Chasing Alana

00 | Prologue

16 years ago...

Chatter and laughter filled the playground as kids in costumes ran around. Parents stood on the sidelines making sure to keep an eye on their children while talking amongst one another.

"Stop running around, you'll hurt yourself!" Shouted a little 8-year-old in a vampire costume.

He rolled his eyes as his 6-year-old sister completely ignored him and ran off to the swing-set. For an 8-year-old boy, he sure was bossy.

Before he could run after her and scold her again, a soft whimper caught his attention. He initially thought it was just his imagination, but then he heard the whimper again.

Focusing on the whimper, he began to walk closer towards the direction of the sound. Poking his head underneath the slide, his eyes zero in on a small huddled figure whimpering. Slowly, while still clutching his pillowcase full of candy, he began to climb through the small space until he reached her side.

Feeling someone next to her, the little girl brought her head up in confusion and looked at the boy who was blatantly staring directly at her.

His brown eyes held a look of concern as he looked over her figure, checking to see if she had any injuries. He couldn't help his older brother instincts.

"Why are you crying, princess?" He asked softly, not wanting to startle the little girl, who was wearing a Sleeping Beauty costume.

The little girl sniffled before answering in a quiet voice. Her little hiccups caused her to stutter a bit. "I-I l-lost all of m-my c-candy."

"Your candy?" He asked again, making her nod as the tears continued to stain her cheeks. He gently brought his small fingers up to wipe away the tears. "Well, that's not a reason for a princess to cry."

"B-but—my candy!" She blubbered, as she full-on sobbed. The little boy's eyes widened with perplex, unsure of what to do. He was used to his younger sister's temper tantrums, but this was someone he didn't know and was completely unexpected.

"Hey!" He scolded as the little girl continued to bawl. "Stop crying!"

She couldn't.

"Princesses don't cry because of some lost candy," He was using what his mom called his big boy tone.

He let her cry until only hiccups and sniffles were heard. As his mom would say, 'sometimes it was better to let it all out than to keep it all in'—whatever that meant.

"Are you done crying, princess?" He asked. She nodded, wiping away the snot that had escaped her nose.

"Yes," she said in a small voice.

"How about this? I'll share my candy with you, so you won't be sad anymore," he suggested, opening the now dirty pillowcase that he had been dragging around all afternoon.

Her eyes immediately brightened as she looked at the little boy in awe. Sticking his hand into the pillowcase, he took out a piece of wrapped chocolate and handed it to the little girl.

She took it from him excitedly, and quickly tore open a mini KitKat, taking a big bite. Oh, how she missed chocolate— it had only been 20 minutes.

"Thank you," she mumbled shyly, offering him the other half of the KitKat.

"Your welcome, princess," he said, taking it with a smile on his face, dimples popping out as he enjoyed the tasty treat. He couldn't help but notice her pretty eyes, which were a beautiful shade of grey. They were different from his simple brown eyes and even to an 8-year-old, they were the prettiest eyes he had ever seen.

A sudden loud crashing sound had the little girl cowering into the boy's side. He awkwardly wrapped his arm around her, patting her back gently.

"It's okay, it's just thunder," he mumbled into her hair. Her head was tucked under his chin as she hid fearfully from the sound. She was absolutely terrified of thunder. "I'll protect you, princess. I promise."

He looked up from his position, stretching his neck to try to get a good look at the sky. Dark clouds were slowly starting to form and based on his 8 years of knowledge, he knew it was going to rain soon.

He continued to embrace her small figure until he heard voices calling out for them.

"Alana!"

"Asher!"

"Over here, ma," shouted Asher. He gently moved her from his embrace and guided her out from underneath the slide. She followed after him, with her hand clutched tightly in his, feeling a little better about her lost candy.

The little boy immediately noticed his mom with his troublemaking little sister hiding behind their mother's legs. They were standing with a lady who had a concerned expression on her face.

The two mothers had just met and bonded immediately as they talked about their children. They exchanged numbers, hoping to schedule playdates with their children.

"Mama!" The little girl quickly released her hand from his grasps and ran towards the lady next to his mom.

"Oh, baby," the woman bent down to look at her daughter's state. Alana's eyes were puffy from crying and her cheeks were a rosy red, slightly damp from her tears. "What happened?"

The little girl looked down at her feet with a sad expression on her face. "I lost all my candy."

"Is that why you were crying?" She murmured, kissing her daughter on the forehead. She wiped away the dampness that was leftover on her cheek.

The little girl nodded before looking up at the boy. "But it's okay, mama. He shared with me."

"Did he now?" The mother asked, looking at her the little boy. His face reddened with all the attention directed at him.

"Yes, mama, and he protected me from the scary thunders," she added cheerfully. The little boy stood next to his mother with a shy expression on his face.

"And what do you say to him?" Her mother asked.

"Thank you," Her voice was soft as she glanced shyly at the little boy.

"You're very welcome, princess," he replied, looking down at his feet. The two mothers looked at each other with a grin.

It seemed like their children would have no problem getting along during their playdates. 

★ ★ ★

And so, we begin again. More to come soon loves^^