Prologue: Harmony's Pledge

My name is Lorraine Miller, but after I'm initiated into Dawn of Day, I will go by Harmony.

This is my pledge to join Shiloh's Trusted circle.

Kali is not my child. Not biologically.

I gave birth to a baby girl on June 15, 1993, but it wasn't Kali. Douglas and I named our little girl Destiny because we felt that her birth was fate. Before my pregnancy with Destiny, I had had two miscarriages and after my last one, I was told that it would be difficult to carry to term if I became pregnant again, so when I discovered that I was carrying Destiny, we were convinced that this was God giving us one last chance to be parents. We considered her to be a miracle.

But our miracle died overnight from some kind of medical condition, I don't know what it was or how long she had it, and I didn't care. All I cared about was that my baby girl, my Destiny, was gone before I could even truly know her.

Douglas and I were devastated, but we later learned that we were going to have a miracle after all. A blonde woman came to us in the hospital. She had come all the way from Florida. She told us that her daughter had just given birth to her children and was unable to care for them because she fell into a coma shortly after. She told us that Kali's twin sister was given to another couple, then she gave us what appeared to be one-third of a heart necklace, $100,000 in cash, and the most beautiful baby girl I had ever seen.

She was so small, only a newborn, and she had a healthy glow with pink cheeks. Her eyes were open and were the prettiest shade of blue I ever had the pleasure of seeing on a human being, like the ocean's water glittering beneath the sunlight. From what I could see, she had a tiny amount of brown hair peeking from her hospital cap. She was so perfect.

The woman told us to take the baby, the necklace, and the lump sum of money and to raise the new baby together, to give her a good home. I asked her if she had a name, but the woman said no. Her daughter hadn't even been able to hold her children before she fell into her coma.

Douglas and I were overjoyed. We took our new baby and as soon as we were cleared, we left the hospital, intending to raise her the way that we were advised to: with all of the love in the world.

I would never forget my Destiny, but I would always be grateful to the blonde woman who gave me my Kali.