Another Day, Another Tale

Chapter 1 Second level Orphan

My friend/editor, Phoenix, informed me that there was no point in the prologue so I just cut it out. this is the only partially edited chapter so far, but if you have anything to add or catch something that needs to be fixed, please inform me!

        Thanks,

        Abigail 😇

Chapter 1 Second level Orphan

10 years earlier…

 “Honesta, you need to stay hidden in here. Do not come out no matter what, understood?” the 7-year old girl’s mother told the child as she gently pushed the child in the closet.

“M-mommy what’s going to happen?” Honesta asks.

“Baby, I don’t know. But whatever happens, don’t ever forget that daddy and I love you more than anything” the mother responds.

 “They’re here.” The deep male voice, of the girl’s father, states.  

“If something bad happens, I need you to get out of here as fast as you can and don’t look back.” the woman’s voice was strained but it held a good amount of command in it.

“When would it be safe?” the girl looked deep into her mother’s worried eyes.

“When you’re alone.” The mother stared intently at the child’s worried eyes for a long while, then stood and went to be with her husband. From where the girl sat, looking through the slats, they were super heroes.

The child nodded her head more for herself and moved in the very back of the closet. The front door opened, and she could hear her parents talking to the new arrivals.

“Why don’t we go into the kitchen, gentlemen?” her father asks.

 “Where’s the child?” one of the men demands, spewing out a dreadful English accent.

“She’s with a friend. Please, just leave her alone, she doesn’t know anything!” Her mother pleads.  

“That doesn’t matter. Hughes wants the girl killed.” Another man says with a harsh Scottish accent says.  

“Let’s not waste any time talking. Finish the job Mikey,” the English man who spoke the first time orders.

“Aye, we shall ” the Scottish man stalked toward her parents and made intimidating noises like a predator teasing fear simply so he could fed off it before the strike.

Then, in a blink of an eye, the hunt was over and she saw her parents’ eyes lose focus and go blank, staring straight at her as their limb bodies hit the floor. Honesta swallowed her scream and willed away her instincts to run. When I’m alone. She repeated to her mother’s words over and over in her head. Honesta did a breathing exercise she learned from a friend forcing her heart rate to slow.

She waited for the stranger’s to part with a powerful emotion that no seven year old wants to have more than once in her life.

“Hey, Mackinzee, You think the brat’s still here?” The man asked, glancing at his foreign friend.

“Aye, sounds like a wee canary cornered by a cat, Willie-boy.” Mackinzee says with a evil sneer full of crooked teeth.

“Well then, let’s find the abomination and destroy it.” The man smirked and pushed his hair out of the way. Their words struck an intense amount of fear through her, but still she willed herself to calm down and keep breathing in and out.

 “Let’s start up stairs.’’ Willie suggests

“How about you start up there and I search down here?”

“Sounds good to me.’’ Mackinzee struts upstairs and leaves William to his own accord.

“Here kiddy, kiddy, kiddy.” Will starts heading toward the front room, “I know you’re down here, luv.’’ 

With those words he entered the other side of the house.

Honesta seized her chance and eased open the door forming a small crack through which she peeked out, searching for the English man. Slowly, she crept out of the closet. When nothing jumped out of the shadows at her, she crept to the corner of the hall, peeking around. The man searched through their kitchen cabinets, whistling like she was a dog.

Honesta sprinted for the front door, and when she reached it she didn’t stop running. Her instincts led her to the church a few blocks away from her home.

The doors to the church instantly opened at Honesta’s frantic knocks. A plump and very round nun was standing between her and the sanctuary.

Seeing Honesta’s frantic expression, she waved the girl inside. “Oh, dear me! Come inside, young one.” The nun put a hand up to her forehead.

With that Honesta rushed inside the church. When she heard the firm click of the door being closed, she began to feel as if the walls were closing in on her and she didn’t like the heavy feeling on her chest. She couldn’t breathe, she had nothing… no one, and now she had no air.

“My name is Sister Lizabeth, what is your name, sweetheart?” the sister’s gentle soothing voice asked. Trying to reach out to the child.

The sister laid her hand on the girls shoulder causing her to jump out of her skin.

Just as Honesta was about to answer the kind woman a knock came from the front of the church. Honesta’s heart started to pump and she wanted to shout to the nice lady not to touch the door. That whatever waited on the other side was not a force to be reckoned with but all she could do was gasp for the air she still lacked. She pointed at the door and shook her head frantically, unable do anything else.

The sister had just made it to the door when her brain finally kicked in and instructed the lungs to cooperate.

“NO!” the words left her lips as the door swung open to reveal two men that were not the monsters that were at her house. One man stood a little shorter with blonde hair and a small build, while the other had dark hair, possibly black, and was built like a warrior.

“Well, there you are Honesta!” the blonde smiled sadly at her as he stopped in front of her and sat on his knees.

How did he know her name and how did he know to find her here?

“Hey, I’m Lucifer and this is my friend, James.” He indicated over his shoulder to the scary one.

“How do you know me?” she eyed them suspiciously.

“We’re friends of your parents.” He smiled another sad smile.      

“My parents are dead.” She stared blankly at the man in front of her.

“Yes, we know.” He agreed.

“How?” falling back on suspicion.

“We can talk later, but for now why not come with us?” he looked into her eyes.

“Why should I come with you?” remembering all the times she was told not to leave with a stranger.

“Because we’re now your guardians.”

She was completely astounded and frankly she didn’t want to go with them in fear that it would make all this seem more real. She wasn’t ready to lose her parents… they were all she had, but the fact remained that they were gone and these two men were the only ones who seemed to have the much needed answers she craved.