4:00 am, 6th April’09
Cherry Street, The Shack.
Through the cracks in the fogged glass she could see the eerie atmosphere outside. The abandoned streets, the glowing street lights, and All she longed for was stepping out of this shack she was trapped in all she needed could be summed up in a word: Freedom.
“Amanda, I’m home!” she heard her dad’s gruff voice call from the door and she quickly got up and made her way out of her room. “I’ll be heading out again, but you go to bed.” He stated and handed a cookie to her, “Eat up. That’s all you’re getting.” He screamed as her stomach growled with hunger and she quietly left him alone and decided to go to her room.
"She was running, in a mad pursuit for a scrap of food. It was after a long search that she saw a piece of bread at the end of a road, She couldn’t miss it but the more she went towards it the further away it went…"
She woke up panting, the moldy cookie still in her hand now reduced to crumbs. Her hunger took the best of her and she stuffed each crumb of the revolting cookie in her mouth.

9:00 am, 7th April’09
Thompson High School.
“Danny! Danny!” Alex’s voice came out barely more than a whisper as he hugged Danny like his reason to live was gone, “My mom… they found her. Dead, in an alley… Danny” his voice filled with grief and sorrow as he completed the sentence with great difficulty, and he was left speechless. He didn’t know how to console him, or make him feel better. Danny couldn’t choose to help him get any sort of closure by telling him who killed her, nor could he bear lying to him. He finally resorted to nothing and just stood there in an uncomfortable silence and whispered, “I’m sorry.” And he meant it from the bottom of his heart.

2pm, 7th April’09
Flint Graveyard.
The rain poured down, as Mrs. Morgan was laid to rest; Danny sat watching in a corner with his own father whose face was solemn almost feeling sorry for her. But Danny knew better, behind the mask he’d put on for the world he was a coldblooded killer. Alex was putting up a fight with his emotions for the sake of his family; he couldn’t let his guard down. Danny asked himself, if put in a similar situation would he feel sorry for his deceased dad? His mother had died in a car accident when he was a toddler, but he now wondered if his dad had pulled the brakes on her life.

6 pm, 8th April’09
Cherry Street, The Shack.
She was sitting by her usual place next to the window, watching kids play in the park. When something caught her eye, she saw a girl, nearly her age riding a bicycle on the block and suddenly all Amanda wanted was to learn how to ride it and do it every day And so she anxiously waited for her dad to return to tell him.

11 pm, 8th April’09
Cherry Street, The Shack.
She was at the door, as soon as he arrived taking him by surprise. It was only a while later when she was sitting on the edge of her bed, except the smile had been wiped away from her face only to be replaced with a grim expression and tearful eyes. He had said no, he told her she’d die inside this shack and spend every moment of her Godforsaken life in here and she hadn’t a choice. That little glimmer of hope that someday, things would turn out for the better was now fading with every passing second.
"She was now nearing the piece of bread that meant everything to her, she looked down and she was not walking, but cycling the way towards it her, the grin on her face was immeasurable. suddenly she fell on the ground the piece of bread had vanished and so had the bicycle from underneath her. The darkness was now all she had and there wasn’t a way out…"
She woke up startled, beads of cold sweat clinging to her forehead. This has to end she told herself, as she poured herself a glass of water from the jug in the corner of the room. The same jug she’d been utilizing for the past 14 years of her life.

8pm, 10th April’09
Backview Avenue, White Mansion.
Danny shifted uncomfortably in his chair, “Dad, I need to discuss my subjects with you-” He was just about to hand the sheet of choices to him till he gestured to stop, “I’ve been thinking after the events of this week…Maybe you should drop out, you don’t need education in the Mafia Business.”
“Please, No.”
“Sorry Danny.”
He dragged Danny out of his office, and bolted the door. Danny sat up against the door, sick of his life.
He soon heard voices, “Sorenson, there’s some drug deal gone bad at Cherry Street I want you to go and clear the mess.” Another life would be taken tonight, and he couldn’t do anything.

2am, 11th April’09
Cherry Street, Shack.
Amanda sat tracing circles on her palm, when movement on the otherwise barren street caught her eye. She moved forward to get a closer look, and what she saw that night had the power to change her life forever.
She heard voices, they were unclear and with great difficult she made out what they’re saying, “Steven, Did you bring our money?” “I’ll arrange it somehow I …” they didn’t even let him finish and Amanda bit her lip as a shot rang out, and a body dropped. She’d never seen death that close and what nearly knocked the life out of her was the face of the killer as he looked up to the window, he saw his daughter; now a witness to a crime and she saw her father; now a murderer. She panicked and hid in her cupboard foolishly thinking it could make a difference. But he got to her, “Amanda.” He said in a flat tone, as she stepped out of the cupboard trembling and tried to keep her balance. “Amanda…Now you know.” He said coolly. She only had one question, “What happened to mom? Tell me the truth.” She spat out bitterly, “She died, ask any more questions and you’ll go the same way.” He screamed and made his way out of the room and now she was drained of all her energy as she collapsed on her bed.
"It was suddenly so bright, that the light blinded her eyes. She was now facing the truth, and it was not what she had imagined. The truth was a poison and it was choking her, all she wished for was to be stabbed there and then at least then she would be spared of the pain. She wished she’d be one of her father’s victim’s at least the pain only lasts a moment. She wanted to say it out loud but the pain was unbearable…When she understood. Every poison had an antidote she had to find hers…After all Rapunzel didn’t stay locked up forever did she?"

7 am, 11th April’09
Cherry Street, the Shack.
She heard the click of the door as it closed and she was certain that her father had left she got to work, she looked around for food, money, and any other thing she’d need for survival out there. She was now filled with hope.

5 pm, 11th April’09
Backview Avenue, White Mansion.
He was sitting in a corner of his dad’s office. Listening to him talk to his servant, “She knows too much…You need to get rid of her.” He said firmly, as the man in front of him looked at him in confusion, “What?” “I’m sure you understood. I suggest Kerosene. I’ll be sure to buy you a new place and I’m sure you’ll be better off.” There was silence, after which my father with his insensitive tactics spoke up again, “Are we clear? I’m sure we should be. I have to take Danny, for a shootout at The Haunt the old mafia rival is back and I’m sure Danny could do with some practice, I want the job done with today Sorenson. And once you’re done, meet me back at The Haunt” He said, and stormed out of his office. I wasn’t born yesterday I had figured out everything by now, and the look on Sorenson’s face said the rest. “Are you coming or what?” my father was back, impatiently waiting for me by the door. I shot an apologetic look at Sorenson and scurried after my father.
It was then, that he handed me the thing that that I despised the most that had the power to ruin families, and tear lives apart- a gun.

7:43 pm, 11th April’09
Cherry Street, Shack.
It had been so exhausting to map out her escape routes that she had fallen asleep,
"She’d managed to make the pain lesser but the poison was already spreading itself, and she was afraid it might be too late. She didn’t have many options her only hope had betrayed her, the truth wasn’t what she needed it was something more…"

He had to do it, even If it was his own daughter. He had made a choice and he couldn’t go back now, his hands were moist from wiping away all the tears he’d cried but nevertheless still gripped the Kerosene bottle firmly, as he started sprinkling it on every corner of the house he wondered if she’d ever forgive him, for denying her right to be a normal teenager? Would he ever forgive himself when all he sees are ashes of his daughter the next day?
"She reached out her hand, but there was no one to grab it. Her heart was sinking, she needed a reason to carry on, and it was nowhere in sight…"
It took every ounce of his willpower but he did it, and as the match hit the ground the whole house went up in flames.

8:50 pm, 11th April’09
Cherry Street, Shack.
Danny had never been so scared; he’d ran from the crime scene. He didn’t know where he was going but he was certain he’s never going back home. He stopped to catch a breath when he realized he was coughing not because of tiredness, because of the smoke coming from the shack in the corner. Even he didn’t know what got into him but he raced towards it, like his life depended on it.
"And she was almost certain there was no one out there…Maybe she didn’t belong in this world…"
He bumped into Sorenson and suddenly all the puzzle pieces fit together- his daughter was in there.
Sorenson tried to stop him, “No. Don’t you’ll die too, let it go.” He pleaded, but soon loosened his grip on him. And what happened next, was too sudden for him to stop. Sorenson had shoved a piece of crumpled up paper in Danny’s hand, and taken the gun from his pocket. “Sorenson…DON’T.” Danny, wanted to knock the gun out of his hand but he was too late. He lay in a heap on the floor, in a bloody mess.
"Maybe dying wouldn’t be too bad, who knows? I’d die and no one would be caused any pain because no one knew I existed…"
He broke down the door and made his way in, the smell of burning wood filling his nostrils,
He spotted the room at the far end of the shack and entered it, he didn’t feel any pain when his shirt caught fire he just shrugged it off as soon as he saw a girl shriveled up at one end of her bed, which was blazing, He took the risk and picked her up. With a jug lying nearby he smashed the window and jumped out.

10:00 pm, 11th April’09
Thompson High School.
Danny had decided to sit outside the school, the only place he felt at home.
She woke up, and was immediately active as she realized she was completely unfamiliar with her surroundings. “Who are you?” she croaked at the stranger in front of her, “Your brother.” He said, as he handed her the piece of paper.
“On the night of 11th April’94 in a storm, I was walking down an alley. When I witnessed a man killing his wife and escaping the scene with his son, on his back; you were the child in the dead woman’s hands I couldn’t bear leaving you there.
Since then, I had to make some hard decisions and ended up in the mafia.
I hope your future will be brighter than mine was.
I know that you’ll never forgive me, but if it’s any consolation, I leave you with these words.
We are defined by the choices we make; we are not bound to where we’re from. There’s a world out there and I know you’ll find a way to make it yours.”
“Happy Birthday?” Danny grinned, as Amanda let out a flow of tears.
The path ahead was hard, but they’d figure it out together.