Ebony

CHAPTER 1 - Genisis

"They hate us...they hate all of us! Ahhh! That's why we are friends we must stick together! I will not let them kill us we will be together forever! Right? Jasper your all I have left" Says a seemingly young girl, sitting on the floor in front of a dusty mirror with the lights off talking to a dirty rat, dangling it by its neck.

"And you're so pretty, I think you're in love with me...but sadly I cannot accept your love. If I do, won't everyone else get jealous, and then there will be a fight. So, no, I have to let you go but we can still be friends." She then lets the rat go with a smile on her face, but as soon as she gets a glimpse of herself in the mirror, pale skin, gray eyes, because the loss of light, thin messy pieces of hair, unclipped dirty fingers, and chipped toe nails, she hits it; making it fall and crack right in the corner.

Then, she gets up quickly, jumps onto the small single bed, which sheds with dust every time she does, and lays down. Looking at the ceiling where a picture of her two stick figures were drawn, one taller than the other. She starts to cry and even begins to scream. But eventually stops when there's a knock at the door, she runs toward it as if she was a dog, sits, and waits for the sound of the lock. Once it's heard she kicks the door, knowing it won't open but to try to scare the person outside of the door.

The doggie door then slides open and a tray of food is pushed inside: tomato soup with carrots and apple slices; She pushes the food to the side but not hard enough to make it spill. Then the door is closed and locked. She waits to hear the footsteps of the servant leaving but there is no sound, so she hits the door again but this time someone hits back.

She backs away, but then leans closer to look through the key hole, to her surprise she sees another eye staring back at her. Quickly she jumps back from the door making her arm hit the cracked mirror. As she grabs her shoulder in pain a deep voice begins to talk from the outside. "Soon Ebony...very soon you and me will be together." Was the only words heard as the voice slowly laughed as it creeped away.

Ebony, still on the dusty floor, started to shiver, putting her body into the fetal position, grabbing her cover, and screamed.

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'Ahhhhhh!' was a hellish scream herd throughout the house night and day, so much so that Christof and his step sons, Anastagio and Durellium, where drinking half of their lives away, while just barely holding on to their sanity. One day the screaming became so unbearable that Christof spoke up saying "I can't take this anymore! I've tried everything I could think of: tea's, herbs, medicines, I even tried using poison, but it just doesn't work!" Christof bangs the clean silver table making a few apples fall out the basket and onto the waxy tile floor, he bends over slowly to pick them up, but before he can Orelphel, his butler, grabs them, puts them back in the bowl, and sits him down slowly in the living room on a red velvet chair then walks back into the kitchen.

While Orelphel starts to make dinner in the kitchen Christof continues "I just can't take it anymore, Orelphel don't you remember when it was easy to relax" Orelphel laughs and says with a strong and professional voice from the kitchen "I can't say I quite remember, all the time I spent was just cooking or cleaning...but I can say I do remember a time of peace and quiet, not like it is now with that...wretched noise"

"Exactly!" Christof said with a sigh then continued "Do you know of anything that can help? if not I'm afraid I'll have to do the only thing I can do."

There was a long silence, during that time Christof looked at the painting on the wall of him, Ebony, Anastagio, Durellium, and his wife Esta. He leaned back in his chair closed his eyes and breathed in the silence, but it was cut short when Orelphel said as he walked out the kitchen. "Oh! I think there is something! The towns folk have been talking about this lady...a healer they say."

"A healer? really?" Christof said with so much disbelief that his face seemed to have grown with wrinkles in a mere second but that didn't stop Orelphel from rushing over to Christof's chair continuing with a spatula in hand, dripping with red sauce. "Yes! I know it sounds unbelievable but a many of people talked about her, they say she will help you with any problem you have and all you have to do is pay a small price!" Now the sauce was dripping onto the waxy tiles on the floor and Orelphel was so close to Christof he could feel his breath. "So, you say this is true, and others have seen it?" Christof said while getting up and walking toward the painting above the fire place while scratching his short, scruffy, beard slowly. "Yes! I believe so" Orelphel quickly said standing strait up still letting the sauce drip on to the carpet "Ok. Then where do I find her?"

"They say you will find her in the darkest of forest. They also said you will know you have seen her if you see the shining light trail"

"Then its decided" said Christof "I will send one of my messengers to go and get her and bring her to me"

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Later, In the day Durellium see's Anastagio in the family's famous library. Books and books and books, were all over the walls, there family was known for having the most unique and priceless collection. "Ah" says Durellium with a smile. "No surprise you're in the library again brother."

"Well this is the only place that you can get the slightest of silence" says Anastagio with calmness as he closes his book keeping his finger as a place holder. "Oh is that true younger brother? or..." Durellium say with a smirk on his face "is it Ms. Canta? With her beautiful black hair?" now Anastagio's face was turning a light pink as his shoulders stiffened saying "No-no it's not! She's just-"

"Just what?" Durellium cut in only to be cut back off by Anastagio saying "-Just a close friend! That's it!" then Durellium looked at Anastagio, who was puffing with anger and nervousness then sighed as he patted him on the back. "Its fine Anastagio, one day you will be a grown man like me."

"Grown..."Anastagio said while rolling his eyes; having a hint of disgust in his voice. "So, since your year is turning 22 you're a grown man?"

"Yes." Durellium said puffed with pride. "Look..." now Durellium was sitting on a red velvet stool next to Anastagio. "You're just the small year of 19 when you grow to know what I know, you will understand, what it is like to leave, and soon to never comeback." Then Durellium stands up and walks around the library just brushing his hands across the millions of books stack shelf upon shelf. All that is heard in the room is the sound of slight screams and bangs which makes Anastagio open his eyes wide, close his book, and run after Durellium, who was already on the second floor of books. When he finally reaches, he grabs his shoulder, and says in a panic "WAIT, WAIT, WAIT!" Durellium turns around confused and bewildered as Anastagio continues "what about Ebony!?" Durellium looks at him for a moment then brushes Anastagios hand off his shoulder and continues to walk. Only to be stopped again by Anastagio saying "no way you're leaving her with me!? You know how she was after the accident, how she is!"

"Of course I know, I'm not death!" Durellium says irritated as he turns around and continues "I have plans for it don't worry about it ok?" Then Durellium turns around and continue walking past the shelves until he gets to the letter 'S'

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