Prologue

The storm outside continuously attempted to disturb the tranquillity of the small two-storey townhouse. The outside darkness constant efforts to leak inside the brightly- lit household were all in vain. Inside the house was a scene that reflected its friendly, cozy exterior. A brown-haired man with a professor's haircut and thin-rimmed glasses sat in an over-whelming yet comfortable armchair. In his lap, open to the last page, was his favourite novel, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. He read it aloud in his firm yet calming voice to the young boy who sat enthralled on the rug carpet, hanging onto every word that his father said.

"I took her hand in mine, and we went out of the ruined place; and, as the morning mists had risen long ago when I first left the forge, so, the evening mists were rising now, and in all the broad expanse of tranquil light they showed me, I saw no shadow of another parting for her. The End" the man gently closed the novel and relaxed back in his chair with a sigh, "How did you enjoy that, Ryou?"

"It was wonderful, father" the young boy rocked back and forth on the carpet, brimming with enthusiasm, "Can you read me another story? Please?"

"But, my son, I just finished reading the last three chapters to you" his father replied, wearily, "How about you read a story to me?"

"Can I tell you the story I made up in English yesterday?" Ryou's eyes lit up like Christmas lights at this golden opportunity

"Even better, Ryou" his father smiled as he watched his son leap to his feet and begin pacing back and forth. Ryou thought intently on how to begin his dark tale when inspiration struck him. He froze and then looked back at his father, beginning to speak in his darkest voice.

"It was a dark, thunderous night, much like the one we experience now, when the boy was at home alone. It had taken him much bargaining, constant pleading and a bribe of a week's worth of house chores, but it was all worth it. While his parents were in London watching 'Swan Lake', he was at complete peace, listening to the soothing sounds of the storm raging outside while he relaxed in his expensive leather armchair…"

His father leaned forward, listening intently to his son as Ryou really threw himself into the atmosphere of his tale. His voice grew darker with every word and his actions flowed slowly and smoothly to the eerie ambience of the story.

"He was accustomed to the sounds of a thunderstorm quite well. The repetitive hammering of the rain against the concrete, the gale-like roar of the wind that swirled the rain around the house like a cyclone, the suspenseful silence between each blinding flash of lightning and the deafening crack-and-boom of thunder which echoed across the city…"

As if on cue, each sound described occurred as Ryou spoke. His father calmly noticed these coincidences but Ryou continued, too immersed in his tale to observe.

"However, his ears became aware of a new sound, one rarely heard in turbulent weather such as this. The screeching of brakes and whooshing of water as a car came to a halt. It sounded almost like it was parked just outside the house…"

Suddenly, both Ryou and his father became aware of a new sound from outside. The screeching of brakes and the whooshing of water as a car speeding on a wet road came to a halt. Ryou's eyes widened as his father looked at the covered front window facing the street outside, curiosity etched in every wrinkle on his face. It came from just outside the house!

"Ryou…" the father said calmly as he slowly got out of his chair, "continue with your story"

Ryou gulped, his eyes radiating terror, but he continued, "The boy's curiosity was aroused, so he decided to investigate. He got out of the armchair and slowly walked towards the front window. He gently drew back the red-velvet curtains to look outside…"

As Ryou spoke, his father drew back a fraction of the curtain and peeked outside. It was lit all around by street lights but the torrential rain blurred his vision. He could just barely make out the outline of a large black van right across the road. There were some shadows around it, but the rain obscured them too.

"… The street was dimly lit, which wasn't helped by the constant downpour" Ryou tried in vain to control the shaking of his voice, "However, if he squinted hard enough, he thought he could see the outline of a large, black 4WD sitting on the other side of the street. But he turned away from the window as he heard a new sound…"

Ryou froze. His father turned and looked back at him as a new sound reached their ears. It was a hurried tapping, which grew louder as it headed towards them.

"Running footsteps" Ryou's voice was barely more than a whisper. He hurried over to his father and wrapped his arms around his waist. Short for an eleven-year-old, he could only reach that high. He buried his head in his father's leg, too terrified to say another word, while his father stroked his hair.

"Ryou, tell me what the boy heard next?" his father attempted to calm down his scared son.

Ryou didn't speak for a moment, but then slowly answered his father, "The ringing of a doorbell…"

Right on cue, the ding-dong of the doorbell echoed down the hallway into the living room. Ryou's nail dung deeper into his father's leg, but he just calmly patted the frightened child's head.

"It's alright, my son. Let us find out what awaits us"

With that, the man pulled his leg out of Ryou's iron-clad grip and headed confidently down the hallway to the front door. Ryou was hesitant at first, scared of what they would find, but realised that it was scarier being alone. He cautiously began following his father, coming to a halt behind him as he opened the front door. Ryou peeked around him to see a large, black van rev its engine across the street before speeding down the road, water spraying in its tracks.

"Oh my Lord"

Ryou looked up his father and followed his shocked downwards gaze, the first drastic change of emotion that whole night. There was a large black bundle on the front doorstep, wrapped in a plastic garbage bag. However, the top of it had unfolded in the wind and rain, revealing the face of a young girl, no more than nine or ten. Her long dark blue hair was plastered to her face. In the corner of her forehead was a small cut, which gently leaked blood down the side of her face. She was completely unconscious.

"Oh my…" Ryou ran forward and shook her, "Hello? Hello? Are you OK?"

The girl slightly stirred. Her eyes opened slightly, in little slits, and she looked up at them, "W-w-who are you? W-where am I?"

"You're safe. Just tell me, who are you?" Ryou asked her

The girl concentrated hard, as if she was trying to remember, before finally saying, "Sass… Saskura. I'm Saskura. I'm ten"

"What is your last name, Saskura?" Ryou's father crouched down next to Ryou.

"I-I-I don't know"

With that, Saskura lost consciousness again. Ryou watched as his father swiftly and suddenly scooped the girl up in his arms, bag and all, and turned around, heading back inside.

"Come, Ryou" he called back to his son, "She needs rest"

Ryou looked back at the step where they found her and saw something glint in the rain. Ryou leaned forward and grabbed a silver chain attached to a large oval locket. The clasp was broken, like someone had tried to yank it off. Ryou inspected the locket more closely. It had a heart engraved on the cover, bordered by two blossoming roses. In the centre of the heart, written in cursive calligraphy, was two initials.

S.K

'S.K?' Ryou thought. He attempted to open the locket, but it remained unyielding to his forces. Turning it over, he found a tiny keyhole on the right-hand side. Ryou glanced around the wet top step but saw no sign of any sort of key.

"Ryou!" his father's booming voice echoed down the hallway.

"Coming!" Ryou stuffed the locket quickly in his pyjama pocket and hurried inside, locking the door behind him. Little did he know that locket would be the catalyst for Saskura's journey which eventually leads her to the one boy that could unlock all the answers…