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The shrill beep of the alarm clock woke Michael from his sleep. Scrubbing the sleep from his eyes, he reaches to turn it off. 5:30 AM. It was his first day of middle school today, which meant he had to wake up even earlier than before… So far, he was not enjoying it. His friends were probably all asleep, with parents that would make them breakfast, and care for them and their siblings…
Michael sighs as he gets out of bed. Great. Barely even awake yet, and he’s already in a bad mood… He dresses for the day quickly before heading to the bathroom. He brushes his teeth, and fusses with his hair for a moment, trying to make it somewhat presentable. It was getting way too long, but he didn’t have the skills to cut it himself, and it wasn’t like his father would take him to get it done…
Whatever. He applies the deoderant the school nurse had given him last year after the gym teacher realized he didn’t own any, and then heads out towards the kitchen, passing Elizabeth and Evan’s rooms, where they both still slept. He feels a surge of annoyance. If he had to be awake, they should, too. It isn’t fair. He raises his fist to pound on his brother’s door, but stops when he hears sound coming from the kitchen.
Damn it. His father hadn’t left for work yet. Immediately, he lowers his hand. Maybe he’ll let the brats sleep a little longer… He frowns. He does need to make breakfast for the three of them, so he’ll have to face the monster. When he was in elementary school, his father was always gone before he woke up… This would be hard to get used to. He takes a deep breath and walks into the kitchen. Sure enough, his father is there, leaning against the stove and sipping from a mug.
Michael tries to be quiet, and it works for a moment before the sound of the fridge opening alerts his father. They make eye contact across the room for a moment, but Michael looks away quickly, pulling out the eggs and some butter.
“Why are you awake?” The venom in his father’s voice stings Michael, but he pushes it down.
“It’s the first day of school.” He explains, setting the eggs by the stove and pulling down a pan. He just hovers there, not wanting to get too close to his father.
“Since when are you up this early for that, though?” The man asks, his much taller form looming over Michael. “Never usually have to see you.”
“...I’m in sixth grade now. Need to be there earlier.” Michael shifts, hoping his father would understand that he was in the way. He doesn’t, of course, and just shakes his head.
“Great. Now I’ll have to leave even earlier.” He mutters, taking a sip from his cup. A surge of anger swells inside Michael. Was it that much of a nightmare for William to see his own children? His face flushes, and he bites hit tongue to keep from saying anything. “Whatever.” His father continues. “Make sure the other two get dealt with.” he finishes his drink, and finally he moves, leaving the cup on the counter and heading for the door without another word.
When he’s gone, Michael lets out a deep sigh of relief, relaxing and getting to work making breakfast for him and his siblings. At least it seemed like he wouldn’t have to deal with William again, even if it hurt that his dad wanted to avoid him so desperately… He really should be used to it by now, his father hasn’t really been a ‘father’ since, well… a long time. Michael has vague memories of them being a happy family back when Evan was a baby, but they’re foggy, and covered in a sappy kind of sadness that Michael doesn’t fully understand, so he wasn’t really sure how accurate he remembered them…
He’s brought out of his moping by the smell of the butter burning, and he swears under his breath, hurrying to turn the heat down. He turns the radio on, trying to drown out his own thoughts. He didn’t really care if it woke his siblings up. The danger was past, and they’d need to be up soon anyway, so they could suck it up.
The tinny sound of “Jessie’s Girl” by Rick Springfield fill the room. Michael isn’t really a fan of pop music, but hey. Whatever distracts him, right? Besides, it is catchy, and he can’t stop himself from humming along as he works on the eggs. He’s almost done when he hears his sister’s soft voice from the doorway.
“Mikey?” he asks, startling him. He jumps, and turns to scowl at her almost on instinct.
“What do you want, Liz? Breakfast’s not ready yet.” He snaps. He knows he shouldn’t. He knows she doesn’t deserve it and he feels bad for yelling, but it’s like he can’t help it. She looks at her slippered feet, fidgiting with the hem of her knightgown. She looks afraid almost, and for a second, Michael feels a surge of power for making her feel that way, before it’s replaced with overwhelming guilt. His scowl falters, and he sighs, trying again. “What’s up?”
“...Evan had an accident. H-he said he’s too scared to tell you, but I said he has to because you’re in charge when Daddy isn’t hear, and he needs to clean up. He said you were going to yell so I said I would tell instead…” Great, another thing to deal with… there wasn’t going to be time to get laundry done before school, so he’d just have to hope he could deal with it after before their father got home. Elizabeth is still just standing in the doorway, probably waiting for Michael to do something. He groans in frustration before answering.
“I’m busy making food, just… help him turn the shower on real quick and leave his dirty things on his bed. I guess I’ll have to deal with it.” Elizabeth just nods, and runs off back down the hallway. Michael swear again, and brings his fist down on the counter. Stupid Evan. He’s seven , he should be able to make it through the night without peeing himself. He switches the radio to a rock station before turning it up and finishing the eggs. He sets them out on the table, and goes to Evan’s room. There’s nobody inside, must still be in the bathroom. Michael gathers the dirty bedding and clothes, careful not to get himself dirty as he hauls it all to the laundry room. He just dumps it into the washer for now, grabbing a bottle of cleaner to go and scrub the mattress.
Michael really should make the dumb kid clean up his own mess. Or tell Elizabeth to do it. But they probably couldn’t figure it out anyway, so he’s just stuck doing it by himself. Evan comes back into the room while he’s cleaning. Michael can tell by the whimper he hears from the doorway. He feels bad that his brother is so scared of him, sure, but maybe the crybaby shouldn’t be so pathetic and he’d be able to handle it. Without turning around, Michael says. “Stop crying, little man, it makes you sound like a baby. Just get dressed and go eat.” He hears his brother shuffling for a moment, getting dressed as he was told, and then he leaves the room. Michael finishes cleaning and heads out. He has to leave for the bus soon, and he still hasn’t gotten a chance to eat his own food…
When he gets to the kitchen, both kids are eating at the table. They’re both dressed luckily, so Michael doesn’t have to nag them for that. The radio is still blaring in the background, “Another One Bites The Dust” by Queen this time. Michael turns it down, before dropping into his seat at the table. His sister flinches at his abruptness, and it’s infuriating. He scowls at her. “The hell are you acting scared, for? I’m not him .” She shrinks back a bit.
“...I’m sorry, Mikey… Just surprised me…” She says back, not meeting his gaze. It reminds him of how he acts with his father, and that just makes him even more mad. They weren’t the same. Michael actually cared.
“...It’s fine.” Michael mumbles back, shoving a fork full of eggs into his mouth. He chews and swallows. “...Did you guys brush your teeth?” He asks, and they both nod. “Okay, good.” He looks at the time. Damn it, it was almost seven. He has to leave. He shovels the rest of his food in his mouth, and gets up. “...I’ve got to go. Your bus is at 8:05. Pay attention and don’t miss it.” He grabs his backpack, making sure the kids’ backpacks are at the door, as well as their shoes. He puts his own shoes on and comes back into the kitchen to turn the radio off. He’s about to leave, but he hesitates. He’s never left them on their own before. Would they be okay for an hour..? He looks between the two of them. Evan doesn’t look back, but Elizabeth looks confused. He locks eyes with her. “If anything goes wrong, call Uncle Henry, not Dad. His number is on the fridge.” His sister nods, and he heads to the door. “...Lock behind me, ok? Don’t let anybody in. Okay?”
“Okay, Michael.” His sister responds. It’s… the best he can do. He tries to push aside his worry, and heads out of the house.