Kaya

Prologue

Tarfala Valley, Sweden

The night is dark, the sky empty, and the sound of nothingness cloaks the forest in a blanket of calm. 

A 3-year old Kaya Lay sat nestled in the embrace of her mother, tears pouring down her cheeks like a waterfall. Her tiny feet were bleeding, her mother's soft console not enough to numb the pain. 

Marie Lay looked at her whimpering child with pity, quietly cooing, "Little Lay, pain is temporary.  Life will throw more than a stone in your way when you grow older, you know?"

"Then I don't want to grow up."

Chuckling, Marie rubbed Kaya's cheeks. "Little Lay, time waits for no one." 

Finally removing herself from her mother's embrace, Kaya looked at Marie's green eyes. They were soft, calm, like the ocean in the mornings. Marie's eyes were always warm, and they always looked at Kaya with adoration, even when stern. Marie's eyes felt like coming home. 

Kaya's words were lost in her wonder, while Marie's eyes further lit up. "Little Lay?"

"Yes, mama?"

"Did you listen to what I said?"

"Yes, mama."

"Can you walk now?"

"No, mama."

A pause. Marie looked at Kaya, instantly knowing she just wanted to stay nestled in her arms. 

"Are you lying, little Lay?"

"No, mama."

Helplessly shaking her head, Marie held Kaya tighter as they approached their home in the middle of the woods. The lights were on, and a warm hue cloaked their cozy home completely. Axon Lay stood at the door, anxiously waiting for his wife and child. 

Upon spotting them, Axon's normally stoic face lit up in happiness. "Where have you guys been, it's so late."

Seeing her Papa, Kaya instantly jumped out of her mother's embrace, ignoring the slight pain in her foot as she bolted to her father. 

"Little Lay, your foot!"

Kaya ignored her mother's anxious warning and fell right into her father's arms. "Papa!"

"Little Lay, you scared me! Be careful!"

Feeling regretful, Kaya looked up at her father with teary eyes. "Sorry, papa."

Nothing in the world fazed Axon. Not his clients, not his friends, not his family. Nothing except his wife and daughter's tears. The minute either of them began crying, Axon would lose it. It was his fault, whether he was involved or not. 

Panicking, Axon rubbed her tears, quickly cooing, "No, no, no, papa is sorry. Papa should have known you'd come really hard at me. Papa should have been prepared. No crying. No crying."

In the meantime, Marie had caught up with Kaya, smiling at the father-daughter pair. She looked at Axon, quietly whispering, "You spoil her too much."

Placing a kiss on Marie's forehead, Axon replied, "I only have one daughter to spoil. I think it's fine."

-----

After tucking Kaya in bed, Axon and Marie went out to the living room to enjoy their private time. The silence of the valley and the love in their house was enough to fulfill them, and they'd often watch the stars after Kaya was asleep. 

But there were no stars tonight, just the piercing cold. 

As Axon sat down onto the sofa, Marie noticed his drawn face. He looked as though he had aged five years in a night. 

"What's wrong?", Marie asked. 

Axon's gaze was chilling. "We can't hide anymore. They found us."

Startled, Marie stumbled back. "W-what? How is that possible? We wiped out all our traces."

"The Lay's must have partnered with some other company. The must have used satellite tracking. I can't think of anything else that might reveal our location."

Heartbroken, Marie fell to the ground. Axon immediately held her in his embrace, rubbing her arms. "I'm sorry, my love. We can't keep it under wraps anymore."

"So, we'll have to resort to putting Kaya in an orphanage?"

Axon looked at Marie with pained eyes. "My love, we have to. I refuse to put Kaya through the Lay family's madness. I would never let her be part of that project. Never."

Marie was shuddering, her sobs wracking her entire body. "Please, no. Please. Axon, I can't do that."

Axon wasn't faring any better. He harshly whispered, "You think I want to do that? You think I want to give my only daughter to a damn orphanage?"

Marie continued to cry softly. 

Sighing, Axon wiped her tears. "My love, do you remember what we promised when Kaya was born?"

Marie mutely nodded her head. 

Axon continued, "We promised that she'd get a life of freedom, away from the power struggles and hierarchy of the Lay family. We promised she would live like a normal child, not a heiress. We promised to spoil her, love her and support her. We promised to keep her away from this."

Marie had now stopped crying, she was silently listening to Axon's choked words. Axon looked down at her, speaking softly, "I intend to uphold this promise. I cannot keep Kaya hidden forever. She must face the Lay family at some point, but I want to give her the life she deserves. At least, for as long as I can."

Silence ensued for the next hour. Both Axon and Marie were buried in each other's embraces, not speaking a word. After what felt like eternity, Marie raised herself and walked to the study. Axon walked into Kaya's room, watching his baby daughter curled into a ball, one hand under her head and the other reached out, as though grabbing something. 

Axon watched Kaya for a long time, as though memorising her features. 

Marie had returned from the study, an envelop in her hand. "If Kaya finds the truth, and decides to pursue her past, she might need a guiding light." 

Axon glanced at the letter, writing his own words onto it before returning it to Marie. "That's a good idea. We'll give it to the warden at the orphanage for safe keeping. When Kaya wakes up, she can read it."

Axon remembered Kaya had a habit of grabbing someone's hand when she sleeps. He remembered that it gave her security. He would hold her hand throughout several nights when she was born, but he had gradually stopped.

Now, he reached out his hand on the edge of the bed, an inch away from Kaya's small one. As expected, she immediately grabbed onto Axon's finger, snuggling closer to it. 

Axon almost choked on his tears. He let them silently fall onto her tiny palm. Marie hugged him tightly from behind as the both of them sobbed quietly. 

"I'm sorry Little Lay. I'm sorry."