Starseeds: The Broken-Winged

Prologue: Seven Years Ago {pt.1}

    22nd April 2010 changed everything. 

    It changed the world.

    Changed destines. Bought new destines. Not only for specific people - for everyone.

    22nd April 2010 changed everything for us.

    Aqua wafted the flickering flames of the seven candles, expiring on her birthday cake. Her parents and her one-year-older brother chanted the Happy Birthday song, and as the thin smoke twirls into the atmosphere, they cheered merrily.

    Her mother, Marina, pecked her cheek. Her father, Christian, grants a big high-five, ruffling her black hair tresses; and her brother, Ryker, embraced her in his arms, exclaiming how he cannot believe his little sister is already seven.

    She obtained a couple of presents: some are from people in their street, some of them are from people Aqua didn't know such as this man called Thaddeus Lytle, and one of them is from her parents and her brother.

    She finished marvelling her presents, and then her family danced around as a playlist of blissful music charitably trickled around her. Her mother sauntered to fetch something whilst her father sliced Aqua's birthday cake.

    Despite the exhilaration of today's mini festivity churning inside her, Aqua detected something peculiar invading their house. Something that's molesting her parents' bodies, minds, souls and hearts. In fact, to strengthen her insensitivity more, she observed her father's forehead creasing with fretful lines, eyebrows creased together. His lips swiftly moved perfectly, no sound leaching out.

    Aqua would've questioned what's wrong to her father, but she was interrupted by the return of her mother. She's holding a box, which made a jingling sound inside.

    "Aqua," she called softly, "come here. I have a present for you, love."

    Aqua sat on Marina's lap. The box in Marina's lap was fuzzy, silken and sinisterly black, as if it's a skin of a gorgeous raven. Marina's thumb flicked open the box, and placed inside was a dark thread that held a spectacular, exquisite, inestimable, ocean-blue gem. The necklace was unpredictably identical to Ryker's chain that he regularly wears around his neck – although, his gem is tinted in the darkest, ominous shade of indigo blue.

    "The gem is an aquamarine." He mother lifted the necklace by the endings, the jewel dangling.

    "Hey, that's my name!" Aqua stated, giggling.

    Marina beamed. "Yes. You know, aquamarines are very rare in this world. They're always rare, in a special way, of course. These gems are known as the ruling gems of the sea. They're my favourite gems in the world." Her slender fingers cradled the jewel. "My ancestor discovered the aquamarine a long time ago . . . And divided them into different pieces." Marina touched the thread of her necklace, and yanked out her aquamarine which glimmered underneath the shafts of the artificial lights. "This is one of the pieces, and the one your brother has is one of them, too.

    "I want you to wear this, Aqua." She enclosed the thread around Aqua's neck, the gem resting on the base of her throat. Her mother's cerulean-blue, benevolent irises gaped into Aqua's. "And you must wear this at all times – even in the shower. Yes, I know that sounds bizarre, but you have to trust me on this. Heck, you must promise me that you'll never take this necklace off. It's very important. It will protect and lead you to wonderful things. Because God knows what's out there . . ." Her eyes seemed to daze off into her own world of thoughts. "Only He knows what'll happen to you."

    Marina's choice of words triggered uncertainty. "Mommy?" Aqua said. "Mommy? Are you OK?"

    She blinked, returning to the present. "Um, yeah. I am. Why?"

    "You just seem . . . a little off, you know?"

    She laughed sombrely. "Do I? Well, just forget about it. Just promise me you will never take this necklace off, OK?" Marina's grasp around Aqua's hands tightened, as if a particular thought is frightening her.

    "Yeah. I promise."

    A minute of silence muted her. Marina's eyes altered to Christian, who is staring at her and Aqua with an abnormal intensity mixed with another sentiment Aqua couldn't figure out at the moment. Her parents seemed to be sharing a discussion through the unusual hush – she could tell by the way they locked their gazes together, not breaking the staring contest with a single blink.

    "Mommy?" Aqua whispered. Marina immediately looked at her daughter. "Are you sure you're okay? You seem really...weird"

    Marina's smile is short, tingling with a tiny sensation of sadness. "Yes, darling. I'm fine. Just a lot going on in my mind. You're seven . . . Jesus, time is really going as fast as a lightning, isn't it? Soon you'll be a teenager . . . Learning more about life . . . About how humanity can be sometimes . . . Discovering new things . . ." She said the last three words in a whispery-like hiss, as if they're a perilous prophecy.

    It sounded as if Marina is trying to warn Aqua about something, something that she cannot specifically say, but hint through riddle-like words. Aqua held the thought for a minute, but when she had a gaze at her father still sorting out the cake pieces, Ryker sitting in front of the TV . . . She let the thought go.

    They didn't really celebrate – just ate cake, listened to music and watched heart-warming movies. Her head rested on her mother's right shoulder as they watched another movie, Marina's fingers smoothing the strands of her dark hair. Ryker is fast asleep on the sofa beside them, oozing soft snores.

    Her eyelids were heavy with sleep, and they drooped over her eyeballs slowly, second by second.

    Her father stood by the casement, staring through the blurry glass to the opened, darkened sky. The luminous radiance of the moon beamed onto Christian's muscled face, and Aqua swear she caught the performance of her father doing the Sign of the Cross.

    "I know we are born to fight for the good, Father," he whispered. "But if things go downhill, then please let the pieces rise back up into their rightful positions."

    Aqua jolted upright in her bed at the wrathful, clapping sound of thunder. She always feared the thunder and the lightning. She never knew why there has to be thunder or lightning, but whenever she experiences thunder of lightning, she guesses it's for a reason. A dark one.

    The sky is concealed with resenting, shady, baleful clouds that illuminated when lightning ignited in the distance. Droplets splattered on her bedroom window, racing down the glass. Red and blue glows flashed from outside, captivating her attention. She scuttled out of her thick sheets, and shoved the curtains aside to peek.

    The first thing she perceived were the police cars, and then the ambulance, and then the officers, and then her father who was wearing his coat while nattering with a cop, who scribbled something on a notepad.

    Probing, Aqua ran out of her room, skidded down the murky hallway and paced the stairs. She followed the luminosity beaming out of the parlour.

    She abruptly heaved into a terrified pause in the doorway, engrossing in the damage.

    The whole living room was trashed. The windows are shattered, ditching petite shards on the floor. The walls are cracked with gaps. And there was blood. Fresh, reeking blood that saturated the carpet.

    Two people, both man and woman, were wearing trench coats as they carried expressions of exhaustion and alert. They examined the parlour. The man tugged on a transparent glove, squatting to his knees beside the bloodied carpet. He picked up a knife, the glistening blade blemished with red fluid. The man put the knife in the bag, and then frowned at the carpet, mystified.

    Ryker sat in the doorway, facing ahead of him, the droplets drenching him.

    "Ryker?" Aqua called.

    Ryker peeked over his shoulder. His brown hair was like a rat's nest. His gunmetal-blue eyes are inflated and burgundy from weeping; his cheeks are sore.

    Aqua sat down next to him. She attacked him with countless demands: "What's wrong? What happened here? Why is there blood on the carpet? Why do you have blood on your hands?"

    Ryker glanced at his hands, inspecting the miniature spots of blood. He deliberately shoved his hands into his pockets, as if nightmares will percolate from his bitten nails. "It's Mom. She was stabbed."

    Aqua registered the information. "She . . . What? H . . . How?"

    "I don't know."

    "Will she be fine?"

    "I don't know. Why are you asking me?"

    She did not respond.

    Their father, who is still nattering with the cop, gifted a look at their direction. Strands of his hair soaked against his forehead, water dripping from his chin.

    Four people caught her attention. Paramedics. Shoving something inside the ambulance. She soon realised that it was a medical bed, and resting on the bed was her mother. Her eyes were sealed shut, her mouth slightly parted open, and blood veiled the side of her stomach.

    She stood up.

    "Aqua." Ryker tried to stop her from interfering the scene, but she was already out of his reach.

    "Mommy!" she yelled, as if Marina would miraculously wake up. "Mommy!"

    She was nearly there. She was getting closer –

    An officer impeded her path, causing her to heave into an abrupt pause.

    "Whoa, kid." The man held out his arms, refusing access to proceed. "Where do you think you're going?"

    "I want to see my mommy."

    The serious expression the cop embraced vanished, and was replaced with remorse. "Sorry, kid. Your mommy gotta go and get healed."

    "But I want to see her! I want to see my Mommy!"

    She quickly ran around him, but he grabbed her wrist, gently yanked her backwards.

    "Look, I know you're concerned about your momma. But, kid, I told you – she gotta get healed. You can see in her a few days."

    "I want to see her! I want to see her now!" She struggled off his grip. "Let me go!"

    He looked frustrated. The cop opened his mouth to speak when Christian emerged into her perception.

    Christian pulled Aqua off the cop's grasp. "I'll take of her."

    The policeman narrowed his eyes at Christian, as if he's a monster. He turned and walked off, leaving Aqua alone with her father.

    "Dad, I want to see Mommy."

    Christian shook his head, leveling his face with hers. "You cannot see her now, baby."

    "But I want to." Her eyes started to sting. "I want to see if she'll be okay."

    Christian exhaled sharply, his eyes rising to the sinister clouds above them, as if he's praying. "And she will be okay." He didn't look at her as he spoke. And the way he said the last word was full of ambiguity. "Don't worry, your mother is safe. She's a strong woman, Aqua. She can fight off the pain."

    "What if she can't?"

    Christian smiled, finally congregating their eyes together. "Trust me. I spent my whole life with her, and one thing I learned is that my wife is a true kick-ass. She can kick away any pain even with words. She'll make it, Aqua. She will."

    Aqua hoped her father was right.

    "Besides, she got the angel's help and protection, too."

    She watched the ambulance riding away into the distance. She mentally whispered a prayer to the Holy Trinity, The Virgin Mary, and to every angel in Heaven to keep her mother safe.

    All she has to do is hope they've heard her prayer.