lightning eyes
They say Ansem used to kidnap teens off the street before an imaginary quota was reached and he kept it at twelve people. Nobody really knows why, and everyone invents their own madcap theories about undercover assassins and brainwashing/hypnosis/what-the-hell-ever.
Parents used that--even though it hadn't happened for years--in a combination of guilt-trips and compliments to make their unruly teens come home early. I don't want you trapped in Oblivion with no clue you're even a prisoner! He could grab you while you're walking home or trick you into getting a ride, you know he only takes kids like you!
And the kids would swallow their pride and go home amidst sniggers and jokes. Why?
Because for all they know, their parents are right. It's the perfect story, really--a string of kidnappings happen, people go to the police and ask them please find my brothersistercousinfriend, it's been daysweeksmonths and I haven't even gotten a lettercallmessage, what do I do? and it builds until suddenly, a brothel called Castle Oblivion starts up. And the police notice that the number of people (not counting the owner) match the number of missing persons. Exactly.
But they keep quiet about it and reassure the frantic siblingfriendguardian that their loved one will be okay, stranger things have happened and whatever.
But one day, the kidnappings stop. And Castle Oblivion, over time, becomes the most well-known--and popular--brothel in the entire Destiny Islands. So well-known you don't even have to say the whole name for people to know what you're talking about.
Oblivion. Ringing in your head like the names of its twelve prostitutes.
So over the years the searches halt, the missing ads go down, and the grief stops as well because if nobody finds them after this much time, what point is there to hold on to them?
Until now.
Now, two students have gone missing out of the blue--nabbed somewhere between home and school--and everyone is going crazy. Their parents are stricken, their friends are numb with shock, and the police have no idea what to do because this happened before.
And strangely enough, there's no sightings of them, either at Oblivion or anywhere else--either someone is doing a damn good coverup for murder, or there's a new psychopath on the loose with an eye for blondes.
-
Somewhere in a messy, curtains-drawn, darkish
room on the second floor of Oblivion, a redhead wakes up from various
bits of dreams that he doesn't particularly care about.
And two eyes--piercing, blue-like-lightning eyes--glare back at him.