Queen Mirabella Odetta Fleur Arceneaux of France was only a day shy of eighteen when she took the crown and began to rule her own kingdom. She was an only child, something that her father never let her forget was not the intended. The former King blamed his wife for the lack of children and male heir, even if all the medical technology in the world told him other wise. Mira was seven when her mother died of unknown causes, and her father married her stepmother not but a few months after her death. The young stepmother, Angelina, had been unable to win over the country like Mira's mother had. It led to a bit of a revolt, leaving Angelina bitter and without a crown, even if she had a royal ring on her finger. The revolt caused a civil war in their country, and her father was eventually killed in battle. It came as no surprise. Mira knew that the country was falling apart and it was about time that her father would go down along with it. However, she
was surprised when she was approached with documents that stated her stepmother had not been officially Queen after her marriage to Mira's father, leaving Mira as the Queen of France at a very young age.
Two years later, at the ripe age of twenty, Mira was boarding a plane to Russia. It was not her idea to attend the party of the Russians, but her court had been complaining about her lack of socializing since she had been given the crown. She was still unwed, and no matter how good of a Queen she was, (she ended the war and was starting to create a sense of peace in France that had been missing since Mira's mother had been alive) the kingdom still wanted to see her marry, give the kingdom a King, and have children. She was told that many nobles from all over would be at the party, and while she should be excited about the prospect of handsome men falling at her feet, she really just wanted to be at home with a good book. She
hated parties.
"My Queen, we have landed," Rosetta, Mira's lady in waiting, announced. Mira groaned and looked out the window with a pout, her youth displayed in her expression
Salem Winchester was walking along the beach with his dog, his jacket wrapped around him in order to shield him from the chill in the air. He just needed a break; some time to think. He should be at home. He knew that. However, there were times when he felt like he was going to explode. That if he got one more dirty look at the supermarket, he was going to jump someone. And if Jeremy didn't get off his ass soon, he might kill him. And if he got called up to the school
one more time because the twins got in a fight again... He let out a sigh, trying to calm himself down. It wasn't their fault that their lives were so fucked up.
See, when Salem was five, his father married Laura Benson and adopted her five year old son, Jeremy, making him Salem's knew step brother. They were young, but they already hated each other. They were absolute, polar opposites. Their parents were in love though, and that meant that they didn't get one, not two, not three... but five new brothers with time. There was Carter, who was eight years younger that them and a senior in high school, and there was Kendal, who was a sophomore. Then there were the twins, Oliver and Rocko, who were in junior high. Just a year younger than the twins was shy little Felix. They fought constantly, they were always getting in trouble... But Salem loved them all.
Five years ago, when Salem was at college studying journalism (and at the ripe age of 21) he got a phone call saying that his parents had been in a car wreck. They did not make it, but all the boys were fine. Of course, Salem was heartbroken, and he packed all of his things, quit college, got a job, and went home to take care of his brothers. The large house that they lived in back home was too expensive, and they had to move to the town they lived in now. Salem put his money and the insurance money together to by a large, Victorian style house that was dirt cheap because of all the work that needed to be put into it. It looked terrible, and even five years later, it was a bit of an eye sore. However, the new town gave the boys a fresh start after the tragedy.
These days, Salem was working long hours at night and taking care of the kids during the day. They were looked down upon in the small little town. Not only were they the ones who owned the big, nasty house in the middle of town that they wanted tore down, but they were a huge dysfunctional family that was filled with misbehaving boys. Salem was too busy to give a shit though. He had a job at a warehouse at night where he did a lot of heavy lifting and stocking, then he had a little job at the town's newspaper, trying to pursue his dream, even if it was no use.
While walking down the beach and trying to get his head straight, he noticed something... A person, maybe? They were just laying there... And while Salem really didn't need to be involved in any kind of murder mystery, he didn't have much choice. The dog was already trotting up to the person laying there. "Dammit, Harry," he grumbled, moving over to the person laying there. He peered down... God, the girl was a pretty little thing. Wait, was she breathing?
Quickly, Salem knelt down and scooped the girl up, wrapping his own jacket around her cold, wet body. He shook her a little, hoping she might wake up and he could just take her to the hospital. "Hey," he murmured, "Hello? Can you... Can you tell me you name?"