Prologue: Childhood
'Knock knock'. A little fist was heard beating softly on the door. The CEO of Hina Cellphone company lifted his head from his work, a smile forming on his face.
"Come in." His deep voice resounded throughout the room.
The door was gently pushed open and a little girl, not yet 5 ft, who still held the pudgy cheeks of childhood and whose messy locks of curly black hair enshrouded her face, stood in the entryway. As soon as she saw the CEO, her face brightened, and she slipped into the room, gently closing the door behind her. She stood there, waiting patiently for him to finish his work. When he didn't look up, she strode over to his side and grabbed his arm fiercely, so that he was forced to drop his pencil and place his attention on her.
"Dad!"
"What is it, my Serenity?"
She put on a slightly pouty face. "We were supposed to go to lunch together today!"
"Have you finished all your work?"
"Of course!" She shook his arm. "So can we go yet?"
He chuckled at this. "You really want to go, or is it mom that set you up to this?"
"!!"
Suddenly the door was kicked open, and a tall, elegant woman leaned against the door frame, crossing her arms. "Come on dear, give her a break, you know you wouldn't come if I didn't send her to bug you."
"Hmph." He stood up and took his daughter's hand with his left and his wife's with his right. "Then we'll go, alright?"
"I'm glad you've finally acquiesced to our unreasonable request." Serenity mocked his act.
"No respect for your parents!" He elbowed her in the side as they exited the room.
Outside they were greeted with the sight of many departments working hard in their different areas of expertise, each carrying documents back and forth, instilling a busy atmosphere in everyone. Her father glanced to the side and waved his secretary over.
"Hindsight, I'm leaving this place in your hands for the next 3 hours. Keep them busy for me."
"I'll do my best." Replied Rodland Hindsight.
With that, they snuck out the back exit and went down the fire escape.
Serenity felt a warm, mitted hand squeeze her own, she looked up to see her father's loving gaze latched onto her. "So, what shall we do for your birthday, today?"
"Could I choose to go to Medferd's Museum of Aircraft?"
"Alright, Medferd Museum it is! But first, let's get us some ice cream for the trip!"
With that, they stopped at a street vendor before boarding a train that would go to the next city.
Serenity watched the scenery flash past the windows for a moment, as the train lurched on its way, licking her cone, her mind deep in thought.
"Dad."
"Yes, Serenity?"
"Dad, can I really take over your position?"
"Honey. You are literally graduating high school next year, at the age of 12, and already manage three sectors of my business, how could I find a more reliable person than you to take over?"
"Heehee, you are being too kind." She shrugged back, still staring at the scenery.
"No." He turned to her, and gripped her hand, forcing the ice cream away from her face so that she had to look at him. "Don't ever think you're going to get this position just because of who your parents were. You, if you'll get it, will get this position because of your own hard work and bright mind!"
She looked back at her Dad, and screamed, grabbing her father in terror. But her father was stronger than her and resisted.
A shot rang out. Twice. Two people slumped to the ground. Serenity fell to the ground as well, behind her father. Another shot cut through the air, barely missing her and grazing her arm. The train stopped at a station. A man clothed in black, with a black scarf covering his face, leaped off the train.
"After Him! Find out where he came from!"
She roared at their bodyguards who had rushed over from the other side of the train. One went after the man. One stayed behind.
She slumped to the floor, shaking her father to keep him awake. And glanced at her fallen mother.
They both looked back at her but were unable to say anything as life left their bodies.
They were there, and then, they were gone, just like the passing wind.
She came off that train in silence and stayed that way, even as she was driven all the way to her uncle's house after grabbing some stuff from her own.
She came out of the car with her small suitcase, her boots sinking deep into the 4-inch snowfall. She glanced up to see the front metal gate. It reminded her of that other metal implement. The implement that she had seen, rise up slowly behind her father's head, out from the robes of the man in black. Why, why had this happened?! Was it her fault? She felt her body lurch forward in nausea, her legs losing strength, and then a strong hand caught her; her face fell against a thick trench coat.
"There, there." A voice, much like her father's, drifted soothingly into her ears. "I heard it's been a hard day for you? Come on, let me take this."
Her briefcase was lifted from her hands, and she let herself be guided inside like an empty doll, as her uncle dismissed her attendants.
As soon as they came inside, he took off her overcoat and led her to the kitchen counter, where he poured her a glass of milk.
"Just wait here, as I put your stuff away."
She didn't reply, she just stared at the flames that flickered on the stovetop under a pot of boiling stew. She once more recalled that cold, hard gun, slowly lifting, to point at her father's head.
Why?
When she saw that gun, why hadn't she said anything to her father?
Was it terror?
Why had she asked to leave the city and thereby put her parents in danger?
Why had she distracted her father and mother, with her useless chatter?
STOP!
She smashed her fist onto the counter and then jumped down from the stool to do burpees. One, two, three, four… thirty-six. Finally, she was calm enough to think properly again. She sat back down again on the tall stool as her uncle descended the staircase and walked to the pot of stew in the kitchen to fill an empty bowl.
"Hungry yet?"
"I would like to try, please." He placed the bowl in front of her, and then also poured a larger one for himself. "…Who was it?
He turned around with his bowl, sitting himself down at the counter, as he gazed into her eyes. They stayed like that for a moment. Then, he sighed. "I guess I don't need to worry about the little genius, do I?"
He spun his spoon around in his bowl, before picking up a piece of potato. He pointed the implement at her. "I just got word, a few moments ago, that it was Biscuit Electronics. You know, since your father has been a thorn in their side since way back when and all." He took a bite of the stew savoring it.
"There must have been inside help then."
"Of course." He tried out the meat.
"They would have to be a higher up as well."
"Yep." He licked his lips over a piece of carrot.
"They must have planned months in advance, but somehow could get on a train we booked that very day…"
"Aren't you going to eat that yet?" Her uncle looked greedily at her bowl.
"You didn't cook this, did you." She glanced at her bowl, before giving him a discerning stare.
"You're right, lucky us, this was from Aunt Missy next door, who thought a poor girl who lost her parents would like a warm, homemade meal for her dinner. It's good, isn't it?"
Sighhhhhh. Must she live with this person now?
"Please, at least respect the fact that your brother died earlier today."
He sighed back at this. Putting his spoon down on his almost empty bowl to fold his hands under his chin and stare at her, he spoke: "Serenity, as you know, all people die, and everyone is sad when they do. This is normal. But, if that's true, and we're going to be sad anyway, let's be sad by ourselves, and happy with others, so that everyone can start to feel better and get over the fact that our lives can't always be happy, and that sadness is a normal thing."
"You have such perplexing logic it leaves me dizzy with enlightenment." She replied back sarcastically as she stood up, pushing her bowl toward him. "You can have this, you food connoisseur, I'm going to bed."
"Thanks! Oh, and good night! Tell me if you can't sleep! I got tons of melatonin to spare!"
"…" She decided to just leave it at that and went upstairs.
"It's the second room on the left!"
She opened the door and almost threw up again. It was pink. Pink sheets, pink pillows, pink walls, pink curtains, pink carpets, everything, that could possibly have color, was pink. She hated pink. Why must he pick the pink guest room for her? She took a blanket out from her bag and laid herself in the armchair in the hallway. She didn't care if people called her picky, she would rather sleep outside on the streets in sheeting rain than sleep in a pink room. She would rather go naked than wear a pink shirt. Why did she hate pink? Must we say so, so early in the story? For Pete's sake! Our protagonist hasn't even grown up yet!