Aurelia's Attic

The Attic

    As I hauled boxes of clothes into my house, I couldn't help but be amazed at how nice it was. So new, so clean, and very spacious. The walls matched the fresh snow outside, and the wooden accents reminded me of my childhood cabin. As I placed the boxes down, I saw something I was surprised I hadn't seen before. It was a small door on the ceiling that led to an attic. It was just out of reach, and I didn't have a ladder. I didn't think much of it and continued unpacking. My daughter shuffled into the house, trying to be helpful by dragging a bin across the floor.
"Olivia, Mommy can get that bin." Her face scrunched up in frustration.
"No, I can get it all by myself." I looked down at her as she tried to lift the overstuffed bin. She folded her arms and let out a long sigh. "Are you sure you don't need any help?" She glared up at me but eventually caved. "I need a little bit of help." Olivia ran off to see her new room despite it being heavily under-decorated. When I finally got the bin to its destination, Olivia ran up to tug on my shirt.
"Momma, why is there a door on the roof?" She frantically pointed at the attic door.
"That door leads to an attic, sweetie. It's just an extra room." Her eyes seemed to grow with excitement. "Can I see the inside? I've never had an attic before!" I watched her spark of excitement die as I told her, "I'm sorry, but I can't reach it. I can promise you it's not as exciting as you think." Her eyes glittered with tears as she stormed off to her room. That was my hint that it was bedtime. I awoke in the morning with Olivia two inches away from my face.
"Momma, the attic door opened! We can explore it now!" She spoke in a quiet but eager tone. I groggily tried to comprehend what she told me, but terror flickered in my mind. "Thank you for opening it, Momma! I knew you could reach it!" I walked over to the door, and my fears were confirmed. It was slightly ajar, but I could see a sliver of what was hiding inside it. It was just my daughter and I, and neither of us could reach it. Maybe this house wasn't as safe as I hoped it was. God, I always think of the worst. Get yourself together, Aurelia. I'm just being paranoid.
"Hmm, that's interesting, but we should explore it after breakfast." Olivia would make this challenging, but I had to keep her away from that door. She hastily ate half her breakfast and begged me again to see the attic. I didn't want to scare her, but I couldn't leave her in the dark.
"Olivia, I didn't open the attic." She tilted her head in confusion. "Yes, you did, Momma. Stop being silly!"
"Olivia, I am being serious. I don't want to worry you, but you can not go near the attic unless I am with you." She tried to cover her disappointment with sass.
"Well, I don't like this house, and I don't like you Momma!" I knew she was only four and didn't know what she was saying, but I didn't need this when I was anxious enough. I decided to make up for it by taking her shopping. I could relax, she could be happy, and we would both be out of the house. We returned about an hour later, and my anxiety was ten times worse. The door was now halfway open, and a box of Olivia's clothes was suddenly missing. The rest of the day was a blur until night. I decided that I would investigate what was happening in that god-forsaken attic.
When Olivia fell asleep, I cautiously creeped out of bed. When I walked into the hallway, the door was now fully open. Nothing was stopping me now. I quickly grabbed a chair and climbed into the attic. It was dark, but I saw a mirror, a few blankets, and a box. I inched closer and realized that it held Olivia's clothes. I thought I was just paranoid. That was until I saw a man standing behind me in the mirror. He knocked me to the ground as soon as I made eye contact with him. Adrenaline flooded my mind until I saw something in the corner of my eye. Olivia was still in our room, her eyes wide open. Her terror was enough to snap me out of my panic. I crawled to the door and fell on the chair I had previously used.
I scooped her into my arms, grabbed my phone, and frantically dialed 911. I burst out the front door and ran. I ran as far as my legs could carry me. I ran even when they started to burn. The brisk wind pushed against my face while snow crunched under my bare feet. The man was no longer behind us, which gave me time to catch my breath. I could see it in the cold December air. I saw very little from Olivia. She doesn't know what happened, so I'd expect her to be shocked. She's okay though, I know she is. The police and paramedics arrived and immediately sprinted in our direction. They snatched Olivia out of my arms. How dare they. After all I went through, I can't even hold my daughter? I watched them carry her into the ambulance as I muttered under my breath,
"You'll be okay; my little girl will be okay."

"A Four-year-old Found Dead After Break-In
After Davis Perlon escaped Faith Brooke Asylum, he needed a new hiding place. Unfortunately, his choice was Aurelia Henson's attic. He slipped out of the attic just as Aurelia began to check it. That's when he went into Olivia Henson's room and suffocated her. When confronted by police, Davis shot himself. Aurelia is still in denial of the death of her child, repeatedly asking the police if she can take Olivia back home. We are all wishing Aurelia and her family the best."

I know this is kinda bad but I worked really hard on it so I hope you liked it! Have a zoinkety boinkety day/night :]