I looked out the window blankly, ignoring the pile of homework on my bed. My head was about to burst into a billion pieces. A reflection, from the window, of a girl stared at me. Her eyes grew darker underneath and her hair looks like it hasn’t been brushed in days. A baggy sweatshirt hung from her shoulders and loose pajama shorts wrapped around her waist. Sometimes I just wish I could jump from this window, into the vast world, traveling wherever I please. A yawn escaped from my mouth and I slowly rubbed my eyes. I thought, hopelessly, about tomorrow’s test, shoving my head into my pale hands, trying to make the thoughts go away. Peering over to my small clock, I noticed it was six o’clock. My stomach rumbled and I rubbed it with a groan. I hopped off my window ledge and made three quick, silent steps to my bed. Leaping onto my bed, I curled up, thinking about the scary things living underneath. There were too many problems in this world. Why were worries even made? My pillow sat slumped on the top of my bed, just waiting for me. Shoving my face in it, I screamed, letting everything out through.


“Dinner time, Lucy!” called my mother from downstairs.

I sighed, not wanting to get up, “In a sec.”





Grabbing my teddy, I slipped out my door. My teddy bear had lost one eye and is a little roughed up, but I still love him. His name is just Teddy, nothing that special. I’ve had him ever since I was born. My feet slowly padded down the steps as I gripped the railing. There was a small circle table in the kitchen, big enough to fit me, my mom, and dad. It was perfect, we didn’t need anything bigger. I pulled my chair out and sat down. The table felt like rough wood under my hands. As I peered over to my mom as she got the food ready, I noticed my dad walking in the door. Jumping up from the table, I shot to him, giving him a tight hug. He forced a smile for me but I knew his eyes shown stress and worries.


“Dad, Dad! How was work?” I asked while jumping up and down.

He looked down at me and roughed up my hair, “It was good but not as great as you guys.”


We both made our way to the table and sat down. My mom brought over the food and laid it down onto the table. I took Teddy in my hands and squeezed him softly. As my mom sat down, I started to eat my mash potatoes. My slight reflection shot back at me with my freckles glowing all over. Sometimes I wish my freckles would disappear, but most of the time I love them. The flavors of sharp juicy steak and soft creamy mash potatoes swirled in my mouth. All the flavors attacking each other until I washed them down with a sip of cold milk.


“So how was school, honey?” my father asked questionably as he took a sip of water.

I mixed my mash potatoes around until everything on them swirled together, “Um, it was fine. You know, boring as usual.”

My mother looked up from her plate and smiled, “Well, I wish I could change that for you. You shouldn’t be so stressed out about homework and school for a ten year old.”

“Sometimes I wish I could escape that prison,” I said glumly and stared at my plate.


Nobody said anything after that as I kept staring down at the lonely food on my plate. I picked up my fork and poked at my steak. Sighing, I figured out I wasn’t hungry anymore. My mother looked up at me in a concerned way then exchanged looks with my father. School and homework took over my brain again. When I was about the shove my food away my father spoke up.


My dad looked at my mom then looked at me, “Lucy, me and your mother are planning something.”

I looked from my mom and dad, wondering what they were talking about, “We aren't moving are we?”

“Oh, of course not!” my mom smiled. “We were actually planning a vacation to somewhere warm. You know a place to get away.”



I was about to burst with excitement but slumped half way in my arms. My eyes were shutting silently and then it was black. My mind was blank that night, I had no dreams at all.


Suddenly, I woke and shot up in bed. Breathing heavily, I looked around. My body was sweating and cold stiff. Maybe I had a nightmare. I rubbed my head and adjusted the pillow. Thoughts and memories from last night came flooding in fast. What happened, did I go to sleep at the table? I needed some water, something to clear my rushed and crowded mind. Slowly, I got up and my feet tiptoed to my bathroom. There was a cup that I always put in my bathroom, just in case I got thirsty in the night. I grabbed my cup softly. Right when I was about to turn on my sink, I heard a noise that made my heart skip three beats. Gun shots. Screams. My heart started beating faster now and I pushed my cup back down. Running back to my bed, I didn’t know what to do. My hands covered my mouth as tears pushed out of my eyes. People were in my house and someone got shot. Can the neighbors hear? The most scariest thing though, the scream sounded like my mother’s.


“We gotta get stuff before the cops come. Hurry up!” someone yelled from outside in the hall.

Footsteps pounded down the stairs and I heard a different voice, “Boss, you just killed two people. Killed.”


More thoughts ran through my head. Who were the people that got killed, my parents or neighbors? I started breathing quicker and sweating more. When something broke loudly downstairs, I flinched and bit my lip. I had to get out of this house, quickly. Hoping it was a nightmare, I pinched myself. My room was still there, nothing changed. The strangers downstairs faded away into another room. Tiptoeing, I walked to my door. My eyes peered out through the crack, searching for any strangers. Nobody was there and I slipped out, wondering if I was going to regret this. My parents room was down the hall from mine, fortunately. That was my destination and to cure my deadly curiosity.


As I crept closer, my heart raced even faster. My fingers clasped around the door knob and twisted it slowly. Squeezing my eyes shut, I waited for the dreadful creak. A soft and winy creak from the hinges of the door echoed in my ear. I flung inside and heard the strangers murmuring downstairs about hearing something. My face was turned toward the door, distracted by the people downstairs, and I didn’t know what I would see behind me. Hopefully, I wouldn’t see anything, just my parents sleeping or not even there. I balled up my fists and turned around. It wasn’t pretty. Blood splattered over their bodies. My mother was still slumped in bed, although she was completely lifeless. On the ground was my father, probably trying to protect my mother. He was also lifeless and had gotten shot down. I just stared. My stares weren’t even at them, they were at the pale walls my mother wished to paint some day. All the dreams that would never come alive. I slumped to the floor and turned around, shielding my eyes from the terrible sight. My eyes started to tear up and I silently cried to myself. It was no use, feeling bad for myself. That wasn’t going to solve anything. What I needed to do was sneak out and call the police. I suddenly though of my lonely Teddy. Pain and wonder struck me. Where was he?


Suddenly, I heard footsteps in the hall. I had to think fast of where to go, under the bed or in the closet. The footsteps were growing louder with every step. Pushing myself up, I scrambled to the closet. Right when I heard the terrifying creak of the door, I snapped shut the closet.


“Hey, Tommy! I think the sound is from in here, the bedroom,” the one who was called boss yelled.

The floorboards rattled as another man quickly ran into the room, “John, they are just dead bodies. I think your hearing needs to be checked, buddy.”

Someone was slammed to the floor and John’s voice thundered through the air, “I’m the boss here, Tom. You got that? Your not the boss and when I saw I heard something, I heard something.”


“Alright, Alright. Your the boss, I’m sorry. Why don’t we check around?” Tommy’s voice soothed.


I started praying to myself silently, that they wouldn’t come into the closet. Remembering the bloody scene before, anger began bubbling inside me. I clenched my fists and rubbed my teeth back and forth. Although, this is what I felt. I was actually shaking with fear and curled up behind my father’s clothes. The two men rummaged through the bedroom. The nightstand’s draws opened and slammed shut. One of the men’s footsteps were growing louder, walking toward the closet. I started panicking and covering myself with as many clothes as possible. It was no use. A big knot formed in the pit of my throat when I figured out I was dead. I took a deep breath when the footsteps stopped in front of the closet.


“John! Look at this, come here. It looks expensive,” Tommy said while the footsteps backed away from the closet.

“Lemme see, give it here,” John responded shortly with impatience mixed in.

Something slammed shut and Tommy said with a pang of annoyance, “Here, take it. Your the boss, not me.”


I thanked god silently and sighed with relief. Although, I knew it wasn’t over yet. It sounded like the two men left the room. Footsteps echoed away and the door slammed shut again. Then it was silent. I could have gotten killed, slaughtered, beaten terribly. There must be some type of way to get out of my house with out being noticed. The bottom of the stairs had a secret compartment in which I could crawl into. Maybe if I got down there I could sneak inside. It was a plan, or something like one. A plan to follow.


I creeped out of the closet and peered out the bedroom door. The dead bodies of my parents kept flashing back and I choked inside. Pushing the door open silently, I tiptoed out. A wave of relief came over me when the door didn’t creek. Maybe I was getting better luck. Slowly inching along the hallway, I made my way toward the stairs. With every step, my heart would beat quicker. I was almost there, just a couple steps. Then it hit me, where were the men? Suddenly, I heard voices in the room next to me, my room. I scampered down the stairs, trying to make little noise as possible. When I was almost there, I missed a step and fell down the rest of the stairs. I had never missed a step until today, bad luck. A pain shot through my arm as I lay at the bottom of the stair case. Crawling toward the secret compartment, my mind screamed inside. I pushed myself inside and closed the hatch right when the men came storming down.


“Someone else is here. You heard it that time right?” John asked angrily and footsteps began stomping around.

Tommy spoke up in response, “I heard it definitely, but where did he go? He shouldn’t of gotten far. Lets look around.”


As the two men began looking around I held my arm tight. Pain that made my teeth clench was crawling all over my arm. I knew they were going to find me, it wasn’t hard. Tears formed in my eyes but I wiped them away immediately. Holding my arm, I opened the small latch. I booted from my compartment and ran my heart out. With every step I took pain, excitement, and, terror all came flooding in at once. I noticed my Teddy on the kitchen table and was about to get it. Leaving Teddy would mean leaving my childhood. Teddy was my childhood, he was everything. I ran right past the kitchen and toward the front door.


All of a sudden, one of the men stepped in front of me and smiled, “I’m the boss around here and where do you think your going little lady?” The man sounded like Tommy, which was weird because I thought he wasn’t the boss.

John strolled in casually and cooed, “I don’t think your not going any where under our watch.”


Both of them began to walk toward me with grins on their scarred faces. They both looked like fugitives who sold drugs, like the ones I see on television. My heart raced faster with ever step they took. I knew it was over then. It was really over, I was going to die.


Suddenly, police sirens rang to my ears. John and Tommy gave each other one glance and bolted out the back door. I ran out the front door and slammed right into a police officer’s arms. I’m safe. It’s all better now.