PROLOGUE

RAVENNA

Have you ever felt your world crumbling around you while you remained numb inside? Unfeeling.

That was how I felt as I watched our house burn. All my childhood memories went up in smoke, but most importantly, my parents.

They were inside the house as it burned. The normal reaction of kids who watched such loss in front of them was to kick and scream, trying to get into house, right? 

Well, maybe it wasn't. Because I didn't do any of that. Or maybe I was the one with the fucked up head. Just a few hours ago, I was eating pizza with my parents in the kitchen while my father complained about me not telling him how much I loved him every day as I always did my mom.

I had just laughed in his face and told him he was just jealous and that I was a mama's girl. His response played in my head.

"Mama's girl my foot. Keep gravitating towards your mother, but there'll be a day you'll want me to hug you and kiss you and tell you how much I love you, but I won't be there. Let's see if mama can fill that void," he had said. "You'll be crying and regretting all those times you didn't tell me you loved me."

Now, I had neither of them, and the part that hurt the most was that he had been right. I would give just about anything to have his arms around me right now while he told me everything was going to be okay. Even though I spent most of my time with my mom, I still loved my father dearly, and the saddest part was that I didn't tell him while he was alive.

That broke through my numbness and I broke into a loud cry. I felt the woman who was like a second mother to me wrap her arms around me as she consoled me. My dog that we had taken on a walk seemed to sense the grief in the air, because he sat on his hind limbs, letting out a whimper. 

All of a sudden, Nana's phone beeped in her pocket. "It's a message from your father," she informed me making hope spark within me. "The text says we have to get out of here because it's not safe. It also says that we shouldn't try to save them because he's typing this message with the very last of his breath. Lastly, he says he and your mother love you."

I broke into fresh tears, crumpling to the floor beside my dog. Nana pulled me up with one hand using the other to grab Razor's leash. "We need to get out of here, Mio caro. For your parents' sakes. I've called the ambulance and fire department. They'll be here soon."

In my daze, I hadn't even noticed. "What about their funeral?"

"I'll call your father's relatives. They'll do something about it. We have to ditch the phone after the call, but first, we need to get out of here. I promised your parents to always take care of you. I'm not about to fail them now."

I nodded, sniffling as more tears poured out. I had to survive, if not for anything, but my parents and Nana. Acting like a spoiled princess wasn't going to do me any good. I had to toughen up.

So without a backward glance, I walked away from my childhood home, clutching my pendant. It was the only thing of my parents that I had with me, and I wasn't going to lose it, I promised myself and my parents.