To which does the bells toll?
"I HATE YOU" screamed 13 year old Elena towards Adelyn. "I know but you HAVE to do this. Do you want to go into the system Elena?? If you do then say so now." Adelyn shot back at the younger sister. It was a daily battle for her to get Elena to do anything let alone her homework. "Why does it even matter if I get it done? SHE doesnt care, I dont care."
"Because I care, and because I refuse to have you yoinked out of this home and into a system that is not kind Elena. Please I'm begging you."
"I HATE you!" Screamed Elena as she slammed the door to her bedroom. "JUST BECAUSE DAD IS GONE DOESNT MEAN YOU GET TO SLAM DOORS MISSY" Adelyn yelled ddown the hall. At least shse knew she won the war against homework. Elena would thank her one day but today would not be that.
Blair sat at the table looking at her eldest daughter with a blank look, she would refuse to raise a hand to help Adelyn when it came to Elena. She'd refuse to do anything for the girls really. Adelyn rubbed her face and turned around "What mom? Have any input?"
Blair cocked a eyebrow at her daughter before pushing up off the table and grabbing her keys "I have work." She said walking down the hall way towards the front door.
Adelyn scuffed as she watched the older woman walk out the door. "I have to work Adelyn, dont mess up my house Adelyn" she mocked her mother before rolling her eyes. It was a never ending battle living with someone that didn't want them, to Elena, to even keeping food on the table while trying to finish nursing school herself.
Yet she did it, how she didn't know. Adelyn ran her fingers through her hair as she looked down at the text book opened to the chapter regarding nephrology. She hated studying the kidneys, how ANP worked here, and how angiotension 1 and 2 did this or that. Yet she did it; just like everything else in her life because failure wasn't an option.
While reciting notecards out loud Adelyn started on dinner; pulling meat for spaghetti, and the small box of noodles that they had left. It was another "rule" of Blairs. Adelyn and Elena had to supply their own food; if it had HER name on it then the girls weren't allowed to eat it. Some nights Adelyn went hungry just to make sure Elena could eat.
While browning the meat Adelyn continued to repeat her note cards "ANP makes you pee..Angiotension 2 raises blood pressure; how do we do that?" Little did she know a younger set of were watching her. "Adelyn..."Elena whispered; it had been about an hour since the girls last talked. "Whats up kid?" Adelyn could never hold a grudge against her sister. "Can we watch a movie while shes out?" Adelyn smiled at the request "Yeah go make yourself comfortable in my bed and turn on what you want. This will be done soon."
"Is there enough for both of us?"
"You don't need to worry about that" Adelyn turned and winked at the other girl
Adelyn replayed that memory in her head over, and over. The last good night they had before the nightmare began. Though she questioned was it really a nightmare or simply just a dream she had turned into a nightmare in order to fit her own agenda. Rain lazily came down drenching everything in its path over a slow, long period. Of course it would be fitting that it would rain during a funeral. It was as if her mother planned it herself. I mean she did plan everything leading up to it. Pre-planned her funeral, pre-planned her death, pre-planned how the girls wouldn't be taken care. Leaving Adelyn alone to figure out how she was going to make ends meet. Of course she had a hand in all of this. Adelyn couldn't even close her eyes with out seeing her lifeless body. Sitting there, perfect, make up, perfect. Hair, perfect. She hadn't gone to 'work' in the ense of going out and earning money. No she went to work creating a nightmare that Adelyn would never forget.
"My dearest girls,
I am not sorry for doing this. I am not sorry for how you were raised."
That's all the note said, cruel, unusual punishment is what Blair delt out, even in death.
"Adelyn...What are we going to do?" Whispered the young 16 year old Elena. Scared, wet, confused, living the same nightmare in a sense.
"What we also do Kid, we survive. We made it with her being living ghost; we can make it when she's really a ghost. I got you, just focus on school and being a kid. Let me worry about the rest"
How was she going to keep them afloat? Her EMT job barely made ends meet; she was worried about keeping Elena home alone but didn't trust many people. Not that gave a reason to or not to but it was just something about people.
Adelyn sighed "That for nothing." She murmured at the open grave before turning and walking back to the car to which Elena had waited in. "Thanks for nothing" she mumbled.
