1 Prologue

“Everyone will be here soon!”

“You can hardly wait, I’ll bet.”

“Yeah, you know it!” It was an enthusiastic answer, but the energy was soon tempered with wistfulness. “I just wish Mom could be here. Instead she’s stuck in Venice.”

“Mhm,” came the noncommittal response from the man sitting on the sofa. He knew she thought he wasn’t in the birthday spirit, but there would be time enough for fun when all the guests arrived. Of that he was quite sure. He definitely hadn’t allowed her to invite her entire class to sit around silently.

The two sat in silence for a while, both of them occupied- him with his newspaper and her with her cellular phone.

She was beginning to wonder why he wasn’t chatting with her the way he normally did when they were together. Of course, he was a busy man and he had to stay abreast with local and international news, but he always made time for her. Maybe he missed Mom too, she thought, glancing at the newspaper once again.

He was trying to enjoy the quiet before the inevitable storm her school mates would bring down on the house. It was obvious that she was excited and wanted to get started on the party right away, but he wasn’t too sure she’d last the whole night. Of course, she was much younger than him so he was probably just worried about himself. That thought made him want to laugh, so he was glad the paper hid his smile.

She was starting to get fidgety so the man turned cheerfully to his young female companion. “Ok! You probably think I’m moping. Come on, honey!” he said with a laugh, “I guess I’ve got some presents for you that you can open right now.”

He led her to the den, where they sat down and she began to open some of her birthday presents. Some of them had been sent by people her parents worked with and out of town friends who couldn’t make it for her party.

She loved how thoughtful and creative everyone was with finding something for her and she kept bouncing excitedly as the gifts continued coming. There were accessories and lenses for her camera, new books and even a few pieces of jewelry. As she set the last one down, she began to thank him. His crystal clear gaze met her blue eyes and he smiled mischievously.

“Don’t thank me yet. There’s more.”

“We’re not done?”

Shaking his head, he chuckled, “Let’s go to the garage.”

She squealed in innocent anticipation and followed him outside with an extra bounce in her step. The man stopped outside the two storey building which housed the family vehicles. “She’s all yours,” he said as he opened the door for her, pressing a button on the remote control for the garage complex.

The door of the far left car port rose slowly revealing yet another surprise.

She felt like she was a little girl again and she was seeing her first pony or the new interior of her bedroom or the pair of earrings she had been eyeing in a store. Not sure what to expect, the excitement was mainly the fact that it couldn’t fit in the house, so it was bound to be something awesome. She certainly hadn’t expected a brand new car with the exact paint job she’d always wanted her dad to get on his own older version of the car.

The girl’s jaw dropped momentarily before she recalled her surroundings and whirled around to hug the man, jumping up and down all the while. She could hardly contain her happiness.

“Thank you, Daddy, thank you soo much!”

“Agh!” he laughed, trying to fend her off in mock agony, “you’re cutting off my circulation! You’re welcome, baby, you always are.”

When she finally let go of him, she turned back to the garage and walked to her new vehicle. The body of the midnight blue Jaguar glinted as the sun angled into the garage. Taking the keys he dangled in front of her, she unlocked the doors and sat in the driver’s seat, gushing over the custom stitched, tan leather seats. Running her hands over the steering wheel and the sleek console, she couldn’t believe the magnitude of the gift.

“It’s beautiful,” she breathed.

“Nothing compared to you, sweetheart.”

As the import of his words reached her, she looked back and smiled at him warmly.

The girl’s father regarded her in those moments and realized just how much his daughter had grown. Obviously she was older since it was her birthday, but he clearly noted the physical development of her facial features, making her look more like her mother and more like a young woman. It had been one of the reasons he had decided to get her such a significant gift, indicating the responsibility that age came with. He hoped, that as she smiled at him now, she realized it and appreciated that she would always be his little girl no matter how old she was. Something in her eyes told him she did. With that conclusion, he smiled back and leaned against the garage wall.

The moment was short-lived as cars began to roll into the driveway in two lines. The last car in the procession parked horizontally, blocking off the exit. The driver stepped out of the car and the birthday girl screamed with joy.

“Mom!”

As the two females embraced, the other guests watched on, glad to see the biggest surprise unfold successfully.

The woman stepped back to look at her child and smiled. “Happy birthday, honey.”

“Thanks, Mom! Oh my gosh, this is the best present ever!” she gushed, hugging her mother again, with tears in her eyes. “I was so upset when you said you couldn’t make it back in time,” she laughed through her tears.

“Aww, baby,” the older woman crooned, “you should have known I would cross hell and high waters to be with you on such a special day.”

The girl smiled through her tears and let her mother wipe them away with her fingers.

“That is the sweetest thing I have ever seen,” someone in the crowd sniffled, “but can we get the party started?”

The plan was to dance until the sun came up and their guests dispersed.

“Mom, I’m just going to take a drive.”

“Ok, be careful,” was her concerned response. It wasn’t like her to go off on her own in the middle of a get together, particularly her own party, but something in her daughter’s expression told her she needed to get away.

“I will. See you in a little bit.”

As Kris was driving, she replayed the past day in her mind. Her family and friends had put together an excellent party from the décor and set up to the guest list. She had laughed a lot and even met new people. The food had kept coming and the music had been well organized to keep people entertained.

Despite being grateful for all their efforts, there was still something that had managed to interrupt the fun. That was why she’d felt the need to get away. She wanted to clear her head and think about what happened without showing everyone that she was upset. Eventually, she would go back home and face the issue but it had threatened to escalate into something ugly, so she had left.

The cool breeze off the water entered her car through the open window. It had helped clear her head in the few minutes of the drive. Now, she felt herself tiring as she drove down the road with autumn colors so she turned the car around and headed back home. It was too late to react by the time she saw the headlights.

She swerved and went off the road.

It’s going to be fine… she’ll be alright… don’t worry.

There is nothing we can do… wasn’t your fault.

Kris could hear voices.

Somewhere beyond herself, people were talking and moving. There was a lot going on. But she wasn’t a part of it.

She could hear these voices speaking in her presence, but couldn’t identify them- not all of them. She couldn’t reach them, couldn’t see them. She could only hear them.

There were even times when she could hear music, but her limbs felt so heavy she couldn’t dance- couldn’t move at all.

I feel so helpless…why won’t she wake up?

We don’t know son, all we can do is pray…

“But I’m awake!” She couldn’t open her eyes and yet she wanted to scream. “I can hear you,” she longed to tell the voices. “I can hear you!” she screamed again and again. “Talk to me, I can hear you.”

It happened several times and she would try to open her eyes or reach out to touch someone beyond the darkness in her mind until her head ached.

Each time, it was a futile attempt to regain consciousness, fighting against herself. Then eventually her mind got weak and she slipped back into peaceful sleep.

The panic and urgency faded away completely.

Blackness closed in entirely.