Hope for tomorrow

by MorningLight29

The roads were icy that night as the McCallister family drove home from a Christmas gathering and the family's CRV was no match for the delivery truck that forced them off the bridge into the frigid waters below. They might have all met their watery grave had a certain doctor not passed by. What will the Cullens do with 3 orphaned children?

13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Hope's POV

The next few weeks didn't go much better though Aunt Aria was able to find a job though it involved working overnights which interfered with our care. She needed a job and we could use the money since the insurance checks hadn't gone through yet. A lawyer the next town over was in charge of dispensing funds to make sure we were cared for, but already, Aunt Aria was proving not to be very responsible in regards to paying bills and because of that, we were already behind on the mortgage and electric bill. I offered to get a part time job after school to help out as well, but for now, I was needed at home to care for my siblings until we could figure something out. Esme and Carlisle stopped by about twice a week now and phoned regularly to see if we needed anything. Stubbornly, we tried to keep going on our own, but with the new financial need and no grown-up to watch us at night, Aria finally agreed to let us go with the Cullens while she worked. I would be surprised if she could manage to hold down a job. Lately, it seemed like I was the grown-up around the house anyway since Aria seemed to spend more time in bed than out these days. I did what I could to keep stability for my brother and sister who were growing up way too fast as well. Without our parents, we knew we were basically fending for ourselves.

Now I found myself riding next to Esme with Emmalyn and Dillion in the backseat as we rode to the Cullen's home for our first overnighter. Aria and I had fought for days over this one, but in the end, being the "guardian" she got the say over whether or not we were responsible enough to stay home alone. She won, I lost. I didn't interact much on the way there, spending my time instead with my eyes trained on the scenery outside the window. Esme seemed sensitive enough to leave me alone and play the radio softly which she and Emmalyn chatted to pass time. Dillion seemed uncertain about the new changes and hadn't so much as grunted since pick up at school.

Esme's POV

I watched the children carefully out of the corner of my eye. I knew they were nervous about this arrangement, but I for one was grateful to have the opportunity to open our home to them especially as they walked through such a tough time in their life. I knew my family would get the chance to love on them and make sure they were getting cared for. Over the past few weeks, I'd spent quite a bit of time getting to know Aria and realizing just how over her head she was. The poor woman was as scatterbrained as they came, and her own pain from the loss was blocking her ability to support the kids. I only hoped we could help them stay together.

Hope's POV

The next morning upon being dropped off at school, I waited until Esme pulled away from the curb to throw my backpack over my shoulder and walk the couple miles to my house. If I knew Aria she would be unconscious by now having taken a combo of painkillers and alcohol to "take the edge off" as she liked to say. I slipped quietly into the back door and tiptoed up the stairs not that I could possibly wake her anyway. I peeked my head inside the door to my parent's bedroom where Aria slept and removed a bottle from the nightstand. I got closer thinking something was off, and that's when I saw the vomit down the side of the bed and noted the silence.

"Aunt Aria?!" I reached over to shake her. Nothing. "Aunt Aria?! Wake up! No, no, no, no, no!"

My tears began to flow when there was no response. What should I do? Not again. I could NOT go through losing another person.

That was when I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up to see Jacob. What was he doing here?