CHAPTER 2. Shattered

"Will?" Rebecca mused, startling his brother. He turned around and saw his little sister standing a few feet away from him. Her brow furrowed, her eyes blurry with sleep.

"What's wrong, sis?" he said softly, walking towards her. He wiped away his tears, subtly.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as a reply.

"Oh, nothing," he shoved off. "I was thirsty."

She made a pause as if she wasn't quite sure she believed him.

"Why are you crying?" she said then.

"What? No, I'm not crying. My throat it's a little sore, that's all." He sniffed and faked a cough.

"But are you okay?" she asked quietly, too sleepy to argue.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he lied. "Hey, you've got school tomorrow," he added, changing the subject abruptly. "You shouldn't be up this late. Let's get you back to bed, alright?"

"Okay" she said simply. Will placed a hand on her shoulder and guided her towards her bedroom. She followed him for a few steps but then stopped dead in her tracks.

"And mum?" she asked.

"What about her?" Will said, confused.

"How much longer is she gonna sleep?" she replied, her eyes glossy as if she were about to cry.

"Oh." Will's heart wrenched and he smiled sadly, tousling Rebecca's hair. "Can't say. She's tired, y'know? But she'll be fine."

I hope so.

"Now…" he put one hand on his hip and scratched his chin with the other "…where was I?" He pursed his lips. "Oh yes!"

He crouched and took Rebecca by the waist making roaring sounds.

"I'm a Segisaurus," he grunted, making her laugh. "The laziest dinosaur to ever exist. And I want to sleep," he added with a growl. The boy didn't even bother trying to keep it quiet, it wasn't as if his mother could wake up, was it? "Now let's get to bed" he told her as he entered her room.

He placed her on the bed and tugged her tightly.

"Comfortable?" he asked. She nodded.

"Is Mr. Sunshine with you?" he joked. Rebecca lifted the blanket to show him an oddly shaped puppet.

"Perfect," he smiled, pinching her nose.

He turned to leave but felt Rebecca's hand catching his wrist.

"Could you stay for a while?" she begged. Will looked at his sister, puzzled. She had that painful expression she wore when she was scared. His gut twisted. That was an expression he'd rather not see in his sister's face.

Rebecca moved a little, so he could sit next to her.
He nodded in agreement.

"Okay, but just for a minute," he warned.

He lay next to her, closing his eyes.

"Fifty-nine, fifty-eight, fifty-seven…" he started counting. Rebecca grumbled.

Will's eyes snapped open. He must have fallen asleep at some moment. He was freezing. Rebecca was shivering by his side, too. He had one arm curled around her, and her long hair was tickling his nose. He disentangled from the embrace, twisting a little to take a look at his wrist watch. The bright digits confirmed that he still had a couple of hours before getting up.
He rubbed his eyes trying to erase any remaining of sleepiness and stared at the ceiling. He was running out of time. He shuffled around all the options he had. If only…
He got up and lifted the blanket that was on the floor, covering Rebecca with it. He left after deactivating her sister's alarm clock.

"Gee, just look at the time!" Will said entering her sister's room. "Come on, we're gonna be late!"
She sprang to her feet.

"What? Oh no-" she cursed softly.

"I know. Get ready, there's no time for breakfast" he said, sounding all too casual.

Rebecca cursed again as Will left so she could get dressed.

He had lied to her. He had manipulated her own sister into believing him so she wouldn't notice there was no food left in the house. He felt sick. As the older brother he should be protecting her instead of making excuses because of his failure.
But he was also tired of struggling and fighting. He knew he shouldn't be the one providing for the family. He hated his father for leaving them, hated his mother for being so weak, hated his life for being so unfair. However, this was his reality and he would have to face it sooner or later.

At that moment, the most pressing issue was that he had less than six hours to get something for her sister to eat when she got back from school. There was no way she wouldn't notice if they skipped dinner too.

He didn't feel like going to school, so he just went back home. He glanced at his mother, still in the same place as if time hadn't passed. Truth is, he was worried sick about her. She hadn't eaten anything in almost two days, as she had been virtually comatose. He would have to prepare her a huge meal as soon as he managed to get some money.

He went to the kitchen and served himself a glass of water to try and calm his hunger. It didn't work wonders, but it was something. He returned to the living room and stared once more at his mother.

She was the ghost of the woman she used to be. He remembered how she was like years ago, when she at least tried. She would wear makeup and shiny earrings, nice dresses, take them to the park, cook meals for them. But that was all gone.
Maybe not all of it.

He sprinted to her mother's room and started fumbling around, opening drawers, making a mess. After rummaging for a few moments, he found a tiny box and tore the bow open smiling to himself.

"What do you mean it's not silver?" Will shouted angry at the man, slamming his hands on the crystal counter.

"Easy kid," the man warned. "Look, I can give you…seven pounds for the earrings and ten more for the necklace. Take it or leave it," the trader said.

"This is worth so much more," the boy spat, enraged. "You think I'm stupid or what? Is this some kind of shitty joke? I knew the moment I saw you that you were a bloody swindler," he turned around, ready to leave.

"Good Lord," the man uttered, amused. "No need to be rude. I'm giving you, let's say, twenty pounds for both of them. And that's my final offer".

Will tried to stay calm but his annoyance was rather obvious.

"Look, I just need the money," the boy explained, facing him again. "…and this is not enough. I'm telling you, this is real silver, with real stones and shit."

The man looked him up and down very slowly, smiling a little.

"So how much do you need the money?" he asked, with a voice so velvety it disgusted Will.

"I just need it," he said plainly. His face burned as the man kept checking him out. Why was he doing that? He averted his eyes, looking at the floor. His fists clenched but he tried to remain submissive as if not to cross the guy.

"Alright," the man announced. "I'll give you sixty pounds for your fake jewelry".

Will sighed, relieved. Sixty pounds? That was good. He could pay the gas and other bills that had been piling up over the kitchen table. And the rent! And if he managed it well, he could buy enough food for two weeks. And by that time Will was sure his father would have already returned home.

"That's okay" Will agreed, trying to sound not too eager.

"But…" the man added "…I might have a little work for you." Will looked up, startled and caught the hint of a smirk on the man's face.

"Uh… what kind of work?" Will's brow furrowed.

"Oh, nothing too serious."

The man extended a hand and grabbed Will's chin, long nails digging in the pale skin. Will felt his eyes water, but didn't move. The man caressed his cheek and then let go.

"Yer quite special, aren't you? I'm sure you'll manage just fine. They're gonna love you. Lemme see…" the man rummaged in his pocket until he found what he was looking for. "Here" he said, handing Will a raggedy piece of paper. "If you ever need some more money... well, that's the address. Be sure you tell them Tom Cox sent you. And take your money," he added, ending the conversation as he left three bills on the counter.