Fortuitous Love

Prologue

2004/02/27

Who would have known that would happen? Sage certainly didn't, but what can you expect from a clueless and ignorant 4-year-old?

It started as a normal day at the Wedgewood Beach Orphanage. Sage accompanied one of the older orphans into town to fetch a few necessities and groceries.

On the way, there was an old but well-kept building, Dié Meel Bakery. The baker was a sweet old woman. She made the best goods, which varied from jams, pickled fruits, cakes, tarts, and bread. Everything was homemade and absolutely divine. Every Saturday, she would send the orphanage two brown bags, each filled with two freshly baked loafs of white bread.

The majority of the orphans played after lunch; it was customary to do so. With the orphanage so close to the ocean, it meant that they had a lot of sand to play with. They would spend hours there. Their imaginations had gone wild, leaving them in their own worlds. The only thing that could bring them back to reality was the headmistress calling them. She would stand on the rocks with one hand on her hip and the other in the air, beckoning the children to return.

The sky turned black quite early where they resided. They got ready for bed in groups; it was mostly sorted by their ages, but Sage being the youngest meant she had to fall in with the older children. When they were all sorted out and in pajamas, they were on their way to the rooms. Well, that was what would normally happen.

Instead, a group of people stormed into the building, yelling things in a foreign language. They had these all-black outfits, each accompanied by a blinding headlight and a firearm.

Sage distinctively remembers standing frozen in place. She didn't comprehend what was happening; it all happened so quickly. The headmistress grabbed her hand and pulled her into the senior hallway, where she came to a halt only to be met with another group and what seemed to be the person in charge. Her hand trembled in Sage's until it went limp and dropped along with her body next to her. Confused at what just happened, Sage looked beside her, only to be met with the headmistress' lifeless face and a perfect hole in her head where a velvet river came seeping out.

She smelled like freshly picked flowers, just like every other day. It was her signature scent, and it would be the last time Sage would smell it. Tears started to form pools in her eyes.

When Sage looked up, she saw through blurred vision that the person, who she assumed was in charge, started to approach her, her heels clacking against the hardwood floor with every step she took. When she was right in front of Sage, she bent down to her level and observed Sage. Initially, Sage attempted to retreat, but she grabbed Sage's shoulders, forcing her to stay where she was. After a few seconds, she turned her head around and said something to the men behind her. One of them started to look for something in their bag, and once again, all of her attention was on Sage.

She swiftly picked Sage up and carried the child on her hip back to the group of men, where one of them stepped forward to put something over her head just as another tied her wrists together with a zip tie.

With one arm carrying her and the other arm resting on her back, she guided Sage's head with her hand to rest on her shoulder. Sage started to sob. She didn't know what was going on, and she was overwhelmed. The woman didn't say a word to Sage; she just carried her.

Not long after, Sage knew that they were outside. The sound of the waves crashing into the rocks was a big hint, as was the strong wind that gave the woman some resistance as they walked outside.