The room was dark. Lucy couldn't move. It felt like something heavy was sitting on her chest.
"Come see your brother," the woman said again. Her voice always cracked like that, shaky and cold right before the bad part.
Lucy's small legs hung in the air as the woman carried her down a narrow hallway. The floor creaked with every step. Her heart thumped fast.
She must've been six. Maybe five. She didn't remember how it all started.
The boy was already there, sitting on the floor. A single candle lit the room. His hands were tied. Red marks circled his wrists. He looked up when she came in. His eyes were wide and sad.
The woman dropped her next to him.
"No more fighting," she said as she sat in a rocking chair. "No more running, Eliah. And eat the cupcake, Amaris."
Lucy didn't know who those names belonged to. The woman always called them that. Maybe she thought they were her children.
"why is she calling me Amaris,that's not my name and She's not my mom," Lucy whispered.
The boy nodded. "I know. Not mine either."
He pushed a squashed pink cupcake toward her. It smelled too sweet.
"She says it helps. Makes you strong."
Lucy picked it up with shaky hands. Her eyes stung. "I wanna go home."
"Me too," he said.
They never shared their real names. There was never enough time.
Lucy woke with a jolt. Her chest rose and fell fast. Her shirt was damp with sweat.
Another dream.
She had been having them for years, but now they were getting sharper. Clearer. She remembered the smell. The wooden floor. The way the candle flickered.
She sat up slowly, running a hand through her tangled hair. Outside, a bird chirped like nothing was wrong.
But everything was.
She had work soon. Bills. Her mom's pills. And now... her dad.
The café was already alive with noise when Lucy rushed in, apron half-tied and hair barely brushed. Her eyes stung from lack of sleep. She dropped her bag behind the counter, trying to smile at the manager, but he didn't even glance her way.
"Table six!" June shouted.
"Got it," Lucy mumbled, grabbing a tray with two cups of tea. Her hands were shaking.
June stepped closer, lowering her voice. "You okay? You look... rough."
"I'm fine," Lucy said. "Didn't sleep."
"You never do."
Lucy gave her a small shrug and turned away. But as she reached the table, her foot hit a mop bucket someone had left out. The tray tipped. Hot tea spilled fast.
The man at the table jumped up, yelling. "What the hell?"
"I—I'm so sorry," Lucy stammered, reaching for napkins, panic rising in her throat.
He glared at her, wiping at his soaked shirt. "Are you drunk or just stupid?"
"I didn't mean to...."
"I'll handle it," June cut in, stepping between them. "Sir, your tea is free. We'll get you a clean shirt. Give me just a second."
Lucy backed away, her face burning. Her throat tightened like it was closing up.
Behind the counter, June handed her a bottle of water. "Take a breath. What's going on?"
"I don't know," Lucy whispered. "The dreams... they're worse. I feel like I'm falling apart."
June's voice softened. "Your dad's arrest, your mum... it's a lot. But you've got to breathe. Just for today."
"I'm trying."
"I know. Go take five before someone sees..."
"Too late," came a voice behind them.
Mr. Lewis stood there, arms crossed. His eyes narrowed.
"Well, if it isn't the embezzler's daughter," he said. Loud. Cruel.
June turned. "That's not okay. Her dad's mess isn't her fault"
"Quiet, June," he snapped. Then to Lucy, "You burned a customer. First your dad steals from the company he works, now this? One more screw-up and you're done."
Lucy didn't speak. She turned and walked off before the tears in her eyes spilled over or her anger got her fired.
#####
Her house was too quiet when she got home. She dropped her bag near the door. The curtains were still drawn. The fan hummed in the corner.
"Mum?" she called out.
Nothing.
She moved into the kitchen. The stillness made her uneasy.
"Mum?"
And then she saw her.
Her mother was on the floor, lying on her side, one hand stretched toward the table. A glass had spilled near her fingers. Water gleamed on the tiles.
"Mum!" Lucy dropped to her knees. "Mum, wake up!"
She shook her once. Twice. Her mother didn't move.
Her hands shook as she fumbled with her phone. "Please, someone help me," she whispered, dialing fast.
"Hello? Yes, I need an ambulance. My mom's not waking up."
When they were in the emergency car, her mother's eyes fluttered open. "It's okay, my baby. Take care of yourself," she said softly before drifting back to sleep.
"What do you mean, Mom?don't do this to me," Lucy sobbed, her voice cracking.
By the time they reached the hospital, the world around her was just noise cars rushing past, footsteps echoing down the halls, and the sharp, cold smell of disinfectant hanging in the air.
''We will take it from here,''
Doctor said as her mother was rushed into the emergency room.
She waited. And waited.
Then a nurse walked out, holding a clipboard.
"I'm sorry," she said gently. "She didn't make it."
Lucy didn't cry. Didn't scream. She just sat, staring at the wall. Numb. As if her body had left the room.
Her dad was in jail. Her job was slipping. Her dreams were starting to feel like memories.
And now her mum was gone.
That night, she curled up on the couch, still in her work clothes. Exhaustion dragged her under.
The dream returned.
And this time, the boy's voice was clearer.
"You have to be strong," he said. "You can do this."
But Lucy
cried harder. Because strength wouldn't bring her mother back.
Because disgrace had come, and now death had followed.
And she was all alone.