The Time After Midnight

Hey, this is my story. It has its ups and its downs but I think it’s pretty interesting. Ok, that’s all I’m going to say because I don’t want to spoil the ending. I tend to do that, so I have to stay on my Ps and Qs. So lets start on the day that everything kind of flipped. It all started on New Years Eve. My parents were getting on my nerves as usual and I had snuck out the night before. Of course I came back but I really didn’t want to. Where else am I going to go right? Wrong! I have plenty of places to go. I just didn’t feeling like getting into trouble today if that ok with you. I wanted it to be a normal day. You know, hanging out with my friends, maybe catch a movie with my boyfriend and share that special midnight kiss. Yeah, that would have been nice, but never going to happen with my parents running around. So it was about five o’ clock in the afternoon when I got back from my best friend Jasmine’s house. When I got through the front door, all I heard were my parents screaming my name as loud and obnoxiously as possible. It was so annoying! They dashed into the room and my mom slammed me against the door then screamed, “Where were you?” I couldn’t tell them I was at Jasmine’s. They would get mad. So while I thought of a good lie, I stalled, “Even if I told you, you wouldn’t believe me, so what’s the point in telling you.” My step-dad was getting madder than before. He backhand slapped me across the face, sending me to the ground, and then screamed, “Where were you, you street rat?” I shot him a very dirty look and picked myself off the ground. I hid the pain that was shooting across my face. I couldn’t give him the satisfaction he wanted. I crossed my arms and started going up the stairs but that’s when I felt his hands around my neck! He was squeezing harder and harder. He was actually choking me, guys! I could barely breath and everything around me was starting to black out. I bet you’re wondering what my mom was doing during all of this. The answer: nothing, as usual. My step-dad dragged me down the three steps I had managed to ascend before all this. Then my mom, oh loving mom, started interrogating me again. “Where were you Kiara?” She yelled. Remember I’m being choked to death here. I wasn’t really thinking of anything but getting those sweating hands from around my neck. Thinking of anything that would save me, I pulled on my dad’s hands and in a raspy kind of voice; I managed to say, “The library…” I gasped for breath before I continued, “…school project.” He finally let go. Thank God! I just fell to the floor. I honestly think I might have had about two more seconds before I blacked out and of course, no one really cared, did they? I coughed a bit and gasped for breath. I had thought that was the end but my dad kicked me once in the gut before they both walked off. As you can see, home-life isn’t all that great for me. Do you understand why I sneak out now? It’s a mad house in here. This is everyday for me! I guess I should tell you...my parents are criminals, which would explain what just happened here. My mom is a murderer, my step-dad is a r****t and both are amazing thieves. Not the best role models if you haven’t realized. As you can imagine, I’m somewhat of a criminal myself but I’m a little more undercover then mom and dad. They are wanted around the country and move all around. They tried putting them in jail but they broke out and skipped town. And you think just because your parents read your diary, your life is over? Please! I think I win. The only real innocent beings in this house are my brothers. They are ten-year-old twins and as different as peanut butter and jelly. However, like peanut butter and jelly, they make a great team. Jim, the oldest, I guess, is the cool one. He’s lazy and kind of stupid if you ask me. But he’s the one who always comes up with their latest scheme. Tim is the brain of the operation. He loves school like any nerd would. He and his brother often clash heads but they are extremely close and do everything together. Though they have schemes, they are more childish, like switching the salt for sugar or getting out of doing their homework (even though that’s more Jim’s scheme) or setting traps for me around the house. They don’t live that life of crime like we do, which is great. They are my everything. I can’t see anything happening to them. I would die for those boys, no doubts about it. They are the only good things about this house. Sorry, sort of got off on a tangent here. So later that day, I had a date with my boyfriend Jason, we went to see a movie and got some dinner. It was so romantic. Unfortunately though, I couldn’t stay with him the whole night and have the midnight kiss. My parents were onto me and I had to get back home before they got too mad and I got another “interrogation” like that last one. So I got home around eleven-fifty or so. I snuck in through my bedroom window on the second floor. Yes, I was determined to get in without confronting my parents. However, before I even put my things down, Titan, the family German shepherd, ran up to me. He was barking and jumping and it looked like something was wrong! I immediately thought my brothers were in danger so I followed Titan to whatever he wanted me to see. He led me to my parents’ room. They were sleeping, or so it appeared. I walked over to them and examined the situation. There were bruises on their heads and indicated that something or someone had hit them in the head. They were still. Too still. I grabbed each of their wrists and felt their pulse, so they weren’t dead. They were unconscious! That’s when Titan barked again then growled rather loudly. I turned around and saw a man, maybe late teens, early twenties. Regardless of his age, he had a gun and it was pointed straight at me. What he did next will really surprise you! He turned the gun on to his temple, gave a chuckle then pulled the trigger, sending himself to the ground with a great thud. Then, the clock struck twelve. That’s one way to start the New Year with a bang.