Pretty Boy

Prologue

Once upon a time, there was a little girl whose eyes were as bright as the stars, and hair as soft silk. She screamed innocence, something that we're all born with. Some choose to waste their innocence and throw away their purity, but others have no choice in leaving this life with a stained soul, a broken mind, and a tattered heart.

She had a daddy - she idolised him, who didn't? Large and boisterous with a hearty laugh, Jonah Valentine had the kindest spirit. He worked crazy hours from early morning until the late hours of the night, something her mama hated. He was a good man, and her mama a good lady. She was real pretty. A real angel that went about life with grace. She always wished she had her mama's golden hair but at least she had her big brown eyes.

A picture-perfect family, the Valentines hosted barbeques, parties at the country club, and fundraisers for the church. They were good people, full of love and adoration for their only child, their beautiful daughter.

Heidi Valentine was a lady of character - she had her quirks and a toothy smile that showed her dimples. "You're gon' be a real heart breaker baby girl," she once said, "there ain't gon' be no one in this town that won't crawl on their knees for you."

But all good things must come to an end.

It was like any other day, her daddy went down to the ranch to clean the stables and break the horses, and her mama stayed home to bake her famous apple pie. But that afternoon, the town stood still. They stood in anticipation as they watched the little girl emerge from the two-story property that belonged to the Valentine's. She wandered out the door looking like Jesus Christ himself, battered black and blue, and drenched in blood. She didn't speak a word, but they knew. They knew of the nightmare that the little girl witnessed, and they knew the consequences of her doing so.

Since that day, her daddy changed. He wasn't the carefree man she once adored, but left in his place was a bitter taste of sorrow, desperation, and a soul that had been tainted black.

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*Isobel pictured above*