Life With A Murderer (Book 3)

Chapter 1: Memories

(A/N) So the 'contest' in the last part has ended and I want to thank you all for sending in entries. All the characters were very unique and it was a little difficult to choose however I did make a choice. The winner will be announced at the end of the chapter. Again, thank you for sending in entries, and enjoy the chapter!

-=~=-

It's been two years since Marissa has passed. (Y/N) and I are doing fine and we've both gotten better. She's a strong girl. Even when she knew her mother had died, she didn't cry too much. Then again, she didn't know her mother that well. The days after hearing the news, (Y/N) began asking questions about Marissa. She asked me to tell stories about her mother and, to not upset her, I did. (Y/N) seemed happier after each story and answer and it helped me realize that we could both get past this terrible moment in our lives.

While waiting for (Y/N) at the bus stop, I was writing in a small notebook. I do this whenever a memory of my past pops up. Right now, I was writing about when I met Marissa on the bus. It was an embarrassing memory, yet I still wrote it.

Getting on the bus, I tripped and fell in the aisle. All the kids laughed at me, but one girl helped me up and let me sit next to her. I remember my face turning red with embarrassment. It was the 3rd time that week that I've tripped over my feet. The girl introduced herself. Marissa. I liked the name. I introduced myself and she began calling me Vinny instead of Vincent. She said it was cute. That began our friendship, in 2nd grade, on the bus.

I smiled as I closed the notebook. I looked up to see a bus stop right in front of me. The doors opened and a small (H/C) child hopped off and ran to me with open arms. I hugged (Y/N) and we began walking home. She smiled so brightly. She was in a very good mood today and it made me happy.

"So how was your first day of school?" I asked.

"It was really fun! I made a bunch of friends and the teacher was really really nice. We played a lot on the playground and some of the older kids invited me to play tag with them," she said.

"That's great. I'm glad you had a good day."

The small child continued talking about her day, about some friends she made, the games they played, the classroom layout, and pretty much anything she could think of. I admired my daughter's outlook on life. She always seemed so happy, even in the darkest of times. She saw the good in everyone and every thing and never let one little detail about the world escape. I hope she stays this way for the rest of her life. She'd be popular in school, she'd be likable, and she would be very happy. That's all I care about. I made a promise two years ago to make sure (Y/N) had a wonderful and happy life, and I will make sure to keep that promise.

When we got home, (Y/N) went up to her room to play and I decided to sit in the living room and draw. I was a pretty good artist and I've noticed (Y/N) had a talent for drawing as well. She loved taking my sketchbook and drawing animals in it. Speaking of which, I looked to see the last drawing I did and apparently (Y/N) drew a rabbit next to it. It was a cute cartoon-ish rabbit next to my warrior. She also added a flower crown to the warrior which I laughed at. She was always so cute, no matter what the small girl said or did. I turned to the next empty page and began sketching a teddy bear for (Y/N).

While sketching, (Y/N) climbed onto the couch and sat next to me, watching the pencil glide across the paper. She was holding her teddy bear and she had a (F/C) bow in her hair.

"What are you drawing, Daddy?" she asked with her high pitched voice.

"It's a teddy bear for you," I said, looking at her and patting her head gently. She giggled and I went back to the drawing. She stayed next to me the entire time I was drawing. Soon, she fell asleep, leaning against my arm and cuddling the teddy bear. I sighed and put the sketchbook down, picking her up. I brought her to her room and gently tucked her into bed. She looked so peaceful. She always was.

I left the room and decided that I should probably get some sleep too. I had a new job tomorrow at this new pizzeria that just opened up. Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria. I'll have to take (Y/N) there. It's supposedly a children's hangout with animatronics and arcades with games and all that jazz. She'll love it. Maybe I can get a discount for working there. I put my sketchbook away and organized my desk before going to bed. I fell asleep that night, smiling. I can do this... For (Y/N)... For Marissa...

-=~=-

Heyo Balloons! So the winner of the contest will appear in Chapter 3, however I'd like to congratulate the winner. I've been stalling too long now. You all want to know who the winner is, huh? Well, can I get a drum roll please? ... No? ... Fine.

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The winner is... @Inkpoint

I really liked this character because it stood out to me. I loved all the characters that everyone sent in. All the characters were unique and really cool and it was extremely difficult to choose just one because I really liked a lot of the characters, but eventually, I had to figure which character would fit into the story well and Inkpoint's character was the one. So congratulations to the winner and thank you everyone who had put a character into the contest. Maybe there will be another contest down the road but for now, thank you everyone. So, here's the character:

Name: Richard 'Rick' Grayling

Age: 11

Gender: Male

Looks: He has messy, reddish-brown hair and dark green eyes. His skin is light brown and normally wears a sweat jacket, cargo pants/shorts, and running shoes. He also has a pair of dark purple glasses and a bullet necklace.

Personality: He is normally a cheerful, energetic person and tends to 'leap before looking' or speak before thinking. He makes friends and finds trouble easily.

Extra: He LOVES to draw and always carries a drawing pad and pencils/pens in his pockets.

Catch you on the flipside,

-TheYellowBalloon