Prologue: Love Story
"This is a love story, Mr. Fox. But don'tcha worry, it's not as cliché as you'd like to think. No, this story is whimsical and fun. It involves love, yes, but there's also pain and heartache, and I know how you do love pain and heartache, Mr. Fox." I pressed my lips into a fine line examining the darkness of the room that lay plainly before me. After a few beats I exhaled slowly clasping my hands in my lap and eased my back deeper into the velvety love chair. I could feel Mr. Fox's eyes burning into me. His sinister Cheshire grin stretched completely from one ear to the other. Just his face sent chills dancing through my body. I crossed my legs. He leaned forward.
"The boy lived a life a luxury. He was raised in a strong Christian household as an only child to a wealthy doctor and a simple housewife just along the coast of the great American states. Though his family produced a long line of doctor's, the boy found himself wondering what life would be like studying abroad, traveling. Through a divine intervention, or perhaps just a string of random events, the boy found himself with the best of both worlds. He became a doctor, yes. But he was so much more than that. A scientist and a missionary. A fine catch for anyone. And as he reached his late twenties, the boy started looking for a bride. A beautiful, beautiful bride."
"This story's a bit boring, my dear little Dove." Mr. Fox hummed. I couldn't bear to meet his gaze. Instead, I fixed my eyes at my hands. They were trembling. Fear struck every fiber of my being. I cleared my throat.
"She came from an opposite background." I explained. "One of five girls, her family struggled to make ends meet. Many nights they found themselves starving, to proud to beg for a meal or ask for help. No one bothered the girl. No one seemed to care about her dreams. But each night, after her four sisters rested their heads on the pillows, she began to dance. She danced the night away, not caring who would notice. In her mind, she was free. She was happy. She was far away from the quaint Japanese town that held her captive. And her talent didn't go unnoticed. It wasn't long before a big producer found her and whisked her away to a life of fame and fortune."
"My beautiful Dove, why are you telling me this?" Mr. Fox interrupted again. Just as before, I ignored him. I squeezed my hands tight watching as my knuckles, once full of color, slowly began to drain to white. I sealed my eyes shut.
"It was fate that brought the boy and the girl together. The boy had opened a free clinic just outside of Tokyo. He was ready to leave that night, to return home to the States and the girl was about to embark on her greatest performance, the one that would take her strait to the top. Yes, she was engaged to be married to a man who was fine enough, but had a terrible and fatal flaw. He loved the bottle more than he loved her. And on that dark and ominous night, he drank a little too much and crashed his car into a tree. He died instantly, but she wasn't so lucky. That crash should have killed her, but by God's grace she was spared and rushed right off to the free clinic the boy had opened himself, not two years before."
"Dove…" Mr. Fox growled. I sighed.
"As I mentioned earlier, the boy was destined to leave. He was running his rounds, making sure everything was set and ready for his absence. His heart was heavy, and he couldn't help but feel that something wasn't right and that his time in Japan wasn't over. And just as the thought entered his head did a stream of bright and colorful lights flood the hospital. The girl, now a woman, laid motionless on a gurney being rushed in by a herd of frantic people all screaming at the top of their lungs in a desperate angelic choir. The boy, now a man, knew that he must stay and help this poor woman, for her life depended on it. He cancelled his trip and operated on her for seventy-one hours straight. She was his sleeping beauty. She was only awakened by his kiss. As her gaze danced along the handsome man's body, she didn't feel the misery she was expecting. She knew at once what had happened to her and felt and awing sense of peace surging through her now broken body. The man was happy the stranger had survived and claimed he felt love at first sight with this woman. She didn't know why, but she also knew it was true. This would be the man she would marry. Until death due them part."
I paused. I found myself fidgeting with my hands as I anxiously awaited Mr. Fox's response. His face remained indifferent and just as pleasant as always. He matched each fingertip to the opposing hand making a lean pyramid with his lanky fingers and jutted his chin out to me. I felt my nerves running wild. I felt dead. Lifeless. My heart ceased its heavy beating as his slanted eyes brushed against my fragile body.
"Little Dove, little Dove, why carry on with this story?" He asked once more. "Why is this so important to you?"
I gave a dull shrug of my shoulders and shifted my weight from one side to the other uncomfortably. "I thought you should know." I murmured. "Those were my parents. I think it's important to remember them. To never forget. Because I know who killed them, Mr. Fox. The man is here. He's trapped in this building. Just like you. Just like me."
