How it started...

As I lay on the cold wooden floor it’s dark up in the attic. It sounds like someone is breaking glass. I try to pull myself up to take a peek out the window, but my brother Keith quickly pulls me down and tells me to be still they might hear us. I lay back down wrap myself in Keith's arms and watch the red and blue lights as they flicker on and off the walls of the dark wooden ceiling. Each time the lights hit the corner of the dusty walls I can see the spider webs. I don’t like spiders I try and whisper to Keith. Angela stay still and be quiet before they hear us. Okay, I say softly as I fold my arms. I lay my little self back down and listen to all the yelling and screaming going on downstairs and outside the window. I am not sure what’s going on but I can tell it's bad. We were sitting in the kitchen eating Keith’s grilled cheese sandwiches he had just made for us with a cup of juice before he rushed us upstairs and told us to get in the attic. I always loved his grilled cheese sandwiches they always had the cheese oozing out of them and the crust was nice a buttery with a crispy taste too. Keith is my oldest brother he is six years older than me he is nine years old. Keith, always took good care of us. It is a total of five of us so I did whatever he told me to. So when he told me to lay down and be quiet that is what I tried to do. I could hear my mother and father outside yelling at each other. I could hear things dropping and breaking but I wasn't sure what was happening all I knew it is bad. I knew because the attic is where the five of us had to hide so the police wouldn't know my parents had kids. It normally worked out we would stay up there for a couple of hours which sometimes felt like a lifetime to me because I am only three years old. We would lay there and listen to my parents fight. I really never understood what was happening. I just knew the attic was our safe place. Jennifer and I would try to play quietly with Trina at times so no one could hear us, but Trina would start to cry and Keith would make us stop and sit still. Jennifer was my older sister by two years and Trina was the baby of the bunch. We also had another brother who is always bossy but very funny and would try and make us laugh when we were not in the attic. his name is Marcus he has little freckles that I poke at. He was older then all of us girls but two years younger than Keith. Whenever we were sent to the attic I remember Marcus being the big brother that would look out the window and watch for anyone coming. Or he would put his head down to the ground and listen to my parents fight and yell really bad things. He would slowly from time to time come back over to Keith and in a whisper so low that my sisters and I couldn't hear what he would tell Keith everything that he had just seen or heard. At times they would get very upset but I never understood why they didn't seem to be upset with each other. Keith made sure to feed us if we were in the attic for a long time. There in the corner of the attic right where I would always see the spider web set an old rusty cabinet. Keith has always kept food stashed in there so he could give us snacks when we started to fuss. He kept diapers for Trina because she would still pee herself. Well she is only one. Marcus seem to always be hungry and would take all the good snacks but I didn't care much. it was Keith who would tell him to put some back because he wasn't sure how long we would be in the attic. Right below the cabinet with the food Keith kept blankets so if it was cold or we got sleepy he would lay the blankets out for us to fall asleep on. I remember many times waking up the next day and still being in the attic. At times all the fighting and yelling would stop the house seemed to be at peace it seemed like no one was around......