PROLOGUE

Prologue

It is often said that, there is the calm before the storm.

The ice-cold air before the raging fire. The echoing laugh before the sob-filled mourning. The unbearable pain before the satisfying pleasure. The high flight before the big fall. The unstoppable fight before the wavering surrender.

And life...it is the best matchmaker of it all. Life merges opposites to be one successful pair. Just like two magnets...no matter how hard you try to put one away from the other, they keep finding their way to go back to each other. No matter how far the distance is stretched.

If distance lets love fade, then why does the wolf howl at night?

For me, love is like a painting. The best work of art made by He who's unseen. With affection as its muse, it is full of abstract parts and vague strokes. No one truly understands the masterpiece.

A lover might be good at painting, consuming all the vibrant inks and hues they have, but their significant other is blind. Another might express their love better at writing, but their partner doesn't know how to read.

I can understand all the paradoxes in this world, but there's only one that confuses me.

"She's gone! Why don't you come back?" A woman spoke, raising her voice at my father. I silently watched the two interact as I peeked from the wooden staircase in our house.

"We have a new life now, now why do you keep coming back to him?!" Papa shot back.

The woman's mouth opened, no words came out as she stared at father. "Just come with us..." Papa continued, almost pleading. I couldn't see the woman clearly because father was in front of her. But from my observation, the two are arguing. For the 10 and only years in my life, I have never seen Papa argue.

"Robert, I can't just leave everything behind unlike you!" I heard the female voice shout again. My forehead crunched in confusion. I do not understand...

"You have been very selfish. I just want to see her!"

Just as the woman said that, Papa walked towards the stairs. My heartbeat thundered and I silently ran towards my room. 

"You can leave now." I heard Papa loudly say. With petite legs and small feet, I jogged to my bed, covering myself with the floral sheets. The door of my room opened and closed. Then, footsteps echoed again as I heard our front door slam shut.

That was the start of my weird summer as unfamiliar events with unfamiliar people unfolded in my next youthful years.

"Sapphire, can you go feed the chickens? I'm gonna go to the store today." Papa said while I was reading a novel on the couch. Papa says I have ancient sagacity, because all the books that I have read affected my judgement and perceptions in life.

I nodded as Papa went to the doorway and gave me one last smile as he went to our truck. I exited our house to do my small task.

"Keep safe, Papa..." I mumbled and silently went to the backyard. I'm usually alone in the house or our widow neighbor comes here to look after me. I didn't mind. The town is safe since not many people live here.

Holding the chicken food in one hand, I searched for the chicks. My eyes stretched the vast land beyond the fence. Georgebury has always been like this. Quiet and peaceful. The calming sounds of the woods and silent north wind became my soul comfort as I grew up. 

After getting caught up in my own small world, I realized that the chickens were not here, I walked to the front yard. There, I heard the chickens' noise and I smiled. My tiny hands put the food on the ground and I contentedly watched the animals. Euphoria filled my heart as the chicks happily strutted to where the food was scattered. 

The peace I felt was suddenly washed away when a purring of an engine startled me. The sound's volume increased as a black car pulled up in front of our house. I stopped in my tracks and stared at the vehicle. The chicken's loud noises echoed as the car stayed there on the track. I thought someone was going to go outside the car, but minutes passed and no one showed up.

My heartbeat doubled when I realized how dangerous it can be. Sprinting fast, I went inside the house and locked the doors. I went to the window and closed the curtains. At the same time, I looked outside, hiding my face on the coverings while staring at the car. Suddenly, its doors flew open and a tall man from the driver's seat went outside. My eyes narrowed to see who it was.

The man was far away but I can see his dark face full of mystery.

It was a puzzle to me on why there's a stranger outside our house.

He looked young, wearing a white shirt and black jeans. Are those loafers I see on his feet? It should be replaced with boots, I thought. I almost even loudly said it, but he wouldn't hear me anyway.

Who would listen to a child?

They say when you're young, you know too little. I prefer to say not. The youth begs to differ.

I closed the curtains with nervousness coated in my feelings. The man looked harmless. Maybe...

He may look tough but he's really not all that calibre. I peeked outside the window again and saw the man leaning against the car, looking around the fields. The soft Georgebury wind blew through his hair. He looked dashing, I thought again. 

A wolf in a sheep's clothing? Maybe this man is dangerous. I shouldn't talk to strangers, Papa said, because of that exact reason.

"Stop it, Sapphire. Just wait for Papa, he'll be back soon." I said to myself.

I decided to shrug the worry away and wait for Papa to come home. My body crashed on the couch as I started to read another warm heartfelt novel. About two lovers and the thing in between them called love.

Every now and then, I check the window to see if the man is still there. And he still is. He looks like he's waiting for someone. Is he waiting for Papa?

I continued to read and tried to grasp the lessons from this book.

One of the best lessons I have read is that...love is as deep as the ocean, and many lovers try to swim. Most even end up drowning. But in love, there's always hope. The light of hope will slip through the broken cracks. One must hope for love to float up the deep connection lying down on the bottom of the sea. So that one day, it will rise and be lifted up high to the sky, as the birds will sing in triumph and delight.

The moment where all the demons, those trying to put love at its lowest, shall surrender to Eros' beautiful wrath and accept love wholly.

After all, one can learn to swim. One can learn to love.

I finally turned the page and closed the book. I was so ready for a continuation, a new exciting chapter. But it was the end.

The ending of a new beginning.

I went to the window again and saw Papa get out of our truck. He walked towards the man, shooing him away. The man calmly went inside his black expensive car. The subtle sound of its engine roared as the vehicle faded from my eyesight.

Papa then strolled inside our house.

"Papa, who was that?" I asked, curiosity mirrored in my eyes as I stared at him with a hopeful gaze.

"No one, honey. That was no one."

Papa gave a cheerful smile to cover his bothered expression and led me to the kitchen to cook what he bought. These are the usual days here. Very tranquil and undisturbed. Today would be a usual day if it weren't for that stranger. I stopped thinking about the earlier events and ate with Papa.

Finally, peace.

Or so, I thought.

Because years have already passed, and I thought I wouldn't see that man again. I thought he was just one of those dandelion fuzz you see one time. Then after a second, it flies away and you'll never see it again.

But I was wrong.

The precious pieces of time on the hourglass have already cascaded down to the bottom. The sand ran out of places to go to, and the unforeseen countdown stopped like a ticking bomb. An unpredictable moment came five years later, when that same stranger I saw outside our house entered our home's door. He was there, standing right in front of me.

Surreal. It was the only word I could describe him.

"Good evening, sir. Thank you for inviting me to tonight's dinner." His deep voice rang through my ears as Papa rejoiced.

Papa was talking to him, but he was looking at the ignorant little girl in this house's small living room. Those same eyes pierced my soul and I saw the darkness in them. I did not only see it with my eyes, but I also felt. A gloomy tone was masked on his face as I got lost in his orbs. His eyes were deeper than all the ocean's depths combined.

I fiddled with my dainty fingers and looked at the floor as I tried to put myself at ease.

This little girl's weak heart cannot take it.

I have always known that 'Hello's' are a sign of an upcoming weak connection between two people. But this man proved me wrong. With only two words, this stranger became so familiar. Like I've known this person for what it seems like a lifetime.

When my name smoothly rolled out of his tongue, my heart leaped in pure shock. I didn't even know how he knew it. 

"Hello, Sapphire..."