"Julia, I told you to hurry!" Mom said as she handed Juniper off to me. "You didn't feed your kids so I had to get them food." I said blandly.
"They eat at school." She said as I rocked Juniper. "They need to eat before school too, mom. They're growing kids." I grumbled as she sighed.
"Right. Well I have to go. I'll be back in time for you to go to work." She said and grabbed her back.
"When is dad coming back?" I asked as she shrugged. "No idea." Mom said then left.
I sighed then looked down at at the baby on my hip.
"Guess it's just you and me. Mind if we take a nap?" I asked as she blinked at me. "Juya." She said causing me to smile.
She was just starting to talk so she could only say a couple of things and her pronunciation wasn't the best.
"Yeah, Julia." I said then kissed her cheek and went to go up to my room. I knew there was a low chance she would let me actually sleep but I had been up all night so I had to at least try.
"Okay, Juniper bug. Let's just try to let sissy sleep." I whispered and laid down, holding her on my chest.
She looked at me with heavy eyes as I scratched her back. I quietly started singing you are my sunshine until she drifted off to sleep.
"Love you, kid." I whispered then closed my eyes, letting myself drift off.
I don't know how long I was out before Juniper started crying and fussing. "Oh." I grunted and say up, holding her in my arms.
"You hungry, kid?" I asked as she looked at me with dewey eyes. "Food." She said as I grinned. "Alright, food." I said with a smile then got up.
I looked at the clock, seeing that it read 2pm. Not a bad nap at all.
"We gotta eat quick because we have to pick up your brothers and sister." I said and went into the kitchen to make her a little snack.
I quickly mashed up some bananas and grabbed some applesauce then put Juniper in her high chair.
"Alright, love. Eat up." I said and caressed her cheek gently before turning to do the dishes in the sink.
I was still exhausted since I only got a couple hours in for sleep so I decided to make myself a cup of coffee.
I knew I wouldn't be able to have another opportunity to sleep before going to work so I had to do what I could.
Once my coffee was done I sat down with Juniper and watched her eat. I was grateful that she was a good baby because if she wasn't then I would be ten times more tired and flustered.
"Let's get you changed then we can pick up our siblings." I said then cleaned her up.
"Ready?" I asked as Juniper giggled. "Let's go." I said then grabbed her stroller and got her set up.
Since mom had the car, I had to walk to the school to pick the kids up, but I didn't mind the exercise.
The school was about a mile away so it was about a twenty minute walk.
Juniper luckily fell asleep on the way so I didn't have to worry about her. I was however worried about my surroundings.
I usually didn't mind walking and I felt safe in my town but after last nights events, I was feeling uneasy.
It was probably just a weird accident but I couldn't get the image out of my head.
I couldn't focus too much on that though because I wanted to stay as present as possible.
When I got to the school I waited outside, pushing Juniper's stroller so she would stay asleep.
"Jule!!" Sam yelled as he ran over to me. "Hey, kid. How was school?" I asked and gave him a hug.
"Good!" He said with a big smile. "Love to hear it." I said as Jenna and Carter came out of the school.
"Jule, tell Carter to stop bothering me." Jenna said as the twins came over. "Carter stop bothering Jenna." I said and took Sam's backpack, putting it on my back.
"I'm not!" Carter yelled as I chuckled. "Alright. Alright. You two give me a headache." I said as we started making the walk home.
"What do you guys want for dinner?" I asked as we walked. "Tacos." Jenna and Carter said at the same time.
"Tacooooss!!" Sam sang causing me to laugh. "Hmmm I think we have the stufffor that so tacos it is." I said with a confident nod.
When we got home I immediately went to the kitchen to start making dinner. I had to start getting ready for work so we were going to be having an early dinner.
"Jule, when is mom coming home?" Jenna asked as she walked into the kitchen.
"I have no idea, did you need something?" I asked and kept my eyes on the taco meat. "I need help with my homework." She said as I pursed my lips.
"Yeah...I would love to help but I want to be able to give you my full attention. I'm not telling you the answers." I said as she nodded.
"Makes sense." She said as the front door opened. "Daddy!!!" Sam squealed as I sighed. I had no idea he was coming home tonight but in a way I was grateful.
"Hey, son!" Dad said as he scooped up Sam. "Daddy, can you help me with my homework?" Jenna asked as my dad chuckled.
"I just got home, princess. Can it wait until later?" He asked and hugged Jenna. "Yep!" She said then skipped up the stairs again.
"Hey, Jule." Dad said as he came over to me. "Hey, dad. How was your trip?" I asked as he sighed.
"It was fine. Long. How were the kids?" He asked as I took a sip of the coffee I made. "They stay out of trouble. They're good kids." I said as he nodded.
"Great. I'm gonna go put the laundry in. You working tonight?" He asked as I nodded. "Yeah, I gotta finish dinner then shower and get ready." I said and started grating the cheese.
"Alright, kiddo. Mom should be home soon." He said then left the room.
I finished dinner in record time and got everyone to sit down and eat.
"You eating, Jule?" Dad asked as I went to go upstairs. "Don't have time. I'll grab some on the way out." I said then went upstairs so I could shower.
I prayed that someone would call and tell me to not go into work because I was so exhausted but unfortunately for me that never happened.
I took an ice cold shower then got dressed, braiding my wet hair so it would look presentable.
When I got back downstairs dad was standing in the kitchen with a Tupperware.
"Here, kid." He said and handed it to me. "Thanks, dad." He said then handed me a thermos.
"What's this?" I asked and went to smell it. "Coffee, don't forget to take your pill." He said and handed me a little white pill.
"Thanks." I said then popped it into my mouth and washed it down with a sip of coffee. "You look exhausted, kid." He said as I nodded.
"I really am." I said with a sigh. "I'll take the kids to school tomorrow so you can sleep." He said as Sam ran over and hugged my legs.
"Don't go, Jule." He said as I sighed. "I have to go to work, bud." I said and crouched down.
"I want to play legos though!" He said as I smiled. "I'll play legos with you tomorrow, how does that sound?" I asked as he smiled and nodded.
"Okay!" He said then hugged me. "Bye guys, I'll see you tomorrow. Be good for dad." I said and waved to Jenna, Carter, and Juniper.
"We're always good." Carter said as I nodded. "Mhmm oooKay." I said then turned to leave the house.
I wasn't allowed to use dad's car so I was in for a nice walk to work.
The sun was mostly set at this point and the moon was peering out of the clouds.
There was a chill in the air that had me shivering, but I didn't have time to grab my jacket.
As I walked I felt the familiar feeling of being watched. Whenever I looked around though, nobody was there.
It was just my paranoia and fear of being walking alone. I really needed to start saving for a car, since I was sick of feeling this afraid every night.
I was almost to work when I heard distinct footsteps behind me, causing me to turn.
Nobody.
"You're freaking yourself out again." I mumbled then looked forwards only to see a man standing in front me.
I went to scream but was stopped by him holding a cloth up to my nose and mouth.
I tried to fight back but another guy grabbed my legs, leaving me defenseless.
I tried to fight as best as I could but couldn't help but close my eyes after breathing in the fumes from the cloth on my mouth and nose.