slowly she walked towards the kitchen. Mama Delphie's slippers, they're here on the floor, but where is she? Jet walked into the kitchen. She was there..motionless on the floor. Blood spattered all over Delphie's tablecloth and clean floors. A man stood there next to her...he was out of breath and seemingly bothered by what had occurred assumingly moments before Jet could get here. She knew this man, Therion..the Australian brother. The only son of Delphie's father Stefan. Jet dropped the gnome and stared at mama Delphie for what seemed like hours. Therion, startled by the noise began to ask if she was the girl his sister had taken in and if she was ok. Jet said nothing. Therion walked to her, shook her shoulder and asked her again if she was ok. Jet looked up at him, they were partners now it seems. She whispered ever so quietly, "I'm ok....and we need to go, right now".
Wasn't exactly the very last time she spoke, but Jet never seemed to say much after that. Therion didn't really have anyone to talk with but more like someone to talk at. She was there though, and despite her small stature, she saved his ass on more than one occasion and certainly pulled her weight with scavenging. Therion would make jokes about how she must have had lots of training for this sort of life, it was the only time a barely visible grin would escape her lips, he loved those moments. She'd never say it..but for a split second she would forget everything...only for a split second, but those tiny moments were all you could live for nowadays.