The night could not be better. Each of my hands is warmed by my mother and fathers.

"Happy birthday Si," my mother smiles at me warmly, and I smile back at the use of my nickname.

"Where do wanna go?" My father looks down at me and gives me the look that he always does when he is about to tell me something mature. "Now that you're six years old... you can choose where we go."

"I thought I could choose because it was my birthday. You and mommy always let me choose when it's my birthday." I tug at my fathers hand.

"It's your birthday?" He puts on a pretend shocked face and puts his hand over his mouth. "I had no idea!"

My mom rolls her eyes and I tug on my fathers hand even more. "Daddy." I whine at him and practically swing on his arm like a vine.

"So little Siren, where do you want to eat?"

I knit my brows and bite my bottom lip. Think, come on think. I feel APS's wet nose touch the back of my leg and I let go of my parents hand to pet him.

"That's it." I point my finger in the air and turn around at my smiling parents. "We could go to Gaff's. APS loves it there. Because of all the kids."

"Gaff's?" My father looks at my mother to get confirmation.

"If Siren says it's good, then that's where we're going." My mom reaches out her hand and I reunite my hands were hers and fathers.

We reach the restaurant and walk in, my father opens the door for my mother, and I, and my mother gives me a look.

"Oh," my eyes go wide. "Thanks dad." My mother smiles down at me and nods approvingly.

After entering, we walk up to the podium. There is a pink person standing Behind it. They have antennas coming out the top of the their head and I assume it's a man.

"How many?" He doesn't look up from his touch pad while he asks.

"Three," my father states.

"No daddy," I tug at the bottom of his shirt and he looks down at me. "What about APS?"

"Oh, of course," He looks back up at the pink man. "Four I mean."

The man finally looks up and stares at APS with confusion in his eyes. He realizes my father was meaning the dog and rolls his eyes. "This way please," He leads us to a table near the back of the restaurant.

"Excuse me sir," my father taps the pink man on the shoulder, "It's my daughters birthday, this is her favorite restaurant."

The pink man looks at me and I hide behind my mothers legs.

"Well isn't that sweet?" He smugly looks at me and I hide more. I could tell he didn't care.

We all sit down and I look over the menu.
I order the same thing I always do, Nerf strips. Dinner went on with laughter and fun, I fed all the healthy things off my dish to APS. He was happy to receive the treats from under the table as he would lick my hand joyfully after every gift. I guess the pink man did care that it was my birthday after all, because at the end of the night our waitress brought over some food that tasted caked, and told me happy birth date.

*. *. *. *. *

My eyes are heavy and I nearly fall asleep again as my head rests on my fathers shoulder while he holds me in his arms.

"We're home little Siren." I rub my eyes as my father unlocks the door and him and my mother step inside. He walks in and lays me down on the couch. "You're getting a little big to be carried around, don't you think?"

I smile big and shake my head at him. Before I can stop him, he is tickling me and my mother joins in. Our family room is filled with my laughter and pleas, my parents laughing and refusing to stop. Everything is at a great point of happiness before I hear a man swearing. It doesn't sound like my dad, and my dad would never use language like that.

"Who was that?" My mom springs up and looks around panicked.

"Mom-

"Shhhh..." she puts her hand on my mouth and looks at my dad more worried then ever. In this moment I'm not really processing anything. I have never seen my parents afraid. I didn't even know adults could get scared.

My dads eyes get as wide as a planet and I look back to see what he was looking at. A man is standing tall and glares at my dad. His eyes go to me and then my mother and he smiles.

"Who is that mom?" Maybe it was one of my parents friends coming for my birth date.

"Don't speak Si," my mom stands up and glares at the mans hand that was holding the pocket watch my grandma gave my mother.

"Does he know grandma?" I whisper.

"Siren." My father snaps at me but never looks away from the man.

My mom lunges towards the man in order to get the pocket watch and another man pops out from behind the big one.

"Step back lady." He holds a metal object to my mothers head.

"Please just leave. You can have it, just leave." My mothers face slowly becomes completely engulfed by her tears.

"No," the other man shakes his head and contorts his face into disgust. "It's too late for that." I jump at the loudest sound I have ever heard and my mothers body hitting the floor, effects my ears like no other.

My eyes go wide and I can hear my father screaming no. I don't feel anything but a tingly needle like feeling in my lower ribs.

"Is mommy okay?" I look at my father and I can feel warm, wet tears fall down my cheeks and seep into my mouth.

Instead of answering, he picks me up and runs in the opposite direction of the two men. "It's okay Siren, just stay in here." He slowly lowers me into the chest that I would always use when we played hide and seek.

"Just like hide and seek?" I whisper and sniff in.

"Just like hide and seek." My father gives me the most compassionate look I have ever received while he caresses my blonde hair behind my ears. "Be very quiet Siren."

I stay in the chest trying to breath as quiet as possible. I try desperately to stop crying, but I can't. There is complete silence outside of the chest other then APS's nose sniffing around the chest and his claws tacking the hard floor as he walks around. I start to hear the familiar ring from the quiet before I hear yelling.

I no longer have trouble with my crying problem, as I am too afraid of the noises going on outside the room. I forget to breath and I jump out of my own skin with every noise of a body being pushed against the wall with great force. My eyes nearly bulge out when I hear the noise that hurt my mother sound off three times. Silence. And then more. More noises that made me want to cover my ears and be comforted by my mother.

"Daddy?" I whisper just loud enough for myself to hear. I hope he is okay.

I jump when the door flies open and hits the wall behind it. Usually I knew when my father had found my hiding place because I would see the light from the door moving from inside the chest. It is an opposite feeling this time though. Seeing the light from the door only filled me with more fear.

"Daddy," I ask in a whispery crack of a voice.

"You're daddy's gone, child." I breath in sharp at the deep voice that isn't my fathers. The way the man said it, I have never heard any accent like it.

The light is suddenly stinging my eyes before I can react and the tan mysterious man is reaching down to grab me.

"No!" I kick and scream as I feel his hairy, dirty arms wrap around my small figure and pick me up like I was nothing. "Let me go!" I scream again.

I drop to the floor with a thud as the man cries out in pain with an accompanied growl of APS. I look back and see him glaring at my dog and APS giving him the same, but more intimidating look. APS attacks the mans leg again, causing him to fall over.

"Damn dog." The man kicks APS, sending him flying and I cover my face with my hands. I scoot back and sit on the side of the chest to hide myself. I look through the small crack of my fingers and see the metal of a knife glisten in the light.

APS attacks the mans arm and the man jabs the knife into his fur causing a yelp from my dog and a gasp from me. My dog soon fights back by biting into the mans neck. I hear growling and a gurgled scream from the man. I see blood start to fall down his neck and on my dogs face like rain on a window. I gasp the loudest I ever have and put my hands over my face again.

I don't think the noise of the mans suffering will ever end but it eventually does. I slowly take my hands away from my face and see the man laying down, eyes wide open, covered in his own blood. I jump at APS rubbing his wet nose over my leg and leaving a crimson trail.

I grab his collar and step over the man to leave the room. "Daddy?" I whisper it quietly.

No answer.

"Daddy?" I say it louder before I fully turn the corner and see if he is in the family room.

No answer.

"Daddy please." I sob and APS rubs his nose on my calve.

I turn the corner and see my father laying next to my mother.

"Dad! Mom!" I run over and throw myself on top of there bodies. My mothers eyes are closed and her hair is beginning to crust from the wound that lay in the middle of her forehead. My dads eyes are open and they look scared and unsure. "Daddy wake up." I shake his body "come on Daddy it's not funny!" I almost scream it into his face as I shake him more this time. "Daddy wake up!"

When he doesn't answer again I grab APS by the collar and pull him close. "Help!" I scream it as loud as I can. "Help!" I have never felt more small. "Help me please!" Even my voice sounded weak and small. "Somebody!" I curl around APS and sob into his fur. "Anyone." I whisper through each sob.

I feel like all hope is gone before someone steps through the door that is wide open. By now it's very dark and I only see a black figure that is casting its shadow onto the floor, it's black shadow head touching my toes.

"Are you Okay?" The figure asks.

"Can you help my mom and dad?" I choke out a sob speaking to the person in front of me. "They won't wake up." I sniff in loudly and taste the tears that are streaming so freely on my face. I'm glad Help is here..... but they may be too late.

-yoitsme108 and freedomgirl321