The Fallen

Chapter 6 - 20 Years Ago

Twenty Years Ago

"There's my little princess," softly spoke Saraya, a bright smile painted on her lips as her sapphire eyes locked on her toddler daughter. "And my gorgeous little ladies," commented the dark-haired woman, a chuckle escaping her lips as she reached to tickle the little blonde four-year-old, her smile only growing upon hearing Summer laugh loudly, reaching out her arms to hug her favorite aunt. Crystal softly chuckled as she reached for Emma, the little brunette girl seeming more fussy than usual.

"How are things between you and Mark now?" asked Crystal, steering the conversation away from the children for a short while. The mother of two soon looked at the beautiful woman sitting at her side, seeing the sadness shine in her eyes as she became lost in thought, no doubt remembering the recent argument, the same one they'd been repeating since little Victory was born two years prior.

"It's not," replied Saraya, reaching into the bag hanging over the handles of Victory's stroller, retrieving small bags of gummy sweets. Emma instantly stopped fussing upon being given the small bag of Haribos, whereas Summer squealed in excitement, and Victory seemed a little less dozy, although it was clear the little girl still wasn't 100% and still suffered from the aftereffects of the cold that plagued her in recent weeks. "He wants to take Victory away from me, insists I'm unfit to raise her. All because I wish to do as my parents did for me when I was growing up," explained the woman commonly referred to as the Black Queen.

As if she felt someone watching her, Saraya began to look around the sunny business square with suspicion. Her sapphire eyes scanned over every person coming and going, over every entrance in and out of the square, and over every window of the surrounding buildings. Crystal, too, must have felt something was off as her attention was drawn to the bridge leading to the parking lot. She cuddled Emma a little closer as if to protect her younger daughter.

"Where is he?" whispered Saraya, looking at her diamond-encrusted watch, noticing Mark was late again. To which she rolled her eyes and smiled down at Summer. "I think these little ladies would enjoy some time at the park," commented the Black Queen, painting an uneasy smile on her lips and returning her attention to the three girls. All while attempting to bury her growing fear and anxiety, something was terribly wrong.

Almost instantly, Summer, Emma, and Victory began to grow excited. The three girls loved the woodland park. They loved the swings and slides more than the see-saw and climbing frames. Perhaps more than that, though, they loved playing in the sand pits and feeding the ducks at the lake close by. Crystal nodded in agreement, wanting nothing more than to leave the closed-in space to escape the sudden feeling of claustrophobia and crippling anxiety that seemed to have rushed her from nowhere.

The moment they stood and stepped towards the bridge leading to the parking lot, it was as if the air had been sucked from the closed-in square. The chatter-filled square was soon shattered by the unmistakable sound of gunfire. The three toddlers soon began to cry, terrified by the sudden popping and subsequent screaming as chaos began to run rife. A brunette woman walking to the left of Crystal soon collapsed; a pain-filled screech ripped from her lips as her hands flew to her hip, where a bullet wound now resided. Instantly, Saraya grabbed hold of Summer's hand and pushed Crystal to move with Emma. Realizing the very real danger they were in, even if it hadn't dawned on Crystal yet.

"Stay with your mama, Summer," whispered Saraya as she pulled Emma from the stroller and huddled her near Crystal and Summer. Between the two mothers, they tried their best to soothe the three toddlers while trying to ignore the screams of terror and the almost constant gunshots seemingly boxing them in. Saraya cuddled Victory to her, ensuring her little princess couldn't see the carnage and confirming she had her favorite wolf plushy.