Prelude
It was an ominous night. The sky was dark and the clouds hung down heavily. The threat of a storm hung in the air.
On this night, Tim O’Conner sat in his basement with his head in his hands. His brother Tommy stood sheepishly in front of him.
“How could you have been so stupid!” Tim looked up. His overgrown copper hair hung in his bloodshot stormy grey eyes. Huge blueish bags sat under them. More obvious still on his fair freckled face. Mary, his wife was worried about him. He spent far too much time down in this basement.
The brothers had been teasing the line of morality for some time now. This however, was a line they couldn’t cross.
“I didn’t see her! She was hiding under a blanket... she was so small!” Tommy cried out. He had a look of horror etched all over his face. Somehow still youthful despite how far his brother was over his head. Tommy looked like their mother. He had a slight golden hue to his clear skin. His ashy blonde hair was cut short and he was clean cut. His eyes, a unique shade of blueish-green, were shadowed with fear and worry.
Young women were one thing, little girls... that was something entirely different. Tommy wasn’t the only one over his head tonight
The young child in question was lying on a hospital bed. The sedative Tim injected her with wouldn’t wear off for awhile in her tiny body. He hoped, he was careful not to give her too much.
“What are we supposed to do with her!?”
“Can’t we just let them both go?” Tommy’s voice was trembling. His eyes moved from the young girl, to her mother lying on the bed next to her.
“She saw your face! She looked right at you.” Tim exclaimed.
“She’s so beautiful.” Tommy ignored him as he stepped closer to the beds. She was a petite woman with golden blonde hair cascading down her shoulders. It framed a heart shaped face. Her eyes were closed and her thick black lashes lay against her fair ivory skin. Her plump pouty full lips were a light pink.
The young girl was a tiny little thing. Her curly hair was a messy mop on top of her small head. She was blonde as well but a a paler shade. It looked nearly white under this bright light of the basement.
They hadn’t seen her until it was too late. Tommy had already ran the car off the road. To make matters worse the mother saw Tommy’s face. She’d put up quite the struggle. But, Tim eventually was able to sedate her. The little girl was terrified, she looked at right at Tim, however she was so young and so traumatized. He doubted she’d remember much of this night. They had no choice then to snatch her too. They couldn’t just leave her out there on the side of the road.
“We can drive them far out of town. We can drug her, so she doesn’t trust her memory. We don’t have to- ”
“We cannot!” Tim’s booming deep voice echoed in the cold basement.
“But she’s just a young mother...”
"Do not get yet attached to the subject.” Tim warned.
“We don’t have time to find another. We’re running behind as it is.” Tim started pacing the small room. He was struggling to find a way to salvage this.
This room was sectioned off from the rest of the basement. It was bare concrete floor and cinderblock walls. They were painted white, but were peeling to reveal the gray blocks under it. It was intended to be a storage room.
It wasn’t huge but big enough to hold two hospital beds. Tim’s medical equipment was stored in an attached closet. One fluorescent light hung overhead and illuminated the room with a blinding bright white light. The bulb would need to be changed soon as it was starting to make a whistling noise.
He’d secured foam padding on the inside of the door to keep it soundproof.
He’d never intended to set this up here. But his old lab at the Wyndor university wasn’t safe anymore. The students had started talking about the Wyndor experiments.
So far it was just horror stories and rumors to scare each other at parties. The boss, however, wasn’t willing to take any risks. So, they moved everything down to Tim’s basement. For now. The boss promised him they were working on something better.
“This is what we’re going to do.” Tim was lifting the small child from the bed.
She couldn’t be more then two or three. He noticed she had a pair of mittens secured to the inside of her sleeve. Inside one of the mittens a name was written, Alyssa Laplante.
As he situated the small girl in his arms the mittens fluttered to the floor. He left them. He’d get them later.
“You are going to stay here and keep watch. When she wakes up inject her with another sedative. I will be back as soon as I can.”
“What are you going to do with her?” Tommy asked.
Tim ignored him as he left the room the room with the little girl.
Tim made good time across town to the impressive sprawling estate. The advantages of living in a small town, he supposed.
The large Victorian style mansion sat up on a hill. It over looked the rest of the town. Almost as if to empathize the Romano’s standing in the town. It belonged to the one and only Giovanni Romano. Gio was old money, as they say. His vast wealth surpassed even that of the mayor.
He’d helped Tim out once before and he hoped he could again. The little girl was still passed out. As Tim lifted her from the back, she woke though. Her pale little face turned red as she started crying for her mom.
“Shh hush now, little one.” Tim said soothingly as he carried the squirming and screaming, bundled up child to the doorway. She was becoming soaked on the way. The huge double oak doors were as intimidating as Gio was. Tim braced himself as he he knocked.
“Do you have any idea how late it- ” Gio’s words were cut off when his eyes fell to the tiny girl in Tim’s arms.
“What have you done!?” His brown eyes widened in dismay. Shock took over the man’s sculpted olive toned face.
“It’s best you know only one story tonight.” Tim said in a a calm and soft tone, despite the wailing girl in his arms.
“Is that story a truth or a lie?” Gio questioned.
“Does it matter?”
“On with it.” Gio said firmly as he stood still in front of them.
“She was left abandoned outside my clinic.” Tim set the girl down, but stood behind her to block her from running.
“Mama! I want my mama!” She wailed.
Her big blue watery eyes were reddened with tears as she sobbed. Her cheeks were wet and pink. Her little pink lips were twisted in horror as she begged for her mama.
“Your mama has left, sweetie.” Tim said in a soft tone. “But Gio here has a huge house and his wife Bella, well, she has wanted a baby girl for a long time.”
Gio’s jaw dropped and he shook his head. “I can’t take on another child right now! With Bella sick and..” He shakes his head in disbelief.
“She has nowhere else to go but the system, Gio.” Tim sighed.
“I don’t know where she really came from.” Gio added in an frustrated tone.
“Maybe she’s the exact medicine Bella needs.” Tim suggested. “She was devastated when the doctor told her the cancer robbed her of future children.”
“Don’t do that.” Gio grunted. “Don’t you play me like that.”
“She needs a home and you have one.” Tim appealed, not to Gio this time, but to the frail women that was coming up behind him.
Her once long dark hair was nearly gone now, taken from the cancer treatments. She was hardly even ninety pounds and usually looked so tired and withdrawn. On this night though her weary green eyes sparked with life as she looked at the young crying girl.
“Little one, come.” She said in a soft tone as she knelt down. She extended her arms for the little girl. Despite the unknown the little girl ran into her arms. Seeking comfort only a mother could provide. Even if not her own mother.
“You aren’t alone anymore, child.” Bella said as she held her. The girl sobbed and Bella held fast. Tim looked at Gio and just like that, it was decided. He’d never say no to Bella.
This would be her new home. Bella would be a good mom. Little Alyssa would have a wonderful life, she would want for nothing. Meanwhile her mother would help Tim change the world.
