Within the Pages

Prologue

Prologue

Ever since I was a little boy, I've wondered why my parents left. When I was two, my parents disappeared, leaving me alone in my small bed, never to see them again. I can barely remember their faces. My dreams show shadowing, blurred outlines. The babysitter that was watching me fell asleep on the sofa and left in the morning thinking that my parents must have come in while she was sleeping. That wasn't the case and I was left without food or water. The only reason I'm still alive is because my grandfather came to get me when he couldn't reach my parents late the next day. He found me in my room playing with my pop out books as if I knew all along that he was coming for me.

As I grew older I tried many ways to locate my parents. I contacted the police, tried contacting the FBI (very unsuccessfully), put up signs and posters all around town and posted their old wedding photo on multiple social media sites but came up short. Nobody had seen or heard from my parents since that terrible night. And I started to believe that nobody ever would.

Living with my grandfather was very cool. He owned a small bookstore near the edge of the small town of Cedar Hills. Grandfather taught me all about the world. He allowed my imagination to thrive by opening me up to almost every book in the shop. I've read everything from sci-fi to non-fiction to the classics. However my grandfather made it very clear throughout the years that I was never to touch the 10 books on the highest shelf in his office. Being the good kid I was I listened, no matter how curious I became and boy was I curious.