I returned home after what felt like the longest day of my life, however, it had probably only been an hour or so. I slid the key into the lock and twisted it, the door sprang free and I was let into the hell hole called home once again.
"Addi!" My half-sister, Chloe, came running down the hallway to greet me.
"Hiya, munchkin! I missed you today!" I picked her up from the ground and hugged her the same way I always do.
"I missed you, too! Daddy's not in a good mood today. He's upstrairs in the bedroom again." She said softly, grabbing my hand and taking me toward the kitchen.
"Are you hungry? Did he make you anything to eat today?" I asked her, and she shook her head no.
My stepfather, David, was nothing more than a good for nothing drunk. He sat on his ass all day, getting pissed, while my mum worked a twelve hour shift at the hospital, bringing in all the money. He did nothing for the rest of us, leaving me to take care of my four year old sister and one year old baby brother.
"Can I have cheese on toast, please?" She asked softly and I smiled and ruffled her hair.
"Of course, love."
I reached up to the cupboard to get the bread out while she walked over to the fridge to get the cheese. It was sad that a four year old had to learn to fend for herself like Chloe did.
"Stupid twat." I muttered, refferring to the useless bastard upstairs.
She handed me the cheese and went over to the table where she must have been sitting there earlier, with her crayons and paper all over the table. I zoned out as I started to make her lunch. My mind wandered to today's events.
My headache had started to subside. However, I started to feel quite odd. My entire body felt different. It wasn't even pain, it was just the most incredibly uncomfortable feeling.
"Addi! Jasper's crying!" Chloe warned, and I quickly dropped everything I had been doing so that I could quickly retrieve my younger brother.
"Shit." I took off and ran toward the stairs. I made my way up, skipping steps as quickly as I could. I turned the bend when I got to the top of the stairs and headed right into the nursery.
"For fuck's sake. Stop that bloody crying!" A bottle came flying out from across the hall, hitting the opposite wall. It crashed on impact, shattering immediately.
I entered Jasper's room and took him from his crib. I hushed him and held him close.
"It's alright. Sh...you're alright." I assured him, kissing his temple and rocking him back and forth.
He clung to my shirt as he continued to wail and I decided it was best to take him downstairs, away from David who was still shouting profanities and throwing objects in the general direction of the baby's room.
The next morning came around and I was woken up early by my alarm. With a grunt, I rolled out of bed and slammed on the clock simotaneously. I ran a lazy hand through my hair as I shuffled my feet across the floor in the general direction of the bathroom. I could hear that David had fallen asleep on the couch again, because the blaring of the television was just as loud as his snoring.
"Stupid bastard." I muttered as I closed the bathroom door behind me.
I turned to look at myself in the mirror and sighed. My dark hair was all tossled from the night's sleep and make makeup that had once excentuated my hazel eyes was now smeared and faded. I pulled a face and ruffled my hair, just before turning to strip to shower.
I emerged from the steam-ridden bathroom twenty minutes later, fully wrapped in a warm towel. I reentered my room after peeking in to check on Jasper and dropped the towel to get changed.
It was going to be another long day, I was sure of it. Atleast I now knew that Chloe and Jasper would be looked after, seeing that they were off to my Nan's for the day. I didn't really want to have to spend another day with that group of delinquents. I didn't belong with them.
"Addi?" I heard the soft voice of my sister sound from the door.
"Morning, darling. You're up early. Even for you." I said with a smile, kneeling down to hold eye contact with her.
"I couldn't sleep. Daddy was being loud again." She said, rubbing her eyes as she yawned.
"Well, I'll turn the tellie off on my way out and you can go on back to bed. How's that sound?" I asked her, touching her cheek softly.
She smiled slightly and nodded. I returned the gesture and reached up to grab my purse from the floor beside my bed.
"Alright now, you. Back to bed." I said, lifting her from the ground onto my hip. "Nan will be round to get you in a few hours when Mummy leaves. She'll take you to the park and you may even get some ice cream!"
She squealed with excitement which caused me to giggle. I got her back to her room and set her down on her bed. She got under the blankets and laid her head down on the pillow.
"I love you." This caused me to smile.
"I love you, too, Chloe. I'll see you when you get home, alright?" I said with a smile, kissing her forehead and smoothing down her blonde hair.
I waited as she rolled over and I stood there for a moment. At four years old, I didn't have to worry about keeping out of the way of a drunk father, having a mother who was never around or an older sister, who was meant to be a rolemodel, with a criminal record. I had a mother and a father who loved each other, spent all the time in the world loving me with all they could. Giving me everything they had, just to keep me happy. I knew Chloe and Jasper would never have that life. Never would it just be that simple for them.
