Tomorrow Never Dies
Chapter One
“I’ll be home soon Addison… Just go to sleep okay? I’ll be here when you wake up. I promise.” I tell my little brother, lying smoothly for his sake. Truth be told, I have no idea if I’ll make it back home but a girl with no money has to do what she has to do. When it comes down to not having enough money to afford food to put on the table or enough to keep a roof over our heads, I’m willing to do absolutely anything. Being seventeen years old with no parents and an eight year old to look after isn’t exactly the easiest lifestyle. Who wants to hire a high school dropout? No one.
“Go to sleep bubba. I love you, okay? Now give me a kiss before I go!” I said putting on a fake smile to try and keep his spirits up in order to give myself more confidence for what I was about to do. As soon as his little giggle echoed through the room I couldn’t help but feel my smile become more natural as it grew wider when his lips touched mine in a sloppy peck. I wrapped my arms around his tiny body in a tight hug. “I love you too Shelby...” His little voice said, the words muffled by my hair as he buried his face into my neck. I rubbed his back gently in slow, circular motions as I laid him back down and tucked the blankets around him.
“Warm enough buddy?” I asked after making sure the duvet was wrapped securely around him and his stuffed monkey. A small yawn escaped his lips as he nodded his head in a tired reply. I pressed my lips to his forehead, letting my lips linger there for longer than usual before I finally pulled away, “Goodnight little man…”I whispered before standing up from his little cot, making my way to the front door in our one room apartment. One last glance was thrown his way, only to see that he was already fast asleep.
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“Lord, please forgive me for what I’m about to do…” I whispered as I pulled my hood further down, walking into the nearly empty corner store, only one customer and the cashier present as I walked down the aisles, pretending to look for something in particular. The moment that the cashier walked to the back to retrieve something for the other customer, I took the opportunity to stuff multiple food items into my pockets along with several candles and a lighter. With my heart threatening to pound out of my chest and my palms sweaty, I dashed out of the store, sprinting down the sidewalk, ignoring the shouts of the store manager calling profanities after me.
As I rounded the corner, I felt the air get knocked out of my lungs, my body being pinned to the ground beneath me. The fear that had already filled my body struck twice as hard as I laid on the hard cement, someone’s hard breathing felt on the back of my neck after my hood had been yanked off. With nothing but fear and adrenaline pumping through my veins, I used every bit of strength I could muster to thrash around beneath the stranger, somehow managing to reverse our position. Once I had the upper hand I wasted no time in jumping up, kicking the larger male figure where the sun don’t shine before sprinting off in the direction of my tiny apartment complex.
The very second I had made it inside I locked the door, sliding down the old wooden surface while the energy drained from my body, tears now spilling effortlessly down my cheeks. The events that had just occurred replayed themselves vividly in my mind, over and over again. “S-Shelby?” I heard a tiny voice call through the darkness in the one room apartment making me freeze and wipe my face frantically.
“Yeah baby, it’s just me. Did I wake you bubba?” I asked as I sniffed, trying to swallow the large lump in the back of my throat that had formed. When my hand reached up to turn on the light a small groan escaped my lips as I realized that the power had been cut off. “Stay right there for just a few minutes while I light some candles alright Addison?” I said softly and pulled out the candles from my hoodies pocket that I’d just stolen from the corner store.
Once I had all of the candles lit in different spots around the room and had all the food on the counter, I walked over to his little cot where he’d been sitting quietly for the past few minutes and picked him up, resting him on my hip, “How about you sleep in my bed tonight? I need a good cuddle from my favorite boy…” I said softly as I kicked my shoes off and crawled into the twin sized bed, holding his small frame close to my chest while I wrapped the two of us up under the blankets. “I love you sissy…” He whispered as his eyes closed, covering up his vibrant green eyes that I envied so much because of where he’d gotten them. “I love you too bubba.” I whispered as my own eyes closed, finally allowing myself to drift off to sleep despite the worry and anguish that continued to race through my mind.
