Named Because: Her hair is black & she was born by a well

·              A cerulean eyed and dark brown skinned raven

·              Never knew her junkie & hooker mother as she was left to rot in an orphanage straight after birth

Ruby Rushes

Onyx Wells is found as a nameless baby abandoned by the well in the midst of the nearby woods where the nuns from the orphanage regularly went to bring back water. She is brought back to the orphanage where she became one of the many children living in the filthy slums of the broken down orphanage. A year later, still without a name, she finds an abandoned baby in the rushes of the river that made its way along the side of the building. Because she found her, Onyx spends her time with this new person and soon they are inseparable. Onyx names her friend Ruby Rushes because she found her in the rushes and because she always wears ruby bows in her hair, which had been given to her by one of the nuns. On being named by Onyx, Ruby decides to name Onyx so because of her black onyx hair and the fact that she was found by a well.

One day during craft-making three years later, Ruby decides to make a bracelet using only black, red and white wool. Onyx is curious and asked what she is doing. Without looking up from her craft, Ruby simply tells her that they are to be friends forever and that this bracelet will be worn to resemble their friendship if they were ever parted. “I don’t want you to forget me.” She says to Onyx. Onyx, who thinks this is a great idea makes a replica of Ruby’s bracelet. On asking what the colours represented, Ruby replies by saying; “The black is for your name, the red is for my name and the white shows our friendship.” Onyx nods and says: “when I die I will watch over you.”            Ruby is happy to hear this and says: “If I die first I’ll watch over you.” To which Onyx replies: “Which one of us dies first shall watch over the other.” To which they both agree and, when they are finished their bracelets, they place them on their wrists and are contented.

However after just two years of making the bracelet and this promise, Ruby catches the whooping cough virus for which there is no cure. She lies in bed coughing constantly and is only allowed to see Onyx an hour or two. Once, when they are together in the room, Ruby says: “A promise made, a bracelet we gave, a death do us part, one of us in the grave.” After which, she closes her eyes and is no more.

Onyx is devastated that her friend is no longer with her and runs away after seeing her buried.

Denzel

While she is running through the woods, Onyx bangs into a man who is on a hunt. “Woo, woo, my dear where are you going in such a hurry?” he says to her. Onyx can tell he is from the city because of his accent but is not bothered with it. She tries to run past him but he stops her. “Where are you running from?” he asks her but then he remembers the old orphanage on the hill. He kneels down before her and makes a promise to buy her if she goes back to the orphanage with him. At first she is weary of him but then she agrees. He takes her back to the orphanage where she is grabbed by a nun by the ear. Denzel stops the woman from harming Onyx and asks to buy her. The nun quickly asks for a hundred and Denzel gives her the money. Onyx walks away from the orphanage and its memories with Denzel by her side. Denzel brings her home and gives her a room for the night.

The next day, Denzel takes Onyx shopping for essentials and they stop at the local graveyard to pay their respects to Denzel’s mother. Denzel can see that graves bother her and vows never to take her to one again.

Denzel owns a casino, one of many, named Gonzalo where he works every night. At first, he brings Onyx there for convenience of not having to pay a babysitter but he starts getting her to help with the clean-up after closing. Six years later, she is serving customers at the bar the nights Denzel works and goes to school the next morning.

Clover

Two years after that, Onyx is headlining the casino with her dancing on stage for all the customers in the bar six nights a week. It is in this year that she falls pregnant with her first child. Denzel flips out when being told but allows her to keep the child who is a girl and they call Clover because of her green eyes. She is left at home with a babysitter while her parents work because Onyx did not want her getting into the same situation as she was put. Onyx spends her days after school and all weekend days with Clover shopping, going to the park and the zoo, swimming and other such activities that mother and daughters can do. They have a really close relationship and Clover knows nothing about what Onyx and Denzel do at night and what they are really involved in.

Amber

Two years after their first child, Onyx is pregnant again only this time Denzel does not get to spend any time with her because Onyx is sold to Marosa before she is born.