Heartstrings

Prologue

The mild sun rays shone through the glass windows of the Toyota I was in. I rubbed my eyes a little, wrinkled my nose and stretched my arms. Perking my head up, I saw my dad who looked like a big panda who kept his eyes on the road.

My mother switched on the radio, still yawning a little after long hours of a road trip. " Today's weather forecasts cold, fierce weather ahead. Stay indoors and keep warm. Now, we move on to Rihanna's song..." The radio blared.

We were on a road trip to Disneyland with my cousins who were in the car behind mine. This December after completing my primary school at 8, we visited Aunt Marie and her brats who live in New York City before I progressed to high school. My parents wanted me to have a taste of childhood before I so-called ' grew up too fast'.

I was only 8 years old, reading Twelfth Night by Shakespeare. Shakespeare was really popular in my country and I loved all his works. I didn't really like my older cousins. They were twins named Britney and Tiffany.

Britney always pinched me and Tiffany would try her best to use her stupid crayons and colour my face. One day I had had enough and tricked her into swallowing so much crayon water that Aunt Marie had to send her to the hospital.

That's for pissing off a child prodigy...

Britney, you're next.

>>>>>

We pulled up at this rest stop which offered my favourite fried chicken with coleslaw and French fries. Once again, I was forced to sit with those brats while the adults went to buy food and some chocolate and energy bars for the journey.

" Bwella... what's that on your hair?" Tiffany pointed to my head. I was practically praying for my parents to come back to the table as fast as possible before I go to jail for mutilating these two brats beside me.

I rolled my eyes and ignored her. Just then, I caught sight of Britney's bratty hands out to tug my hair. I stood up from the cushy red seat that made the restaurant look like a 60's diner and caught her wrist just in time. Over time, I think I can manage to master the art of karate.

They both pouted and sank into their seats when my parents came back. The restaurant was a pretty busy one, suitable for families with kids and brats. The 60's diner was decorated well and sold banana splits and shakes for a couple of dollars.

I looked out the window, pressing my face against the window pane as I watched the sunset by the sea. It got dark very soon and millions of stars lit up the night sky.

The atmosphere of the restaurant changed from lively to quiet and dingy. Those locals with the American accents scurried away after glancing at their watches.

The light bulbs above us flickered a little, and the wind howled loudly, making its way through the small crevices in the walls which I've not noticed earlier. The only people in the restaurant left were the waitress, my family and a mysterious man in a trench coat who stole peeks at us every now and then.

He sipped a cup of his coffee and hid behind the newspapers in his hands as soon as I managed to catch him red handed. The sound of the crumpling of the papers in his hands rang in my ears, making me wonder what he was really up to. For some reason, I felt that something dark lurked between Aunt Marie's eyes and his as they gave faint signals to each other.

I just kept my eyes on him the whole time and after awhile, the adults decided to leave and continue the journey to the train station.

The moon shone brightly as I sat in a compartment with my parents. Mom pulled down the bright vermilion curtains and kissed me on my forehead. " Goodnight my little prodigy. We'll have fun tomorrow." She smiled and covered me with a blanket she bought at Harrod's.

Little did I know what'll happen next...

>>>>>

I was about to fall asleep when I heard a woman scream. I jerked up, thinking that it was a nightmare. My heart pounded when I noticed that my parents were nowhere to be found.

Perhaps they've gone to the water closet.

The eerie atmosphere was as silent as ever. I slipped on my little rabbit shoes and walked out of the compartment, down the dimly lit walkway. The moonlight shone through the opposite windows and cold wind brushed against my hair, a little part of my bangs flew to the left side of my temples. The subtle snoring of the other passengers echoed in my ears as I tiptoed my way down the aisle.

Loud footsteps of heavy leather boots boomed in my ears, sending a chill down my spine. I gulped, quickly hiding my tiny body under the empty seat nearby as a tall, a dark shadow was cast upon the wall next to me, looming the walkways.

My body froze, my eyes locked onto the boots of the mysterious stranger. My heart pounded and beads of perspiration trickled down my temples. A few strands of my blonde hair clumped together, sticking onto my ice cold skin. These were the exact same boots I saw in the diner, except this time they were covered with fresh, melting snow. The masked stranger slipped out a sharp, shiny dagger from his pocket. A few drops of blood dripped down on the ground, making my heart race. My tiny hands balled into fists, my fingernails digging into my flesh.

The stranger paced nearer and I could hear his heavy breaths in an earshot. His breaths emitted an aura that indicated ruthlessness and a man who had no mercy for anyone. His boots were inches from my little palm as he edged closer.

I opened my mouth to scream but out of the blue, my mouth was covered by a little boy who rolled right next to me, hiding his body next to mine.

" Shh... he'll hear you. Dwon't, dwon't worry, I'm here to protect you." The little boy cupped my mouth tightly, whispering into my ear. I looked at him and nodded. In a split second, the mysterious stranger wanted to bend down to check but was distracted by the sound of glass shattering.

I heaved a sigh of relief and the little boy squeezed my hand tightly. I could sense his fear too but he tried to cover it up by looking to the right. His shifty eyes gave him away and his face flushed, his apple cheeks a nice shade rosy red.

Suddenly, I heard another ear piercing scream whose voice seemed to be quite familiar. I hoped that I was so wrong this time but I wasn't.

Mom!

- End of prologue-
Thank you so much for reading!