*Prologue
It was my seventh birthday. I love it when it's my birthday. My parents told me that they had a big surprise for me. I couldn't wait to see what it was. In my naïve mind, I thought up of every possibilities that my parents could come up with as a surprise. My top idea was a pet. I have begged them countless of times to buy me a puppy. When I told them that thought, they told me to think bigger.
Bigger? What could be better than a puppy? I thought and thought for the rest of the hours of the day in hopes of an awesome idea. What could my parents' surprise be, I wonder? I was so excited. I told my excitement to my friend. He is also my butler, but I like him better as a friend. I don't have many friends, except for him and my cousin. Someone once said that a dog is a man's best friend, so I wanted to get myself one. That is why I want a puppy. I told that to my butler and he says one day I could have as many friends as I want. It's just that now isn't a good time, that is what he told me. I have to wait. Mama told me so. She says if I eat all my vegetables and go to bed when it's bedtime, then I would be strong enough to go outside of the manor and meet new people who would become my friends. I don't know why I have to become strong like Papa when I just want to play with kids like me.
Mama told me the outside world is a scary place if I don't be careful. I asked her how scary it could be. She said very scary. Sometimes I don't want to go out to town because of what she said, but I get lonely at home when my butler is too busy or my cousin is away. My parents are always busy, so I never get to play with them. Only when it's my birthday would they take a break from their work and play with me all day. That is why I love my birthday. It's always so much fun.
It got even more fun when my parents told me my surprise was almost ready. They told me my butler left to go get it. They said I had to go to our special room and wait until they came with it. The Special Room is where my parents told me to go when I feel very scared. I don't why they told me to go there to wait for my surprise, but I was so excited I forgot to ask. The Special Room is somewhere in the big gardens. To get there is very hard, but Mama and Papa taught me how to get there so many times that I know it better than the servants who can tell anyone anything about our mansion. Mama and Papa told me not to tell anyone about the Special Room or how to get there. They say its our room and nobody else's. I agree with them. Nobody besides Mama, Papa, and me can go in. It's our little secret. Papa told me that.
Not even my butler or my cousin know where it is. It's fun to keep a secret. I act like a ninja when I go to the Special Room. I always do. Even now, I tiptoe down the small path that leads to the gardens and hide behind trees and bushes like I seen real ninjas do on TV. I'm careful not to step on any branches or leaves because I know if I do, I would be found like in those movies. I can't let anyone know where I'm going, so I'm extra careful as I make my way toward the Special Room.
I look around me to see if anyone is there before I run into the Garden Maze. It's always so dark when I go to the Garden Maze. The walls are way taller than me. Even if I stand on my tippy-toes, I can't even reach half way to see over it. I don't do that today, though. Mama told me I had to hurry before my surprise get here, so I run all the way until I reached the dead-end with a big stone flowerpot with colorful flowers planted in it. I stopped in front of it and pushed a hidden button inside a flower. A small door opened from behind the flowerpot when I did and I quickly crawled through.
As I crawled, outside the birds' chirps stopped and it got real quiet. It was dark in the tunnel, but I knew where I was going. I just had to go straight until another door came up for me to push open. Behind the door was a room. It was the size of my bedroom. There were couches on one side of the room in front of a big TV, a small kitchen area on the other side, and another door led to the bathroom. My toys were everywhere. I had books and movies thrown by the TV area and my Legos city and Hotwheels collection behind the couches. Papa told me this room was like our second home. I always liked it here. The couches were as comfy as my big bed. I went to one of them and plopped down to wait for my surprise.
I don't know how long I waited, but I do know I waited long enough to get very bored. Mama and Papa still haven't come. What is taking them so long? Is my surprise really that big of an idea? Just thinking about it got me even more excited. I really couldn't wait to find what it is. Thanks to my excitement about my surprise, I was able to wait longer for it. I waited and waited and waited, but Mama and Papa still hasn't come. Just then, the door creaked open and I sprung out of my seat with a cheer. I was about to run towards them when I saw it wasn't Mama or Papa or my butler or my cousin. It was a stranger.
He wore everything red. Even his hair dripped with red. It looked like paint to me. Did he knock down a bucket of red paint? I wanted to ask what happened to him, but he suddenly grabbed me and pulled me out of the Special Room. I told him that my parents said not to leave the room until they came, but he ignored me. He wouldn't let go of my arm either, so I tried to pull away. Then, I saw him take out a scary knife that dripped with the red paint.
Why would he carry something so dangerous? He could hurt himself if he wasn't careful. I was about to tell him that, but then the knife was suddenly in me. I didn't know what happened, but it hurt very badly. When I looked down, I saw the same red on the man slowly spread on my favorite shirt. I didn't know what to do. It hurt, but the man wouldn't pull the knife out. He twisted the knife. I screamed. It hurt. It hurt!
Tears quickly came, but I tried to hold them back. Papa always told me I should never cry in front of a stranger. If I do, then I would only get hurt even more. I didn't want that, so I held them in as much as I could. The man said something then, but I couldn't understand. What is the Black Market? Is it a store? I wanted to ask, but I was trying so hard not to cry. The knife was still inside me. It hurt so much I couldn't even stand right. It was only the man's grip on my arm that kept me from falling. Then, suddenly the knife was out. I saw a lot of the red water come out of me. This time, I couldn't help it. I cried. I screamed.
I want Mama. Where is Mama? Where is she? She would have known what to do. It wouldn't hurt as badly if she was here. The man said something to me. He told me Mama won't come. He said Mama is dead and so is Papa. He said everybody was dead. He is a liar. I told him that. He laughed. More tears came and I could no longer hold them in. One after another, they fell down my cheeks and mixed in with the puddle of red below me. It got so cold suddenly. I saw spots and my eyes felt heavy. Everything felt heavy. I couldn't hold up my head. The man took hold of me and swung me over his shoulder. I cried out in pain before everything went black.
When I woke up, I was in a room. Everything was metal. The walls were metal, the floor and ceiling were metal, even the door was metal. I was on a bed. The bed was small and very hard. There was only a flat pillow and a thin blanket laid over me. Nothing else. When I tried to get up, I yelped in pain. My stomach hurt so badly. It felt like it burned me. I had to lay back down. Just then, the door opened and a woman walked in. She saw me awake and began to talk. She said many things I didn't know. I only knew that Mama and Papa wouldn't come get me. I couldn't go home ever again either. I had to stay here and do what the adults want me to do.
I felt so scared and lonely. I started to cry. I found out the woman didn't like that. She suddenly came up to me and slapped me so hard that I felt dizzy. She told me to shut up. Nobody ever told me that before that I immediately got silent in shock. She said many other bad things, too. In the end, I came to not like her. She was mean and scary. I was very glad when she finally left. It was later that she came back with a man who looked like a doctor. He came up to me and started to check up on me. He wasn't careful at all. I told him it hurt, but he ignored me and continued to poke and prod. I held back the tears. The woman was still here. I remember she doesn't like it when I cry, so I held it in. I felt a little proud of myself. I felt like a man.
Finally, the man stopped and told me he would give me medicine for the pain. He stuck a needle in me. I flinched, but made no sound. Then, the doctor connected the needle with a bag filled with something violet inside. I asked him what that was. He said it was my medicine. I nodded in understanding and watched as the liquid flowed down the tube and into my arm. I felt lightheaded and cold. I didn't feel the pain anymore. I couldn't feel anything. The doctor said something again. I tried to listen over the echoing noise. It was confusing. I only caught the word 'pitiful'.
Who is pitiful? Who was the man? Who was the woman? Where am I again? Why can't I feel anything?
I fell asleep with these strange questions lodged in my mind. It's strange. I can't remember anything. Who am I again?
Welcome! How exciting! I can't wait to find where this story would bring me to. Let's all get along and enjoy this making of All Or Nothing!
XOXO, you lovely people :3
*Yeah, I know. I changed the prologue. I just felt that the other one wasn't right, so I had to do something about it. What do you guys think of this one?