Dust Devils - A Girls Und Panzer Story

Chapter 11

Her parents toiled. They worked grueling hours away from their daughter who they cherish. This was all for her, all the sacrifice. They were determined that Valarie would only need to focus on school and tankery. To get opportunities to succeed and do better than them. For the rest of January, they would work relentlessly and be perpetually exhausted. Even when the bills piled on they still had this positivity that acted as a stalwart against Valarie being totally despondent. Yet even with all the actions they have undertaken to just stay afloat, it would prove to be overwhelming and ultimately in vain.

First, their water was cut.

Then the power.

And worse was still to come.

On the 4th of February, as Valarie returned from school, she noticed something on the door that wasn't there when she first left in the morning. Something that her family dreaded.

Notice Of Seizure

The owner of this property has fallen behind on mortgage payments.

It has been subsequently seized by the Bank of America

Former Occupants have 24 hours to claim belongings prior to eviction

One missed payment. One. That is was all that was needed for her family to lose their home. Upon reading this notice, Valarie couldn't feel a thing. She simply sat down and waited for one of her parents to return. Her dad returned first as his odd jobs gave him irregular hours. When he saw Valarie just sitting outside, he immediately knew something was amiss ran toward her.

"Valarie? Why are you outside?"

She pointed at the door. Her dad went up to it and read the notice. Stunned, he just stood there for a solid minute before moving again. He sat beside Valarie and hugged her.

"We gotta be strong now, more than ever." he comforted.

Valarie couldn't manage to shed a single tear. Physically unable too. She had already cried so much before and now, when everything has culminated for the worst, could only stare at the ground.

"C'mon, Let's gather our things."

They entered what was their home and got together all of their belongs that could fit in anything they could find. Old backpacks, suitcases, duffel bags, anything that can hold was filled to capacity. When her mother arrived, the expression on her face informed them that she too had read the notice. Together, they packed up as much of their belongings as they could and stored them in the car. It was a silent affair and produced strong emotions. Knowing that you may possibly never go back to a place you've called home for years, for Valarie her entire life, was a horrendous feeling. Valarie ensured that when packing away her things that her tankery tapes were chiefly among them. She no longer had any means of playing them but they provided some comfort. She'll need every little ounce of it. Once the car was absolutely filled, they all entered and drove away. They spent some time driving around, almost aimlessly. Soon, they found a place where they can stay for the night. A 24/7 parking lot. The car was turned off and they tried to go to sleep. Valarie's parents would glance at her to see how she was taking the situation. What concerned them was the blank expression on her face. No signs of distress or any tears. Just staring out the window. They wondered what she was thinking. Out of all the theories they created, they would never have figured that Valarie wasn't thinking about anything. They soon managed to go to sleep, though Valarie remained awake. Still looking out the window and motionless. Her mind was devoid of thought as it was unable to process what had just happened. Though doing nothing too took energy. Eventually, sheer exhaustion overtook her.