Burnt Paiges

CHAPTER ONE: THE INTRODUCTION

If only she had stopped her when she had the chance, they would have still been a family...

This is a story set in a world parallel but much different from ours. Where two worlds collided, one supernatural, the other mystical. Where beings of unfamiliar races were of reality. However, little knew of their existence.

Deep into the countryside of England, a little cottage situated amongst the clusters of forest, belonged to a family of four. But now it belonged to one of three. At night, the vessel of the birches, were instruments of the wind. They howled gravely and eerily, identically to that of Paige's soul. That day, was the day they said goodbye to their mother forever. It was also the day she said goodbye to her sanity. Paige's rational mind shattered like shards of ice that melted away to nothing in the end. She was never the same. She was broken, like a toy beyond repair. Fragments of her most recent memories morphed into self-told deceptions, forged by denial. Memories of the first night that Elise went missing. Memories of when her brothers cried hungrily weeks later. Memories of the barriers that she put between herself and ever telling the boys, "She's not coming back." The memory of the letter she received six months later. All the mental torture, the anxiety, the heartbreak. Erased.

And as her internal screams became audible, her brothers held her in an empathetic embrace. They all cried now, for themselves and each other. When their tears dried, and night became morning, they still held each other in sleep.

At ages 17, 12 and 5, Paige, Quinn and Luca Chamberlin were left all alone in this world, with no mother or father. They only had each other. In the coming years, their lives would be changed drastically, as this event made a rippling effect of their fates.

Three years had passed, and everything was already set in motion...

Paige was a frail girl, not physically mature enough to be considered a woman. However, she was somewhat charming. Her long, amber hair cascaded down her torso. She had almond shaped eyes so bright and innocent but so far gone. It was frightening. Her face was round and plump and could be compared to that of a doll's. Her rose beige skin clung tightly to her flesh, smooth and unpunctured by pores. From head to toe, at 5'2, she was untainted enough to be considered an angel.

However, through Paige's erratic outbursts, and her ignorance of the unfortunate events that changed their lives, Quinn became distant towards his sister. He hated her naivety. He loathed her tendencies to cling to the chasms of their world, over brimming with the unreal. He detested her lack of maturity, so much so the blue of his irises would seem to reach immense depth of exasperation. Quinn, unlike his sister, had black locks and dark blue eyes whereas she had light ones. The slits for his eyes were the outline of almonds, as his thick eyebrows hooded his eternally furious orbs. And as his body began to mature, the apple of his throat formed, his shoulders broadened. His muscles toned and rippled, showcasing the aftereffects of hard labor. Scars bedecked his back, but some were relatively fresh, like random slashes of red on a canvas.

It was his brother, Luca, who tended to him on the days where Quinn was at his lowest. Between these two brothers, the bond was the strongest. But Luca loved Paige entirely also, and for only being 8, he understood what it was she was carrying. He was the mediator of the two parties. He had a glaring resemblance to his mother, in both looks and personality. His dirty blond hair extended to the lobes of his ears. His warm smile would stretch his full lips evenly, with a button nose to adorn his ovular face. His gaze was full of compassion and thought for others.

But compassion was his biggest shortcoming. He couldn't bring himself to ever tell Paige no. He was the reason they live the way they do, in a house with a hoarder.