Chapter 1: Prologue.
Neon lights flashed by, tracing colorful lines on the dark background. Seconds passed and sight grew blurry, disappearing behind the translucent reflection of a young boy staring out of the closed window. The ride back should have been his favorite part of the night, yet the deep frown he wore said otherwise.
Heavy air filled the car's interior. The driver, a slender man in his late thirties, kept his hands on the steering wheel despite the autopilot icon glowing faintly on the dashboard. He stole glances at the rearview mirror until he noticed the eyes staring at him from the passenger seat. The beautiful woman was his wife. She did not seem happy with the way he was acting so far. Not at all.
The man heaved a sigh and returned his sight to the road, only to find himself glancing at the backseats again. His face fell when he saw the young girl sitting with her head lowered, but when his eyes met those of the boy, his expression hardened again.
"Alright, that's enough." The woman spoke in a soft yet firm tone. "William, apologize to your father."
"Yeah, right." The boy scoffed.
"I wasn't asking." She followed. "Apologize."
The boy drew his lips to a line and shifted his sight in her direction.
"Over my dead body."
The two glared at each other through the reflection in the mirror. The tension rose further, quickly reaching a new height. Just as it seemed about to burst, a small voice cut through it like a knife.