New Beginnings

Prologue

Her head hit the edge of her tatty, beat up mattress after rolling off of her latest client. Hair messy and out of place, body sweat glistening, breath hitching in her throat as her chest rose up and down. She always knew it was easier to breathe on her back, more elevated, allowed the oxygen to really flow through

She ran her hand through her curly mousey brown locks as she used the other to pull her duvet up towards her chest. She turned her head towards the gentleman that lay beside her, watching as he slowly got up out of the bed. He pulled his jeans back on, along with his shoes, followed by buckling his belt. She watched with an unamused look upon her face as he slowly placed his shirt on too.

"What?" He responded to her look as he fit his belt on, a wondering grin upon his face.

She turned away from him, reaching for her bedside cabinet to retrieve her cigarettes. She took one out of the box as she continued, placing the stick between her pink soft lips. "Nothing." She added nonchalantly, shifting her eyes to the window. "Just hurry up and get out of here, I've got little ones across the hall." She finished before lighting her cigarette, taking one long drag before realising the smoke into the air. Whoever said cigarettes were better after sex had the right idea.

He laughed at her response. "Wish you had said you had kids beforehand." He pointed out before looking away and poking his tongue in cheek. "Well, guess I can't ask you what I wanted."

She spun her head towards him finally, narrowing her eyes before removing the cigarette from her mouth. "What more could you possibly want? You know how this works, you come, you pay, you go, literally. Just leave the cash on the dresser." Alice answered back.

He pulled out his wallet and reached in, revealing two $100 bills and slapping them onto her dresser like she told him to. He turned back around, circling the bed as he put his jacket back on and moved towards her. She watched as he did, slowly lifting her head and letting out the cigarette smoke towards her open window. "What?"

He brought his large calloused hand to her face, lightly stroking her cheek and tilted her chin up to look at him. "I was just thinking, maybe this could be more, this would be the third time we've been together this month baby, but, I don't do the whole kid thing." He informed her

She found Dalton to be very charming. Him taking interest in her services didn't surprise her in the slightest. He was a regular at the nightclub she worked at and knew he was always into younger women.

She removed his hand from her face and continued to look up at him. "Well that's perfect, because I don't do the whole relationship thing." She snapped back before taking another drag on her cigarette. He just laughed at her and continued towards the door

"Mommy?" She hears coming from outside. She thought warm milk she had given the 4 year old and her sister would have them out like a light but the poor girl's sleeping pattern has been messed up lately due to unexplained night terrors

"Shit." She whispers to herself as her eyes widen in fear, practically leaping out of bed and grabbing the first clothing item she saw, a large baggy t shirt, to make herself look decent. "Get behind the door, I don't want her seeing you." She demands as she begins ushering him to the wall by the door, completely out of sight.

She opened the door to see her 4 year old daughter Pollyanna with her messy pigtails and clutching her one armed clothe-less doll. Alice couldn't afford to get the arm fixed or the many pretty clothing items that were made by the doll's manufacturer, all she had was the one baby vest that came when she bought it, and she didn't have a clue what Polly had done with it.

As for the arm, little Elizabeth always had a thing for disbanding toys, causing Pollyanna to fight with the tot often and hide the little toys she did have away from her younger sister, despite the tot being too young to understand that what she was doing was wrong.

She lowered herself to the little girls level and cupped her little face. "Hey baby what's wrong? Did you have another bad dream?" She asked her. The four year old nodded in response, clutching her doll a little tighter. "Can I sleep with you?" She asks shyly, rubbing her tired eyes with her little clutched fist.

Alice's eyes widen sharply, not knowing how to respond. "Uhm, no baby, but I'll snuggle up with you in your bed okay? I'll be out in a minute."

"Okay." She sniffles before walking back to her room. Alice shut the door behind her, making sure she entered her room first before beginning to usher Dalton out towards her front door.

"So, same time next week?" Dalton questions with a grin. Alice gave him an unimpressed smirk before slamming the door in his face carefully, making sure the noise didn't wake the girls up.

She quickly retreated to her shower, God knows she needed it, completing it before she intended on making her way to Polly and Betty's room. She exit the cold and dreary bathroom, making her way to her bedroom and finding a fresh and clean t shirt to put on. She walked down the hall as quietly as possible, slowly opening the door to find Elizabeth fast asleep, pigtails in a mess, pacifier hanging out of her mouth and her blanket on the floor. No doubt she had kicked it off, she was very active in her sleep.

She picked the blanket up off the floor and covered the tot with it before kissing her little head. She then walked over to Pollyanna's bed, getting in and pulling the duvet up.

Deep down she's grateful to be in the girls room rather than hers. Her room was cold and damp, which she knew when she moved in to the apartment and for obvious reasons chose to sleep in there rather than have the girls in there instead. She stroked the little girls hair and softened and smiled as Pollyanna cuddled up against her and fell asleep almost instantly.

She looked so cute when she was asleep, they both did, Alice thought to herself. She thought about what she had been doing just half an hour before, what she had been doing for years in fact. She felt a sickly feeling of guilt every time she was done with a client, and she hated having to resort to it to keep food on the table and a roof over her girls heads.however, Polly and Betty's happiness and safety made her swallow her pride for it. She may not be the best mother in the world, by anyone's standards, but they truly were her everything and she'd do anything for them both.