Author's Note:
Hi everyone, here is the first part of a story I've been working on for a little while. Since I am trying to build this into a decent story, at this stage I will be primarily focusing on introducing the characters and plot creation -- so there won't be anything of a sexual nature for a little while. If that's what you were looking for I humbly apologise.
Please keep in mind that all of the characters, landmarks and businesses used in this story are purely fictional and similarities of appearance, nature and name of said characters to any person, landmarks, or business are coincidental and have no relation whatsoever.
The events portrayed wherein are of a fictional nature and have not been based on real world events. All characters participating in any relationship of sexual nature are to be considered the legal consensual age, if I haven't mentioned their ages prior.
Prologue
From his place on the edge of the bed, Kenneth Adams carefully observed his fragile daughter as she curled in upon herself even further, if it were even possible, with her right arm tucked up under her neck. Her tear stained cheeks and puffy red eyes broke his heart, he had hoped there would be some way to reduce the collateral damage. He had learnt quickly all the power and connections in the world weren't enough to protect his only daughter. He felt utterly useless for the first time in his life.
The precious book she had been so eager to share with him from the moment of his arrival six weeks ago was now discarded, half buried under a pile of laundry. He leant forward, scooping it up and repositioned her bookmark in one deft movement, before replacing it on her night stand, amongst all the trinkets and knickknacks only a seventeen year old girl would find precious. He half smiled as he glanced at the Winnie the Pooh musical box - he'd sent to her for her tenth birthday -- took pride of place in the centre.
"Honey," he gently prodded, terrified of losing his daughter any further to the darkness which had so recently taken hold "I know you probably don't want to talk much at the moment, so how about you just listen okay?" glancing at the girl, and getting no response he cleared his throat nervously before continuing.
"Skye your mum... Well, honey you know how she liked to have everything planned out, it's who she was. She hoped you would want to continue on with your college plans, and that's something I would like to discuss with you. But more importantly she wanted to make sure you would be looked after." Risking another glance to see if his words had perhaps brought about any reaction, Kenneth swallowed hard when he found himself face-to-face with his daughter's unusually hazel and gold eyes.
"It's okay dad. Mum, she talked to me about all of this before..." she trailed off, fighting to steady her voice and to avoid crying. Skye hadn't been much of a crier as a child, in the last week she had spent more time than she could remember drowning in tears. But that was to be expected, she had lost her best friend -- her mother to a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer.
Watching his brave little girl, Kenneth struggled to keep the tears now welling in his own eyes from spilling over. With a deep breath, he found a stem of courage he felt would evaporate as quickly as he had found it so reached out and pulled the fragile girl into his lap, crushing her to his chest.
"Honey, Meredith and I would like very much if you would come live with us. Now I know you have four more weeks left of the school year. So this is what I would like to propose; I am going to stay here and organise your mother's affairs -- for the life of me I still don't understand why she wanted me to be the executor of her estate. However, in the mean time I would like you to try and concentrate on your exams - I know it's kind of hard with everything that's happened, but these exams are important for your future."
Skye sucked in a deep breath, one which made her entire frame shudder in her father's embrace. Having calmed herself enough to think rationally, she listened as he explained his proposal and necessary plans for the next month. She hadn't been surprised when he had suggested living with himself and his new wife, Meredith. Her mother had proposed the exact same plan to her months earlier. She didn't have any reservations about the idea in general, although these past two months had been the longest time she'd spent with her father in nearly ten years and she have never really met Meredith.
Her mother had told her, when her father remarried she was determined to not become the 'evil ex-wife'. So instead she supported the marriage, and held no resentment. Meredith, she explained was a really nice, caring woman and she loved her father very much. If her mother thought so highly of her then she guessed she couldn't be all that bad.
