“Mommy, I’m hungry.”
“Mommy’s busy studying sweetie. Why don’t you go play with your blocks?”
“But I’m hungry.”
“Later sweetie, later.”
“But Mommy I’m hungry now.”
She sighed and put her book away.
“Anne sweetie, we have to save our food up.”
“But I’m hungry.”
“I know sweetie, so is Mommy. I’ll go make something for the both of us okay?”
“Okay.”
“Mommy, I don’t want to eat this.”
“You have to, there isn’t anything else.”
She cursed angrily at their flickering lightbulb, the only source of light they had. She could barely see the labels on the packaging of the bread.
“I want what Mommy’s having.”
“You’re too young to eat this.”
“But I want.”
“I said no Anne. “
“Mooommy, I’m bored.”
“Are you finished your lunch?”
“Mmmhm!”
The chair squeaked against the floor as she carried Anne to the floor.
“Now go play with your toys okay?”
“Okay.”
It wasn’t long till Anne came back to bother her again.
“Mommy, I’m tired.”
She finished up her sandwich and went to address her daughter’s needs.
“You want to go to bed Anne?”
“Mmhmm,” came the sleepy response as Anne rubbed tiredly at her eyes.
“Mommy will tuck you in soon, after she cleans up the dishes and finishes studying okay?”
“Okay.”
She gathered the dishes and turned to put them in the sink when the light suddenly went out causing her to stumble over a raised floorboard and causing the thankfully plastic plate and bowl to the floor.
“Mommy?” Anne’s voice called out in alarm.
“It’s okay sweetie just go back to playing.”
The light flickered back on as she balled her hands up in frustration, and didn’t bother to get the fallen plate.
“I can’t take this anymore.” she thought as the desperation of their financial situation appeared on her tired worn face.
She collected the plates and dumped them back on the table and reached for another battered textbook when Anne voiced her sleep desperation for the second time.
“Mommy I’m sleepy! I wanna sleep now!” she wailed flailing her little hands that had balled up into fists.
“Stop yelling Anne, I’ll take you to bed.” she said in resignation and lifted Anne off the floor.
As she approached the crib, she couldn’t help but look at the dismal shack they lived in. An ironic smile made its way to her face. If anybody had told her that she’d be living like this five years ago, she would’ve just laughed and said, ” that would never happen to me!”
But reality had hit her hard.
She loved Anne dearly, but times like these, she grew heavily frustrated with her daughter. She needed peace and quiet for a long time to study for exams she could not afford to take twice.
She sighed as she sat down, opening the textbook for an umpteenth time, and attempted to memorize its contents. It was hard as her thoughts tended to wander and worry about everything in general. Raising Anne was hard, especially when their income was a minimum low, and she couldn’t get a better job unless she studied.
She had thought about sending Anne off to an orphanage, it would be better for her. But every time she attempted to, she couldn’t. She couldn’t give Anne up.
Anne was the only thing she had left.
She sighed and re-read the same line she had been reading for the past few minutes when a large bang was heard outside the house.
—-
“I told you brother! Those weren’t the coordinates the princess was sent to!” the female gritted out angrily as she crossed her arms in annoyance and frustration.
“Would you shut up for at least one minute Kiran? It wass hard enough hacking into the system to find the right planet nevermind the right coordinates.”
“The princess could be billions of miles away from us Kiril! We, are responsible for her safety! We are supposed to watch out for her! We-”
“-were not supposed to come here!” Kiril cut her off angrily. “We were given orders to not follow the princess but no, you decide to storm out angrily like the spoiled brat you are, and defy His Majesty’s direct orders!”
“You ignorant fool! Who knows what will happen to the princess on this planet? There could be rogues! Thieves! Bandits! And you’re worried about what His Majesty said?”
“That’s a risk she wil have to take to save the planet, and as well the risk we are taking now. Do you think I can save you from anything Kiran? I might be your twin, we might share the same intuition, but I’m not God, and I can’t be bailing you out of everything.”
“Then fine! Leave! Go back to Raea! I don’t need your help, I’ll be fine on my own!”
“Fine? Fine?! Don’t forget who saved you from banishment Kiran! If it weren’t for me, you’d be cast out into the Commons and left to fend for yourself!”
Kiran bit her lip in anger and annoyance. So what if she had committed an act of dishonour, she had done it out of love. Kiril didn’t understand, he was always in training to take over father’s mantle of being the King’s right-handed man.
“I didn’t ask you to save me back then Kiril, you did it because you were scared with me gone, all the reponsibility of the family name would fall on you!” Kiran spat out.
“You ungrateful wench-!”
Unknown to the siblings, the occupant of the shack has come out to see what the commotion was all about.
“You there, what’s going on? If you want to fight please take it somewhere else.”
Kiril and Kiran turned towards the girl. “And excuse me? Who are you to tell us what to do?” Kiril shot back angrily.
“Look here mister, if you’re not going to leave, I’ll call the police and have them arrest you for trespassing on private property.”
“We’ll argue where we want to girl! Stay out of it!” Kiril shot back angrily.
“Kiril! Be civil! She might know where the princess is!” Kiran interjected frantically. “Let me apologize for my brother’s rudeness, have you seen a girl dressed like me? With similar hair and slightly more purplish-”
“No I have not, and you and your brother can leave this place right now.”
Kiril’s nasty temper rose. “Look you brat, this situation’s more grave than your little mind can possible comprehend. “
The girl’s face twisted in anger. “And you, if you want a favour ever heard of being nice? If you didn’t have a stick rammed up your ass so far in-”
“Shut up!” Kiran yelled as she physically separate the two. “Look, we’re in search of someone really important to us, who may or may not be near here. As for our arguement we are sorry to have disrupted you, and if you would be so kind, is there any place we can stay that is near here for the night?”
She seemed taken aback by the sudden change of tone and was about to reply when a voice interrupted them.
“Mama? What’s going on?”
She turned around to talk to the toddler.
“Anne, how did you get out of the crib? I told you not to climb out of it, it’s dangerous.”
“Sorry mama.”
Kiril stood offto the side in annoyance. “Kiran you handle this, you got us into this mess you handle it.”
Kiran held the bridge of her nose in frustration. “Look miss-”
“No you look miss. I have a child I need to care for. I don’t have time or anything I could possibly help with. If you really want to make it up to me, please just leave the property and we’ll leave it at that.”
“We don’t have anywhere to go, we just came from the planet Raea, and we’re new to this planet-”
“And I’m living in luxary. Listen lady, I don’t have time to deal with you. I told you once before, please leave.”
“Do you know at least where there is a place to stay for the night? My brother and I could use some rest for the night.”
The girl shook her head in disbelief. “Do you not know where this is? There’s no inn or motel within a 4 km radius of here.”
Kiran hung her head in desperation. “Then can we stay with you?”
The girl didn’t say anything as she picked up the child. “You want me, to let two complete strangers into my house. I don’t even know who you people are, you could be criminals for all I know.”
“Please, even if you do not believe that we are not from your planet, I assure we mean no harm, we’re just trying to find someone dear to us.” Kiran pleaded.
The girl seemed to turn this over in her head as she bounced the child up and down as if the answer would come out of her.
“Please, we’ll do anything,” Kiran added.
The girl seemed to be relenting as she bit her lip in indecisiveness. She knew how these people felt. She would probably been dead if she hadn’t by chance wandered across a kind old lady who offered her a place to stay.
”Fine. But don’t expect a bed or anything.”
“Finally,” Kiril snorted and headed in after her.
Kiran rubbed the back of her neck. “So, what is your name? I’m Kiran and this is my brother Kiril.”
The girl stopped abruptly in the middle of the room. “My name?”
“Yes, surely people on your planet have names as well?”
“Yes we do,” the girl replied cautiously.
“So what is yours?”
The girl hesitated for a second and replied.
“I guess you can call me Jane.”
My heart went out for jane. Their life seems to be very desperate. But anne is cute! Kiril really had to mind his temper.
Mohohon: haha your comments always motivate me to write faster! this just started off as an experiment, and it started to brew a story in my head. i actually don’t know where i’m taking as of the moment haha but i’m sure inspiration will hit!