The sun hid itself behind the folds of dark cloud, fighting shafts of orange sunlight falling to the ground in great arcs. The dark mass stood over the town of Salem, which lay lazy and sleeping in the morning hours.
The town didn't seem at all aware of the darkness. It seemed humble, cozy... yet somewhat naive in its unknowing nature. Pity it was then, that it didn't know what awaited it at the end of the rainbow. The people of Salem, the families that had live there and thrived there for decades, would not be prepared. It was difficult to predict incidents that would forever change the courses of their lives. And yet, that didn't even matter. Because like it has been said, Salem was a town of naivety and lost dreams. The minds of the populace were easily destructed, easily conformed... occasionally not. It depended solely on the person.
There existed many contrasting families in Salem, where they resided in relevant peace. It was a tranquil place. It saw rain, and clouds, and wind and night, but they never saw darkness. This, of all things, was unknown to them. It existed a shadow beyond the outskirts of their small town, yet it was there. And it is there still. To leave would be to tear apart the order of Salem because without it, everything would cease to exist. There lay a shadow within the reach of each and every single resident of Salem, U.S.A.
And that shadow would one day free itself, for that very morning, a little bit of that shadow grew nearer. Not in the form of a dark cloud, really that was pure coincidence, but instead, in the form of people. Some of them had been there before, in the town of Salem. Others has never seen the silent city and looked upon it with great sceptisism and negativity.
[center]- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[/center]
Stephano DiMera helped his grandson out of the boat. The boy shivered slighly in the morning breeze then realized what he was doing. He straightened himself slowly and looked up at this father with defiance in his eyes.
"So this is the place?" He said disgustedly. "Rather low-key for our tastes, isn't it Granfather?"
Stephano looked as his grandson with an amused glint in his eyes. "Truly, it is, Steven. What lies here is a fameless city. We must stay here for a time."
"But why Grandad? What's the point?" Asked the twelve-year-old, his eyes set in a somewhat feirce glare.
"You'll know when I have decided to tell you. Now come along."
Steven turned to look back upon the two people still standing, distractedly, in the boat.
"What about--"
"Leave them, my boy. They shall come." Stephano placed his large hand on his boy's shoulder and led him off the pier.
A light, white mist lay on top of the water that morning. The rising sunlight was reflected against it's drifting form. On the boat the two barely visible forms were staggering around. The shorter of the two was laughing repeatedly, clunking sounds emitting from the constant thumping of large, clunky shoes on the gangplank.
"You know, dah-ling..." came the sound of a deep, female voice. "I don't understand why we've come here. Why don't you ask that silly father of yours?"
Through the flailing mist came the toss of a woman's hair.
"Gracey, you know I couldn't do such a thing. My father has unfinished business here." Came the reply of Tony DiMera. "Besides, is this tranquil town not the best place for you to continue on your series of erotic novels?"
Grace DiMera huffed and considered momentarily if she should whine. However, she knew how much Tony liked to read her novels. Perhaps it was an advantage in her favour. "Very well then, dear." She laced her arm with Tony's and walked with him off the DiMera Steam Liner. "How long is it exactly that we've planned to stay here?"
"As long as it takes." Came Tony's mysterious answer.
"For what? World domination?" Grace countered sarcastically, seemingly becoming more and more fed up with the town of Salem. Salem this, Salem that... Salem, Salem, Salem, the place to go for a sunny vacation and little pineapple drinks. At least that's how she had been bribed. Obviously that was not true because there were patches of dirty snow lining the edge of the pier.
Tony did not answer to her attempted hunt for his version of the truth. Again Grace emmitted a rather audible huff, fed up with the fact that she was being kept from something. However, that was all she did. For the next moment she was interrupted by the sound of a helicopter flying overhead.
[center]- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[/center]
"This is sooooooo stupid mother! Why the hell are we coming here?" Nicolet Von Glokenspiel asked her mother. "It's positively insane and I'll have no part in whatever crazy scheme you've thought up [i]this[/i] time." She crossed her arms defiantly across her chest.
"Don't use that tone with me. You know I told you why we were comming." Her mother contradicted, flashing a look of annoyance towards her daughter.
"Really? Oh! Oh yes, I remember now. The love-sick Jaqueline wants her beloved ex-husband back. Well I'll have you know that I haven't seen my father in fourteen years, and I don't plan on laying eyes on him now. You can lead me around with a blindfold for the rest of my pathetic life."
Jaqueline rolled her eyes. "You're life is not pathetic. You're a Von Glockenspiel. We are [i]not[/i] pathetic. I try my hardest to provide for you and you just give me grief! What's a poor mother to do."
"How about forget the ex and take the daughter back to Europe? I can't believe you're actually going through with this, whatever it is." Nicolet contradicted. She leaned back against the side of the helicopter and sighed. "Forget it, don't answer me. I'm not talking to you." She tugged at a peice of her curled hair, watching the desolate appearance that Salem bore. It was a sleepy looking town. That could have been due to the fact that it was still morning. Or more likely the fact that it was a boring, useless point on the U.S. map.
"You'll like it here. It's a new experience." Jaquelines continued, ignoring her daughter's wishes. "Besides, you've still got your cats." Her eyes moved over to the arangement of kettles beside them. A white persian named Precious, a black cat named Diamond, a tabby named Ruby...