First meet

Liana's mind instantly travelled back to the time when she had first found her adopted son, her life, and her Damian.

Liana was sitting by the window, gazing at the bright red moon. It wasn't very often that one got to catch a glimpse of the crimson ball. The sky was crisp and clear, too. It looked magical from every angle. She had found herself drawn to another dimension simply by staring at it.

Things weren't very good at home either. She had just hung up after yet another heated argument with her mother. Ever since her father died, her mother has been a different person. She had left Liana in the care of workers and set off, wanting to make a fortune for herself. She sure was successful in multiplying the wealth her father had left behind. But she had no room or space for Liana in her world anymore. Liana was just another liability for her. The only time she had for Liana was to sign her monthly allowance check. At first, it deeply disturbed Liana. She was very close with her father, as it was. His death had shattered her from within. It was the perfect time for her mother to fill in, but she chose to abandon her right at that point when she needed her the most. Over time, Liana didn't care about it anymore. She got herself busy in her world. However, things turned a little different after she joined college. Ever since she moved into her new home, her mother hasn't let her be. She would often try to interrupt Liana's plan of action. She would interfere in Liana's social life. She interfered with Liana's position in her college with lump-sum donations. She would even have Liana followed by bodyguards sometimes. Liana was getting frustrated with her mother's sudden overflow of concerns. This led to the two frequently arguing, whether in person or over the phone.

It wasn't that Liana didn't want her mother to be present in her life. That was what she had always wanted. But the fact that she was always judgmental without giving Liana a chance to explain herself drove Liana crazy. She had grown to be self-dependent over time after her mother had left. Now she suddenly wants to control everything in Liana's world. This made the rift between the two even wider.

Liana had put on her jacket and decided to go for a walk. Walks were excellent for clearing her mind. She had some energy bars in her pocket. She put the music on loud in her headphones. She pulled the hoodie over her head and started walking. It was like she was invisible to the world. Neither did she notice anybody, nor did anybody register her.

A few miles down the road, she had found the perfect view to sit and admire. The mountains had met the ocean with their heads bowed down in submission. It was a picture of the perfect union between the high and the low, the rugged and the lively.

She had sat there for a while, hanging her legs down the cliff, dangling them to the beat of the ocean splashing its water against the walls of those mountains. She was so engrossed in grooving that she hadn't even noticed what the time was or that the bright moon was already shadowed by huge clouds. It wasn't until a few drops had fallen on her that she noticed the overcast over her head.

She remembered looking up at the sky. At that moment, she had seen something glittery and shiny move right past her like a shooting star and fall somewhere across the horizon. But it wasn't exactly like a shooting star. It was much smaller and less bright. The place where it fell didn't seem very far from where she was. But before she could have pondered more about it, a few more drops had drizzled over her eyes and face.

"Shit, " She had closed the zipper of her coat and started running towards her home. By the time she reached it, it was already raining quite heavily. She was drenched too. So without wasting any time, she had to run to the washroom to get cleaned and changed.

"The rain sure felt refreshing," she thought to herself while looking for something to eat while towel-drying her hair.

Suddenly, she was distracted by some strange howling from the dogs. It wasn't that strange, though. They would often fight late at night while scavenging for food. It was due to their overbreeding in the area. Liana hadn't paid much attention and got back to looking for her food.

"Here, what do I have here? Oh, eggs. And, bread? No bread, Damn." She remembered closing the fridge with a bang and continuing towards the kitchen: "Instant ramen to the rescue, then."

She happily hummed as the food was prepared. Her mood seemed to have been lifted.

"Wneeeeeeee!" A sudden, cry-like shriek had caught Liana's attention.

"Are those cats fighting again?" she had thought.

Then it happened again. It was a combination of the crying and howling of dogs. And it was getting more and more intense. Liana immediately looked out of her window. There sure was something going on in the waste bin area. She had the thought that it was none of her business, but curiosity had got the better of her, and she had hurried outside, tossing over her raincoat. She had brought a walking stick along too.

The nearer she had gone, the more human-like the cry had seemed. She had to hurry and run towards the bin, keeping those dogs at bay with her stick. Liana had to strain her head inside and immediately take a few steps backwards.

There sure was a baby inside. As white as milk. Unclothed, with dirt all over its perfect little body.

At first, Liana couldn't react. She didn't know how exactly she should have reacted. But the child's cry had brought her back to reality. As soon as the child cried, the dogs started going rabid yet again.

Liana had to quickly gather her wits and pick up the baby. She had it covered with both her hands and had run inside.

Strangely enough, the dogs hadn't followed her. She was expecting a full chase, but none of the dogs had budged from their places. Liana had closed the door behind her after taking one last look at the dogs, who were standing in perfect silence, staring in her direction.