I was in bed after hooking the mouse back up to the computer. I honestly had enough of the world. This is just too hard, too complicated, it's just way too much for me. I tried falling asleep but I started thinking. Once you start thinking about things in bed, you can't fall asleep until you basically figure out the meaning of life. This isn't what I was thinking about. I was actually feeling a bit at peace. I wouldn't let him get near my mother. Simple as that. But it always seems so simple........it never is quite as easy as I think it is. Oh, god, I over-think things. I won't be moving away from my mother. Period. She'll be safe as can be. And that's what matters.

But what if that isn't the end? What if he doesn't just stop after the Christmas Dance?

I.....I....I'll protect her! I'll protect her......I will! I'll protect the people around me! Yeah. That's what's going to happen.

You do know that it'll still be inevitable to face him? All you have now is false hope, false motivation. You're acting like a little child.

I'd rather be an innocent child than be in my situation. At least let me hope. With those thoughts, I fell asleep soon.

It was dark outside when I woke up. I checked my clock: 6 am. Why am I awake at this time? I looked back at a dark figure and instantly shrieked. The figure laughed, but it wasn't a dark laugh. It was my mom's laugh. I groaned. "The fuck, mom?"

"Don't use language like that, young lady!"

"Ok, ok, just leave me alone. Otherwise I'll be sleep-deprived."

"Preparation now, sleep deprivation later! Get out of this bed, Alice! We have a dance to go to!" Are you fucking kidding me?

"In, like, twelve hours, mom. Leave me alone....." I buried my head into my pillow, but she didn't leave.

"Twelve hours isn't enough to get you ready, Alice! Now get out of this bed, or I'm getting a bucket!" I literally jumped out of bed. She woke me up with a bucket of water once. She's not kidding about doing it again. She smiled triumphantly. "Now, first of all, you have to wash your hair! It's been getting a bit greasy lately." Thanks a million, mommy dearest. I did as she told me, though. She still has the damn bucket.

I was blow drying my hair at seven in the morning. Seven in the morning on Christmas Eve! I'm usually asleep at this time, but it was still a nice feeling to have smooth hair.

"Are you done?"

"Yeah, mom. I'm done." I said, combing my hair one last time.

"Alright! So, what will you do now?" My mouth fell open. She woke me up at six am so I start getting ready by washing my hair, and now......now she asks what I'll do? "Probably jump back into bed." I yawned.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no way. I didn't wake you up at six in the morning so you can go back to bed. Now, go have breakfast." I responded by throwing a pillow at her, earning a stern look. Ok, breakfast now, banter later.

"But what?" I whined.

"I don't know. Toast?" She answered. And so I had toast. Toast. Boy, am I toast. Cough corny joke cough. I wasn't paying much attention to my 'meal', though, since there was a wish I had. Please, please, please let time go slower. If only I could make time go slower. If only time would stop. If only time had stopped twelve years ago.