On My Own

Prologue

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When i finally convinced Elliot that there were no monsters under his bed an got him to sleep, i tiptoed into the main room and scooped Mae out of her playpin, wrapped her in a blanket and rocked her to sleep. She dozed off soon enough, and when she did i gently laid her in her crib.

I quietly walked into our so called "kitchen" and searched through the cabinets. Surprise surprise, not enough food for a meal. Looks like ill be headed to the soup kitchen for food again tomorrow. They were having some special meal tomorrow anyways, apparently all of the boys from the highschool football (soccer) team had volunteered to serve food tomorrow. Guess that just means recieving food faster.

I walked back into the main room and a framed picture caught my eye. I walked towards it and grasped the edges of the frame in my hands. Tears began to form in my eyes as i admired my mothers once perfect face...i was startled by a knock at the door. I quickly wiped my eyes as i set down the frame.

I rushed to the door, where the friendly face of my neighbor greeted me through the peephole. She was holding books, meaning it was time for a lesson. Since i was forced to drop out of school at 17, she was teaching me some things. I plastered on a smile as i opened the door, preparing myself for a long night and a long day ahead.