ISADORA

Prologue

Isadora stared at the photograph and couldn't help but wonder how much her life had to change for the sole purpose of keeping her siblings safe.

It was a photograph of her brother, Windsor, who at the time was five years old, her twin sisters, Elowen and Rowena, who were seven years old, and herself, who was nine years old, at a theme park her grandparent took them for vacation. In the picture, you could see Isadora and Windsor laughing at their sisters, who were fighting for a teddy bear that one of them had previously won. The whole scenery of the photograph portrayed happiness, joyfulness, playfulness, and peacefulness. It was the only time they all felt seen, loved, and cared for.

Who couldn't have thought that at the return of that vacation, their lives would've changed forever?

Isadora released a quiet sob when she recalled that memory. She missed them so much, but she had to stay strong if she ever wanted to come back to them. In a blink of an eye, she stopped crying and patted down her tears, and took out a lighter from her coat. It's the only way to keep them safe, she thought.

She turned on the lighter and set the corner of the photograph on fire. Slowly, the fire began to spread and burned the only evidence of her past that could potentially intervene in her missions. It burned the only memory that gave her the will, the power, and the motivation to keep going. Isadora placed the photograph on the ground before the fire touched her fingers and waited until it all disappeared.

"Isadora, are you ready to go?"

When she heard that voice, she quickly stepped over the ashes and spread them all over the pavement to ensure that the photograph couldn't be recreated. She placed the lighter back into her coat and wiped her whole face with a napkin she had found in one of her pockets before turning around to greet the person who was calling her.

"I am." She smiled weakly with a raspy voice before picking up the suitcase next to her and look at the person who called her, her uncle Nick. "I can't wait to get out of this town."

"I am sure." Her uncle chuckled when he saw her enthusiasm. He knew it was hard to leave everything and everyone you ever loved behind, but the only way of surviving this type of lifestyle. "Here is the train ticket that will get you to headquarters. Don't lose it."

Isadora stared at the ticket her uncle gave her and couldn't help but feel a tight knot building up in her throat. "It's the only way," she kept repeating to herself when she looked at the destination: Seattle.

She glanced up at her uncle to say her gratitude but stopped when she saw him lost in his thoughts. He had always been kind to her, even when her father wasn't, and not a day went by where she would wish he was her father instead, but she didn't know.

She didn't know how much her uncle was hiding from her and his family.

As if he knew she was staring, he pulled himself back to reality and smiled at his niece. "Dorian will be waiting for you once you get out of the train. I have provided a picture of him in the file I gave you yesterday." He instructed her before he suddenly pulled her in a tight but warm hug as he whispered in her ear. "Be brave. Learn as much as you can. Make friends and acquaintances, Isadora, as much as you can. They will come in handy when times get rough, and you can't find a way out. But most importantly, don't lose that fire in you. It will be the only thing that will keep you going."

"I am scared." She whispered back to her uncle and hugged him even more. From afar, it could look like a father saying goodbye to his daughter as she goes off to college, but no one knew that instead of college, she was going off to train to become college doesn't teach. "I don't know if I can do this..."

Her uncle pulled back and cupped both of her cheeks with his hands. "Listen to me, Isadora, you have to. It's the only way you can get your siblings out of this shitty town and live the life you were meant to live. I wish I could do more for you guys, but my brother is good at having eyes everywhere in this town and making sure he know every step you made. The only reason you are here is because I found a way to keep him distracted, or else he would've found out and locked you up like your mother, and I don't want that."

Isadora knew he was right. Her father wouldn't have approved of this nor allow her to leave town. He was a corrupted man and had his way of making sure she knew he could control everything...even her life.

"This is the final call for the train 101 to Seattle on platform 409."

"You need to go now." Her uncle kissed her forehead one last time before stepping out of the way. He had so much faith in her. He knew she was going to succeed as he did. After all, she was a Knight for a reason. "I'll take care of them. I promise. Make me proud, kid."

Isadora smiled at his kind words and nodded. "I will, and thank you."

She readjusted her coat when she felt the cold breeze kissed her exposed cleavage before grabbing her suitcase one last time. She walked around her uncle and made her way to the train's door, but not before waving at her uncle, who was fighting back his tears.

She took a deep breath before heading inside the train. She stumbled on her way to her seat but managed to see it right away. Her uncle made sure that her seat was close to the door if she ever change her mind, but knowing her so well, he knew that was never going to happen.

As Isadora was settling in and putting her suitcase underneath her seat, the train began to close its door. She looked up to wave at her uncle one last time, but when she looked, he was already gone. A part of her felt relieved because she didn't want him to see her more vulnerable than he already had.

After hearing the departure announcement, she leaned back to her seat and closed her eyes as the train began to move.

"I got this..." She whispered to herself silently before drifting away into darkness. 

A:

Again, this story is based on my imagination only so please don't copy or steal it. I can't wait to share with another story I've been working on.