Prologue
The year was 2160 and the world had went to complete chaos after the third world war. Once America fell, Americans fled to Europe, where, once again, we were ruled over by a king and queen. People avoid speaking of the war, the ones who do speak of it are completely mad, they speak of blood draining monsters called "night flashers." Those who spoke of the "night flashers" would disappear within 24 hours, never to be seen again.
With us being ruled by a king and queen again, time seemed to have rewind itself, all technology had been destroyed, women's clothing had went back to tight corseted dresses, and our manners and ways that were once so bitter and free, were now put on lock.
I never quite understood what my mother had meant when she told me, "You must be a well mannered girl to survive in this world." All I remember is looking at her and asking "Why?" She just looked at me, her dark brown hair blowing in the wind, small strands of hair gently caressing her face, and her saying, "It's how us humans survive." But why, why did we need fancy dresses that made our insides squeeze together and suffocate us, and what did she mean its how us "humans" survive? Why did we need to act so polite and well mannered? Why did all the women have to be married at such a young age?
Now as a young woman of 19, I now understand. I had never paid any attention to the strange men and women that lurked around in the dark on Sunday afternoons after mass. I did ask about them, once, my mother had lectured me about being a good girl, and being respectful, that night. I had never thought of our neighbors slow disappearances, I just thought they moved away, but what would you expect from a child, they're so care free and delicate, so pure. Today was my nineteenth birthday, and today would be the day I realized what was going on in my small yet so big world.
