PROLOGUE

Lisa watched with bitter sadness as Claudia’s ashes

scattered in the wind.

Both her parents dead. And no-one had any idea why.

She glanced at Avignon. He was the only one left in her world.

But then, he had always been the only person she could trust.

It was at a very young age that Lisa started to see her

parents for who they really were – liars. She knew her father was

her biological parent. Still, no ma􀀟er how much she begged,

neither of them would tell her who her biological mother was.

The woman who carried her.

Lisa was still a young girl when she stopped calling

Claudia her mother. Although she saw the hurt in Claudia’s eyes

– it didn’t stop her. If Claudia wasn’t going to tell her the truth,

then she didn’t deserve that title.

Then there was her parent's generation. The secretive

talks, and the worried looks they all gave each other. Avignon

and Lisa saw it all the time. It was clear they were all hiding

something. A vital secret that would affect their children’s lives

forever...

Chapter 1

It seemed to happen all at once; parents all over the

world started to mysteriously die – just like Alec and Claudia.

Within months of turning forty, each person would age at an

accelerated pace. Then they just dropped dead like flies – their

secrets dying with them. Leaving behind a generation of

bewildered, confused, and sometimes bitter, children. Children

whose lives were really only just beginning, many not even in

careers yet.

Lisa and Avignon being some of the first to lose their

parents, others looked to them for guidance. But Lisa and

Avignon were not ready themselves.

****

Standing across the living room, Lisa faced Avignon

who was si􀀟ing on the dark brown couch in his late parent’s

house. He was dressed in soft denim shorts, and the burgundy t-shirt

which brought out the richness of his brown eyes.

“What do we do, Avi?” she asked him softly, as she

twisted her long hair into a makeshift bun.

“You’re asking me now? It’s been almost a year since

our parents have died Lisa. We’ve done nothing but mope

around and live off our inheritance. What do you suggest we

do?” he answered, his thumb and forefinger rubbing his top like

he always did when he felt anxious or overwhelmed.

“Well, anything I guess – anything but this. I don’t think

I can stand living in the memories anymore. I would rather

forget.”

“Fine for you to say. You may not have liked your

parents, but I don’t want to forget mine. I loved them – I will

always love them …”

Lisa turned away. She hated to see Avignon cry, his big

brown eyes filling with tears, his thick lips trembling, his long

blonde hair falling over his face as he bowed his head. During

their childhood years together, Avignon was always the happy

one. Lisa used to love spending weekdays with him in the play

and learning room at Claudia and his mother’s work; ‘Claudia’s

Social Media and Advertising’. They often got into mischief. At

first, just playing ‘spies’ and spying on the other children, but as

they grew older. they started finding ways to leave the learning

room unnoticed, and spying on the adults. Lisa and Avignon’s

mission was always to find out what the big secret was that the

grown-ups were keeping from them. They never found out

much, though – just snippets. Like how life used to be different

with people starting careers younger; and being able to visit

places that most people were typically unable to get to. None of it

really made any sense, and it just left Lisa and Avignon even

more frustrated.

Avignon had stopped crying, both hands now resting in

his lap. Lisa joined him on the couch.

“I’m sorry, Avi,” she mumbled, never good at dealing

with other people’s emotions. Lisa didn’t bother hugging him, as

she wasn’t much of a hugger, and he didn’t like to be touched

anyway.

Instead, she changed the topic, “I’m going to move out.

Can you please help me pack?”

“Sure, Lisa. When?”Avignon wiped his nose on his

sleeve - a habit which had always made Lisa cringe.

“Now.”

“Now! That was sudden,” Avignon said with a frown.

“It’s been almost a year Avi – not exactly sudden.”

“You know what I mean,” Avignon replied, rolling his

eyes.

“Can you help me or not?” Lisa ignored his last

comment.

“I guess I’ve got nothing better to do,” he mumbled

before getting up and heading for the front door, Lisa following

after him.

****

The flowering red and yellow bottle-brush trees lining

Pitt Street always made Lisa’s nose tickle. Popping a turmeric

capsule in her mouth, Lisa followed it with a swig of water.

Strolling past her neighbour’s houses, Lisa couldn’t help but

notice things had quietened down a li􀀟le. The past year had been

quite horrific with everyone’s parents dying, one after the other.

The funeral parlours hadn’t been able to keep up with the

massive amount of dead bodies coming in, so the Council had

announced new rules. When there was a death, you were to put a

red mark on the front door. The bodies were collected every

morning and taken to a large facility to be burned. There were

weekly memorials held at Council Chambers where a Death

Certificate was given out to each family, and a small service was

held.

Lisa and Avignon had been among the first ones to

actually receive their parent’s ashes. However, when the deaths

became more frequent, there was no time to burn the bodies

separately.

The marked red doors were far and few between now;

most teenagers were shuffling around in a melancholy manner,

the odd kid wiping their eyes. Some had dealt with things by

taking over their parent’s jobs. If it weren’t for those, the world

would have been in a much bigger mess.

Arriving at her childhood home, Lisa unlocked the front

door. Entering, Avignon surveyed the place in shock, his hand

finding the edge of his t-shirt to rub. Lisa had spent most days at

his house and hadn’t allowed him in here since Claudia’s death.

The house stank like old garbage, and there was leftover food on

dirty plates strewn all over the place. Clothes had just been left

wherever Lisa had taken them off; embarrassed, Avignon turned

away from the lingerie hanging off the couch.

Noticing the look on Avignon’s face, Lisa spoke up, “I

know, I know – it’s a mess.”

When he didn’t answer her, she continued, “Don’t just

stand there Avi – come grab a rubbish bag and help me out!”

Avignon followed her to the kitchen where she opened a

drawer and shoved a wad of large bags into his spare hand.

Avignon returned to the lounge room and started

throwing old food and anything he considered junk into a bag,

while Lisa began on the kitchen.

After spending the better part of the day disposing

rubbish, they were finally able to start packing boxes. Lisa made

her way up to her parent’s bedroom, leaving Avignon alone

downstairs.

“Where are we going to take the boxes of things you

want to keep?” Avignon called out.

“To your place,“ Lisa called back.

Lisa cringed as she heard Avignon bounding up the

staircase.

“Did you just say my place?” he replied, sounding a

li􀀟le exasperated.

Refusing to look at him, Lisa retorted, “Well, I

practically live there anyway”.

She carried on throwing her father’s shoes into the box

she was filling.

“I don’t recall discussing this option with you, Lisa.”

Avignon was using his serious tone with her now, and Lisa

would have been more concerned if she hadn’t just noticed a box

in the back of her parent’s closet. She pulled the box out from

under the clothes that had fallen on top and started to open it.

“Lisa – I’m talking to you,” Avignon said impatiently as

he threw a folded pair of socks at her. Feeling them hit her softly

on her back, Lisa’s long red hair fell over her chest as her hazel

eyes glared at him.

“I’m trying to pack Avi!”

“I realise that Lisa. But we need to discuss your living

arrangements.”

“I already told you that I can’t stay here another day

around all these memories. I’ve spent most of my time at your

house since my dad died – even before Claudia’s death. It makes

sense that I move in with you,” she stated with a finality in her

voice, like it was already decided.

Avignon gazed at her, not really having the energy to

argue. Lisa had already turned away from him. Her tall

curvaceous body kneeling in the back of her parent’s closet. She

really was quite beautiful to him, but they had been friends

forever and to think of being anything more felt almost

incestuous.

Ignoring Avignon, Lisa continued to open the box.

There was a light flickering in there, and she needed to find out

what it was – her curiosity always getting the better of her. The

first thing her eyes fell on was a notebook. Opening it, she

gasped.

“What is it?” Avignon asked.

Lisa had already forgotten Avignon was standing at the

closet door. He crawled into the closet and sat down beside her.

The book contained sketches of places people supposedly hadn’t

been to for generations, each one signed by her father. Examining

the drawing of the view of a desert from atop a camel, Lisa was

confused. Lisa’s copy of her father’s award-winning book of rare

places was dog eared from the countless times she had read it.

The photographs he had taken during his work travels had been

permanently etched into Lisa’s memory. These sketches,

however, were places he couldn’t have possibly ever seen. So

how could he have drawn such specific pictures?

“Lisa?” Avignon whispered, “Are these places your

father went to when he travelled?”

She shook her head, “No – check out the dates he wrote

next to each picture. He drew these before I was born.”

“But – how could that be? I thought he said he had

rarely travelled overseas before you were born. He was working

on the local mine regeneration projects until then.”

“I know.” Lisa threw the book down, “More lies!”

Leaving the closet, shoving Avignon out of the way,

Lisa stormed out from her parent’s room.