Chapter One: Memory of Paint
It had been seven and a half months since she had last seen the man who had helped her escape the gallery, a place where the artwork on the walls came to life, full of vengeful spite and hunger for blood to spill. She was alone now, once again home with her loving parents, but she had changed in the gallery. She had become more emotional and closed off than before, worrying her parents. Could anyone blame the poor nine year old girl?
There was a fateful day.
The sun was shining over the town that afternoon, the young girl was walking down the street's edge, having been asked by her mother to run down to the bakery to buy bread for dinner that night. She walked briskly towards her home, the paper bag containing the still warm bread in her hands. She passed by the small café that sat three blocks from her home and glanced through the large, glass window near the door. She paused in front of the window and let out a small, soft gasp. The man that had saved her was sitting inside, staring into his teacup at his table, obviously in thought. She knew it was him, his ripped jacket was a clear giveaway.
"...G...Garry..."
His name left her mouth quietly, and she stepped inside. The bell over the door jingled, causing the clerk to look in her direction. The man came to her from behind the counter and gave her a stern look.
"You're the little girl who was short on money last week, huh? Have you come to pay the rest of your bill?"
The girl looked up at the man and dug into the pocket of her red skirt. She only had a few extra cents with her after buying the bread for her mother. She handed them to the man and as he counted, she was hoping the man she was eager to see again would look over and see her.
"...Alright. Thanks, now get on out of here. I know this was all you had left. Scram."
The girl didn't budge. Her eyes were fixated on the man who saved her. The clerk huffed in frustration and tried to push the girl out.
"Scram!"
At this point, everyone looked up and stared.
Footsteps rapidly came up behind the clerk and hands seized his shoulders, pulling him away from the young girl.
"Sir, no worries. This young lady is with me, no need to kick her out."
The girl recognized the voice, the one that had given her direction to safety and words of comfort. The man she was eager to see again had grabbed her hand and brought her to his table, smiling a soft smile. He helped her sit in the seat across from him and he sat back down.
He saw the red rose in her long, brown hair, the base of the rose's stem adorned with a small vile of water. She was wearing the same outfit she wore the day they met in the dark depths of the gallery of Guertena's works. He remembered why he had cared for the young girl so much back then; her innocence had to be protected from the dark entities of the cold and damp gallery.
As the girl eyed the blue rose that adorned his ripped jacket, the man spoke quietly.
"It's so calming to finally see you yet again...Ib."
Ib looked up at the man, Garry, the one who protected her, and smiled genuinely for the first time since that dreadful day. She then had a thought in her head, a thought of the other who had been with them, then girl who had deceived them. She muttered softly, in a questioning voice,
"...M-Mary...?"
Garry smiled and tried his best to reassure the girl he cared for like a sister or a daughter.
"Mary isn't here, trust me. I've yet to see her since that day. We're safe, Ib."
The girl sighed in relief and began to grow comfortable again. The two talked occasionally for a little over an hour before exchanging addresses and going their separate ways for the day.
Rain covered the town the next day, perfect for the young girl with a red rose in her hair, who was hugging her knees on the front step of her home. As she mourned, two shoes fell into her eyes' view. She looked up to see the man, once again saving her. He was wearing black, just as she was, with his blue rose on the collar of his shirt and a black umbrella in hand. He extended his hand to the now parentless girl and helped her up into his embrace under the umbrella.
"I'm sorry, Ib...I know my words can't return them to you, but I hope they can at least provide some comfort...hurry along and gather your things. I'm going to bring you home with me, that's where you'll stay from now on."
Ib nodded silently and rushed to gather everything she owned. Her murdered parents still remain in the house, not yet picked up by the police. As she was about to leave, she glanced at them, Garry watching her from the front doorway as she did. She approached her mother and father, bowed her head, mumbled her final words to them, and remembering their will, she slid their wedding rings off their fingers. She opened a small box she had and set them inside. Once she finished saying her goodbyes, she took Garry's hand and walked to her new home with him underneath his umbrella...
End Chapter One
Author's Note: Well, hopefully those of you reading like my first post to this site. I'll post the next chapter of my little Ib and Garry story soon, I promise.
~ Kaze the Wind Mage
