Middle Unrest

The Middle Unrest was a period of time during Ethan's late teens in which people with red hair, ginger ale colored hair, and other kinds of red/yellow hair were discriminated against, due to the fact the royal lineage of the North Pacific Empire had the same hair colors. The resulting dozens of riots, protests, incidences of torture, and even murders, almost resulted in a civil war.

In early 1987, the first groups of "dark haired supremecists" surfaced, and their numbers soon swelled. However, the movement immediately came into conflict with the government, as Wilhelm V massively disproved of it, and Ethan had numerous friends of the targeted hair colors. On February 11th, 1988, Ethan's 12th grade year, three 11th graders confronted him and two of his friends, one of which had a red/brown hair color. The 11th graders drew sharp knives, Ethan drew his .17 pistol, and the thugs began advancing on him, one then rushed the female with the conflicted hair color, Ethan fired a round into the boy's artery, killing him instantly. With no hesitation, remorse, or a "first kill feeling", Ethan shot the second thug, the third then called Emma a "gingblood", a generic term for the people with undesired hair colors, Ethan then called him a "son of a bitch", and fired a round into his heart, with perfect marksmanship, as he turned tail and ran away from the three. Teachers soon arrived, and Ethan was expelled for a short time, before Wilhelm V threatened the school district's head with execution if he did not reverse the expulsion. The other person with Ethan, Draco, would many years later get back at the district head for this action.

The next day, 5,000 protesters, holding up signs saying "Gingbloods are dangerous!", marched on the capital, and some became violent, which Wilhelm V eventually had to reluctently give the order for police to fire on the increasingly violent protesters. Later that night, Ethan and Draco were ambushed by multiple gunmen, a 10 minute skirmish resulted in the five gunmen dead, leaving both rather shaken. On February 14th, a member of Hannah's gang caught Draco and Pansy kissing, and then called them, falsely, "kissing and conspiring gingbloods", Ethan immediatly turned up and threatened to shoot the boy, who reported the incident to the authorities. Ethan and his gang met that night, and determined they must not seperate, or a member risks getting injured, or even worse, especially the "gingbloods". Gingbloods were excluded from other gangs, and formed their own. On March 1st, Emma's house was broken into, and she was kidnapped and tortured, and the word "Gingblood" was carved into her arm. Ethan, Draco, Storm, Joe, Trinity, and Lauren then broke into the home, and exchanged fire with a much larger amount of kidnappers, during the lengthy gunfight, Emma was punched in the stomach and face multiple times after the word "Gingblood" was carved into her arm. The two torturers then attempted to assault her, but Ethan and Trinity, flanking the kidnappers during the shootout, entered the room and shot the two before they could assault their friend. Ethan called for an ambulance and immediate military assistance, and was then shot in the shoulder. The gunfight in the living room ended shortly after, with no casulties to Ethan's gang. The gang then converged on the room in which the torture occured and in which Ethan was seriously wounded. Both survived.

While Ethan and Emma were gone, recovering,, Storm took control of the group and immediately made sure of the group's integrity and loyalty. The gossip newspaper, *Gossip Central,* read the headline "TWO OF THE TRIO SHOT.". The paper read:

*"Ethan and Emma, platonic lovers of the trio, we reportedly injured in a gunfight at Pureblood Manor. Emma had the word "Gingblood" carved into her arm, and according to the notes of the torturer, Rita Skeeter's friend, she "cried like a baby, desperate, lonely, and emotionally" as she cut into her arm. After the carving, she then asked her "How's it like, being a gingblood?" She then began to kick Emma and punch her multiple times. She then fell into unconsiousness. Ethan and Trinity, the other set of lovers, burst into the room, and Trinity reportedly began to cry. Ethan was then shot in the shoulder by a fellow pureblood, later, the rest of the group entered...and it seemed as if it was all over, their leader having been shot...the realization of maybe gingbloods were a liability...gingbloods were impure...and disgusting. However, these thoughts never came across their minds it seems. Storm has told the local news network WICU that the group will stay together...and be resiliant till the end. Storm refused to comment further to Mrs. Skeeter."*

The article continued to rave about the success of the injuries, and later on the relationships between the three. When they were out of the hospital, Ethan took to national television on PNN, and demanded the cessation of racist activities.