Live For It

|25|

{THIRD PERSON}

t h r e e   y e a r s   e a r l i e r

The woman in the window watched as the cloudy sky darkened with each passing minute. She could hear the laughter of the young adults through the glass up on the third floor, the only thing bringing her joy in the current times. Her eyes trailed over them and their games, happy that for one day they were all getting along. 

The oldest son, being just 21, smiled and exclaimed loving words to his mother from the front yard of their large house. Giving him a wave back, the woman in the window sighed and rested her head on her hand as the four boys went back to tackling each other and tossing different items back and forth. 

She watched as her daughter sat near the center water fountain piece of the paved driveway. The girl smiled at her brothers whenever they would say something to her, but would go back to staring down at the water in the circular pool of coins and lucky wishes. 

Maybe it was the approaching clouds in the sky, or that nighttime was edging close, or even the nearing winter season, but something else felt off in the air when the woman in the window breathed. 

Something wasn't right. 

The daughter started walking back towards the house when the drops of rain started to get a little too prominent for her liking. Looking over her shoulder at her brothers, who were still wrestling and acting like idiots, she shrugged to herself and knew that they would come inside eventually. 

The woman in the window saw the three black-armored SUVs approaching from the nearby country roads before any of the children did, and she wondered what her husband was doing getting back so early from work. 

Then she remembered her husband was supposed to be at home for a business meeting, so he never actually went to work this morning. 

The daughter stopped right before closing the front door, realizing the same thing her mother had thought just three floors above. The girl shouted something at her brothers, getting their attention on the approaching vehicles as well. 

The woman in the window fled from her position and raced down the stairs in her usual business attire. When she reached the first floor, all of her children were sprinting inside, locking all doors and possible entrances behind them. The guards were now stationed at high rises and balconies, readying any use of weaponry on the unfamiliar guests. 

Maybe they were friends of father's, the children thought. But the mother knew better. Her husband had only enemies and business allies. No one stupid enough would get close to him. 

She ordered her children up the stairs, pushing and pleading with them to get to safety. 

They wondered about her frantics, knowing now that this was serious. The mother threw open the first door of the hallway on the third floor, revealing an empty office. 

That empty office was where their father was supposed to be. Where he always was, usually ignoring his family and neglecting their needs. 

The daughter picked the lock on her father's armory, handing out weapons to everyone who needed to be armed for whatever enemy attack that could happen. The slams of car doors echoed around the house, making her heart thump loudly in her ears.

The oldest son looked his mother in the eyes, seeing her fear and her sadness, but also her unhinged bravery. 

"No," he had said many times with a shake of his head, arguing with her.