Darkness On The Edge Of Town

Chapter 1: Caleb Di Cairo

Long ago, in a land unheard of, there was a town by the name of Gethin. And in this town lived a kingdom with two sons. Their names were Caleb Di Cairo and Nicholas Di Cairo. Growing up in a village with only a few children was tough, and being of royal descent proved to be difficult. Caleb was a bit analytical and snippy around most people, which reminded them of his mother, Queen Mona. He had unkempt long dark hair to his shoulders from his father, King Alexei. His eyes were a stormy gray with a kind of calculating gleam behind them. His skin was very pale, as he often did not bother to go outside. Caleb had his head too far into the clouds to be bothered by children!

"Caleb, honey!" His mother began, her light brown eyes glowing with kindness. "Your father suggested you take a break and go with your brother today..." Mona coaxed him, looking at the personal library that was his room. "No. I hate them.... I'm sure they feel the same." He whispered, though the pain could be heard through his words. Children who had often been inside rather than playing with the only other children there would often come across being made fun of from time to time. It was, dare I say, a selective thing to do. "Nicky is tough. I'm sure he wouldn't mind watching after his 'Older' brother for a while." She chuckled. The door opened and Caleb reluctantly stepped outside. 'i don't see the big deal, honestly ' he thought grumpily to himself. Still, might as well.

Caleb nodded silently to himself and put on his gray thin cloak and stepped outside. He let out a subtle hiss after coming into contact with the sun. He scanned the world with suspicion, sitting gingerly on the steps watching the kids pretend fight and joke around. Caleb understood that none of the kids KNEW they were making him feel this way. They couldn't have possibly imagined the number of scars inflicted upon himself simply because he thought all this time, he was never truly good enough.

Not to them.
Not to his parents.
Not even his younger brother.

He would never let them know. A tear ran down his pale cheek, but his face refused to frown. "Hey, caleb!" Someone in front of him shouts. Judging from the pure excitement leaking from just those few words, he easily guessed it would be Nicholas. Caleb looked up and saw the amber eyes of his younger brother. His hair was wild and all over the place from playing, and he had a cheeky grin. "What is it? Something wrong?" Caleb managed to speak with an airy tone. Compared to nicholas' sly voice, you would've never had know caleb was the oldest. It was odd, as caleb was very short and thin, Nicholas had always been taller than him; wirier.  "Come play with us, we really kinda need an extra player." Nicholas muttered nervously. Although caleb could see the tension from the other four boys as they glared at him. The ringleader, a boy with dark green hair and blue eyes, sneered at him. Caleb let out an annoyed sigh and quickly shook his head. Caleb hated saying no to his brother. "Oh. Well, okay! Just... keep up your readin' okay?" Nicholas added, a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

Nicholas squeezed his brother into a hug, causing the other boy to drop his book. "Thanks" was all Cairo could say. What else was there to say? Maybe next time. That night, Cairo grew restless. There was something bothering him deeply (besides nicholas' snoring). No. It was something much different. It practically spoke to him! "The forest. Meremoth forest...!" He whispered loudly before jumping out of bed. A new feeling, a sort of rush surged within him. Was he really going through with this!? Meremoth forest was said to be forged by the devil himself. And who doesn't love a good skeptic?

He was heading out into the woods in only a long black T-shirt via Nicholas. Caleb, had almost forgotten, grabbed his hat and headed toward the door. "Big brother, what's going on?" Nicholas replies sleepily with his eyes closed. Caleb swallowed hard. "Uh, nothing Nicky. Just going for a walk..." he replied nervously. There was a long pause, and Caleb turned around very slowly. "Okay." Nicky went back to sleep with his thumb in his mouth. Caleb shrugged and ran quickly (and quietly) out of the door. The cold air prickled his skin, hitting him with a refreshing breeze. He let out a loud gasp! 'It's not as fun as I thought' caleb worriedly thinks to himself. He pushes on, shivering with fear and excitement.

And cold.

Continuing farther and farther down the trail, he suddenly hears a loud dry patch crackle behind him! Everything freezes over more than it has already. The spectre, whatever it is, was so close he could feel their warm breath on his face. "Cairo?" The voice whispered questioningly before moving even closer. There was an unsettling pause, before the entity placed a hand on his chest. "Caleb." The voice, muffled, spoke out with confidence. Without any thought left, caleb dashed quickly deeper into the Meremoth forest! Faster and faster, as the surrounding became so increasingly dark the only thing noticeable was that lady in the distance. Wait, what? He fell out of the shroud of bushes and fell to her feet. She turned towards him with a piercing light colored hood, revealing dark curls and pure white eyes which were distracting. A sense of unknown familiarity hit caleb, at least more than those branches did back there. Ouch! "You...you were the one who called out to me!"