My Salvation- raia

C4- Home Life

~Maia~
The cold air hits my face as I skate closer to my home. As per usual, I fumbled for the freezing key in my pocket, sticking it in the key hole and unlocking the door to our apartment on the fifth floor.
"Maia!" A little voice squeaks. Looking down I see my younger sister running towards me.
"What are you doing up?" Frowning I pick Lira up and drop the keys in a small bowl next to the door. As I walk into hers and my brothers bedroom, I see Charlie with a guilty expression. "Where's the baby sitter?"
"She left an hour ago. I tried to get her to bed but she wouldn't without an adult! And Mom is already asleep. Her boyfriend, David, never helps us anyway. He hates us!" He stutters quietly. It always upset me that he had it, kids at school made fun of him. I was getting him as much help as possible without overwhelming him. Internally sighing, I walk over and kiss his head gently.
"Don't worry, it's not your fault." Charlie nods before lying down in his bed. "Right, bed time for you miss." Tickling Liras stomach slightly makes her clutch it and giggle.
"I don't wanna!" She pouts attempting to stop her little laughs.
"If you want to go to nursery tomorrow, you have to!" I chuckle, messing up her hair as I lay her in her tiny bed.
"Will you sing the song Dada sung for us." Her innocent words cause a lump in my throat and I have to blink back the tears. Nodding I pull over an old rocking chair, sitting awkwardly with my hands in my lap.
"Go to sleep my little one,
The sun has set, goodbye for now,
The moon shines on your beautiful face." Without even getting to the next verse, Lira was fast asleep. This causes me to smile as I gently tuck her in and kiss her head. After this, I make my way over to Charlie's bed.
"You okay?" Sitting cross legged on the end of his bed, Charlie sits up and wraps his arms around my waist.
"I m-miss Dad." He mumbles; wiping away a tear with his long pyjama sleeve.
"So do I." Admitting it didn't make a difference. It didn't hurt anymore. It's that feeling you get as the pain goes that will always be there, numbness. I've lost who I am in the space of a year and I can't believe he's really gone. "But he's not gone, not really." I was trying to convince myself more that Charlie.
"W-where is he?"
"Right here." I gently tap his temple, "Where all your memories of him will live forever and we can enjoy them even though he's gone. He loves you Charlie, don't forget that."
"O-okay." He smiles slightly, laying his head gently on his pillow. Moving his fringe away from his forehead, I kiss it gently before murmuring goodnight to him. Sighing quietly, I walk back out of their room and into the kitchen.
Flicking the switch on the kettle, I begin to make myself a cup of tea for the long night I had ahead and it was already 11pm. I needed to pay the bills, add some more money to Charlie's college fund and if I had anything left over from food from the week, add some to mine.
This wasn't new for me, I always did this. Rummaging through the drawers which contain all of my past spread sheets. I had to constantly know how much money I had or else we would be in deep shit. There was Moms medical expenses, the gas and electricity bill, the rent for the apartment.
About an hour later, the front door slams open, a huge man standing in the doorway. He was the 'dreamy American', David, my mother had fallen in love with. Turns out he uses us for money and spent everything on poker, cigarettes and cheap add beer.
"Where's your mother?" He snaps at me, slamming the door shut as he reaches into the fridge for alcohol.
"Asleep." Replying, I don't look up from the work in front of me.
"We're out of beer." Sneering at me, he walks over and grabs me by the collar of my jumper, pulling me up to his face. I grimace at the odour of beer and sweat he lets off as his nostrils flare widely. "Why?"
"Because you drank it all." My sarcastic answer makes his grip on me tighten.
"I don't think I did, you had any friends over?"
"I don't have time." Pushing him off me, I quickly sit back down at flip through the paper work in front of me. A figure catches my eye as I skim through, Charlie's college fund. Looking back, my eyes widen. Charlie nearly had $2000. Now he has nothing and guess what the money's been spent on.
"You used my brothers college fund to gamble!" Hissing under my breath, I had to clench my fists tightly until my knuckles turn white.
"The guy cheated, if he hadn't I would have won." He brushes it off, walking towards the window and lighting a cigarette.
"How am I supposed to make another $2000! That money was from our Dad!"
"Your Dads dead, he won't care."
"I care!"
"Your a kid nobody cares what you think." Couldn't argue against that. All adults never give anyone younger than them a chance to speak. Their child could be depressed, alone, sick and nobody would care because everything that is wrong with a child is only make-believe.
It's hard to hide from make-believe when it's what your taught growing up.