Strife
Prologue

Strife. One word. That’s all it is, a word. Or is it? To some, it’s far more than that. It’s a way of life. A horrible life filled with worry, conflict, troubles, and pain. A life that no one wants to have. The story I’m about to tell you is about a boy, no older than 18, and his strife-filled life. His name is Vincent and he’s trapped in a life where it seems everyone around him is happier than he is, and his struggle to make things better.

But this isn’t just his story. It’s about Izzy (age 18,) Bianca (age 18,) and Allan (age 17.) But most importantly it’s also about Marianne (age 17,) who is one of Vincent’s closest friends. She means more to him than that however, because Vincent loves her, but he doesn’t have the courage to say anything to her. This feeling of love is the major cause of Vincent’s strife. Vincent and Marianne have been friends for a long time, and he has always loved her. Marianne is oblivious to this fact however, because he has never said anything to her.

The setting is another important element as to what takes place here. These two live in the small village of Rosebud, a town in a desert-like region. One might wonder, “Why the name Rosebud if it’s in the desert?” Well, the reason is this. There once was a vast field of roses growing there, a beautiful field of them. This, of course, attracted people towards it. The beauty of this location caused people to build houses there and, eventually, a bustling town.

However, as more and more people moved there, the roses began to die and wither away. After they did, people left the town. Then, it became clear that Rosebud consisted of very little residents and became a small and calm village, with its ironic name remaining. Among those remaining residents were Marianne, Izzy, Allan, and Bianca (all people who would eventually become Vincent’s friends.)

With the exclusion of Allan, all of these kids were orphans. Izzy and Bianca were two twins whose mother died giving birth to them. The father killed himself soon after, unable to live without his wife. You see this was an older time and the gender of a child couldn’t be predicted before it was born. The family was hoping for two girls, so the mother of the twins knitted two blankets before she died. One said “Bianca” and one said “Isabel.” However, when they were brought to the orphanage, it was clear that one of the twins was a boy. Without a name to give him, he was called “Izzy.”

Allan was born and raised in Rosebud by both of his parents. However, his mother caught a serious illness when Allan was 15 and she died, leaving Allan with just his father.

One day, our hero Vincent left his home in a far away city. He never liked the bustling city and he wasn’t exactly a huge fan of his parents. He wanted to leave the house and start his life as soon as he could. He was 16 when he came to Rosebud. He saw Izzy, Bianca, Allan, and Marianne at the front of the town, and since there weren’t many kids his age in town, he became fast friends with all of them. And soon, he fell in love with Marianne

Marianne had no one there for her growing up except for her brother Mark, 3 years older than her. She never knew her parents because they died when she was 2. It was unknown how they died and no one ever figured it out. Since Marianne had no parents known to her, she idolized Mark and followed him everywhere. That’s why she was devastated when he died, which is where our story begins. Mark’s funeral at the small church in Rosebud.

Now I’m sure you’re wondering, “Hey, just who is this guy telling the story anyway?” Well, that’s not too important right now. I’m someone who knows what’s going on everywhere in this town at all times, so, why don’t you just sit down, relax, and listen to the story I’m going to tell you…