Shattered Pieces (Wattys 2024)

Chapter 1: Different

                                                                                  Sapphires POV

BEEEEP BEEEEP BEEEEP

"Urgh!, shut up! I'm knackered!..." I groan,

BEEEEP BEEEEP BEEEEP

"Go away!"

BEEEEP BEEEEP BEEEEP

"...Fine, I'm getting up!" I slam my hand on the alarm clock angrily to shut it up.

I throw the covers off my body eventually and slide out of bed. I start stumbling to the bathroom. I have only had three hours of sleep after being on border patrol all night which ended with me fighting with three trespassing rogues.

Splashing water on my face in an attempt at trying to wake myself up, I make the mistake of looking in the mirror and I am horrified at what I see. There are black bags under my eyes, and I look and feel like a walking zombie.

I stagger away from the horror that is looking at me in the mirror, turn on and get in the shower, and then attempt to make myself look human again.

I dry myself off, walk over to my walk-in wardrobe, and put on my go-to outfit: black leggings, my favorite black jacket, and a blue tank top. I then apply light foundation and lip gloss.

"Done," I smile to myself.

I head down the stairs to the kitchen and start making pancakes for breakfast for my siblings since Mum and Dad are already at work. The kitchen is open plan, the center island is big enough for all four of us kids to sit around.

When my sisters and brother eventually walk into the kitchen, all of their faces light up when they smell what I am cooking.

"Morning all." I beam at their half-awake faces. I only get grunts back from my sisters. I shake my head and chuckle at their response.

"Sapphire you are the best sister ever," Dean tells me while walking up to me and giving me a big hug. "Thanks, buddy," I say while returning the hug and kissing his forehead.

"Definitely! We would starve without you." Evelyn agrees while they all sit down at the kitchen island to eat breakfast. Ava chuckles, shoving a fork full of pancakes in her mouth, and she gives me a thumbs up.

"That's me, the best big sister!" I laugh while bowing at them, and they start to laugh at my antics.

All my siblings are eating nicely (their abysmal table manners are well-known), except Dean. "Dean! Please spray the whipped cream on your pancakes, not straight into your mouth." I scold him.

He can tell how unimpressed I am. He grunts "sorry" with a sheepish look on his face, making a mountain out of the whipped cream on his pancakes.

I noticed Ava shoveling the food in her mouth. "Ava stop eating like a pig." I scold her.

"Sorry Mum" she chuckles poking her tongue out at me.

I glare at her while poking my tongue back at her.

"You act like our mum more than Mum does," Evelyn whispers sounding sad, ducking her head down. I would have missed it if it was not for my heightened hearing. A slight blush appears on her cheeks.

My heart is breaking at her words, we all feel like Mum has struggled to be there for us. I move around the counter and give her a big hug, a lump forms in my throat as I try to comfort her. "She loves us all, OK?" I try to reassure them and myself.