Chapter title taken from the Jennifer Saunders song.
This chapter takes place in Rosalind's mother's time and gives insight for what is coming ahead. Historically speaking, El Salvador's civil war was primarily in the 1980's, ending with a peace treaty in 1992. For purposes of the story, I pushed back the timeline a bit.
El Salvador, early into the civil war
Corpses paved the streets like gravel; severed limbs rotted away in the hot sun, scalding away and liquefying from the humidity. Ashes littered the area and the air was deadly quiet. Pigs were scavenging the locality, walking away with human hands and feet in their mouths, chewing the decaying flesh through the bone. A torso was running through the pavement, body aflame; the poor man was screaming the remains of his lungs out, his soul blistering in front of his audience of one. A battle had taken place mere hours before, but the war was nowhere near over.
Sofia Menjivar stepped out from her hiding place behind a well, breathing in the noxious air. Her hair was singed from the dying fires, face crusted with dried blood. She coughed, grime falling from her body like rain. Her head was dazed, her mind cloudy; she couldn't remember the last time she was awake, or what day it was. All she knew was that she had to head home. She cast a Revealing Spell: she was the only person left alive. She had no choice but to make the trek alone.
El Salvador was once a happy beautiful country with Muggles and wizard kind lived together peacefully, but something had snapped on the side of the Muggles: the president was murdered and the military attempted to force control, resulting in guerrilla warfare. Not even Purebloods were safe. The targets were not Muggleborns, but anyone who disagreed with their philosophy.
A small, modest brick and wood house was appearing at the end of the road. The walls were caved in, the garden completely demolished; the chickens in the backyard slaughtered. A putrid smell evaporated into Sofia's lungs as soon as she stepped inside. The kitchen was empty as well as the family room, but the bedroom was the most gruesome scene: blood streaked the concrete floor, leaving traces of where the bodies were dragged around. An old woman, a young man, and a young girl lay face up on the concrete—her family—eyes still paralyzed with the ghosts of the last haunting images they saw.
"No-" Sofia began to cry, tears streaming her cheeks. "NO!"
The body of her brother began to stir. Blood pooled out of the deep puncture wound on his chest, his breathing shallow and raggedy. "Sofia..." he whispered.
Sofia took her brother's hand in hers, attempting to move his body. He shook his head, knowing it was too late. "What happened to you? Que paso?" she squeaked.
"I don't know...they came looking..." He could hardly speak, his eyes hardly opening. "You can't stay here. Leave...go as far away as you can."
"Where? I can't leave you I'll go get help-"
He shook his head once more. "No. Go with Xavier, he'll take care of you." His face crumpled from the pain. "I'm sorry we couldn't do more..." He looked into her eyes one last time. "I love you."
"I love you too," she said faintly, sobbing as he his last breath, his body growing cold.
Sofia clutched her brother's chest, screaming in pain. This was a mistake. This wasn't supposed to happen. She was fighting for the greater good, not to hurt her family. She couldn't help but feel that it was her fault they were murdered, by Muggles, no less. Wizards would never leave a scene like this. She was angry, enraged, infuriated-she wanted so badly to avenge her family's death, to make the Muggles pay for what they had done but she knew that she didn't have it in her; she was no murderer. She had to set this right by leaving, far away and providing a better life for her family, a new family that she would start with a husband. But the pain was eating her alive. The civil war had done nothing but tear people apart. The fighting was so horrendous other countries were intervening and the wizarding world had a hard time making peace. She decided the United States would be her best option since the president was offering political asylum for those affected by the war. There she would start her new life, become a good example—no more of this trying to be the hero.
Sofia had a huge heart, always trying to help those in need, especially those who could not care for themselves. She joined a group of vigilantes who strived to reverse what was happening around them. Several children were kidnapped, forced to fight a war they knew nothing about. With her help and several others, they were able to locate those children along with anyone else coerced into fighting and send them back to their families. But after so much success the rebels took notice and were slowly tracking down the ones who were permeating their soldiers. One by one her group diminished; one by one they disappeared, never to be heard from again. It didn't make sense how doing the right thing was causing so much damage.
Days later Sofia left El Salvador with longtime friend and neighbor Xavier Morana. They soon married and had a daughter they named Rosalind. More than a decade later they had another daughter they named Emma. They lived a relatively peaceful life, avoiding conflict as much as possible. There were signs however that Dark Wizards were beginning to infiltrate the government; there were several disappearances, several unexplained occurrences. But they were happy and whole, and Sofia was committed to her vow to protect her daughters at all costs, keeping them away from the life she had lived before.
But when history repeats itself, deadly consequences are bound to happen.
Hello! This chapter is meant to be a sort of bridge-Rosalind's past is quite interesting but I do not want to give it all away at once. And yes, we will be visiting El Salvador at some points. We have a whole lot of George coming right up :)
Next chapter: 7 Minutes in Heaven (Atavan Halen).