After bathing, drying and getting myself and my daughter into our pj's before going downstairs for a light dinner. And off to bed afterwards. Monday m...rning arrived, I dropped my daughter off at school, headed to gym and home afterwards. I had a shower and then got dressed throwing on a casual summer dress and the new lingerie that I bought. I went downstairs starting up my laptop and downloading emails my husband sent me. I was busy with the work for over an hour sorting it into files and. We quickly took up positions at the front windows to watch. My dad with his arms folded began talking first. We couldn't figure out what they were saying. There was no yelling, no screaming, no signs to give away what was going on. My little sister and I hoped for the best but feared the worst. After about thirty minutes all three walked back into the house. We met them just as they entered the door each wearing a non-committal look on their faces. My dad ushered us back into the living room. .”“I just hope it doesn’t take away from your creative writing.”“It won’t. It’s like I have to write those stories.”“I completely understand,” he grinned. “But don’t let go of the possibility of making a career of it. It’s a genre thing. There’s always an audience.”“But short stories?”“Collections can do well, especially genre collections. And I think especially horror. Better for quick shocks.”“But a novel would always do better.”“The stories would be seeds. Growing interest. Bushes wetting. That she was so beautiful made me a bigger sucker than I would have been otherwise."Walk with me and tell me your story. When you're finished, I'll either help you or walk away from you," I said. "Start with your name." My name is Alana Perez," she said as she matched my strides. I'd shortened them so she didn't have to hurry."Who are the men who attacked me?" I said."I don't know their names. They're members of a prison gang, the Sindicto Nuevo Mexico, or New Mexico Syndicate. I've been marked.