The Fallen Wildflower

Prologue

St. Claire Shore, Michigan

October 21, 2003

Ever since she was a mere infant, Rhea was told a story about a man who stole the heart of a woman without her consent. He incarcerated her in one of his dungeons. Sinning and molesting her, he took away her purity and virtue like a savaged dog eroding his prey into nothing. An accident was created once when he was in a rush to fulfill his needs. Nine months later, a mistake never meant to happen was born.

The mother of the mistake offered herself as a sacrifice as long as her child lived. On her knees, the mother begged the sadistic man to give her a chance to raise her child until she was old enough to be on her own in such a vile world.

"He was cruel and heartless; he put up a façade to lure the princess in before he ruthlessly killed her," Gabriella ended the story. Her daughter was on her lap, straddling her. Resting her chin on her daughter's head, she inhaled her scent.

Gabriella had been preparing her daughter for the outside world. Never did she alleviate the truths of the world from her daughter. Rhea was not like many little six-year-olds. She was not raised with any playthings; instead, she was read informative books before bed. Rhea's first comprehension of what was being read to her was when she was at the mere age of twenty-three months.

This little girl asked multiple questions; at school, teachers did not like the negativity of the way the child's mind was obstructed, but they couldn't change the little girl's beliefs. Rhea only looked up to her mother for enlightenment on subjects she did not understand.

"Ma, I don't like that story. At school, they always say the princess gets the prince and they live happily ever after." Rhea could not understand why someone would kill his princess; after all, he did fight to win her. Gazing at her mother, the little six-year-old saw tears brimming in her mother's eyes. Why was her mother crying? Rhea tried to find a way to comfort her mother; she wrapped her frail, malnourished, hands around her mother's upper torso. "Please don't cry, Mama." Rhea started to sob with her mother.

Gabriella's heart ached at the choked up sobs her daughter was emitting. With weary hands, she managed to wipe away the tears from her Rhea's face. "Promise me dear -" she stopped to take a breath, "- promise me you will not believe those lies embedded in such mendacious books, promise me you will not give your heart out to a man. You will not let your guard down, and my beloved child, promise to never forget your mother."

Gabriella knew she was being selfish by pressuring her daughter into giving up such a promise, yet she could not bear her child pain from any man. She did not want her child to go through the psychological torture she had endured. She would do whatever it took to protect her sacred angel.

"What is mennaious?" Rhea's mispronunciation of the word caused the ends of Gabriella's mouth to twitch upwards.

"Sweetheart it means lying," Gabriella softly stated.

Rhea nodded her head in comprehension. "I promise, I will do everything you said. But Ma, I don't like boys, they have cooties." Hearing her daughter's answer, Gabriella could not help but chuckle at the child's naivety. The innocence of Rhea radiated like an angel's white light. Even though the house they currently lived in absorbed one's purity leaving them with nothing, but the demon existent in their mind. She hugged her child close to her heart, rocking Rhea back and forth until sleep overtook the little girl.

She stood up from her position, carrying her daughter towards the twin mattress in the middle of the floor. After she tucked Rhea in, Gabriella brought her hands around her own neck, unlocking the locket she had with her. Leaning towards her daughter's sleeping form, Gabriella secured the necklace onto Rhea's neck, tucking it under her shirt.

Gabriella closed her eyes, as her fingers traced every small feature on her daughter's face; hoping to embed her daughter's image deep inside her soul. Opening her eyes, Gabriella silently allowed the tears to fall down her face. How she was going to miss seeing the only light in this dark, eerie, house.

Quietly she bid her daughter a soundless farewell, afraid to wake Rhea up.

Michael was leaning against the doorway, his hands crossed over his chest. He did not want the outcome to become this since Gabriella was his favorite sufferer. If only that little vixen was not born, Gabriella would have lasted a while longer.

Shifting his line of vision from the wailing mother, he moved onto the nightmare he had participated in creating. He had promised himself to teach that girl a lesson in life, one that she would never forget. Michael would take her purity into his own hands and play with her until she became nothing more than broken shards. He would make her life miserable to the point where hell would seem like heaven.

"It's time."

Gabriella heard his calm remark, causing her heart to tighten in fear. It was finally her time away. Glancing back at her daughter, she reached for Rhea's small hand squeezing it, hoping one day Rhea would forgive her for leaving.

Cold hands grabbed her forearms, disturbing her sincere moment with her sleeping daughter. Tears welled up her eyes. With one last look at her daughter, she prayed that the angels would protect her child.