Page 1 of Red

Prologue

It's raining outside, like the sky is crying tonight. There is a loud boom of thunder, then a bright flash of lightning lights up my room. I just know it’s going to be a big storm. I hate storms, they are so scary. I grab my red blanket, the one that my Grandpa gave to me. It always makes me feel better. Daddy always says that, “The storm can only scare you if you let it, you need to tell the storm that it’s not scary.”

Trying to do what Daddy says, I look out the window and whisper, “You don’t scare me, storm. Go away.”

I don’t think the storm is listening to me. Another flash of lightning and the whole sky lights up, then another loud boom of thunder. I need to get away from the storm. I grab my flashlight and my picture of Grandpa. Throwing my blanket over my head, I hide. Maybe this will help the storm go away.

The storm reminds me of a dream I had last night. All I remember is that my parents left me all alone. I woke up sweating, glad it was a dream. Daddy said it was just a silly dream and they wouldn’t leave me.

When I start to feel sad, Daddy reminds me that it’s important to not show others what you are feeling. “You don’t want others to know or see how you're affected, Blanche. People will use it against you and hurt you.”

At first, I didn’t understand what he meant, but I learned when Grandpa died. The kids in my class would make fun of me every time I cried at school. I would try my hardest not to cry, but it was really hard.

Mommy and Daddy say not to cry in front of people because they will think you’re weak. I heard Daddy tell Mommy that Grandpa dying was bad for the family business. That some people were trying to use it against our family.

I miss my Grandpa. He was the only person that saw me and not just as a little kid. Grandpa was my best friend.

He always made me laugh. What we used to do was go on walks in the gardens. During our walks, he would talk with me and ask me how things are going. We would talk about everything. One of my favorites was how I wanted to become a baker when I grew up. Grandpa loved me so much. Making me smile when he would tell me, “Butterfly, that is a great idea. You would be so good at it.”

Maria, my nanny, has been teaching me to bake after school. I love it because it's sooooo fun. Grandpa loved to eat all of my treats. He would take a big bite with a smile, rubbing his tummy with a yummy noise. It was so funny. Now no one wants to try them. Only Maria and I are the ones who eat them.

I’ve tried to get Daddy to eat my cookies, but he says Mommy would be mad if he had cookies because they have too much sugar. When I asked Mommy, she just said no because sugar makes you fat. And being fat is bad for you.

I only saw my grandmother on holidays before with Grandpa, but now that he’s dead, I don’t see her at all. Gregory says it’s because she’s really busy helping with Grandpa’s work.

Wiping my tears, I hear a loud bang. I poke my head out of the blanket and listen for it again. Was that noise from the front door or thunder?

I stop in place hearing another loud noise, I hope Mommy and Daddy are okay. Trying to be brave, I go out into the hallway with my flashlight. Something doesn’t feel right. I hear someone screaming downstairs. Then I hear a man's voice. That doesn’t sound like Daddy.

I hear loud voices as I get closer to the door. Shutting off my flashlight, I tip toe so no one can hear me.The door is open a little bit and when I peek through, I see my mom and she’s pulled back by her shirt. That's when I see a man standing over her from behind. I take a deep breath. What is he doing to my mommy? Tears are running down her cheeks. I’ve never seen my Mommy cry before. She always tells me not to cry, so why is she crying?

Who is this man and why is he holding my mommy like that? I need to look for my Daddy. That’s when I see another man with a huge scar holding a gun to my Daddy’s head. Gosh, that guy is the scariest. My heart beats wildly in my chest, because I know he is going to hurt my Daddy. I try to move away so that these scary guys can’t see me, but I can’t seem to make my legs move. I’m so scared that my body seems to be frozen in place.

Daddy always says, “If anything bad happens, you need to be a big girl and go into the safe room in his office.”

I’m so scared that I’m still frozen in place. I mutter to myself, “Come on, Blanche, move. You can’t just stand here.”

Mommy turns and sees me just standing in the hallway and mouths, hide. I listen and run away as quietly as possible.

The pad beeps with each number as I put in the code, my mom’s birthday. The door releases and pops open. I sigh a breath of relief. I did what Daddy taught me to do. I get one foot in when I hear a loud bang and a scream from my mommy.

My body wants to run back to save her and Daddy, but I’m so scared. She told me to run and hide so that’s what I need to do. I always listen to Mommy. I’m a good girl. My heart pounds as I close the door. In the distance, I can still hear the thunder from the storm. I should’ve known. Nothing good ever happens when it storms.

Chapter 1

Blanche

Twenty years later

Driving down the highway as the dark gray clouds are taking over the sky and the trees on the side of the highway are waving in the wind, warning me that a storm is coming. The hairs on my arms stand on end as drops of rain hit my windshield. My grip on the wheel tightens. I hate storms, always have.

It would be my luck that it would start raining on my way to Grandmother’s house too, which probably means she’s gonna tell me something I don’t want to hear. The last time I was summoned to the mansion, she told me she was sick with lung cancer. I didn’t even get a chance to be distraught about the news before she was shoving papers in front of me to sign. A normal grandmother would ask for more time with her only grandchild, maybe to help with appointments or comfort her during this time, but not my grandmother.

She might not be the best grandmother, but she is the only family that I have left. Taking a deep breath, I let it out slowly trying to relax my body. The thought of losing her reminds me of everyone I’ve lost and how close I am to being truly alone in the world.

Blinking away my tears, I don’t want to cry right now. I don’t want to be reminded of when my grandpa died or when my parents were killed. I need to ignore the impending storm.

At the time, I’d felt relief when my grandmother showed up, she took me in when I needed her without any issues. “Family is always there for each other; blood is thicker than water. I will not let my only blood go with strangers. You will come home with me.”

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