Prologue
The night sky had darkened to a mixture of near black and dark blue. The LA streets still buzzed with traffic far below the four story apartment building. The air is moist with the anticipation of rain. The weatherman hadn't predicted it, but it was coming nonetheless. Opposite the apartment building, an old sky scarper stood tall. On the roof, a single figure stood, watching the cars whizz by below.
She had been waiting and watching for almost two weeks now. Her gaze was focused on the third story window to the far left. A light was on in the room as a little girl and her mother walked in. The child, no more than four years old was dressed in a long-sleeve nightgown.
"Come on sweetie, it's time for bed," the girl's mother said, picking the child up and laying her in the bed.
"I love you Mommy," the girl said, pulling the covers up to her chin.
"I love you too, Beth," her mother whispered. She gave her daughter a goodnight kiss on the forehead, brushing a few locks of silky blond hair from her eyes before leaving the room. Beth snuggled deeper beneath her blankets, curling up against her pillow. Her gentle blue eyes slowly fluttered closed as she drifted off to sleep.
The figure across the street sat back and waited. She would need the mother to be asleep too. But she could be patient. She had been for this long. The anticipation of the act was rising within her veins and she licked her lips hungrily. Her plan was going to work. It had to.
The night dragged on and the woman on the roof began to grow anxious. She paced back and forth, looking at the third floor apartment every few minutes, listening, training all of her senses on the place. Finally the could hear the even breathing of two people in the apartment. It was time to make her move.
She took a few steps backwards before taking a flying leap towards the other building. She was never more grateful for the ability to fly than she was at that moment. She landed gracefully on the roof of the apartment building and looked around. The pull of the child's heartbeat was even stronger here. She slowly walked towards the fire escape and slid down as if it were made of silk. She appeared outside Beth's window and just stood there for a moment, looking in.
"Soon baby, very soon," she whispered. She reached out and lifted the latch on the window frame. The window was open. She slid it open and snuck inside, making no noise at all.
Beth continued to sleep peacefully beneath her covers as the woman approached the bed. She bent down and brushed a piece of hair away from the four-year-old's face. Beth let out a groan at the touch and slowly opened her eyes. She stared at the woman leaning over her groggily, sleep still dictating her thoughts.
"Wha-?" she began, becoming more aware of her surroundings.
"Shh," the woman breathed, starting to pull down the covers. Beth's eyes opened wide in fear and she opened her mouth to scream. The woman quickly clamped a hand over the child's mouth, pulling her from the bed. Beth squirmed in the woman's arms but it did no good. They were out the window in mere seconds. The woman didn't even both to close the window behind them. She raced down the fire escape faster than any person should and arrived at a car parked half a block away.
"There you go," she said, situating Beth in the passenger seat before rounding the car and climbing in.
"Mommy," Beth wailed as loudly as she could but it did no good. The woman had started the car and was pulling into traffic. Beth stared behind them at her apartment building and just cried.