Marina Fushimi isn't perfect, especially with her questionable action and behavior, but the least she can do is to be there for her little brother.
To him, she was his older sister, to others she was a bright optimistic girl, to some she was the per...
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The musty smell of burnt cigars and rotten food is the last place, anybody wanted to be, after all, that is where disease-ridden rats and sketchy people linger around, what most people didn't expect is a nine-year-old girl. She hurried as fast as her little legs can carry her, ignoring the strain feeling in her hand as the plastic bag digs into her digits. Halting for a split second for a gulp of air, she sped up as her destination came into view.
The neighborhood was barren of any greens, excluding the dandelions sprouting from the cracked sidewalk. Avoiding the areas with broken glass that can cut through her worn down shoes, she stopped in front of a house. Its paint had already begun to chip, some of the shingles on the roof were either missing or on the ground, the house wasn't in it's greatest state but stable enough for a shelter.
Carefully setting the plastic bag on the doorstep, she reached underneath the 'We_co_e!' doorstep that was missing a few letters. Critters of various sorts scattered as soon as she lifted up the old doorstep, despite this, she stuck her hand underneath it, her fingers grasping the bow of the key, she unlocked the door.
Giving the doorknob a twist, she places the key back into its original spot before grabbing the plastic bag and stepping foot into the dim house, carefully placing her shoes near the exit, she made a beeline to the kitchen.
Ham, milk, bread, lettuce, eggs, mayonnaise, and beer, taking out the contents of the bag, she placed them into the correct location, before stuffing the plastic bag into one of the drawers.
The steps underneath her feet steadily creak as she made her way up the stairs, keeping one hand on the railing.
Making it to her room, she neatly folded her skirt and sweater, neatly tucked away inside her dresser. Taking out an oversize white nightgown, the puffed up sleeves reached past her fingertips, the edges were ragged and uneven from a pair of scissors. Slipping it over her head, she tries to ignore the smell that came the white fabric, but now she was too tired to deal with it.
'Maybe I can wash it later'
Flopping onto the mattress that laid on the dusty floor, she let sleep wrap their arms around her.
>~~~~<
It was probably 1:30 in the morning, when she woke up to the sound of the door being kicked open with stilettos, loudly clicking on the wooden floor. Scrambling off the mattress, she quickly tucked her legs underneath her and put her focus on the door.
The loud clicking made it up the stairs, turn towards her door and stop, the door slowly swung open, revealing a tall beautiful woman with deep red stilettos. Her eyes were dilated, her hair disheveled, and her makeup was slightly smeared, yet she still kept up her elegant appearance.
'Mother is always beautiful, she is the prettiest woman in the town- no, the planet'
The little girl dipped her head down, "Hello mother, how was your night out, did everyone compliment on your pretty stilettos?"
Her glazed eyes gaze down at her daughter, who looked just like her, "I looked inside the fridge..." She completely ignores her daughter's question, "...and I have noticed you bought the wrong brand" She hissed.
Completely unaware of her mother's scornful tone, her smile brightens, "There was no more when I got there, but the man behind the bar told me it tastes the same, I even tried some!"
The tall woman narrowed her eyes, "Marina..." She took a threatening step forward, the girl, 'Marina' straighten out her posterior, trying her best not to turn her smile into a grinning Chesire cat. Mother never called Marina by her name, she simply just tells her what to do and she did it, hearing it from her mother's mouth made her happy.
Slap!
"Stupid girl, I told you to get the one I want! I don't care even if you have to get it on the other side of town" The tall woman spun around, staggering out of her daughter's room. Marina didn't cry, nor did she burn with rage, instead she just sat there, wide eyes staring at the empty space in front of her, her mind couldn't even progress the fact she got slapped.
Brushing lightly on her cheek with her hand, it began to sting, pulling her hand away, Marina could now see her fingertips with droplets of blood, presumably when her mother's nails.
No, she couldn't understand, no, no, no, No! She did everything! She cleaned the house, she made dinner, she even didn't complain when her mother brings home a man to her bedroom, just one compliment, something to acknowledge of everything she did. Marina wasn't asking for too much, she barely ever ask, was one too much to ask for?
From her room, Marina can hear her mother emptying out her stomach contents, out of habit, she pulled herself together and went to check on her.
Raggedy
Haggard
Cruel
Her oh so beautiful mother is so much more compared to all those other women, men gravitate towards her for her charm, she is much too busy making money for the both of them for her to take care of Marina properly.
Marina perceives her mother as a goddess.
In truth, her image is slowly being torn apart from drugs, alcohol, and cigars, man only come towards when she pulls up her dress, she made money in dark alleyways and behind clubs, only to spend her income on a new red dress.
Marina slowly approached her mother from behind as she tries to take a wobbly step over half-chewed food. Marina has learned many things over the year, she found out that alcohol can make someone's balance more unstable than a toddler.
Her oh so beautiful mother, in love with the color red, the same red from the gifts her husband once shower her, repaying him with the same shade of red in his veins with a knife.
Pressing her palms against the back of her mother's calves.
