Miriam held tight to her husband as she pushed with all her strength. She could hear the nurses speaking words of encouragement, the midwife urging her to keep going, and her husband, the man she loved more than anything, whispering into her ear, saying that he loved her, saying that she could do it, holding her hand as tight as she was holding his.
This had to push through. She'd lost a child once, she wouldn't let it happen again, her fingers clutched the sheets tightly and she screamed as she gave one final push.
Then there was the crying, the most beautiful sound Miriam had ever heard, she breathed heavily and chuckled in between gasps of air.
She'd done it, she'd given birth, she had a child once again. She smiled, still breathing heavily as Logan kissed her on her cheek and whispered into her hair.
"He's here Mira, he's finally here," Logan said.
She smiled again and watched as the nurse brought their baby wrapped in a bundle of soft white cloth.
The bundle was warm and the baby wrapped in it was restless. Miriam felt love and care blossom within her heart as she took the baby in her arms, he was so small, so precious, his skin was like caramel, as brown as his father's and smooth to touch as Miriam brushed her hand against her baby's cheek.
"He's a special one," said the nurse with a smile on her face. "Though I've never seen a birthmark quite like that one before"
Miriam looked up from her baby at the nurse and Logan did the same.
"Birthmark where?" Logan asked.
"Right there on his chest" replied the nurse still smiling.
Miriam looked at her husband and their eyes met.
She could tell that he was thinking the same thing.
But could it be?
Miriam noticed the nurse looking at them strangely and smiled at her.
"Thank you, we would like to be alone, just for a while please" Miriam said.
The nurse nodded in understanding and then left with the others, turning back only once to let them know they weren't far if they were needed.
Miriam nodded back with only half her attention, her heart was racing and her hands were suddenly unsteady, but she waited patiently till the door clicked shut before she turned to the baby in her arms once more.
She gently opened up her baby's bundle, just enough to look at his chest area. She gasped, the intake of breath as sharp as a hiss, as she saw the mark on her son's chest. It was the image of a blazing sun, with three stars stationed at a point, pure black against his deeply brown skin.
Miriam felt her body run cold as she set her eyes on the boy's mark, they didn't, they couldn't have.
With trembling fingers she gently pushed away the cloth covering her baby's head, despite her husband's protests, and looked at what lay underneath.
The boy's head was bare save for some strands of hair that were undeniably silver, shining under the hospital light.
The baby was still crying, hands waving in the air, his feet struggling inside the cloth.
Miriam heard herself whisper, "My baby, my sweet, beautiful, innocent baby, what have they done to you"
The baby's cries reduced to a whimper and then he opened his eyes, and Miriam gasped again, she saw Logan's eyes widen in shock as they gazed at their baby. His eyes were blue, a light brilliant blue that made Miriam's heart sink with both love and worry.
But it didn't matter what they'd made him, it didn't matter that the years to come would be the most difficult years for this boy, he was still their baby, their beautiful boy.
"He's perfect" whispered Logan, his voice shaky with tears.
"Salome" said Miriam, the boy reached out his hand and touched Miriam's face and she smiled again.
"Salome Nightshade"
***
18 years later...
Sal clutched the bag tighter against his shoulders as he walked down the dark streets to the Hells & Hounds club late that night.
He looked at his watch, Bobby would be there by now as usual, drinking a glass of Scotch with either a cute blonde on his lap or a brown Latina in his arms, he would have his gang with him, all seven of his closest members and two bodyguards standing in front of the VIP section he always stayed in from 11:00 pm to 5:00 am on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Sal had done his research, had been watching this Bobby guy as Boulder had instructed, and today he had come prepared to deliver the goods to him.
He felt for the gun in his left pocket and the silencer that had been placed on it, it wasn't like he was going to use it, it was just a safety precaution, in case things got ugly or he was getting bored.
He finally got to the club, lights shone and intertwined from behind the door, their colours visible only through the thin cracks at the base of the doors.
The bouncer stood there, a large white man with the tattoo of a snake on his face.
There were things that could intimidate Sal. This wasn't one of them.
He had tattoos of his own.
"Going somewhere?" asked the bouncer.
Sal took out his card from his other pocket and showed it to the bouncer, the bouncer took it, gave it one look and gave it back to Sal.
"It's a fake," said the bouncer.
It wasn't, it was his actual card with his actual name and age on it.
Sal stared at the bouncer knowing he wouldn't be going in there even if he was up to age. He was different, it was something that everyone around him could see and feel, it was an energy that sometimes scared people.
This bouncer was afraid of him.
Sal sighed in frustration, he didn't want to but he had to, he looked the large man in the eyes and the window to his soul opened up.
Frederick was his name, a bastard child, abused by his father and thrown into the streets with an unstable mother, he rarely did well academically but excelled in sports, especially boxing, killed a fellow student when he was 19, though no one found out about it, expelled for beating up his principal and leaving her near death, spent some time in jail before eventually breaking out and finding a job as a bouncer.
He was broken, he knew it and hid it behind the large muscles and the fight-ready fists, his mind was in shambles and he was a man just waiting to be manipulated.
"You want to let me pass, don't you?" Sal said, his voice dull, his tone hypnotic.
The bouncer's eyes glazed over and he opened the door revealing the bright glare of multicolored lights and the sharp scent of cigarettes.
Sal walked in and heard the door shut behind him before walking further into the club. The place was lively, young adults and the middle-aged crowded the dance floor, bodies swaying to the music, the air was thick with the smell of drugs and sweat, so thick it was almost intoxicating. He walked forward, narrowly avoiding the groping hands of men and women looking for nice, young flesh to go home with, he made his way past naked strippers and heavy drinkers until he reached the VIP section.
The bodyguards didn't stop him, only nodded and let him in.
Bobby was there as expected, a muscular man with short brown hair and a deadly glint in his eyes, a beautiful Latina woman was on his lap, as Sal had expected, stroking his beard and trying to hide the look of disgust on her face, the rest of his gang members were there as well, each with a young woman in their arms, Sal could see the guns sticking out the waistband of their jeans and knew that there were probably knives hidden away from view, he needed to be careful, if not tonight would end on a bloody note.
Sal took off the bag slowly and dropped it on the floor in front of Bobby who eyed the bag suspiciously.
"And who the fuck are you?" asked one of the gang members.
Sal didn't look in their direction, his eyes were trained on Bobby.
"Boulder" was all he said.
Bobby's eyes widened in shock and he pushed the woman off his lap, he snapped his fingers and the women got up and left the room.
Better for them, thought Sal.
"What's in the bag?" asked Bobby.
"Open it" answered Sal.
Bobby scoffed and nodded at one of his cronies, they bent forward cautiously and opened the bag, his eyes wandering back and forth between Sal and Bobby as he did.
As the zip came undone sheets and sheets of cash spilled out of the bag and onto the floor, all the cronies leaned forward greedily. Bobby looked at Sal and chuckled.
"What the fuck?" said Bobby, his eyebrow cocked up.
"Boulder just bought you and your joint", Sal said confidently, "from now on you work for him, he owns you"
Bobby began to laugh and soon all the members of his gang joined him, then they all brought out their guns one by one.
Sal sighed and rolled his eyes, the man was powerless and yet so arrogant.
"Very funny freak, seems like you don't know who I am, I'm Bobby Jones and I'm priceless, no man, not even fucking Boulder can own me, and no one tells me what to do, especially not some blue eyed sissy, what's with the hair anyway" Bobby said with a grin.
His cronies burst into a fit of laughter, and Sal could feel his patience wearing thin.
"I'm glad you have a high self esteem but he already owns you, you owe him a shit ton of money and you haven't paid him back, you're lucky he hasn't just killed you,"
Sal took a menacing step forward and everyone in the room rose to their feet, guns cocked and ready to fire.
"Look man just take the money and do what he wants, you don't stand a chance"
Bobby scoffed again, pointed the gun at Sal and pulled the trigger.
Sal watched as the bullet sailed through the air and put a hand in his pocket, his fingers wrapped around the handle of his gun, he felt his reflexes take over and he moved, the bullet missed him by a hair's length and struck the door behind him, he pulled the trigger and shot Bobby very accurately on his hand.
He didn't wait to see what happened next, he spun and shot as he did, bullets flew from his gun in quick succession, deadly balls of iron moved through the air and hit each gang member in their chests and heads. He shot without hesitation, his heart pounding in rhythm with each bullet that slammed into a solid body.
Blood spilt out in sprays on the walls and floor as Sal ended his spin and faced Bobby once more.
The man's eyes were wide, and his breath was ragged as he held his bleeding hand.
"What the fuck man?!" cursed Bobby.
Sal sighed and shoved the gun back into his pocket.
"Boulder will be waiting for you at midnight tomorrow on the roof of the Purple Rose Hotel, you either come with your loyalty or the three million you owe him" said Sal.
He turned around and walked to the door, there was a deep hole where the bullet meant for him stayed stuck, he put in his fingers and pried the bullet out, he smiled at the metal ball as it came free, then tossed it over his shoulder before walking out of the VIP section.
He nodded at the bodyguards.
"Your money's in there, beat him to get it if you have to" said Sal.
And then he left the club.
***
Sal walked into the large apartment building everyone working for Boulder called The Joint.
The place was all too familiar, he'd been coming here since he was twelve, since that first night Boulder had caught sight of him at the foster home.
He remembered how the man's dark eyes had settled on him with curiosity, how his lips had curled with a sincere smile, how he'd bent down and whispered gently into Sal's ear, his voice deep, his breath warm, the smell of city air and tobacco clinging to him;
"Let's get out of here, kit"
Sal hadn't even been wary, hadn't even tried to protest, all he knew was that he was finally wanted, and with the condition that Boulder would take Lester, his best friend, as well, he left.
Had he known this was the life he was getting into he would've stayed.
Now he walked up the stairs past transporters and peddlers clutching duffle bags and backpacks tightly to themselves, past young men and even younger women smoking weed or injecting pridigous amounts of meth into their bodies, falling over as the ecstasy hit them like a wave crashing down on sandy shores.
Finally he got to the last floor and opened the door to the apartment that served as Boulder's base of operations.
There was no difference between the apartment and the club, save that the music was significantly louder and the people present were few. Aside from that, the similarities were undeniable, bodies swayed to the music, lights danced across skins both bare and covered in rainbow-like patterns, and the place was too fucking stuffy.
Sal made his way quickly to the back of the room to find Boulder, barely sparing anyone a second glance, and hoping Boulder was alone, he neither had time nor energy for social interactions.
Boulder was there.
And he was alone.
And Sal thanked the stars countlessly.
Boulder sat on the bed in the room, a singlet vest and a pair of black boxers was all he wore, he was a small man, a black man, but he never let people intimidate him because of it. He ruled the streets in these parts and would strive to get anything he wanted.
By any means possible.
"I'm back boss," said Sal.
Dark eyes shot up from the pile of cash before them and stared straight at Sal, there was a wisp of recognition and then a smile split across Boulder's face.
The first time Sal had seen him he'd thought Boulder to be kind and thoughtful, he'd viewed Boulder as a saviour.
Now he knew better than anyone that masks were powerful tools.
"How'd it go?" Boulder asked, as he went back to counting the money in front of him.
"I killed his gang and shot his hand," Sal said.
Boulder smiled and nodded.
"Good work kit, I'll tell Richard to take care of it"
He gestured to a duffel bag in the corner of the room.
"Take it, you've earned it"
Sal nodded and walked to the bag.
"And don't forget" Boulder added, "I'll need you for the take over tomorrow, don't be late"
Sal stopped mid-reach for the bag. He clenched his jaws hard and closed his eyes in order to contain a firm retort.
He hated when Boulder used his gifts like this, he hated having to use them to hurt people, if it wasn't torture it was getting information, if it wasn't execution it was raids. And Sal could do nothing about it.
He owed Boulder his life.
His everything.
"You aren't saying anything kit" Boulder said.
Sal took a deep breath and grabbed the duffel bag, swinging it over his shoulders he turned to Boulder who sat looking at him, the slightest trace of anxiety brewing behind his gaze.
"I'll be there" Sal said.
Boulder nodded, still with that anxious look in his eyes, and gestured for Sal to leave.
Sal didn't fail to notice that Boulder didn't take his eyes off him, not until he shut the door.
He left The Joint as quickly as he came in, and once he was back into the night he walked the rest of the way home.
Soon he was in front of his house, muffled sounds came from within and the lights were on so Sal figured Lester had someone over.
He was wrong though.
As he walked in he saw that the sounds came from the TV.
It was on, the volume so loud you would think the person watching must have had a hearing deficiency. There was a romance movie playing, and from the looks of it the two leads were about to get very busy.
Sal shook his head and faced the couch, two long legs stuck out at one end and he knew instantly that Lester had fallen asleep.
He dumped the duffel bag on the floor and turned off the TV just as clothes started flying in the movie, then stared at Lester, his roommate and best friend, he lay there with his hazel hair over his face, his mouth open and his chest rising and falling as he snored gently.
Sal smiled and pushed away a strand of hair from his friend's face and then grabbed a blanket and draped it over him knowing fully well that Lester would probably kick it off later in the night, he sighed and walked up the stairs to his bedroom not forgetting the duffel bag filled with cash.
Walking into his room he tossed the duffel bag across the room and kicked it under his bed.
Sal's room was probably the blandest thing that ever happened to the 21st century. The walls were plain white, not a picture or drawing in place, there was a desk at one end of the room where textbooks he'd never need lay stacked from useless to useful.
English took the top spot.
Notebooks littered the rest of the desk, doodles and drawings filled those pages, they were mostly of Lester or Boulder or Richard or some other magnificent thing Sal had seen at some point in his everyday life. His closet was filled with clothes and shoes, he'd preferred just blacks, whites and grays but Lester had insisted on having a colour combination for every holiday on Earth.
The guy was crazy.
Sal smiled at the happy thought and went to the shower, and as the cold water ran down his body he felt all the stress and anger wash away and go down the drain.
For now.
He stepped out of the shower, too tired to grab a towel, and walked into the room.
He passed the mirror and for some stupid reason he stopped to look at himself.
Once upon a time he'd hated himself for the way he looked, he'd hated that his hair was unnaturally silver and that his eyes were unnaturally blue, he'd hated that he was dark skinned and he'd hated that he was unusual, but then he'd realized that there was no changing the way he was and he made it work for himself, he'd been abandoned by his parents, given up to the orphanage and had stayed there for years simply because no one wanted an unusual boy, if not for Lester he knew he wouldn't have survived, he wondered who he would've become.
Not like who he was now was something to brag about.
He'd killed for Boulder, sold for him and worked for him since he was 12 years old, he'd hated every year of his life since then but he couldn't do anything, he needed the money for school and rent and living, without Boulder he was nothing.
And yet he couldn't help but wonder, what if he wasn't?
Sal stepped away from the mirror and put on some clothes before jumping into bed, he stared at the ceiling, watching the fan turn above him.
"I want to be something more than what I am" he whispered into the air.
And then he closed his eyes and went to sleep.
Unaware that those words were the key to a new beginning.