Open Gate Prison

I suppose the best place to start is the begining. You know, how it all started?

It was me and the girls. My mom and cousin to be exact.

She was only 12...

My baby cousin, Lenne, turned 12 that night. It was her birthday, and me and mom wanted to do something special for her.

"We never do anything for Lenne. Come on Haley. "
"Mom, its too dangerous. The plaza at night? Its like you're asking for trouble."
"You can bring the whip. I'll have the dagger. We'll be fine."
"Mom, you can barely use a butter knife on a cutting board."
"Haley, calm down. We'll grab a small cake and some streamers at the store, and we'll be back before you know it."
"....alright. But I'm taking my whip."

She was adorable in her little red dress and matching bow. It was her favorite.

We had picked up the little pink cake with a roll of white streamers. Lenne was skipping a few feet ahead of us, singing her favorite song.

"'cause I've got to be free...free to face the life, that's ahead of me."

Then, out of nowhere, 5 guys dressed in black with white paint on their faces cornered all three of us. In ridiculously unneccesary raspy voices, they whispered,

"Give us all of your shit, now, and nobody gets hurt."

Lenne screamed.

"Shut that little whore up!" the tall one yelled.

I grabbed the handle of my whip in a flash, only to be pushed from behind by one of the shorter fat men. My knees and face scraped the pavement, causing blood to scatter.

My mom tried to help me up, but to no avail. The average guy grabbed and yanked her hair, causing her to cry out in agony.

Her screams still haunt my nightmares...

"My god! Shut the hell up! Nobody can hear you. You might as well give up now. Give me everything. NOW!"

The last thing mom ever said went something like this.

"We will never give into you scum."

Then the man shot her.

The blow hit me, just as hard as the bullet hit her.

That man shot my mother.

A reality check woke me up as Lenne's screams pulled me back down to earth.

"Hey Joe, we have a squealer here." He chuckled demonicly.

Then I blacked out. He hit me over the head with a bat. I think. I don't remember...

But I do remember this much. I woke up with scabs on my face, my mom's lifeless body gone, and my cousin missing as well. The anger coursed through my body, along with the pain from the bruises as I stood up.

As the haze cleared from my eyes, I could examine the pavement around me. Dried blood was everywhere, and my whip was on the ground.

He used my whip...he used my whip to hurt Lenne.

"No, Lenne..." I whispered as I stumbled around.

I didn't even have time to grieve for my mother...I had to find Lenne. There was no telling what those vicious demons did to her.

White makeup, black clothes...That really narrowed it down.

One thing raced through my mind:

I would find Lenne, even if it killed me.