Prologue

Prologue

 

I’ll never forget the day I met Drake. I met him on what would have otherwise been the worst day of my life. I didn’t know then, that it was more than fate that brought us together. I didn’t know the horrors that I would face just a few years down the road.

I had gotten on the bus that night, determined to leave the past behind for good. The only thing I carried with me were the scars of rejection that marred my skin, and a suitcase full of clothes and dreams. I never broke down; I never let the scars reach my heart. One day I finally decided I had enough, packed up, and boarded the bus. 

I never would have thought I would find the very thing I was searching for, sitting next to me at three in the morning.The bus came to an abrupt stop and my face slammed into the seat before me. I don't know how much he paid for his license but it sure as hell wasn't enough. I rubbed my forehead and whimpered to myself. Weeks with no sleep had made me a baby. I winced, remembering why I was on this bus. Some might say I was running away. And maybe I was, in a way. I needed my own life. I needed to find people who loved me for who I truly am, not who they think I should be. My seat bounced as someone sat down next to me. No. Why? I groaned inside.

"Headache?" 
I turned to look at the imposing stranger. 
"A little," I said, and then my brain stopped. I had never seen eyes like his before. They sparkled in a way that put the stars to shame, and yet they were dark; deep. So blue they were nearly black. His mouth was moving. Oh, what was he saying? 
"...overnight bus trips can be hell. I brought coffee. Do you want some?" 
I shook my head, moaned, then said yes. He smiled and poured some in a cup for me. The bus set off in motion with a jerk. I swore. F*****g dumbass. 
"Something tells me he didn't pay enough for that license." 
I laughed and looked at him more closely, deciding I liked him. He seemed congenial. I asked him for his name.
"Drake."
"I'm Crys." 

That was the day our friendship started.

Two years later and Drake remained there for me. Whenever I needed it most, and even when I didn't; he stayed. I liked teasing him, asking him when he'd leave. He always said never. I stole his coffee but that didn't change his mind either. 

I had started my life over, and along with a new job and a new place, I had Drake. I never really thought much about my old life, or why I had left. Then Drake took up a job, hours away. We talked every day, but it wasn’t the same. I tried not to let him know how much I missed him; how much I mentally reproved him for leaving me, if only physically.

Then I got the phone call that changed everything. The phone call that made everything spiral out of control. My family was alive. I sat on the bed in shock, the phone made a sickening crack as it fell to the floor. The room spun and I lost my sense of what was up and what was down. I vomited onto the floor as I fell on my knees. Two years, and I finally heard my father’s voice, urging me to come see him. Insisting it was a matter of life and death.

 

They had disappeared without a trace. My mother, father, and two sisters. I had come back from work one afternoon to an abandoned house. I called the marshals. I searched everywhere for a clue, for a note. I found nothing. The region marshals went through records and files. The accounts had been cleared. They had simply taken everything of monetary value, and left. For months, I waited for them to contact me. I quit my job. I refused to leave the house. Day after day, I sat on the sofa, afraid to sleep, waiting for a sign.

 

I finally gave up. They had abandoned me. For reasons I could not fathom, they had left me behind. The hurt and the betrayal I felt were excruciating. I felt as if an iron fist had begun asphyxiating my heart; my soul. I packed my bags and took the night bus out of that forsaken village. I met Drake, and spent two years leaving the hurt and anguish behind. Now my father was calling me back, imploring me to please come.

 

I don’t know how long I sat there crouched on the floor, with my thoughts blurring in and out of focus. It was dark before I got up. I had made up my mind. I was going to go. I needed closure, and there was something in my father’s voice that told me I had to go. Even after two years of anger and disappointment, I could read him.

 

I left a message for Drake, packed a bag, and began the journey back home.

Reviews

[Felipe]

very nice prologue, i wonder what is so urgent about her family, the betrayal and abadonment she felt is interesting, keep it up!