The Price {Completed}

Prologue

----1905; City State of Rumonin----

I couldn't blame my mother for leaving me behind. She had four other children to save.

My siblings and I clustered around her, trying not to get lost in the smoke and debris. I desperately wanted Mama to pick me up, but she already carried my baby brother. The more we ran, the harder it became for my slight frame and short legs to keep up with my older siblings. I'd worn my dance slippers for my daily lessons at the school, but now the silk shredded on the pavement until they turned to tatters on my feet. It made it all the harder to keep pace.

Yet, even as I struggled, we still ducked in and out of the principal streets and wove through the crowds of people screaming and ducking as gunfire echoed against the walls of the buildings.

The closer we came to my neighborhood, the thicker the panicking crowd became. Bodies packed against each other as people desperately tried to escape the streets. The crack of gunshots was right on top of us, driving people to hysterics as everyone ducked and weaved to avoid stray bullets and falling bodies. The towering adults around me sobbed and screamed, and soon my own tears fell as I held out my arms for my mother.

Seeing my desperation, she turned to try to grab my hand while juggling my baby brother. Her fingers curled around my wrist, but, while she turned her back, the crowd pushed forward and swept my other siblings along with it. Their frightened screams barely rose above the sound of bullets hitting men just yards away from us. Mama's eyes met mine, and her hand tightened against my wrist until I felt her fingers pressing into my bones.

She tried to run with me, but I was too slow. I tripped on bodies and fallen debris, making my mother stumble as I lost my balance. She nearly dropped my brother, and her eyes frantically scanned the crowd as my other siblings swept father and farther away. I didn't know better, but when she stopped and turned to look at me again, I knew something was wrong. She released my wrist and leaned down to kiss my cheek and sprinkle my face with tears.

"Don't move. I will get the rest and come right back," she said. They were only a few feet avai; I had no reason to believe that it was the last I'd see of any of them.

I reached for her as she left me behind and rushed to catch up with my siblings, screaming their names as more people dropped to the ground. She'd told me to stay put, but I was too frightened. I dashed out into the crowd, trying to follow her, but the ground was too littered and the crush too thick for me to keep her pace. I jostled around in helpless circles as heavy coats and dresses swished against my face and blocked my view of my mother's retreating back. I desperately looked for a way out of the crowd; somewhere I might be able to see better.

A few feet away, I spotted a fallen pillar from a house that stood in the tight rows on either side of the road. It was to one side, out of the foot traffic, but still commanding a good view over where my mother had disappeared. I scrambled to it and pulled myself up the pitted marble to balance on the very edge. No one paid any attention to me as they dashed by, and in fact the street was emptying. The men with guns had run to some other road, and the flood of people were funneling out and away from the narrow street I stood on. I waited, shivering on my pillar for so long that my knees ached. By that time, I stood alone amongst the broken glass and splintered wood, knowing that Mama would be back any time now.

Smoke filled the air, glowing orange from the flames that engulfed entire sections of houses throughout the streets that surrounded me. Shadows of men and women flickered down alleys, and the sounds of gunshots and screams were faint. I stayed where I was, rooted to the spot and silently praying that Papa or Mama would come find me soon.

It was while I stood on that pillar that the man who looked like Death appeared by my side. I didn't see him approach. He just stood there, a few inches to one side and watching me as my eyes widened at his presence. His suit was pitch black, but dusted in the gray ashes of the city. A tall hat covered long hair, and pallid skin stretched over gaunt cheeks and a large forehead. His eyes, coal black like the rubble of the burning buildings, held mine in a tight grip as he ran his impossibly long fingers over the raven shaped top of his polished cane. I swallowed and tried to jump from the pillar, but he held up one hand to stop me and I did as he said. I shivered in place, clutching my skirts as his wintry gaze swept over my face.