ONE
"Ryder, you have to be the prince because you're the boy." Ryder just smiled at the little dark-haired girl with bright green eyes.
"Why do we always have to play prince and princess?"
"What else would you like to do? We can have a tea party?" Ryder rolled his eyes. Danica batted her eyelashes at the small dark-haired, chocolate-colored eyed little boy. She always knew that she could get Ryder to play whatever she wanted.
"Let's play legos." Danica did like to play with the legos, so she gave in. Ryder ran inside his house and grabbed his bucket of legos. Soon the front porch was covered in buildings and homes that they built together. The sun was starting to set and Ryder's mother came outside to check on them.
"It's starting to get dark." She said as Ryder looked up at his mother and gave her the pouty mouth. "Don't give me that, your only six Ryder, and Danica is only five.
"I'm almost six," Danica spoke up. Ryder smiled big as if it would change his mother's mind. "Come on Ryder, walk Danica home and get your butt back here for dinner." Ryder sighed, they cleaned up the legos and Ryder walked Danica next door to her home. "Are we going to play again tomorrow Ryder?" Danica asked before she closed her front door.
"Sure, but no prince and princess." Danica giggled.
"We will see." She said. She ran out the door and kissed Ryder on the nose and disappeared inside her house. Ryder just wrinkled his nose and ran back home. Dinner was all set up on the table and Ryder took his seat across from his mother.
"So son, tell me about your day?" His father asked him.
"It was fun, school was good and then I came home and played with Danica."
"Did she make you be the prince again?" He said with a smile on his face. Ryder just shrugged his shoulders. Ryder's mother Victoria Dankworth, winked at her son. Ryder just smiled as he loved his mother very much. After dinner Ryder was playing in the tub when his mother came in with a large bath towel and helped her son out of the bath. She helped him dry off and get into his pajamas. Being a big six-year-old, Ryder climbed into bed and tucked himself in. His mother walked over and told him she loved him and turned his light off.
Three am, there was a loud bang that woke Ryder up. He set up in his bed and tried to look around the darkroom. He couldn't see anything. He sat there trying to hear more sounds. The room was quiet and as far as he could tell, so was the rest of the house. Ryder felt like everything was okay and needed to use the restroom. He slipped out of his bed and started to make his way to the bathroom. He finished up and turned the light off and walked back out in the hall. He stopped and thought he heard voices. He walked towards his parent's bedroom. The door was crack. Which was funny because they always kept their door closed.
Ryder tiptoed towards the door and opened it slowly. He peeked in and with the help of the moon. Could tell no one was in their bed. He felt a little fear as he wondered where his parents were? He closed their door and started to walk down the hallway towards the stairs to go down to the first floor. He needed to find them. Ryder held onto the banister as he took each step slowly. Before Ryder's foot hit the floor. Arms went around his little body and he was pulled behind the couch. A hand covering his yells. He looked up into the eyes of his mother. She looked terrified as she quietly told him to keep quiet.
I heard my father yell and could hear rustling happing in the living room. My mother pulled me close to her. She whispered in my ear. "No matter what happens, you stay here and don't come out. Do you understand me?" She looked me in the eyes and as tears fell down Ryder's face he nodded at her. She stood up, "Please stop hurting my husband." She yelled out. Ryder wrapped his arms around himself and stayed still. He watched as arms grabbed his mother and pulled her away from the couch. Ryder did his best not to cry out. All he could hear were the cries of his parents.
Ryder slowly moved to the side of the couch. He peeked out and saw his parents tied to chairs facing him. His mother looked to be unharmed. His father had blood all over his face and body. Ryder looked around the room and could see four men. He couldn't see their faces as they were completely covered up. The larger man stepped forward as my father was trying to offer him anything he wanted. I watched the man pacing in front of my parent's Then the man said one thing. "Draco sends his goodbyes." The man's voice was deep and raspy. That's when it all happened right in front of his eyes. Two of the men beat Ryder's father in the head until his body went limp. There was blood all over the walls and the other three men grabbed his mother and at the time Ryder didn't know what rape meant.
When the men climbed off his mother, all Ryder could hear was her soft cries. Then, just like his father. The men took turns beating her until she fell quiet. They left and Ryder stayed behind that couch for what felt like hours. He finally got brave enough and crawled next to his mother. He laid next to her and rubbed her arms. Trying to wake her up, but it wasn't working. He next tried to wake his father, but that also failed. Ryder was lost as he sat on the floor in the living room. He didn't know what to do, the only thing he could remember was his mother telling him to call 911 if something ever went wrong. Ryder pulled himself off the floor and found his mother's cell phone. She showed him how to call 911 and that's what he did.
It didn't take long for the police to break the door down and find Ryder laying in his mother's arms. A woman showed up and told Ryder she was there to help him. She wrapped him up in a blanket and took him out of the house. Ryder looked to his left and saw Danica standing on her porch with her parents. Ryder reached out his arm and waved goodbye to her. Danica waved back and he could see her tears on her face.
Over the next few years, Ryder spent most of time in and out of foster homes. He had to attend a lot of therapy for the witness of his family's murders. Ryder stayed confused until the day revenge was the only thing he could think about. At the age of sixteen Ryder got involved with gang members. He ran away from the system and by the age of nineteen Ryder was running one of the largest gangs in all of the country. Today Ryder is now a twenty-seven-year-old man. His members refer to him as the devil himself. Ryder is no longer the sweet little boy he used to be. He is now a ruthless leader intent on finding who killed his family, and bringing their world to hell for the things they had done. Ryder can cause hell as he rules with one rule, no second chances.
Ryder is now six foot four. His body is muscular and covered in tattoos. All his feeling have been shoved deep inside and the only thing he feels is rage and anger. The only man in the world who can keep Ryder calm is his most trusted man Jason Kelps. They both met in the system and stayed by each other's side while taking over. Jason has always played by Ryder's rules. Jason never knew his parents. The only thing he knew about them was they were murdered when he was two. Regardless of Ryder's issues. He doesn't kill in cold blood and despises rapists and child harmers.
During the day he is a heartless man, but at night all he thinks about is the beautiful little girl with bright green eyes. That lived right next door to him. He misses playing with her and having no worries. Every night before he closes his eyes. He wishes to be the prince that he always hated to be.
