Heroes at Heart

Prologue: Vinicus Cauldwell

I was there when he died.

The bullet came out of nowhere, shooting through his coffee cup before doing the same to his heart. Everything moved in slow motion.

He fell to the ground, his black hair flowing like water around his head, his green eyes closing for the last time.

It was as if I had blinked, and he was gone.

"Vinicus," my sister Gina laughed, as she walked over to me. She hadn't seen. "You should've been there. He actually-" Gina's smile faltered as her eyes met mine. "Vinicus what's wrong?"

I was crying. I never cried. Not in front of her, at least.

Gina took a step back and turned around, terror spreading over her innocent face. "Oh my god," she whispered.

I, on the other hand, couldn't bring myself to look back at the blood-red stain that was slowly spreading across the sidewalk.

"Vinicus, is he-"

"Yes."

"Oh my god," she said again, this time with tears streaming down her face. "Oh my god, what are we going to do?"

"I don't know," I said sternly.

Gina fell clumsily against my arm, her whole body shaking. I pushed her away.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

I didn't answer.

"I don't know what's gonna happen."

I still didn't reply.

Gina reached out and squeezed my arm. "We're going to be okay."

I jerked my arm out of her grasp."No!" I finally yelled. "No, this is not 'okay'!" My heart rate was quickening, but I couldn't stop now.

"What part of this looks 'okay' to you, Gina?" I shouted, increasing my volume with every syllable. "I am seventeen years old! My only remaining parent is on the ground, dead! How is this okay?" I could feel something building up inside me. But this wasn't anger or rage. I've been mad before, but never like this. This was different. Darker.

Gina's eyes went wide, and her lip trembled. She took a step back, and waited a minute before responding. "Vinicus, he's my dad too."

"Was." I whispered.

Gina had looked away, but I could tell she had begun to cry again. Loud, shaking sobs. And for a moment, I regained control of myself.

"Gina, look-" I gently reached for her shoulder to turn her toward me. But before I could, the energy I had felt from before flowed out from my brain, and into my hands.

A flash of blue light, a terrified face, and my baby sister lie dead on the pavement.

But I didn't cry.

I screamed.