🎲 Ross 🎲

The Mosley family is a unique one, but one with love. Monica was a small town girl who accepted a full ride scholarship to a college far far away from home- Washington University in Seattle to be exact. She just wanted to travel the world a bit, leave the small life behind and see what else the world had to offer. There she met Rachel, an exchange student from Britian, and the woman who would someday be her wife. The two of them hit it off immediately and fell in love hard and fast. Shortly after they graduated, they got married ready to start their new life. They hade big plans and set out to do them, in no time they were proudly the owners of a new boutique! Monica handled the fashion trends, stock, and customers while Rachel kept the books and tracked the money. They were a perfect team together.

As they began to settle into married life, the next step came up, children. They both wanted kids and looked around at their options. They choose sperm donotaion and invitro, hoping to get an egg from each othem to be viable. And they were lucky and it worked! After many doctor’s visits they were given the good news. Monica was the one who carried the babies and she did so to full term without any complications. On a rainy day in April, Ross and Joey were born and the little Mosley family got bigger.

Growing up was a normal affair for the Mosley family. With their twins it felt like Rachel and Monica each had a mini me; Ross was much Ike her biological mother Rachel, she was quiet and reserved. Which was funny when compared to her brother Joey, who was loud and rambunctious. Ross preferred to pend her time alone rather than with other people, escpially people outside her family. Begrudingly, Ross could be taken away from her books at Joey’s instance- so she could watch him play sports in the backyard. As riveting as that was, Ross found herself angering the backyard and playing inn the garden. Eventually she bag to notice all sorts of things about the flowers and the ecosystem they lived in. She was curious to know why things happened the way they did… And thus born was Ross’ special interest in botany was born. She could be seen outside nearly everyday with dirt covered hands and excitedly cultivating her own garden.

As the years went by and Ross grew up, her interests continued to flourish. Ross never really made friends in school, she was abrasive and didn't want to follow socializing rules. She was content with her family and her own interests. She spent her free time in the garden or taking her brother out on hikes and mini camping trips. She fell in love with the night sky and often stargazed late into the night. One night, while looking up at the stars, she swore she saw… something. Not a shooting star, not a plane… She swore it was a UFO. Shaking her brother awake to go look for it. They were up until the sun rose trying to find anything about it. From then on, Ross was obsessed with Aliens and what else could be out there. Another passion of hers her family grew to love. That was just how Ross was, anything she did she did with passionate and care.

When high school ended and college started, Ross continued on ahead with no signs of stopping. She thought perhaps getting to work at a national park would be nice, to hike and see plants and flowers everyday. She quickly applied for her major in botany. She loved the classes and excelled in them. As an adult she didn’t really seek out friendships, she enjoyed her studies and socializing with her classmates was enough really. She worked hard through school, years of work as she got her associates and then her bachelor’s degree. She decided to acquire her masters before going into her field officially. She was 23 when it happened.

Ross always preferred things to be quiet and predictable, that’s how she lived her peaceful life all this time. It was a cold November night in Seattle, not snowing yet but it felt like it could happen at anytime. Ross stepped out of the library, locking it up. She loved to study there and it was way past closing. But she was nice to little old ladies and they were nice to her, they would let her use the library late at night as long as she made sure to turn off the light and lock the doors. Ross glanced at her watch, it was past 11 PM. She hummed a bit and walked down the steps and towards the parking lot, her arms full of papers and books. She was already working on her dissertation after all. She was thinking about what her mom made for dinner when she felt a cold tingling feeling creep up her back and she hesitated mid step.

Someone got her attention and she turned to look. There was a person there… It’s difficult to recall detail about them. Tall? Shrouded in darkness… Ross swears she can see the shadow flicker and move. She can’t remember exactly what they said- they asked her a question. They wanted her to see something or go somewhere. Their voice is impossible for Ross to describe but that chill grows tenfold. She promptly said ‘No.’ trying to sound firm and took a step towards her car. Before she could even think- there was pain. Pounding, aching. Her head spun and she was on the ground, not there was sharp pain from the way her hands scrapped the concrete. papers and books scattered and her warm and wet blood against the cold night air, her panicked breaths misting around her mouth. And then it was dark. There was nothing. She has a hard time remembering what comes next. It’s hazy, it’s terrifying… She doesn’t want to relive it.

She was missing for 11 days. Her family and community distraught by her disappearance. By the blood and papers outside the library. She was found covered in blood, covered in wounds and injuries and gripping an odd clown mask with a death grip. She wasn’t completely lucid and panicked when she saw other approach her. But quickly after discovery she fainted and was rushed to the hospital. There she was treated for wounds that were definitely a result of being tortured. From there it felt like a never ending stream of noise and people. Doctors, nurses, her family, the police. Everyone had immediate vested interest in her for one reason or another and she felt overwhelmed.

It didn’t take long for what happened to get out. It was a serial killer the media had dubbed ‘Circus’. Nobody knew what they looked liked, but they were active and feared. Victims seemed random, locations were always changing in the united states, and in the last 3 years there had been 10 victims… Ross would have been the 11th. Circus’ signature and where they got the name was before the victims were always found 11 days after they went missing in a public place. Their bodies posed as if mid circus act, hair and make up done. It deeply disturbed and intrigued North America… And now there was a survior. But no serial killer.

The place Ross had been held for those days was found, there were props and other things there that led police to believe Ross’ act would be an Aerial Acrobat. There was blood from another person on the scene but it didn’t match anything in the database… Circus was nowhere to be seen. They had escaped. There was a national uproar about the situation, it even made new in places like Canada and México. Ross’ face was on the news every night for awhile, the hospital and her home always had reporters hoping to grab photos and get interviews with her. She hated it. She coulsn’t stand it.

Recovery was slow… and tense. It seemed impossible with the idea that Circus was still out there. Would they come back for her, to finish the job? Would they hurt someone else? She was plauged with nightmares, she felt like she was on edge every moment of the day. She became convinced that aliens had answers. They would be able to find Circus. Nobody could really dissuade her from that. She stayed with her family for a bit, they helped a lot… but they didn’t understand. Honestly she didn’t think anyone could. Eventually Ross decided to move out, it was stifling living in a house where veryone was so worried for you. She just needed room to breathe.

She found a little apartment with a shop under it and thought it was perfect. Since she wasn’t going to pursue her studies anymore… She decided to open up a flower shop. Working on growing and making arrangements really calmed her. She liked the work. Life eventually became… normal. If you could call it that. Ross devloped her coping skills, her habits to keep her face… And there was no sign of Circus. It was hard for her to accept. Whenever she had free time she was scouring the internet for leads. On anything. Aliens, Circus, other serial killers- she was trying to find any connections, any proof.

It was hard and she felt like Circus’ trail was cold. It frustrated her. She would watch documentaries and read books about serial killers in hopes to find patterns or more knowledge. One day she picked up a book by a Baxter H. Emerson. There was some buzz about him in certain communities online. Upon opening it…. It was filled with complex ciphers and codes. Ross should have put it down, it wouldn’t be worth all the trouble for this random book… but she couldn’t. Eventually she figured it out and through a various series of asking people… She got his number. And she called him.

She wanted to meet up and talk, he was probably the most knowledgable person she’s seen on these topics. She wanted advice. He agreed to meet her. What was supposed to just be a meeting ended up becoming a friendship, a deep friendship. Someone she could trust wholeheartedly, someone she could rely on and could rely on her. Emanuel Bauer was his actual name. He had an interesting history… just like her. Trauma. Grief. Loss… They’re partners in many aspects and they’re both searching for the truth. She’d never admit how much she appreciates having someone in her corner like this. Someone she felt could actually understand.

Receiving an invitation has opened a new chapter in this journey. For awhile now, Ross had been loosely following a strange lead. Nothing directly involved with Circus, but maybe aliens? There were whispers on forums and darker parts of the webs about Wishes… and them being granted. There was a casino involved? It was odd, but it didn’t feel fake… just a gut feeling she had. Bit by bit she learned what she could from this online. She was sure it could be aliens. Granting a wish? Was that possible? She wasn’t sure but she’d love to figure it out.

As if the universe knew about her thoughts… an invitation arrived in the mail. Ignatius Faust’s intentions felt masked. It wouldn’t be smart to accept this would it? She showed Emanuel the invitation and discussed it with him. She said she wanted to go. To see what this wish business was about. And a few days later Emanuel tossed his own invitation down during breakfast. She wouldn’t admit it, but there was relief in knowing she wouldn’t be alone. They would go together, they’d figure out the mystery.