The girl tossed and turned in her sleep. Dreams of her past and her once happy family home had haunted her every sleeping hour for the past 6 years. She gasped and shot up in her bed drenched in a cold sweat, greeted only by the orange and purple sunrise that had begun to peak at her through her bedroom window. Her nightmares has been so vivid…
"Shit." She murmured, bringing her hands to her face and neck, attempting to wipe away the tears and perspiration that were still lingering. Taking a deep breath, and attempting to forget all of the things she had dreamt, She untangled herself from her sheets and placed her feet on the hardwood floor before slowly standing up and stretching all of the sleep out of her 5ft 125lb frame.
The old flooring creaked under her bare feet as she carried herself across the room to open the window and let some of the cool, moist, morning air in. She stuck her head out briefly and took a look around the pasture outside. A smile lit up the girl's face as her gaze settled on two figures in the distance, making their way towards the little cottage on the hill that they all lived on.
After closing the window so insects wouldn't get into her room, she stepped in the shower for a quickie so she would be able to start breakfast before the boys made it back home from the pasture. Afterwords, she dried off and swept her long, damp red hair into a ponytail and pulled on a pair of hand-me-down jeans and a V-neck white shirt.
The girl then exited the cottage out the back door to gain access to the small garden she kept. The morning sun shone a little higher in the sky now, and it gleamed off of the little rows of vegetables, making them seem unnatural in color. She crouched on her haunches and pulled a few stray weeds from the earth before discarding them into a large pile of already decaying weeds a few feet from the garden. She would have to go dispose of the pile soon, it was getting too large.
She stood on her tip-toes to pull a cutting board down from the high shelf it was kept in, and proceeded to dice the tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant she had harvested. "Too bad it's too warm to grow good onions." She murmured to herself before tossing the medley of fresh veggies into the pan to simmer. Just as they were beginning to brown, there was a commotion at the front door as two pairs of heavy feet came down on the floor.
"I bet ye she's not even out'o bed yet, de lazy arse." The heavy footsteps plodded closer to the kitchen. "Y're probably righ'. We get up at the crack of dawn e'rey mornin' to work our asses off on ole Buckley's farm, while she just snoozes her pretty little head off." Now they were just trying to make her mad. She turned around to face the two rough and tumble Irish twins she had come to know and love more that anyone in the world. Crossing her arms over her chest she said. "G'morning Connor, Murph" And glared at them in jest as she said each of their names. They exchanged glances and grinned. "Mornin' Chrys." They said in unison. Connor set down the basket of eggs he had been holding and walked over to place a kiss on Chrysanthemum's left cheek. "Don't worry darlin', we weren' talkin' about you or nothin'." he said putting his arm around her. Murphy set the basket he had been holding down as well, which contained a small loaf of bread and two jars of milk. "Aye." He said, making his way over as well and placing an identical kiss on her right. "We were jus' discussin' that other girl that we keep tied up in the basement. She's so lazy!" Chrys thwacked both of them on the side of the head. "You two are the biggest pair of idiots."
"Aye." Connor said. "But you love us though."
"Too right." Murphy added. "Why else would you have been cookin' and keepin' after us all these years?" Chrys rolled her eyes and grabbed a few eggs out of the basket Connor had set down and began mixing them with milk to add to the browning vegetables for a nice omelet. The boys kicked their boots off and set them on the rug outside the door, then sat themselves down at the kitchen table.
"How are the Buckley's dis mornin'?" Chrys asked as she cooked. "Just as fine as ever." Connor said, getting two mugs from a cabinet and pouring some old coffee into them that had been warming on the stove. He set one mug down in front of his brother, and added milk to his before taking a swig of it. "I think their daughter's got a crush on ole' Murph though." He added, trying to suppress the laughter that was threatening. Murphy glared at him. "Shut it, will ya? She's a right troll." Chrys turned from her work and tossed a hunk of eggshell at his head. "That's so mean Murphy! She's not so bad. You should take 'er out." Connor was unable to contain himself and began to laugh uncontrollably. "Yeah Murph. Why doncha take 'er out for a bite?" He managed to stammer out between fits. "Shut up ass! Why don't you take 'er then!" Chrysanthemum turned off the burner and watched the brothers' exchange in amusement. "Because she doesn' like me Murph, she only has eyes for you!" Connor waved his hand in the air and imitated a high girlish voice. "Oh Murphy, please help me lift this heavy bucket! Murphy, I dropped my beret under the sink! Wont you bend down and get it for me?"
Murphy lunged across the table and began pummeling his brother with his fists. "I'm going te beat you within an inch of your bloody life!"
"Alright boys that's enough!" Chrys grabbed Murphy's shoulder's and dislodged his hands from Connor's throat, then smacked Connor upside the head. "Ow! What was dat fer?" She pointed at him, warning. "Connor, don' tease your brother. Murhp," She turned and smacked him as well. "Don't attack yours."
"Ow! Fuck, he started it!" She rolled her eyes and began serving them the omelet she had prepared, slicing some bread for herself and sitting down. "I swear, sometimes I feel like your mum needs to send me a check for babysittin' the two of you."
"Aye." Connor said. "Why d'ya think she moved out?"
Chrys sent the boys back off to the Buckley's farm to finish up their work after breakfast. Meanwhile, she cleared the dishes and cleaned the spilled coffee up off of the floor. While Chrys was doing the boys' laundry and making their beds for them, she happened upon the calendar in the den. According to it, today was June 20th. She sat down on Murphy's bed and let out a sigh. How could she have forgotten what today was? It was the day that had changed her life forever.
6 years ago today, The Flynn family's farm burned to the ground, taking all residents but one with it. It had once stood just a few miles down the hill from the MacManus' cottage. Chrysanthemum had lived there with her mother and father, one older brother and a younger sister as well. She had been a mere 13 when the tragedy took place. She awoke coughing to a room full of flames. The fire consumed everything. Her clothes, her toys, everything. Flames were licking dangerously close to her own body as her older brother tried to break down her door to get her out. She was too scared to move and could do nothing but curl up on her bed until she passed out from smoke inhalation. The last thing she remembered hearing was her family screaming for her before everything went black.
She blurred in and out of consciousness over the next hour or so. Broken glass. Footsteps. Cursing. She felt herself being lifted by two pairs of arms. The cold grass on her back, wet with morning dew. Being shaken. More voices. Finally she willed her eyes to flutter open. They stung and watered from heat and smoke. They finally focused on the two figures leaning over her. "I think she's dead." One murmured. "Shut up! No she ain't. She's breathing."
"You're fucking hallucinatin'!"
"You are!"
The two figures jumped into a manmade melee and began to wrestle, cursing at each other. Chrysanthemum slowly propped herself on one elbow and rubbed her eyes. She surveyed the destruction before her young eyes. The whole farm had been reduced to nothing but smoldering black wood and ashes. The barn. The crops. Her house. She began to slowly realize the gravity of the situation. "Where's my mom?" she turned to the two boys in front of her. They stopped their scuffle and turned their attention to her. "Holy fuck, yer alive?" Connor exclaimed. "Shut the fuck up Conn! She a little girl don't curse in front of her!" Connor smacked Murphy. "You just cursed you nut-" Chrys cut them off. "Where are my mom and dad? Where's my sister! Where's my brother, where are they!" Her lip began to tremble and she let out a small hiccup of a sob. The boys looked at each other, and looked back at her. One after the other they rose to their feet and came to stand in front of Chrys, helping her to her own. "Come on lass." Connor said. "Aye." Said Murphy. "You're comin' home wit us."
They took her to the home they shared with their mother and had taken care of her ever since. They shared their home, food, and even clothes with her. Any clothes she's had were destroyed in the fire. Their mother had become much like a surrogate mother to her.
Mrs. MacMnus had moved out some two years later after she retired to get some peace and quiet away from her sons, leaving them to Chrysanthemum. "I know you can handle 'em lass." Their mom had told her before she left. "Promise me ye'll take care of me boys?"
"I promise, mum." Chrys said, kissing her on the cheek. Another four years passed and here she was, crouched on Murphy's bed, crying her eyes out. Her whole family had died in the blaze, the boys had only made it in time to save her life, queued that something was wrong by the smoke in the early morning sky and the smell of fire. She'd spent those last six years trying to make it up to them. She had begun to love them both in a way that scared her sometimes. They were all she had. If anything happened to them or they ever left…The thought gave her goose bumps. She wouldn't be able to handle life without them. She let out one more sob-ridden breath and wiped her eyes with one of Connor's dirty shirts. Before getting up to finish the laundry.
After Chrys had done the day's chores and dinner was almost ready, the boys busted in the front door and each grabbed one side of her from behind, covering her eyes with their free hands. "We've got a surprise for ye, love." Murphy whispered in her ear, while Connor turned her around and presented a freshly baked blackberry pie. Her favorite. She smiled to fight back the oncoming flood of emotion. They remembered. They knew what day it was, and they were trying to ease the pain in the way only they could.
Chrysanthemum hugged them both around the neck and kissed their foreheads. "I love my boys." Connor set the pie down and wrapped his arms around her, laying his head on her left shoulder, while Murphy held her from the back and let his head rest on her right. "We love you too Chrys." Murphy said. "Aye love. We couldn't get on without yeh." Connor said, agreeing with his twin.