Together

Chapter 1 : Waking up

Mélie woke up with a headache. She sat up on her bed and sighed. Her skull felt like it was going to explode at any moment. Her ears were still ringing from the last punch. She bit her inferior lip and touched her forehead. Boiling. She was about to get up when a voice came from beneath her.

"Are you okay? Jesus, he didn't miss you! You know you look like a dead squirrel?"

Arthur, her brother. Her every inch's twin.
He was laying down on his side, facing her. His body was covered by a really old blanket, protecting him from the coldness of the floor. Mélie and him had only one bed for them two, so every night one of the twins slept on the floor. Last night was Mélie's turn to sleep next to the bed, but her brother had given her his turn to sleep in the bed, saying that she would pay him back later.

The reason why he did that was that Mélie had had the unlucky time to find their father drunk the last night.
The bruises on her face her were burning her skin.
But effectively, with her fire-like hair, she must have looked like a dead squirrel.
She sighed again and Arthur climbed on the bed to sit next to her.

"Do you want a hug?" He said in a girl-like voice.

"No! Go away!" She laughed as her brother pulled her closer.

"You stink!" She pushed him back.
"Do I? I thought that living here would make me smell like roses..."

He pointed at their room.
A half broken roof was barely standing over their heads, and you could see every single hole in the wooden floor.
But Mélie wasn't going to complain about the quality of their room, or about their alcoholic father. Because at least, they had a home. She had seen too many people left alone at night, wondering hopelessly from home to home, asking for food or water.

Mélie rested her head on Arthur' shoulder. Which seemed weird because she was a tough sixteen years old girl who always rejected every body's else's help. But right at that moment she felt so tired.

Between her and Arthur, she was the one who was the more often beaten up. She was also the bravest, and the smartest. But Arthur was not stupid at all. In fact, he was probably as smart and brave as her but she didn't like the idea of it. She smiled and immediately felt like an idiot. Arthur saw the grin on her face and started messing with her like he always did when she showed a bit of her feelings.

When she finally stuck him under her he surrendered and got up. He checked through the biggest hole in the floor to make sure their father was asleep with a bottle on the table, and walked down the stairs.

After a moment, Mélie followed him and met him outside.

"Ready to take your monthly shower, stinky squirrel?" She said.

Her brother didn't respond but made a disapproving noise.