Prologue...part 1!
The smell of the fire wafted over to me where I lay sprawled on the couch, my mother’s voice making my eyes drop.
“The princess collapsed into his arms, grateful that the prince had saved her.”
The room was warm and the pictures on the walls danced in the firelight as if by magic. I yawned loudly.
“I think that’s enough for one night,” my mother said, standing up from her position on the floor. Her long, dark brown hair fell over her shoulders, resting at the centre of her back. Her blue eyes danced, sparkling as always. She looked beautiful, as if she was the princess from the books.
The only thing that was missing was her prince. Father had left when I was one, that had been seven years ago.
“Will he ever come back for us?” I whispered, muffling another yawn. She gave me a smile, instantly knowing who I was thinking of.
“Believe this, Rochelle. Your father loved you. He left to save us, and no matter what happens to him or me, we’ll always be with you.”
I smiled back at her, wishing that when I grew up I could be just like her. She was always so calm and collected. Gracefully, she walked over and sat at the end of the couch, fingering her necklace. It was as beautiful as her, a silver firefly dangling on a long, fine chain. It was apparently the last thing she had of father, who had given it to her the night he left.
I watched as her eyes drifted, obviously thinking of a time and place where her world had been a happy one. We sat like that for a long while, both lost in thought.
Did they love each other? Did they meet at a ball? Did they dance all night? My thoughts were interrupted by a thunderous pounding on the front door, the visitor obviously impatient. Who would knock on our door at this hour?
I looked at my mother and realised that something was wrong. Her face was frozen, fear lining it. Her hands began to tremble. What was going on? As if she’d been punched, she jumped up and gripped my hand, forcing me off the couch.
“Quickly Rochelle, you must hide.”
Something was definitely wrong. I allowed her to drag me off into the hallway. The pounding on the door was continuous, the thumping like a drill in my head. We didn’t stop moving until we reached my bedroom, the pink walls offering none of their usual comfort.
2.
She pulled me along until we were at my closet, bending down to my eye level. She rested her hands on my shoulders and forced me to look into her deep eyes, the pressure of her hands beginning to hurt.
“Listen to me, Firefly. You must stay hidden, no matter what you see, no matter what you hear, you must not come out,” she shook me lightly, making my head bob up and down in agreement, ”Do you understand Rochelle? You must not come out.”
Ignoring the fear that was creeping into me, I nodded vigorously. There was a frantic look in her eyes that made me realise just how serious the situation was. The thumping on the door had stopped, filling the house with an eerie silence. Mum paused slightly, and then she opened the wardrobe door and pushed me inside.
“When they leave, you must run. Do not stop, do not look back. Run into the woods as far and fast as you can,” I nodded again, “Hide there until a boy named Jesse comes. Ok? Remember that name.”
I nodded another time. Jesse, Jesse, Jess. I began repeated his name in my head. My mother reached up and unclasped her Firefly necklace, the thing I had got my nickname from, shoving it gently into my hands.
“This is what they want. Protect it at all costs.”
I felt tears forming. “You’re hiding with me aren’t you?”
I wasn’t the only one about to cry. Her blue eyes became stormy, more like an ocean than the sky. A bigger crash at the door, yet it all seemed so far away.
“I will always be with you, Firefly.”
Before I could stop her, she closed the door, leaving me in darkness. No. No. No. I tried to push the door open yet I couldn’t make my arms move. I tried screaming yet my voice wouldn’t work.
I heard the sounds of approaching footsteps as someone entered my room. Voices finally filled the room.
“My dear Princess,” an unfamiliar, husky voice spoke, “We have you cornered at last.”
I heard a smack as someone hit the wardrobe. My mother’s voice joined the husky one. “Go to hell. I’ll never be yours.”
What was she talking about? I still couldn’t speak or move. The man must have known what she was talking about because his laughter began filling the room, laughter that was so cool I felt the temperature drop. “My dear Elizabeth, Why do you always act as if we are at war? Our kind is just as cruel as yours.”
His kind? What war? Unanswered questions began making me dizzy. What was going on?
XxBuriAxX
