Rock Prodigy

Prologue

He stuck his tongue out at me and narrowed his indigo coloured eyes. The look was slightly ruined by the tracks his tears left in the dirt on his cheeks. His beautiful eyes were red rimmed and swollen and his nose was running. I knew the signs of a child who’d recently been crying and there was something in the boy’s gaze that made my heart clench in pain. “Are you okay?” I asked quietly and his posture seemed to relax a little as his lip quivered slightly. He widened his eyes, obviously trying to keep the tears at bay.

He opened his mouth to speak but shut it quickly when flashing lights drew our attention. I watched as a cop car pulled up beside us and two police officers stepped out of the vehicle. “Miss, could you please drop the can?”

I looked down at my hand where I was still holding the red spray paint. I let it go and it hit the sidewalk with a loud metallic clang, the ball on the inside rolling around as it fell on its side and swayed before coming to a stop.

“Did you paint this wall?” the taller officer asked, his voice was soft but stern and his eyes were filled with disapproval. I looked away, my heart beating quickly as I turned to where the little boy was standing.

He was gone. My mouth opened in surprise and my eyes widened as I turned back to the cops. I hadn’t seen many officers up close before and only had a vague memory of my babysitter handing me over to a cop when I was three after my parents had died.

My heart stuttered in my chest and my mind went black as I stood there, stunned by the big men in uniforms with guns strapped to their sides.

“Are your parents around?” I shook my head. “Will you come with us so we can find them?” I let out a shaky breath and nodded as one of the officers led me to the back of the car and settled me into the seat. I strapped my seat belt over me and sat quietly as we pulled away from the curb.

My eyes connected briefly with the driver’s through the rear view mirror before I looked at my hands in my lap. I was beginning to think I was in trouble for something but I tried to shake the feeling. The police were just helping me find my way home.

“They start so young,” the cop in the passenger seat whispered to the one driving. The driver just gave a deep nod without replying.

Soon, we pulled into the police station and they led me inside, guiding me to a chair to wait. “What’s your name, honey?” One of the officers asked.

“Rosemary Adams,” I responded, finding my voice and when he asked me for my phone number, I rattled it off automatically. The station was buzzing with people and my eyes were darting around me, trying to take it all in. I waited patiently while an officer wearing a suit dialled my parent’s number and after a short time they came bustling into the station, panic on their faces.

“Rose!” Sarah exclaimed hugging me tightly and telling me how worried they were before sitting down and listening to the officer.

I was shocked to hear him say that I’d been caught vandalising a building. Ben and Sarah’s gazes were shocked as well as they looked at me with wide eyes before focusing once again on the cop in front of them. He told them that normally, youth my age were not arrested officially but he suggested a school that was out of town where kids who’d gotten into trouble young went so they could stop any bad behaviour before it was too late. The man was talking in a smooth tone, his blue eyes kind as he stared at my adoptive parents and avoided my gaze. Sarah was crying and her breathing was coming irregularly. Ben rushed to her side and bent her head down between her knees, telling her to breathe deeply. “Just breathe, breathe for the baby, Sarah,” Ben murmured as he stroked his wife’s long hair.

I felt shock settle into my chest for what felt like the millionth time that night. Were they having a baby? Was I going to be a big sister? A smile stretched across my face and I caught Ben’s eye. He was looking at me warily, as if he wasn’t quite sure what to do. He looked between me and his wife before he stood up and motioned for the police officer to talk to him privately. I could hear snatches of his whispered conversation, my hearing had always been better than most and the few words I caught made my heart sink.