Prologue #2
She didn’t have much time to consider her next move— the man holding the gun fired it at the store clerk who was standing behind the cash register.
The clerk stammered back against the window, his blood smearing the clean glass as he slid down to the floor.
He was shot in the chest. Her eyes darted back to her parents, where her mother seemed near hysterical.
She was shaking and crying while watching Piper through the store window.
Her father once again shook his head at Piper’s forward movement.
She wanted to run into the store and wrap her arms around her parents to protect them from the evil man who held the gun to her father’s head.
She felt frozen in place, unable to run to her parents or go for help.
She wanted to shout for help, scream at the injustice that was happening in the store, but she was silent.
She looked up at the sky as the first snowflake fell, hitting her on the tip of her nose.
Then the shot rang out that took her father’s life.
She looked back into the store just in time to see his lifeless body slump forward.
Another shot broke through the silence as she watched the snow now falling freely around her, and she turned back to find her mother’s limp body lying over her father’s.
Time seemed to slow down. A scream ripped from Piper’s chest, garnering attention from the big man who held the gun to her parents’ heads just seconds before.
He extended his arm and pointed the gun at Piper.
She could see her hot breath escape into the air.
She knew that she was about to meet the same fate as her parents and the store clerk, but she still felt frozen in place, unable to move from the spot she was rooted to.
The sound of sirens broke through the quiet of Piper’s world.
The man who gagged her parents pulled the gunman’s arm down, removing her from danger.
They seemed to be having a conversation.
She couldn’t help but watch them through the front window of the store, still unable to move.
The gunman looked back at her and pointed his hand in her direction.
He seemed fixated on Piper while his accomplice kept pointing to the back of the store, tugging on the gunman’s arm.
She watched as they both disappeared through the small aisle to the back of the store and away from her.
The world seemed to spin faster again. People were rushing past Piper and into the store, kneeling to check her parents.
She knew what they were going to find— her parents were gone.
She watched their lives being taken; their bodies slumping to the floor like the trash that littered the city streets.
Piper slid down to sit on her father’s leather suitcase.
She wasn’t sure what to do; she felt cold and numb.
The snow was falling heavily around her, coating her parents’ luggage and her jacket.
“You all right, honey?” A police officer stood in front of her, seeming cautious in his approach.
The way he moved towards her reminded her of someone trying to corner a frightened, stray dog.
Piper could feel her head nodding, although she had no idea why.
She didn’t feel all right; her entire world was lying on the floor inside the convenience store.
She was completely alone and hours from home.
She laughed, knowing that the police officer was still watching her.
Did she even have a home? Where was she going to go?
Who would take care of her? Piper felt her whole body shiver; the police officer took that as his cue to wrap his coat around her.
It smelled like cigarette smoke and mints.
“Thank you,” she stuttered.
“Sure,” he said softly. “Were those your parents?” His question was almost a whisper. Piper nodded her head; her throat burned with unshed tears. “Did you see what happened to them?” Piper nodded her head again, still not trusting her voice. “Can you tell me your name?”
“Piper Flynn,” she croaked. “I just want to go home, please.” Now her tears were flowing unchecked down her face. The officer held out his gloved hand, prompting Piper to reach for him.
“My name is Officer Kennedy, and I will make sure you get home, but I’m going to need to ask you a few questions first.” He eyed Piper’s luggage.
“I’m guessing that your family was heading back home today?
” Piper nodded again. “Do you know anyone in the city, Piper?” The officer pulled a pad of paper and a pen from his shirt pocket.
“Can I call anyone locally to meet us at the station?” Piper thought about his question, carefully considering if she wanted the police officer to contact her grandmother.
“My dad’s mom lives here.” She looked up to see him scribbling something on his pad.
“Her name is Agnes Flynn.” Piper always called her grandmother “Aggie”.
The older woman never wanted to be called the normal grandmotherly names like Nana or Grandma.
Piper’s father even called his mother by her first name.
She always found it strange, almost like they weren’t all family.
“Okay, Piper. I’ll give your grandmother a call when we reach the station. For now, I’m going to need you to come with me.”
Piper looked at the suitcases that she sat on. “I’m not supposed to leave our bags,” she whispered, tightening her hold on her father’s bag. She still held his identification tag in her left mitten.
“I’ll have my friend bring your bags with us, will that be okay?
” The police officer looked down hopefully at Piper.
She nodded, knowing that she couldn’t sit on her dad’s suitcase for the rest of the day.
She chanced one last look into the store.
Piper watched as police officers hovered over her mother’s lifeless form.
A part of her secretly hoped that her parents would get up from the floor, walk out through the door, and join her on the street.
But she wasn’t a foolish little girl; she knew that they were gone and that her whole world was about to change.
“I need to call my Aunt Lorna. She is supposed to meet us at the airport when we get home.” The police officer nodded down to her.
“Sure, Piper. Let’s get you warm and dry, and we can call your aunt after we call your grandmother.
” Piper took the hand that the officer once again offered her, letting him lead her to the police car that sat just feet away.
She didn’t look back at the store again.
She knew what she would find there— nothing, just her past. Her parents couldn’t help her now. She was on her own.