Chapter Text
"Lalisa, sweetheart." The woman smiled, a smile that the young girl had always been fond of. Her daddy had told her once that this smile was brighter than the sun, and Lalisa had laughed, but then always bragged about it. Her mommy had a smile brighter than the sun, and no one could compete.
"Come here for a second." She added, patting her lap, and the young girl immediately rushed into her mother's arms, making the woman chuckle. "I have a gift for you."
Her eyes instantly lit up. "A gift?"
"Yes baby, close your eyes for me." She said, voice bright, and Lalisa did as told, trying hard to resist the urge to peek.
She felt something slide around her neck, and gasped surprisingly.
"There you go." The young girl opened her eyes almost immediately, too curious to keep on waiting, and the woman chuckled at her reaction.
"Do you like it?"
Lalisa was too busy staring at the necklace now tired around her neck to answer. It was a simple, golden chain with a clover jewel at the end. Her mouth was wide open in shock as her eyes started shining in admiration.
"I'm taking that for a yes, then." She laughed. "Do you know what they say about four leaves clovers?"
Lisa shook her head, gaze still stuck on the necklace.
"It gives you luck. So, if you keep this on you, you'll be the luckiest girl ever."
The young girl started smiling again, "Really?!"
"Yes, baby." Her mother said, brushing her hair back as strands kept falling on her eyes.
Lalisa didn't answer, she had never been a talkative child. Instead, she wrapped her arms around her mom's body, hugging her tightly, and the woman knew that this meant more than any word ever.
"I love you, honey."
"I love you too."
Silence had never been so loud.
The little girl didn't want to go downstairs. In her room, she at least felt safe. From the silence, from the truth. She was rocking herself back and forth, humming quietly to the song her mommy would sing to her when she wouldn't fall asleep.
She wished the silence would stop.
Lalisa's home was usually always so loud; there were people more often that not. She never really liked those people, she would much rather spend time with her mom and dad without all of their weird friends. But, still, as the silence went on and on for minutes, then hours, Lisa missed the loud chatters and clinks of glasses.
She could recall perfectly the loud bang of the door being forced open, then the screams. They kept replaying over and over inside her head, and nothing could distract her from it.
She couldn't move.
Her parents had told her what to do in case things ever went bad. Lisa wasn't sure what her parents did, but she knew that if they had friends, they also had a lot of enemies.
She was hidden in her closet, like she had practiced so many times.
"Like a game of hide and seek?"
Her dad laughed, tears beginning to gather in the corner of his eyes. "Yes, baby. Like a game of hide and seek."
Her parents had promised she would never have to do it for real. They would always be there for her.
What happened to that promise?
What did her parents do?
Did they abandon her?
How could everything go from normal to silence?
Lalisa had dreaded this moment for so long.
Couldn't the silence just stop?!
The little girl kept on singing to herself, louder and louder, but nothing seemed to be working as the silence always seemed to overpower her weak voice.
How long had it even been?
It was pitch black outside.
But, god. Her parents had taught her to be strong. She couldn't be weak. She wasn't weak!
With her whole body trembling, the little girl tried getting up. Everything felt like it was spinning around her. Her ears were ringing. Sight was blurry. She walked down the stairs, hoping to catch a glimpse of her parents asleep on the couch.
Instead, she saw a puddle of blood.
Everything was dark. Silent.
Lisa felt like she was paralyzed.
She had to run. Her daddy would have told her to run. Her mommy would have kissed her forehead, told her everything would be okay. That they would be joining her a minute, but for now, she had to run.
And, god, Lisa wish she could.
Instead, the little girl fell to her knees, and everything went dark.