*Author's note: Ask and you shall receive :D
PROLOGUE – OVERTURE
Red.
The color of passion. Of fire and wine. A powerful color, impossible to ignore.
For so long it was the color she associated the most with things just outside of her periphery. Impressions mostly, fleeting and bright, in fathomless shades dancing beneath her eyelids whenever she closed her eyes:
A wilting flower in a cracked ceramic vase…
Silk draped elegantly across narrow shoulders…
The sun dipping low in the sky, turning the horizon crimson…
Blood on a carpet of snow …
A pair of warm eyes smoldering in the autumn light as maple leaves dance in the wind…
She could never hold onto those images for long after waking but it always made her ache deep in her chest. Blood on the snow. Blood on her hands. Power and passion, a forest of red. Snarled together inside of her like a tangled-up ball of twine.
…And those eyes, which she could never seem to look away from…
Strength and determination, fire and light. Desperation, anger…and something else undefinable laying still in that cool dark place inside of her, locked away from sight. Thus was the cycle, unbidden and unbreakable…until everything changed.
Red was the last color left to her, outside of her dreams. Until even that had faded away, leaving only shades of monochrome in a life she no longer recognized as her own. She could not have known the reason for this. That it was not always this way, nor should it be. What is or is not "meant to be" is a qualification she cannot make with fragments of herself scattered across the ground of some long-forgotten time and place.
What happened, how and why all stems back to a single moment, a single decision that was not supposed to happen. A domino cascading to its ultimate destination, gaining speed and causing chaos in its wake. Red was not the outcome, but a symptom of what was to come. Because some destinies are not meant to be broken.
And fate was finished waiting.
*Author's Note: Heeeelloooo dear readers! If you've reached this point and are now thoroughly confused then chances are you haven't read the first story in this series, entitled "The Other Side" (if you've read it and are still confused, that's okay too. No judgement here). YES, this story is the second part of a 2-part series. Is it imperative to have read the first story to enjoy this one? I highly recommend it but NO, I won't say its required. If you're someone who's all caught up, WELCOME and thank you for continuing to support the series. You guys rock! Work has already begun on the first full-length chapter. I have some RL events coming up that may slow the process a bit but I am going to do what I can to get it out to you ASAP. Lots to build on from that last little teaser I gave at the end of The Other Side. You will get some more on that soon. Until next time! Xo Prose