Prologue

The death of two traitors.

Prologue

            The day was gloomy.  Rain drizzled from the gutters of the semi-cookie cutter houses.  Fog descended, covering the eyes of weary travelers.  The sky was a pale gray, and blue gray clouds hid the sun from view.  Black dots of people seemed to be on a parade for the funeral of the sun seeming to never come from the sky ever again.

            A march of a few thousand walked through the streets of the community, most wearing black, but one wore a bright white suit, sticking out from the crowd.  This person was tall and had long, crazy, brown hair, male in gender.  His eyes were white matching his suit.  Another man ran up next to this first man, wearing a similar white suit, making two of a kind in the crowd. 

            “What took you so long?” The first man laughed at the second man, looking in the direction of the second man.

            “Won’t ever stop surprising me with your ‘sight’ will you Bert?” The other laughed, and then stopped ashamed he had been laughing on a day like this.

            “It’s the only way I can tell anything about what is around me, you know that Rom,” Bert replied gruffly, “Did you wear the white suit?”  Rom nodded but knowing Bert could not see him nod, Rom sighed.

            “Yeah, though I hope Dame won’t kill us for something like this.  God only knows what will happen next,” Rom sighed in a melancholy manner.  The others from around them looked over exchanging confused looks.  The two of them ignored the strange looks and continued on.

            “I know, but Dame won’t care too much, we haven’t showed any signs of hostility towards him, just feel bad for Jules, got caught up in all this stuff… I wish it didn’t have to be so,” Bert sighed continuing down the long road before them, passing several vacant stores and stalls. 

            “It’s all my fault for telling Dame about the projects,” Rom sighed walking forward.  However, at this comment Bert stopped in his tracks.  Rom looked back and walked back to Bert, a little worried, but also not wanting to stray too far from him.

            “It is not your fault,” Bert replied, almost furiously, “Stop blaming yourself man, you did nothing wrong.  This is all Dame’s fault, you heard what Jules said, and I would believe Jules over Dame any day.  Just don’t let Dame hear that, or pretty much anyone else.”  Rom remained silent a few minutes looking around to make sure no one heard him, and it seemed none did.  Rom didn’t smile, nor did Bert; the only sounds were from the surrounding people.  Rom looked frustrated, but seemed to be suppressing yelling in Bert’s face.  Finally, he sighed.

“No point in arguing today, what is done is done, no matter who’s fault it was.  Let’s just go,” Rom gritted through his teeth still frustrated.  The two white clad men walked along the long road for a few more minutes, until they entered a huge building before them.  Across the threshold was a completely blackened room, barely able to see if one was running into a wall or another, Rom struggled as his eyes adjusted, but Bert simply walked on, as if nothing ever happened.

The two men wearing white suits were easily seen in the dark room to those whose eyes had adjusted and they were distracting to some who stopped causing the people behind them to run into them, producing a domino effect.  Rom and Bert simply continued on, sitting in chairs one would find in a nice auditorium.  However, on these chairs they looked like they were lined with black satin and trimmed with a darker black silk.  When the two men sat in the midst of a crowd, a moment of silence was held, not using words but by the minds thinking alike, except the two men, who talked in a hushed tone, to where no one around them could hear, almost like it was telepathic.  They did not even move their lips as they spoke to each other, making telepathy or really good ventriloquism a logical solution. 

“I’ve gotta make a statement Bert,” Rom said quickly.  The young man barely began to quickly stand when Bert pulled his shirt and the man down back to where he sat.

“No, don’t, then Dame will kill us, don’t, just hold your mouth idiot,” Bert replied furiously.  The blind man’s frown grew like wildfire over his face, clearly upset.  Bert shook his head and looked as though he was about to breathe fire. 

“I don’t have anyone else, I don’t care if I die, at least I will have done something,” Rom replied frowning as well.  Bert leaned back, and shook his head in pity.

“You don’t get it do you Rom.  You have Lyla and me, we will always be your friends and if you die because of something that won’t make any difference, we will be upset.  I mean Lyla was crying for hours after she learned of Jules’ and Johnny’s death, don’t make us go through that again,” Bert quickly replied fiercely.  He held a hand in front of Rom, “I can’t let you do that to her or me.”  Rom raised an eyebrow, and shook his head, crossing his arms.

“Fine, just promise me that you don’t ever hurt my sister either,” Rom replied letting up a little, “Hurt will come eventually.  I would rather die saving a friend then die of old age.”  Bert shook his head happier at what Rom had said, but not completely content.

“We aren’t old enough to be thinking of death already,” Bert replied slightly smiling.  Rom looked back at him, glaring as if about to kill.  However after a second Rom dropped the glare and sighed.

“Jules had to.  How do we know we’re not next?” Rom replied fiercely. 

“We’ll talk about this later,” Bert replied gruffly.  They both looked forward at the black sea of darkness in this large room.  A light from below, in a depression and on a wooden stage, lit up revealing two people, a man and a woman.  The two white clad men watched intently at the expressions and words the two would use. 

“Julius Xavier Blake,” a loud voice boomed, in a monotone as if a computer was saying these words, “You have been convicted of murder of a one Johnathan Charles Steward.  Lianna Elle Blake, you are the attachment of Julius Xavier Blake.  How do you plead?”  The man stepped forward, most likely being Julius.  Rom closed his eyes, hoping the man would say what he was thinking.

“We plead guilty,” Julius replied in a hardened toned, looking up at the crowd, at a man in the distance.  A grumble rang through the crowd.  Almost no one expected this, except the two white wearers.  Rom let his head hang down; eyes nearly in tears, but his will forced them back.

“Then according to Ordinance 12, your death is certain.  You have five minutes to give your last words, Julius and Lianna Blake,” the monotone voiced replied mechanically.  For the first minute, the two just stood still and silent.  Rom looked as if he were about to burst out.  Bert kept a steady gaze at the two in the middle, even if he could not see them. 

“Friends, family, enemies,” Julius began finally after a minute of complete silence, “We know what is about to happen is entirely our fault.  If we had not pleaded guilty, we might have been spared.  However, we chose not that route since it would cause more pain to the ones we love.  After our death, peace will not come as your fearless leader promises, only more pain.  We would not be here today without each and every one of us.  Romulus, Bertram, Lyla, Johnny, Dame, and I never believed any of this would come true.  It was a dream of six teenagers.  I believe that the phrase, be careful for what you wish for, applies to this situation.  We should not have even come and started everything up here.  I will miss all of you, but most of all I will pity you, because you will still be living.  Living sometimes seems to be the ultimate punishment for us all, and finally my wife and I can escape from that torture and ascend unto the afterlife.  Good-bye Lyla Washington, Romulus Bryan, Bertram Vengence, and Damien Malatesta.  While we didn’t see eye to eye sometimes, I still love you all, no matter what you have done, or will do.  We were a family, a family that will live on forever, no matter what happens to me, or any of you.  We’ll see you again in the afterlife.” 

Rom looked up at the two figures but couldn’t keep the gaze and looked back down.  Bert continued his stone gaze, most likely holding everything to release it later.  The woman, Lianna, stepped forward, her long golden hair bouncing off her narrow shoulders.  Her beautiful hazel eyes were surrounded by large puffy red circles probably because she had been crying.

“We just want to rest finally.  We don’t wish to leave you in the chaos that will erupt, but we have no choice at this point,” Lianna piped up, “All I want is for Vance to grow up a normal life, away from here until deemed necessary.  Not before school age, under no circumstances before he turns 13, please. That is all I want.  As my dying wish, please.”  With this statement, she seemed to stare straight at Rom, who was looking up at her.

It was then that a blue beam of light shot from the crowd.  Rom closed his eyes, and then opened them.  In the light, the faint glint of Julius’ bright blue sapphire eyes could be made out near the smudge of a black spot of which was his hair.  Blue lighting seemed to ripple through the pair of bodies as if making sure that both were dead.  Such an abhorrent way to die, but it was the way of them, or a good half of them.  A man not too far way stood up, muttering a few words and seemed to throw a ball of light at the roof.  A small pedestal stood near where Julius and Lianna rested, surrounded by a large flat stage.  Around the stage, on all sides, wooden chairs one might find in an auditorium lined up in slightly curved rows, breaking in a couple of places for the aisles. 

Rom remained seated, placing his palms on his eyes as the people from his row scooted by him.  Soon the coliseum was empty except for Rom, Bert, and a sandy haired man sitting at the top of the coliseum.  Bert simply stared at the middle of the coliseum, unblinking and motionless.  The man from the top walked forward slowly, down the steps.  Bert remained unmoving until the man made his way to where he was next to the two of them.

“Could you tell us why now, Dame?” Bert said barely moving his lips.  Before the man before them could reply, however, Rom stood up quickly clenching his hand. 

“I knew you couldn’t be trusted,” Rom muttered jabbing Dame in the nose.  A steady stream of blood spilled from Dame’s nostril as he recovered from the hit.  Instead of retaliating, Dame simply turned around as if to walk away from the pair.  Bert quickly grabbed Romulus’ hands as to avoid Rom from repeated the hit. 

“That is for me to know, and you to never find out,” Dame replied with a tone of malice answering Betram’s question and wiping the blood from his nose, “I wanted to warn you, be careful, or you might be next.  Poor Lyla.  What will she say when she finds out her own little Rommie-boy is gone?  Romulus, Bertram I bid you good-bye.  I don’t want you to have to go next, I still consider you two good friends.  The hurt of your friends’ passing will soon dissipate, and you’ll understand with time.  Julius truly killed Johnny.”  Damien smiled wickedly, though the two other men could not see the smile, and began to leave.  Rom peered back at where the two bodies were supposed to be, but neither Julius nor Lianna’s body remained.  Rom looked back from where the now empty stage was to the sandy haired man, now ambling away near the exit.

“Then so be it,” Rom shouted, struggling against the grip of Bertram, “Kill me then!  Why don’t you?  It would make life a whole heck of a lot easier!”  Dame chuckled to himself as he continued out of the coliseum, with no reply or any hesitation before he left the coliseum.  Rom closed his eyes and kicked the seat he had sat on extremely hard, slightly breaking the chair.

“Calm down Rom, let’s just go for now.  The Council needs to be brought up to date on this, only they will grant Lianna’s last wish, and they might not since she was convict a traitor,” Bert said gruffly relinquishing his grip on Rom who then fell to the ground on his knees as if he felt defeated.

“If they don’t, I will take the boy and run off with him to fulfill her wish,” Rom fiercely replied looking up at the roof.

“Yes, yes, that’s all fine and dandy, but before you go and do something rash, let’s consult the council first.  Really Vance Bryan doesn’t sound right,” Bert replied slightly pulling Romulus up and walked him up the steps to the door. 

“They don’t know how important the boy is,” Rom growled, “If they only knew…”