Piper

1

"Piper?" My little sister's soft voice calls from the other side of my door. I look at the clock beside me. 3:27 AM. I sigh and get out of bed, walking over and opening the door. I look down at May, who's cheeks are tear stained and arms are wrapped around her old, torn teddy bear.

I kneel down beside her and stroke her hair. "What's wrong?" I ask in a quiet, soothing voice. "Another nightmare?" I ask. She nods her head slowly and sniffles, and I can tell she's trying not to cry.

"Aw, babe, it's okay, come on." I say, stepping away from the door and letting her into my bedroom. She hoists herself up onto my bed and I wrap the blankets around her. Her red, teary eyes break my heart as she stares at me through the darkness.

"Can I have some milk?" She whispers with a sniffle. I stroke her long red hair and nod. "I'll be right back." I whisper, standing up off the bed and walking out of the room, leaving the door open.

I tiptoe down the hall, trying not to wake my mother, who gets very little sleep because of her work. She has 3 jobs, She didn't go to college so they aren't careers and aren't well paying. But, she is a single mother trying to support 2 children.

I step into the small kitchen and open the refrigerator. I cringe at the light that shines from the refrigerator. I grab the carton of milk and pull a glass from the cupboard. It makes a slight cling noise as I place it on the counter. I pour the white liquid into the glass and put the carton back into the refrigerator.

My bare feet tap against the hardwood floor as I walk . I step into my bedroom and hand the glass to May. She clutches the glass with both hands and takes a small sip. I sit down beside her and rub her back. She drinks a bit over half the glass and places it on the bedside table.

"Tired?" I ask as she lays down. She nods and pulls the blankets up to her chin. I smile at her and look at the clock again. It's almost 4 now, what's the point of going back to sleep? It'll only be another hour anyway.

I wait for another 15 minutes to be sure May is asleep before I turn the lamp on and look in the mirror. I groan at my horrid appearance. My light brown hair is pulled into a messy, tangled ponytail, my blue eyes have dark circles around them. My body is thin and a few bones are visible from the lack of food, I let mum and May eat most of it.

I walk across the hall into the bathroom and turn the shower on. I peel off my pajamas and pull my hair out of the ponytail. I step into the cold water and let the water pour over my face. The cool water trickles down my back, sending a chill down my spine. I rub my eyes and pour a tiny amount of shampoo into my palm. I scrub it into my hair and rinse it out.

I wash under my arms and step out of the shower. I wrap a towel around my wet body and stand by the sink to brush my teeth. I walk back into my bedroom. I check on May before drying my body and wrapping my towel around my hair. I pull on a pair of white panties and the only bra I own, which is a very light pink colour.

I look through my closet and grab a black t-shirt and a pair of light blue jeans. The bottom of them is fraying and it has a few holes. They reach just above my ankles, a bit small, but I'll wear boots.

I brush my wet hair out and tightly french braid it. I put on a tiny bit of cheap mascara and lip balm and lok at the clock. It's almost 5, my shift starts at 9. I need to make breakfast, Pack May a lunch, Help May get ready, Walk May to school, Go to work, pick up groceries, come home, make dinner, get May ready for bed, then go to bed.

I rub my temples and sigh. I pad down the hall and into the kitchen. I look through the cupboards and find some pancake mix that only expired two days ago. I follow the instructions and make 6 pancakes. 1 for May for breakfast, one for May's lunch, I'll leave the rest for mum.

When I finish the pancakes it's 5:30. I put a plate on the table and put one
pancake on the plate. I put another pancake in her lunch with a juice box. I put it into her backpack and 5 minutes later she comes down the hallway. I smile at her as she sits down at the table and begins eating the pancake. 

"Good morning." I smile at her. The clock reads 5:19. When she finishes her pancake I take her to her bedroom and pull out her baby blue and white dress and help her into it. I tie on her too-small red sneakers and put two french braids in her hair. 

~~

When I get home from bringing May to school it's 8:45. I step out the door and walk down the street to the small, empty restaurant. We only get 2, maybe 3 customers a day, the only waitresses are me and my boss, Kendra. 

I step inside and grab my apron and name tag. I sit down in a chair, our first customers don't usually come until - 

The door jingles open and I jump to my feet. That's peculiar.  5 boys stand in front of me.

(So, fist chapter up. Leave comments telling me what you think! This is my first story. Vote, follow me, comment! xx -Mackenzie)