The crisp air filled his lungs as the early morning dew clung to the silver strands of hair that fell down in his face. Gilbert's pale fingers glided across the rough tile as he looked out over the rooftop. The sun peaked over the great stone wall, giving light to the unknown world outside its borders. Of course, a little of those rays shone down into the towns square illuminating the cobblestone streets. For the long eighteen years of his life the boy had wondered what could possibly be kept behind the stone walls. He'd heard the rumors of the course, the whispers of the elders. Horrible people resided outside of the walls, and no one, absolutely no one, was to leave their protective boundaries.

A clear whistle that ended with a soft, floating note caught Gilbert's attention and he looked down to see a tan boy with messy acorn hair, waving impatiently at him. "Come on Gilbert! We must hurry before the rush starts!" The albino only smirked, sliding down the slightly damp rooftop and onto the fire escape. He pale hands took hold of the smooth metal ladder as he quickly made his descent.

"Calm down Antonio. We still have a few minutes before the bell sounds." A loud chime cut Gilbert off, and he nervously scratched the back of his head. "Okay, maybe I was wrong."

Antonio huffed, shaking his head in slight annoyance, but he could not hide the smile on his face. The boy was almost always smiling and cheerful, something Gilbert envied. No one could hate Antonio, not even the grumpy boy Lovino who pretended he did. "Just come on, we have to find Francis before he gets himself in trouble." The two took off, following the winding streets like they were a part of them. Francis' mother owned the flower shop just a few blocks over and the blond was always chatting up the customers, men and woman alike. Though, he always saved a flower for the grumpy cafe owner across the street.

For some reason Francis decided that he would be the one to make Arthur smile. He would spend days on end, flirting and giving him small gifts that Arthur always brushed off. If there was one thing that Gilbert found noticeable about Arthur it was his large eyebrows that seemed to crawl across his face when he frowned, which was quite often. Antonio held his arm out, effectively snapping Gilbert from his thoughts and causing him to halt. A horse drawn carriage blocked their path for only a few short moments as the coachman heeded them to move faster to their destination. The wealthy would request their services from time to time since they were to important to actually walk to the markets.

As the path cleared, Antonio and Gilbert once again took off. They dodged the earlier morning traffic, stealing a loaf of bread when the baker wasn't looking. If anyone found out then the two would be sent to the prison, but no one actually knew where the prison was. Many people said that the prison was outside the walls, and no one ever returned from there. "Antonio! Gilbert! You two are late this morning. What kept you?" Francis wrapped his arms around the two boys, smiling brightly. His shoulder length blond hair tickled Gilbert's cheek and he quickly batted it away.

"Yes, well Gilbert was up on the roof daydreaming again. I swear he never sleeps." Antonio joked, messing up the albino snowy hair. Gilbert just huffed and pushed his friends away.

"I was only watching the sun rise over the walls." He made his way over to the mirror that hung on the wall of the flower shop. Francis would always guide the costumers over to it, holding a flower out to them as he told them how perfect they were. Most of the men didn't really appreciate it, but the girls were almost always left giggling, blushing messes. Crimson eyes stared back at him as Gilbert ran his fingers through his messy hair, the light from outside filtering in and coloring the almost white strands with a sort of rainbow effect. His pale skin was such a stark contrast to his scarlet eyes, like blood on snow. He was either seen as extremely attractive or a bad omen. No in between.

"'Tonio will you please put the open sign in the shop window?" Francis called from somewhere behind the counter, sending Antonio skipping over to the door and flipping the sign around. They would help Francis run the shop in the morning, make sure everything was running smoothly before the blond's mother would wake and take over. Then they had the whole day to themselves. Usually the three of them would head over to the cafe so Francis could hit up Arthur for a little bit, and if they still had time, head over to the market. Antonio always loved heading down to the market where the twin brothers, Feliciano and Lovino, had their own little tomato stand.

They had happened upon the two on a really hot summer day when Antonio had gone in search of good tomatoes. Honestly, the brunette was obsessed with the little red vegetables, but it had proved him well. Lovino had been lying in the shade of the stand, grumbling about the heat when Antonio had tripped over him. Even as the angry boy yelled and cursed at him, Antonio only smiled and politely asked for a tomato. Of course, Lovino being Lovino just threw it at him, but after that the two started to spend time together. Francis said they loved each other and Gilbert had to agree, they were just to dense to realize it.

The morning passed quickly, fading into the heat of the day. The walls kept out most of the wind unless someone where to climb onto a high vantage point, but sometimes it was strong enough to send a breeze through the village. Gilbert, Antonio, and Francis were sprawled out across the rooftop of the albino's home, watching as the clouds drifted past. "Lets go to the bar tonight." Francis piped up suddenly, putting his weight on his elbows as he propped his body up. "It would be a nice change from our normal routine. We're of age now, so we should have fun!"

"You make it sound like we never go to the bar, Francis. We just went the other night." A laugh bubbled up Antonio's chest as the brunette shook his head at his friend. "But the bar does sound nice! The three of us can relax and have a drink or two."

It was never just a drink or two. By the time night had rolled around the stars stood out against the stars, like diamonds glistening against a solid black backdrop, the three were already consuming too much alcohol. Gilbert could hold his the best, always ordering beer while Francis and Antonio normally stuck to wine. The village didn't have a lot of alcohol to spare, but it was always enough to keep them happy. The albino sat in the corner of the room as Francis and Antonio spun their very intoxicated partners around. They had somehow convinced both Arthur and Lovino that drinking with them would be a good idea, but Arthur was horrible with alcohol. He became very clingy and extremely hilarious. Multiple times throughout the night, Francis was forced to pull his date off of a table and help him button his shirt back up, but he would never take advantage of Arthur while he was drunk. He would spend the next day aiding him in working off the hangover and assuring him that he hadn't done anything too dreadful.

"You look lonely, where is your girlfriend?" Gilbert jumped at the sudden intrusion to his thoughts, crimson eyes flickering up to meet soft violet orbs. The larger man slid into the seat across from him, providing him with a soft smile.

"I don't have a girlfriend.. and please, feel free to sit down." He said sarcastically, eyeing the man. Gilbert didn't know him, but he was quite attractive. Platinum blond hair the fell into brilliant, violet eyes that seemed to look right into the albinos soul. "Who are you?" Way to be blunt Gilbert.

The man seemed to find his response amusing and he quickly took a shot of a clear liquid which he doubted was water. "My name is Ivan, and I would actually be surprised if you knew me. What's your name sunflower?"

Everything about Ivan was odd and foreign, far different from anyone Gilbert had met before. He vaguely wondered what a sunflower was, but he decided not to question it. He didn't exactly trust Ivan, he gave off an intimidating aura that made the albino want to leave as soon as possible. Finally he breathed out his name, throat going dry. "Gilbert."

Ivan hummed softly, drinking more of the clear liquid. Panicked screams filled the bar and Gilbert looked up in shock. For the first time he saw the Law Enforcement actually doing something, and they were obviously looking for someone. Ivan seemed to care less about them, but he sighed and stood up anyway, placing his hands on Gilbert's hips and sliding down into his back pockets. "I would be careful now sunflower. They're going to get you if you don't read those instructions very carefully. If you tell anyone, and I mean anyone, your friends and family will pay the price. Do I make myself clear?" Gilbert was almost frozen with shock and fear, but he forced his head to move up and down in a silent nod. "Good, now sit back down and keep your mouth shut. I will come back for you later." With that Ivan left, slipping right past everyone like he was never even there.

Gilbert pushed his hand into his back pocket, pulling out a small slip of paper:

They're watching you, go deep into the woods on the left side. Remember my warning~

"I just wanted a beer." He groaned, slamming his head down onto the table.