Nailed

Al'íza. Remember, Al'íza.

Wait.

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Go back a couple of pages.

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There. Stop there.

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Look.

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Her.

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She. She looks so familiar.

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I. I think.

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I think I know her.

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Can you.. May I... If I may can you let me ta.. take a closer look?

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Yes!

Yes. It's her!

I remember her. Quite well, I must say. Yes. I remember her very fondly, I do.

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Allliii...

Aaaallllliiiiiiii...

Ally? Alicia? No, that's not it. Ugh. Ummm.

Alisa? No. No. That's not it, either.

See, truth be told, we were never close. Hell, I don't think she even knew I existed until that last summer. I was almost a goner, and she saved me is all. I almost drowned.

On the far east side of the forrest, there was a small, naturally warm watering hole surrounded by moss, small trees, a couple big rocks, and this huge boulder that sat dead center of the oasis. Beach Bay is what we decided to call it, or The Bay for short. Sometimes, when the sun was nearing the top of the treeline, I'd make the journey from camp to see the world awake.There is where I saw her most times, from a distance.

Al'íza?

That's her name.

Al'íza De...

Al'íza Denise?

Yes. Al'íza Denise. I can hear her now.

Last name starts with E. Something, Something. Something, something. Reno. Entaŕeio. Queen Al'íza D. E in here..

Entaŕeio!

That's it. Such an odd name, but it fit her like a glove! Al'íza Denise Entaŕeiõ is her name. Well, was her name according to them.

If you believe the...stories, the word I should use is "stories" just to be on the safe side and try not to offend them. They are always listening. Waiting. Watching. Patiently on standby to completely destroy anyone or anything trying to get close. If you trust what they've told us about her, I should say, then you know it's true. She was so young. So strong. The entire village watched her as she blossomed into the warrior she became. We were there when she ran the village walls in one take! But, as I was saying, if you believe the stories, then you believe she was taken by an outsider.

How on earth, or in hell, could I ever forget about her? She was such a sight to see! There, colder than the winds that blew her in, stood extraordinary talent; a predominately right-handed vessel with more abilities in her left hand than most people possess in their entire body. It was magical to watch! A warm knife cutting into butter, how easy she did it all, and it made it all look.

As insane as it soundsbmagic is the only solution. Was then and is now as far as I'm concerned. It's the only explanation that could be logical. How could anybody forget something like that? Did you hear that name? With a name like that, you're bound to be powerful. Like out of this world, not from here at all, you're of powerful. This, and when I say I can not stress this enough, is NOT, I repeat, is NOT one of those moments in time where mass hysteria was the culprit. We all saw, but only a couple of us remember exactly what happened. They said something about it being top secret or something like that. All I know for sure is it wasn't natural, and nobody with good sense talks about it outside of their home. You never know what they might do if they find out you know.

Magic was awakened the day she wailed. That first holler right out the womb caused a shift nobody noticed... until we did. Insanity spiked! Unexplainable situations with only one person left conscious or alive at times, one crazy name for a crazy woman who was the tail of crazy, crazy things.

She was more than a tad bit off her rocker. The things she believed were some stuff that'll make you question your intelligence. Crazy is always going to be crazy. Al'íza proved that to be true, but she countered it as well. There's a thin line between genius and insanity is what they always told me. That girl tight-roped that line until the day she di...isappeaered in the forrest.

In all fairness, despite being completely mad, she was drop-dead gorgeous with a body to kill for. I guess that's why it would be so easy for everyone to just trust that she was taken from home. Out of the very forrest, she'd explored all her life.

If memory serves correct, she was 22. Maybe 23 the last I saw her. So, let's say for at least 15 years, Iza walked those lands alone. It was her safe space. At least 15 years of searching every inch possible only to get abducted by someone, from out of town, during their first visit to Livingston Village? Bullshit. Pure bullshit, but that's just my opinion.

Who am I to question them? Even with the hard core facts, I am no one. For example,

her body, let's just say, oh my, my, my... my, my, my ! I'm talking about curves from the heavens! God, Himself, had to be the only one who could have sculpted this woman. Everything was perfectly proportioned. Ass. Titties. Stomach. Waist! My lord, if only you could have seen her for yourself! She kept herself in shape year 'round! Toned. Fit. STRONGER THAN MOST MEN IN OUR VILLAGE!!! But she was taken, without much of a fight, nonetheless.

A picture can never do her justice. In person. You'd only understand if you could see her face to face. I mean, I'm not taking anything away from her photogenic capabilities. I promise I'm not trying to s**t on her pictures, but in person was just different. You'd understand my confusion.

Such a strong mind and body; a determined, dedicated soul, great personality, and she had real hair! Something had to be wrong with her! It's only right! There has to be one thing that made her human. One thing that made her appear to be merely human, at least.

Sterotypically speaking, without meeting her, off looks alone, you'd think she'd be a cold-hearted b***h. A woman who only dealt with the top-tier members of the village. One of the Councilmen of Livingston's arranged wives, or something along those lines. A woman that's fit to be the next Living S. Ton High-Priestest. She's so sexy on the outside. You just know that when the curtain closes and the lights go out, something unnaturally vicious is released. But...

She was a doll. God-made, packaged, and sent doll from Heaven blown in like the Grinch! She was not made to be in this realm! Her face, her skin, her shade of brown were all too perfect. There's no way she was anything less than a two-headed, fire-breathing dragon disguised as a woman. Some kind of succubus was sent here to monitor us until the time to kill struck. That would have been accepted alot more by them! However, imagination's detailed intrusive conclusions would, in turn, be the polar opposite of who Iza was.

She was as sweet as ever; kind, compassionate, and slow to anger. A complete breath of fresh air with mint leaves. Put her in a room full of people, and without a doubt, all elephants went out.

It's vexing! A bubbly cupcake unicorn was deceived and misdirected by some low life. She was so nieve about the ways of man. It's so crazy to think she could change this place. Change these people. These rules. Change, them.

To think, that same kindness, the willingness to go the extra mile for anyone who needed it would inevitably be the main motive. She's gone now because she wanted to make things better for everyone regardless of the rules.

The Rules of the Winter; the Rules of the Wind, of the Cold, of the Snow, the Ice, and of the Ghosts: Past, Present, and Past-Us were all set way before most of us natural bloodliners left alive were thought about. Centuries; many, many centuries ago, they were bestowed upon Livingston Village to control and dictate our ancestors from a distance, the real native people of this land. To each person who willingly abided, our most powerful leaders worked together to curse each bloodline for all of eternity. It protected them in a distant land and left us there to suffer. I was just a boy.

This curse, we'd still be facing today if it wasn't for one crazy, brave, tough yet feminine woman who decided to say yes to the challenge. A decision that started a chain of events none of us thought was possible. A myth, a tall tale, a bedtime story to encourage your little ones to keep fighting day to day, something; anything but an obtainable target goal, what's for sure. Not for one of us youngsters at the time or anyone we knew!

The warmest heart of the coldest athlete seen near these parts came on the wettest, wildest windstorm of '92. Truly a force to be reckoned with, baby Iz decided to come out and be heard! The seasoned nurses hired to deliver Mrs.Entaŕeio's baby girl all said the same things.

"I've never seen a baby born as red, fired-up, and loud as she was."

"Babies all come out different colors, ways, and volumes, yeah, sure, but there was something in her wail.Something different. It made something change that day."

"I felt the shift in the air as soon as she let out that blood curdling baby banshee scream."

"I think I saw the lights flicker. There's no wind inside of Entaŕeio Big HutTut!"

Word spread quickly around the village. Everyone within a ten mile radius reported they too heard the scream. That one inital scream, from a baby freshly pulled from her mother with the umbilical cord still attached, is an unforgettable phenomenon. For anyone to be born with such power is unheard of; to only fall victim to the very heart that made you superior, that very heart to become the soul cause of a sudden disappearance. A sudden disappearance that may just be a murderous act by them instead.