Stewart’s hands raced to gather the pills that had spilled from the capsule. His giant hands failed to grab all but one of the tiny pills. Stewart threw the single pill back onto the counter, it rolled of the table taking the same path it had  before. He allowed it to fall and let out a sigh as he walked away from the scene to fetch a broom.

As Stewart opened the broom closet, he caught a glimpse of himself in the dirty mirror attached to the back of the closet door. He dragged a hand over his face to survey the small wrinkles forming around his eyes and mouth. His dark black hair was becoming increasingly gray since he took over the pharmacy 2 years ago. It had aged him surprisingly fast. He was only 30 but was sure he could pass for as old as 50.  He wore a blue collared shirt with khakis but over that he had his pure white lab coat. And under all of that he wore his necklace and on that necklace hung a pendant. The pendant had the symbol of a red 3 dimensional plus sign. It symbolizes caretaker of the city and thats what the pharmacy does. He could see his entire body from head to toe. His hands stuck deep in his pockets and he just gazed into the mirror with nothing but a blank face.

Prior to Hyalus, Archibald Garrison had lived in the Bronx, New York. He was the illegitimate son of the Englishman Samuel Garrison, known for his many years as professor of English prose at the University of Naples Federico II, and the Italian Cecilia Corleone, who worked in a Neapolitan dress shop before she emigrated to the United States. The two met one evening in 1957 while riding a bus, and had fallen in love on the spot. Their passion resulted in the conception of Archibald that very night; come morning, Samuel would have done the honorable thing and proposed, but the following day his Italian lover was nowhere to be found. She had left while he slept, fearing what her Mafioso father might do to Samuel upon discovering him to be a foreigner and, even worse, a Protestant. When her pregnancy became apparent, Cecilia fled to the United States and settled in the Bronx with some cousins.

Archibald, often called “Archie”, was born in 1958. He grew up in poverty and quickly became a troubled youth, partially on account of never having met his father. By the age of seventeen, his police record included multiple counts of larceny, as well as various drug charges. Unlike many of his peers, however, he excelled in the classroom and graduated from high school with honors, although his financial struggles prevented him from pursuing a higher education. So he aimed to become a fireman; when he applied to training, the department heads engaged in some deliberation regarding his criminal history, but in the end, months of tireless work and good behavior pled Archie’s case for him, and he was accepted. It was by devoting himself to the cause of helping others that he was able to overcome the destructive tendencies that plagued him in childhood.

Eventually, he would meet his wife Alabama, with whom he would have no children as it was found out that she was infertile. This brought her into a deep depression; following an unsuccessful suicide attempt, Archie thought it best for the two of them to leave the city, and so they ended up in the small, strange community of Hyalus, where Archie had secured a job at the local firehouse. This was in 1988. Four years later, the Garrison couple adopted a child, whom they named Matthias.

Matthias was born on the fifteenth of November in the year 1990, in New York City. His biological mother had been a drug addict and his biological father had been absent, though when the boy grew older he bore a striking resemblance to Christopher Wallace, better known as the Notorious B.I.G. Matt’s skin was as brown as his eyes, and while he may not have shared his dad’s blood, he most definitely shared his intelligence and adventurous nature. Beloved by all of the townsfolk, Matt was seldom seen in conflict with anyone, and was in fact known as a mediator among his peers. Archie and Alabama raised him well, instilling within him a genuine love for life and other human beings, a love that was evident in his actions.

High school was when Matthias took an interest in botany; over the course of those four years, his interest developed into a full-fledged passion. Many days after school he would travel to the Greenhouse (then there was only one,)where he spent countless hours cultivating and studying plants with like-minded individuals. “Scotch” Bronson, the head of operations at the facility, was one of these. He took a liking to Matt immediately, and nicknamed him “Greenthumb” for the considerable rate at which the young man was increasing his knowledge of horticulture. When the Young Greenhouse was constructed in 2011, Matt was given charge over it despite his young age.

Jeremy has been known as the “Old Serpent”, since his building is in likeness to a snake, and he himself has a sharp tongue. Children like to play pranks on him, throwing stones through the walls and painting the glass at night. As much as he wants to do something to stop them, he tries to keep a positive attitude, and puts up with the abuse every night.

The owner of a cafe’s mornings starts early. 6 in the morning to be exact. Glen Wallace, a dashing young man in his twenties, is sitting up in bed. The young man rubbed the bird nest on his head and yawned. He then shuffled into his bathroom, listening to the television commercials behind him.  His father, glued to the television, sits on the couch. His eyes sunken and his hair gray. Glen Wallace then showers, dresses in his usual white dress shirt, shaves, and brushes his teeth everyday like a clean person would do. He gives his reflection a confident smile before leaving his bathroom. The man, who now smells like strawberries, gives his father a kiss on the cheek and a “Your meals are in the fridge” (He cooks it at night, so he has more time in the morning) before running down to the cafe. First, the cafe owner buys fresh ingredients from the market. Second, he sweeps the glass floors with his trusty broom. Third, he makes his way to the Flower Shop.

The flower shop is quite the distance from Antique, yet, Glen makes the walk everyday. He always passes the mysterious murky lake, the cupcake shaped shop, the day care,  a snake like building, a rock music playing shop, an ice cream parlor, the old mansion on the hill, the courthouse, the pharmacy, a glass factory, and a greenhouse before making it to the flower shop.

Before Glen enters the flower shop, he always makes sure to check his reflection on the glass walls. Hair on fleek, he takes a deep breath in and walks into the shop. He attempts to throws a charming smile at the owner and  stiffly walks around the shop, looking for a flower that suits the day. A girl, at her usual spot, looked in his direction.

“Oh Glen! Need a new flower for the day?”

“Ahh, y-yes.” He stuttered.

“Sweet Peas would be nice for today. Here.” She smiled, handing him the pink flowers.

The man nodded and walked over to the counter to pay.

“That’d be $5.65.”

The young man with the blue eyes handed the owner the money. He then walked back to the girl, looked down at his hands, and whispered a thank you. He fondled with the pendant around his neck. A clear, glass, coffee cup shaped necklace.

“You’re welcome and Glen? Look up next time. It’d be nice to see your handsome face.”

Glen is usually a calm man. Quiet, hardworking, but sociable. He’s very good at small talk, yet, here he is, speechless and red faced. He gave a quick glance at the girl’s eyes, nodded, and sprinted out of the shop.

Everyone in Hyalus has a secret. Whether it be hiding a monster in the basement,  losing their pendant, or throwing people in the lake, everyone had a different secret. This was Glen’s. A love at first sight, a love that started many years ago, and a love unnoticed.

Fourth, after the owner buys flowers, he removes the old flowers, places the new ones in the glass vases, and adds water. Last, but not least, the owner flips the sign that reads “C L O S E D”.

Steve from the music store. That’s what they call him. As a child, Steve was always into music, but believe it or not, he never played the guitar. Steve is a drummer but he knows that guitars would sell more often, thus opening the guitar shop. Steve recently realized however, that music is about the passion, not the money, which is why he started to sell drums, saxophones, clarinets etc. Steve is getting older now, but still carries on his passion for music. He is now 64 years old and is a single man who lives in seclusion almost outside of the town. Steve really likes to keep to himself about his personal life but is very generous, and even helps people out with money when they can’t afford an instrument. Steve always says “Money is no object to me. The smiles on my customers faces are.” Steve values customer service more than anything else, and is willing to do just about anything for the customers. He gives free lessons once a week, he cleans instruments for free, and even changes guitar strings with no charge at all. He makes all the instruments shine until you can see your reflection clearer than you could in a mirror.

Doctor McGryan is taller than average but nothing out of the ordinary.  Despite his attempts to blend in, he stands out.  What sets him apart is obviously not his clean cut, neatly groomed, washed out brown hair, or his dark brown eyes.  Not his tucked in clean light blue shirt he wears everyday along with his matching dark blue tie or the stethoscope that hangs across his shoulders.  It’s the fact that he came out of nowhere that makes him interesting.  In the midst of a dark night he’s a flame that catches unwanted gazes.  He’s a mystery.  He’s quiet.  Not the type to strike up a conversation with a stranger.  In fact, no one knows much else rather than his name and that he’s a surgeon.  People around Hyalus are nosy about these sorts of things, so he always gets questions that sound more like interrogations or stares that make him feel like a burden.  Some are threatened by his odd fashion while and others are intrigued by his quaintness.  On good days he smells like cologne, but on bad days he smells like liquor.

Everything he knows, he learned from his dad. When he was younger him and his family lived on a farm somewhere in maine. At this point in time, Clear Distillery had been open for business for some years and Clyde Shine wanted his son to learn the family business. He knew that one day he wouldn’t be here and there was no one else who is fit to run it besides Patrick. Clyde taught him everything and anything there is to know about alcohol, at such a young age. This caused him to grow up too fast. He rarely had fun with friends because he was always working. You would figure that all this work at such a young age would cause him to not want anything to do with the business, but it didn’t. He loved his father too much to let him down.

In 2008, Patrick’s father passed away from pancreatic cancer. Patrick was so crushed because him and his father had such a close relationship. It was like a he had knife in his heart that wouldn’t come out unless he came back. In clyde’s will he made Patrick the owner of the distillery. Patrick was beyond honored to take the position and keep the family business alive. He told himself that he would run the company better than his dad did, and he did just that.

In the first 5 years of running the distillery he made the business a little over $10 million; more than his dad made in 10 years. In order to make that much money in such little time, Patrick had to work overtime and travel places every once in a while. This began to cause problems in his family. He constantly got in arguments with his wife Becca about him not seeing the kids enough, but all he would say is, “It’s gonna be worth it, you’ll see.”

Prior to the first 5 years, Clear Distillery won awards multiple times for the liquor and was featured in Food Magazine. This made him and his business be recognized around the country, which caused him to travel more. He became very stressed from all the blood, sweat, and tears he put into building on top of his dad’s empire. By this time his marriage was on the verge of ending. Until one day Patrick met a very special person that would change his life forever….

In Hyalus, there is a small bakery in the southern part of town called Secret Sweets. The owner and tenant of this cupcake-shaped building is Mary Cakeski. The 65 year old widow lives alone with her 10 year old fat cat. Her act, Mr. Sweets, happily greets the customers as he sits on the counter while Mrs. Cakeski works in the back making the baked treats. The gray-haired and hunched back woman is rarely seen without her pink striped apron with her pink cupcake pendant camouflage in the upper right pocket. Although Mrs. Cakeski gives off a warm, friendly persona, she does not talk unless she is spoken to and keeps the conversation short. Ever since her husband died in the war back when they were younger, she had no interest to find love and turned to the comfort of her cat when she needed a pal to talk to. Always rushing around to complete the orders, Mrs. Cakeski should hire some helping hand, however always turns down those who ask. The only assistance the old woman accepts is the business deal with the dispensary and distillery in town. No one understand why she is the way she is, and why the one part of her store is hidden off from the rest-the stairs to her small room in the attic. As law in Hyalus, all must be seen and secrets are outlawed. however, being one of the older members in town, Mrs. Cakeski was able to add carpet to hr flooring so that customer could not see the upstairs and they are starting to question the occasional thud heard from above.

In the lake omnisciens it is a no mans land. No civilian can live there without surrendering their citizenship to the Hyalus counsel. Only one man has ever given that up. He gave up his body,  but kept his soul. His soul is said to fog over the lake in the early hours of the morning and once the sun rises the fog sinks into the lake. The man who took his life, was named Abraham, he was the most honest, and kind hearted person, just with a tortured soul. Abraham was 28 when he took his life. He was soon to be married, he had the most beautiful fiance, except she was pregnant. She was conceived unfaithfully, and therefore, the government intervened and took the baby away. Soon after, she hemorrhaged and died on the operating table. Abraham, was left alone. He knew he could never truly love someone the same. He tried moving on and living his life, but it was too much for him to handle. He started to hate his glass house. People would stop and watch him cry and scream in his own home. He would never have enough griefing time because the person whom he loved was taken from him. Abraham started to paint his house on the inside. One day, on his way home from work, his house was back to its glassy shine. Abraham had, had enough. He took this Glass ring and tossed it to the ground and crushed it. As soon as he destroyed the pendent he went on a craze. He began smashing all his mirrors and and burning all his clothes. No one watched Abraham on that Friday the 13th. No one told him to stop. Abraham dressed in all white and wore no shoes. He marched straight towards the lake and set foot on the glass shaven sand, and with every step red flushed the glass shards. He walked on the fallen willow tree, faced the town, and let himself fall back to be caught in the cold embrace of the lake. The only thing that surfaced was Abrahams creamy white clothes. As if Abraham never existed, the counsel, fixed up his house, made it beautiful once more, and The town of Hyalus was never allowed to speak a word of any of it.  

If you take a look at William Hacksor he isn’t physically unlike most 46 year old males who have been working most of their life - rough hands, scars all over the body, and tan from spending so much time out in the sun. His typical attire is a pair of work boots, navy-blue jeans, a dark, plain tshirt and a leather belt that had been passed on to him from his father. He’d never be caught without his signature pair of sunglasses and mints - the tinted, saucer shaped lenses help cover his red eyes and the mints helped cover a smell on his breath, both of which are a result from his frequent visits to the Hiyalas Dispensary.

William is a frequenter to the dispensary as he finds the dank medicine he receives from their caregivers helps relieve his symptoms from a variety of ailments, namely chronic pain from arthritis and anxiety. Some people call William “high strung”, others call him flat out paranoid. He wasn’t always so tense, but things changed after an attack on his life by an classmate in college over a girl. William found a few changes in himself after the attack - paranoia, nightmares, etc - but he also discovered a newfound passion for guns. He liked the concept of being able to protect himself.

He was planning to start an agriculture business after college but decided to change his career plans post-attack. He decided to take up an apprenticeship with a local gunsmith at age 24, and by 28 was known as the most knowledgeable man about firearms in all of Hiyalas. During his apprenticeship he could never seem to find out what he really enjoyed about these weapons, until one day when he had just finished shooting his homemade .30-.06 rifle. He had been talking with a friend after target practice about why they both enjoyed firearms when the fellow shooter answered: “God created man. Guns made them equal”. He fell in love with the concept of the good, no matter how weak, being able to defend themselves against the bad. At the age of 31 William decided to open up the first gun shop in Hiyalas with newfound passion to provide protection to all those who sought it.

She Is new in Hyalus and not sure whats going to happen confused with everything. She a tall shy girl with no friends in Hyalus she left when she was 12 to go live with her dad because her mother was unfit to be her caregiver at that time and now her mother has past and she doesn't  know how to feel. Overwhelmed by the whole thing she doesn't know how long she going to be here. But she knows if she wants to find out anything about her mothers death she going to need to stay for a little bit. The doorbell rings It’s a man and he hands me a ring and he says you need to wear this at all time when you are in Hyalus. I dont know why I have to wear this I don't remember anything about this place I feel like i am in a whole in world. The house is always dark I get absolutely  no sun at anytime of the day I don’t know why everyone else houses shines in the sun and mine is just left in the dust and never gets the chance to shine like a diamond.

Boris Granshtan moved to Hyalus right after the first block was built, hired for his famous bicycle production skills. The town mayor had interviewed him, and offered him a place for his store, and no property taxes straight out. Boris took the offer, convincing himself that for a favorable market, little to no privacy was a decent price. He was an averaged sized man, with

Hunter Collins inherited his position from his father, John Collins, just as everyone before him had. Standing at six foot four he is an intimidating man to stand by; always wearing a black suit and a calculating gaze. He has dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes.

He is a quiet man; never spoken very much unless absolutely necessary. Even at the age of 47 wrinkles are etched into the corners of his eyes and forehead. And it seems as if the corners of his mouth are forever turned downward. A saddened frown masking his sunken in face.

Many years ago his wife and only child died mysteriously while on a walk close to the border of town. Now he lives in solitude in one of the many rooms of the courthouse. Dedicating his whole life to his job in hopes of filling the void of his lost wife and son.

Around his neck he wears a glass pendant that is in the shape of an old fashioned scale. As the head of the jury he decides the fate of all those who come to court as he sees fit. He is very strict on the laws, but is fair in his judgment.

In the Before, Samuel Leeger was nothing more than plain. He had been a nobody, and an everybody, fitting in with the common role. He had potential, yes, but no place to enact it. After his late daughter had suddenly and curiously passed, he decided it was high time for he and his wife Emma to seek an elsewhere. There was no need to stay when there would soon be rumors of the girl’s death.

They went north. Samuel was relentlessly persistent during the journey. He deemed every town they stumbled upon unfit to live in, until they had hit unpaved roads leading to what seemed like nowhere. Emma thought he was going mad as a result of their daughter’s death. She prayed that they would soon stop or stumble upon help, for she was beginning to fear her own spouse.

They reached Hyalus when they were both on the brink of madness. Upon entering the walls of the enclosed city they chose a glass token, Samuel with a pennant to tuck under his collar, and Emma with a glass ring. No one knew it, but Samuel’s pennant was a curious consistent green hue.

Xavier Reyes is 18 years old and he works at a candy store with his family. The store is called The Sour Mouth. Xavier is soon going to be the owner and which the buissiness is past along from the family. Every of worker of City of Hyalus has a pendant that represents his/her job and Xavier’s pendant is a lollipop and he always has his pendant hiding underneath his clothes. Xavier is 6 feet tall and has brunette hair. He likes wearing V-necks, and also likes wearing vans and Converse. Xavier can’t go without wearing v-necks it’s like his thing. He mostly likes hanging out with his friends and playing sports,since in the city like Hyalus theres’ not much you can do. Xavvier hangs out most with his bestfriend name Adrian. They have been best friends since they were small. Adrian doesn’t know Xavier has a secret. Xavier might looks sweet but there is a secret that nobody knows. Would Adrian found out his secret first or would his family will?

Adrian,next in line to inherent Hyglass Company right after his father Caleb dies, is a young man that’s obsessed with justice and equality. He grew up with his Grandfather and Father, after his mother died. He was very close to his Grandfather, and was installed into an environment, in which he is transfixed to believe that privacy, and hiding secrets is bad.Ever since his grandfather,came from a corrupt government, that hid a lot of secrets from the people, after an economic crash,Adrian believes,since his grandfather, suffered a lot during the great depression, that Hyalus should be the perfect cookie cutter town,where everyone knows one another, and has no secrets to hide. He is a friendly guy,6’4 ft tall, with raven black and has a pale complexion with hazel eyes. He usually wears plain t-shirts,with a leather jacket, and van shoes. His favorite hobby is writing,reading and art. He tends to mind his own business,and like to be himself, despite having a handful of friends. His,best friends is Xavier. They have known each other since childhood,since their Grandparents knew one another,since they were the first pioneers of Hylaeus.

Pete Jones which his position in Hyalus police department is the sheriff. He is 25 years old, he is the youngest sheriff in the history of the city. He lives with-in the police station and every morning he goes on runs across the city wondering why that square shadows that one specific house. He never leaves the station, he is there 24/7, his parents were with him for part of his life until. His mom left one night and no where to be found, except a necklace that she wear but it was found on the outskirts of the city. Later on his dad was killed while on duty, he was left alone when he was 17, he left him his badge which it was the size of a pendant. He wears it everyday with him, he still has the the gun his dad let him fire when he was 8. He knows what the note says on the bottom of the stained glass on the bottom of the station. But his life goal is to figure out where that stained glass was from.

Michael Neil is a 38 year old man who used to live in suburban Chicago. As religion became most of his life, he evolved from an avid church attender to a man studying to become a pastor. As soon as he wanted to pursue this goal, he began studying the pastor. Eventually he became of a student of the pastor. However, he began to realize that the man he thought was his teacher was a hypocrite. He was in it for the money, not for the love of god. He was stealing church funds. Once Michael understood that this man was a fraud, he decided that he could do better. He heard from someone that a handful of people were going to move into a glass city, an idea came to his mind. He was going to move to this city and make a church of his own. In this town, he would base his sermons off the word of god and live a life reflected based off of his own teachings. So he set off as soon as possible. When he moved into the city he began his life and enjoyed it. However a few years into his journey to be a great man in the eyes of god, he began to see a problem. He wasn’t making ends meet. He needed to make money but still live this life. Weeks began to pass and it finally came to a point where he needed to pay bills. After collecting offerings, he realized how much he was actually collecting. He decided to take some of the money and then it started to become a habit. Eventually people started coming to this pastor for help in their faith. The first thing that came to mind was how he could get more money so he decided to tell these people that they needed to give more to the church. Soon enough he was taking so much money he was living above his means. He had enough money to do whatever he wanted. He had become exactly what he despised. However, it never appeared that way to him. He was doing what he had to survive. One Sunday during his sermon, he started preaching about honesty, what the city was built off of. He was teaching how repentance starts with being honest with yourself. When he got to that part he had a realization that he needed to get his life together. But then he also remembered that requires him to start struggling again. From that moment on he began struggling with his life. Whether or not he needed to change his ways or keep living the way he had been for the past few years. Now Pastor Michael is a confused man who struggles with what he had become. He had wanted to change what he saw within the church, but what he hated most is what he became.

By: Anthony Astudillo 2

Dr. Smith has lived in the town for only a couple of years. He moved there from an outer town. He wasn't very liked at the beginning, but then he turned into the town’s doctor and everyone basically worshiped him. He is 5’2 and medium tone skin. He has black hair. He is only 25 years old. Dr. smith used to live in a town not to far from the town. He Used to do football, but he was never that good. He was just on the team to make his father proud. He always tried to make his father happy.  He usually only talks to the people at his work and out of work he only talks to a few people and one of them is a woman who he thinks is the most beautiful in town. Her name is abigail. She is a couple of years younger than Dr. smith. She is 22 years old. Dr. smith is completely crazy over Abigail.

Back in the day, Russ Stones was just as new to the town as the building. His eyes used to gleam like the glass-blown trinkets he made. Now he was older, his sculptures still shimmered but the back of the repair shop looked as tired and gray as he was. The sales floor, into which he poured his youth, housed his most valuable creations of glistening glass. When he looked at his reflection in the different mirrors around the shop, each of them told a different story. One showed a hunchbacked raisin with a long white beard; a face cracked with age. Another displayed a youthful, strong man clothed in the uniform of a soldier, his strong jawline as sharp as broken glass. Yet another mirror reflected nothing- the sign of an empty shell of a man.

He came to this town as a veteran with very little memory. The war in the Pacific thrust him into horrors no person on the home front could imagine. The island on which he encamped was captured by their foe, and he suffered trauma from a blow to the head. Waking up in a foreign land, he was forced to work in a glass manufacturing plant. His months as a slave taught him much about the properties of glass, and when the camp was liberated, he returned to the United States and moved to the city of Hyalus. He didn’t remember any family or friends he had before the war, and the only familiar thing he knew was glass.

He created intricate bowls, vases, pipes, and sculptures. Through his years as a smoke-blower and glassblower, his once strong lungs had become cracked and frail. As a long-term member of the community, his trust was also cracked and frail.  Evolving with the town, he grew to know many residents, as almost everyone had some need for his services at one point. The people who came to him had broken windows in anger, thrown stones, or had just noticed a small crack which eventually created a shattering problem. He had seen with his own eyes, through the glass that displayed all truth, the many secrets people wanted hidden.

Mike Cas Anderson is his name. He moved into this town when he  was 16. His parents heard about this new town that was arising and promised to be a perfect little town that was a  utopia for all who lived in it. However as he grew in this mysterious glass town, he couldn’t help but miss the life he had before arriving here. Where Privacy was a thing, and where you had the choice of either being truthful with everyone or not. Now however they force you to tell the truth and be honest with everyone. He always thought that this town as a place control, not of openness or transparency. Time passed by and he had no choice  but accept the life his parents choice for him.

After settling in Hyalus for a couple of years, his parents decided to open up a roller rink. His father died from heart failure, and Mike is now the new owner of the rink.

He has two kids name Nate and Mavrick. He is very protective of his kids, who help him run the business. Unfortunately, it’s only Mike and the kids. His wife was involved in a tragic “accident”. Ever since that day Mike has gone from a very open and friendly guy to a self centered guy who keeps to himself. Everyone in town is required to wear a pendant that correlates their purpose in town and Mike’s Pendant was a pair of glass roller blades.