Cruel Fate

My vision was blurring. Every second of passing time, the smoke enveloping around me grew thicker. No matter how much I tried screaming their names, I was helpless fighting against death. The skin on my body felt like I was being dipped in lava, slowly and painfully. My heart was racing a million times per second. Every breath I took was a slow poison filling my body. The screams around me were breaking my heart faster than the tears running down my cheek……...

“Chloe! Chloe wake up!” I heard being yelled in my ear.

Jolting up in a cold sweat, I looked at Zoe horrified.

Realizing it was only a dream; relief swept over my stiff body relaxing my muscles. I adjusted my eyes from the blinding sun rays coming through the curtains and looked at Zoe properly. Finally looking at Zoe, her face and eyes showed concern.

“….Chloe! Are you listening?” Zoe said while waving her hand in front of my face.

The visions from my horrid nightmare were still racing through my head. The screams and the suffocating heat were all too real for my own mental health. Trying very hard, I turned and focused my full attention on what Zoe was talking on about.

Why is Zoe waking me up this early? I thought as I looked at the clock and it read 6:30 a.m. Jesus! She’s knows I don’t wake up till at least 11:00 a.m. And that’s only on my good days.

“Ugh ok, what do you want Zoe?” I mumbled tiredly through gritted teeth. I mean don't get me wrong I love Zoe with all my heart, but sometimes-practically this moment-she was a pain in my ass.

“You’re going to be late for your job interview” was all Zoe said before skipping out of our room with her Barbie doll. Typical Zoe, she comes in all sweet and innocent and right when you would think she would do something nice...instead drops a bomb on you. But I'm sure thats how all 5 year olds are now a days. 

“SHIT!” I yelled while trying to and falling miserably to get untangled from my bed sheets.

I ran to my bathroom so fast I didn’t realize I slammed my arm in the doorframe while trying to hurry in. I looked down at my arm moments later when I felt a sting of pain and saw a faint purple and black bruise forming. ‘Well that’s just great and the last bruise was almost completely gone’ I thought. I’m more than normally clumsy, but I don’t notice it till days later when it hurts.

I quickly stripped down from my shorts and t-shirt and jumped in the shower. I took the fastest shower ever possible for myself which was really saying something because I enjoyed my relaxing showers. 10 minutes later I was out of the shower and rummaging through my closet for my business suit. Finally finding it in the very back I laid it out very neatly on my bed while I finished getting ready.

First I pined up my hair into a bun, washed my face, brushed my teeth, and rushed putting on some light make-up. My make-up for today I decided would only consist of a little mascara to make my already naturally long curled eyelashes be pushed up a bit further and more noticeable from a distance. I then put some eyeliner on the bottom half of my eye lid to make my big green eyes pop, and some foundation to cover up the dark circles under my eyes from my long work filled nights. I left my long mid-back length dark brown hair straight since i didn't have time to style it sadly for my interview.

When I was fully dressed and ready for my interview, I hurried out of my room and down the hall calling Zoe's name.

"Zoe! You ready baby? Come on we have to hurry or ill be late and never get a job!" I yelled while a shiver ran down my spine from thinking about why I got fired from my last job. Apparently at the animal shelter dog’s aren’t suppose to eat avocado or they start vomiting and a few days later develop heart congestion and die. The manager at the shelter took the death pretty hard and took it all out on me. But it wasn’t all entirely my fault, I mean come on how was I suppose to know dog’s can’t eat avocado’s? Almost any human food they eat anyway eventually makes them die, so why fire me for the effects of Mother Nature!?

Dressed and ready, I walked out of our small room we shared and down the hall to our small kitchen area. Zoe and I live together in an old smelly one bedroom apartment in the very middle of the city Albuquerque, New Mexico. It’s the poorest part of the city where other places around here get robbed on a daily basic. I walked over to the only window above our kitchen sink I haven’t blocked off with wood to see if it was safe to walk to the bus stop. After making Zoe our last bowl of cereal I looked through the rest of the cabinets to find something to eat. Sighing I gave up looking because we’re out of food again and I’ve failed once again trying to provide for Zoe. I guess I’m going hungry again just like all the other days.

“Zoe lets go. Do you have all your things?”

“Yes” Zoe says with her Barbie doll in hand and her dirty worn out jacket rapped tightly around her body to try and keep warm.

I grabbed my wallet and we both slowly walked out the door, into another depressing day. I just hope someday things will change for me and Zoe and that she’ll be happy and safe.