A Scarlett Shadow

By: The Andromeda Rose

Chapter 1: An Italian Born Rose

In Roma, during the Summer of 1945, 15 June to be correct, an Italian girl was born to a poor couple after many years of not having children. This was their first, and only child. The girl had fiery red hair, and sapphire blue eyes-quite a different young lass she was, very, very different…Her parents named her "Scarlatto," after her red hair, and her middle name "Rosa," so her name would be a sort of phrase: "Scarlatto Rosa," or "Scarlett Rose" in English.

Her grandfather was a man of high political place, the governor in Lazio. Her father was a just a leather worker. His father, her grandfather, had tried many times to get him to continue in the family's tradition of politics, but he wanted to live a life of a commoner, with the common people. This soon caused division in the family, and soon led to Scarlett's parents leaving the bella citia di Roma, and to live in a tiny village just north of Rome. It was called Viterbo. Viterbo was a relatively small city back in the 40's, and its population was fair. Though, Scarlett wasn't born here, she's a Roman. She spent only two years of her life in Viterbo, then moved back to Rome with her parents after her grandfather died.

When her grandfather died, however, the Macioci family was literally split apart even more. Everyone had lost connection with one another. Her aunts and uncles lived in her grandparents' home until their parents died. They had nowhere to go, since their parents had encouraged them to stay home for a majority of their lives. Only four of the seven actually attempted to leave the family, but only two succeeded in it. They were constantly hounded about leaving the family and living out on their own, but they remained where they were. One of these children was Scarlett's father, Gianni Macioci.

Gianni was a fairly bull-headed young man, and he wouldn't take "no" for an answer-which is how Stella Quino, Scarlett's mother-came to marry Gianni.

Stella was fairly young when she married Gianni—almost eighteen years of age. Unfortunately, Gianni and Stella never had children during the first several years of their marriage. Shortly after their seventh anniversary, Stella had had a miscarriage, then two years later, she had Scarlatto Rosa Macioci, our Italian Rose on the 15th of June 1945. Gianni, of course, wanted a boy, but they couldn't, for Scarlett was their only child.

XXX

When Scarlett was about four years old, she heard her parents talking in their bedroom one early morning, about leaving for Switzerland to visit Stella's stepmother, who was dying. Now, Gianni and Stella's families are not very large, as most Italian families are, but they are very small, for many of their family had passed away from some sort of sickness, or of old age. The only ones left were Stella's stepmother, Gianni's mother about three brothers and sister on Stella's side. Even then, Stella's stepsister and stepbrothers could not take care of Scarlett for they had an illness of the mind which prevented them from doing so.

"We visit Gramama?" a red-headed four year old tugged on her mother's skirt, "To Gramama?" she repeated again in Italian (for it was the only language she knew at this time)

"Sí, Scarlatto, we visit Gramama tomorrow—we have the tickets to go immediately. Gianni! Gianni! Where are the tickets?" she searched the inside of her purse, "Here, Scarlatto, I packed your bags early this morning. Now go put them in the car!"

"Sí, Madre." the red headed girl picked up the two bags and carried them off to the family car with the help of her father.

"Stella! I found the tickets—we must leave immediately to catch the plane!"

"Buona! Buona, Gianni! Put Scarlatto in the car, I must get my necklace before I leave."

"Stella!" he lengthened his wife's name out in frustration, "Sbrigarsi, Stella! L'aeroplano—"

"Taci! I'm coming!" she rushed out of the house, attempting to put her necklace on.

"Cold in Switland?" the child barely managed to say "Switzerland" without her parents laughing heartily at her pronunciation.

"Sí, Scarlatto, it is very cold in Switzerland." her father turned around laughing, then kissed his child's cheek, "You'll need your Winter coat, Scarlatto. Mama brought it, no?"

"Sí, her coat is in the trunk."

"Buono! Now let's hurry and get to the airport!" he started up the family car and drove off into the vintage streets of Roma.

OOO

Mario paused, picturing a map of Lazio in his mind, "Wait, I thought you lived in Viterbo, Scarlett?"

"Sí,, Zio Mario, I did live in Viterbo. But I do not remember Viterbo as well as I do Roma. I was too young then, and we moved back when I was only a year or so old after Grandfather died."

"Ah, I know what you're talking about now."

"Sí, remember Mario, when we visited Lazio again after living in southern Italia for a while?"

"Sí, sí, I remember! We passed through Viterbo while looking for Zio Danieli!"
"Corretto!" Luigi laughed, then turned to Scarlett, "Continue, per favore, Scarlatto?"

"Sí, padre, sí."

OOO

The Maciocis rushed into the airport, Signore Macioci almost pulling the little red head along behind as well as the family's luggage, "Scarlatto, stay here and hold and watch the luggage with Mama, per favore."

"Sí, Padre." the little one stood stoutly beside her mother while her father left to validate their plane tickets.

Several minutes later, her father came rushing back, grasped Mama's hand, and the luggage, "Come on dear, they're leaving in ten minutes!" he pulled the luggage along behind him, "Come along Scarlatto!" he held his hand out to his little daughter, drawing her up near him and her mother, "Hold onto Mama's skirt so we don't get lost, dear."

"Sí, Padre!" she immediately grasped her mother's skirt, and the trio left for the terminal.

The Macioci Family left as fast as they could to catch the airplane. However, Scarlett lost her grip on her mother's skirt when one traveller tripped and fell amidst the crowd, forcing the little Italian away from her family. However, this was not the worst that could have happened to Scarlett, for the airplane her parents boarded soon crashed while flying over the sea to Greece to pick up more passengers. In this crash, all of the passengers, including her parents, died.

This, was fortunate for the young one, for a year or so later, she met a scientist by the name of Professor Gerald Robotnik…