The day was warm and the sun was high in the sky, the breeze blew the mist off the ocean and into the small seaport town. You could smell the ocean, the saltiness of the wind, and though it was a fishing port, it did not smell like one. It was quiet and peaceful on the seawall where two young girls stood, both with out stretched arms to welcome the mist and breeze with which the ocean offered. The birds were singing their songs in the background. You could hear the sloshing of the water against the rocks of the seawall and the boats that are attached to the old wooden docks which lead to the embarcadero. The embarcadero was currently hosting the weekly farmers market. Although it was a weekly affair, everyone in town would show up and sometimes people from neighboring towns, and occasionally countries, would come for the festivities. People would come from all over to show off their goods and professions. It was really more of a festival than a farmers market. It is never just goods, there are always street performers and acrobats trying to get recruited or sponsored. In some cases people literally ran off to join the circus.
The two girls, both with long, curly, golden-blonde hair and bright green eyes, stood on the seawall. They were completely identical yet wearing different colored sun dresses, one baby blue and the other a pale yellow, which flowed ever so gracefully in the summer breeze. They contemplated doing a routine that they have been practicing since last summer, for they knew that there was a group in town that was recruiting today. The twins have constantly fought their parents to allow them to go explore the world and finally break away from this tiny town. Yet as they stand on the wall, allowing the breeze to caress their petite frames, successfully pulling them from this world and into the next where absolutely nothing mattered and you can just float through the warm breeze for all eternity.
They were pulled from their peaceful flight through eternity when a tall figure approached them on the wall. The twins turned and looked at the same time to see who had disturbed them from their peace and tranquility. At first glance you would have thought that he was an old man, but on closer inspection, you would see that he is about nine-teen years of age, yet he has beautiful silver-gray hair that was rather long for a boy. It did not go past the base of his scull, although the bangs covered his right eye and went to the top of his upper lip. His thin lips curled up slightly into a soft smile, though his mouth was smiling, there was practically no emotion present in his pale blue eyes, or albeit the one that they could see.
The girls fully turned to look at him, their golden hair, which reached their lower backs, blowing in the wind.
"I hear that the two of you are quite talented and that I can find you here." The man spoke in a slightly gravelly voice, yet it was smooth at the same time. The girls continued to just stare at him.
"What I am getting at is, would you like to work with me?" He stated while his smile quickly flashed a smirk, but as soon as it came it left, leaving the soft smile. At that moment the wind picked up, successfully revealing the deep, blood red iris of his right eye. The girls body went rigid at the sight of the eye, yet they were not afraid, more intrigued than anything. But their bodies acted on their own. The man then reached out his hand to the girls, tilting his head ever so slightly to the left.
"My name is John Davis, and I will be waiting here tonight for your answer. May I have your names?" He noticed neither one of them was going to shake his hand, so he returned it to his side. The twin on the left, the one in yellow and closest to the water, stepped forward.
"My name is Cleo, and this is Luella." Cleo said, gesturing to her self then to Luella. You could tell by how Cleo introduced the two of them and her stance that she was the more dominant of the twins. John stood there with an eyebrow crooked upwards as if confused at the names, and then he spoke.
"What, no last names?" This time Luella stepped forward, her hands fumbling with the hem of her dress, her eyes downcast and to the side. Her mouth had the signs oh her biting the bottom lip, a nervous habit no doubt.
"Um, Rider. Our last name is Rider." She mumbled as she took a quick glance at him then immediately looked down.
"Well then Rider twins, I shall await your answer tonight right here. I shall see you then, yes?" John asked as he turned around only to turn his head to them as he spoke, then turned back and started heading for the stares. He put his hand in the air and bid them farewell. The twins stood there, watching the man as he walked away, his long black trench coat flowing in the wind. As Cleo watched him, she raised an eyebrow.
"Why the heck would someone wear a black trench coat in the middle of summer? Is he crazy? And what was with that eye, it was kind of creepy." She bantered, looking at Luella.
"Well I don't know maybe he likes trench coats. But what are we going to do?" Luella stated, not as nervous as when she spoke with John.
"I say we take him up on his offer, and if he turns out to be a creeper we high tail it out of there and start our own adventure!" Cleo boasted as she thrust her small fist into the air, a wide grin on her face. Luella put her hands behind her and softly smiled at the younger of the twins. Cleo grabbed Luella's hand and started running to the stares of the seawall.
"Come on we have to pack!" Cleo stated a grin evident in her voice. Luella caught up and ran side by side with her sister, heading down a small alley, no doubt leading to their house. They made a few turns and appeared at the edge of town where you could see a small cabin set at the edge of the woods. Since it was still mid day, their parents would still be in town because their father was a fisherman and their mother owns a bakery. Since they were both too busy to be at home the twins quickly packed and hauled their stuff to the seawall and hid it in an old abandoned boat.
That night was long as the twins ate dinner with their parents, which would most likely be the last time. They talked about the market and sales and laughed at silly jokes their father would make, it truly was a peaceful night. They hugged and kissed their parents goodnight, although to them it was goodbye. They left for their room and got ready to depart. They got out of their summer dresses and put on black denim shorts. Cleo wore a black tank-top and a red vest with black combat boots and red fingerless gloves. Luella wore a light blue button up blouse with a dark blue knee length coat that was open in the front with a hood, she also wore black combat boots and black fingerless gloves. Luella left her hair down while Cleo tied it up into a high ponytail. They both grabbed their backpacks with the rest of their things. Luella placed a note on her bed and followed her sister out the window into the warm summer night air and headed to the seawall where John was patiently awaiting them.
The next morning the twins mother went to go wake them up only to find the room void of the girls and a solitary note on Luella's bed. She walked over to it and started reading it.
Dear Mom and Dad,
Cleo and I have decided to leave this
town and join someone and explore the world
while showing off our skills. Please do not try
to look for us, we have already left town by the
time you read this. We both love you guys and we
will send letters when ever we can. Take care.
Love,
Luella and Cleo.
Their mother sighed, she knew this day would come eventually. She knew the girls would leave this town and find out about the world on their own. Though there is a reason why she didn't want the girls to leave, two big reasons, one being the rise in the amount of pirates sailing these seas and two, the Dragon Mages. The dragon Mages are practically unstoppable magic users that rule the week, though there are some kind ones. One mage in particular is called the strongest and he goes by the name " The Red Eyed Demon," he is called the strongest because he is an Ancient Dragon Mage, the only being that can defeat a regular Dragon Mage.
John stood there with a pleased smile adorning his lips as he watched the girls approach. He saw that they were each carrying a backpack, so he knew their answer. The girls approached him and he held out his hand and gestured to a small ship. Cleo and Luella went and uncovered their hidden belongings and followed him to the ship. The ship was smaller than most ships yet big enough to probably house a 10 man crew. There was a main mast and two smaller ones on either side of the ship. The flag at the top of the main mast caught Cleo's attention and a smirk played across her face, for it was a Jolly Roger. John lead them to a small room with two hammocks in it.
"This shall be your room. Feel free to do whatever you like with it." John stated as he bowed out of the room with one hand holding his top hat in place. Once he was gone and out of earshot, Cleo looked at her sister with a slight smirk on her face.
"Luella? Do you know what type of ship this is?" She questioned her sister.
"Um...A small one?" Luella answered timidly, not quite sure what the question meant. There was a loud bang outside that sounded like cannon fire. Cleo's eyes narrowed.
"Luella, stay here!" Cleo ordered her sister and ran out of the room. She was shocked at the sight in front of her. There was splinters of wood scattered across the deck and a massive hole in the left side of the ship with planks leading to another ship. At least 30 burly men ran onto the ship and instantly surrounded Cleo and John, who had been in the center of the wreckage. A gap parted in the circle of people and a tall bulky man walked in front of John. He had a crimson red try-point hat on with a black trench coat and crimson tassels on the shoulders. Gold trim adorned both the coat and the hat making him look like your typical pirate. He had deep blue eyes that were as taunting as the ocean itself. His nasty smirk revealed his raunchy teeth with one gold tooth right up front. He caught sight of Cleo and his smirk grew even more than one would think possible.
"So... The Red Eyed Demon has him-self a little pet, now does he? How petty." The man growled .
While the pirate had a stare down with John and Cleo, one of the lackeys had gone into the girls room and grabbed Luella. He tied her hands behind her back and pushed her out onto the deck. A loud thump of a body hitting the floor caught the attention of John and Cleo. Cleo turned to see her sister restrained and pinned to the ground with the lackey sitting on her, his filthy old boot pressed her face further into the ground. Cleo's eyes went wide and she lunged at the man but John caught her and held her back. He knew that Cleo had no fighting experience so she wouldn't stand a chance against these pirates.
"Hold it! You don't stand a chance in hell against them so don't be rash!" John demanded.
" Feisty one, isn't she?" The pirate questioned as he cocked his head to the side.
"Oi! Bring that one to the ship. I'll take care of this one." He said as he narrowed his eyes at Cleo with a sickening grin on his face as he pulled out a revolver. Cleo was frozen to the spot, she watched out of the corner of her eye as the man started to drag Luella away as she stared down the barrel of a gun. He dragged her by her hair and she cried out in pain of all her weight being pulled by her hair and the hair being firmly anchored into her skull. The force and tension on her scalp made it start to bleed and it formed a small crimson river flowing down her face and into her eye, causing her to shut it tightly from both the blood and the pain. As she was dragged across the debris ridden deck, a few pieces of wood was embedded into her legs, causing it to leave a trail of blood in her wake. She let out a scream as she was thrown to the ground of the neighboring ship. The impact itself wasn't that bad, it was the sudden thrust of a piece of wood going further into her thigh that made her cry. Cleo was utterly speechless with both agony of the pain her sister had to bare, and the seething anger she had towards the man that caused it all. But that feeling was soon replaced as a shot rang out and she had a sudden searing pain in her chest. Her knees buckled and John cushioned her fall as he held her, if looks could kill, John would have killed both the pirate and the lackey many times over.
"Oh John, it's too bad you lost your Ancient Dragon Mage powers due to that disgusting eye of yours, or you could have saved these two as well as your self. I originally came here just to kill you, but these girls just made it all the more fun." The man cackled as he finished his rant and left to his ship with the rest of his minions, who had just loaded ten barrels onto Johns ship.
"J-john, we...we have to...save...Luella." Cleo painfully coughed out as blood dripped out of the corner of her mouth. John's expression was soft but filled with sorrow as he lost his two new crew mates, unable to do a single thing to save them.
"I will. I promise, now don't speak so you can conserve energy." John said, just above a whisper as he brushed a strand of hair out of the dying girls face. She smiled a genuine smile and mouthed a silent thank you as she drew her last breath and her spirit fade from this world. John gently closed her eyes just when the first barrel, that the pirates had left exploded, starting a chain reaction.
About a mile out, Luella watched with horror as the shall ship exploded into a massive fireball in the middle of the ocean. She looked away as tears started streaming down her blood stained face.
"I love you Cleo, and I pray that you will forever be riding on the wind. Goodbye." Luella let a small sorrowful smile appear on her small lips as tears continuously stained her cheeks.