The Hybrid Girl (Andromeda Book 1)

Prologue

Man often struggles with the question: what is the purpose of life? Is it to live an honest life where we live by our means and raise the next generation to the same tedium? Perhaps it is to spend our years ameliorating the woes of others, in the hope of a better life for us all. Or maybe, the purpose is to thrive. To live in courage and prosperity, searching for ways in which we may make a greater difference, standing up for the oppressed and overcoming the fear associated with doing the difficult thing.

Carly Thirlwall was never a woman who cared to concern herself with the lives of others. Her outlook on life was much like those who only bothered for their own survival. She was not a cruel woman. In fact, compared to most, Carly was most courteous and benevolent. In her town, she was well-known by all as a fair, head-strong lady.

But Carly was not one to step into matters that did not involve her. To Carly, her life was her own and the lives of others were not her business to concern herself with.

Only once had she ever opened herself up to assist someone in need. Something about this woman seemed to draw Carly in and render her incapable to turn her away. And for the first time, she stepped into the life of another person, with a desire to change a life for the better. To open her arms up to a woman who had nobody else and remain steadfast on the belief that good would come from it.

Jim Valvano once wrote: Life changes when you least expect it to. It is common knowledge that our lives can be changed in an instant. What is not so common, is the belief that our lives change with every decision we make. A single decision made is the power to choose how our lives will progress. We are always one decision away from a different life. Often, it is the smaller decisions that have the biggest impacts. As Jim said - when we least expect it to.

Unbeknown to Carly, she had inadvertently implicated herself in a situation that would seal her fate. In that one moment, with one single decision, Carly unwittingly carved out an entirely new sequence of events that would see her involved in the start of a journey, destined to change the universe.

And it all starts on one pivotal New Year's Eve night.

KNOCK--KNOCK--KNOCK

Carly furrows her eyebrows in confusion, slamming her copy of A Tale of Two Cities shut. It's 12:00 am. Who could be knocking on her door so late?

Another knock propels her to jump off the sofa, as she gets to her feet and cautiously tip-toes towards the front room window. Peering out into the darkness, she can just about make out a figure but she can't tell who it is. The figure knocks more impatiently and harshly. Steadying her breathing, Carly picks up a baseball bat and squints through the window again to work out which crazy person is pounding on her door in the middle of the night. This time she is able to see the figure is not alone.

"Carly! It's me, open the door!"

Abandoning the bat, she rushes to the door and lets her best friend in. Norma scurries in with a sleeping baby and slams the door shut, locking it immediately. Carly gives her a murderous look and demands an explanation.

"What is the meaning of this?" Carly stipulates, folding her arms, "it's the middle of the night! Are you trying to kill me? And why are you carrying her around at night? It's freezing out there and she's just a week old!"

"No," Norma breathes out as she glances at her daughter. Her urgent tone catches Carly's attention, and she refrains from scolding her long enough to sense something is not right. Her forehead is shiny and dotted with beads of sweat as if she's been running. Her eyes are red, puffy and wide. She's scared of something. Carly is taken back by this. She's known Norma long enough to be sure that Norma is the most fearless woman ever. Whatever has gotten her this shaken up must be bad. Extremely bad.