Prologue

"What does the fox say-"

"You lazy ass! Clean the damn carpet and shove it downstairs!"

I heard the faint voice of my mum coming from the kitchen. I quickly removed my headphones and threw them on the ground in a heap. That dusty, old Chinese carpet hadn't been cleaned in ages but nobody cared about it, except my dear mum. She was distracting me from my extremely vital job which needed a tremendous amount of focus and concentration.

I was trying to do acrobatics by hanging on my mother's long, red, silky scarf, which was suspended from a hook on the ceiling. I was high up from the floor and it was a risk, but it was fun. Yes, seriously I needed a mental check or whatever, but I truly wished to perform in a circus one day. Girls generally of my age had sexual fantasies, but my fantasy was merely to get into a circus which was surreal. I just wanted to make people happy.

"And who would do the laundry? Your d-"

"Ah... I will do it later! Stop bugging me!" I shouted back.

I tried to get higher up and freed one of my legs that had gotten entangled in the scarf, but my desperate attempts to show some acrobatic skills proved to be futile. I pulled the scarf further down and before I realized my stupidity, due to my hefty self, I went crashing down on the floor.

If only I had landed on the floor with a broken neck, that would have been a relief. But to my astonishment, along came a slab of hard ceiling cement with a loud thud. And I was in one piece, if not considering the sharp pain erupting from my butt.

My mum and dad came rushing into my room with dad nearly knocking down the door. They looked around and gasped in shock. Both of them were absolutely stunned and I smiled sheepishly.

After my little act and an hour of argument, we all gradually gathered in the dining room. I was quietly sipping tea and dad was busy reading the newspaper. I did not dare utter a word after what happened earlier this evening. Mum and dad were truly disappointed, but they still couldn't believe that I was hanging on a thin cloth. At first they thought I attempted suicide, but they shook those thoughts away when they realized a happy soul like me had no reason to end my life.

"What happened to this Georgia? Did the rats chew this off?" My mum asked and I looked up. She was holding my old, pastel blue shirt. It had a wide hole near the chest area. I couldn't tell her the truth since it was a long story. I had helped a gay couple elope a few days ago since their family didn't accept them. I was engrossed in all their activities like planning their wedding and honeymoon to make them happy.

While I was running to get the wedding attire, I tripped over the couple's nasty cat and it pounced over me. I freaked out and in my courageous battle with the cat, it scratched my shirt and that was how this wide hole was created.

"Why have you sealed your mouth shut, Georgia? Did your chest suddenly swell up and your boobs burst out?"

"What?" I choked on my tea and the liquid spilled from my mouth like a fountain. It was all over the table and water was streaming like a river down my nose. Dad peeked through the newspaper and awkwardly cleared his throat.

"Mom! Seriously? You've got no chill."

"Then what should I say when you are lying to your own parents? I know you were the one who helped Tweek and Craig to elope. See darling, your case is solved," she turned around and informed dad. I shuddered in fear. Nobody in the town knew that I was the culprit. Not that my parents or anybody were against same-sex marriages, but the family of the couple had filed a case. And my dad was a cop. It just made matters more complicated considering how mischievous I was.

Dad didn't say anything and sighed wearily. My mum threw the shirt on the couch and combed her silky hair. She was a quirky and a cool mum. She was quite young compared to other mothers since she had my brother at the tender age of sixteen with my dad.

It was surprising to discover that they were still so much in love even after so many decades. My friends envied me for my picture perfect parents.

"You should never lie honey. It isn't wise to meddle into unnecessary topics that isn't appropriate for your age. Just watch You tube videos and learn to twerk till your heart's content like the other kids."

"Nobody does that! I'm seventeen, I'm not a kid anymore," I protested and scowled at her.

"Then stop acting like you are one. I'm seriously tired of your antic ways," she said and glanced at her watch. "Now forget about this and get ready. We'll be late for the award ceremony."

"How can I forget about this? You never understand me! I was not being childish. I just want to entertain and make people happy-"

"You didn't really make your parents happy by hanging onto that cloth. You have done enough Georgia, I don't want to hear from you anymore. Just get up and come with me."

"I'm not going anywhere!" I snapped at her and ran upstairs. I knew how much this award ceremony meant to her. She was awarded for her philanthropy as well as for her miracle that she did in the medical field. She was a surgeon and she lead an operation which was highly risky. But by God's grace, everything went well and she was successful.

This was rare in the medical history, she proved her senior specialized doctors and everybody wrong. She was also donating money for charity to the orphans from years and had taken no credit. So the people of the town collectively decided to honor her since she deserved it.

I knew I was acting like a brat by just ditching her but I was hurt. I wanted her understand me, to not see me as an immature child. She probably did now because of how I behaved earlier.

I gathered all my painting materials and randomly started throwing colours on the canvas board. When I was angry, I painted. The outcome of my fury was always a bright, colourful picture. I mumbled all my frustrated thoughts and painted till my hands ached. The door creaked open, but I didn't bother to look. I was far too engrossed in my painting. I was consumed in my self-loathing, self-pity thoughts.

"I'm going honey, please come with me. I'm sorry for arguing with you. Please come, I need your support."

I turned around and saw my mum at the door. I dropped my paintbrush and marched towards her. She looked beyond gorgeous in a strapless dark, red gown. The border had dainty filigreed glow-like effect. Her hair was pulled back into small curls. She wore a magnificent thin diamond with ruby studded gem necklace and paired it with sparkling diamond earrings.

She looked beautiful, but I didn't tell her. Instead, I slammed the door shut.

I was being too cruel. The repentance of my actions was gnawing me in the inside. I knew very well how much this award ceremony meant to her. Dad didn't go either because he was urgently called for work. I swallowed the large lump formed in my throat. Mum didn't really understand me, but at the same time I was a pretty complicated human being. Nobody really understood me. Even I couldn't figure out my strange behavior at times. Why was I so, ugh, disgusting?

Mum was going to give a speech and she was really nervous about it. She had numerous moments of anxious doubts this morning and she wanted me to be there for her, I should have gone.

Hopefully, I could still make it there in time. Better late than never. I grabbed my skateboard and hopped downstairs before locking the door quickly and hurrying outside. My phone buzzed from my pocket and I glanced at it. I didn't call mum because she would have been driving. Thankfully, I received a text from her.

-Honey, please come. There is still some time. Your presence will make a difference. I'm waiting at the Macpie's.

I slid my phone into my pocket and off I went to the Macpie's. The restaurant wasn't far. I was whistling casually and waved at the old couple who lived down the street. They were selling the house and were going on a world tour, I would miss them. I wondered who in the future would occupy their house. I knew every nook and corner of this town since I was born and brought up here. Our family was quite popular because of my super cool parents and my infamous deeds. Dad claimed my mum responsible for my spoiled nature, but my mum knew that I wouldn't hurt anybody on purpose.

I arrived near the Macpie's, but I was blocked by a bunch of people. I got down from my skateboard and left it near the lamppost. I pushed through the crowd curiously. People were sweating and looked scared.

It was dark and I could see bright flashlights everywhere. The crowd was circling around something. I was shocked to encounter with a completely destroyed, unrecognizable car. A terrible accident must have occurred a few minutes ago. The men cautiously opened the door and pulled out a bleeding figure. They immediately pronounced the person dead. People gasped. The men pulled the person out and it was a lady, not just any lady, it was my mum.