Chapter 1: The Visitor
We were a normal, small family, living in the countryside. Father left for work in the city and Mother stayed at home to care for my brother, Edward, and me. Everything that day was going normally; Mother was in the kitchen, cooking food for our dinner that filled each room with a welcoming smell that embraced anyone who entered; and Brother was in the garden, chopping wood for the fireplace with a small hatchet he created with alchemy. Father had been gone for over an hour but knowing his walking pace, he had just got to work.
There was a knock on the door. I got up from my chair and wandered over. Cautiously opening it, I was greeted by three strangers. "Are your parents home?" one asked. I turned to see Mother standing over me.
"Can I help you?" she questioned, gripping a concealed knife under the towel in her hands. Looking up at her, I could see her eyes scanning over the men at the door. Her breathing was heavy and her eyes were filling with fear.
"We're just looking for a pretty lady to have a good time with." the man claimed, his raspy voice sending chills down my spine.
"You won't find one here, so leave!" Mother attempted to close the door but the man stuck his foot in the way and another pushed his way into the house.
"Come on, baby. Don't be like that." He placed his hand on Mother's arm and clamped his fingers around it. She frantically tried to pull her arm from the man's grasp, turning to me and yelling "Why are you just standing there? Get out of here!"
I spun and ran to the back door, throwing it open and dived out, hiding around the corner where Brother spotted me. "What's up? Playing hide-and-seek with Mom again?" he asked, oblivious to what was happening inside. I opened my mouth to explain what happened but nothing came out. He stood in front of me and pulled me up by my hand, lifting me off of my feet in his usual manner. We headed back to the door and peeked through the window. Brother clutched his hatchet firmly and pushed the door open gently.