The Midnight Daughter

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Chapter 1
The Girl.

I sighed softly as I came to a stop in front of our lavender colored front door. A piece of yellow paper with 'OVERDUE' written in big, bold red letters, was taped right over the peephole. I ripped it off, my eyes scanning over the printed lettering. Another overdue bill. A perfect present for my 'o so perfect 18th birthday. I rummaged through my small bag to pull out a set of silver keys. I pulled out the smallest one and unlocked the door, stepping inside. The inside of our house was smaller than the outside. Once you walked through the door, two feet in front of you was the living room. If you walked past our big leather couch you'd find a set of stairs. Then, if you went up you would most likely be greeted by the twins' idea of being artistic all over the walls.

There were only 6 stairs to get to the second floor. On the left side of the very narrow hall was my Mother's room, The Twins' room and the bathroom. On the other side of the hallway was me and Yara's room, and Atlas' room. Since they both left, I've had my own room and Atlas' room is used as storage, AKA, we needed a place to put all of dads stuff so we shoved it in there so we didn't have to look at it anymore.

I kicked my shoes off, placing them neatly on the little brown matt that read 'Welcome'.

"Mama?" I called out into the empty space. No reply. She was probably out in town, doing who knows what. I lazily moved towards our fridge, opening it. It was basically empty, besides less than half a gallon of milk, two eggs, a stick of butter and some coffee. We never really had food, not since Dad died. He was the one who did all the shopping. Before you say I don't give her enough credit–and yes I'm talking to you– I do. It's been a few years since my dad died and none of us have really gotten over it, I understand. But now, most nights my mom isn't even home. If she isn't home, she's with our uncle, John, or at the Afterglow, getting drunk.

I shut the fridge and sighed. If she wasn't here then I knew the twins weren't either. She never left them home alone, ever. She only left them if I could watch them. I sunk down on the couch, shutting my eyes for a second. My relaxation didn't last very long as I heard the door unlock and the loud sound of the twins barreling through the door bounced off the walls and I opened my eyes and sat up again.

"Hi Nene!' Faith and Hope said in unison as they stood beside me.

"Hi." I murmured tiredly, running a hand over my face. I mustered up a smile at both of them. I loved them, I did, but they were definitely a handful. They were cute kids, always insisting that they match outfits, hair styles, they even had to match their shoes. They were both wearing a nice blue dress with daisy print all over it, with white flats. They both had their hair in a french braid-bun, with a blue butterfly clip on the right side of their heads.

"You girls better not be tracking mud through my house." My mothers voice rang out softly throughout the house. That was the thing about my mother. No matter what she said, she always spoke in her soft little voice. I've never heard my mom raise her voice, in any way. Not even when Dad died.

"Sorry mama!" The twins said in unison again, running back towards the door to rip off their shoes. I sighed softly and got off the couch, making my way to the kitchen. My mother was standing over the sink, getting ready for the dishes.

"Hey." I spoke, leaning against the counter beside her. She jumped, hovering a soapy hand over her chest. "Jesus, Renee, you scared me." She said with an exhale, a smile pulling at the corners of her lips. "How was your day today?" She asked me, turning back to focus her attention on the dishes.