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"Hello," Alyn said to the scared boy in front of her. He looked a little bit older than she was, but then again, when you're three years old, most of the world is older than you.
"Hi," he replied, not wanting to look at her. He tried to conceal his face, only showing her his black hair.
"What's your name?"
"I can't tell. I can't talk to you, stranger." he replied, flaunting the largest word in his vocabulary.
Meanwhile, both their mothers, who had set their kids up on a play date, were watching the whole scene with intent. Aliyah Philips, the boy's mother, smiled at him, and said, "Don't worry, she's nice."
"Yeah, I'm not a bad stranger, I'm a good stranger. My name is Alyn."
He nodded back shyly. "Ryan..."
Lila smiled, proud of her daughter for not inheriting either of her parents' aversion for making friends quickly. She thought to herself, what could go wrong?
"My mommy said that you're from another country. How is it?"
"It's very good."
Alyn noticed the slight British accent he had. "I'm not fully from there though. My mom's family is from America..."
"My dad is from there too!"
"Maybe we're siblings."
Speaking of Alyn's father, he was just returning from the airport, with his mother, who had come over to visit her granddaughter. He, knowing his family was in the park close to his home, parked the car near it, and took his mother there.
Angelina had aged fairly well. Her nerves were perfectly normal, and she was more than capable of handling everything in her life alone, with no external support. She had made a fortune out of her writing, and wasn't going to give up on it if it would kill her.
"Last I saw her, she was only one year old. How is she now?"
"She's doing well. The reason we're here and not home is because she is at the park, with a new friend."
"She's making friends already? That's a trait your dad has, actually. How else could he have gained people's trust as the CEO of one of the biggest companies on Earth?"
"With Oliver about to inherit it, it'll probably go to Mars, and beyond. He's a smart kid."
"He is," Angie said. "But let's be real. He didn't make friends that easily in school, so I'm not sure how exactly this will go. He needs to make alliances to be the boss."
"Yeah, but he'll invent some robot to do all that work for him."
They neared the area where the children were playing, and saw them. She noticed that Alyn was relaxed, and excited to make a new friend. However, Ryan was not. He didn't like the plane journey, or the strangers. But what he did like, was the chocolate-stuffed croissant he was holding. He had forgotten about it while talking to her. He took a bite of it, and as he was chewing, he noticed her father standing there, watching the children curiously.
"Is that your dad?" Ryan asked.
"Yup."
"Is he nice?"
"Yeah, isn't your dad nice?"
Ryan frowned slightly at the thought. His father was in London. Alyn looked at him, expecting an answer. Ryan hesitated, his frown deepening. "He's... busy. Always working."
Alyn nodded, understanding more than a child her age might be expected to. "My dad works a lot too. But he says it's important to be with us too."
The conversation was interrupted as Alyn's father approached, his mother in tow. "There's my little star," he said, his voice warm as he scooped Alyn into his arms.
"Grandma!" Alyn squealed with delight, recognizing the woman she hadn't seen since she was a toddler.
The adults exchanged pleasantries, and as the afternoon sun began to wane, the park filled with the sounds of laughter and chatter, a stark contrast to the world beyond its borders where the rumblings of war were ever-present.
Six months had passed, and the world had changed. The war that had once seemed distant had crept into the lives of everyone, leaving a mark that would take generations to heal. It was during these tumultuous times that Angie found an old photograph in her attic. It was a picture of her and Leah Philips-Woods, Ryan's grandmother, taken years ago before Leah had moved to the UK. The memories flooded back in her mind, and with them, a sense of loss for the time that could never be reclaimed.
Alyn didn't know it then, but she later found out that not only were their mothers friends, but also their grandparents. The two had just arrived at the theory that it was fate that brought them together... until Ryan's parents launched a piece of bad news like a bomb. That they were moving back to the UK.
That was a terrible metaphor, in hindsight. Not long after, Draco and Lila passed away as well, while their daughter was at home, with her grandmother.
Their passing in a bombing raid had been sudden and devastating, leaving Alyn and Angie to navigate the world without them. Angelina moved to France permanently to be with her.
Despite having lost her parents, and her best friend at a young age, Alyn had grown into a strong young woman, her resilience a testament to the love and guidance she had received from her parents. She was generally happy, but did not forget them, and still missed them.
Despite losing half her family out of her own choice, then regretting it later, Angelina had not lost her competitive edge, which she passed down to her granddaughter, for better or for worse. She taught her most of what she knew in the field of self-defense, and helped mold Alyn's future.
Even after Angie's own passing, when Alyn was 17, the teen was taken in by her cousin, her father's big sister's daughter, who was six years older than her. She further refined her skills in the art of self-defense, and recruited her to be an assassin, better known as the Crimson Queen.
ns 15.158.61.16da2
