Temple's Pursuit

chapter 1 THE FAMILY

Rating:General

Chapter 1

The O'Marron's are one of the oldest and most respected Celtic families in the country but there were some that believed their ancestors were traitors because they fought hard against, "race cleansing" more than one hundred years ago. The only reason they continued to have a high position in modern society, is the magical strength their lineage possessed. Like their family line, their magic was old, very old, and unusually powerful. It is this very power that can push jealous people to feel threatened and angry so it was not unusual for the O'Marrons to be called to the justice department to defend themselves.

Temple O'Marron, at 5'11", is considered uncommonly tall for a girl which wasn't the only reason why she stood out but add her long, slender arms and legs, waist length rich auburn hair and almond shaped eyes then she is a rare beauty. She is just 17 and on the few occasions when she ventured outside, people would stare at her and marvel at why she wasn't married or living at the palace with all the other uncommon young women. The answer was simple, Temple and her family had a terrible and dangerous secret they were forced to keep .

Should anyone ever discover what the secret was then the family would be imprisoned or worse yet, exterminated.  It is firmly believed by the government and the population, that the cursed are marked for everyone to see.  They are born with black eyes.  It is a very rare occurrence but  when it does happen the government makes a big deal about it. A public execution would be held with loud music, vendors selling T shirts, candy, cameras and every news station would be there for a world wide audience.  The local hotels are completely booked with the most outrageous prices given to the rooms that looked over the execution yard.  The  unfortunate family is walked out to the killing wall, usually with their black eyed newborn baby and slaughtered by the magic police.  If any extended family knew about the birth and did not report it they were also put to death which forced families to turn their loved ones in.  The last execution was thirty years ago which guaranteed that the next black eyes found would be a cause for the biggest show yet.  Temple has black eyes.

So far, this strong family had managed to keep their daughter hidden and safe for the past seventeen years by taking extraordinary measures to keep her hidden. Temple was home schooled, not allowed to leave the property and friends coming to visit was extremely unusual.  It was these measures that help lessen the danger of discovery but when there was no other choice and she had to go out in public Temple would wear the blue tinted contact lenses her parents had made for her and would be accompanied by two protective, older brothers.  She had been taught from a very young age that no one was to see her real eye colour.

The O'Marron's looked like an average family with a Mother, Father two sons and Temple.  Coner is their first born son which means "lover of wolves".  He was given this name according to the talent he showed on the day of his birth.  He can communicate with animals, very strong and as he matured his talent not only  got stronger but the family believed that like the great wolves of past he was born with a warriors spirit.  Long ago wolves were cherished because three days after a great warrior died a wolf cub would be born.  The warriors spirit would enter the pup and live out another life.  Several hundred years ago, profits and people of influence often had a wolf as their companion.  They claimed the wolf would give them advice on matters of great import and if they followed that advice things always turned out for the best. In this modern age no one believed in these stories anymore and would often hunt the wolves down for sport or their fur.   Coner is twenty years old, 6'4", has broad shoulders and is considered to be exceptionally handsome. His hair is a beautiful blue /black, but, like Temple, it was his eyes that was one of the most startling things about him. Where Temple's are so dark, his are the opposite, they are so light in colour and shape people swore he actually had the eyes of a wolf. Most young women were more than willing to fight each other just to have him notice them.

Then there is 18 year old Bran, which means "Raven".  His talent is to see things from great distances and be able to move so fast it looked as if he could fly. Like the dark bird Bran was able to be patient and watch everything going on around him.  It was believed that he could see into the future but in reality Bran was able to see things most people did not notice and could avoid danger simply through his attentiveness to details. 

Bran is not as tall as his older brother, but his six foot tall stature and slight build, made him very light on his feet. His hair was also a blue/ black, and his eyes are the colour of a morning sky, so bright blue, that most people did not like it when he turned his gaze upon them. They claimed that nature could not have created such a colour and stated his parents must have had him touched by the ancient Gods.

The older O'Marrons had the same tall and slender build, as their children but were less remarkable. Roisin, their Mother, has a name from the old language which means Rose, as in the flower of beauty. Her shoulder length blonde hair was worn pinned up high on her head, the way most married women chose to signify their marital status. Her husband, Darragh, which means Oak, was built large with hair the colour of the same tree he was named after. Both parents have blue eyes which means their children are exceptional in other ways as well.  Genetics dictates that if both parents have blue eyes then the children will also have that same colour. This has always been an unchallenged scientific understanding for everyone except the O' Marrons. The locals often made snide comments in front of and behind their backs but the family were use to being on the outside so they often and simply ignored them.

As a scientist Darragh has a great deal of curiosity about everything but the one thing he was yet to prove was why his children have beaten nature's odds, not just once, but three times. He worked tirelessly in a private lab which was hidden in a room in the basement of their spacious home. He had built this lab specifically to find the answer to the questions about his three children.  There were times when no one would see or hear from him for days which might worry most people but not Roisin.  She took pleasure in knowing he was fine by the dirty dishes that were piled up on the floor by his lab door. For years Darragh studied the family genealogy of both his wife and then himself in the hope that he would be able to locate the link to their children's unusual eye colour. Today, he thought he had finally found that elusive answer but instead of the feeling of hope all he had now was more concern then ever.

It was his meticulous study of the old and sacred documents where he discovered that many generations ago, on his father's side, a female descendant had been impregnated by a werewolf. This created several different genetic abnormalities throughout the generations. For example, Darragh's Great Grandfather could grow fangs whenever he choose and he would often bring them out at parties and chase small kids around. He remembered running and squealing with all of the other children but as he grew older he had convinced himself that the large pointed teeth were props.

Darragh also discovered that Roisin's family had a similar happening. Approximately 200 years ago, a male descendant had married then fathered, a child with a Fairie. This too, caused some unusual, genetic abnormalities. He wondered if this is why, his wife's grandmother, had skin that looked as if it changed colour every time she moved. She was very tall, even for their family, with almond shaped eyes. As a scientist, this was enough information, to give him an understanding about his children's "peculiarities" and their great talents.

This left the one question, he was not able to answer yet. What had caused Temple to be born with no magic? In their world, everyone is born with magic. It varies from one person to another with each person having different levels, or abilities but everyone had magic. Some people have significant magic, while others, may have just enough to get by. Those with less magic, are considered low class and must struggle, just to try and make ends meet.

Hundreds of years ago, the land had been covered with different species, like fairies, werewolves, sirens and even people with no magic. It has taken several generations through genetic cleansing to wipe out, or put into hiding, as many of the different species as possible. It was the general belief that, less genetic mixing, would make stronger magic in people. A person born without power, had not been heard of in many years, but the old laws still stand. "Any person found to have no magic, is put to death, in order to guarantee the public's right to maintain the purity of magic". Temple is such a person.