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ShatteredTulip

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Prologue: The New Moon

  There were only a few things that really mattered to Gabriella during the times that she decided to star-gaze. Those were the magical times where she could let loose her thoughts and emotions to something inanimate; yet so animate at the same time. She wasn’t particularly laying down when she star-gazed; she was leaning on Gabrielle to support her balance.  

“The stars are entwined so closely tonight Gabriella…Can you believe it?”  

Gabrielle also loved the stars and how they moved across the sky to create a beautiful painting that was all natural and not blotted to how artists made their own. The stars seemed to twinkle and glisten on their dark brownish hair.

 Gabrielle was a 17 year old guy who had many interests in astrology; where his twin sister, Gabriella, was somewhat of just a gazer than a studier. Their grades were largely in contrast though and Gabrielle always seemed like the brighter twin. Not only was he very intelligent, but he some athletic ability in sports that involved swiftness and agility. Basketball was among his favorite sports while Gabriella on the other hand, enjoyed endurance sports, such as running and swimming. But ever since she had become crippled ten years before, she hasn’t had the chance to enjoy her favorite activities. Instead now, she often worked as a fashion designer, staying inside the house and getting inspiration from the nature around her. Whenever Gabrielle led her to gaze at the stars, she would always wear an outfit that glittered with the starlight. Tonight, she was wearing a black kimono with a 9-star symbol design that she had placed on the near neck of the outfit. Gabrielle was lent something similar, only it was a dullish gray color.  

“I think we’d better get back now. Grandma is going to be furious if we don’t get back soon. Oh, and don’t forget we have that project due next week.”

Gabriella didn’t respond. She was only interested in looking at the stars and didn’t seem to have any intention on getting back. She closed her eyes and made it seem as if she was gazing right through her eyelids. Her thoughts hadn’t left the stars yet.

  “Ok then… Just make sure you’re back in time for supper” Gabrielle said.  

Gabriella didn’t respond but instead she stopped leaning on his back; he then decided to assume that she probably understood what he mentioned. Gabrielle got up and began walking towards the direction to his house but in the midst of his departure, a swift chilly breeze ran by him giving him shivers.

  “…..Are you leaving me again Gabrielle?”  

It was ten years ago, back when they were just seven year-old twins. The two of them had been kept back at school one day for fighting with the other children. They both had never gotten along with other peers ever since their mother had died of some rare disease; they were terribly heartbroken. However, their father was a caring man who at many times, pleaded to have them unpunished whenever they got into trouble.

However, he hadn’t managed to pull them out of trouble on one specific day. That day, was a festivity day where all the townspeople of Illysia Grounds celebrated their anniversary of what they called “The Blooming Season.” There were so many things that were brought to the streets of Illysia Grounds during the celebration; things ranging from bracelets to cookware, rings to carpentry, and clothes all the way to gowns. But what made the celebration so attractive to even people out of town, was the food. Foods such as plum cakes, roasted boars, meat-lover’s salads, plain salads, cooked beef with fish sauce smothered all over, lemon pies, rice cakes, Danish wine, peach and cranberry smoothies, blueberry tarts, sushi made without fish, and so many varieties that the Twins could never have named them all.

There were always new assortments each year but what encouraged the Twins to leave their village and visit the grounds was one of their friends that they had met the year back then. Cecile and Cecilia were twins and daughters of Illysia Ground’s famous doll maker, Elijah Kiryu. They were a very successful family who made huge amounts of money every year at the festival because the dolls that they made were so…indescribable. The Twins loved the Kiryu family and they had many fun yearly meets wandering down the celebrative streets of Illysia Grounds.

  But one summer, Cecile and Cecilia were taken away to help with festival preparations…  And during that summer, Gabrielle and Gabriella were both held back for detention which made them have to race to the festival. Gabrielle had always been more athletic than Gabriella which made him more agile in trekking through the woods. Gabriella however, was falling behind in large distances behind Gabrielle and she pleaded for him to slow down.   

“No way! We have to get there quick or we’ll be late meeting Cecile and Cecilia!”

Gabrielle was giddy and kept breezing over the rocks while Gabriella lagged far behind. Gabrielle didn’t bother on slowly down until he heard Gabriella behind him scream. He stopped and turned around to notice that she had fallen right down a steep hill with a large boulder smashed over her right leg.

“Help me!” she shrieked in pain.

Gabrielle rushed over but realized that he could probably never get back up if he jumped down so he decided to head to Illysia Grounds to get help.

“Don’t leave me Gabrielle!” yelled Gabriella

Gabrielle hesitated but rushed in the direction of the village and behind him, he could hear the echoing of his twin sister’s crying…

“You promised me you wouldn’t leave me again Gabrielle…”

Gabrielle stuttered. He didn’t stutter because of what she said… Nor’ did he stutter because of the chilly breeze… What was it then?

  “Gabrielle…” he heard again.  

He still hadn’t turned around yet but he couldn’t pull himself to look for the source of his sister’s voice. The breeze blew by again and this time, he felt his insides chill instead of the edge of his skin. He finally realized that his sister’s voice was… not his sister’s. It was strange because…it was different somehow; as if she was testing him.

Gabrielle quickly spun around expecting his sister still on the boulder but instead, emptiness was found in her place. Gabrielle ran back to the boulder and tried to find Gabriella but had no success.

“Gabriella!” he shouted hoping that she would still be around the vicinity. Even though the moonlight was broad tonight, Gabriella would have never managed to get far without his help.

Hopelessly, he decided that the only place that she could have gone would be deeper in the forest. Even though he believed that only a lunatic with her condition would go into the forest, he still decided to pursue an imaginative figure of his sister into the forest…

Gabrielle plunged through the forest and tried to detect any movement that went on among the trees of the forest. The silence within the trees bothered Gabrielle but that didn’t stop him from moving forward. What stopped him was a glimmer of a flapping butterfly in the forest. It was easily depicted as it literally “glittered” with the shades of red blood and crimson.

Gabrielle was perplexed and crept forward to see where the butterfly was heading. The butterfly fluttered around and apparently, multiplied out of thin air. After multiplying into 13 butterflies, Gabrielle noticed Gabriella treading across a tree bridge towards the butterflies.

“Gabriella!” he shouted. Gabriella pretended not to notice and continued treading toward the direction that the butterflies were leading her. Gabrielle panicked and began racing towards her, risking the fact that he might be dealing with the super-natural.

Gabrielle kept shouting but Gabriella kept pacing towards her unknown destination; limping. Still at age of 17, Gabrielle was very much more agile than Gabriella and he eventually managed to catch up to Gabriella. He rushed and grabbed Gabriella by the shoulder but at that moment, his vision jolted and suddenly he realized that he had his hand on another girl’s shoulder; a bloody stained red shoulder. He retreated his hand at the sight of it and realized that his sister, no, not his sister, but someone who looked like his sister, was slowly treading away from him, deeper into the forest.

Gabrielle was shocked and stood startled for several seconds before he caught his breath and pushed forward. He was now lost without any leads to where Gabriella was and he felt sore for some reason. He sat down and decided to rest awhile; he didn’t care about anything anymore, he was exhausted and wanted nothing more than rest…

He had arrived at the Grounds; only it didn’t seem like the town he had remembered last summer. It actually seemed like the Grounds had just packed up and left; the entire Illysia Grounds…wasn’t there anymore! The grounds were scorched with some kind of unholy fire and the sky had drooped into a dark stormy dead colored grayness. All was still and nothing happened in the dead silence.

Gabrielle panicked as he heard another yell from deep in the forest; he had at that moment forgotten that Gabriella was still in trouble. He couldn’t see anyone on the scorched black lands, so he rushed back in order to try to save his sister himself.

Another screech…and Gabrielle felt his heart hollow. 

A second shriek…and Gabrielle panicked and rushed.  

The third yell gave up Gabriella’s position and Gabrielle rushed to find her out from under the large boulder that her leg was caught under. She was resting near a tree with a blood swollen foot. Her hair was drenched in her own tears and she was still crying quietly in pain.

Gabrielle slid down the slope and approached Gabriella hoping that she was going to make it. He touched his hand on her shoulder and he jumped back in fear when Gabriella suddenly turned and glared at him with her red eyes. She jumped on Gabrielle and suddenly grasped Gabrielle’s throat with bloody hands and began shouting in a furious voice.

“You can’t fool me Cecile! I won’t be tricked by you again! I got you now before you could get me…”

She laughed wickedly and continued strangling Gabrielle until he could not resist anymore. He fell into what he feared since his birth: his actual death…

“Gabrielle! Gabrielle! Wake up!”   

Gabrielle awoke from the sound of what he thought was his sister… He slowly became conscious again and found that he was staring at the sky again where all the stars were beautifully shining. He must have fallen asleep while star-gazing…

“Gabrielle! Come look at this!” yelled Gabriella. …Wait…Why was she yelling if what they were looking at were just stars? And why did she sound so far away?

Gabrielle spun around and realized that Gabriella was a distance away from him, standing at the edge of a cliff. He quickly hurried towards where Gabriella stood and looked above at the view of which she was trying to show.

There, was “The Black Grounds”…Earlier known as “Illysia Grounds”