Origins: The Domino Effect, #1

By Cassiday Stearns

Mia doesn't remember her life before she lived in Belleville, Maine. She has tried to remember, but all she has are cryptic nightmares. Despite that, she is happy with her life. She has her brother, her foster sister, and her foster father. Even if she doesn't remember, she knows she can be content. But, when a strange man walks into her foster father's bakery, secrets are revealed, a new world is discovered, and dangers come for her and her family. It's up to Mia to protect her family, no matter what.   

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cassiday Stearns
• Release date: Aug 17, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201977177

Book preview

Prologue

SHE WAS STANDING IN a thick mist. The droplets were cold on the back of her neck. Her hair was raven black and her thirteen-year-old skin was tan from long hours in the sun. She stood there looking bewildered, as if trying to decipher the sounds she heard around her. There were whispers of a harsh, unknown language. It seemed familiar, but she couldn’t understand it. Underneath the whispers were the sobs of a woman. She looked all around her. The mist covered anything she might see, and she only felt the absence of the ground beneath her feet.

She turned around, trying to locate the source of these sounds. The whispers became louder as the sobs disappeared.

Hello? she called.

Her voice was soft but had a maturity in it, not common for someone her age. When no one answered, she began to wander through the fog. Nothing came into view as her mind filled with unanswered questions. She raced to find the answers to the gaps in her mind. The once muddled sounds began to clear; the sobs of the woman had faded and she heard another. It was of a grown man. He sounded distressed, like he was trapped between two impossible situations.

Please, he said. Spare them, I beg you. Don’t do it.

Who was he begging for? Why couldn’t she run to help him? She ran faster, hearing more voices in the fog. This time she could make out the words of the sobbing woman.

Don’t take away their mother! she sobbed. Let us go, you don’t have to do this!

She continued running. If only she could help that woman! A faint glow began to shine through the mist. The steps of her feet began matching the beat of her heart.

When she reached the source, she screamed in horror. The source of the glow was two containers, filled with a purple chemical concoction. It radiated a strange, luminescent glow that seemed so familiar to her. Inside them were two children. One was a boy, with dark, red hair and very pale skin. In the other was a younger version of herself. She didn’t understand any of this! What was going on?! Why couldn’t she remember?! She was so terrified she couldn’t move her body.

The mist encircled her, and the containers vanished. She was once again surrounded by nothing. She heard the whispers, then the begging of the man and the sobs of the woman. Finally, she heard two sharp bangs. At the sound of the first, the man fell silent, and two small children began to cry. The woman screamed and was then silenced as the second bang went off. Moments later the sound of the crying children stopped, leaving her in a suffocating silence.

She turned around and found herself enclosed in one of the containers. She began to kick, scream and try to fight her way out. The walls closed around her. She was trapped! There was a glass wall keeping her from escaping to the world outside. The whispers returned, louder! Like the creatures causing the sound were laughing as she struggled in vain. The chemical mixture was rising within the container. She let out one last scream as it submerged her completely.

Chapter One: Belleville

MIA’S EYES OPENED QUICKLY. This was how her nightmares always went. She was trapped within that container, submerged in the mysterious chemical mixture. When she woke up, she would let out a sigh of relief when she saw the ceiling of her bedroom. The nightmares had been around as long as Mia could remember, which was only from the time when she was eight years old. She sat up and looked out the window at the alleyway. There was another bed in the room with a purple comforter and a mop of golden curls on the pillow.

The girl sleeping in the bed was her little sister, Lilly. She was a year younger than Mia. Lilly wasn’t really her sister. She’d been living with their foster father for a year when Mia and her brother arrived. Her brother, Sam, was sleeping in the bedroom across the hall. He was only eleven years old, had dark, red hair and vibrant, green eyes, identical to Mia’s. They had woken up with each other at the edge of town five years ago. One of the only things Mia remembered with absolute certainty was how much she cared about her little brother. After the first night in their foster home, a bond had formed between the three of them, making them an inseparable family.

Mia looked out the window, at the horizon and determined that it was just after six since the sun was cresting over the skyscrapers of Belleville, Maine. She went to the door and was about to head downstairs to Mr. Angelo’s Belleville Bakery. There was a rustle behind her, and Lilly sat up, rubbing her eyes. Her hazel eyes were heavy and tired.

Do you need to get up this early? she yawned. The sun’s barely up.

I couldn’t get back to sleep, Mia answered.

Another one of those nightmares? Lilly guessed.

Mia nodded. She sometimes had these nightmares, sometimes Sam had them. They intrigued and frightened Mia. She thought they might have something to do with the gap in her and Sam’s memory, but she never saw anything clearly except those two containers. Mia and Sam somehow knew how to read and how to do arithmetic, though they never remembered being taught, and sometimes they knew things that others thought they weren’t supposed to know. Mia didn’t know how to explain the nightmares to Lilly. She just knew it was related to what she had forgotten.

Maybe you should head downstairs to help Mr. Angelo, Lilly suggested with a yawn. You’re already up, and it looks like you’re not going back to sleep anytime soon.

That’s what I was doing, Mia replied. Figured there might be some chores I could do.

Mia made her way through their quaint, little apartment and down the creaky stairs, entering the bakery kitchen. A large, dark, balding man with a mustache was already in the kitchen, humming to himself as he did the dishes. He was Mr. Angelo, the bakery owner and the foster father of the three children.

Good morning, Mia, he said cheerily. I hope you slept well.

It was one of the better nights, Mia answered. The nightmares came again.

I’m sorry to hear that, Mr.Angelo responded. I know they’re very frightening for you and Sam.

Maybe if we actually remembered what they were about it might not seem so bad, Mia replied. Any work I can do?

Why don’t you finish the dishes, and I’ll get started on breakfast, Mr. Angelo suggested. When the other two are up, we can go fishing before the bakery needs to be opened.

I never catch anything that good, Mia commented. Just small, little fish.

You might get lucky, Mr. Angelo replied hopefully.

Mr. Angelo went into the pantry and began making breakfast. Mia washed the dishes in silence. She let her hands fall into habit as she scrubbed, thinking about the nightmares. Mia could never figure out what they meant, just that they were part of what she’d forgotten.

The smell of breakfast wafted upstairs, drawing Sam and Lilly down from their bedrooms. Mia chuckled as Sam passed, flicking a bit of the soap suds at him.

Hey! Sam groaned as the water splashed him.

Sorry, sleepyhead, Mia replied with a smile. I couldn’t resist.

Mia, don’t fling water at your brother, Mr. Angelo interjected with a light chuckle. Now come eat your breakfast. Then we’ll go fishing.

The three gathered at the table as Mr. Angelo placed a platter of French toast in the center. They all dove in, piling their plates with food. They passed the syrup and bacon around the table. The children were at the table for five minutes before rushing back upstairs to get dressed. They came back down in jeans and t-shirts, ready to go. Mr. Angelo was waiting with a tackle box and four fishing poles. They began the trip to their fishing spot, enjoying the cool morning. Sam and Lilly chased each other on the sidewalk, while Mia walked beside Mr. Angelo.

Have you remembered anything new? he asked.

Mia shook her head. Mr. Angelo always asked that when they had their nightmares. Mia had met Mr. Angelo just a few days after she and Sam had been found outside Belleville, when they had been placed in his care. Upon learning about Mia and Sam’s memory gap, he was eager to help them in any way he could. He even called a doctor, but all he’d said was that they might remember with time.

It was the same as all the other nightmares, and those are all I remember, Mia said quietly. Which isn’t really much.

You’ll remember something, Mr. Angelo said encouragingly. Just give it some more time.

At last, they reached the beach. They went over to a large outcropping of rocks by some deeper water and began to cast their lines. Mia waited and waited. After ten minutes, there was a sharp tug on the line. She took in a quick breath. It tugged again, and it started being pulled away. Mia pulled on the old fishing pole, reeling in the line as fast as she could. The fish on the end continued to fight, but in the end, Mia won. She pulled up the line, and her prize was a small herring.

Good job, Mia, Mr. Angelo said upon seeing the fish. Don’t forget to release it.

I won’t, Mia replied.

Mia gently removed the hook from the fish’s mouth and released it back into the water. As it swam away, she cast her line again. This time she only had to wait five minutes for another tug. She reeled in the line much faster this time and pulled up another small herring. Mia let a smile spread across her lips. She normally didn’t catch many fish. When Lilly saw Mia pull up the second fish, she was ecstatic.

You caught two?! That’s amazing! she squealed. Mr. Angelo said you’d get lucky, didn’t you, Mr. Angelo?!

Yes, Lilly, he did, Mia replied. Now quiet down. You’ll wake all of Belleville.

But you hardly catch anything! Sam interjected teasingly. This is a new record!

Shut up, Mia started, her face heating up. Besides, you’re no master fisherman either.

But I usually catch something, Sam replied in a sing-song voice.

Mia glared at her brother and picked up a piece of their bait. When his back was turned Mia threw it into his hair. Sam jumped and began freaking out as he patted his head. Mia and Lilly watched, clutching their stomachs while they laughed. Mia wiped a tear from her face, her eyes skimming the surface of the water. She did a double-take when she spotted a patch of bubbles. Was there a pair of human eyes watching them? As soon as she blinked, the eyes were gone. Mia shook the impossible idea from her head. Her attention returned to her siblings, and she found that her brother had removed the worm from his hair. He glared at Mia accusingly.

How’d that get into your hair? Mia asked innocently.

Stop teasing each other, Mr. Angelo warned. And don’t waste bait, Mia.

It wasn’t me, Mia said with a small smirk.

Of course it wasn’t, Mr. Angelo replied in mock belief.

Despite Mr. Angelo’s warning, the three siblings did continue to tease each other. Their fishing spot was filled with laughter. They finished fishing just as the rest of Belleville was waking up, and they began a race back to the bakery. They slipped between the few pedestrians joining them on the sidewalk, taunting each other as they went.

I win! Mia called triumphantly, firmly planting her hand on the bakery door.

No fair! Lilly complained. You’ve got those long legs!

Don’t be such a sore loser, Mia teased.

All right, inside, Mr. Angelo ordered fondly. We’ve got a lot of work to do.

The bakery was warm and cozy, with small tables and plants decorating the space. The counter was full of delicious pastries that Mr. Angelo had put out before they left. There was a plate of cinnamon rolls on display that made Mia’s mouth water. Mr. Angelo brushed imaginary dust off of a table and turned to hand out their jobs.

All right, kids, he said cheerily. We must get to work immediately.

What are the jobs for today, Mr. Angelo? Lilly asked eagerly.

You, Lilly, will be preparing the front of the bakery, he answered. Sam, you will make the cookie dough and Mia will help me fill the cannolis.

Mia followed Mr. Angelo to the back, put her hair in a ponytail, and washed her hands. Mr. Angelo gave Mia a piping bag and a tray of pastries. Outside the bakery, the streets of Belleville had come alive. People began their commutes to work, some with coffee or bagels in their hands.

Mia continued filling the pastries. The ring of the bell at the front rang just as she completed her tray. Mr. Angelo rushed out to help the customer. Mia placed the tray of cannolis on the counter to go to the front and heard Mr. Angelo dismiss Lilly.

You employ children? A deep voice asked curiously.

Mia could tell that this man was new to Belleville. Everyone that came into the bakery knew about the three of them.

They’re my foster children. They like to help on the weekends, Mr. Angelo replied. How may I help you, sir?

I’ll have three cannolis, he replied.

Mia picked up a takeout box and placed his order in it. She walked out to the front and handed him his order. He was a very tall figure. His hair was dark and his eyes were gray. Mia couldn’t find the hint of a soul behind his gray eyes. His eyes fell upon her. The gaze was piercing and sent shivers up her spine. She rushed back into the kitchen, refusing to meet this stranger’s stare.

When she entered the kitchen, she found Sam huddled by the kitchen sink. He was shivering all over. Mia’s forehead creased and she rushed to her brother’s side.

Sam, are you all right? she asked, feeling his forehead.

I could feel him, Sam answered. There’s something real spooky about him. It isn’t normal.

I know what you mean, Mia replied, hugging Sam tightly.

She didn’t ask how Sam ‘felt’ the man, she just tried to get him to stop shaking. Mia and Sam had seen many strange people come into the bakery. Some people were just different, but that wasn’t what caused them to hide from the man. Something about him was particularly unsettling. They decided to continue working in the back for the rest of the day. Mr. Angelo noticed that something was disturbing them, but he didn’t pester them about it. He let them work in the back if they so desired.

The rest of their workday was long and tiring. The sun was going down when the bakery closed for the night. Mr. Angelo gathered the three of them in the dining room above the kitchen, holding a box. Sam and Lilly began bouncing in their seats.

There were a lot of scraps from the kitchen today, Mr. Angelo started with a smirk. I have to wonder if the three of you were making everything wrong on purpose.

Lilly pressed her hand to her chest with a face of exaggerated shock. Mr. Angelo, she said in mock offense. "When have we ever purposely messed up in the kitchen?"

Do you really want him to answer that? Mia replied with a devilish smirk.

"Well, we can enjoy these scraps after dinner, Mr. Angelo interjected with a light laugh. The chicken is almost done. Then we can dig in."

The three siblings shared anticipatory looks. The smell of spices and chicken wafted from the kitchen, making their mouths water. A small pool of drool formed where Sam had been leaning over the table.

The beeping of the timer went off. Mia, Sam, and Lilly jumped from their seats and into the kitchen to help their foster father. Sam grabbed the plates, Mia grabbed the silverware, and Lilly grabbed the salad sitting on the counter. Mr. Angelo brought in the chicken and dished out the servings. Mr. Angelo said a quick grace and they began their meal.

Julian and Corlee wanted to have the three of you over for a sleepover next weekend, Mr. Angelo stated, not bothering to look up from his plate.

The children’s heads perked up and they stared at their foster father expectantly.

Well? Mr. Angelo asked nonchalantly, ignoring their stares.

Can we go? Mia asked.

Please please please! Sam and Lilly begged.

If the three of you finish all of your morning chores and your homework you can go over to their house for a sleepover, Mr. Angelo replied. "But none of you can go unless everything is finished."

We can get everything done, Lilly said assuringly. We promise.

Mr. Angelo smiled at their begging faces and gave them a small nod. The three siblings whooped in excitement.

If one of you doesn’t finish your chores, then none of you can go, he warned them.

They nodded in understanding and began finishing their food. When the plates were cleared, Mr. Angelo brought them the white box filled with the scraps from the bakery. Lilly grabbed a cream-filled pastry and got ready to shove it in her mouth.

Do that, and it’ll explode, Mia warned.

No, it won’t, Lilly scoffed.

She shoved the entire pastry in her mouth. Cream leaked from her mouth and covered her face. Mr. Angelo and Sam burst into laughter. Mia handed Lilly a napkin with a smirk, restraining her laughter.

If you say ‘I told you so,’ I will throw you in the dumpster outside, Lilly said with a scowl, wiping the cream off of her face.

You couldn’t get me in the dumpster if you tried, Mia replied. You can’t even pick me up.

Lilly scooped a piece of cream from the napkin and flicked at Mia, hitting her on the cheek. Mia’s eyes lit up and she smirked challengingly. Sam ducked beneath the table as Mia flung a piece of pastry across the table.

Girls, don’t start a food fight, Mr. Angelo said with a warning glance.

The two groaned and set their projectiles down. Sam peeked his head up from the table and glanced around warily.

I’m not coming up to a war zone, am I? he asked.

No, Mr. Angelo answered. All right, kids, clean your dishes.

The children cleared their dishes only for Mr. Angelo to usher them to bed. Mia, Sam, and Lilly went through their night routine before settling underneath their comforters. Mr. Angelo poked his head into Mia and Lilly’s room with a gentle smile.

You girls ready for bed? Mr. Angelo asked.

Lilly nodded. Can you close the door? she asked.

Of course I can, Mr. Angelo replied, getting ready to close the door.

Mr. Angelo, Mia called before he closed the door. What if I have another nightmare?

Mr. Angelo kneeled by Mia’s bed. Then you can come wake me up and I’ll help you get back to sleep, he said comfortingly.

Promise?

I promise, Mr. Angelo reassured her.

And if you can’t wake him, you can wake me up, Lilly added chipperly.

See, Mia? Mr. Angelo stated with a gesture towards Lilly. You have nothing to worry about. We’ll always be there to look after you and Sam.

Mia nodded and settled onto her pillow. Mr. Angelo turned off the light and left the two girls to sleep.

Mia, we’re always sisters, right? Lilly asked, staring up at the ceiling.

Of course we are, Mia answered.

Good, Lilly replied. Because I don’t ever want another sister.

Me neither, Lil, Mia added, drifting off to sleep.

Chapter Two: A Memory Found

THE WEEK PASSED QUICKLY. A light tapping came from the door, rousing Mia and Lilly from their sleep on Friday morning.

Girls, it’s time to get ready for school, Mr. Angelo called.

mmm...Yeah, Mr. Angelo, Mia moaned, stretching her limbs.

Five more minutes, Lilly groaned.

Mia picked up her pillow and threw it at Lilly. No more sleep, Lil. Sleep is for the weak, she said with a yawn.

Meanie, Lilly replied, pulling herself from her bed.

Mia and Lilly got dressed and joined Sam in the dining room. Sam was happily eating a bowl of cereal. His sisters joined him, lazily fixing their own breakfast. Mr. Angelo put three sack lunches on the table as they finished their breakfast.

Promise to be good at school, Mr. Angelo said gently. Sam, I don’t want a call from the principal about another fistfight.

I’ll try, Mr. Angelo, Sam replied quietly, not looking up from his bowl.

I know you can do better than try, Mr. Angelo stated, giving Sam a firm pat on the shoulder. Mia, look after your siblings.

I always do, Mia said affirmatively.

Lilly, don’t let Mia get in trouble for getting Sam out of trouble.

Lilly shook her head with a smile. I’ll do what I can. Mia’s crazy stubborn.

The three of them left the table and went to get their backpacks. They met Mr. Angelo downstairs. He grabbed the keys to his small mini cooper. Sam and Lilly piled in the back and Mia took the shotgun seat. Mr. Angelo drove them off to Belleville Middle School.

It was a small school. Some parts were made of old, weathered brick, while other parts were almost brand new. Mr. Angelo dropped them off with a smile and a reminder to do their best, before returning to the bakery.

Hey, Triples! a young voice called.

The three siblings turned around and saw a tall boy Mia’s age. His blue eyes were obscured by a mess of auburn bangs.

Hey, Julian, Sam called back with a wave. Where’s your twin?

She’s coming. She had some trouble getting her cello off the bus.

Corlee’s still playing the cello? Lilly asked with a bemused expression. You’d think she’d get tired of lugging it on and off that death trap they call a school bus.

A girl identical to Julian joined them, pulling along a large, black case. It isn’t that much of a death trap, Corlee contradicted. It just needs some TLC.

So we’ve heard, Mia replied with an eye roll. Let’s get inside. The bell’s gonna ring soon.

They followed