REFUGE

PROLOGUE

My story is probably nothing you have never heard of before.

It all began with a divorce. One that tore apart the small family that had been my roof which sheltered me from the cruelty of the world. And it goes without saying, everything changed.

What I really mean by the word 'change' here is that my world turned upside down. Flipped over like a pancake. What do you think I did next? Stamp my feet and throw a tantrum? (Now that I think of it, I might have done so, had there been anyone to watch that drama) Or maybe get a dozen piercings and tattoos as an outlet for the darkness I found myself in?

Nah.

We already had one massive breakdown in the family, of: Dhanyal a.k.a my big bro. But I'd rather eat glass than admit this out loud.

For two very serious reasons.

First, he would do it to me then: make me eat glass, I mean, for coming up with such a ridiculous notion. (Pfft... He can put on that cold, heartless front to hide how broken he really feels, but I can see it as bright as day) Or most likely he won't and just ignore me instead, that's what he does best lately. But who knows what's going on in his mind these days?

I have seen his smile fading and eventually disappear during the endless fights and tears that somehow became a daily routine in our home. And the person I could once call my best friend is now replaced by a stranger.

Fourteen years together and knowing him his whole life, you would have thought I would know him like the back of my hand. Granted, he had one year (wait, scratch that, 11 months to be exact) In this world without me but you get the gist. But it doesn't take long for a transformation. Like a coin tossed in the air, in a split second, a total different picture now lay in front of me. It took me far too long to notice it though. That brings me to the second reason.

Admitting it to myself would make it more real. And I am not ready to accept it. Not yet.

If I had thought that my life had gone crazy, it was nothing compared to what still lay before me. And that's where I start the next chapter in my life. Or rather a new beginning, as Dhanyal and I moved to live with our aunt and uncle.

We left the city life (for which I would have been happy were the circumstances not so dire) to live in a small island a couple of hours away by ferry boat and the house we had grown up in (that, I lamented), leaving it empty and abandoned (which would soon be remodeled if what little I had heard were to be true).

Remember the joke about the dad who did a magic trick and made himself disappear? Yeah, mine knew that too. He visited us a few times since he left home at first and we knew in our hearts it was a goodbye each time. And then, we never saw him. I guess he got the hint that he was not welcome in our old home anymore.

You must now be wondering why? I guess it's best to clear this up before we begin.

As most divorces tend to be, it ended horribly between my parents. Eventually my grandparents interfered and he was no longer allowed to visit us, which he still did though for some time, until he was gone that is.

My usually strong mum had collapsed under the stress. I have seen the tears that fell endlessly from her eyes which shattered my heart in the process but at the same time I resented her weakness. She is the reason why we are being sent off, so that she can stay with her parents to recuperate.

But when it came to my dad, I loathed him: For doing this to us in the first place.

__________________________

A/N: Hello there! What do you think? Sounds okay so far? Would appreciate your feedback :)