The sun shines brightly in the afternoon as a fit of laughter is heard from Zoe as she thrusts her body into the air, feeling the nice cool breeze as the damp concrete touches the upper half of her feet and hits the pavement. Her toes brush against the ground as she runs off the concrete into the newly green grass. Zoe, with her green eyes and a nice pale tan, has chestnut brown hair that she likes to keep long. Melody shakes her head, laughing at her new young friend's antics. It was a friendship born of a simple, childish pride—Zoe, with all her boundless energy, had shown Melody a big pink eraser as if it were a priceless gem, and Melody had understood.
"Be careful," Melody says, her voice a gentle warning, yet tinged with amusement.
Zoe, a whirlwind of boundless energy, skidded to a halt near a patch of dandelions, her bright smile wide. "But it's almost the end of school, Mel! We gotta make the most of it!" She plopped down, already trying to braid a dandelion stem.
Melody joined her, settling onto the cool, damp grass with a sigh that seemed older than her ten years. "I know, I know. Soon it'll be no books and no homework and a lot of fighting with my brothers." She nudged Zoe playfully. "Are you excited for summer?"
Zoe made a face. "Not as excited as I am for ice cream right now! Do you think Alyson's home yet? Mammy said she'd be back soon." She glanced at the small, three-bedroom house, the faint glow of a television visible in the living room window where Trinity was most likely watching.
Just then, the familiar hiss of a school bus's brakes echoed from around the corner, followed by the faint groan of its doors. A moment later, two figures appeared at the top of the hill: Alyson and Melody's older brother, Trent. Alyson, who despite being twelve looked younger, had a backpack slung low. Her tan skin, dark brown eyes, and dark, wild hair, a tangled mess she never bothered to brush and kept from going past her chest, escaped in frizzy clumps around her face. She let out a tired sigh that seemed to ripple through the quiet afternoon. Trent, who was the same age but in a higher grade, had a confident, easy stride. He gave a quick nod to Melody as they began the walk down toward the houses.
"Alyson!" Zoe shrieked, scrambling to her feet and barreling towards her older sister. "Melody's here!" She then turned to Alyson. "We were just talking about you!"
Alyson managed a small smile, ruffling Zoe's hair. "Oh, really? All good things, I hope?" Her eyes, however, found Melody's, who had risen more slowly. There was an unspoken understanding in that first glance—a shared weariness, perhaps, or a mutual curiosity about the boisterous seven-year-old who linked them.
"Hi," Melody offered, a slight blush on her cheeks. "Zoe talks about you a lot."
Alyson's smile softened, a genuine warmth reaching her eyes. "And you're the one who got the friendship started over a pink eraser, right?" she said with a tired grin.
Melody's lips curved into a small, knowing grin. "It wasn't just any eraser. It was a big one."
Alyson chuckled, a sound that seemed to chase away some of the day's fatigue. "So she could make some big mistakes, huh? Sounds about right." She looked from Melody to Zoe, and for a moment, the three girls stood there, a nascent bond forming in the golden afternoon light, completely unaware of how this quiet day would change everything.
The day continued to slip away, the afternoon light softening into a warm glow as the sun began its descent. The three girls lingered, a comfortable silence settling between them, the kind that only close friends share. Finally, as the first shadows stretched across the lawn, Melody's brother, Trent, called out to her, his voice a low rumble that carried across the quiet street.
"Come on, Mel, Mom wants us back before it gets dark."
Melody sighed dramatically, but a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "Gotta go," she said, pushing herself up from the grass. "But I'll be back tomorrow, and this time I'm staying longer." She gave Alyson and Zoe a playful salute before jogging to catch up with Trent.
As Melody and her brother disappeared down the street, Zoe turned to Alyson, her green eyes sparkling with mischief. "Think she'll really stay longer?"
Alyson chuckled, a low, warm sound. "Knowing Melody? Probably. She's got a soft spot for us."
"Says you," Alyson retorts, chuckling, and gestures towards the house. "Race you inside?" Zoe, never one to back down from a challenge, grins and takes off, Alyson hot on her heels.
They burst into the living room, where Trinity is lounging on the couch, flipping through channels. The sound of Mammy humming along to the radio and washing dishes drifts in from the kitchen. It's a typical evening, filled with familiar sounds and comfortable routines.
"Y'all be quiet," Trinity says, though there's a smile playing on her lips as the girls giggle. "Mammy's trying to hear her stories." She gestures to the kitchen, where Mammy's voice, warm and melodic, blends with the clatter of dishes and the radio's tune.
"You should take your own advice," Alyson retorts, but she's grinning as she heads towards the kitchen. Zoe, never one to miss out on anything, follows close behind, and soon the kitchen is filled with the sounds of all three girls chattering.
"Anak, come put the dishes away," Mammy calls out to Trinity from the kitchen.
Trinity, still on the couch, whispers to the girls, "Go help Mammy."
"No, I don't want to," Alyson grumbles, plopping down on the floor.
"Fine, I'll do it," Zoe says, scrambling to her feet.
"Actually, I'll do it. You won't be able to reach," Alyson says, getting up and heading towards the kitchen.
"I said that I wanted to do it!" Zoe protests, chasing after her, determined to help.
"You can't help if you can't reach," Alyson says, her voice firm as she gently pushes Zoe out of the kitchen. "Why don't you fix Mammy's TV instead?" She points toward Mammy's room, the one Zoe often sleeps in instead of the small room they share.
"No, I don't want to," Zoe insists, stomping her foot. "I wanna put the dishes away."
"Fine," Alyson says with a mischievous smirk. "As long as you don't break any." She leaves the kitchen, heading to the room they share to watch her favorite show about superhero fairies, the sounds of Zoe's determined clattering and Mammy's gentle laughter following her.
After finishing the dishes, Zoe bounced into the room she shared with Alyson and plopped down on her sister's bed. It was a mountain of clothes almost to the ceiling, with clutter scattered across the floor.
"What are you doing here?" Alyson asked, trying to focus on her show.
Zoe rolled onto her, and Alyson pushed her off. "Stop being so clingy. We're about to have to go to bed soon, and I'll miss my show."
"Which y'all should be asleep anyway," Trinity said, her voice a little sharper now. "Mammy's about to go to work." The girls could hear Doc, their grandmother's friend and a retired doctor who helped out a lot, talking in the other room.
"Well, where are you going?" Alyson asked, sitting up. "If Mammy's about to leave, why are you leaving?"
"I'll just be right back," Trinity said evasively.
"But Mammy is paying you to watch us, and you're leaving," Alyson challenged, crossing her arms.
"I'll pay you five dollars for both of you," Trinity offered.
"Fine," Alyson said, taking the five dollars Trinity handed her, knowing Zoe would just end up giving her share to Alyson anyway.
And with the rustle of clothes and the whisper of a "be back soon," Trinity was gone. The door clicked shut, leaving Alyson and Zoe alone in the quiet house, a five-dollar bill clutched tightly in Alyson's hand. It was a new kind of silence, a different kind of night. And with that, a fragile peace settled over their home, just before everything was about to change.
The familiar hiss of the bus brakes echoed from around the corner, followed by the groan of its doors. Alyson, her backpack slung low, and Melody's brother, Trent, appeared at the top of the hill. Today, Alyson's usual tired sigh was replaced by a wide smile. Her dark, wild hair, a tangled mess she never bothered to brush, seemed to catch the afternoon light as she began the walk down toward her house.
As she reached the bottom of the hill, Zoe and Melody ran to greet her. For once, she had a friend over so that she didn't have to worry about getting home. She smiled at the thought, her mind already racing.
"Wanna play superheroes?" Alyson asked, a game she had created when she was younger.