The Babysitter ‣ Stranger Things

SHE'S A PARROT

Nova woke up early the next morning slumped in a chair in the living room. She remembered that she got a little sleep while in bed, so after she woke up, she came back to the living room to keep an eye on her mother. She wanted to see how her mother was doing after the previous night since it worried her greatly she had found her mother on the floor of the kitchen with a handgun and a nearly empty alcohol bottle, both things she hadn't touched in years. 

Nova stretched her limbs and stood up, trying to rub out the crick in her neck before checking on her mother. June was fine, sleeping soundly on her side with no clear signs of waking up in the next hour. With that said, Nova decided it was best to get ready for the day. It made little logical sense to go to school with all the insanity happening around her and the fact that the only solace it could provide was a distraction and it couldn't even do that well. She had to go anyway even if only to keep up appearances. She took a quick shower, scrubbing off any dirt and grime that had built up on her skin before dressing in something a little more put-together than what she had been wearing the last few days.

Though fashion was not a passion of hers, there would be days when she would take extra care in her outfit, finding the right accessories and all. It sometimes troubled her, but suddenly, they didn't feel like the end of the world anymore. 

Her stomach rumbled, so she took it upon herself to make some scrambled eggs and toast. Usually, June was wide awake to make breakfast with a smile, but things had changed drastically in the span of a day. June was hardly capable of being awake right now, let alone the intense but loving mother that took care of her family. 

After Nova made herself breakfast, she sat down at the kitchen table, alone, and ate quietly. Silverware scraping the ceramic plates and the chirping of the final birds that hadn't migrated north yet were the only sounds of morning ambiance before June finally stirred on the couch, grumbling here and there about her discomfort. 

"Mom?" Nova murmured. "Mom, you awake?"

June's eyes snapped open when she heard her daughter's voice. Her mind was awake, but her body needed to catch up. The woman was struggling to sit up but eventually managed it, though she still looked tired enough to slump over and fall asleep in an uncomfortable position again. "What happened?" she asked.

"You fell asleep," she replied. She discarded the plate and silverware into the sink, ready to do later when she got home from school, then approached her mother and sat down next to her on the couch.

"What happened before then?" the woman asked, rubbing her eyes with her hands. "And why do I have a headache?"

"Um, you drank a little. I'll get you some ibuprofen." Nova ran to the kitchen and grabbed some of the medicine with a glass of water, handing them to her mother while fighting off feelings of dread that began to arise. This felt like the start of a cycle she didn't want to be a part of.

"Was I drunk?" the woman asked, hoping for the answer her daughter could not provide truthfully.

"No," she lied. "You just seemed a little buzzed."

"What time is it?" she asked, swallowing the pills.

"It's almost time for me to go to school," she murmured, grabbing her messenger bag and munching on the last piece of toast.

"Have you eaten anything?" June called from the living room.

"Yeah, I made myself some eggs and toast," she responded, grabbing a school binder full of papers threatening to spill, and stuffing it into her bag. "I gotta go. I love you, Mom!"

"I love you too," she responded, confused and slightly disoriented.

Nova walked out of the house feeling a cacophony of emotions she could hardly describe. Stress was a big part of the emotionally tangled mess as well as general anxiety about everything going on, but some she couldn't quite put a name to. Feelings she hardly knew anything about were bubbling up. A fear that her mother was beginning a journey back on a dark path made her worry, especially since she had no idea how it was handled the previous time. Ben shielding their daughter was good, especially since children should not have to handle something like that so young, but it prevented her from knowing what helped her.