Muted.

Her Beginning

September 18th, 1999

Narrator's POV

Ashanti sat happily next to her mother's worn out, floral chair as she played with her yellow-haired cabbage patch kid.

Her mother was reading the many bills and letters that had came in the mail that morning as she hummed the melody to 'Sweet Child O' Mine' to herself.

Power bill.

Water bill.

Rent.

All the notices telling them how much they owed was too much for Talia; she rubbed her temple and stood with a sigh. She did, though she didn't want to, opened the letter she had received from her sister.

From: Olivia it read. She carefully ripped the top of the envelope and pulled out a piece of lined paper:

Dear Talia,

Hey, Tal. I know we haven't spoken in a while.And you wouldn't answer my calls. I swear I didn't mean to bring you being 'out of work' up at the Fourth of July BBQ. I didn't mean to make you, Mama, or Dad upset. Please, Talia, write back? We... I miss you. I want to see you, this Thanksgiving, okay? I want to see Ashanti, too. And hell, might as well bring Martin, too! I know this is short, but you know me, short and simple. Mom wants us to come down to North Carolina for Thanksgiving this year by the way. I hope to see you (and your famous macaroni) soon.

Love, Olivia

"Can't believe she has the audacity to write me. Am I right or am I right, Ashanti?" Her mutter slowly turned into a sarcastic question, aimed at her 4 year old, who could barely comprehend 3 words.

"You right Mama." Ashanti cheered as she made her cabbage patch doll do a flip in midair.

"Good to know someone thinks I am, baby." She turned to her land line on the counter next to some sticky notes and the fridge, and shook the thought of calling Olivia out of her mind. "Baby, Mama's gonna take a nap, okay? Would you like to nap with me while we wait for Daddy to get home?" She asked Ashanti.

"Yes, Mama!" She stood with a giggle and ran haphazardly into her mother's arms.

Talia walked both her daughter and herself into her bedroom, which was not much more than a bed and a nightstand. She laid down, positioning Ashanti next to her. She pulled the covers over them, but Ashanti was already asleep before her head hit the pillow.

Time skip, 30 minutes later. 

Ashanti's eyes fluttered open as she heard muffled footsteps coming from the kitchen.

Daddy's home! She thought as she jumped out of her mother's cozy embrace. She ran as fast as her little legs could carry her and turned the corner leading to the hallway.

She stopped.

Frozen in her cheerful tracks, the person in the kitchen was not her father.

It was a tall white man, with a ski mask enclosing the details to his identity. He carry a large sack, grabbing anything his fingers could touch.

The man, too, stopped in his tracks. He was now starring straight into the eyes of the poor four year old standing dumbly in the middle of the hallway.

"Shit!" He whisper screamed to himself, starting towards Ashanti, he reached for the waist line of his torn jeans and took out a 9 mm Sim & Wesson. "Don't talk, ya lil brat!" He orderd the frightened Ashanti. 

She was not frightened by the gun, however. She had seen them all too much. Her father had one, her grandmother, aunties, everyone. She was frightened by the height of her attacker, though. Being the 3 foot tall little girl she was, she was terrified.

She disobeyed her attacker.

"Mommy!!" She bellowed and ran towards Talia's bedroom. 

The gunman took aim, *click*, empty, he reloaded as she bolted to the end of the hallway. "Fuck!" He said, irritated, under his breath.

"Mommy!" She loudly insisted as her mother shot into an upright position. 

"What is it, child?" She questioned as she jumped to her feet, scooping up a trembling Ashanti.

"Monster!" She screamed, pointing to the hallway.

"Honey, there's no such thing." She soothed as she went to put her back into the unmade bed.

"I wouldn't say that." He said from the doorway, holding the gun out with his left hand, towards Talia's back. 

Ashanti felt her mother's arms freeze around her tiny body. She shared her mother's quickened pulse.

Talia whipped her head around, ready to confront the intruder-

BANG.

Ashanti screamed as her face was splattered with warm blood.

Her mother swayed for a moment, before tumbling to the ground.

"MAMAAA!!" She screeched as she jumped down to her mother's side.

She looked at her mother's chest, seeing the rapidly growing cloud of red on her white button up shirt. She panicked. The gunman had a sly grin on his face as he slowly aimed the gun at Ashanti's forehead.

Ashanti squeezed her eyes shut, and clenched her fists as she began to sob.

BANG.

Darkness.

Ashanti opened her eyes, confused.

She stared at the tall man, who, just like her mother, had a red blotch seeping through his gray hoodie. He reached his hand up to his chest, resting his fingers on his wound, removed them and glared at the blood. "Son of a...." He began but never finished as he, too, fell to the ground.

Ashanti peered over her attacker to see her father, planted in the doorway, with a double-barreled shotgun in his right hand. She watched it slip out of his grasp as he quickly stepped over the gunman's body, and dropped down next to his wife.

"Talia." He whispered to her, encouraging her to reply.

She said nothing.

Tears began to escape the corners of his dark eyes, rolling down his almond cheeks. He turned to see Ashanti, terrified and confused. He open his arms, inviting her into them.

She ran into her father's arms and she too, began to cry.

"He took Mommy!" She sobbed.

"I know, honey." His voice shook and cracked with every agonizing syllable.

Thanks for reading! This is the first of my drafts I actually decided to publish. New chapter coming out soon, hopefully. <3