What If It Was Like This

Chapter 4 - Charles

While everyone was still sort-of in shock, Charles brought his dishes to the sink and washed them. Charles was slightly in shock, but this was expected of his father. Well, not his father but the one who acted as one for a while. Now he was just... an asshole and a flake. Everyone knew he thought his job was more important than his family. Charles sighed as he though all of this over and put his dishes in the dish washer.
It was so quiet you could hear Elise's light mumbling as she thought of how to handle all of the expenses, which made Charles sad. Sure, she had slept with a lot of people to only comfort herself when she was sad and ended up with three kids that live with her and live on her small salary, but she didn't deserve it. She tried so hard to do everything, and Charles knew Elise hated making Sheena babysit, but she had to do it. It was sad. She didn't deserve it.
Finally, Sheena sighed and walked up to her room to get her stuff. Charles followed quickly behind her, not wanting to stand in the sad science anymore. When they got upstairs and in Sheena's room, Charles automatically walked over and laid on the big bed.
"What do you think is going to happen?" Charles asked Sheena quietly as she got her book bag together, walking around and grabbing half-finished homework and books with bookmarks stuck in random places and shoving it into her bag.
"I don't know, but I hope it doesn't turn out terribly," she answered just as quietly, obviously afraid to be overheard.
"Well, I think we all hope that," Charles said, rolling his eyes at her obvious comment.
"Hey, Mister Sassy, I just don't know what else to say about it. It's just going to be kind of difficult for me, too, and I haven't fully processes everything that's going to happen yet," Sheena said snappily, glaring at Charles as she put her book bag over her shoulder and shoved the over-sized Apple phone she bought into her back pocket. "Go get your stuff together so I can drive you to school," she said as she walked out of the bedroom to get Alyssa's stuff together.
Charles groaned in protest, but slowly got up and walked to his room, filled with random things to keep his busy mind occupied. There was a large bookshelf filled with just books, most of which he had already read at least once, and another bookshelf partially filled with a few unread books, awards, and random little things he designed and had his friend make. He sighed and looked at his sad little diploma from "graduating" middle school a few years ago, which wasn't a big deal at all. Sometimes being a genius that skipped 2 grades is hard, he thought but shrugged it off and started rummaging through his room, which was littered with random ideas and codings and old math assignments, for his backpack. He finally found it and shoved a few books in it before slinging it over his should and running downstairs. When he got to the kitchen, Sheena was waiting with Alyssa, both of them holding their book bags, and Elise was washing the counter.
"Finally! You took long enough! Clean your damned room once in a while," Sheena said, earning a quiet sigh from Elise behind her.
"Yeah, whatever," Charles said, waving her off.
Sheena frowned but let it go. The three let out a chorus of goodbyes to Elise and walked to the door.
"I get to sit in the front!" Alyssa called as they walked down the hall.
"But I want to!" Charles complained, glaring at Alyssa. "You sat in the front yesterday!"
"So?! I'm older! Right Sheena?!" Alyssa asked, looking at Sheena fro support.
"I'm driving, and I'm older than both of you, so how about I put you both in the back?" Sheena asked as she opened the front door, receiving groans from her younger siblings.
As it was opened, a small, "Shee-a!" Could be heard at their feet. When the three looked down, a little, blonde, two-year old girl was sitting alone on the ground with chalk all over her hands and small drawings around her, leaving everyone in shock.