It all started here. The place she called home. Mequon, Wisconsin. She was born in the Froedtert Mequon Health Center about 23 years ago. June 7th, 1998. A young female, with emerald green eyes and bright, fiery hair that would soon grow in.
Her parents named her Claudia. She took on her father, Peyton Medici's, last name. Her mother was ecstatic. Her older brother finally happy that he could have a playmate to take on adventures in the woods. Her father with one of the happiest faces made in his life.
Little Claudia Medici was quiet during her first few years, rather observing her older brother, Frederick Medici in his antics. At the age of one or so, a new Medici came into her life. Eduardo Medici. His orange hair and bright blue eyes came from his mother entirely.
She had everything. She had the love of her parents, her brother, Frederick, and then Eduardo. Everything to her seemed amazing. She was so innocent back then. So, so innocent. The most she had to worry about was a scrape on her knee, a bump on her head, and whether or not she spelled the letter 'b' right.
Her first day of school, she was a bit less shy. Her brother showed her around. She was excited to see all these new colors and learn all these new things! Reading became a great pastime for her, sometimes reading during class and getting into a bit of trouble. What was a bit of lost recess time to reading an enticing new chapter of "Junie B. Jones"?
Soon, her brother went to middle school, and she was all alone. No one really picked on her. She went by unnoticed and kept reading her way through classes. All she had to worry about was her meager grades that meant almost nothing in the long run. But she didn't know that, so she kept on with her normal routine.
When she was nine, things came to a head. Everything changed. Little Claudia Medici lost her mother to "unnatural causes". The police didn't know anything. Before, she understood the concept of death. The only deaths she had were of distant relatives, seeing them only for a short time.
Such deaths she didn't cry for. She didn't know them. Her mind couldn't comprehend how much death meant to her until that night.
She was having a play-date with some friends she couldn't remember the names of, when there was an urgent knock on the door. Her father was there, a worried look on his face. She was oblivious to what happened. Little Claudia didn't know her father had come to pick her up because her mother had died. All she knew was that her father had to get her because of an emergency.
"Papa? What's wrong?" she asked, all the way through the drive to the hospital, where her body was being held. Her brother, a good 6 years older than her had to answer these questions with "Mama is gone. We're going to see her." in different variations.
Claudia didn't know what this meant. Did her mother leave? If so, why were we going to see her? She never knew that being 'gone' meant death. Everytime her relatives died, she was told they "crossed the rainbow bridge" or "passed on". They were said to have died happily. She thought the deaths of her family would be happy.
Seeing her mother's cold, lifeless body. Stiff with rigor mortis and dry, cracked skin. Something within Little Claudia broke. She broke down into tears, falling on the floor and sobbing to her heart's content. Who would do such a thing? Her mother was so peaceful an nice. She always took care of them. And what of her father...? They were madly in love, how could he live with this?
Her innocence was lost that night. She was no longer Little Claudia. She had gotten a taste of the freezing reality known as her world. What would she do now? A few hours ago, she was playing with her friends, pretending to live in a house together. The mother, father, and two children going to the zoo to see all of the animals that resided within the confines of a sanctuary.
