Beautiful Pain

Prologue

Novalee

     My hands sweat as I peek out into the audience to look for my Dad. I find him in the front row, smiling widely with his video camera ready so that he can film my piano recital for my mom. She had to leave on a business trip, so she couldn't come. I'm really nervous because I've never played in front of so many people before, but my Dad catches my eye and sends me a wink. I giggle and smooth out my pale pink dress and walk out onto the stage when they announce me.

     I sit at my bench and straighten my back. My fingers hover over the keys, but before I can play the first note, my father begins to scream and falls to the floor. Chaos erupts in the hall, and I run to him, shoving my 8 year old body in between other parents until I reach his side. Bruises are beginning to cover his face and he writhes in pain, tears streaming down his cheeks. I clutch his hand and pray that my mother is ok, I pray that whoever is hurting her this much just goes away.

     Before I can fully comprehend the severity of her situation, I see an angry red slash form across my fathers throat, extending from his ear down across his neck and to the opposite collar bone. He cries out even harder and clutches my hand so tightly I'm afraid it may break. The slash settles deep, and leaves behind a deep depression in his flesh. I know what this means, I cry out in sorrow. As the people around us look on with pity and a few tears, a medical team comes in and gives my hysterical father a tranquilizer and wraps me in a blanket.

     My tears fizzle out as the shock fully sets in. My mother was just murdered, and everything inside of me goes numb.

• • •

Ok so I was working on a chapter for my other book, Give Me Therapy, when this suddenly popped into my brain and WOULD NOT leave me alone. I tried just writing a brief synopsis to try to get it out of my system but this thing is stubborn. So I'm winging it. Let's see where it goes!

Anyway, I've never written two books at once, so this should be interesting. 😜