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Melusine Galilei
May 1st, 2002, 01:20:25 PM
Her feet moved carefully, one in front of the other as the thn albino felt the cold, rusted metal of the railing press against her toes. Her arms were stretched out at her sides in attempt to keep her balance, body only faltering slightly. A cool breeze wipped through her hair, sending pale locks twisting in the air like miniature snakes and feathers. She could taste the air's crisp moisture and sighed regrettingly at the sign of rain. Her head lift to the sky, and although her clouded pupils could not see them, she could sense the heavy clouds that were lazily gathering. She never much cared what the weather was. It could have been hail crashing down on her frail body instead of the tiny tear-drops of rain, and she would have stayed outside. But she knew her grandmother would be shouting out fto gather her indoors the moment she heard the rain.

"Come in, child... Before you catch your death of cold"

Melusine growled lightly at the familiar voice meeting its cue.

"Melu? Where are you, y'foolish girl?" The voice was drowned in a heavy accent that she herself only had a touch of.

Her foot touched lightly over the wet metal as she gave a small spin to taunt the elderly woman's worries. She could already feel her hair slicked over her cheeks and head, as well as her dress clinging to her otherwise-bare skin. Melu' hopped down onto the small balcony and stretched a bit before moving to the house.

Without warning, a series of rattles and crashes came from within the house. The stench of gunpowder waft through the air, drifting into the wetness. And a seering pain of cut and charred flesh struck her arm. Her body froze as the girl listened through a shattered window, into the aristocratic bedroom of her grandmother's. Dread was already knotting her stomach several times over, sending a sour taste to her mouth. She could hear and sense someone rumaging through her grandmother's chests and jewelry boxes in a clumsy fashion. As much as she wanted to believe that it was her grandmother, there was little hope. A whimper left her mouth.

A few muffled curses struck the air before the person seemed to disappear from the room and run quickly down the steps. After what seemed to be an eternity of waiting, Melusine creapt through the window, seeming now like little more than a hole in a large tree, wood and glass poking out at ackward angles.

"Grand Mama?" Her voice was wavering with fear, seering tears hovering under her eyelids. She whimpered the name again before feeling her wet feet hit the soft, warm texture of her grandmother's silk robe. She knelt and gathered the bloody body in her arms, longing for even the smallest sign of life. It was a useless hope, though... As she knew. She was alone..