Wolf Moon
Storm Moon
Carp Moon
Seed Moon
Goose Moon
Rose Moon
Mead Moon
Wort Moon
Barley Moon
Blood Moon
Snow Moon
Hearth Moon A special thanks to Sweet Sassy Sarah, for telling me the months. I owe this chapter's rightness to you. *Bows.* I am no TP, but I wish to be like her some day.
"Come to me." A sigh. "Come to me. All and one, come to me…"
:-X-:
On the fifth of Rose Moon, a tiny baby was born. Her name would be Scarlet, Scarlet Jannerson, and she was born to a family with 2 older sisters, 2 older brothers, and 3 younger siblings to be born years later. Scarlet was named after her hair, which even at birth was curly and thick, and bright red, like her older sister's hair, who's name was Ruby. Fire
On the sixth of Mead Moon, a tiny baby was born. His name was Damien, Damien Decombas, and he was born into a family of one, his mother. He had no siblings to come, and his mother was soon to die. He was born after his father's surname, Cornelius Damienson, and would come to hate it. Water
On the seventh of Wort Moon, a tiny baby was born. Her name would be Justine, Justine Cleo, and she was born into a family of five older brothers. A younger sister would be born in a year's time, but she would be a stillborn, and forever young. She was named after a deceased part of her family, as were her brothers Claus, Ender, August, Justin, and Flow. Air
On the eighth of Barley Moon, a tiny baby was born. Her name was Julia, and she was born into a family of 2 younger sisters and 2 younger brothers. She was fair-haired and strong headed. She was the oldest in years, but youngest in spirit. Spirit
And, finally, on the ninth of Blood Moon, a tiny baby was born. His name was Mug, and he was born to a family of two older brothers, who were both perfect as the sun and smart as a professor. And, to them, Mug would never be able to keep up or exceed expectations. And poor Mug thought so as well. Earth
:-X-:
Scarlet's POV
(A/N- The story begins at the border of Emelan and Car, at the Market, where people from Summersea and Winding Circle Temples come to sell their wares, about five years after Evvy came to Winding Circle. She and all the other occupants of Winding Circle, besides Lark and Rosethorn, are gone on their own adventures.)
"Scarlet, take me to Genning's Way!" cried Deliah, one of my two 'adorable' younger sisters. Deliah was eight, Sass was six, and George, my wonderful little brother, was two. "Oh please, Scarlet! It's Market Week!" Deliah whined, tugging my hand. Sass started in too, adding an odd sounding "Plleeeaasssee!"
"All right, all right! Just leave me alone for five minutes and I'll get dressed…but you two better get George ready." They groaned.
"But he is such a mess!" Deliah complained.
"So are you. And I am the one taking you. So go get George ready!" Really, the nerve of little kids! I was never this pushy, but then again, living with my 2 older brothers, Nicko and Demie, you can't be. And my two older sisters, Claire and Ruby, raised me up to be a lady. Unfortunately, all of them moved out when I turned nine, and Deliah was four. So they didn't have anyone but me to raise them up proper. And of course, Mama and Da didn't care what they acted like at home, as long as they cleaned up well for social gatherings. Which we went to all of once a year.
"He's nearly ready!" Sass said and laughed. I sighed. Pulling on a fawn-brown skirt, a cream colored petticoat, and an orange colored blouse, I piled my crazy red hair (a gift from my father) on top of my head, tied a scarf over it, and put on my Kid walking boots.
"Come on, Scarlet! Let's go!" Deliah screamed.
"Yeah, I'm coming, bugger.""Hey! I'm telling Daddy when he gets home. He'll beat you 'till your skin turns blue!" Deliah said in all of her eight year old knowingness.
"If he'll beat me for calling you a bugger, think of what he will do when he listens to how you talk! It's 'until,' not 'till, and if he hears you speaking street slop he'll throw you out of this house faster than you can say 'I haven't got anywhere else to go!'" That shut her up real fast.
I picked up George, who refused to talk for anyone but me, and put him on my hip. Putting Deliah's scarf on with one hand was an art I had mastered a few months ago, and sorting out Sass's many black curls was a chore. Mother gave Nicko, Claire, Deliah, and Sass the black hair she had gotten from her father, and Father had given Demie, Ruby, and me his bright red hair. All of us had brown eyes, light like chocolate. "Alright, so who is ready to shop?" I asked.
"Oh, me!" Cried Sass. "I need more ribbons, and silks, and lots of books!" She cried, grabbing her money purse and putting it in a fold of her petticoat.
"Me, too." said Deliah, and nodded. "I need hair ties, and scarves, and note pads to write."
"We need some fish, too. And some flour for pasties tomorrow. Oh! And some milk, I nearly forgot." I added, ticking things off on my fingers. I don't like to waste money, as my sisters do.
"Does Master George need anything?" Deliah asked. George stared at her with a small smile. He was insanely shy to anyone outgoing… meaning everyone in our house but Demie and I. And George hasn't gotten to meet Demie yet.
"Yes. He needs new chew toys. And some new clothes. He wears the same thing every week!" We all laughed as we walked, talking and chatting about the weather, Mama, the guy behind the fish booth, and the size of the strawberries at Market. Sometimes my sisters' can be okay. Not always, but sometimes.
"You wanna walk down the Metal Stalls?" Deliah asked. "I've wanted some new wood holders, and Carpenter's Way is just past the Metal Street." I nodded. I loved watching people work with metal. Watching them bend it, pull it, string it through a mold…it was amazing. But, more importantly, I loved watching the fire, controlled yet reckless, lapping the sides of a forge. It amazes me much more than the metal. As we walked, we chatted about the boys Deliah's age and why she hasn't brought any home by now. My first sweetheart was when I was around her age, and she was prettier than I was then. "Oh, there is one." She said as she looked at some decorative butterflies made from copper.
"Oh whoo?" Sass sang as she mad one of the butterflies fly.
"His name is Carmen."
"Not the traveler Dan's son!" I said happily.
"Yes, him. He is so cute and he is so nice. He held the door for me today when we left Millview." Millview is the town's only school.
"Oh my, he held the door?" I said.
"Yes, it is a big step for him. He pushed Emily into the tub not but two days ago!" Emily is her little friend.
"Oh well. As long as he is nice to you he is welcome at home. You should tell him to ask you tomorrow."
"No!" We had an argument on how to show Carmen that she liked him, and we decided on mild flirting for the next week.
"You stay here, Scarlet. Sass and I are going to get you a present from Carpenter's Way." Deliah said and ran off with Sass in tow. I laughed, but gladly stayed near the warmth of the forges. I watched as an elderly man shaped silver into a tree, and as a young man wove copper wires into another butterfly. Soon, I realized Sass and Deliah were taking forever picking a present for me. Getting worried, I hoisted George up from where I had put him down on the ground. When straightening, my arm brushed a red hot copper wire the young man was working with.
"Oh dear!" he said. I thought he meant the butterfly was damaged, but he meant my arm. "Let me see, that must hurt!"
"No, I am fine. It was just a brush. Really, look, not even a burn." My arm was bare, for my blouse was short sleeved, and sure enough, no burn puckered my skin. It was clear and golden, but hot where I touched the copper.
"I wonder how you-" the man started to say when he was caught off by a sudden crack, and fire sprouted from the top of Carpenter's Way.
"SASS! DELIAH!" I screamed, and ran out of the shop. "Sass! Sass! Deliah? Where are you?" I screamed, running straight into a wall of fire. I stopped. George started crying and wailing. "Shhh." I shushed him, looking this way and that for signs of little heads bobbing up and down. Just then, Sass came running out of the inferno, black hair singed and dress a light, crying. "Sass! Oh Sass!" I said, hugging her. "Where is Deliah?"
"I don't…I don't know! We were…looking at a box for you, a jewelry box, and then from across the way…a man, he shouted and a fire, it was so hott…I just ran!" wailed the six year old, clinging tight to my arm.
"Shh, its okay. You were so brave! Sass, take George, there you go." I passed her the baby. "I am going to look for Deliah. You stay HERE. Don't move!" I turned and ran into the flames, Sass's screams falling close behind.
Already bodies lay on the ground, engulfed in flames. Trying to dance away from the burning heat, I sickened at the sight of them. Running in-between stalls that were ablaze, I caught sight of a small bundle, quivering under a blue blanket.
"Deliah!" I called, and a small, terrified, tear-stroked face looked up from the blankets. "Deliah, come on!" I screamed, taking her hand and running.
"I can't! My legs!" She screamed. I looked. Her left leg seemed broken, and her right leg was severely burned.
"Come on!" I picked her up, and ran out of the inferno just as another crack! sounded, and it imploded on itself. I fell, twisting my ankle, and strong arms helped me up.
"You ok?" The young man from the forge, who looked about five years older then me, so eighteen, helped me up.
"I'm fine, just perfect. But my sister isn't." Deliah was crying on my lap now, her arms lying limp and burned by her sides.
"Come back to my shop. I have some burn salve. Your little sister, Sass, and brother are there already."
"Thank you…" I sighed, and walked back to his shop. He brought a large container full of green minty smelling salve, and dabbed some on Deliah's leg and arms. He put some on her face, and on Sass's face.
"You need to go to the Temple on this road, they will fix your sister's leg and burns better than I can, but it will cost you. As for you…you should think about going to Summersea and getting taught their. I can't believe you walked into that fire and you don't even have a scratch on you. Not even your clothes…" He reached an arm for my sleeve, and I let him rub it. What he said was true, surprisingly. Not even a burn was on me or my clothes.
"I…I…" I said, but Deliah's cry and George's wail stopped our conversation abruptly. With his help, we carried Deliah to the Temple, and Sass got healings done on her burns. We then, of course, had to answer to dedicates and other Temple mage's who wanted to know what happened. By the time we got out of there, we were all so tired it was all we could do to get back home. I made sure to get them in sleep wear before letting them fall asleep, but even I couldn't stay up to wait for Mom and Dad to get back. We all slept through the long night in peace and quite, unaware of what was happening in the world around us.
Well, that's it for the first chapter.
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