*****CHAPTER 4

MAE'S POV

When I reached home, the scene that welcomed me was that of my parents having a quarrel and exchanging hot words; my father was drunk and staggering as always, and my mother was sick and wobbly. Snow was seated on the one and only worn-out couch we have in the room, painting her nails with her cheap nail polish and acting ignorant and uninterested in the scene before her. Even though her nonchalance was quite annoying, I wouldn't blame her for it. Since childhood, we have grown up witnessing our parents fight over petty things and cause a quarrel every now and then.

Snow raised her gaze to meet me as soon as she noticed my presence. A sinister smile crossed her pretty, dark face, and she eyed me from the top of my head to the soles of my feet.

"Hey, kid." She motioned me over with her fingers, but I refused to move an inch. I did not understand how, till now, she wouldn't understand that I wouldn't obey her for anything in the world. To me, she was the most useless older sister in the world. With the uncanny resemblance she had with my father and the way their sapphire eyes had an innate cunningness in them, I couldn't understand why they had almost the same traits and were both the most useless members of this family.

"Got a coin?" "Eh?"

Setting my jaw and feeling a sudden surge of anger wash through me, I looked away from her before the urge to lurch upon her and pinch her pretty face off overtook me. Instead, I refocused my sight back to my parents, who were still hot with anger and running mouths.

"You get your lazy ass out there and get us some food to eat!" My mother was pointing at my father, and the man looked like he could kill my mother any minute.

"You stupid bitch!" "You must learn to give me some respect!"

My mother scoffed and fired back.

"Respect, you say?" Of every man in this pack, you are the least who should be accorded some respect! "Take a look at yourself!" She waved at his pathetic frame. "You can't even feed your own family." You cannot even bring honor to your own family. All you do is drink all day and gamble all our earnings away. "You disgust me!"

My angry father retaliated by shoving my mother by the chest and pushing her to the ground. This time, I couldn't just stand and watch; panic immediately rushed through me, and I ran to my mother, kneeling to the floor and helping her to sit up.

My mother winced in pain and rubbed the spot on her head where she had fallen. I caressed her arm gently to comfort her, and just as my father was about to utter another word, I snapped back at him like a dog ready to bark.

"Stay away from her!" I yelled a warning at him, and it was he who eyed me, his aggression transferring from my mother to me.

"You little brat!"

But I ignored his harsh remark and did not retaliate this time. Instead, I focused on helping my mother get on her feet again. My heart ached for her. I felt terribly bad that a good woman like her had ended up with a useless man like my father, who didn't give a damn about her even in her sick state. Instead, all he did was mistreat her and worsen her condition. With the way things were going, I was beginning to get the idea that she might die in his hands. But my head disagreed with me. If ever such things happened, then that would be the end of him. I will stab him to death in his sleep and feed his carcass to the dogs.

Shoving a hand into the pocket of my coat, I retrieved the coins from within, now wrapped in a small piece of dirty cloth. I threw it to Snow, who failed to catch it before it fell to the floor. Then, she excitedly rushed out of her seat, abandoning her nail polish and picking up every bit of the coins on the floor.

"Hurry up and make dinner." I told Snow before turning my gaze back to my father.

"Now, that is what real men do instead of trying to kill their wives over a single penny." I hissed at my father, and he only groaned in return. I turned my attention away from him again and back to my mother, helping her get to the cushion. When she was seated properly, I smoothed her hair and tucked some loose strands neatly behind her ears. She only watched my face as I did so, her eyes half-dead and lame. I don't blame her. She had spent her entire life suffering and toiling for a man who wouldn't raise a finger to help.

"You wait here, okay?" "Snow is going to make us something for dinner, and we won't have to go to bed hungry tonight." I said and gave her one last smile before getting up, but before I could leave, she reached for my hands and squeezed them warmly, her hazel eyes reflecting mine and staring into mine. I could see the regret in her eyes. The pains. I had always wished I could do something to make her eyes sparkle with life again, but I couldn't. The best I could do was risk my life by stealing so that she could at least have something to eat and not go hungry.

"You are a gift from the gods." She tells me that her voice is weak and thin. "Thank you."

I smile back at her and have her raise her own hand, kissing the back of her hands gently and then giving them a gentle pat.

"Have your rest, mother." "And then, take your medicines after dinner."

My mother sighed and nodded her head before finally letting me go. Leaving the living room, I head for the bedroom I shared with my two sisters. I felt so exhausted from the chase from earlier too, and all I want right now is a warm, steamy shower and soup for dinner before bed. I knew this because we hardly make anything else for dinner except soups and porridge. But it is still a good thing since we were at least able to manage to afford that.

When I walked into the decades-old bedroom with peeling walls and roofs that leaked and let stray rays of sunlight in, my eyes landed on my eighteen-year-old youngest sister, Pearl, who was lying on her bunk bed. Her sandals were in her grip, and it looked like she was trying to fix them or something. I closed the distance between us, and she sat up as soon as she noticed my presence in the room.

"Hey." She greeted me warmly, smiling and exposing her cute bunny teeth.

"Hi." I arranged my weight and sat beside her on the bed. "What are you up to?"

"I'm trying to mend this myself." She raised her worn-out sandals for me to see.

I mouthed an "oh" before collecting the sandals from her grip and examining them with my eyes. It was old and completely a mess. I wondered how she was able to wear this to school every day and never be bullied by the other kids. Still, I would never know if she was ever bullied or not. Pearl would never tell anyone. That was how enclosed and secretive she could be.

"It's old. "We need to get you a new one." I sighed and said

"After we have enough to eat and don't have to witness mother and father throwing insults at each other because of basic needs,"

"Having a new shoe is a basic need too." I reminded her, and she only gave a shrug, letting me have my way without an argument.

"Know what?" I added, and she stared at me inquisitively. "Let's do it this way." "Score a better grade at school this year, and I will get you a new pair of shoes as a gift for your hard work."

"Ah! Come on!" Pearly said with a laugh. "You know that is impossible." "I have never even scored more than five points in a test."

"I didn't ask for the best grade, Pearl." "I asked for a better grade."

She took a moment to stare at me, her brain clearly comprehending and analyzing my words. Then, she offered me a closed-mouth smile and nodded.

"Alright. Deal."

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