stay with me

the intro

It was pitch black. She closed her eyes for a second then open them again. Impossible. She couldn't sleep. The room was black except for a few stars stuck to her ceiling with bluetac.
She glanced over at her radio clock:
3:59am
Why wasn't her father back yet. He had gone to work that morning and he still hadn't reterned. Suddenly she heard the front door loudly open and close. She heard a groan and a big rucksack being dumped on the floor. She looked at her radio clock again:
4:00Am
Dad!
She closed her eyes quickly as she heard big clumsy feet charge up the stairs. She heard her bedroom door silently open and she sensed a figure looming over her. It was definatly her father. she smelt cigarettes and alchol as he lent over to kiss her pale face. Then the door silently closed and she was left in the dark again.

....

*Beep beep beep beep*
The sound of the alarm took Flora by suprise. She slowly opened her sleep encrusted eyelids and peered at the alarm clock.
6:00am
Her thin figure slid out of bed and she crawled to the bathroom. She turned on the light and turned on the shower. She slowly got undressed and she hopped into the shower and shut the door. The warm water felt really nice against her small shoulders. As she got out she felt a little more awake than she did before and she slipped on her school uniform. Flora liked her school uniform. It was comfortable. The red jumper was so soft against her skin. She bounded down the stairs and wandered into the kitchen. She found some stale bits of bread in the bread bin, and popped them into the toaster. While she waited for her toast she ambled into the living room. She looked round the bare cold room. Empty. She thought it would be. The little tv looked really out of place in the small room. As she wandered over she bent down and lent forward to turn it on. A little spark of static danced on her finger-tips and made her hair on her head stand on end momenterily and she clicked the button.
*Pop*
Her toast was done. She walked into the kitchen and grabed a small plate. She grabed the bread out of the toaster. It was hotter than she had antisipated and she flinched as the warmth burned her stick like fingers. She opened the fridge. A small lump of butter sat in the middle of the empty shelf. The fridge was empty like it always was. Exsept for a bright red plum tomato and a small bottle of milk. As she buttered her toast her mind started racing. She was worried about her father. He hadn't gone to work yet. He was still fast asleep. The little tv flickered with bright lights. She tuned it into the news like she did every morning.

The serious looking news reporter started his report in a low monotone. She watched with great intrest as she munched on her slightly burned toast. She heard footsteps, heavey and slow.

"Monkey where are you?" said a voice from the top of the stairs. It was her fathers. She had always loved his voice. Soft in the middle but ruff around the edges.
"Down here" she called out. She always sounded more like her mother. Gentle and calm. She missed her mum loads. Her mother had been killed in a car crash two years before and now it was just her and her father.
"BOO!" He yelled from the doorway. Which made Flora jump a little. "Aren't you ment to be at work daddy?" Flora asked. Her dad worked at the local supermarket. He didn't get paid much at all and it was unlike him to not be at work early in the morning till late at night. Her dad shifted uneasily then the words seem to come out of his mouth in slow motion.
"I lost my job..."