Brittany
Her parents sat on the couch, naked. A sweet smell permeated the air. Brittany sat on the trash-covered floor playing with her headless doll, while her parents smoked something brown.
Brittany was three and the accident of her parents. She was born on the very couch her parents sat. It was a miracle that she'd lived this long.
"Momma, I'm hungry." She stared into her mother's bloodshot eyes.
"You know where the food is." Her mother snorted. "But before you go, give mama that needle over there."
Brittany dropped her doll and walked over to the table where an uncapped needle lay on it. She picked it up and handed it to her mother. She then walked into the kitchen before she had to watch her mother stick the needle into her arm.
Brittany scavenged around the kitchen. Every cabinet had empty boxes or busted cans with bugs crawling out of them. Brittany sighed. Her parents had forgotten to go to the store again. It wouldn't be long before they went shopping, though. They were smoking their magic sticks, as they liked to call them. Their magic sticks made them hungry.
"Mama, we don't have any food!" She shouted anyway, hoping that they'd go shopping sooner than later. Her mother didn't answer, though. Brittany's hope for food dimmed when she realized that just one shot must've knocked her mother out.
Her father was a helpless case. He wouldn't even acknowledge Brittany until he came came down from his high. Although, her father was doing better at staying high. Her father would probably end up knocking himself out soon too.
So Brittany decided to do what she always does after her parents went out; she walked out the front door.
That day was a chilly day. The snow would soon be falling and her walks would become more difficult, especially without a coat to wear. Brittany walked up the dirt path from her parents' trailer. She was going to town to look at all the beautiful houses. She dreamed of someday living in one of those large, decorated houses.
There was one house in particular that she loved. It was a medium-sized house, painted white with a black roof and a brown front door. A family lived there. A father and two children occupied the home. She never talked to the family, though. She only ever saw them from their windows. Something was different on that day, however, because when she passed the house she saw the eldest child, a girl, holding a male child.
The boy looked about her age but he looked nothing like the other children. He had black hair and his eyes looked darker than the other two children. Brittany thought maybe the boy had been adopted by the family.
She thought about walking up to the house and asking. It wouldn't be an unreasonable act. And they might even give her food. After all, she was a child like them. They might have some compassion for her. She'd have a real place to hide out. Maybe even a pretend family for a little bit.
She was just about to walk up the sidewalk to their house when she noticed something. It was a tiny detail, but a significant one nonetheless. The girl had tears streaming down her cheeks.
Brittany stopped in her tracks. She didn't want to interrupt if something bad happened. So she turned and walked near the closest store. The store would be warm and it always had samples that she could eat.
She was never afraid of being out on her own. No one in town was more frightening than the people that her parents met for their drugs.
The doors slid open. Brittany walked past the various fruits and samples of a type of bread. Brittany took two samples.
"Hello young lady, where are your parents?" An elderly woman smiled. Her gray hair was pulled up and tucked into a hairnet. She wore a green hat and an kind smile. She handed Brittany two samples.
"Shopping." Brittany lied like she had many times before.
Sometimes people would take notice of Brittany. A three year old on their own can't always hide in plain site. But she learned to like fast and she learned to lie well.
"You shouldn't run off from your parents you know." The woman lectured her, half teasing. "It's not safe sweetheart."
"My mama knows where I am." Brittany smiled. "Thank you."
"Do you need help getting back to her?" The woman asked.
"No." Brittany smiled. "Bye bye." She promptly left the store. She never stayed for too long and didn't want to risk someone asking too many questions.
She rubbed her arms on the way home. The sun was starting to go down and a breeze began to blow. Brittany passed the school. She wasn't sure if she would ever get to go there. She'd never been to a doctor, nor any other professional-type person. She'd only ever known her house and the secluded places her parents took her.
When she finally arrived back to the trailer, her parents' breaths fogged in the air. Brittany grabbed the nearest blanket and draped it over their naked bodies. She maneuvered her way into her room, trying hard not to step on any needles.
When she finally reached her corner of the trailer, she laid down on her blanket and pillow. She covered herself and sighed.
"Wake up mama." She muttered. "You need to get food."