Under Her Black Umbrella

Prologue

Maura was thirteen when they took her father. She watched from her bedroom window as two men holding umbrellas dragged him by the arms and threw him into the back of a van. It was the first instance of a taking in her town, so naturally she thought he'd come back. That's what her mother had promised her anyway. She waited, and waited, either sitting on the window ledge, or cuddled up in bed with the curtains drawn, but he never came home.        

    Two weeks later a letter came for her mother. This was expected. She had been ill for some time and the doctors couldn't promise her improvement. She had been declared 'unvaluable.' They had dinner together that evening; Maura, her mother and her older sister, Becky. She was allowed to stay up late, watch a scary film on television, and even drink her first glass of wine. When she woke up the next morning, her mother was gone. 

     It was the third taking that came as a surprise. Maura's bus had been delayed and she arrived home half an hour late. When she opened Becky's door she dropped her bag, knowing instinctively. She was only seventeen, not four months out of school and hadn't gone to college. It wasn't just a shock for Maura, but for the whole neighbourhood as well and people grew suspicious of a certain family who had recently moved town.

     Her taking was a sign that times were getting tougher, procedures would be stricter and only a lucky few could live without fear. Maura wanted to be among those people and so she set out to amend her family's flaws, make a new start for herself and become a recognized 'valuable.' But as she sketched her plans, made contacts and applied for permits, she would never forget the great injustice brought upon her family nor forgive the person who reported to have them taken away.

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