'Blood. Blood everywhere. Screaming.. why is mom screaming? Police sirens..our front door busted open, police officers with guns pointed towards me. Fear. Fear running through me as they yell at him to let me go...the dull knife blade pressing into my flesh. Crying..crying hard, asking "Why, why are you doing this?!" Time standing still now, until: one shot! Two shots! He falls to the ground, slicing my neck as he pulls me down with him. Can't breathe...blood pouring from my wound as I'm rushed to the hospital...everything slowly fading to darkness...'

Zariah sat up quickly in bed, dirty blonde hair stuck to her forehead and cheeks flushed a dusty pink from sweat as she breathed heavily...touching the scar on her neck while attempting to calm the thundering sound of her own heart beat pulsating in her ears.

"It's in the past..it's in the past."

The disgruntled woman repeated to herself..pulling the sheets up towards her chest before falling back down into the comfort of her pillows.

Glancing over with her Amber colored eyes, Zariah read the alarm clock on her Victorian white nightstand .. "7:00 AM" flashing in bright red.

Letting out a soft sigh, the young woman slowly sat up and swung her legs over side the bed...staring down at her feet with a slight frown on her face. Ever since the 'incident' 7 years ago, she had constant nightmares; most of the time the same one occurring over and over again...like a skipping record, taunting Zariah's subconscious what seemed to be 24/7.

She let out a yawn and did a quick stretching number before hopping onto the wooden floor, letting out a "Eeeeep!" of shock at the cool sensation her feet encountered before getting use to it. Her usually straight hair that was slightly wavy as it cascaded over her slender shoulders, was pushed all to one side as she stood up and let a smile slip on her lips. "Today is a new day, time to start fresh!"


"Ellennnn! Stellaaaa! Breakfast timeeeee!" Zariah called up the stairs of the lofted apartment, a pink apron draped over her pj tank top and shorts...pink bunny slippers on her feet. A door opened and closed, as she heard tiny foot steps heading towards the bathroom, the door closing quietly.

Turning back to the counter, Zariah put headphones into her ears and began humming as she put eggs & bacon on plates for the two females and herself, totally unaware of the male individual coming down the stairs. The woman was now full fledged singing, as she grabbed a spatula and started jumping around.

"I love you babyyyy, and if it's quite already, I need you baby to warm the lonely nights
I love you baby, trust in me when I say
oh pretty baby, don't bring me down, I pray
oh pretty baby, now that I've found you, stay
and let me love you, baby, let me love you..."

As Zariah continued to hum the song her mother used to sing to both of her daughters, she collided into someone with a small "oomf!" and almost fell to the ground.

However, a pair of toned arms caught her around the waist before the female hit the floor and helped her stabilize. Blushing lightly, Zariah offered a smile to the tall, black haired male as he himself waved quickly and offered a sheepish smile.

"Sorry about that Zariah...I was trying to sneak out before Ellen woke up but heard you calling her for breakfast so..."

She let out a small laugh, as Zariah tucked a strand of loose hair behind her pierced ears.

"N-no problem Scott. Are you sure you don't want to stay for breakfast..? There's definitely plenty for you!"

Scott shook his head as he headed towards the doorway, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose..throwing his backpack over his right shoulder. Man that thing looked pack, but what was in it?!

"Nah, thank you though. I have to head to work..actually, I'm already a few minutes late. Tell Ellen I said bye for me?"

Zariah gave a friendly smile and nodded as Scott let himself out the door. Ellen swore up and down that they weren't an "item" but they were always with each other! Of course, that's because they worked together at the pizzeria...wasn't he a security guard or something?

Zariah shrugged a bit as both Ellen and Stella raced down the stairs and into the kitchen; the older female slamming the counter with her palm.

"HAA! I WIN! In your face, little kid!"
"Hmph! That's not fairrrr! Sissyyyyy, Ellie cheated!"

Zariah laughed at the two as she put the plates on the table, rolling her eyes with a grin.

"Pear (Childhood nickname for Ellen), you are known for your track record of cheating..so I'm gonna have to side with Ella on this one.."

All three females sat down at the table and began eating, Stella more so picking at her eggs while Ellen and Zariah conversed.

"Sooo, did you happen to see Scott?"

Ellen questioned, Zariah noted the faint blush creeping onto her best friends face.

"Yeah..he caught me singing and dancing like an idiot. I offered him breakfast but he said he had to rush off to work.."

Ellen let out a sigh as she shoveled food into her mouth, a 'day dreamed' gaze crossing her face.

"He's such an awesome friend..well, ya'know, besides you Queenie. But he's second!"

"Hey!"

Stella pipped in with a pout on her face, furrowing her eyebrows and crossing her arms over her chest.

"What about me?!"

Ellen rolled her blue eyes at the 7 year old and rustled her brown locks around, continuing to eat.

"Pshh. You're more like that little sister I wish I never had kiddo. No offense."

The little girl let out a small "hmph!" and hopped down from the table...going up the stairs and into her room.

Zariah shot Ellen a "Really?" look, as the black haired woman shrugged. Zariah collected all the plates on the table, walking towards the sink as she glanced behind her.

"'Just friends' Ellen, really?! He's here 3 nights out of the week..and sleeps in your bedroom..."

Ellen rolled her eyes as her blush worsened, waving her hand back and forth.

"Believe what you want, but he has not made any move whatsoever that would indicate coming onto me. He's just really...intriguing and we have bomb as hell conversations! The guy is really just a friend..and besides he sleeps on the sofa in my room. I swearrrrrrr."

Zariah giggled and started washing the dishes, Ellen getting up and heading towards the stairs. "Hey! Speaking of work, Freddy's is hiring for another waitress. You should totally check it out."

"You think?" the blonde questioned as Ellen poked her head around the corner and nodded.

"Of course! Let's get dressed and head down there, so you can check it out! Stella will obviouslyyyyy love the animatronics, and you can see what the place has to offer for little to no pay!"

The two females laughed at the last part as Zariah finished up the kitchen cleaning and ran upstairs to get herself and her sister dressed.

'Any job would be better than no job!' Zariah thought to herself, but she did not have the slightest clue what door she was about to open and walk through..if she had, then the 21 year old would have turned around and never looked back.

A/N: First chapter done! Sorry if it's boring, hopefully the excitement will be picking up soon! c;