The Chrysalis Project | Rewrite (Slow)

2 | Part-Timer

"How were school and work, Senna?" Scarlet asked innocently. Her tiny hands tightly squeezed the edge of my jeans, desperately trying to capture my full attention.

I smiled at her childish pronunciation of my name. It might not be correct, but it was nevertheless adorable. I crouched down to her level and embraced her with a big hug. She squeaked in response and begged to be picked up. Smiling, I complied, picked her up, and spun her around.

"Whee!" She giggled and I joined in with her infectious laughter, sharing her joy. Scarlet was my emotional anchor, and to her, I was the irreplaceable big sister. We needed each other to survive in this miserable, cruel world.

As I stopped spinning and gently put her down on the ground, I sighed in shortness of breath. Scarlet was definitely getting heavier by the day, and my daily spin sessions have begun to become more strength intensive over time. Scarlet was a growing girl after all, and I intended to provide her with the best experiences growing up so she wouldn't have to end up struggling to make ends meet.

"When is Margaret coming to pick you up for dinner?" I asked Scarlet. Margaret was our floor maid and took care of cleaning and daily maintenance on this floor. She took a liking to babysit Scarlet when I wasn't around, and I eventually trusted her to take care of Scarlet. Today she would do it during dinner time while I got ready for my third job later on in the night.

"In two hours, but I prefer eating with you too, Senna!" Scarlet pouted, and gave me the puppy eyes, pleading me to give in to her demands.

"I told you, I have school and three jobs now so I won't be home as early as last year. Plus, I'm starting my new job today, which pays a lot more than the other two, so I can finally get you something nice this Christmas," I explained and patted Scarlet's head.

"Okay Senna," she said sadly and slowly walked away to finish her homework in the corner. I sighed, thinking that a six-year-old shouldn't carry such heavy burdens and it was all my fault. Sighing deeply again, I asked, "Saturday lunch with you, Margaret, and I. You get to pick where we are going, okay?"

Scarlet's smile brightened up once again and nodded enthusiastically to my invitation. I stood up, grabbed my student identification card, and gave her a hug.

"I have to grab something to eat before my new job, you will be okay alone, right?" I asked, slowly releasing her from my arms.

"Mhm! I will get Margaret if I need help with homework!" Scarlet replied as she stood proudly all by herself.

"Good girl," I smiled, patted her head again and hesitated to leave my hands on her head, definitely not wanting to depart. I frowned for a millisecond as I turned away and waved goodbye to my loving baby sister.

I descended down the floors from our twelfth-floor apartment using the dorm elevator, which wasn't too busy as it was still around 5 PM. I was supposed to clock in my new job from 6 PM to 10 PM so I still had an hour to myself for some dinner.

As I entered the grand cafeteria on the second floor, I immediately inhaled the delicious scent of fresh gourmet food. My stomach growled in response and I blushed to myself, hoping no one else noticed. I quickly approached one of the cafeteria ladies near the ordering station and passed my student identification card to her.

"Afternoon, could I please get today's special?" I asked politely while smiling at her. There were daily specials that were different almost every day. Meals were rarely repeated here unless weeks had passed. Today's special was burritos.

"Of course, which ingredients do you want in our burrito?" The cafeteria lady asked. I ordered my usual combo with some meat and vegetables and thanked her after she added each ingredient to my tortilla.