Prologue:
Unreachable Dreams
The
world is a vast place, but for a small little girl of only five years, it is
like an endless wonder. This particular little girl's dream was to explore this
mast planet, but her dreams did not end with this earth. No. These dreams went
beyond the waters and clouds of earth, reaching towards the stars. She hoped
that one day she would be able to roam the planet freely, exploring every inch
and crevice.
She
wanted the chance to feel the white sand beneath her feet as the waves of the
ocean rolled gently over her toes. To be able to see the sun setting on the
waters, expanding its light to create a soft heavenly glow of colors, to be able
to feel the last of the sun's warmth and the first breeze of the cool night
air. She craved the chance to climb the mountains just like she had seen the
people on television do. She wanted to climb to the very top, and it would have
been worth it. If only to just see the sun rising across the sky, throwing
colors right and left. But above all, she wished to find love and a calm
tranquility. Her heart ached for the love that she knew was out there for her
somewhere. She wanted to be able to reach that small beam of light that had
found its way into her otherwise dark and bleak life.
For
a young girl of five years, she had already known pain and suffering beyond what
any child should at her age. She knew things that someone her age shouldn't
have to know, and she felt things no one should feel in their entire lifetime.
She lived a lonely and isolated life with her foster father, and knew no other
emotions but fear and sorrow.
She
was unlovable. That much she knew; her 'father' had made it so painfully
clear to her. Every day she was reminded about how she had been
abandoned…about how no one would ever love her because her own parents
couldn't love her enough to keep her. She suffered his drunkenness, and had
learned not to flinch when he 'punished' her for being a bad little girl.
She had endured it all because she had come to believe all the things he had
told her. Only at night when he had passed out after beating her, did she cry.
She wept for the pain, she wept because someone couldn't love her enough to
keep her, and she even wept for her father. But she never wept for herself.
She
would sob until the tears wouldn't come and she would enter the world of
nightmares, only to awaken with a scream, which she muffled immediately with her
pillow, not wanting her father to awaken. Then she would burst into a new wave
of tears, clutching the small pendant that hung around her neck, the only
possession she had of her past. And she would immediately fall asleep, where
instead of nightmares, she would see a family- her family welcoming her back with
open arms and love. And as the sunlight streamed through her window, she would
reluctantly leave her peaceful world only to enter harsh reality.
Today
however, it was different. She awoke, half expecting her father to be leaning
over her with a menacing sneer, but was surprised to find the house not only
empty, but also quiet. Taking advantage of this opportunity, she quickly went
through her morning ritual before she settled herself by her window and drew in
her sketchpad. For a small girl like her, it was a wonder where her talent had
come from, but she never questioned it. She loved it too much. The only time she
would allow herself to get lost in anything and let her guard down was while she
drew. And she would draw for hours. Sometimes the drawings were symbols; other
times they were rough sketches of flowers and animals that were unearthly, yet
familiar. It was a sight to see. This little slip of a girl, drawing with such
intensity, her dark russet hair pooling around her, and light grayish-blue eyes
staring intently at her paper. Suddenly she felt a familiar presence, and she
looked out her window to see her father holding the hand of another- what looked
to be like- frightened little girl not much older than herself.
She
watched as her father shoved the little girl into the house and took a moment to
study her before her father noticed her. The girl had wavy chestnut-colored her
and dark jade eyes that were filled with tears. Her attention snapped to her
father when he called her. He shoved the small girl at her and introduced her as
her new sister, and then he left, to get drunk no doubt.
The
little green-eyed girl cowered to herself in the corner, looking around
frightfully until she trained her eyes before her, only to be startled as she
found herself looking into warm blue-gray eyes. She looked at the other girl's
extended hand and took it tentatively at first, but grasped it harder and felt
the other do the same. And at that moment two things occurred. The blue-eyed girl
knew now that even though the other girl was bigger than her, that she would
protect her. But the most important thing was a new hope in both their lives,
and the knowledge that they would never be alone anymore. That they would take
care of each other.
The
emerald-eyed girl introduced herself, her voice light and slightly loud.
"I'm Serena."
Serena
embraced the other girl, much to her dismay, but she didn't pull away, instead
she whispered ever so softly in her low voice, "I'm Liz."
A/N:
I love writing notes, but just to let you know…Liz's eyes are now a
bluish-gray instead of brown. It will be explained later in the story, but I'm
not really sure about where I'm going with this. So…loved it? Hated it? I
accept everything from constructive criticism, to flames, to death threats.
