Clarity

P R O L O U G E

The rain had just begun to slow into a calm drizzle, the once haphazard pelts of torrential translucent salt stricken liquid, now transitioning into soft pitter-patters upon the warn down and rust stricken yellow-brown vehicle. The once bright flare like a light hidden within the sign, now a flickering dying buzz of life and color, a shell of what it once was just showing the relentless years the strong beacon of light had harbored its purpose, the onyx black colored stickers of the sign, slightly chipping away at the sides as a result of years of weather filled ambushes; Taxi, it read.

The off white, broken and stretched leather looked almost like tired old skin beaten in by years and years of different people's stories. The polished dark hardwood of the handles and borders slowly chipping and splintering around most areas clearly due to fearful hard grips and overflowing bags of which contents are unknown, the occasional splatter of an unidentifiable colored stain proof of that. The occasional bolted screw littered the roof arch as evidence the little cabby had once had a clear border separating the driver from the other occupants, the windows covered in the dew of the rain outside locking its contents from entering the cabin of the old taxi, the inside blurred and steam ridden as the result of the closed-off windows keeping the humidly warm air within the dimly lite five-seater car, by now the sun was just setting creating an eerily glow within the cabin of the cab.

The man driving the old rust bucket, rickety, unstable death trap was not much different to the old motor car, both sharing the time aged look as a result of the relentless years of service, the man had thick lines of anger, worry, and laughter wrinkles adorning his cheeks and forehead which would crinkle and become more prominent as the man would scowl or glare ahead, a mop of frazzled snow-white hair scraped across his head sporting a matching grey streaked beard as if they were a matching set. He had a long bony nose only slightly crooked as if it had been broken and fixed multiple times throughout the years, attached to that were two very bushy eyebrows that seemed to be oh so naturally shaped, which so many girls would die for, and just under them wear two piercing dark brown almost black beady eyes that were hidden behind short stubby lashes, never fully revealing the man's eyes in full as he was always to busy squinting and narrowing every time he was honked or overtook. Closer up the man seemed slightly younger, the late 50s at least, but the tension he held between his shoulders and along his back made his hunched back straighten making him appear angry.

The young female was too nervous to engage in any sort of conversation with the older male, her long curly masses of browny blonde streaked hair bobbing side to side across the young teen's shoulders as she began shaking the fear off the thought of her angering the man and making him snap to the point he asks her to get out the old vehicle in a place she most definitely isn't familiar with, her mismatched eyes squinted making her full eyebrows scrunch up lightly brushing her long black lashes. After all, the only thing the man said when she got in straight from the airport waiting area was a gruff grunt and a sharp nod as she told him their desired destination, he then just snapped his head to the front as if to try and ignore the presence.

The road they had now just slowly begun to clamber up started to grow and become unsteady as the rocky hilt that leads up into another hilt between two hills like mountains in the middle of no were The last hour or two of daylight seeping into the warm cabin, making the girl close her eyes and let the warm rays wash across her smooth milky, freckle dusted skin, her straight white teeth becoming more visible as her rosy-colored plush lips drew up in the corners as she basked in the remnants of the light, she felt like a movement beside her as she glanced her younger female companion eyes began to flutter gently open as her light glacial blue eyes adjusted to the only familiar presence nearby. Her long thick chocolate-colored hair cascading down her back in barrel like movements from side to side as she slowly raised her head and cyan like eyes to meet the big doe-like heterochromia eyes of her elder sister, her four foot nothing becoming now completely noticeable as the young female found herself glancing up at her sisters five foot seven sitting form, her dainty head quickly swinging her small head around in search of her favored stuffed plushy the small spriggit insisted to carry with her at all times, "Emi, have you seen Mr. lazy I can't see him anywhere and I'm sure he was on my lap before I went asleep!", the young child's chirpy voice dimmed as she began pouting, but remaining in search of the ocean blue octopus, " Koko, its been with me since you fell face first asleep on my knees lazy bones", the teens melodic and highly amused voice rang.

"Oh!, can I have him back please he needs his blanket..."- after slight one sided conversing with the stuffed toy the girls eyes dart to the elder female- " ... he would also like to know when we're getting there because he needs to go pee badly even though we did when we got off the plane!", the girl's voice going higher in desperation. The big man now slowly coming to a stop in front of two overly sized larger gates. "as far as I go", the thick German accent of the man was heard over all the chaos in the back, the two females glanced ahead at the sealed old rusted gates, " I suppose you could say we're here then?"; Not. Said the Smiling girl.

Once all the bags were finally pulled out of the trunk of the little yellow cab, with great difficulty on the smaller forms part, the mass of objects pulled together surprising the elder girl how they managed to all fit all the contents which consisted of two matte black medium-sized suitcases for the elder female with a matching backpack on top and a small messenger bag the others being two small suitcases both neon orange and three bags all curtsey of the small energetic brunette.

The taxi having just zoomed off, the tires leaving a big trail of brown and sand-covered dirt in its wake and the smell of burning rubber, and the taste of carbon that was fired out the exhaust like a bomb of black colored smoke, "Emi, it's gone dark now can we please hurry up, Mr.lazy is scared of the dark." ; with that the gates screeched to life as they opened on the other side by a small but lanky form, "ahh Mistress Emmalyn, and Mistress Korel I presume, let me collect your bags. Oh and welcome to Harding Manor!"