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Prologue

Cohen

“Faster, Cohen!” My arm hurts from the way my mum is tugging on it, dragging me through the crowded train station. She tries to pretend we’re on an adventure, but I’m too tired to play games. The sun just came up.

“That hurts,” I whine, getting lost in the screech of the wheels and whistles of the trains coming and going from Paddington Station.

My mum ignores my pleas, and pulls harder.

“Why do we have to leave again? We just moved here.” She keeps walking, so fast, I nearly have to run to keep up. I grip Mr. Bear tighter, afraid of losing him.

I like it here. They have a troll bridge, a giant clock, and big red buses. The buses!

“The buses, mum. You promised we could ride one!” Digging my heels in, we jolt to a stop and she turns to me.

“Not now, Cohen. Please, don’t be a naughty boy! We have to hurry!” she hisses.

“You promised!” I yell out, and she glances around nervously as we gain the attention of people passing by.

Dropping to her knees in front of me, she grips my shoulders tightly. “Not now. Please, Cohen.”

“Ouch!” I whimper, wiggling to free myself.

“Baby, look at me. The bad men are coming. They found us. We have to go.” Her voice sounds funny, like she’s frightened. It’s the same way it always sounds when we have to move—when the bad men find us and she cries.

When her grip loosens and I look up into my mum’s eyes, they are filled with tears. I don’t want to be make her cry, so I’ll be a big, brave boy. I have to do whatever it takes to protect her and make sure she never cries again. Then maybe we won’t have to move anymore.

“Okay, mum. Let’s go.” I put my hand in hers and squeeze. We run through the station and board just before the train’s whistle blows.

She keeps a tight grip on my hand as we walk down the aisle. “Look, mum! Here by the window.”

The seat feels soft as I settle in, pressing my face to the cool glass as she puts away our bags.

“Job well done, Cohen,” she praises, taking the seat across from me.

“Here, Mr. Bear. You sit here.” I reach down by my feet, but he’s not there. “Mr. Bear?”

Standing, my heart thumps like a drum in my chest. “Mum! Mr. Bear?”

She looks all around. He’s gone!

“I didn’t have him, Cohen. I thought you did.” She keeps talking, but I can’t hear what she’s saying. I’m frozen looking out the window, and my eyes are glued to where Mr. Bear is laying on the platform. People are walking all around and someone will step on him! The train starts moving, and my fingers claw at the glass as tears take over.

As we start to pull away, Mr. Bear is lifted by a tall man with black hair and familiar blue eyes. He looks like a giant and he’s dressed in all black. He looks at Mr. Bear, then looks at the train. Before he sees me, I’m being pulled into my mum’s arms.

“I’m so sorry, Cohen,” she whispers, knowing how much I loved Mr. Bear. My only friend.

I cry and cry, big fat tears that stream hot down my flushed cheeks. Mum is sad too, but she’s not crying. Not anymore.

“Mum, why can’t you just have my daddy protect us from the bad men?” I shut my four-year-old eyes so tight, they hurt. Since she is already sad, I take a chance and ask her about the one person she never wants to talk about. My dad. If I had one, Mr. Bear wouldn’t be all alone now. At least I still have my mum. Mr. Bear has no one now, I can’t help it, my lip shakes as I try to squeeze the tears in.

“Oh, baby.” She hugs me tighter. “Your daddy is the captain of the bad men, and he doesn’t want us. He threw us away.” My brow wrinkles, but I leave my eyes closed and pretend it’s all just a bad dream.

“Would you like to gear a story?” Mum asks.

I nod, as she begins telling me a story about a lovely mermaid who loved a brave pirate, who loved someone else…a fairy princess.

“The pirate was the strongest in all the land, but he was very sad because the princess, with dragon fire hair, couldn’t have any babies to fill his castle. So while out to sea, he found a mermaid. She called him in with her siren song, and he pretended to love her too. She followed the pirate across the seas, leaving her family and greatest treasures behind. When she gave him a very special gift, a magic pearl that would turn into a baby, a prince for his empire, he grew angry with her. He banished her away and threw the pearl into the ocean.”