Page 1 of Somber Prince

Chapter One

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO.

DAWN.

“What do you want to watch?” I asked Elaine, tossing my schoolbag on the floor in the hallway.

“I don’t know. Maybe that movie we started yesterday?”

Elaine was twelve, like me, and had been my best friend since kindergarten. She neatly put her bag on the bench by the wall, then picked mine up and placed it next to hers. No wonder my mom loved Elaine hanging out with me after school. She probably hoped her good manners would eventually rub off on me.

I kicked my shoes off and drew Elaine by the arm to follow me. “Let’s go.”

Mom met us in the living room before I even had a chance to beeline for the TV.

“Please keep it down, girls.” She pressed a finger to her lips.

Dad walked into the living room after us. He’d picked up Elaine and me from school on his way from work and would drive me to my dance class later.

“How is she?” He gave Mom a kiss on the cheek.

“Sleeping.” She sighed. “Just fell asleep about twenty minutes ago.”

Elaine leaned to my ear, whispering, “Ciana?”

I nodded. Mom was talking about my beautiful older cousin Ciana, who’d always been close to a goddess in my mind. She came to live with us two days ago, but not under good circumstances.

Ciana stayed in the guestroom in the basement, and I knew she didn’t sleep well at night. I’d heard her screaming, probably from nightmares. Last night, my mom had to run downstairs to calm her down.

“You know what? Let’s go to my room.” I tugged Elaine toward the stairs to the second floor of the house. “We’ll watch something on my iPad instead.”

She nodded, adjusting her glasses that tended to constantly slide down her nose.

Ten years older than me, Ciana had always been the girl I admired to the point of worship. She was the daughter of my mom’s older sister who passed away a few years ago. Ciana’s father had raised her through high school on his own. The two of them would come to our house for every birthday and holiday.

I loved everything about my cousin. She had her dad’s dark-brown skin and his curly hair, as well as my aunt’s laughter and cheerful voice that used to sound through our house like a bubbling brook whenever she came over.

Not surprisingly, the most popular boy in school had noticed her and asked her out. Dylan seemed to do all the right things while they dated. He’d taken her to the movies. They’d gone dancing. He’d asked her to prom.

When he left our small town to go to college after graduation, Ciana went with him. She’d said she’d go to college too. I remember how happy she’d been looking forward to a new adventure in the big city.

Then, her dad passed away, and she never came back, not even for a visit. Not even for Christmas.

About three years ago, Ciana called to tell us she’d married Dylan. When she was younger, she’d talked about the wedding she wished to have. She’d said our whole town would be invited, and she’d dreamed about wearing a dress with the longest train ever.

As it’d turned out, there had been no wedding at all when she married Dylan, just a ceremony, with two strangers for witnesses. No one from our town had been invited, not even us, her closest family.

“How is she?” Dad asked Mom quietly.

I paused on the bottom stair, waiting for her answer.

“A little better, I think. We went shopping for clothes for her this morning and got her hair done. We talked a little. But she still refuses to speak about him.” She shook her head. “I swear I should’ve strangled that piece of shit back in the city.”

Lucy gasped at my mom’s swearing. But I knew Ciana’s husband deserved all that and more.

I remembered Mom growing more and more worried as Ciana’s phone calls grew shorter and farther between. Then, they had stopped completely. We hadn’t heard a word from Ciana for an entire month. One day, Mom and Dad had packed their suitcases and driven to the city, leaving me with Melanie, my older sister.

I’d heard there had been a fight when they’d confronted Dylan. I’d learned the police got involved. I’d heard Dylan was no longer allowed anywhere near Ciana, which was a good thing. He must’ve done something bad to her. Because my smiling, bubbly cousin had been a sad, timid shadow of her former self ever since Mom and Dad brought her to our house two days ago.