"Yame, why is this happening" I said in a whisper.

"I don't know. I wish those bad men would leave"

"We have to be strong. Koni's gonna need our help. He's hurt…" We had no idea

"Get up boy!" The man who shot him could hear Koni struggle to move as he pushed himself up.

"Please leave us alone! I'm begging you!" Our mom pleaded again

"Bitch would you shut it!" One of the other men yelled

"Go get the dad" one of the guys walked off, "you take care of boy, I want the mom" laughed the man who hurt Koni. We figured he was the leader.

"Who the hell are you!" We could hear dad yelling as he was struggling with the man. We heard him grunt as the man threw punches while pulling him into the living room.

Kiyame crawled over to me and hugged me as we both silently cried waiting to hear what's gonna happen now.

"I thought boss said there was another kid or something?"

"Don't know, don't care we take care of who we see and get out remember."

"Take care? What are you going to do to us?" Koni said.

"I think you know the answer to that one little boy" We heard one more shot

"NOOOOO" Momma screamed so loud that we covered our ears. "My baby boy! You killed my baby!"

"...No…" Kiyame and I whispered. "Yame why are they doing this?"

"I don't know…"

Next we heard dad yell as the men kicked as hit him. Momma was shoved into the closet door as me and Yame pushed ourselves further back so they wouldn't hear us. Both mom and dad were yelling and grunting as the men hit them. I didn't know what to do. I felt sick. Like I was gonna throw up at any moment. I wondered why our neighbors hadn't called the police but I quickly remembered we live in the bad part of town. We hear shots every night. People don't care anymore.

"I'm tired of this, let's just kill 'em and get outta here" We hurt guns cocked

Suddenly Yame let me go and stood up walking towards the door. "Yame what are you doing!? Stop you'll get hurt too!"

She put her hand on the handle and looked at me, smiling. "I love you Gome, but I have to try and help them. You stay here"

Shaking my head violently I tried and pleaded, "Don't go… what am I gonna do without any of you guys? I need you. You're all I have left Yame. Please!"

"Bye Gome. Stay safe" As she opened the door and slipped out closing it behind her. "Get away from my mom!"

I crawled over to the door and listened. "See I knew there was another kid" that man said with a chuckle.

"Doesn't matter she's gonna die just like the rest of them." I heard another shot and momma yell again I just blocked the rest out. I heard the faint screams of my mom and dad as they were shot, the man ran through the house taking things, the door slamming as they left, the car pulling off.

After another hour or so I finally pulled myself off the floor and was gonna leave the closet to call the cops. As soon as I opened the door I wished I hadn't I stood frozen in the doorway as tears cascaded down my cheeks. The entire living room was covered in blood. My mom was hanging over the side of the couch her face beaten so badly I could barely recognize her. Dad along the farthest wall 3 shots to the chest and one in the head. His arm looked broken and he was beaten pretty bad too. Kiyame was next to the closet door with a single shot to her head and Koni was not to far from her with a shot in the arm, leg, and side of the head. It looked like a scene in a scary movie, or a haunted house. I couldn't move but I couldn't look away either. Suddenly I turned and threw up all over the floor of the closet. I screamed as I cried harder than I ever have. I had to call the cops though so I dealt with the sight as a found my way to the phone. I tried to not step in blood but it was on the phone when I picked it up.

I dialed 911 and ran to sit in the closet until they got there. They asked the basic questions like what happened, if I saw the men, what did I hear, the questions everyone in the TV shows get asked. They cleared out their bodies from the house and told me to get some clothes, one of the lady officers helped me. We drove to the station and they made me tell them what happened again. I didn't want to keep talking about it, I didn't want to think about. I wanted to be quiet and sit in the corner crying. I didn't want to talk people how my family died over and over but they said that's the only way to catch them so they can't hurt anyone else.

They gave me a room to sleep in until the morning when I'd have to go to the adoption place. I don't want to go there but I don't have any family to stay with or any friends. I didn't sleep at all. Every time I closed my eyes all I could see was my family in the living room

I didn't eat breakfast either. I still felt like I was gonna throw up. I was so tired I fell asleep in the car on the way to the adoption place the next morning and I dreamed about my family asking me why I didn't help them. But they were bleeding and dead but they wouldn't let me go. I couldn't get away. And one of the cops woke me up because I was screaming.

They told me I have to live here until someone comes to get me and wants me to live with their family, I don't want to live with anyone else's family. I loved my family. I'd rather be alone. I didn't talk a day and that was fine. I still didn't eat anything all day. What happened to my family was all over the newspaper that dad use to read every morning. I just cried silently and went back to my room without breakfast again. I wouldn't talk to any of the other kids or the 'caretakers' as they called themselves.

I still didn't eat anything for the rest of the week. I didn't talk the whole time I was there. None of the people that came in to get a kid wanted me because I didn't talk. I heard the 'caretakers' talking about me one night when I was supposed to be asleep. They were saying I would never get adopted because no one wanted to deal with a kid who watched her family die, they said that no one would want to deal with me being depressed and mute, crying every night and barely eating.

After a few months of living there I started going back to school with the other kids. We went to OakTail Elementary that was down the street from the home. I hated school. The other kids made fun of me and spread rumors that I killed my parents and that's why I didn't talk because I felt bad about it. Others said I let them die because I didn't help them like my sister did. They called me a murderer. I cried even more at night and hated myself more and more everyday

After another few weeks a man came in looking for a daughter and be said I was perfect. I actually got adopted and soon realized I'd rather be in the home…