Tragic Magic

Chapter One: Shock

*Four Years Old*

The boy stared up at the huge tree that he used to climb, that he used to spend every waking hour in. He would look at the sky, watch the birds fly above him and listen to the pond's churning waters'. He was so happy then. So carefree and joyous; the most blissful moments were up there, sitting in his tree.

He wasn't like most kids. He didn't like to play with toy cars or talk to any "friends." He didn't like people much, actually. He was only four, but he was intelligent. He knew how to survive in the wilderness if there was ever an accident; he knew how to tend to wounds; he knew how to fight. He knew anything that really mattered in this world. Anything that would help him survive, except one thing: Escaping the inevitable.

Walking up to the tree, the boy stroked the bark with his little fingers, shaking his long black hair out of his eyes and taking shallow breaths, feeling as though he was being suffocated by an unknown force beside him. He clenched his hand into a fist, knowing that none of this was fair. They couldn't take away his home, too. His parents left, and now he was leaving his house.

It just isn't fair, he said to himself. There were no other words to even begin to describe this. His small hand stroked the bark of the tree once again, trying to let the bad memories go and the good memories in again, but it was too late. He knew what had happened at this tree the night before this one. After all, there were still blood stains on the bark and leaves, still the looped rope that hung from the top branches. This tree was evidence that everything the police said was true. His family was gone.

-[**]**[**]-

The little girl lay on the floor of her parents' apartment, starving and wishing that they had at least left a little bit of food in the cupboard for her. She was now too weak to even walk the little ways to the cupboard. She was too skinny for her age; only four years old. She was scrawny from lack of food and her brown sun-streaked hair had lost its soft and shiny quality days ago, leaving her with a greasy rat's nest. It had been a week since they left, and no one has come to even check on the obviously abandoned apartment. She knew that if she didn't get help soon, she would die here.

She weakly pushed off of the cream-colored carpet and got to her knees. Immediately, she began to feel sick and queasy. She grabbed at her stomach, trying to make the pain of hunger go away, but to no avail. She needed a hospital; Fast.

She got to her feet, swaying slightly. Her stomach churned and she coughed. She bent over and threw up blood. She stared in horror at the puddle of red on the carpet, silent tears rolling down her cheeks.

What if no one could help her? She thought, her mind whirling with horrid thoughts. She didn't want to die, not at four. She didn't know why her parents' and siblings' had left, leaving her here with no food. She didn't know why they didn't want her. She wasn't a bad child. She always did her chores, always cleaned up her messes, and always did everything they asked her.

She didn't look like her dad, like Ari had, and she didn't look like her Mom, as Ella did. Her siblings' had hated her, but she did nothing wrong to them. She always listened to them, always comforted them when they needed it.

Needless to say, Max was confused. She'd always been the perfect daughter. She was intelligent for a four year old. She knew her manners, she also knew how to survive in the wild if it ever came to that; but this wasn't the wild. She couldn't save herself by eating berries or plants.

She took a step forward, clutching at the wall. Her legs felt like jelly under her, so weak and skinny. She walked a few more steps before falling down again, making a thud sound when her body hit the floor in a heap. What was she going to do?

-[**]**[**]-

In the back, all the strawberry-blond haired boy could do was watch as the car smashed against his own. His head swung forward; the car seat restraining his body from doing so also. The crash brought noises of all sorts with it. He heard the noise of the car grinding against metal, His parents whimpering in pain, and the unmistakable noise of police sirens.

The glass all around the car was shattered, all the windows broken, even the backseat windows. He was too shocked to move, too shocked to do anything, really. The sirens got closer and he could hear everybody panicking, screaming, and wailing. He could hear footsteps and he could feel his heart clenching with fear.

He sat there for a moment until realizing that he couldn't see anything. Blackness all around him, that's all he saw. He guessed maybe it was too dark to see anything, maybe they had crashed in a tunnel and it was dark.

Yeah, that's it. He told himself, trying to convince himself that nothing was wrong. He could no longer hear his parents' moaning and he was beginning to panic. Why couldn't he hear them anymore?

The police sirens got louder and louder until they finally stopped. The boy heard footsteps and knew that they were there for this crash. They were there to help.

His gut twisted, his stomach feeling funny. His breath felt shallow, like his chest had a weight on it. He couldn't comprehend this feeling, but he didn't like it. Suddenly, the door flew open to reveal two policemen. They stared wide-eyed at the parents' and then one whispered to the other.

The other policeman nodded and looked at the little boy. He smiled, but it was forced. He opened the door that the boy was sitting by, and he unbuckled him, an expression of pure sadness on the man's face. "C'mere little guy, we've gotta get you a home." Were the last words he had heard before passing out, going limp in the policeman's arms. The last thought he had, however, was that his parents' were dead.

A/N:

And I'm BACK!
I know, I've been gone so long. ;)
So, I LOVE writing this. Just wanted to let you know.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, I posted it:)
I hope it's okay, and the chapters will get longer as I go:)
ENJOY:D

-Andiey