ＴＡＮＧＬＥＤ ＯＢＳＥＳＳＩＯＮ | 1# DARKEST PATH SERIES

p r o l o g u e

| 𝒜𝐿𝐼𝒩𝒜 𝒮𝐼𝒟𝐸𝑅𝒪𝒱 |
17 years ago..

My mom was laying on a red carpet and my dad was kneeling next to her. I heard crying and sobbing from him. The door I was sticking my head through creaked and before my dad could see me, I closed the door behind me. I sat on the floor and tried to listen for something.

I forgot about my favorite puffy toy. It was the sun — Солнышко, the Russian word for it. When I was sad, exhausted, excited or whatever, I loved to hug him. It calms me down and helps me forget about the present. I took it with me and sat on the floor again with the door to my back.

I don't know how much time had passed, but I started to hear something. Screams. Those of my father and sister. I opened my bedroom door and flew down the stairs. When I stopped myself, I only saw my mom on the floor and my dad crying. Before he could fall to the ground, I grabbed his arm.

We sat on the sofa facing my mom. He wiped away his tears with his bloody hands. I hadn't seen how many wounds he had. His shirt was almost torn. I tried to hug him, but he pulled away. Strange. What was happening?

I waited for him to calm down before I could ask him. "Dad, what's going on?" He faced me and cupped my head in his big, bloody hands. He started to cry again. "I'm sorry, Alina. I couldn't safe them. We're alone now." Alone.

My mom was laying on a red carpet. Screams. Those of my father and sister.
I looked at my mom, then at my dad and his wounds. I remembered my sister's screams. We're alone now.

I couldn't breathe. Bile was rising to my throat. I felt like someone was squeezing my throat so hard I couldn't even see straight. My dad was shaking me, but I simply sit there without blinking.