❧ an introduction

In a cosy home, nestled in old oaks outside of New York City, sits the Scratches. They're a charming family, eight children-- all of which are well-behaved and bright, and a mother and father. It's large, yes, but the ten of them get along rather well. It's the picture of suburbia. A man sits on the couch, reading the paper, while his lovely wife sits in an armchair, reading a novel. Children pass through the living room, asking questions and talking about their day in short spurts, their parents answering each inquiry quickly, efficiently, but never any less kindly. These are their children, of course, and they deserve love and care.

 

 

They clear out of the living room soon enough, leaving the pair to enjoy their literature in relative silence. Theodore, while his eyes are on his newspaper, turns his attention to his wife. "Darling, did you hear? Valdez was murdered last night."

 

 

Adelaide looks up from her novel over to her husband, eyebrows raised. "Valdez? Hmm. Do you know who killed him?"

 

 

He glances up over the paper and smiles. "Of course. Bristow, if you can imagine."

 

 

Smiling in return, she laughs and looks back to her novel, making herself more comfortable in her seat. "I never would've guessed. I'm glad one of our guys got him... Thank god that bastard's dead."

 

 

❧

 

 

Theodore and Adelaide Scratch have been a pair for as long as anyone can remember, or at least for a rather impressive amount of time. Married for 14 years, the Scratches have raised a family together, and created a wonderful life for their children through hard work. Theodore is a psychiatrist, a doctor to some of New York's wealthiest and most elite. Adelaide is a secretary in a law firm that takes on tough cases every chance they get. They're very nice, very stable jobs. They don't stay in them to put their kids through college, though. They stay in them as a cover.

 

 

Since the very beginning, they've been working as part of a mafia, run by Arthur English in the underbelly of New York City. They will likely die working with him too. It's not a terrible job for either of them-- the benefits are wonderful, and the pay is better. Besides, the two of them have a bit of bloodlust. There's no other occupation for them. The criminal world is right where they need to be.

 

 

Adelaide Scratch has devoted a good chunk of her life to the English mafia. They're like family, of course-- especially when a couple of her children are all ready to join and serve, and she's godmother to one of the younger members. She's a mother, a mobster, a wife, and most importantly, extremely dangerous.

 

 

The entire world is corrupt, and she intends to use every last bit of it to her advantage.