Prologue

Unknown:

     I dragged my feet through the pine trees with my hands at my waist to support my ever expanding belly. I was close to labour and I could feel my water threatening to burst. Despite the oversized coat I picked from the roadside bin, I was freezing from within.

    I mentally smacked myself in the face for coming to Canada. I used one hand to pull my coat tighter around me, cursing under my breath.

  On getting to a valley, with two fairly large mountains on either side, I fell from extreme exhaustion. I propped myself on a little, snow capped, rock. My breath came in shallow gasps. I'd been hungry for days on end. Only the white snow was my salvation from thirst. I felt my body tiring rapidly. Putting my head in my hands, I thought on what brought me to this status.

         "Leave! You're a disgrace!! Don't ever refer to me as your Dad anymore! From now, I'm no father of yours. Get out!!"

I sobbed and begged: "Please Dad. I never knew it would happen that way. Please! I was raped. Please believe me and let me stay. I have nowhere else to go."

But my rambling fell on deaf ears, as he threw my clothes on the bare ground outside and threw me along with them. I fell with a thud on the ground, along with my few clothes. I heard the door slam and I panicked as reality hit me.

  No! No! No! This can't be happening! I'm just 17 for goodness sake! I ran to the door and banged repeatedly, sobbing and begging someone to open, for several minutes. But no one came.

I packed my clothes and tied them in a bundle with a scarf, while my body trembled violently with aching sobs and from cold. After walking a little distance, I found an old school bag and I put my clothes in it.

  With the little money in my pocket, I boarded a coach, having no idea where it was going. I just wanted to leave this town of hell. I fell asleep on the coach because my body was tired from hours of sobbing.

   I woke up to a coach attendant tapping me, saying we had reached the last stop. I got up and asked where we were.

  "Ontario" he answered

He helped me get off the coach. While the coach moved away, whipping my hair in the wind, his words echoed in my mind.

  Ontario. Ontario. No! Canada!! I took a deep breath and sighed, knowing I didn't have much of a choice. I asked someone for directions to a homeless shelter and I found it quite easily. I stayed there for about five months before disaster struck again.

  Fire broke out in the shelter during the night and within minutes, half of the building was in flames. While others ran to the authorities, I ran away. I didn't want any publicity by any mistake.

I started living on the streets for the next three months.

But one day the police were raiding the streets and I had to run again with a large loaf of bread in my hands. I ended up in the pine woods. It was winter but I ran into the pine woods anyways, the cold breeze hitting my face. After sometime, I couldn't run anymore and I ate the soft bread I had with me.

  I have been here since then. And I'm penniless. And I'm hungry. And I'm depressed.

  I cursed my Dad. The worst thing was that my mom didn't even step in. She just sat in the living room, in tears while I was being kicked out.

I cursed Kendrick, the bastard that raped me. I mean, I know I was drunk and wasted but that gave him no right.

I cursed my best friend, Claire, that invited me to that party. I cursed every living soul.

  There's one soul, however, I couldn't curse. My baby.

Just then, my water burst with excruciating pain and I screamed. It was time. I spread my legs and pushed hard.

"Hey! Are you okay?" Said a female voice. I couldn't reply because of my pain and screams. Through my hazy vision, though, I saw a beautiful young lady, with hair as white as cotton.

  An angel I thought. She must be one.

She crouched down before me saying incomprehensible words. I realized that I was slipping away. This angel had a handsome man with her whom she was talking to.

"Mike?.......911....she......help..... ambulance"

    I was losing my strength, my heart beat was slowing down. No! No! My baby must live. With my remaining strength and will, I pushed and I felt its body leave my pelvis.

  "Boy!" I heard my angel exclaim. I guessed that was my baby boy.

   I felt her put him in my arms. I looked down and saw a beautiful, blood soaked infant.

  I'm so sorry little one, I sobbed. Sorry you had to come this way.

  "What is your name?" I asked the angel before me.

"Susan" she replied

"Take care of this boy, please" I whispered

"I will" she promised

I sighed in relief. In my clouding vision, I made out paramedics rushing towards us, with the sounds of sirens in the background.

My heart slowed to its barest minimum.

I muttered good bye to my angel and my baby boy, before I felt my heart cease its beating.