Prologue
(THE INTRO TO THIS IS HARD TO READ, BUT THE BOOK GETS BETTER)
My eyes fly open. My room. I'm in my room. I take in a deep breath, the aroma of bacon exciting my senses.
There are familiar voices conversing downstairs. Normal. Yet my heart pounds in my chest and adrenaline pumps through my body. Nothing is wrong, but fear settles in, urging me to move and do something. My gut was leading me blindly into battle.
I hop out of bed and grab my pocket knife off of my uneven shelf. It was my 13th birthday present from my dad along with a new iPhone 6.
I rotate the knife in my hand before stepping lightly down the stairs, aware of every movement, every noise, and every smell. My senses feel ignited.
Fear starts to set in as I question my motives. Everything is normal, why am I on edge? Why-
My question is abruptly answered; A shriek and a shout shatter the silence. The shout sounded impatient and it definitely belonged to a male. I freeze, confusion and fear clouding my senses. Should I wait or run in blind?
The decision is set in stone as I hear the rattle of a firearm. I turn the corner, only to see my parents backed into a corner, pleading for their very lives in the kitchen of our house.
I'm paralyzed. My legs won't move. Why can't I move? Why can't I save them? A sense of hopelessness overtakes me.
"DAD! MOM!" I want to shout, yet the words won't leave my lips. I can't do this! I can't! I'm weak! I'm nothing!
I watch him raise the gun.
My face pales. My dad's emerald green eyes finally take notice of me and latch onto mine. Dad calmly mouths one word: Run. My legs don't move. His breathing becomes erratic and uneven as the gun gets pressed against his forehead, but even then, his eyes remain attached to mine.
Love, hope, and fear surge in a raging storm somehow contained in those emerald depths. "Run!" is the word that his very being is radiating.
The armed man slowly turns to watch what my dad is staring at and my paralysis abruptly ends.
I bolt upstairs, remaining unseen.
Tap Tap Tap.
Then, I grab my sister and head out the backdoor, leaving my life, my parents, and my world behind as I had known it for the last 13 years.
As I run, I hear the sounds that ruined my life forever:
BANG! Click... BANG!
I collapse and break down. Grey's youthful face is a mask of confusion as she pats and shakes my shoulders. "Get up sis! What's wrong?"
