Torn Apart

Prologue

Hot sun, clear skies, and calm winds….that was what my life was all about now. Five long years have passed since my uncle John went to jail and every year gets harder without him. He was sentenced to 10 years in Massachusetts State Prison for the murder of Sara Calaway. As soon as his hearing was over,

Nikki and I took the money and the car and left the state. We were now living together in a luxurious mansion just off the coast of Honolulu, Hawaii. Right after moving in, we changed our names and even our physical appearance.  Nikki had colored her hair in an auburn shade and wore contacts that made her eyes appear blue. As for me, I got my long hair cut just below my shoulders, colored it dark brown and also wore contacts. Sure these changes probably werent enough to completly hide us but John made it very clear to us that he needed us to stay away from Taker and his gang anyway we could.

We had everything we could ever want with the money John left, including a safe environment for my now five year old cousin, Levi. Nikki gave birth to him only six months after we moved and he was the perfect little blessing. John had only seen a picture of him since he thought it was too dangerous for us to visit him. In fact, John had stressed that us using credit cards and checks to pay for things would have to stop. What was he hiding us from? Better yet…who was he hiding us from?

"Levi! Levi honey, don't run near the pool or you'll slip and fall!" Nikki yelled as we laid in the beach chairs sporting our new bikinis. He gladly stopped running grabbed his dog shaped floaty and jumped in the pool.

We shook our heads with smiles on our faces.

"Gosh he's getting so big," I said, "It's sad that his father won't be able to see him for five more years."

Nikki sighed heavily, as she always did when I mentioned John. "I know but at least I have you here to help me take care of him. I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here."

"Well…honestly you have John to thank for that…he's the one who left us the money." I said as I played with my hair.

"I guess you're right." She said. "You know it never bothered me before….but I'm wondering where John got all this money."

"Me too…" I said before glancing at Levi, who just climbed off of the pool and began walking over to us.

"Mommy I'm tired." He told her.

"Already? But you just got out here." Nikki responded.

"I know….I'm tired now…" he said as he rubbed his eyes.

She surrendered to his little charms as she always did and picked him up. "I'll be right back girl."

I nodded as she got up and took Levi in the house. While she was gone, I got up and walked over to the pool. Slowly I sat down on the edge and let my legs cool in the sparkling blue water. As I sat there, I started to reminisce about my past and how far I'd come since high school. Taker's face kept popping into my mind and had been since the last time I saw him. I wondered if he thought about me as much as I thought about him and if so….would he ever try to find me?