The Blood Red Rose

Chapter 1

In the small town of Yorktown there lived a handsome young man named Aaron Burr. He lived alone with his older sister Sally. Their parents had passed away when Aaron had been young, but he'd been told that they'd been wonderful people.

While that was certainly true, the Burr family had always been thought of as strange. The mother had been the only 'normal' one in the family. The father had been an aspiring novelist, though unfortunately he never got far. The daughter, Sally, was the thought to be insane inventor that should really just find a husband and settle down. And finally, there was Aaron. Sweet, beautiful Aaron.

The villagers thought he was the weirdest of the bunch. His nose was almost always stuck in a book and his head in the clouds. He never seemed to be in reality. He was a dreamer, and the villagers thought that was very strange. To make matters worst, the town's celebrity George King, was completely smitten by Aaron's dashing features.

Now, the villagers would not have a problem with this, if Aaron would simply accept George's proposal. Maybe than, he would settle down and come back to reality.

Alas, each attempt George made for Aaron's affections were shot down. No amount of flowers, pastries or songs could win Aaron's heart. If anything, they annoyed him.

The early songs that would wake him in the morning, the flowers that made his allergies act up and the pastries that he hated so much (he was not one for sugary deserts). All of this was pointless in Aaron's opinion. All he wanted in a partner was someone who could appreciate books just as much as he did.

Unfortunately, George detested books and thought that his 'wife' should stay at home and care for the house and children. No matter how many times Aaron rejected him, George just couldn't take a hint and back off.

Because he lived in a dreary old town that had zero adventure aside from hunting, Aaron often read fantasy and fiction novels. They fascinated him. The way the hero would always save the day, or how about when they went off on exciting adventures? He loved to dream that he was in their position. Going off on adventures.

Sadly, Aaron knew it was next to impossible. Yorktown was small and out of the way. It wasn't even near any trades routes. There was absolutely no excitement. The town was practically the epitome of boring.

Which brings us to the day that Aaron's adventure truly began. And to think, it all started with an explosion.

---

Boom!

That was the noise Aaron woke to that morning. Worry filling his heart, he scrambled out of his warm bed and ran downstairs.

"Sally, are you alright?" He called as he rushed down the basement stairs. When he got to the bottom, he had to wave his hands in front of his face because there was so much smoke.

"Aaron! Don't you worry, I'm fine! Just a little mishap is all." Sally's voice yelled. Aaron frowned and made his way through the smoky room, searching for his older sister.

"Are you sure? Do you require any help?" He asked.

"Nope! None at all! Why don't you go make breakfast while I clean up here." Sally suggested, before something crashed to the ground, causing a loud noise to sound throughout the house. Aaron sighed and allowed a small, smile to appear on his face.

It wasn't like this type of thing was unusual in their house. Sally's invention just couldn't seem to stop exploding and over the last couple of years, he had grown accustom to waking up to loud bangs.

"Fine. But when you come up, I expect your hands to be spotless." He said, before turning and walking back up the stairs. As he went, he faintly heard Sally groan and he chuckled. His sister really hated having to clean before eating. She just didn't see the point in getting cleaned up if she's just going to get dirty again.