Chapter 1: The Night Everything Changed.

 The sound of shattering glass sliced through the silence

 Rosie jolted awake, her heart pounding. She lay frozen in her bed, the warmth of her blankets suddenly stifling. Her small fingers gripped the edge of the blanket as she listened. The apartment was dark, except for the faint glow of city lights seeping through the blinds.

Then she heard voices. Low. Urgent

 Her parents. And someone else.

 She slipped out of bed, the wooden floor cold against her bare feet. The voices were coming from downstairs. Slowly, carefully, she crept toward the door, every step measured, every breath held.

 A deep, unfamiliar voice spoke. "You knew this day was coming."

 Her father's voice, steady but tense: "Please. Just let my family go. They have nothing to do with this."

 A cold laugh. "That's not how this works."

 Rosie pressed herself against the banister, peering down into the living room. Her father stood tall, shielding her mother, whose eyes were wide with fear. Across from them, two men in black stood by the broken window, shards of glass glinting on the floor.

 One of the men—tall, broad-shouldered, his face shadowed by the dim light—held a gun.

 A chill crawled up Rosie's spine.

"Take whatever you want," her mother pleaded, her voice cracking. "Just don't—"

 The man raised his gun.

 Rosie's father lunged.

 A gunshot roared through the air.

 Her father stumbled back, blood blooming across his chest like ink spilling onto paper. He gasped, a choked sound, as his legs gave out beneath him. He crashed to the floor.

 "NO!" Her mother dropped to her knees, hands pressing desperately against the wound. "Stay with me—stay with me, please!

 Rosie clamped a hand over her mouth, her whole body trembling.

 The second man stepped forward. "No loose ends."

 Another shot.

 Her mother collapsed beside her father, her body limp. The metallic scent of blood filled the air.

 Rosie bit down on her lip to stop herself from screaming. Her fingers dug into the railing, knuckles white. Every inch of her wanted to run to them, to shake them awake, to tell them this was just a nightmare.

 But nightmares weren't real. And this was.

 The men exchanged words, but her ears were ringing too loudly to hear. The taller man pulled out his phone, his fingers moving fast across the screen.

 "She's here somewhere," the shorter man muttered. "They had a daughter."

 Rosie's stomach twisted.

 They knew about her.

 She had to move. Now.

 She backed away from the staircase, forcing herself to stay quiet. Her mind screamed at her to run, but she had to be smart. One wrong move, one creaky floorboard, and they'd find her.

 The fire escape.

 Her room had a window leading to it. She had climbed out of it before, pretending to be a spy, balancing on the metal bars as she imagined a world of secret missions.

 Now, it was her only way out.

 She turned and ran.

 Footsteps thundered up the stairs behind her.

 She threw herself into her room and slammed the door, twisting the lock just as a fist pounded against it.

 "Hey! The kid's in here!"

 Rosie's hands shook as she yanked the window open. Cold night air rushed in, biting at her skin. The metal of the fire escape was slick beneath her bare feet as she scrambled out.

 Bang! The door cracked. They were breaking in.

 Rosie grabbed the ladder and slid down, her palms burning from the friction. She hit the pavement hard, her knees scraping against the rough ground, but she didn't stop.

 The city stretched out before her—tall buildings, flashing billboards, streets alive with headlights and strangers who had no idea what had just happened.

 She ran.

 Behind her, a voice shouted from the window, "Find her!"

 Her breath came in ragged gasps as she ducked into an alley, her tiny frame swallowed by the darkness. She pressed herself against the cold brick wall, her chest rising and falling in sharp, panicked bursts.

 Tears blurred her vision, but she didn't wipe them away.

 She couldn't go back.

 She had nowhere to go.

 But one thought burned inside her, stronger than the fear, stronger than the pain.

 One day, she would find them

 And she would make them pay.