A Life in Capitals.

Ever since I was eight years old my life had been in capitals.

"What do you mean" you ask?

Well lets start at the beginning shall we.

I started out life as Margaret Angelica Mendoza. I knew I was adopted of course, I even knew my birth mother, her name was Susan. I have pictures of her. She was nice and she loved me but she couldn't look after me. So she found the Mendozas. I had a family, a Mum and Dad, brothers and sisters. Until They came. I can still remember their screams, all the blood.. and the Monsters.

That was The Kidnapping. Capital Event Number One.

After that, there was The Bad Place. Capital Event Number Two. I don't talk about The Bad Place. I still dream about it sometimes. I was so scared, hungry and really cold. It was dark and there were.. things in the dark. There were screams, day and night, and not everything that screamed was human. And there was blood. Lots and lots of blood. I will always remember the colour of it, the smell. I will never forget it.

It was also the very first time I ever saw my Dad. He looked like a Superhero. He talked to me, just for a moment. He told me that he'd come to take me away from the monsters. And he did. My favourite memory of my Dad from that awful time was him holding me after everything was over and I could finally sleep, safe and warm in his arms.

Even then I KNEW he was my Daddy. After all He had done what Daddy's were supposed to do, he'd come and fought the monsters and rescued me. Before my Dad came I'd fallen asleep, and in my dream I was alone and crying. Then a voice, the strongest, bravest, best voice I'd ever heard had whispering "For you, little girl. Dad's coming."

So I kinda knew he was coming but it was hard to believe, harder to be brave, and when he appeared and he spoke, and I realised it was true and HE had come.. I was too scared and tired to tell him "Thank you."

After The Bad Place I got a new family, and a new dog. The Carpenter's were really nice, but the nightmares were really bad. I woke everyone up screaming, but they never minded. Little Harry gave me one of his teddy bears, to chase away my bad dreams, and Mrs Carpenter would sit with me until I could fall asleep again. Then a pale, pretty blonde girl came, she looked like she was in pain and couldn't walk without crutches but she brought Mouse. Mouse kept away the bad dreams.

Mouse is Capital Event Number 3. He's Super Dog. (I am not kidding.) He is very very smart, and loyal and a bit over protective. The pale girl, her name was Molly, was the Carpenter's oldest child and used to work with my Dad. She went with Dad and his friends to save me.

It was Molly who told me all about my dad, how he was a hero, a wizard who fought the bad things. She told me he hadn't known about me until The Kidnapping but as soon as he did, he'd loved me and he'd risked everything to come and save me. All he had wanted was for me to be safe. She told me how Mouse was his, and that he'd given him to me. Mouse would always keep me safe. Molly explained that my Dad had had to go away. That he hadn't wanted to leave me, he loved me very much. Someone had wanted to hurt him and maybe they had shot him. Molly would never said he was Dead. He was just gone. She explained it all to me, then she went away too. She visited sometimes, but never as often as Mr and Mrs Carpenter wanted. (or me and Mouse.) For a long long time she was very sad.

Then all of a sudden she was happy. One day I heard Molly tell her Dad. "Harry's alive. Mab has him." I was so excited. I was sure he would come see me. Molly had said he loved me.

So I waited but he didn't come.

On Halloween Molly went away too. She came back different.

She said she'd seen my Dad. He was on his Island.

I waited again. And I started to wonder. Had I done something wrong? Why didn't he come.

Molly said he has a Very Hard Job. But one that is Very Important. That his Boss is Mean. She said all of this with capitals. She also said his job, what my Dad is, is a Big Secret. Family and those in the know only. Only I didn't know who knew what. No one told me anything. Except for Molly. And Mouse.

Then he finally came. My Dad. Capital Event Number 4. And my favourite. One night there was a lot of noise, and we all had to hide. (The Carpenter's have their own panic room!) I was scared but I had Mouse. When we came out, Mouse dragged me to the stairs and there he was. My Dad. I knew him right away, Molly had shown me a picture. He was very very big. The tallest man I'd ever seen. He looked very strong, but so tired. I was only nine but I remember how worn out and sad he looked. I still thought he looked wonderful. He was my Dad. And suddenly I had to know, had he come to take me away? Did he loved me, or had I done something bad? Did he want to be my Dad for real?

So I asked and he looked like he wanted to cry. But he did say he wanted to be my Dad, and that I'd done nothing wrong. And Mouse said he was nice. Mouse is always right. He read me stories, and slept in my room. And my little sister? She's sure different from anyone else's little sister. One of a kind but she sure was an awesome Sixth Capital Event.

And after that whenever his Mean Boss let him stay in town he came around all the time. He'd come to my school events, to my softball games. He took me out, brought me things and taught me so much. He never missed my birthday, and he never missed Christmas. Though he missed Church whenever he could get away with it. Dad is a technology killer, (but now so am I!) He actually has his own super creepy island, and a really big mouth. He can be an embarrassing dork. He can also be scary overprotective.. as a few of his enemies and two of my would be boyfriends found out.

He is the best Dad ever.

So as you can see, my life is full of Capitals. Winter Knight and Winter Lady. Super Dog. Capital Events. Wizards. Magic. Big Secret. Little Sister. Swords of Faith. Fairy Queen.

I am Margaret Angelica Dresden, Apprentice to Warden Dresden, the Winter Knight.