A torn and tattered photo in a cloth photo book falling apart on a table laid flat, one of them was a small worker being pushed to the front taken with his foot in the air. All five of the workers wore a cap, vest, and black slacks.
He sits there reminiscing pictures in his little book of memories.
Alex had a sister of ten years old, he was almost eighteen looking for a more stable job for his family to survive off of. He went to get a work consultation where he was told how in the rolling mill would often get burnt legs when asking about uniforms. He would have to wear pants made of leather for protection.
He learned he would have to live on the premises to be sure he was on time, he would be lucky if he got half a day off a working week of the sixty hours he would have to endure. Alex watched as children ran by him on the street listening to the man's explanations.
Learning his life would be hard he accepted the dangerous conditions in which he would be partaking most likely the rest of his existence. Another potential employee stood behind him much younger, at least fifteen in age.
Both taking notice of their expectations on hand, they will do a variety of work in the steel mill.
"You will both start tomorrow." The man states.
Alex strolls through town back to his small house to be met by his mother who had just gotten done with cooking for the day about to consume without him.
"Ma, Jameson gave me the job," Alex said.
"Wonderful, come eat a little before you pack Darlin." She replied.
Pulling up his seat he sits by his sister who has just washed up for the main meal of the day, the door opens to a skinny man covered in black soot.
"How is my lovely family today?" The man shouts happily.
"Good pa! Eat up and rest before returning!" The little girl said.
"Anne mind your elbows!" The elderly woman shouted.
Anne takes her elbows off picking at the food on her plate, a sooted man who wipes an abundance of the ash away before finally sitting down to the meal in front of him.
"You spoke to Jameson?" The lanky man asked.
Alex nods silently eating his serving, his sister playing with a peg-cloth doll letting it dance up and down the table between each chew in her mouth. Finishing first Alex takes his plate to the sink washing up.
Trudging up the creaky steps he walks into his shared bedroom meant to be split with his sister. One bed between them both and a threadbare blanket sits on the bed neatly folded. He would bring out a wool bag to pack the little necessities he had.
Quickly he would bundle his clothing away tying them off with a simple knot. Jogging back down the steps to find everyone done and gone except his little sister who stayed at the table. He would quietly kiss her forehead.
"Ma told me you are leaving for the workhouse," Anne stated.
"I am…we will see each other on holidays. I will make sure to bring you something nice from time to time!" Alex answered.
"Okay, I love you, Alex!" Anne shouted.
"I love you too Anne, I will see you later."
He departs making his way back down to the workhouse trailing after other boys he knew on the streets. A group of them crowd together walking with Alex on his journey to his new permanent life working a job that boys often fear for their life.
"Alex, aren't you scared?" A soft voice said.
"Oh, Rosalie!" Alex shouted.
Rosalie had an oval face, her long brown hair hung loosely in locks over her shoulders in curls. She wore a long simple light blue cotton dress.
"I heard about men slipping on the floors due to the steel heating up or they get too tired during their shifts causing injuries." Rosalie illustrated.
"We were warned of the dangers already Rosalie, stop trying to scare me!" Alex snapped.
She smiled, turning away from Alex. He continues on his way trying to not listen to Rosalie always on her best to get a rise out of him since they were younger.
"What if I am truly worried about you?" Rosalie scolded.
"Don't be silly!" Alex argued.
A scream from the alleyway could be heard, Rosalie took my hand twisting the other way. Alex stays put, knocking her fingers away from his. He darts for where the screams could be heard.
The pathway was extremely narrow, Alex had to drop his clothing to the dingy concrete to squeeze through the pathway. Nimble on his feet he bolts toward the shadowy figure to find a dirty shabby man hunched over.
His yellow-white hair was a mess on his head, a sword at his hip, and a burlap sack as clothing. The stranger's amber eyes glowed deep into the darkness and muddy streets. Dropping the body of another onto the ground the thing lurches gradually toward Alex with blood and saliva dripping from his mouth.
Terrified Alex rams into the intruder striking him down, it was like kicking a bag of bones easily subdued. Sitting on top of the outsider Alex jumps to his feet laughing.
"Alex lookout!" Rosalie yelled.
The unusual wanderer bit into Alex's arm drawing blood through his clothing, he wails out.
"The blood of a true leader…" The man said, licking his lips.
His raspy voice, his crooked smile soon subsided. His skin healed. He soon grew more handsome by the minute, by the second, his amber eyes burned to arch his back in pain howling like an unseen creature.
Rosalie held tight to Alex watching the man who once looked like a mummified corpse to a human. He glided across the floor with speed seizing Alex from Rosalie's arms plunging his fangs into the young adult's neck catching him in his arms.
Tossing an unconscious Alex over his shoulder, the man clutches Rosalie's hand. She struggles to remove herself from his iron grip.
"Don't fight this!" The unknown man chided.
"Who are you?" She asked.
"You must be worth something…" He whispered to himself.
"You are going to sell me?" Rosalie shouted.
"You will be fine…look into my eyes woman!" He said in a soft voice.
Rosalie refused to give him what he wanted, the man snatched her face up in his fingers squeezing her jaw hard as he could. She kept her eyes closed, Alex's body trembled, his crimson fluid dribbled down the man's threads.
"Rosa–lie…" Alex muttered.
"You can speak? Impressive!" The man exclaimed.
He slammed the boy into the wall using every single ounce of strength he had, Alex grunted out in agony. He goes limp no longer making any more comments.
"Alex…don't hurt him anymore please!" Rosalie begged.
"Come or I will kill him then." The man threatened.
"Yes…"
Traveling through the town together after nightfall, Rosalie finds he is taking her to the docks, looking out at the abundance of fishing boats she becomes afraid of the fog rolling off the top of the water.
"We're not taking a boat, I need to check something…" He stated.
Lifting a large rock on the shore a small cotton bag tied up was found, the stranger placed coins he had on his person under the crevice afterward. Setting Alex down, he opened the small satchel taking out a thin gem-like stone placing it in his mouth.
"Boy, you need to chew!" He scolded.
"You literally beat the shit out of him and now you are acting like he is conscious enough to eat your suspicious foods?" Rosalie criticized.
He hands her the sliver from Alex's mouth, she takes it mildly disgusted, chewing it up. Bowing down slightly lifting his head to feed him to bits she ground up with her teeth. Handing her another piece she gulps it down.
"We wait here thirty minutes and then we must depart." He explained.
"Where are we going?" She asked.
"To the world of fae beyond the veil." The man said softly.
"Fae? They exist?" Rosalie gulped.
"You won't be coming back Rosalie I promise." He smiled.
"No! No please, I have a family!" Rosalie pleaded.
Feeling even a little of Alex's wrist she becomes distressed automatically by the heat coming off his body produced from the production of the crystal on the physique.
"There is something in you lingering?" He asked.
"I mean who just bails their family?" Rosalie shouted.
He lays his palm on Rosalie's forehead, a red wave echoes out crimson sand making this new world visible to her. With a couple of flashes of light, Rosalie finds herself in a gorgeous green field filled with flowers of white and red. Above a large blue sky where two suns hang above them glaring into her eyes.
The man manifests without Alex in hand with a look of worry on his face.
"Where is Alex?" She inquired.
"I will be back in a moment, he isn't reacting to the crystal for some reason…"
He faded out leaving Rosalie in a large garden outside of the world she came from, it felt like an impossible dream for a poor Victorian woman let alone be escorted by someone of the male gender.
A small smile appears on her face, a new sense of relief she could not explain tingled in her hands and toes. She laughs, stretching her hands towards her new fate in an unsure horizon, one she hopes is less suffering.
"Alex…are we free?"