Skeletons of the Past: Chapter I

Collection: the Halleaux
Chronicled by Ghasty

​A young woman walked through the dunes of a seemingly endless desert. She wore an olive dress with a matching petticoat and corset. She had fair skin and hazel eyes. She had long, wavy, black hair. A feminine top hat with a violet attached sat askew on her head. A tattoo of a Minoan labrys could be seen on her inner left wrist. A revolver was holstered on her left side. On her right side was a sheath which held a silver rapier. A pair of goggles were around her neck. A duffle bag was slung over her back. The woman was wearing all of these things while walking through the brutal midday heat. The heat became too much for her and she fainted.

Another young woman found the unconscious woman as she was driving past. This woman was wearing a black shirt and black skinny jeans with tears in them. A flannel shirt was tied around her waist. She had bronzed skin and emerald green eyes. A pendant of the letter λ could be seen around her neck. She was wearing a violet behind her right ear, which was partially obscured by her hair. Her hair was long chestnut brown hair. A black newsboy cap adorned her head. In the seat next to her was a rifle loaded with a type of ammunition known as an Aeon Dart. She was much more suited for the desert heat than the other woman. The woman in black turned off her vehicle and ran to the unconscious woman. The woman in black picked up the unconscious woman and loaded her into the back of her vehicle. She stripped a piece of the woman's petticoat off and moistened it with a nearby canteen's water. She laid this strip of petticoat over the unconscious woman's forehead. The woman in black then closed the back door and moved to the front of the car and got in. She then drove to get help. Ten minutes later they arrived at Roanoke, the home of the Haven Rebellion. The woman in black carried the unconscious woman hurriedly to a cot on the other side of the vehicle garage. This garage was also used as an infirmary in times of need. She placed the unconscious woman upon the cot and a doctor came and took care of her. The woman in black walked out of the garage and went to her bunk located in the second barrack. The two barracks had been separated by gender for obvious reasons. These two barracks were also located on separate floors. The barracks contained many bunks, along with footlockers and restrooms at the far ends. The woman in black had a bunk near the entrance to the barrack. She was sitting on this bunk reading when a young man approached her. She looked up expecting to see the doctor. This man wore a black corduroy suit with a black top hat. Goggles were around his hat. A blue feather was held in place by the band of the goggles. He had fair skin and blue-gray eyes. He had short copper-colored hair which was mostly hidden underneath his hat. A dark blue handkerchief was tied around his neck with the knot partially facing his right. He had a sheath at his right side which held a silver saber. He had a small French flintlock pistol loaded with the same darts tucked into the inside of his suit. Overall, this person looked very different from the doctor she had expected.
"Lacea, is everything okay?" the young man asked, "you weren't in the mess hall."
"Eoin, I'm fine," Lacea said, “you can go now.”
“Obviously you’re not fine, and I’m not leaving until you tell me.”
“You’re going to be here a while then,” Lacea said as she looked down and continued to read her book. Eoin walked to the bunk and sat next to her. She read and he sat in silence for fifteen minutes before the silence was broken.
"You're very adamant about this, aren't you?" Lacea said.
"Very," Eoin replied.
"Let us see how adamant you are," Lacea said as she returned to her reading. She would occasionally look up from her book to see if he was there, and he always was. The silence was once again broken, but not by either of them. The doctor from the approached Lacea.
"She should be waking soon," the doctor said, "you can come and wait."
"Thank you," Lacea said. Lacea set the book down and stood up. She was walking out of the door when Eoin called out.
"Who's waking?" Eoin asked.
"Somebody I rescued," she said as she left. Eoin stood up to follow her.
"Didn't you say you wouldn't leave until I tell you what's wrong?" Lacea called out from down the hall. Eoin sat back down again. He picked up her book and began to read it. He read a few sentences before he set it back down. He then stood up and ran to catch up with Lacea. Lacea and Eoin arrived at the garage and walked in to see her still unconscious. They sat down in two chairs near the cot and waited.
"Apparently you weren't that adamant about me telling you," Lacea said turning to Eoin. Eoin ignored this comment. Lacea had been hoping to get some response from him but to no avail. The woman began to stir and the two sat up. The woman slowly began to sit up. She looked at herself and then the room in confusion.
"Where am I, where are my possessions, and who are you two?" she said to Lacea and Eoin.
"You are in the Roanoke garage. The rest of your clothes are in my vehicle," Lacea said, "also, I'm Lacea and this is Eoin."
"What happened to me?" the woman said.
"Heat stroke. You weren't prepared for wandering through the desert," Lacea said.
"Well, you two told me your names, so I might as well tell you mine," the woman said, "my name is Melody."
"I just realized I should get your stuff," Lacea said as she stood up and walked to her car. Eoin left soon after without saying a word. Lacea retrieved Melody’s bag from her car. She then brought the bag to Melody.
“I should probably set up a bunk and footlocker for you. I’ll go ahead and take your bag with me,” Lacea said before leaving the garage. Melody was once again left alone. A different young woman walked into the garage while looking surprised.
“Who are you,” the young woman said.