Hi my name is Melissa Miller and I live in a house that looks peaceful, but when you open that door and walk in, it's anything but.
It all started in the summer, a happy family that everyone knew, and everyone liked. My family was at it's all time high, in everything, money, family and our house, which my husband and I bought because we were almost 100% certian that it would fit us perfectly. I had 3 beautiful children that were very polite and put others before themselves. My life was almost perfect until that one night, that night completely changed my life.
"Mommy!" screamed my 5 year old daughter when she was coming into the main office, back from aftercare. "How was your day honny?" I asked. "Goowd, guess what mommy, I made you a drawing of a buwdafly." Said Catie my youngest child, horribly, but in a cute way. "Hi mom, I got an A on my Pre-algebra test. It wasn't that hard, I guess the teacher did that on purpose." Said Marvin my son. (But we prefered to call him Marv.) "Whats wrong Celica?" I conserningly asked as my eldest daughter, Celica. "Nothing, can you stop horrasing me?" She always was in a shell, she seemed annoyed with the world. "Excuse me, I am not your friend, I'm your mother and when asked a question, you answer it." "Ok, so are we leaving?" Celica wondered because we were having steak and cheese rice, her favorite. "C'mon guys lets go, and Celica I don't want you acting like this, understand?" "Yeah, I get it." She responded.
When we arrived home everyone went their separate ways. "Kids I want homework done, chores completed, and showers taken, understand?" I shouted. "Undserstood!" They all exclaimed at the same time, it sounded like a routine. I was downstairs cooking dinner when my husband arrived at home. "Hi honey, were are the kids?" "Upstairs doing their homework." I yelled because I wanted to let them know that that was what they were supposed to be doing. "Honney can you check on the kids? I'm worried, they would have been down by now finishing their chores." I asked. "Sure baby." He immediatley responded.
After about 10 minutes I was getting concerned because my husband wasn't coming down either. I release the knife I was using to chop the onions, and washed my stentchy hands. I slowly walked up the stairs expecting one of my children to scare me but as I turned the corner as I reached the upstairs, I saw something that scared me far worse than a "BOO!" I saw a man with light blue eyes, I still can't erase his image from my mind. He was wearing all black including a ski mask and was holding a black gun in his left hand. In his right was Celica with the most in-need expression I ever saw on her face.
The man holding my daughter had the most satisfied face on the Earth. He had a tight grip and I looked straight at his eyes, I could tell that my eyes looked like they were saying "Please". I said "Sweetie"-and gulped a large aount of spit- "Everything will be okay" I tried to reassure her, and I wanted to say I love you soo much, but as a mother, I coulddn't.
I asked the man where my other children were, because they were my top priority. He slowly pointed the gun toward a long hallway, with many rooms attatched to it. I looked at my daughter and she nodded, so I went right ahead. I was trying to think of a plan while I was going to the other rooms. The first room I walked into was Caties room, the bright pink walls and butterfly stickers made me feel a bit of comfort. On the bed she layed with her arms tied to the corners of the bed, and her legs too. I shook her arm, she didn't respond I smiled as I stroaked her soft blonde-honey hair. I said "Honey, It's mommy." Still, no response. I shook her and she didn't say or do anything. It felt like my body was eating me from the inside to the outside. I slowly walked out, and shut the door. Then I tip-toed to Marv's room. Marv was sitting on his gaming chair, and had a pool of blood in his mouth. He had a large pool of blood lying next to him, coming from his cheast. I walked back to where Celica was and in an effort to save her, I grabbed her arm and pulled, which only made the man more tense. I grabbed my daughter and yelled "RUN!" We both jumped down the stairs, I grabbed my phone and keys on the way out and opened the door. I left the door wide open and cried "GET IN THE CAR!" As I heard gun shots I threw my daughter into the back seat and jumped into the front seat. I raced to a Publix and ran to someone who worked there I told them what happend or at least I tried to while I was crying up a storm. I had a tight grip on Celica and I never wanted to let go. After telling them what had happened I quickly dialed the poice.
"911, what is your emergency?" "Hello I was at home and my kids were killed." "Okay, I'll send police, are you in the home?" "No I rushed to publix with my only surviving kid and I'm scared, I don't know if my husband is okay, and I'm scared that the murderer is coming here, help." "Alright mam, I need you to calm down. Can you try to do that for me?" "Okay- but please hurry I don't want to go back there because I don't want my daughter and I to be harmed but my husband, I don't know if he is okay or not. And-" "Mam, it's okay as long as you are in a place full of people, you will be okay."
When we were told the police arrived, we drove home immediately. When we were told it was all clear but we had to stay in a hotel while they investigated, I demanded to go inside to at least pack up some things, so we had to be assisted/escorted by police officers, SWAT to be exact.
I slowly clumped into the house, every memmory or the tragic accident replaying in my mind. The closer i got to the creast of the stairs, I clutched Celicas shaky hand, tighter and tighter. We turned the corner, and I tok a deep breath and closed my eyes for a few seconds trying extremely hard to hold back the tears. I walked into my room while my daughter walked into hers with a police behind us both. When I arrived at my room my husband was sitting on our bed. He turned around and I ran to him and gave him a huge hug. I asked "What happened, I thought you were-" I stopped because I knew this conversation was getting us no where. He cried "I was too late-" Repeatedly acting like he truly beleived that it was his fault. "I think he took Celica." "No she was with me we left after I came upstairs, looking for you" I reassured him. "But where were you Robert! You scared the living shit out of me, you had me here thinking- thinking that you were dead." "Babe, I tried to comfort the kids-" He grabbed my hand. "But I was too late. I was looking for Celica, but I couldn't find her." "You know what, lets save this conversation for later, now we need to pack our bags." I uttered. I grbed a suitcase out from the closet and started throwming things in.
When we got to the hotel, I unpacked and started yelling at my husband. "Babe I thought we weren't going to fight." He assumed. "Well you thought wrong. Are you fucking serious?" "What" He asked in a confused tone. "Oh I was looking for Celica, do you really think I am that fucking stupid? Was that you? Did you kill the kids" I blurted out without intention. My husbands face turned from confused to concerned. "No I did'nt and I am in extreme pain right now from what happened, babe, I'm not going to yell at you, but what makes you think I killed them?" He asked. "Sorry baby, I just have a lot of things going through my mind and I'm just confused." I cried. "Well you know what, I love you no matter what and you just wittnessed the same thing I did, we wen't through alot but nothing as bad as this, but it takes time to recover, I promise I will be with you no matter what, what ever you need, just tell me, I think you need some sleep, goodnight babe." He turned off the light. "Goodnight." I mumbled under my tears.
"Baby," I yelped while I was walking into the kitchen, "I just had the strangest dream, we had to move out of our house because-" I stopped because I realized it was not a dream. "Good morninig babe, and that wan't a dream although I prayed and hope it was-" He replied "I made you some coffee, if you need it, how did you sleep?" "Terrible, I couldn't stop crying, I just wish it happened to me, not to them. Why did this have to happen, I'm scared, I really am, where is Celica, I need to hold her hand." I started to cry and tried to stop. "Mom? Is that you?" Celica asked. "Hi sweetie, need a hug?" I responded.
