Dusk & Dawn

Prologue

Kira drew in a sharp breath, tears pooling her eyes as she helplessly watched her six year old brother lying on the hospital bed she stood beside, unconscious. He was wheezing through every breath, drenched in sweat, yet he still shivered violently. She reached out her shaky hand, pushing his hair out of his face, brushing her fingertips on his forehead delicately, her heart filled with worry and pain. His skin was hot to the touch.

"Are you sure you don't want me to pay for you? I make enough in one night to-"

"I'm sure." Kira cut off her closest friend, Abigail, finality in her tone. Abigail sat at the at the foot of the hospital bed, watching the people she cared about most, unsure of what to do. She couldn't stop herself from speaking again after a few seconds of silence, unable to stop her own worry for Kira and Kaden spilling out.

"Kira, I know you can't afford this. Just let me help y-"

"I don't want your money Abigail! Now shut it or leave!" Kira practically screamed her unsettled heart out, her eyes finally lifting up to face Abi in a death glare.

She looked wild. Her dark brown hair was a tangled mess, her dark brown eyes had dark circles around them, her shirt was covered in tomato sauce from an accident earlier that day and her sneakers were starting to have holes in them, but the true insanity was held in her eyes. She looked to Abi with a fierce determination and intense anger, clearly warning the other woman to tread lightly, even though it wasn't easy to miss just how tired and anxiety-ridden she was. Abi chose then to keep quiet, afraid she would get physically attacked if she didn't.

The truth is, Kira really didn't know how she was going to pay for the medical bills. Between paying tuition, paying rent, paying for living expenses and paying for day care and the babysitter, her money was already stretched thin. There was only so much she could do with the money left from selling the house and her waitress job.

The nurse came in then, the smile on her face clearly meant to reassure Kira.

"Are you ready to run the tests?" She asked, looking between Kira and Abi, feeling the tension but not faltering. Kira frowned, facing her brother again. There was no way she could afford a student loan, and no way she was going to rely on Abi to pay for anything. She had to be completely independent, which meant one option could be taken. She had to take on another job.

The realisation hit her hard, feeling like a coldness washed over her chest, hollowing it out. She felt weak, but the feeling still paled in comparison to the heartbreaking sight of her brother. She tried swallowing back the thickness in her throat. After a few seconds she sighed, looking at the nurse, and nodded solemnly, resolute in her method of thinking. "I'll just go get the wheelchair then." The nurse said and left the room. Kira looked back down to her helpless brother. Pictures of her parents and how life was with them invaded her mind then, making her heart ache in grief over them all over again. Her vision blurred in tears again, and this time Kira did nothing to stop them from spilling over. Abi watched frozen, she'd never seen Kira cry before this.

"Abi?" Kira barely managed to say without sobbing, her eyes not leaving Kaden, her fingertips running across his hairline. Abi hummed in response. "How does one become a stripper?"