Capturing Charlotte

Prologue

The air felt colder than usual on that day. It was mid-February, and light snow was falling outside. There was a young girl sitting quietly in her seat, watching the world pass beside her. The bus was loud—kids were yelling and laughing as usual—but the world seemed quiet. Somber, even.

Instinctively, the girl reached for her cellphone before remembering seconds later that she had forgotten to charge it, and it had been dead since the morning. Sighing, she began to fidget as she waited for her stop.

It was an out of body experience seeing police cars and an ambulance surrounding her little house. The bus driver spoke muddled, incomprehensible words as she made her way off the vehicle as if she were in a trance. Mouth slightly agape and muscles tense, she forced herself to walk toward her sister who was standing in front of the house, talking to the police. She'd never seen her sister that way before: teary and almost frantic.

Turning away, no one noticed her as she walked directly through the crowd, like a pale ghost. She opened the front door of the house cautiously only to be confronted with walls and floors covered in blood and needles. She let out a high pitched scream.

Nova Andrews shot out of bed, sweating profusely and heart pounding wildly. Without a moment's hesitation, she wrapped her small blanket around herself and left her room. Quietly, she hurried to the room across the hall from her. Slowly, she opened the door and approached the sleeping figure on the bed in front of her.

"Charlotte?" She called quietly. The figure stirred, but did not awaken.

"Charlotte," Nova called a little louder. Again the figure stirred, but this time she sat up, rubbing her eyes tiredly as she did so.

"Nova," she whispered quietly, her knowing voice comforting. "Did you have another nightmare?"

Her sister's soft voice was enough for Nova to tear up. "Y-Yes," she whimpered. Charlotte sleepily lifted her arms and Nova immediately jumped onto the bed and into her embrace. Charlotte held her tight for a few long moments, stroking her hair as she cried.

"You can sleep here tonight," she said, pulling back slightly. Nova sniffled and tucked herself into the covers. She curled up beside her sister, already feeling more at peace.

"I'll never let anything happen to you, Nova," Charlotte promised quietly, reaching her hand out to stroke her sister's shoulder comfortingly. Nova always wondered how Charlotte seemed so sure of everything. "No matter what happens," Charlotte finished.

Nova said nothing. She was afraid that if she did, she would cry again. It wasn't until both girls were close to sleep that Nova's small voice broke through the silence.

"Will we ever be okay again?" Charlotte turned around, and Nova was sure she could see Charlotte's intense gaze even through the darkness.

"Yes," she said, voice clear and strong as the night sky. "I promise."

~*~

"I don't believe we've met before," came the smooth voice of Alexander Kane. She could feel his breath at her ear which sent a chill down her entire body.

"U-um, I don't think so either. I'm Hayley," the brunette woman smiled shyly. Her cheeks were flushed causing Alexander to flash her a wicked smirk. This woman was young, probably in her early 20s. With her thin body and light blue eyes, she was beautiful and very innocent looking. He knew he wanted her right away.

"Would you care to join me for a dance?"

Nodding softly, she stood from her table, her stunning lavender evening gown hitting the floor and swaying as she walked. He danced with her for a few songs, loving the way her slim body felt in his hands. As the time passed, he began to move closer to her until he could feel her plump breasts against his chest. He could tell she was entranced by him and therefore did not notice his advancing on her.

"Would you like to take this somewhere a little more private, sweetheart?"

"O-okay," the girl stammered, her face blushing red for what seemed like the tenth time that night. He took her hand and guided her toward the exit of the ballroom. As he was walking out the doors of the room, he caught the eyes of a friend and business partner. The man looked between Alexander's hand and the girl's and gave a smirk of approval. Alexander grinned back, quietly promising that the man could have her next.

As soon as he got the woman down the stairs and in a dark corner near the street, he began to ravage her mouth with hot kisses. She kissed back as best as she could, hesitantly wrapping her arms around his neck. Groaning, he began to grind against her as his hands began a path up underneath her dress.

Suddenly, they were both interrupted by what sounded like a child's voice.

"Help!" The little girl yelled. They could just barely make out the small shape of her standing about a block away. "That man," she exclaimed tearfully, running toward them. "He stole my bag! It had all of my money! And my new bear from my mama," she sniffled loudly. Neither could see the thief the girl was referring to but still, the woman picked up the purse that she had set on the bench beside her and clutched it close to herself. Grabbing Alexander's bicep, she shivered in fear.

"What if he comes here?" She asked frightfully, shrinking slightly behind him. "Shouldn't we go back inside?" He gave her a sugary, comforting smile and pulled her back into his embrace.

"Don't worry, sweetheart," he cooed. "I won't let anything happen to you."

The pair began to kiss once more, both slipping into an intense, lustful bliss. They did not even notice the crying child being sent away by the security guards who were protecting the gala.

A/N: Thoughts???? There will be lots more coming, depending on everyone's reception of this!!