A woman lay on her bed, sleeping peacefully in the night. Her blonde hair pulled into a braid, becoming messy throughout the night. She lived alone in an apartment, only at age 23.
The time showed 6:02 A.M..
But somehow, this female was something special.
Her house was cluttered with objects and artifacts from nearly the late 1700s to the early 1800s. The objects were battered, but nerveless, intact. All of her photographs held pictures of a family household, the girls and woman wore white dresses, while the boys and men wore suits. Sounds like an almost normal 21st century family photo, does it not? Now let's take a closer glance at the style of the dresses.
The white dresses were the style of the 19th century, with the hair up into a fancy style, standing up. Doesn't look too off, no? What would you say when I say that a particular woman with a pregnant belly, blonde hair in the same braid the sleeping woman wore, with the same features of that sleeping woman, stood beside a brunette male?
The woman's eyes fluttered awake, the time now reading 7 o'clock. Her gray eyes scanned her room and she smiled, stretching and throwing her legs over the bed. The woman's hand brushed over the photograph with the 1800 styled family with a smile.
"I still remember the times with you, love," the woman's Irish accent was obvious and she continued to stare at the picture with a nostalgic smile. Her thumb rubbed against the man's face and the woman turned around and walked forward to her door.
Suddenly, the door had busted open with men in black masks and in green cloaks standing in the door way.
"She's alone, take her and leave immediately! Leave any items untouched!" A man with a blue star on his mask, growled. The others nodded and turned their gazes towards the woman.
The blonde yelped and stumbled back, looking around desperately to save herself from these mad men. The men in white masks drew near, stalking their pray before they pounced. Then, catching the woman off guard, a young boy with a black mask and white lightning bolt on his mask wrapped his arms around the woman's legs with incredible strength for a boy that age, immobilizing her. The woman turned her head to the boy and the masked boy stared back at her. The woman's blonde braid was even more messy and hung in her face, gray eyes showing fear.
The man with the blue star mask stalked up to the woman, an obvious limp in his stride. He stripped himself of the mask with tan skin covering his face, a cut on his lip, and messy and dirty brown hair covered his head. Bright green eyes met the gray, and the man stepped forward.
"Such a pretty lady," the man hissed lightly, stroking the blonde female's face gently. "Wouldn't it be a little disappointing if a pretty lady..."
The woman gasped as her body fell limp into the man's arms. Her gray eyes closed for the last time, and her body was stiff.
"... Had to leave the Earth's surface so soon?"
A child of age 12 swept through the city's streets, feet tapping quickly on the bricks. The lights of the city had dazzled and drowned the sky's stars and gave the child's identity an ominous look, shadows covering his face. The dark night sky was even more dark, a storm on its way into the east coast.
Thunder rumbled in the sky and the child skidded to a stop, silver blonde hair flapping against the child's head.
Hissing the password to the door, the door swung open to reveal a man about the age of 26. The man eyed the child cautiously, but relaxed.
"Good to see you back, Ashfield," the man grunted. The child nodded, and stepped in.
"Haven't I told you my name's Gilbert," the boy hissed, spitting at the man's feet. "Not my pathetic excuse for a family name?"
The man narrowed his eyes, but reluctantly nodded.
Gilbert Ashfield, 12 years old, and silvery blonde hair. That's all what the other residents of Cibecue (pronounced Sib-ah-cuew) know as well.
Gilbert brushed strands of hair from his face showing baby blue eyes and bits of freckles on his bridge of his nose. His silver hair swished around his face and swept down to his shoulders (almost like Harry's hair in 4th year). Worry shown in his eyes.
"Whatever is the matter, Gilbert?" The man who greeted Gilbert asked. Gilbert's eyes looked up.
"Oh, so you have noticed, Tobias?" Gilbert chuckled. "But I'm just pondering about the on-coming storm that is barreling its way into the States."
That was a lie. There was so much more for Gilbert to worry about than just some silly storm. No, what Gilbert was most worried about how the government was targeting people with some suspicious activity of being a Traveler, which are hard to find these days.
"I see, Master Gilbert," a new voice bubbled. Gilbert turned his head to meet a female, about 21, with a cup of wine, obviously drunk, and a man with hands cupped together, age unknown, and held a very butler-like posture.
"So, Gilly," the woman slurred, giggling as she strutted towards Gilbert. "I hear you're attacking Parks, no?"
Parks. Oh how he hated the Parks house-hold. The snobby, arrogant, and snooty Parks; the typical irritating wealthy family. Gilbert had met the Parks once and once only. It was only a year ago, and he never attended to ride himself there again.
"I cannot BELIEVE that you would think I associated myself with those bastards!" Gilbert bit at the female. The woman giggled and sloshed her wine in her glass.
"Of course not, silly!" The woman giggled, kissing Gilbert's forehead, a bit of wine dribbling down his forehead and on his tip of his nose. "I'm just wanting to know what your... Your input on them Parks break-ins!"
Ah. Of course, the Parks' break-ins.
"I won't deny it myself," Gilbert growled. "I have been supporting the people who broke into their household, but I have not been inside the Mansion since that horrible fateful day on Christmas."
Gilbert kept his eyes focused on the woman: hazel eyes, light tan skin, bubblegum pink lipstick, and black hair that is in a bow-like fashion. If Gilbert were the age, he would hit on her, but alas, he could not.
Gilbert looked up at the butler. He was around the age of 40, brown hair, graying already, and green eyes.
Thunder roared outside, and rain began to drizzle on the window. Tobias looked at the woman with annoyance in his eyes.
"Mia, I think it's time for you to retire for the night." Mia huffed and turned head head away from Tobias.
"Mistress Mia, I shall agree," the butler agreed. Gilbert nodded. Mia grumbled and stood up, swaying a bit. Catching herself, Mia headed to her room for the night. Gilbert nodded at the both men.
"Goodnight, Edmund, Tobias," Gilbert stated bluntly, standing up. "I would like to go out and head around the market in the late morning tomorrow. Until then, enjoy the night rain."
Gilbert stood up, getting a curt nod from Edmund, and Tobias bowed.
"Goodnight, Lord Gilbert,"
Gilbert's eyes fluttered open as bits of sun rays peeked through his windows. A yawn escaped his mouth as he sat up, hair all messed up from sleeping. Swinging his legs from the bed, Gilbert stood up and cracked his back as he went on his way to get dressed.
Heading out and passing the bathroom on his way to the kitchen, he heard the noises of bile being thrown up and knew it had to be Mia.
¨Foolish girl to drink so much yesterday,¨ Gilbert muttered.
The bile had stopped, and water from the sink had turned on as it was obvious Mia had began brushing her teeth from the acid that was on her teeth and in her mouth. Gilbert straightened his hair as he walked down to see Tobias and Edmund playing chess calmly.
"Good morning Tobias, Edmund," Gilbert calmly stated as he sat down at the table, hands in his lap.
Tobias looked up with a small smirk on his face.
"I was wondering when the young Gilbert would awake." Tobias chuckled. Gilbert frowned.
"Ah yes, indeed he has," Edmund replied. "I suppose you would like to head out for the market right about now?"
Gilbert nodded curtly as he headed out with money and coins in his pocket. Cibecue residents were all known to be Travelers to the people who lived in and around the city. Constantly they would have to stay low from the town, but there are incidences where the government figures this out and executes them. They love to do medieval and old exicutions, some question why and how they can do it so perfectly and in front of a public crowd too.
Some people think it's because the government are all Travelers, but most dismiss it as a myth because of why would the government be killing off people of their own kind if there were very few left? But it's still out there.
However, today was another day of execution.
The execution? Good old fashion Saw Torture.
/TORTURE SCENE. IF YOU DO NOT LIKE ANYTHING LIKE THIS, PLEASE SKIP THIS. I WILL INFORM YOU WHEN IT IS OVER./
Gilbert looked over at the government who dragged a young woman at the age of 25 by a collar that wrapped around her neck tightly. The woman was gasping for air as she was dragged.
"P-please!" The woman pleaded, face turning red with tears streaked down her face. "You have to believe me! I'm not the one who's a Traveler! It's my daughter! Take her!"
"Pathetic," the man growled. "A woman who is reduced to begging to save her from death and putting the blame on her precious little daughter."
The woman was crying again.
"I swear! I'm not a Traveler!"
"Shut up while I'm getting ready, you disgusting, filthy, pig!"
Gilbert watched with small and silent horror as the woman was hanged by her ankles, making her upside down, forcing the blood to rush to her head so she would stay conscious throughout the torture.
The woman cried as she saw the large saw and the men's crazy eyes.
"Samuel, could you please help me with this one this time?"
Samuel smiled sadistically.
"Certainly John,"
The to held the saw and John turned the women to face him. Pulling up the saw to the woman finally, John and Samuel cut down, leaving a line in the middle of her body, blood flowing out everywhere.
The woman's screams were deafening, and her organs nearly were falling out. Bone was broken and yet the woman still was screaming in agony, tears pouring out of her eyes like a waterfall. Blood dripped from her eyes and mouth, and she nearly choked on her own blood if Samuel hadn't make her spit the blood out.
The saw finally got to the woman's head and her eyes were nearly gray. Samuel and John then finally sawed her in half completely, her two halves flopping on the ground pathetically.
"Let that be a lesson to you all if you are Travelers," John growled with pleasure.
/TORTURE SCENE OVER./
The crowd shrunk down as John and Samuel strides off.
Gilbert glared at the back of the two people with blood on their hands. People rushed over at the dead woman's half in desperation.
Everyone knew everyone in Cibecue, the citizens were like one family. One big happy family.
And when everyone witnessed the murder of Lillian Shaal, all were in hysterics. The whole of the Shaal family ran out to Lillian's side.
The young girl looked at her mother's halves with tears splattered on her face.
Gilbert turned on his heel and stormed off to the a market nearest his house, and farthest this place. He still needed to get some food and new clothing as his were old and his own birthday was coming up. Why not treat himself to an early present? Besides, the Ashfields date back a long and powerful line, and who could say no to one of the few heirs of his family?
Literally no one.
The Ashfields were high on power and wealth, and were basically at the top of a food chain. The top being the Ashfields, then the Parks, then the Hawkes (which were nut-jobs and dunderheads, in Gilbert's opinion), and then we get to the more poorer families. The Angoves, the Bickles, the Jewells, and many more where along the lines of poorer families.
Gilbert sighed and walked through the open market where other harmless people shopped with smiles on their faces, oblivious of the recent death of one of their kind.
"I hope that the deaths of us Travelers will soon be stopped." Gilbert muttered to himself as he walked around, face turning dark. "Even if I have to be the one to end the abuse that's been through the Ashfield family name and many more of similar Travelers families."