Prologue

No tears or sniffles had been drawn from this emotionless air. It was still and slowed as Axel’s father gave a eulogy. It was so quiet Axel could hear a distant alarm from the next town over. The eulogy was for Axel’s late grandfather, Cinadius. 

Cinadius was a curious fellow. He was a small man from the beginning and some say he was a bit crazy. He had always been very optimistic and had almost no survival instinct. Cinadius’ wife had died way before him as Axel’s father; his only child never really got to talk to him. Axel’s father said even before his grandmother’s death Cinadius had always been so distant. Almost like he was never a part of his life. Cinadius had never come to any of the celebrations or parties that relatives hosted but usually sat at his home and stared out the window.  Even though Cinadius acted like a happy person, he was always so closed off. 

No one at  that funeral had a deep connection with Cinadius except for one person, Axel. Cinadius’ grandson, Axel, was an exception to Cinadius. Whenever a relative's parents were busy Cinadius would volunteer to take care of them and then never did again. But when Axel was in Cinadius’ care he cared for Axel a second time, and again, and again. He kept on taking care of  Axel until he was old enough to live on his own. Cinadius was truly the Briar family’s biggest mystery. People tried to figure out what Cinadius was really like but when they tried to ask the closest person to him, Axel, he didn’t say anything. 

Axel himself is quite the opposite of Cinadius. He’s always so emotionless and no one has ever seen him smile, not even his own parents. His parents had once taken him to get tested for a paralyzed face but the test results were negative. No matter what you did he just didn’t smile. He spoke so roboticly too. It’s almost as if a script had been given to him and he rehearsed it daily. He is not a guy of many words either and is the only one in the family that takes after Cinadius’ small and delicate frame.

Axel exits the church and sits on the edge of a nearby flower bed. It’s supposed to be a sad day but Axel feels nothing. The sun is also beaming as bright as ever and there are no clouds covering any inch of brightness that is radiating off of the sun. he takes his phone out of his pocket and and looks at the time:

6:30pm

It was almost time for him to clock in at his part time job. Axel is just an average 20 year old trying to live a life. What could possibly go wrong?