Laughter erupted throughout my house; the cheerful sounds seemed to bounce off the walls and fill every room with the joyous noise. My family, which consisted of my mother, father, and little brother, were all seated in the living room. We were all crowded around the small coffee table, sitting on the floor with our legs crossed, with a simple board game on top of it.

While some kids rant and rave about not liking their parents, saying how overwhelming they are or how embarrassing they are, I, on the other hand, actually like my parents believe it or not. They were sweet and amusing. Maybe it was because I didn't care what other people thought about us, but I never seemed to have a problem with my parents.

I had been abruptly taken out of the 6th grade for reasons I still couldn't quite understand. I've always had a birthmark located on my abdomen. My parents always told me that everyone had one, but mine was unique. It was a long stripe but what fascinated me was the color. It was bright aqua. I knew later that this wasn't, as my parents had said, normal, but at the time I was raised in a close environment. I didn't know any better.

I didn't have many friends outside of school, and by that I mean I only have one. She was my next door neighbor, so in actuality, I never went far from my house. My parents didn't like knowing that I was far and when they couldn't be in touch. I only understood it as parental protection and love.

My mother's face lit up again, as it has all during the night, the wrinkles around her lips shone but she was still as beautiful as ever. She once had raven black hair, but now it was slowly became faded with the gray that grew. I had my mother's hair color, the natural long black hair that fell into place and hugged my shoulders. I also inherited her laugh, her lovable character, her warmness that seemed to just float about her. My mother and I were inseparable at times.

"Alixandra, it's your turn," my father said, a grin on his face as he handed me the dice. His hands were a bit rough but you could only expect that considering he worked in construction. The one thing I found magnificent about my father, along with many other things but this just stood out, was his eyes. Never had I seen a shade of colors before. His eyes could get extremely light, what seemed to be almost neon, when he was happy or excited, just like now. But when ever he was exhausted, his eyes would always shade a different color darker. I loved his eyes, which was why I was so grateful that I had them too. They were so different and I had always liked things different than the rest.

I took the dice and looked down at my little brother, who was eagerly waiting for his turn. He was the most normal one to be blunt about it. He had mousy brown hair that he never brushed and dark brown eyes. To be honest, he didn't look like my mother or my father, but he did, in fact, act like us. He was only ten, the age where they think they're adults and can handle responsibility, when they are completely naive. But I loved him, despite the sibling bickering we may have.

"Ali!" my brother almost yelled, waving his hand in front of my face. "Earth to Ali!" I snapped out of my trance. I guess I hadn't noticed that I wasn't paying attention.

My mother looked over at me with some concern, like any good mother would do. "Are you alright Alixandra?" she asked. My parents were the only ones who ever called me Alixandra. I preferred Ali and I would pester them about it at times, but they always like to call me that.

"I'm fine," I said, smiling at her. "I was just thinking." I rolled the dice and it landed on the board with a thud. My father moved my piece across the board twelve spaces.

And that's when I felt it. A deep, excruciating feeling right in the middle of my chest, like my heart was being seared apart. I was starting to feel light headed and my vision blurred. Something wasn't right. There's something wrong. I clenched my eyes shut but that only made it worse. I was seeing things and I met that literally. But my eyes were closed, this wasn't possible, this wasn't humanly possible.

I fell to the floor, my heart beat seemed to triple and the pain was slowly getting worse as each minute passed. My father flew out of his seat and rushed to my side. He was saying something and but I couldn't hear him. I was too scared to notice the house shake or the dice that landed on the board vibrate uncontrollably. I couldn't hear anything for a split second. Then I saw it. I saw them.

My eyes darted open and I felt the sweat on the my forehead form. My vision was getting back into place and I saw my entire family crowded around me, fear written on their faces. Wait, fear? Shouldn't they be more worried? But I had to tell them. They had to get out of here.

"Get to the basement," I said, more of a demand then anything else. They didn't move at first. "Now!" They had to go. They had to be safe. My mother grabbed my brother's wrist flinging him out of the room and down to the basement. But my father pulled my up quickly, rushing me up towards my room

.

He raided through my closet frantically, yanking out random clothes and stuffing them inside my messenger bag. The house was still shaking, but I was blind. I was so blind.

He pushed the bag filled with clothes. What the hell was going on? "Dad," I started, "What are you--"

"You need to leave Ali," he said quickly. Well gee, thanks. "Get! Now!"

Stumbling down the stairs with nothing but confusion and feeling disowned in a way, I was getting more and more fearful. Something was happening, something inhumane and supernatural. It wasn't just a hunch either, it's like I knew. There's a difference between guesses and facts. And this was a fact.

I started running towards the front door and one second later I was on the floor, my back connecting with the hard, wood ground. I hadn't slipped, I felt as though I was pushed. I groaned in a pain and used all my strength to push myself up. But I didn't see my front door; I didn't even see a wall. The whole front side of my house had disappeared.

I sat there on the floor, my mouth ajar, gawking at the scene played before me. I started trembling with fear, I had no clue what was going on here. I stood up, kicking some of the debris of wood with my foot.

"Is that her?" I heard a deep voice ask from far away. I snapped my head up, digging my nails into my book bag. The street before that was once empty was now filled with at least fifteen people, all differently clothed in black. One man, who seemed way older than the rest, was in the front of them all, was wearing a metal hat that went covered the majority of his face. His eyes were piercing into mine and I shuttered. I knew who they were. They were mutants. All of them.

So I turned around and ran. I ran fast and I ran out of the house, now through what used to be my back door. "Get her!" I heard someone shout and then the quickening footsteps of others following me. My heart was pounding against my chest and I could feel the adrenaline in my veins. What did they want with me?

I ran faster, the fear of people running after me only quickening my pace, and down the street to a batch of woods. Maybe I could lose them all. Every time I wanted to stop, just to peek over my shoulder, I thought better of it and continued to run. I don't know how long I did that, everything else was blur. It must have been hours because before I knew it, the sun began to set over the horizon. My legs, which should have been dead, were still pumping harder and harder against the mulch and leaves.

With the wind beating against my face and branches of trees scratching my body, I closed my eyes. I felt the beat of my heart and the blood surge throughout my body. And the last thing I remember is wanting to be in a safe place, where I could stop running.