"Babe come on the protests have already started!" I whine, tugging on my husband's hand in an attempt to make him walk faster. I sigh in defeat when it doesn't work, why did I marry a damn turtle again?

Just kidding, I love this turtle. But he's really annoying me.

"Darling we don't have to rush, it's not like it's stopping anytime soon." Ace chuckles, intertwining our hands. I puff out my cheeks and throw him a dirty look, I hate it when he's right.

"Look! There they are! Aro let's go" Emilia cheers, pointing forwards. We all look to where she's pointing and just a short distance away stood a large crowd. Many people wore masks and held large signs as they screamed 'I can't breathe.'

I smile in absolute awe at the sheer number of people that have come to protest today. It was absolutely amazing. Ace's fingers tighten and I look back at him. His bandanna covered his mouth, but I knew he was smiling too.

"Be safe and protect anyone who needs it!" he calls out to our children. Emilia and Arturo look back, their faces shining with excitement as they nod their heads and take off running. Arturo hands a sign to his sister and it isn't long before their voices join in with the other protesters.

"We've raised them well my love" Ace whispers into my ear as we continue walking forwards. The bag on my shoulders weighed heavily against my back. Medical supplies and snacks were located inside, a harsh reminder that things could go wrong today. Who protects people from the police? I don't know the answer to that question, but I know that I will try with all my heart to protect everyone I can today.

"Yes, we have." I watch my kids until I can't see the back's of their heads anymore. A whisper of dread fills my stomach but I don't let it grip me too tightly. My children are smart and quick on their feet. If anything were to happen at the hands of the police, let's just say they better hope that riot gear is enough to protect them.

"What's up losers," Sage says, casually walking next to me. Her hair was tied up into a fluffy bun with a white bandana covering her nose and mouth. Her eyelashes looked long against her dark skin and her eyes shined with untold mischief.

"What did you do?"

Sage holds her hands up innocently, giving me a sly grin as she says, "I haven't done anything... yet."

"I got the spray paint" Damien announces, coming to a stop next to Sage.

Sage scowls as she whacks Damien on the shoulder before snatching the can from his glove covered hands. "Be quiet!" Sage hisses, as she shoves the can

into her backpack.

I laugh as I look around for Luca and Novah, the couple is most likely already here. I find them walking towards us hand in hand. Luca using his free hand to munch on a Snickers bar. His bandanna around his neck as he ate, his hat the only source of face coverage. Novah abandon's Luca's hand as soon as she sees me and Sage.

"Where's Emilia and Aro?" She asks once she reaches us, immediately taking notice of the absence of my kids.

"Somewhere in the crowd," Sage says nonchalantly.

Novah smiles, "we've raised our babies well."

"Our babies?" Ace asks, most likely raising a well-kept eyebrow. 20 years of marriage and his eyebrows are still better than mine.

"Yeah dum dum. We're running a joint parenting operation here." Novah rolls her eyes.

I laugh and Luca finally joins us. The snickers bar is long finished, but the wrapper was still in his hand. It'd probably stay in a pocket until he found a trash can, Luca hated littering.

"Why aren't we up there? I'm ready to hurt my vocal cords!" Sage says, impatiently tapping her foot.

Everyone exchanges quick glances of love and mischief. We all go our separate ways with promises to be safe and keep in touch if we ever lost sight of each other.

Sage and Damien held their fists above their head, screaming for their brothers and sisters whose lives were taken away.

Luca and Novah screamed and used their bodies to shield as many people as possible. Because once things turned violent, people with the privilege of light skin should use it to shield the people who don't.

Ace and I screamed too, standing on the sidelines waiting to treat people if anything happened. We had water bottles mixed with anti-acid ready for action. Along with snacks and Gatorade bottles that were free to be taken if they were needed.

Emilia and Arturo stood in the crowd, anger gripping their faces as they shouted. Emilia was holding the hands of a young, beautiful, black woman. They shouted in sync, their hands intertwined tightly as they showed unity. Arturo helped a woman give the policemen flowers, ready to jump in front of her if any mace came out.

All of our hearts yearned for a better world. A world where black men and women can take a run without being afraid of dying. A world where police officers were held accountable for the murders they've committed. A revolution is starting, and we won't stop fighting until our Black brothers' and sisters' voices are finally heard.

No justice, no peace.

Black lives Matter.

Justice for George Floyd.

Justice for all those beautiful souls that we've lost due to police brutality.