✧˚₊‧༉ False Paradise - Rafe Cameron ༉‧₊˚✧

PROLOGUE - The Flee

My heartbeat paced brutally, tears trickled down my face, and newfound bruises formed; not on my skin, but my mother's. How did we get here? Everything moved too quickly, but it was all starting to make sense, for me at least. We had no other choice but to leave what was once our home, but was it ever home? I didn't know what to feel, or what to do, but I did want to go along with our plan, a plan for a new life. But it was hard, with zero to no choice but to leave without a 'goodbye' to anyone. Let alone create a whole new identity for the three of us, having to go through a time-consuming process to do so.

We packed our whole lives in boxes, leaving our real identities behind to start a new one. A tear shed, slowly, it fell down my cheek, as I watched our house pass behind the car window. How did life become so gut-wrenching to the point where a family had to flee their country and create a whole new identity, a new life? It was just my mother, my half-brother, and me. My brother had to leave all his friends behind, and his girlfriend of three years. I had to leave my four close friends behind, one of them being the one I love, or loved? I'm not sure, but I knew I had to move on being that I can't see her anymore. But my mother? oh, a strong woman she is. She was the one who had to go through it all, having to brainstorm solutions to fix this, but there was no solution. Nothing could fix this, hence why we had to flee.

How did we get this rich? It's a long story, but one of the reasons why we had to do all this, I wouldn't say that I'm bothered, I'd say it was worth all of it, but yet why did it have to be this hard? A voice in the back of my head kept telling me that something was not right, I didn't know what was but it was something major.

For once in my life, I felt so positive about our decision, although the process of it was challenging, I'd like to believe that it would have a worthwhile outcome. But how do you erase your identity from birth and create a new one? Undeniably it would be a long process, having to fill out a petition listing your reasons for wanting to change your name which is required by the court, but to start with, you change your name. Be mindful about it, considering that you don't do this often, make it feel like you. If your permission is granted, you'd have to change your name on all legal documents. Furthermore, your next and final step is to change your social security number; with your new name, fill out an application for a new social security card.

Although changing our identities wasn't enough; given our situation, we had to leave everything and everyone behind. Sold our house, sold my mother's side hustles, and cut contact with everyone we knew without a word. It was as if we wanted to go missing... is that what we wanted? I don't think so, but it sure seemed like it. We can never go back, hell, we wouldn't even want to.

What have we become? What have I become? My mother had always taught us to never back down from a fight, it's for the weak and feeble. I've always thought people worked for my mother out of respect and money, but soon I realized it was out of fear. My mother is a smart woman; she wasn't new to this sort of business, people feared her, and had her enemies, but I didn't think it would affect my life. After everything we have been through recently, where are we off to now?

Kildare Island, North Carolina, or the Outer Banks known as 'Paradise on Earth' Somewhat lived up to its reputation. The summer heat felt just like the everyday heat in Jakarta, similar to Bali but with an extra touch of perfection. The people we were only familiar with in the Outer Banks were the Fishers, especially Laura Fisher, my mother's college friend and sister at heart. Every summer, we'd escape to our beach house in Bali, creating a tradition that made every summer unforgettable. Of course, the Fisher Boys, our lifelong brothers, added the perfect fun to our beachside adventures.

Given the tight bond between our families, it was impossible to keep our situation and new identities a secret from them. In response, the adults hatched a plan to buy a spacious estate on Figure Eight, ensuring there were enough bedrooms for each of us. It's pretty clear that the Fishers weren't just well-off; they were living in wealth, like seriously loaded.

I've learned that to succeed in the best life is to go through the worst, unless you're favorited by the universe. But here's to a new life.