The Set Up

The Offer

A/N *All chapters will be in Priscilla's point of view unless otherwise stated.*

*WORD COUNT: 2667 *

My alarm clock went off with a shrill cry and I stared blankly at it for a moment before pressing snooze. I had been awake for hours listening to my brother throw up what little he could keep down and straining to catch my parents frantic whispers about working overtime to be able to afford my brothers treatments. Although I was eighteen I worked two jobs—one at a diner and the other as a maid cleaning rooms at the local inn. A few months ago I would have been attending college but I dropped out after hearing that my brother Sam was getting progressively worse. My parents could barely afford our small house as it was so I did what I needed to help my family.
  I shook my head to clear the fogginess as I began to get dressed for the day. I was scheduled to work at the inn from six o'clock a.m. until four p.m. and then from six p.m. to midnight I was supposed to work at the diner. It wasn't ideal, but I couldn't really afford to lounge around all day.

After getting dressed I trudged downstairs and poured myself a bowl of cereal. My mother slid a cup of coffee in front of me with a weary smile as she spoke.
"I hope we didn't keep you up dear." She said as she wrung her hands with worry. My poor mother was going to worry herself to death one day, although it would be easy to understand to see why.
I shook my head before feigning confusion. "No you didn't ma. I slept like a rock actually. Did something happen?"

My mother cleared her throat before meeting my gaze. "Sweetie— we think Sami's getting worse. We might need to consider different options if we're going to keep moving forward with his treatments." She looked away with guilt and I tried to dislodge the growing lump in my throat.
I know my mother wants what's best and she'd never just give up on Sam, but I could see the pain and the stress already beginning to take it's toll on her.

I tried to smile reassuringly but it felt more like a grimace as I began to put away my empty dishes. "I'm getting more hours this week, I wouldn't worry too much."

My mother shook her head in disappointment at me as I tried to avoid her gaze. "Cici, you know you shouldn't work yourself that hard, you're going to end up hurting yourself."

I didn't answer her as I grabbed my jacket and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be home sometime after midnight."
My mother smiled at me affectionately and I grinned back before heading out the door.

*Short Time Skip*

After I had arrived and clocked in at the Jolly Good Time Inn my manager Peter pulled me aside with a sheepish smile.

"There was a pretty big group of guests in the West Wing and they left a mess."

I fought the urge to roll my eyes before nodding my head in understanding. "Anything else?"

Peter nodded as he peered down at his clipboard. "West Wing needs to be cleaned up, and there was some sort of spill on the third floor. Once you finish with that, then make sure the breakfast bar is stocked, as well as the break room."

I pulled on my rubber gloves and face mask as I entered the first room. My nose wrinkled as I smelled the putrid smell of vomit and fecal matter.

By the time I had finished the West Wing and cleaned up third floor it was already well after one in the afternoon. My back ached and my nose stung from the harsh chemicals that were required to scrub the rooms.
I saw Peter making his rounds and greeting guests as they came in. "Hey Peter, I'm going to go ahead and clock out for break." I called out to him as I passed.