Miserable

2

My dad's body falls limp on the ground.

The guy looks up at where we're sitting and makes his way towards us.

We back up against the wall and run. We run down the hall and into the attic. We close the door and block it with old furniture. We climb up to the roof.

"What are we going to do?" My brother whispers to me.

I look down.

"We're both good at running. I'm in the track-n-field varsity and you're good at football. A jump off the roof and a run towards Jade's house wouldn't be that bad. Right?" I say quickly calculating how many injuries I'd have to endure.

He chuckles. "I guess."

I study him. How could he not be worried or scared?

"Aren't you scared?" I ask him.

"Kind of. But I know that no matter happens, God is with us, with me. And there's no reason to worry because He is in charge of it all. You know, our lives."

We face the edge of the roof. We walk back a few paces, run, and jump.

We roll on the ground and hear someone making a racket on the second floor.

"He didn't see us. Go!" I whisper frantically to my brother.

He gets up and limps for a while but then starts running. I run after him bearing my new found pain.

Jade is my best friend and thankfully, she lives a block away.

We run for minutes and soon we reach their house. Finally.

I get my phone. Thankfully it's not broken or anything.

Mom. We're at Jade's house. Come here. I text her.

I'm on my way. She replies.

Richard rings the doorbell.

The door opens and Jade stands there with a shocked expression.

"You could've called me if you were coming over." She says laughing hesitantly. "What happened?"

She ushers us inside and we tell her the story. Her parents come in and hear half of the story.

"Well. We'll pray for you. I wonder who that guy is. If he wanted you as ransom he wouldn't have killed your dad." Jade's dad, Carl says thoughtfully.

I look at Richard and see his face full of sadness. No matter how strong we want to stay, our how much faith we have, we lost our dad. And I don't want to be reminded of that. Ever.

My mom comes in a few minutes later and sits down in between me and my brother.

Her arms wrap around us and we stay silent. You could hear a pin drop on the carpeted floor. That's how quiet it is.

Silent tears run down our cheeks. My dad was such a good dad. I couldn't ask for a better one.

I bury my face on my mom's shoulder. She rubs my back and I know she's doing the same for Rich.

"Melissa. We're here for you." Catherine, Jade's mom says coming over and giving us all a hug.

Jade sits beside me and rests her head on my shoulder.

"Daddy!" I cry out.

"What is it princess?" He asks me carrying me and cuddling me.

"I want ice cream!" I shout.

He tickles me and I giggle.

"Alright, princess. Let's go get your ice cream." He says putting me down and taking my hand.

We walk to the ice cream cart in the park.

"Strawberry!" I say giggling.

"One strawberry please." My dad says winking at me.

The guy looks at me with a smile.

"And how old are you, young one?" He asks me.

"Six!" I say loudly with a little giggle.

He smiles brightly.

"Your daughter has a beautiful smile. I bet there'll be a lot of guys after." He says with a wink. I smile brightly.

"Maybe. But they'll have to go through me first." My dad says wrapping a protective arm around me making me smile brighter. I love knowing that someone is protective of me. Especially since I'm young and the only girl.

"I love you princess." My dad says kissing my forehead.

"I love you too, daddy."

My dad will always protect me and he loves me. I love him too.

My mom, Rich and I had called the police and reported what happened. The ambulance brought my dad's body to the hospital but we already know there's no way he's still alive. We had gone with them since Rich and I were injured badly. I have a few broken ribs and a twisted ankle. I have a few bruises and scratches as well. Rich has a broken ankle and he hurt his knee badly. He too has bruises and scratches. And since the police wanted to investigate the house, we decided to spend the night at Jade's.

"You okay?" Jade asks. She suddenly realizes her mistake and corrects herself. "What can I do to help?"

I sigh and slump down on her bean bag. "I. Don't. Know." I say softly. My tears haven't stopped running.

"I've been crying for two hours straight now. Whether it be heavy tears or silent ones, I'm crying and I don't know if I can stop." I whimper.

Jade hugs me. "You can stop and you will. It's not bad to cry, but you shouldn't cry all the time." She says patting my back.

"I wanna go home, sleep and forget about everything." I say burying my face in my hands.

"Hey. You can't do that forever. School starts next week."

Oh yeah. School.

"I don't want to go." I say.

"Well you have to. And don't worry, I'm here for you no matter what."

I nod and lie down on her bed. Soon, I fall asleep. And my dream is not at all pleasant.