(PUBLISHED) Elle - (Wadens Legacies - Ancient Blood I)

Chapter One - Prisoner of the Post War

It was Monday; the wind was whipping, and the air smelled of rain and rust. We had spent quite some time huddled in the wine cellar of the old farmhouse in preparation for the worst.

Sirens were blaring, radios were beeping, and people outside were screaming.

We sat in the corner of the smelly old wine cellar, waiting out the storm. Mrs. Darling kept checking her phone for updates, and Mr. Darling was fidgeting with the cuffs of his stained jeans. I became fixated on the boards above us, wondering how the dust could not pass through the tiny slits in the door.

The Darlings were an older couple, never having had children of their own. Because I remembered nothing of my life before the motel room, they had taken it upon themselves to teach me to read, write, and speak.

They had tried unsuccessfully to find my information in some database. My DNA had been entered into a machine and assessed against millions of other samples; it was concluded that I didn't exist. My fingerprints were also a bust, so Mr. Darling named me Elle and shared his surname with me. I was nobody, at least not to the public. I was somebody to the Darlings.

I had lived with them for six months when the first "memories" surfaced. I would wake up confused, disoriented, and unsure of what I had seen or done in my past life. Then I remembered the stories, the stories of the Spark.

"Elle, get over here before you catch your death," Nancy said as I wandered toward the wooden doors that led outside. They were bending and bowing, creaking and whistling.

I looked at Nancy and did as she said. Then the doors above me burst open.

A man with the reddest eyes jumped into the hole with us. He had a disgusting grin on his filthy face. Nancy backed further into the corner, and Gerald jumped to his feet, reaching for his shotgun. I retreated to the other end of the wine cellar, cowering in the shadows.

I had never known terror such as that before.

The way his eyes penetrated mine made my whole body shake. I chose not to speak, as words were not as fluent to me as they once were. They were still mumbled and jumbled, and I would select the wrong sentences to explain my feelings. The man stood there and watched me, his eyes following every move I made.

"Who are you?" I heard Gerald say.

The man's eyes shot toward him, and I only felt icy fear. He looked at Gerald and the gun before loosing maniacal laughter.

"You think that will help you?" the intruder asked, his eyes boring into mine. "I'm here for the girl."

"You will not be leaving here with my daughter. I suggest you leave my house now." Gerald showed no fear as he prepped the shotgun to shoot.

"Daughter?" The intruder raised an eyebrow and took one last long look at me before charging at Gerald.

The next few moments were the bloodiest of my remembered life.

The stranger, with no hesitation, murdered not only Gerald but also Nancy in a matter of a few steps. Dumbfounded, I stood there staring at the carnage. My stomach lurched, I gagged, and finally, I fainted.

When I awoke, I was no longer in that cellar. Instead, I was sitting in the passenger seat of Gerald's truck, my face resting uncomfortably on the window. I lifted my head and looked at the driver. The red-eyed abductor looked back at me and smiled as an icy chill ran up my spine.

"Sorry about earlier," he said, turning his attention to the road.

I said nothing.

Instead, I looked at the grass outside my window. I had never experienced sadness or mourning. The feeling of loss was new. I was confident I had never been in this position before. So, I sat there in the passenger seat with nothing to say. It didn't matter whether he apologized; I didn't have it in me to forgive.