Holding On

PROLOGUE

~Eighteen Years Ago~

She woke up from what was a very sweet dream. As she had been anticipating her family vacation/tenth birthday party, it was hardly surprising she dreamed about her parents, her baby brother and her together in where she thinks is The Hamptons—as she's never been there but was told they're going.

Her baby brother, Ethan at nine months was the most magalicious of all baby bro. Once she got over her initial jealousy at having someone else to share her parents' affection with, he'd become her favorite person. It wasn't so hard, seeing how utterly beautiful he was and the icing on the cake was that he had her eyes—their daddy's eyes more like.

She made to check the time on her tablet and saw that it was just a few minutes shy of two, and tried going back to sleep to no avail.

She thought about going to the kitchen and remembered her mummy's warning about not going to the kitchen after bedtime for snacks and whatever—her words.

Well, she was going to the kitchen for water, and if she per adventure wandered off course to get some snacks, no harm done.

Grinning to herself mischievously, she tiptoed downstairs to the kitchen, and decided to drink water since she was actually thirsty.

After, she veered off to her side quest and deliberated over M&M's or Skittles.

She heard them before she saw them.

Felt them more like—she didn't know how but she did.

All her survival instincts kicked in and she immediately crouched and crawled to the living room as stealthily as possible.

She saw the two men—she assumed they were—disappearing up the stairway to the hall that leads to the bedrooms.

She wanted to scream, cry, do nothing and anything at once till the bad men disappeared and it all turned out to be a bad dream. But she knew this was real life and she had to do something and fast.

She once stumbled into her dad's small handgun a few months back, she hesitated a little but decided her dad wouldn't be mad since it was to save them all, so she went for it where she knew it was hidden.

She grabbed the house phone and made to hide in the basement.

Her vision had become blurry from tears now as she fumbled to open the door. She heard a scream—her mum or dad, everything had become jumbled at that point and like a catalyst, her baby brother began to cry—she almost went back at that moment—but she knew she had to do this for them and herself. So she eased the door open, entered and locked it behind her.

She managed to dial nine-one-one with shaky fingers and unfocused vision. She had been taught by her parents to dial the emergency number in times of trouble.

She heard a male voice at the other end.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"Y—you need t—to come to m—my house. They're k—killing my parents and m—my brother, Ethan." She said almost incoherently into the phone.

"Now gently honey, you need to calm down and tell me your home address and I'll try to get help there as soon as I can."

She reeled off her address to him as quietly as she could begging home to hurry up.

"Please come and save my mummy and my daddy and my brother."

"Yes sweetie. We'll come save them and you as well. Now listen, I need you to remain hidden until the cops come get you, okay? And to remain on the line, copy?

"Yes, yes. Please hurry." She almost shouted before she caught herself to be quiet. It was as well as she noticed the house had gone deadly quiet. No more screams or cries.