Dreams and Reality

Chapter I: As Usual

Temperature is a great way to add a certain atmosphere to the world... If it's a hot day, it gives you the feeling of summer and the sun, making life seem just a little more hopeful. However, on days like today, the cold air often bites at your nose and ears, causing you to raise your shoulders, trying to keep any warmth close to yourself. That's what I have to do today, still biting my lip at how cold it is, despite the jacket I have on. I didn't think it would be this cold for the fall a few weeks ago, but now I wish I had stocked up more groceries. It'll be hard to keep us fed with the few food items I bought, but maybe I can improvise. If it comes down to it, I can try to buy us more groceries later on, but I would prefer to not be outside more than I have to.

The funny thing is that I usually have to walk back and forth to places, so I'm outside by default a lot. I have to walk all the way to the nearest bus stop to get to my job and those city buses don't usually have the best heating systems. At least Sonata and Aria don't have to stay in the cold... They get a warm ride all the way to school right from our street. It gives me one less thing to worry about, unless Aria starts acting up again... That rebellious attitude of hers doesn't help her grades, resulting in a call from her teachers. Every time she acts up, I have to make my way to the school to settle some mundane matter and then take them both home for the day. Not only is it affecting her, but it affects how the teachers are viewing Sonata...

Sonata is a handful by herself. She's a little girl coming into the world. Her body is growing, but her innocence remains. It's a breath of fresh air from Aria, but she often gets in trouble for trying to have fun. I suppose it's not that uncommon for eleven year-old kids, but still. I have to talk to her about sitting still in class soon... It's unfortunate... She doesn't have a lot of friends, despite being as friendly as she can be, offering to play with others and even giving her toys to kids who need one. I've asked Aria to look out for her sister, but she prefers to stick with her own crowd rather than pay attention to a kid. Aria has her own social group, so I guess I can't blame her, but I could really use some help here...

Why does life have to be so hard...? Why does it have to be so difficult to look out for family while making a decent living? It's all a fucking joke... Not only does my job barely pay me minimum wage, but the landlord keeps hiking up the price of our apartment every chance he gets... I swear it seems like the world itself is out to get me in particular here. As soon as you need a helping hand, the world is always willing to give you a cold shoulder. In this case, it's quite literal... I can't help but shake at the cold with a heavy sigh, walking quickly down the sidewalk. I don't even know what I'm going to make for dinner tonight. I suppose I could fix some sandwiches again. That's assuming if Aria hasn't gone on a joyride with her friends again... I swear if she left Sonata alone again, I will be pissed...

Turning the corner, the sight of the apartment complex makes me exhale with a shake of my head, jogging towards our front door. The lights inside our apartment are on, so at least they're still awake. I'm here now, girls... Sliding my keys into the door's lock, I open the front door quickly, slipping in to avoid one more second of the biting cold. Despite the living room lights being on, Aria is nowhere to be seen. "Girls?" I call out, hanging my coat on the rack next to the door. Perhaps it's just my paranoid nature, but whenever I don't get a response from them, I can't help but worry that something is wrong. They usually don't hear me, but it doesn't stop my mind from coming up with wild things. Kicking off my boots, I quickly walk down the hallway, not bothering to take my socks off yet. Aria's door is left wide open with her light on, no one in sight... Of course she went out. She didn't even bother to turn the light off before she left. When will she give me a fucking break and listen to me? If she isn't here, then... Sonata's been left alone again... Quickly turning around, I walk to Sonata's door, knocking on it with a worried expression. I can't help but worry when it comes to them... "Sweetie? Adagio's home. Are you alright?" I ask with a soft yet pronounced voice, continuing my knock for a couple moments before turning the knob. The pink room is illuminated brightly by the light on the ceiling, but Sonata isn't anywhere to be seen... The last time she was left home alone, she ended up breaking down and crying... She does that a lot... Whenever she hasn't seen Aria or I in a long time, she feels anxious and nervous, wanting to be with us again. It usually doesn't interfere with her school, but there have been a couple times I've had to leave work to comfort her. I don't know for sure the reason why she is like this, but... I have an idea. "It's alright, you can come out now," I talk into the seemingly empty room, sitting on her bed as I look around. "I'm sorry you were left alone, Sonata. I'm here now, so we can watch some cartoons and read a story before bed, okay?"