Too Close

Prologue-

  The wind whistled, sending chills down her spine, as goosebumbs rose on her skin, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. She wrapped her arms around herself, bringing warmth through the small area her arms were covering. The late December night was chilling her to the bone. Everything was covered in snow, looking around, all you could see was white. It looked as though her and her husband, along with their infant of a daughter were put inside a Christmas Holidays card. Isabelle laughed to herself at the silly thought, looking up to her husband, their small daughter, Farnaz, wrapped tightly in his arms. She smiled to herself, tucking her hair behind her ears. Their small daughter was asleep, her small eyes closed shut tight. 

"Let's try this house." Thomas whispered to his shivering wife. He nodded his head towards a head slightly ahead of them, towards a house painted in a deep cream colour. The house was bigger than most, lights shimmering from the inside, telling Thomas and Isabelle that the owners were still awake.  Isabelle felt her stomach growl, wishing for food. She prayed she could find some yet she could not. Isabelle had not eaten in a while, and her body proved that. She was skin and bones. Their poverty was not known, as the Greys normally liked to keep to themselves. They had not many friends, and in their stretch of poverty that was definitely something they needed most.

"Are you sure?" Isabelle's faint whisper was barely heard in the dark night, her voice cracking at each word. Her lips were cracking as she has nothing to drink, her throat slowly drying every second that passed. "Should we really bother people at the time at night?" she looked to her right, craning her neck to see the town clock, just on the hill by the church. "It's passed midnight." she told him. She stared up at her husband, examining his numbing face, his pale grey eyes and his tanned skin.  "I really don't think we should bother." she stated. Her husband pushed his lips to the side, making a decision.

"I think we should." he told his wife. As far as he was concerned, they had nothing to lose. The owners of the house were clearly still awake. As long as they were polite, he was sure the owners would not mind the visit. They were only asking a small amount of money, only to continue living, for Thomas lost his job several weeks ago and was unable to find another, while in this time, Isabelle was ready to have a baby and was physically unable to be employed. So they had been reduced to the clothes on the back and the money they had left. They had to scavenge for food, and soon after they were thrown on the streets, Isabelle's baby just days before due. They went about the chilling streets, hoping to find a passer generous enough to give them something, money, food. Yet none had, and the Grey's were forced to live off what they could find.

Several days later, Isabelle gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. She gave her the name of Farnaz Marie Grey. Thomas and Isabelle loved their daughter, though they hadn't enough for even themselves. They had the choice to give up the child, but they could not bring themselves to do it. They hoped, perhaps, that having a child would make the greediest people selfish, but alas, it produced no help, and Thomas, Isabelle and Farnaz continued to slowly grow thinner as the fats grew off their bones. They soon became nothing more than flesh and bones, which brings them to this day, where they had been reduced to knocking on doors, hoping for a coin to buy something.

Isabelle took a light, timid step forward, her foot scrunching in the snow. She took another, lifting the foot behind her, leaving a small mark where her footprint had been behind. She continued walking towards the house, her husband right behind her, carrying their small baby. Their light footsteps were all that you could hear in the dawn of the morning. The sky was a deep black, a few stars twinkling in the night. The moon provided them with a small shield of light, guiding them down the road without injury.

        Isabelle stopped walking, her feet landing on a small "Welcome" mat on the large porch, stretched out across the length of the house. She sighed, her breath forming a small cloud in front of her, before disappearing in thin air. The small mat where she stood was the only place on the porch without snow, though on purpose or a complete coincidence, it was convenient for Isabelle. She turned her head slightly back, asking her husband whether or not to knock. He gave her a small nod, and she turned her head to face the front. She bit her lip, bringing her arm to the door. These people were asleep, she had a feeling in her chest that she should not be knocking on their door, but she set herself and knocked, three times, and dropped her hand to her side. 

        Isabelle, Thomas and Farnaz waited at the door for quite a while, which to Isabelle seemed like forever. Her heart continued racing faster and faster. She stared directly at the door, hoping that it would make the owners of the house know she was waiting at the door with her family, with an empty stomach and hoping for spare change. She shut her eyes tight, as a lump rose in her throat and tears stung at her eyes. She refused to let tears fall. She pursed her lips and shook her head. She would not cry. 

        Suddenly, footsteps could be heard on the other side of the door. Isabelle's eyes shot open, and she continued shaking her head, convinced that she was hearing things. But, the footsteps grew closer and closer, and in just a few moments the door swung open, revealing a man and a woman, side by side, their hair messy, both in pyjamas and looking tired. The woman rubbed her eye, her eyelids drooping. Isabelle's heart skipped a beat. She felt it fall to the ground as she stared at the two people. She knew it. She knew that they would be asleep. She knew they weren't to be disturbed, she knew this was a bad idea. She shook her head.

        "I'm sorry. We shouldn't have come at this time." she said, barely above a whisper. Isabelle dropped her eyes to her feet, feeling blush rise to her cheeks in embarrassment. What kind of person knocked on someone's door after midnight? She knew she should not have listened to Thomas. "This was a bad idea, Thomas, let's just go." she said, tugging on her husbands arm. "Goodbye." she said, lifting her head slightly to acknowledge the man and woman.

        "No, stay. It is not a big deal, we weren't asleep, we were watching television." the man explained. "I'm Sam," he told them,  "And what brings you here?" his voice was low and gruff. He seemed sweet and friendly, though his face sad otherwise. He looked a mean man, yet what Isabelle and Thomas had seen, he was almost the exact opposite. The woman they predicted to be his wife was small and skinny. She barely reached his shoulders in height and she had long, chocolate brown hair, and a smiling face. "What brings you to our household?" he asked again, lightly. A smile looked like it was permanent on his face.

        "Well." Isabelle whispered, taking a step forward, so that she stood once more on the 'Welcome' mat. Her legs shook underneath her, but she kept her ground. She opened her mouth, but when she attempted to speak, her voice shook and broke. She took a deep breath, steadying her whole body. She blinked quickly a few times. "Well." she repeated. She pushed her lips together, her heart racing, as she searched for the words to put their needs into a polite sentence. "We, we just had a child, see." she said, her voice skipping quickly over the words and shaking. "But we couldn't be rid of her. We have no money. We haven't eaten in days, we just need something to stay alive." Isabelle said desperately. She stare down at her shoes, tears falling from her eyes. 

"That's not a problem." he smiled. Isabelle knitted her eyebrows together. It's not a problem? Her and her husband came to their door much too late at night, asking for money,  and to this man that was not a problem? They did not mind that? The cold night's air took over Isabelle's body, interrupting her train of though as goosebumps rose on her skin and chills ran up and down her spine. She wrapped her arms around herself, staring up at the man, who was positively beaming down at her.

        "Not a problem?" Isabelle asked timidly. The man merely smiled at her, taking her hand in his, opening her palm. He dug deep into his pocket, his lips pressed together. He pulled out a stack of money, and split it in half, placing the larger half into Isabelle's hand. She gasped in surprise as she stared down at the money, which had to be at least five hundred dollars. She stared up at the man. "You're sure?" she whispered. She was confused as to why the man would give her money so easily, and also as to who kept so much money in their pocket. The an smiled, and flipped through a couple more bills imprinted with the number twenty, and placing them in the flat of Isabelle's hand. "I have to repay you somehow."

        "That girl." the man whispered, pointing to small Farnaz. Isabelle's heart leaped, Thomas's eyes growing wide. He wanted Farnaz, he wanted Farnaz. Isabelle's small hand closed around the money. Never would she give up her daughter. She would hand the money right back in a heart beat. "When she turns eighteen. She marries my son, Aaron." he said it almost like a question, like he needed the Grey's opinion. It was that or the money.

        "Okay." whispered Isabelle, stuffing the money in her pocket. "It's a deal."