Synopsis of Out of Darkness

~ Please excuse the weak ending, I know it needs work. After all, I can only do so much in one day!~

            In Alaria, a person’s name defines who they are. Parents wait to name their children until they are at least a day old, thus ensuring that the proper name is given. When David and Kathleen Camari give birth to twin girls, they name the oldest Camelia. The youngest, they name Millennia. They see something special in this child. Some unknown but important destiny awaits her.

            The twins grow up in the company of the their older brother Jolyon and their younger brother Terrance. Millennia is bold, brilliant, and outgoing while Camelia is shy, quiet, and timid. Although children often found Camelia an easy target for their teasing, any child who dared would have to face the wrath of her twin. Millennia was very protective of her, often finding herself in fights in defense of her sister.

  
          The Camari family is close. They are brought together through the ancient idea of tramoni, a word which literally meant family, but also meant so much more. Nothing was more important than each other.

            Millennia’s world is shattered one day when her home is invaded by strangers. During a normal dinner, the door explodes and her ears are full of shouts and gunshots. As she comes back to her senses, she sees one by one her fallen family members. A stirring across the room shows her that Camelia is still alive. Taking no thought of the men still watching her, she runs to her sister and takes her in her arms. As she does so, another person enters the room, a person who will haunt her every moment from this point on.

            He is dressed completely in black. His black cloak swirls around him as if alive. He does not wear gloves, and his hands are white and sickly in contrast to his garments. They are the only part of his skin that shows. His face is covered with a mask of pure white. The mask molded perfectly to his face. The eyes seem hollow and dead, though only smooth plastic. In her mind, Millennia dubs him the Spectre.

            He touches her face and tells her that she is special. That he has chosen her to serve him. When she asks why, he simple tells her to live her life. In doing so, she would be doing what he needs her to do. He promises that no harm will ever come to her. He then pulls out a pistol and kills Camelia. Without another glance at Millennia, he turns, and walks away.

            Millennia is sent to live with her Aunt Lottie on her farm. Her vivacious personality is lacking and she is plagued by nightmares of the Spectre. It is three months before she will even allow the windows in her room to be uncovered.

            It is during her stay with Aunt Lottie that she acquires Auryon (hunter). Auryon is a small wildcat which she finds injured in the barn. Despite her aunt’s protests, Millennia attaches herself to the creature which she sees as lonely and orphaned as herself. The two become inseparable. Aunt Lottie soon no longer objects to the creature, as she finds that Auryon is helping Millennia once more embrace life.

            Tragedy strikes again, however. As Millennia makes her way home from a frolic in the fields with Auryon, she tumbles into a patch of dead grass. Looking around she realizes that everything from that point on is dead. As she makes her way to the house, she stumbles across dead birds and other animals. The house is standing in the exact center of the circle. Inside, she finds her aunt on the floor. As she approaches, she sees that Lottie is holding a small metal disc.  When Millennia removes the disc, it activates a message. It shows the face of the Spectre. His message is short. “Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten you. Remember, you will never be harmed.”

            Her terror returns full force. She has never told anyone what happened the day her family was killed. She knows now that she never will. This wasn’t a secret for others to bear. She quickly packs a few things, and leaves the farm behind. Authorities will believe that, although her body was never found, she too perished that day.

            Having no family left, Millennia must make a decision. What would she do? Her one desire is to track down this Spectre responsible for so much pain and loss. She would need to learn the skills to do so. Never one to do anything half way, Millennia decides to go to the people at the top, the Vamira.

            The Vamira are the guardians of Alaria. They are warriors, defenders, and diplomats. They are light, justice, and truth. Trusted by the honest, feared by the dishonest. To vow oneself to the Vamira was to give a lifelong commitment. To be accepted as a member, was the highest honor. Millennia knew there was no one better to train her for anything the Spectre might throw her way. Taking Auryon, she made her way to the nearest Vamira enclave.

            Upon arriving, she presents herself to the master there. She tells him that she is alone in life and wants to give herself to defend others who are helpless. She does not mention the Spectre. After agreeing to take her in, the master asks her name. Immediately, Millennia is thrown into an emotional battle. Her parents named her for the hope and promise of the millennium, however, her life had been anything but promising. After a time, Millennia announces, “Tristessa. My name is Tristessa.” In taking up the name “sadness” she wraps herself in a mental cloak to protect her young heart from anymore pain.

            While at the enclave, Tristessa throws herself into her lessons. She learns diplomacy, law, art, and literature. She learns stealth, gymnastics, and martial arts. No corner of education is left unturned. Auryon also receives an education. Her trainers teach her and Tristessa how to work together as a team to get out of tough situations. Together, they advance in all areas.

            When she is 16, Tristessa is sent out to deal with real situations. She is partnered with two classmates, Armon and Sharona. The three have become friends in spite of Tristessa’s vow to keep to herself. With their leader and guide Hadiya, the group carries out the missions. For the first time, Tristessa journeys off-planet. The four work together for 2-3 years before fate strikes again.

            During the time Tristessa spent at the enclave, the Spectre made sure she never forgot him. At least once a year, he made sure she got some little reminder. Now, he is ready to strike again. He lashes out at the two she is closest to, Armon and Sharona. Their deaths remind Tristessa why she refused to get close to people in the first place. Despite Hadiya’s pleading, Tristessa leaves the Vamira and sets out on her own.

            She begins working as a freelancer, giving help to those in need, often regardless of pay. She specializes in going after the “untouchables,” those so rich, powerful, and resourceful that they seemed to operate outside the law. Because of her ability to appear invisible in any situation, she becomes known as the Wraith.

            When the Ocerian’s decide to attack Dorin again after years of being silent, Tristessa works as a spy for the Allied Army. On one of her missions, she finds herself having to work with a young soldier named James. James is no stranger to hardship, having been on his own for some time as well. He gets Tristessa to trust him enough to tell him about the Spectre haunting her, although she does not go into details, nor does she tell him her real name. Although the knowledge that association with Tristessa is an almost certain death sentence, James finds himself falling in love. It takes a lot of convincing, but finally Tristessa agrees to marry James. With the war still going on all around, the two are married quietly.

            Tristessa and James continue to do what they can to aid the war effort, sometimes together, sometimes apart. After they had been married for over a year, Tristessa tells James that they are expecting a child. The knowledge thrills James, especially after the victory over the Ocerians. Their child would not be born into a world at war. A happy ending, however, was not in their future. While training a group of new soldiers, James is mortally injured. Tristessa is devastated, though James urges her to be strong for their child. The stress caused Tristessa to give birth to her daughter three weeks early. Despite her early birth, the child was strong and healthy.

            When the child is a day old, Tristessa takes her to James bedside. Laying the child in his arms, she asks him what they should name the baby. Without hesitation, he names her Jewel, the most precious thing in the universe. As if his body had only been holding on long enough to bestow those last words, James slipped away with his wife at his side and daughter in his arms.

            Although the loss of her husband threatens to pull her down, Tristessa finds solace in her daughter. Her mind is further put at rest after finding out that the Spectre had no part at all in James’s death. She wraps herself up in Jewel, doing everything she can to be sure her daughter lacks for nothing. For a few years, her mind is at peace.

            When Jewel is 2 years old, she becomes ill. This childhood illness quickly escalates into a deadly virus for which there is no cure. Tristessa spends every moment at her daughters bedside, having no choice but to watch as the virus takes its toll on Jewel’s tiny body. Death is a blessed end to the child’s suffering.

            Reeling from yet another blow, Tristessa once again sets out in her wandering. She begins to show a darker edge. She is no longer concerned about what kind of jobs she accepts. She only goes out for the challenge. The more impossible and dangerous a job, the more desirable it was. She also begins to spend her free time frequenting bars. Her personality which remained so pure throughout the years, became coarse and vulgar. She pulled this new self to her like a second skin, drowning out her previous life.

            One of the bars she frequented entertained its guests by allowing them to show off their “talents.” This involved every possible entertainment form imaginable. One night, a man walked on stage to say he was going to tell a story. Using pictures and movies, he replayed every horrible scene from Tristessa’s life. How he came upon some of the pictures is unclear, nevertheless, he had them even from her most private moments of silent tears. Tristessa watches in horror as her life is unfolded in front of her.

            As if this isn’t enough, after the last picture of her daughter’s funeral fades to black, the man says he has some “behind the scenes footage” that he would like to share. He shows a video of the Spectre entering Jewel’s hospital room infecting the child with the virus that caused her death.        

            It is the last straw for Tristessa. After holding herself together for years, she finally shatters, mind and spirit. She collapses on the floor screaming her pain. Only one word is distinguishable. “Why?” Days are spent in a whirl of pain and memories. Until the day when hysteria is replaced with a cold, deadly calm. Determined to escape the pain and put an end to this cycle of madness, Tristessa attempts to kill herself.

            As she lies in an ever widening pool of her own blood, the Spectre of her nightmares appear. He binds her wounds, reminding her that she is never to be harmed. He stays with her until others arrive to ensure she does no more harm to herself. Thwarted in the only way she knew could end her suffering, Tristessa goes back to the one place she believes she could find help, the Vamira enclave and her old mentor Hadiya.

            For the first time, Tristessa tells her entire story. Hadiya listens then responds in a way that completely baffles Tristessa. She extends an offer for Tristessa to officially join the Vamira. The invitation is shocking. Tristessa refuses, asking why in the world the Vamira would want her after everything she has told them. What will happen when the Spectre strikes again? Hadiya refuses to answer that question. Instead she repeats the offer, stating that Tristessa has been found worthy regardless of circumstances.

            Tristessa struggles with the offer, trying to make sense of the despair she calls her life. Eventually, she realizes that it isn’t the time you have with people that matters. It’s the quality of time. She would not have given up those few years with James and Jewel for anything, even to be spared the pain of their deaths. The sure way to allow the Spectre to win, was for her to lose herself in darkness. Tristessa decides she needs to focus on the light, rather than the dark.

            It is with this determination that she accepts the Vamira’s offer to join them. Her Spectre might not have been vanquished, but he was not going to decide her course of life. As she presents herself to the leaders of the Vamira, she is asked to give her name. Tristessa flashes back to the first time they asked her this question. A similar emotional battle is waged, this time, with a different result. “My name is Millennia Selena Camari.” With her head held high, Millennia opens a new chapter of life. She dares the Spectre to do his worst, but she vows to never again enter the darkness.