My Little Shadow

Prologue

I apologize for the tears in advance:( I really didn't want to write this but I feel like to understand August you need to get a glimpse of what he went through.

The smell of chocolate-chip pancakes filled the air. Angelina hasn't woken up yet, but I'll blame that on the two-hour-long tickle fest, we had last night, Archer had come by at around twelve because he couldn't sleep. He does that every now and again and he'll crash in the bed with me like he did when I lived at the family house.

He said he's going to move in with me next year and I wouldn't mind having a little extra help with Angelina. The tornado took out a good portion of the fence, so I've been having to work double time helping fix it while simultaneously keeping the cattle from getting attacked by coyotes.

I get a wooden spoon and pot and begin hitting them together, "Rise and shine Prince and Princess!"

Archer instantly tumbles off of the bed with a thud and a few seconds later I hear little feet pattering down the hall. "Me a princess?" Her soft voice was scratchy from sleep.

I peek down at the nappy blonde head, brown-eyed ball of sunshine. I reach down and ruffle up her hair, messing it up even further than it was.

"Ow." Archer hisses as he stands up, his hair even messier than Angelina's.

"Haha, Uncle Archer's hair funny." She giggles and points at the man who fake scowls at her.

"That's it, I don't think I got enough tickles last night." He takes off tripping over the cover before quickly standing back up and chases my daughter down the hallway as she shrieks from the fierce laughter.

I follow after them with the biggest of smiles on my face. My two favorite people get along so well.

They are everything to me.

~.~.~.~.~

"What kind of ice cream do you want?" I ask her as I clutch onto her tiny hand, my tattooed fingers clashing harshly against the pale white skin.

"Uhhhh." She tries to think about it for a moment before her eyes light up with excitement. "Chocolate! I want all's the chocolate!" I bop her small nose loving the giggle she lets go. She was such a happy kid I lucked up.

"Okay, then two scoops of chocolate." She nods her head enthusiastically, her blonde pigtails swaying back and forth.

Tires squeal against the pavement. My head instantly snaps to the sound, and I spot two men leaning out of a window with guns in their hands. Though I wanted to panic I couldn't afford to.

I don't hesitate. I crouch down and form a cocoon around Angelina. My chin rests on the top of her head, my arms wrapping around her small body. "Daddy?" her voice shakes as gunshots go off all around us. A body hits the ground beside me, a woman screams in the distance just as a searing pain radiates through me. I draw up in pain. "Daddy?! Daddy?!"

Angelina's voice screeched out in terror as the car rushes off leaving behind a horror scene.

"It's okay baby. Daddys okay." Assuming her terror was from me being hurt. I open my eyes but what I see doesn't make sense. I shielded her, I made sure she was covered but my little girl was bleeding.

She was bleeding so much that there was already a puddle around us. "Daddy? It hurts."

I look down and realize that the bullet that hit my side went right through.

It went right through me and got to her.

"Oh god!" I scream in terror and pull her little four-year-old body to me. "You're going to be okay baby. You're going to be okay."

I stroked back her hair, blood seeping into the blonde, staining it. I pressed down on her chest, where the blood was leaking out.

"I love you, Angelina! I love you so much."

I watch as her soft brown eyes flutter closed and her heart stops beating.