{ HIATUS }
Y/N Clover had spent most of her childhood receiving education inside of her home but by the summer of her coming 10th birthday, she was forced to attend a public school, one known in Gavaldon for its prestigious success of graduates. But...
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There was a cool breeze that swept past the open curtains of a dimly decorated room. It lingered in the air, its essence known, and it carried a lightness to it- cold and warm all at once. It was soft, carrying the familiar scent of the summer before leaves would begin to descend, signaling the upcoming season of fall.
"It's cold," she said to herself as she suddenly shivered. The girl raised herself from the worn couch, the cushions squeaking without her weight. She made her way past the halls towards her room, rubbing her hands together as she blew into them.
The paint of the walls were dry and old, it's color beginning to fade and dull as it revealed empty cracks in the walls to which the family had grown to recognize but were too lazy to do anything about it. The family has tried to cover it up with black curtains, hoping that the color would bring attention towards the view outside- it never worked.
Along the small hallway, there places were three rooms and a single bathroom, which seemed perfect for a small tiny family, such as her friends. The only issue was, her family was quite on the bigger side, consisting of five children and two adults. She only had the social norms to blame, as women were still pressured to have as many kids as possible. This may or may not have been tied to the fact that children were kidnapped.
Gavaldon, a small village with a flying rumor of a "no way out" situation had a constant kidnapping spree. Her mother, being quite the gossiper she was- as there was nothing much to do in this village, had always explained to her about the situations that took place.
"I heard The Elders are ordering a search party for the two kidnapped children. Oralie must be devastated that her son is gone! Adolf on the other hand, well he must've been glad his daughter was taken! I heard that she tried to cut off his..."
Or
"Once you're ripe, marry as soon as you can. You know what will happen if you fail... they'll toss you out and claim you as a witch! Be it wed or be burned at the stake!"
She shuddered at the thought. Who knew that a small village such as this would be so strict when it came to marriage. If a man had not wed before he was ripened and young, the Elders would've taken pity on the poor lad and offer him a wife. And if that wasn't the case, then they'd find a way to excuse him from their rules. Women were always subjected and powerless against those stereotypical attributes. She hated it.
Maybe that's why the first victim was a woman...
The first kidnappings happened two hundred years before. Some years it was two boys taken, some years two girls, sometimes one of each. The ages were just as fickle; one could be sixteen, the other fourteen, or both just turned twelve. But if at first the choices seemed random, soon the pattern became clear. One was always beautiful and good, the child every parent wanted as their own. The other was homely and odd, an outcast from birth. An opposing pair, plucked from youth and spirited away.
