Deep Blue

Prologue

"My parents were aerialists, probably the best in the country, Billy and Joanne Anderson were there names. She was due for another child in two months after the incident, and I was excited that I could have a little sister to look up to me. My 9th birthday came around soon enough, and my parents took me on a balloon ride over Pepperstone Valley. It was, quite literally, a dream come true.

"The trip went smoothly, my mother was relaxing, while my father steered the balloon. I kept a close eye on mum to make sure the ride didn't cause mum to fall ill. Normally mum would be fine by herself, but as her due date drew closer, father thought it best that she was properly taken care of. I was awoken from my trance to hear the clapping of thunder against the dark sky. The wind started to pick up speed, from a gentle breeze to a strong gale. Not making a huge difference to our trip though.

"My father started to look worried, the violent weather might cause mum trouble. I skipped over to him and playfully grabbed his arm. He turned to me and gave me a warm, genuine smile, to which I returned. I turned back to the other side of the basket, and my frightened gasp could have been heard from the other side of the valley. The chair on which my mother had been sitting, along with my mother, were both gone. Vanished into thin air you could say. I frantically turned, trying to see her pop up behind me with her goofy smile plastered on her face. Nothing. Tears welled in my eyes, but I held them back. I couldn't believe that my mum and my unborn baby sister, had disappeared. I look over the edge of the balloon to see if she had somehow fallen out of the basket, but to no avail. Just then, a figure caught my eye. Thinking it to be my mother, my eyes lit up and I leaned over the basket to get a closer look. But my hope shattered when I saw a girl with long brunette hair and a blue coat that covered her head and shadowed her face from the eye. Her very presence chilled me to the bone.

"I sadly cast my eyes to my father. His figure stood steering the balloon, just as it had before. I walked slowly up to him, and stopped just behind him. I called to him, but there was no reply. I called again and still nothing. I grabbed his arm and pulled him around, only to see the girl with the blue coat in his place.

"My eyes widened and my throat tightened. However I found the strength in my throat to scream as loud as I could. She ignored me and lifted her hand into the air.

"And please note that I know what I saw, and I wouldn't lie about anything that happened the night that my parents were murdered.

"As she lifted her hand into the air, and I slowly backed away from the mysterious girl, blue flames started to spark from her fingertips as she murmured something under her breath.

"I screamed even louder as the girl got closer to me with blue light reflecting off my eyes.

"In the chaos, I hadn't noticed that the balloon had begun to descend onto a small farm in the area.

"As we landed I frantically scrambled out of the basket, and dashed to the farm house, crying for help. Soon, a man came rushing out of the house, you now know him as being one of the witnesses in this horrible incident.

"I explained quickly to him the short of what had just unfolded before my eyes, as I pulled him to the balloon. I pointed to the girl, and he turned to look at her.

"As he laid his eyes on her, his eyes went from concerned to shocked. I turned to the basket, only to see that in the place of the girl, was two dead bodies.

"My parents."

-

2ND DECEMBER 2013

I closed the newspaper and looked at the front cover, reading:

SUMMER ANDERSON PLEADS NOT GUILTY:

SEE HER STORY OF WHAT HAPPENED ON THE 9TH SEPTEMBER 2013

I push a lock of brown hair behind my ear as I continue reading the paper. I pulled my phone out of my blue coat pocket and take a picture of the story. This should please them, to hear that the girl has seen the actual happenings of that night.

But far more went on on that night than her childish mind could comprehend. Magic doesn't exist, they say, for their only belief is that something only exist if we can see it. Yet, people can see me, but according to them I do not exist. Magic will come Summer's way, when she is old enough to understand. I put my phone back in my pocket and act calm as an old man comes and sits on the other side of the park bench.

I bury my head in the newspaper to avoid conversation. He still turns to me, and, seeing the cover of the paper, his smile immediately fades away.

"Awful that they could accuse a nine year old girl of murder. And of her own parents too. Seems like a load of rubbish to me," he states "what do you think?"

I lift my head up and turn to him " I fail to understand how such a small girl could commit murder, but I find her story very hard to believe. Magical powers indeed."

The man chuckles slightly, "well I never said that it was the truth but not everything has a logical explanation, my dear. By the way, what was your name?"

I give him a warm smile.

"Winter Peterson."