Where it all began

                                                            

                                                                        Prologue

In every lifetime, there is a moment. A moment so clear, so profoundly unique that it stands out against billions of other moments. When you find a moment such as this one, pay extra close attention to it. It will contain something that defines you in the future.

     “Are you certain she’s the one?” Lily whispered. 

     Frost replied softly, “Pretty sure, she even looks a little like Freja. How old do you think she is? Four… maybe five-years-old?” From the playground, came something remarkable. A duplicate of the child they’d come to see plopped herself ungracefully onto the grass beside her twin.

     Grey said, “This is quite the unexpected little glitch, isn't it? What does this mean? How is this even possible?”

     The two of them were mirror images of each other.   

     Frost replied, "It's not possible."

     Lily glanced at Frost and whispered, “It definitely complicates things.”

     One of the freckle-faced little girls noticed the three Ankh watching. She sprang to her feet, raced over to the fence and stood on her tippy toes. With a giant grin, she stuck her chubby little fingers through the rungs of the fence and squeaked, “Do you want to come in and play?”

     Lily gushed, “Aren’t you the most adorable little thing in the whole wide world.”

     “What’s your name, delightful little creature?” Grey asked with his thick Aussie accent.

     “I’m not a thing or a creature. I'm a kid. My name is Kayn, and that’s my sister Chloe,” she pointed a tiny finger adorned with messy sparkle nail polish at her twin.  

     The scrappy child standing at the fence had sand on her lovely frilly white dress, grass in her hair and a frog sticker on her cheek. She radiated joy and the blissful innocence of childhood. Her twin sat up and glared at them. Chloe was clearly not going to be the one out of the two abducted by a random stranger. Frost was standing there beaming like a fool, so captivated by the scrappy child standing in front of him that he couldn’t even speak.

     “You guys look like movie stars.” Kayn gushed, and then turned her attention to her own hand, “I have nail polish on...see?” she exclaimed, her beautiful eyes gleamed with pride as she displayed her wiggling fingers for the rest to see.

      “Very lovely,” Lily appraised. Just as a little boy with a mess of dark curls came running up to the fence and grabbed Kayn’s arm.

     He glared at the group, then leaned over and whispered in her ear assertively, “Chloe says you’re not supposed to talk to strangers.”

     The little girl stated, “Chloe’s not the boss of me.” She then grasped the fence firmly and stuck her face right against it with her little upturned nose sticking right through to the other side.

     Frost was quite obviously blown away by the feisty, spirited child. He touched one of the little girl’s dainty fingers through the fence. He met her gaze, marvelling at the innocence and vibrant intensity that shone back through the chain link barrier. His expression changed briefly as he whispered to her under his breath. “It’s very important that you become strong.” He touched the tip of her nose with his finger gently.

This is not a Fairy tale. This is a Nightmare…