Chapter 1:

2000

"Breaking News: Three slain in New York home. Eleven year old girl missing. More on this story at ten o'clock."

Claudio sat in the living room of his home watching the flickering images on the television screen. The small girl slept quietly on his lap, her head resting on his shoulder and her chest rising and falling. His fingers lightly brushed her face, pushing away the wisps of pale blonde hair resting on her forehead. He lowered his face to hers and skimmed the end of his nose across her cheek, inhaling deeply. She smelled like freesia or a fresh meadow. She was so innocent. It was the reason he kept her.

His mind flashed back to the events of the night. He had killed her father, her brother, and her mother. Claudio remembered the silence after it had been done. The entire house was deathly silent, fittingly so. He was in her parents’ room when he heard her, the relaxed beating of her heart. Once he was listening he noticed the sound of her slow and steady breathing. He had butchered her family and still she lay asleep and completely unaware.

Slowly, he walked down the hall to her room, following the steady beating. He stopped at her bedroom door. There was a small pink sign hanging from a nail. In pretty white letters the name "Julia" was written. He smiled at the small flower that dotted the "i." Claudio opened the door and was immediately greeted by an overpowering fragrant smell. He looked around the room. It was meticulous. His eyebrow rose as he thought of the rest of the house. It was disorderly and looked lived in. So the neatness was her own.

The walls were a glittery yellow and soft blue carpet covered the floor. There was a white desk and chair in one corner covered with a dozen perfectly stacked books. Next to it was a packed white bookshelf. Someone had pushed each book forward so all sat at the edge of the shelf. Signed and framed band posters neatly lined the walls in perfect rows. Above the bed was a framed t-shirt. The signatures of the members of Aerosmith scribbled all over.

The creak of the bed brought Claudio's attention back to the girl. She lay under a thick white blanket. Her arms were wrapped tightly around the pillow and her face was hidden under layers of thick golden hair. He perched on the side of the small bed and pushed her hair away from her face. He stared in awe at her surprisingly golden skin. A set of brown freckles graced each cheek and the bridge of her nose. She was young, but she was beautiful and she smelled remarkable.

He wrapped the blanket tighter around her body and effortlessly lifted her off the bed. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she nuzzled her face to his chest. Then he took her. He took her away from the home in which her family had been slaughtered, the home that was filled with the thick scent of death, and carried her away.

The old grandfather clock rang and Claudio shifted slightly on the couch. The news was starting and he waited for the coverage of the horrific events that took place that morning. It had been nineteen hours since he brought her back here. She hadn't awoken yet. He couldn't let her. When she awoke he would have to explain. How could he justify what he had done? He hadn't even decided what he would do with her. Surely, he couldn't keep her. He wanted her someplace safe, but he needed to be able to see her whenever he wanted. She needed to be taken care of and watched over. She was so young.

"A horror story in Queens: Robert and Marie Giovanni were found murdered in their Elmhurst home this morning along with their sixteen year old son, Alonzo. Their youngest child, eleven year old Julia, is missing. It is suspected that she was kidnapped as a part of this heinous attack. No word yet on the motivation for this crime or the whereabouts of little Julia Giovanni. Our hearts go out to the friends and families of the Giovanni's. If you have any information please call our toll-free hotline."

2007 The Present

Claudio sat in her room on the small black couch watching her sleep like he did every night. He had it put in here for that very purpose. She was snuggled under the black wool comforter and hugging her pillow like she always did. Her hair, which covered any trace of her face, shimmered underneath the moonlight. In the darkness her skin looked pale. She had always looked so fragile, but she was anything but. She survived the brutal murder of her family. She adjusted well when she moved in with her new family and they moved to the U.K. She was fine.

Julia had gotten older. He watched her grow from awkward adolescence to the beautiful young woman she was today. They had taken good care of her over the past seven years. She was happy here. In a couple of weeks she would graduate from high school, and then she would come live with him. It was always the plan. They were only holding her for a little while. She was too young back then, but she was older now. He could finally have her. She could finally be his.

His eyes flashed to the small electric clock near the head of her bed. It was almost three. She got up every night at three to use the bathroom and then she slept until seven. You could set your clock by her. He hid in the kitchen until she fell asleep again. Once her breathing and heart rate slowed, he returned to his seat on the couch. This was how Claudio spent every night for the past seven years.