Cruel World (The Tribe Book 1)

10. Mother

"Pigs!" Salene shouts in the kitchen, disgusted by the dishes left in the sink from last night and this morning.

Amber and I walk into the kitchen to see what's wrong, only for me to sigh in disappointment at the recurring sight.

"Look at this place! It's disgusting!" Sal continues, frustrated, to the point where she throws a plate on the ground, smashing it.

"Salene!" Amber exclaims, shocked at her outburst.

"They're all pigs, I hate them!" She yells in response, overwhelmed.

Both of us look at each other, very confused at the other reason for Salene's temper at the moment.

"Sal did something happen?" I question, placing a hand on her arm in an attempt of comfort.

She reaches past and shows us a large poster one of the kids scribbled on, reading 'Wanted desint motha', and the poster just happens to be the roster. I pinch the bridge of my nose, understanding the situation, but also the real purpose of the sign.

"I'm trying my best!" she exclaims, now more upset.

"Sal it's not about you..." We trail off as she storms past us. We give each other a look of exasperation and leave her be.

"What was that crash? Everything alright?" Bray calls to us, walking in after being bumped into by Salene. Amber hands him the poster and gives us an 'oh' face in understanding.

I give an exasperated sigh and begin cleaning dishes before cleaning the entire kitchen and café, because if I don't its unlikely anyone else will. Bray helps by drying and putting dishes away, until Trudy calls for him like a butler.

I huff and continue, finishing up and place chairs up on tables so that I can sweep and mop, when Martin comes up the stairs, offering to help me. He helps move the chairs and gets the mop ready while I sweep the kitchen, and once I finish he mops while I move to the café. Because of this we are able to finish much quicker and just have to wait for the floor to dry before we put the chairs back.

Because it's rainy outside, we don't go up to the roof and instead decide to go for a walk around the mall, ending up in the storage bays at the back. He decides he wants to play hide and seek, so I giggle and go along.

I count to 30 while he runs off, and then go to find him.

"Oh Martinnnnn, where are youuuu?" I call teasingly, but eventually I search the whole storage bay and can't find him, getting worried.

"Martin I'm serious, where are you? You're scaring m- Ahhh!" I say, screaming at the end in fright because he sneaks up on me and tickles me. I wriggle away and whack him on the arm.

"What the hell?! Don't do that!" I scold him, and he blushes before hugging me to try and calm me down. I sigh but accept the hug, nuzzling my face into his chest.

"I'm sorry babe, I promise I won't do it again," he mumbles into my hair, his voice sincere.

I nod into his chest, causing him to laugh softly before he pulls back, lifting my head up with a finger under the chin, kissing me softly. I sigh into the kiss, pulling him in closer, as the kiss becomes more passionate.

We end up against one of the shelves, my back pressed against them as we make out. My hands work their way up his chest and shoulders to the back of his neck, where they weave into his hair. He sighs at the feeling, nipping my lip gently before pulling away.

"I love you," he mutters, looking into my eyes as his forehead is pressed against mine.

"I love you too," I smile back, pecking him once more on the lips. I then come to a realisation.