The summer… Heat… Humidity… But most importantly—
"Ice cream!!!" yelled a little girl as she ran to her parents while holding an ice cream cone.
"Enjoying your ice cream?" the mom giggled.
The girl nodded quickly and laughed; they were at the beach, everyone in their swimsuit.
The girl's dad walked to her and ruffled her hair while patting her, his eyes filled with warmth.
"Glad you are enjoying our outing!" The dad laughed as he picked the girl up and put her on his shoulder.
"Oh?" The mom's eyes widened as her phone began to ring. She picked it up and answered the phone.
The mom's eyes darkened, becoming devoid of any emotion… "Yes, sir… I'll be there…"
The mother put the phone down and forced a smile before walking to the changing room and entering it.
"Where is Mommy going?" the little girl asked as she looked down onto her father…
The father's eyes were also devoid of any emotion; he looked at her with a fake smile, trying to reassure her.
"Don't worry about it, sweetie; she's just going to work," he chuckled.
"Why does my mom have to go work as a model?" The little girl tilted her head.
As soon as she asked, her father's phone also rang… He put her down, picked his phone from the towel, and answered.
"Yes?… Got it… now?… What about… yes, sir…" The dad nodded and began taking the things and putting them in the basket.
"Let's go home," he said, coldly, not even looking at the girl who was tearing up… She thought that she finally got time to spend with her parents…
"I have to go to work too. Actors work hard, you know?" The dad's eyes were dark, with no emotion and no trace of life.
The dad dragged her to the car, putting the basket in the back and the girl on the back seat.
When they got home, it was a large luxury apartment; the dad left right after going in the house and changing into casual clothes.
She was left in the house… Alone… It was eerie; she wanted to run to someone and hug them… but no one was around to hug her… or comfort her.
Her legs trembling, her heart pounding, her breath quickening…
She decided to drag herself to the bathroom, taking off her swimsuit and taking a shower; the silence made her afraid, but the warm water gave her some peace.
It calmed her nerves, the warm feeling of water flowing, and the sound of the drops slapping against her skin and the floor.
After she finished, she dried herself and wore her favorite light blue dress with flowers at the skirt.
She slowly dragged herself to the living room, grabbing the TV remote and turning on the TV to drown out all of the fear and silence.
She was calming down; the TV noises made her less fearful, so she looked around and got up, walking slowly to the kitchen.
She walked to the fridge that was a lot taller than her; she pulled on the door, and it opened, revealing all kinds of dishes.
But instead of taking the fancy dishes like sushi, she took some Chinese food; she always loved Chinese food.
She held the cardboard box in her hand, then looked at the microwave, opened its drawer, and put in the food.
She then pressed a few buttons and then pressed start; the microwave hummed as the food spun and warmed up…
The hum felt eerie; the TV noise was still there in the background, but the hum made it feel like she was being watched, like a zombie was just around the corner.
She held the skirt of her dress, her grip on it tightening… The microwave made a loud ding, signaling that the food is ready to be eaten.
She opened the door and took out the box and grabbed a fork and went back to the living room, hyper aware of her surroundings…
Outside of the giant window that had a beautiful view, was the sun setting… Now it is REALLY going to be scary.
Before the scary part began, she went to her, and then she took her favorite doll, which was a panda, and she held it tight, also grabbing the toy that shines whenever it turns on.
She then went back to the living room, putting her toys beside her and eating while watching a cartoon about superpowered animals.
As night came, the house became dimmer, and when she finished her food, she picked it up, walking slowly towards the kitchen.
She turned on the light to the kitchen and put the fork in the dish washer and threw away the cardboard.
Walking out, she ran towards the living room light switch and turned it on, the room lighting up once again.
The sun has set… vampires can come for her, zombies, skeletons, ghosts…
She ran to the couch and tackled her doll panda and squeezing it in a hug.
"We're okay pandy, don't worry." she whimpered.
She then walked to the window, looking down, she saw that it was a long way down even if it was just a window, it was a whole wall made of glass.
She took a step back and held the panda tighter…
Later, she walked to bed, the silence was there once more, she changed into her pijamas and laid down.
At that moment, the front door opened and her parents walked in, both of them not even saying any thing to her in her room.
she drifted to sleep, holding her panda, her parents watching TV, their usual TV show about people fighting.