flowers || coming soon

Prologue

‘Can you hear me?’

Hana Cleveland felt the ground shake when she first heard it - the voice.

Not allowing any speck of emotion to ruin her perfectly set smile, she took the scroll from the principal’s hand, hoping hers weren’t shaking. She turned, facing the neverending rows of students and their families, and her eyes clashed with her father’s.  

His hands clapping furiously, Andrew Cleveland was all smiles with his suit a mess because of the flight, yet, as promised, he was there - he always was. A perfect father.

‘He knows what you are capable of. I know what you are capable of,’ the words were dragged out, as if whoever was speaking them wanted to take all the time they could, and arrogance and taunt dripped from them. The voice was masculine and sinister. It was mocking. It was terrifying. It was her every fear. 

Hana stepped off the stage, which was neatly decorated with bunting, her hands and legs shaking as the uproar of cheering got louder, but nowhere near enough to block out the tormenting words of the voice - it would always be louder. Harsher.

‘You’ll hurt him. You’ll hurt him just as your mother did.’

No.

Please, no.

Later that day, Hana found herself surrounded by scattered pages and a voice which did not come from any mouth. 

She lowered her eyes to the creased page in her hand. It was written in neat handwriting and was years old. 

Date - 7 July 1988

Dear Diary,

I heard a voice today. It did not come from anywhere, but I know it was there. It was loud but no one else seemed to have heard it. I surely couldn't have imagined it. It seemed too real for that.

Hana set the paper down, shoulders lowering in exhaustion and then shaking with fear as the voice chuckled. 

‘Like mother, like daughter.’

. . .