Prologue

It was a dark night when this tale begins. The moon was high in the partly cloudy sky. The street was grungy, and had the shimmer a street gets after a rain. The old storefronts and apartments were close together and worn down. The streetlights glowed feebly. All was quiet, until a loud crack split the silence.

Out of nowhere, a woman in long robes appeared on the street, as if she was born from the sound itself. It was odd, her choice of apparel. It was a warm summers night, and slightly humid after the rain earlier in the afternoon. But despite this, she wore long robes and a cloak, as if it were December, not May. She looked down quickly at the bundle she held in her arms. She briefly touched the bundle, but then shook her head and took off at a quick stride down the street with a sense of urgency. Another crack filled the silence and a man appeared. He was dressed as oddly as the woman, in a cloak and robes. He looked down the street, saw the woman, and quickly went after her. "Wait!"

Upon hearing him, she only quickened her pace, but the man caught up to her, and grabbed her shoulders. She glares at him and jerked herself free, but did not attempt to move. They stood there for what seemed like hours, having a silent standoff. Finally, the man broke the silence.

"Please Maria. Don't do this," he pleaded.

"I have to. We discussed this." She tried to shoulder her way past him but he grabbed her and put her back. "Michael!"

"Are you sure about this, Maria? What if you are wrong? You know the future isn't an exact method-"

"My visions have never failed me before," Maria snapped. Michael blinked and stepped back a bit, as though he had been slapped. He sighed and looked down. "I know your visions. But this is different. My only child-"

Maria sighed. "She is my child as well Michael. But I know what I saw. If she stays with us, she will rule Europe with fear and pain. She will be something the world has never seen. She will make my brother look like a kind, considerate boy. This is the Gaunt family curse. Madness. Evil. Cunning. Power. You know it as well as I,"

His shoulders slumped forward in obvious defeat. "Yes. I know."

Maria put her hand on his shoulder. "She may do differently if she is not near any of this. Not to mention; he is looking for her. He wants to use her. She is already very powerful."

Michael only nodded. Maria walked past him and looked down upon the baby she held in her arms. Micheal followed and they walked to the end of the street to an ominous looking building. It had a huge iron gate and a large fence. It was a large building with many small windows. Saint Mary's Orphanage.

The woman looked down upon her sleeping baby and kissed her forehead. Stepping inside the gate, she laid the baby down on the stairs and quickly banged on the door. Two cracks filled the silence and the Maria and Michael disappeared into the darkness, leaving behind their wailing baby girl.