For You ∞ Jasper Hale

Prologue

For You

PROLOGUE

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IT WAS A QUIET NIGHT IN Seattle. The wind was moderately cold and swiftly whooshing by, but there were no signs that indicated any upcoming precipitation for the rest of the dark night, unfortunately. Aviona was having a hard time sleeping as always, so she laid in her small bed with her furry and big, white stuffed unicorn, which she named Pewter, keeping warm under covers.

She could hear the faint voices of her parents, who were in the room down the hall, arguing. This wasn't just playful banter either, it was something else entirely. They were fighting for something she heard could cause their deaths. She could hear her name being mentioned a couple of times over and over again, and how worried and stressed they both were sounding as they yelled, probably thinking she was fast asleep in this time of night. But how could she with all of this noise?

Then, suddenly, there were footsteps coming from downstairs. Outside on the front porch. It wasn't just a creaking of the wood, but a loud thud, clearly the person wanted themselves to be known. Her parents had stopped arguing at this point and were harshly whispering. Aviona could still somehow  hear their voices, their figures shuffling and moving around, while the person downstairs slowly thundered up the stairs, which was just at the side of her parents' bedroom.

Her door abruptly burst open, making her eyes widen, fear creeping up her spine, her brain rebooting. But she was relieved and revived when it was just her parents, though they were carrying weapons such as bows and quivers of arrows, knives, and guns, which made her eyes widen more, the fear and panic creeping back up. Thankfully, she didn't blank or pass out from the shock.

"Honey," her mother's voice was lower than a whisper, how that was possible she never knew, but Avi could still hear her. They approached her; Melissa's eyes were wide with worry and alarm as she sat beside her daughter, and Arthur's smile was evident with grief and love. "Remember how much I love you, okay? How much Mummy and Daddy loves you, okay, sweetie? We love you so much, baby. Remember what we told you - never trust easily, and always maintain a low profile. You're a very wonderful girl, the best daughter anyone could ever ask for. Don't worry, you'll be all right."

Aviona knew why her mother was talking so lowly and frantically. It didn't take much to guess correctly. Her four-year-old mind was advanced and heightened like her senses. "I love you, Mummy, Daddy." She whispered under her breath, smiling gently and kissing both of her parents' wet cheeks; they were all crying silently, weak and stiff smiles etched on their lips.

In a flash, Aviona was put somewhere dark. She didn't know where she was, and it was very hard to breathe. And she noticed Pewter wasn't with her. She knew she was in some sort of spacious metal, hidden room - that was evident in what she could hardly see. There were weapons, food, and clothing around her, but nothing to provide light. Unlike her parents, she still wasn't used to seeing in the darkness.

She was convulsing in fear, tears continuously spilling down her chubby cheeks. She didn't know where she was, but she knew just why she was sent here; her parents would die tonight. They'd sacrifice themselves for her, that much she knew. But she didn't know why though. Why would they even need to? Why was she targeted by that intruder? Who was the person they spent so much time and resources trying to avoid?

Her momma and daddy were fighters. She would always watch them as they trained, though she really wasn't supposed to since she wasn't Of Age yet. She wanted to learn, but they didn't want her to. Though they did teach her how to fight in hand-in-hand combat, but that was all they ever taught her. They only ever taught her the basics before. They always told her that the time would come when she'd be an expert at their hereditary job. She really wanted to learn, though, how to use the weapons in-hand, but that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Especially now.