previously titled: Broken Butterfly

Rated M for minor adult themes including violence and language.


To Alynna,

My cousin, my sister, my friend.

And to Yin & Xiao Yi,

for being who you are, making me who I am.


Summary

Alynna Madison was the broken butterfly who had forgotten what it felt like to fly... she could only crouch low amongst bitterness, pain and alcohol. But when she got into an accident, her life spun around. She was sent to repent and she met totally unexpected strangers. What happens when you meet strangers in junctions of your life? For Alynna, crossing paths with them and the disabled Kyan Austin ushered new wings into her life, giving her a second chance to soar.


Prologue

The lilac skateboard lined with black flames screeched passed little Jamie as he fell back with a thud on his butt and began to cry. The girl with her feet on the board smirked without looking back. She continued skating downhill along the pathway and made a sudden sharp 90 degrees turn. Both her arms were raised sideways immediately as she tried to find her balance before proceeding in an alarming speed straight to the end of the little lane. She was coming right up to a brick wall but she showed no indication of slowing down. Two meters before the unimaginable impact, her left foot stepped hard on the rear of the board before she leaped to the back. Her lilac board flipped gracefully into the air before landing serenely in her outstretched hand.

The dark boy sitting on the solid ground merely smirked while a fairer one gave a wide grin, obviously impressed.

"That was awesome, Maddie. I so need to take skating lessons from you," he said.

The girl named Maddie pretended not to hear him. She took off her helmet and freed her shoulder length hair. The upper half of her hair were short and slightly spiked up whereas the bottom half was flattened straight. They were in shades of purple streaked with bubblegum pink highlights. She strode for a few steps and chose her spot between a pudgy mohawked boy and a gangly, dark, redhead. The pudgy Mohawk passed her a cigarette but she shook her head. Instead, she reached out and grabbed something long and brown from the redhead. She then took a few sniffs from it.

The dark boy sitting opposite her raised his head and threw her a bottle which she caught with precision. She scanned the bottle intently.

"Woah… Loc, where did you get this?" Maddie asked in awe.

"Me dad…," Loc replied.

The redhead beside her gave a chuckle.

"Dad bought a whole carton. He nicked a few," she added.

Maddie gave a sly grin before uncapping the bottle with her metal bracelet. She took one big gulp, paused, and downed the whole bottle. The fairer boy never took his eyes off her.

"That was awesome, Maddie!" he exclaimed again as Maddie wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Thanks, Spit," she said coolly.

"That was some heavy alcohol, Maddie and you drank it like water!" Spit went on.

Maddie attempted to smile but the alcohol was burning down her throat causing her lips to hardly move. She then turned to the redhead beside her.

"Tess, didn't you say you'll be getting your new car today?" Maddie asked.

Tess's lips curved upwards. She reached into her pockets and drew out a key.

"Wanna go for a drive, Mad?" Tess asked.

Maddie didn't have to answer. She took the key and stood up. The rest followed her suit.

"Where is it?" Maddie asked.

"In the porch," came the answer.

Maddie held the key in one hand and her board in the other. She walked back down the lane and turned left. The sight of a new shiny convertible greeted her. She ran her palm across the smooth exterior before jumping into the driver's seat. Two seconds later, the roar of the engine reverberated across the neighbourhood.

Two hours later, the five of them were laughing in the car before the whole scene unraveled. Everything was playing like a tape in slow motion. Maddie heard the tires screeching in a desperate attempt to halt the car…she saw some blinding headlights and heard some faint honks as she swerved suddenly to the left.

The car was spinning out of control. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel but her eyes were all blurry and she couldn't quite figure out what she was doing. Panic swept over her senses. Adrenaline pumped straight up to her head.

Then, the sight of a huge tree appeared in the corner of her eye. She shook her head and fought for control. She heard her friends' pitchy voices and recognized her own frightened scream as they smashed hard onto a solid bark. The car's alarm went off in an instant.

The huge impact threw her head around violently before she felt a hard pang across her forehead. Loud noises were buzzing all around her. She was disorientated and confused. She blinked twice before her head gave out.

And then it became deafeningly silent.