(Author's Note: If you have read Divergent Path than the part about Sherlock Holmes will make more sense. Seth is rereading the book in one of the chapters of Divergent Path. Also, I have been debating on what Cain should be dressed up as and finally chose the grim reaper thanks to a suggestion my mom made on the picture for this story.
Please do note I am trying to get this finished and posted as quickly as possible. I keep forgetting about it or getting lost with what I wanted in this part. Hopefully this story will start to be up dated every other day after my tests are over with… hopefully.)
Trinity Blood: Hallows' Eve
Part 2: Costumes and Signs
Esther couldn't believe it. Not only was this place they had come to strange, but Abel and Cain were twins! No wonder she had wanted to call Cain Father Nightroad. "Hey, Abel, look at this depiction of Count Dracula," Cain pointed to one of the crude depictions of a vampire. Abel grunted, but didn't look up from his book. He had been reading it since they had met him. Even when they had been looking up where to find this store using a computer of all lost technologies, he had been reading. These two just acted as if computers were part of everyday life. Then again by the amount she had seen it seemed they were. "You don't have to be such a stick in the mud."
"Have you ever considered what that saying implies, Cain?" asked Abel, turning a page in the book.
"Have you ever considered not over analyzing things?" Cain retorted. "Who cares what the saying fully implies? Now stop reading and chose a damn costume before we miss the festival."
"Oh, so this is why you dragged me out of the base, a festival," stated Abel still not looking up. Esther was highly confused by all of this. Base, festival, what were they talking about? "Wait a second," Abel looked up sharply from the book, "there aren't any 'festivals' going on around here. Did you mean an amusement park?" Cain flicked his wrist and walked over to the owner who was now free. "And he ignores me," muttered Abel, shaking his head before he returned to the book.
Looking at the book Abel was reading, Esther blinked. It was in Latin, a very old version of Latin from way before Armageddon. "Catch," Esther jumped as Cain threw a long coat at Abel. Abel, not looking up from the book, caught the coat easily. "You can be Sherlock," Cain said, smiling at Abel. "It really does fit, after all the security force is like the police."
"Sherlock wasn't a cop, Cain," stated Abel. Sighing, he closed the book and walked over to his brother and shop owner. "Do you have another of these hats?" he asked holding up the hat which Cain had also tossed to Abel.
"Yes," the man nodded and walked over to shelf, pulling out a hat. "Here you are," the man passed it to Abel and Abel thanked him.
Soon they were back on the street with both Abel and Cain dressed in costume like everyone else they passed on the street. At least no one had asked why Esther and Caterina were dressed the way they were.
"Why did you get two hats?" Esther asked Abel at length. She'd been waiting for him to put down the book he was reading for awhile now and he hadn't. This was really, really annoying.
"Hmm?" Abel glanced at her before he turned a page and continued to read even as he spoke. "Oh, the other one's for my sister," he had a sister! Since when? "Her favorite novel is Sherlock Holmes. She would like his hat, I think…"
At this Cain snorted and rolled his eyes at the dark gray sky. "You spoil her way too much, you know that, right?" shaking his head, Cain looked at Abel and smiled. "Then again, I guess normal kids get more than books as toys," he shrugged and flicked his wrist. Abel seemed to be ignoring his brother.
"By the way," Esther eyed what Cain and Abel were wearing, "why is every dressed so strangely?" She'd been trying to figure this out since they had arrived in whatever place this was. It was strange enough to see Abel and Cain as teens instead of as twenty year olds and the fact this place felt more like an area straight out of the history books.
"Because it's Hallows' Eve, more commonly called Halloween!" exclaimed Cain, giving Abel a side long look.
"Let's just get going," Abel stated. With that he started off, not even pausing to see if they were following. Annoyance flared in Esther. Was this boy really Father Nightroad? Ha, at this point she seriously doubted it!
As Esther followed the two boys, she skimmed the streets. Her eyes locked on a news report and she froze. Grabbing hold of Abel's wrist, she forced him to stop. "What year is it?" she demanded, looking the boy in the face, panic filling her heart and mind.
"The year?" Abel stared at her as if she were crazy. "Are you mental?" he demanded. Esther looked at him until he said, "All right already, let go and I'll give you the damned date." Slowly Esther released his arm. "It's October thirtieth 2110."
"You have to be kidding!" Esther shouted at him. "It can't be 2110, it just can't be." If this date was true, they were nine hundred fifty-four years in the past. How could this be? Father Nightroad was twenty! He had even stated this himself; he had her told he'd practically grown up with Cardinal Sforza. Slowly Esther looked around and it began to sink in they had truly gone into the past. Places like this hadn't existed after Armageddon. People didn't even know how to fully operate computers in her time, yet everyone here did know.
"Look, I don't have a clue why you're freaking out," Esther's attention snapped back to Abel, "but we're getting left behind." Turning, Abel flipped back open his book and started off once more. Shakily, Esther looked one last time at the streets before she at last followed him. How was it possible they had come to this time? Could they get back? What if they ended up stuck here? They'd end up having to live through Armageddon. A shiver raced through her at the thought. She desperately hoped they could go home. Esther clutched the rosary she wore, sending a quick prayer for their safe return.
Later, near sunset:
"We're completely lost!" Father Abel Nightroad exclaimed, throwing up his arms in exaggeration and frustration. Several passersby gave him strange looks which he assumed was do to the fact he had just shouted in Latin.
"Affirmative," stated the emotionless killing doll beside Abel. Father Tres Iqus looked around the street, seeming to take in every detail. "Data does not match any known in Vatican records," Tres stated, looking at Abel. "I can't confirm Cardinal Sforza's location at this moment in time."
"What about our location?" Abel freaked, shaking his head and pushing up his thick glasses. "We need to find out where we are first before we can even hope to find Caterina and Esther!" he exclaimed, not liking this one bit. The city seemed somehow familiar to him; yet, he couldn't place it. This fact above all else unnerved him. "We don't even know what happened or if they are even wherever here is," Abel sat down on a bench with a heavy sigh.
Tres moved away, seeming to ignore Abel's fretting. Kneeling on the snow packed ground, Tres ran his fingers over several shoe marks before looking towards a drift which looked as if someone had slipped and fallen backwards into it. Suddenly Tres stood and walked over to another drift where he thrust his arm into the deep snow.
"Umm, Tres?" Abel looked at him, blinking in question. Most people would be shivering from cold or shouting in shock from thrusting their hand into ice and snow, but not Tres. Abel doubted the killing doll had even felt the cold. Tres ignored Abel's questioning voice and pulled out a familiar, elegant, red hat. Abel leapt to his feet, slipped on the ice, and hit the ground hard, the side of this head smacking against the bench. Shaking his head, eyes watering, he stood more carefully this time and walked over to Tres. "It's Caterina's!" he exclaimed, looking widely around, half expecting her to appear out thin air.
"Positive," Tres confirmed and looked at Abel, "Cardinal Sforza was here less than thirty minutes ago. Can not verify direction she took, insufficient data."
"Great were just as lost as we were seconds ago," muttered Abel. Turning he took off his glasses and wiped the snow off them as he looked around the area. His gaze fell over a familiar building. There was a sign in the window which read, "Don't have the answer; ask the internet!" Quickly Abel pushed his glasses into the place, not even noticing as the world blurred. "I know when and where we are!" he exclaimed, point at the sign across the way. "Well, umm, sort of," Abel confessed after some thought on the matter.
Tres followed Abel's finger and looked at him questioning. "What do you mean, Father Nightroad?" he asked in his ever calm voice. "Please verify meaning behind this statement."
"Well," Abel slowly began, rubbing his chin and trying to remember where he had seen the sign before. It took him several long moments to recall events which he had not thought on for many, many years. "When I was, well, really young, I had a run in with two women who were odd. Now I think on it I believe they were Caterina and Esther, but I'm not certain." He looked at Tres and shrugged.
Tres stared at Abel for several long moments, face expressionless. At last he spoke, "Request you remember what else occurred on this date, Father Nightroad, and you lead us to Cardinal Sforza and Sister Blanchett."
Abel frowned before he exclaimed, "Come now, Tres, that was over nine hundred years ago. I was lucky I remembered meeting them. How do you expect me to recall that happened in the past?" Tres just looked at Abel, unblinking. "Fine, fine, I'll try." His frown deepened as he looked at the tree and the snow around it. Chilling memories floated to the surface. He could remember Cain wanting to look for costumes and then an – an amusement park of a sorts. Closing his eyes, he pulled forth memories he had once locked away, memories which still hurt to think on. Slowly Abel opened his eyes and pointed to their right, "This way. They went this way."
They walked down the street in silence. Tres took in the area while Abel battled with his memories. A large part of him didn't want to remember this day because of the happiness and how normal it had been. Shaking his head, Abel forced himself to think only on getting to Caterina and Esther, then discovering how to get back and what happened.
"Great costumes!" Abel looked at the man behind the booth. There was a long line of people before them, waiting to get into the park. "You two are free to enter," he told them, jabbing his thumb at sign which read: "Those with great costumes get free entry."
"This is the place," Abel told Tres in an undertone. His memory was foggy, but he could remember a few matters which had occurred here. Tres nodded and entered the park with Abel following. "God, this place is huge," it really was. People walked quickly through the tents and rides, shouting excitedly to one another.
"Splitting up is the best possible tactic in this situation," Tres said calmly. "Stay in radio contact and inform me if you find Lady Sforza." Without waiting for a response Tres walked off.
"What about Esther?" Abel shouted after the doll, but there was no reply not even over the radio. "He didn't even check to see the radio works," grumbled Abel. Sighing, Abel pushed his glasses up. "Right then," he shook his head before setting out in the opposite direction.
