Chapter 1: Morning Routines
For the past six years, Karen had become accustomed to the smell of mildew in her one bedroom apartment. It was the first thing she smelled in the morning when she woke up and the last thing she smelled in the evening when she went to sleep. She had tried getting rid of it with bleach, but every fall it always came back like clockwork. It was like having an obnoxious friend or family member that never paid rent and only came when they needed money.
"Karen... Karen..." It called out to her, like a breeze drifting through the trees. "Karen!"
"Hmmmm...whuh?" Karen mumbled and woke up in disarray, taking in a deep breathe of mildew. Guess that was an actual voice.
"Your alarm's on and won't shut up..." answered a groggy teenage boy, running his hand through his thin, shaggy black hair. Sitting up from a lumpy burgundy loveseat, Karen looked blearily around the room before spying her bedroom down the hall. Oh right. She had fallen asleep on the couch again. She slouched back into the couch with a huff, mildly irritated she had to walk all the way to her room to shut the alarm off. She was so dog-gone tired after last night's late shift at the restaurant, she couldn't even make it into her bed, and now, she was paying for it. That was what her back and neck were screaming at her.
"Thanks, Alex... " Karen yawned and stretched her muscles, trying to relieve the pressure as she popped and cracked her cramped, aching joints. "You can go back to bed, but please get the others up in about thirty minutes, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. I know the drill..." Alex waved off with a grumble, tiredness eminent in his dark grey eyes as he grudgingly wandered back into the bedroom for another thirty minute nap. He practically slept in what he was going to wear the next day, so Karen never had to worry about him getting dressed. He was just irritated that his older sister had woken him up earlier than his alarm. He would forgive her, like he always did.
As the afghans covers and blankets on the couch rolled off her, Karen shivered slightly, already feeling the chill in the room creeping through the walls. Last night, there had been another storm, judging from the damp marks in the ceiling and carpets that were littered with bowls, pots, and pans nearly full of rainwater. She would have to take on an extra shift or ask for some overtime soon if the roof leaked anymore. The last patch job she did on the roof wasn't too bad, but with the cooler fall months coming in, winter was almost upon them, and she would need to save up for a professional roofer, or at least start investing in some new shingles. With a soft sigh, she ran a hand through her soft, dark brown hair, knowing from the ache in her bones that it was going to be another long day before she hoisted herself off the couch to shut off her alarm. She was used to the cold, but she didn't want any of the others getting sick, so she made sure to turn on the space heaters and pointed them near the damp spots.
Trying to rub the grime and sleep out of her eyes, Karen proceeded to dump out the collected water from the pans down the sink before she stumbled towards the bathroom to do her usual routine. After quickly brushing her teeth and tangled hair, she unscrewed her orange medicine container and popped two iron supplements into her mouth before taking a swig from her canteen. She then threw on some of her old sweats and a pair of converse and pulled a black beanie low over her ears. Her earbuds were already playing loud seventies rock music from her mp3 player before she wrapped a green and yellow scarf around her neck and kicked off into another morning bike ride.
Though she wasn't fond of the cold, damp weather, she did love the cool, crisp smell of the autumn air in the morning. It was the only time she honestly ever had to herself, and it really helped to charge her up enough to face a long day of work. Those thirty minutes of peace were what made her feel alive, that it was worth it working the rest of the day. She didn't even mind riding her crummy old bike through the forest fog; she knew the path so well, she could do it blindfolded. Originally, it was just something her doctor recommended she do it to stay healthy and build her endurance, but it started becoming so calming and refreshing that eventually, something as mandatory as exercise, it became enjoyable enough for it to become a part of her usual routine. Besides her diet and medication, it was one of the things that helped make her feel less tired during the day. Of course, the fatigue wasn't her fault, but life didn't always like to be fair. Her situation wasn't ideal but she had to maintain a healthy work ethic in order to pay bills, just like everyone else. It was just something she had to live with.
At the fifteen minute mark, she was nearing the edge of the woods. The dirt path opened up more into a man made asphalt road that lead to the inner part of the village and her favorite local coffee shop, Carpathian Coffee, where she parked her bike for a quick bite to eat. Usually, it was cheaper to buy food from the grocery store and make meals yourself than to having to buy takeout all the time, but she knew one of the owners of the shop and received a lot of their leftovers for free or at a discounted price when business was slow.
"Hey, Karen. Here for your usual morning coffee?" greeted the cashier, who recognized the young woman with a friendly smile. Her long auburn hair was tucked into a messy bun, but still had whips of her bangs sticking out from the undersides of her green visor.
"With extra foam and milk?" Karen always asked, feeling like it was more of a rhetorical question since she had been here so many times.
"And a cinnamon stick," she finished right as she plopped a short brown stick into the coffee cup. "Your drink is so cute and delicious, I'm surprised it's healthy. I'm thinking of calling it 'the Karen.'"
"Mindy, you're a lifesaver," Karen said in exasperation as she took the violet mug from the cashier and slapped down her C.C. members card and $1.20 on the counter.
"Meh, I'm just doin' my job, but hey, if you say so. Just give me the Nobel Prize," Mindy shrugged, sitting down on the stool across from Karen after straightening out her green apron. "So, how are the kids?"
"Fine. Shouldn't you be working?" Karen took a slow sip and eyed her friend from behind her mug before blowing again on the coffee.
"Nah, you're my only customer who comes in around this time of day. You somehow always beat the breakfast rush hour," Mindy shrugged before she leaned on her hand and gave her friend an inquisitive look. "Speaking of which, I haven't had a chance to talk to you since you took on that second job. You hardly sit down to eat anymore."
"Third, actually, and sorry about that. I just started a new job down at Jamey's pub as a waitress, so I don't get a lot of time to myself."
"You're not working at Laymen's anymore?" Mindy asked with feigned surprise. This wasn't the first time Karen had complained to her friend about her toxic work environment. Between the long hours and the belligerent misogyny and sexual harassment, it wasn't a question of if she would quit but when she would quit. The only regret she had in leaving that job was that she would no longer get her employee discount on clothing anymore. It was a shame. They had an excellent kid's department.
"Nope. Had to quit. I couldn't take anymore of Mr. Garibaldi's crap anymore," she mumbled, stirring her coffee with her cinnamon stick suddenly becoming an interesting pastime.
"Isn't that always the problem?" Mindy sighed, having heard this story before.
"Mindy, it wasn't like last time," Karen shot back with an eye roll. "He had his hand on my ass. Repeatedly."
"Well, can you blame him? You've got a nice ass." Karen's eyes shot up at her in wide disgust, slightly flushed in anger and admiration from Mindy's flippant comment, but the cashier continued unfazed. "Kidding. God, Karen, don't take everything so seriously. You know, you could've just filed for sexual harassment with human resources, or you know, sued his ass. I'm sure that would've helped pay off some of your college loans."
"Going through HR is such a hassle, and I didn't want to make a bigger deal of it than it was. Not everyone makes it out of HR unscathed. Beside, you know I can't afford a lawyer right now. I can barely afford to fix the roof!" Karen growled, her voice quickly rising in anger and frustration before she stopped herself from making a scene. "Anyways, it's over now and done with."
"Couldn't you call a super for that?" Mindy suggested, thinking it was time to change the subject. "You live in an apartment complex, right? Your landlord should technically be paying for all that."
"Mr. Tarkowvski says 'if it wasn't there when I bought the place, it's not my problem to fix,'" Karen did with a mock Russian accent. "I don't want to push him too far. He's been generous enough in letting me stay there when he has a no child policy."
"Hmm... well, if that's the case, I'll try and ask around. I might be able to find a handy man who's willing to work for fifty percent less than his asking price."
"Please do."
"Gosh, Karen, you need to catch a break. You've been working way too hard and have to make way too many allowances for people you shouldn't even be associating with. If you want, I could always lend you the money-"
As soon as the words had come out of her mouth, Karen immediately fired back,"And what? Have to owe you again for being short on last months rent money? No thank you."
"At least take a night off," Mindy suggested, trying to get her stubborn friend to see reason. "They give you sick days, right? Just take a mental health day and relax. Go out on a date or something. Do something for you and not for others. Who's going to take care of the kids if you're out there working yourself to death?"
"Well, if you haven't noticed, Mind, I'm not exactly available to date at the moment," Karen finally sighed, not coming up with a better excuse at the moment.
"Oh, please. Girl, you can date and you know it. You're a strong, funny, beautiful woman and plenty of men have certainly noticed. You just need to attract the right ones, and let's face it, Karen. You're not exactly the brightest bulb in the bunch when it comes to knowing when a guy is putting the moves on you. If you want guys to stop bugging you, you need to get out there and find someone so that men can stop thinking you're available on the meat market."
"Really, Mindy," Karen said a-matter-of-factly. "My horrible track record for men aside, what man wants to date a college drop-out girl in her late twenties, who hasn't had a decent relationship since high school, and has got five younger siblings to take care of like a single parent? Real jackpot there."
"Oh, you'd be surprised. You could always get Darcie or Rhonda to watch them if you want some alone time. I know they wouldn't mind doing it for free-"
"Mindy, no. I told you, I'm not doing it," Karen said adamantly, using her motherly 'and that's final' voice. "If I'm going to be taking a mental health day, it's going to be for emergencies and running errands."
"Well... send my love to the kids, then," the cashier finally gave up, knowing her friend was about as stubborn as a mule when it came to her decisions.
"You got any leftovers I could scrap?" Karen reluctantly asked before Mindy lifted up a stack of plastic containers from the bottom shelf of the display counter.
"Five whole boxes full."
"Thanks, Mindy. Once again, you are a lifesaver," Karen said with a small smile as she lifted and carried two large plastic bags full of goodies. Most places like that had to throw out food that was close to going towards the expiration date, so Karen often got a lot of muffins, box lunches, sandwiches, and cookies for free.
"Just doing my job to make the world a better place. Here! Take a pumpkin scone, on me," Mindy wagged her finger knowingly at Karen. "You know what caffeine does to you when you haven't eaten."
"Oooh pumpkin! Mindy, you spoil me." Karen gave her friend a quick thanks and waved goodbye before she tied the boxes down on the skirt guard and quickly rode home. She pushed some of her stress into her bike pedaling, knowing it wasn't good for her to get worked up like that. While she was used to her routine, Karen hated herself for complaining about her life. She should have really been more thankful and grateful for the things she did have. Laymen's had been a really good job, one that could let her afford buying cheaper school clothes for her family and give her a bit more breathing room with paychecks. She had quit mainly for her pride and mental health, but if things continued on as they did, Karen had a feeling she would be retracting her two weeks notice and be working for him again by the end of the month. Sure, she would grow to loathe it, but it was for the kids, and she would do about anything for her family.
Knowing this, her friend Mindy waited patiently until Karen was out of sight before dialing the green cashier phone on the wall. She listened to a couple of rings before she heard a 'boop' at the other end.
"Becca? It's Mindy. Hey, I know it's early, but something tells me that Karen needs a prescription for a fun night out and soon! What dating site was it that you found Peter on?"
"Hey guys, are you awake? I bring bacon!" Karen cheered in a sing-song-y voice as she kicked the door shut and placed the bags on the table.
"Really?" her brother Alex blinked, surprised that such a rare meat had come into the house.
"Well... I think so," Karen paused before looking into the bag. "Mostly, it's just eggs, both scrambled and deviled."
"Figures," he rolled his eyes before turning to give her an amused sarcastic look. "So I take it you're with the land of the living now?"
"Yep. I am fully conscious now, especially since I've had my coffee and scone," Karen said with a chipper bounce in her step. "Could you help me unpack breakfast while I put away the leftovers in the fridge? You're always so good about giving everyone equal shares."
"Sure thing," he replied with a shrug before he began separating the meals out. The fifteen year old was in the middle of his freshman year of high school, but he liked to help Karen out when he could. And why wouldn't he? Having a family of six to take care of was a lot of hard work, not to mention he was the oldest after Karen. He was the man of the house, and it was his duty to watch the younger kids when Karen couldn't.
"Hey sis, when's breakfast?" called out another masculine voice.
"Did you make us lunch?" the voice called out again.
Oh no. They're awake.
"Sack lunches are in the fridge. Breakfast is in process. Just make sure to share the OJ." Karen shut the fridge as she began to unpack the boxes with Alex. Two ten year old boys with black and brown hair peered at the food on the table from both sides of her with hungry blue eyes, eying it like a pair of dogs waiting for scraps to fall off their master's table.
"Did you make mine without mayo?" asked Jesse, the brown haired twin.
"Yes," Karen replied instantly.
"Tomato?"
"Yes.
"Lettuce-?"
"Yes, Jesse," Karen interrupted with a light laugh. "I made it without anything but bread and ham. I have for the past six years!" She laid out two plates of scrambled eggs on the brown, foldout card table. "Here you go, boys! The breakfast of champions: leftover scrambled eggs with cheese."
She had barely said anything before the twins began inhaling their meals with invigorated gusto already digging into the bistro box filled to the brim with fruits, veggies, and deviled eggs. If their hair weren't slightly different shades of color, most people wouldn't be able to tell them apart, though that hardly stopped anyone from confusing them. They looked, acted, and talked the same, but their interests were really what set them apart.
Aside from his sandwiches, Jesse would have likely eaten anything put in front of his face, which made him really popular on the playground when other little boys dared him to eat a variety of disgusting things. He never backed down from a challenge and used that stubborn zeal to fuel his extreme enthusiasm for sports, being an absolute sucker for competition and any activity that involved running and dirt. Jack, on the other hand, was a bit of a special snowflake.
"Jack! What are you doing?! I just washed that shirt," Karen scolded as the black haired boy had taken off and purposely poured orange juice all over his grey alien shirt.
"I just wanted to see if I could filter out the pulp with my t-shirt," Jack explained, trying to wipe off the pulp with little success before Karen sighed and pulled out a paper towel off the rack.
"If you didn't like the pulp, you could have just told me so beforehand so I could have removed it for you," she sighed, not having much success in getting the sticky orange juice out of it, even with a wet paper towel. "Go change into a new shirt. I'll add this to the next round of clothes for my trip to the laundromat tomorrow."
"But this is my lucky shirt," Jack whined with a pout. "It keeps away the monsters and aliens away." Paranoid, science crazy, and a supernatural nut. Karen was so blessed to have this bundle of joy as a little brother.
"You should have thought about that before you decided to spill orange juice all over your nice, clean shirt," Karen finished thoughtfully, using her height to her advantage as she tugged the grey alien t-shirt out of her little brother's reach, the latter letting out a squeal in defiant protest.
"Jack, if you really are worried about creatures coming near you, you can borrow some of dad's old junk. That stuff is guaranteed to ward off pretty much anything," Alex suggested, causing Jack's eyes to shine brightly in excitement.
"Cool! Thanks, Alex," Jack cheered, causing his brother Jesse to look over from his eggs in anticipation.
"Bet I can beat you to the room," Jesse challenged before both of the boys shot off towards their room like hyperactive bottle rockets. As Karen tossed the shirt into the laundry bin, she decided to be grateful this was all she had to complain about. Ever since she had made the mistake of giving Jack his toy chemistry set, Karen had to have the fire department on speed dial. Whoever had said ages ten and up were worthy of a chemistry set was clearly mistaken. Jesse was trouble in a different way. He got riled up really easy, being the most competitive of the twins, and by doing so, got Jack riled up as well. They both had some sort of twin telepathy Karen had yet to understand, and they loved to exploit it against her when they wouldn't get their way.
"No rough housing!" Karen yelled down the hall. "I don't need child services poking their nose around here because you two look like you had gotten beaten up." Part of her was joking when she had said that, but the other half of her was seriously considering it as a worry. Her family's circumstances were a bit... sketchy, to say the least, but they got by. To anyone of the outside world, they were just fine, and she intended to keep it that way. After checking to make sure the twins hadn't broken anything, she peeked into the kid's bedroom.
"Quincy, Lucy, breakfast is ready," she announced to the rest of her siblings, who were putting on the last of their school clothes. Lucy, an adorable little girl of five with all of her baby teeth intact, was putting up some of her short chestnut hair into a side ponytail on top right side of her head with a pink bead hair-tie, while her seven year old brother Quincy was rustling around for something out of his green dinosaur backpack.
"Yay!" squealed Lucy as she quickly forgot her goal to get ready and ran towards the kitchen before Karen caught her in the doorway.
"Whoa, whoa, where are you going, little doodlebug?" Karen asked, calling her by a nickname she had picked up after her love of ladybugs and an unfortunate incident involving lipstick and the bathroom wall.
"To get some breakfast," Lucy replied with a grin, oblivious to the fact that she had her ladybug dress tucked into her underwear.
"Not without your dress on. You have it tucked into your underwear, silly," Karen chuckled before she fixed Lucy's snafu. "There. Much better." Lucy said a polite 'thank you' before she ran towards the table again and hopped on top of one of the chairs. She felt a smile creep on her face as Alex helped Lucy pour her orange juice, Alex having a bit of a soft spot for Lucy as well, before she felt a tug on her pant leg draw her attention.
"Whatcha got there, Quincy?" Karen asked her youngest brother, who pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his backpack.
"You need to sign this. I can't fake mommy's signature like you do," he mumbled as Karen took the paper from him. Though he held out the paper, he looked extremely reluctant and guilty in giving it to her, which set off Karen's mom sense almost immediately.
"What is it?"
"The usual parent PTA sheets and stuff," he said, shuffling his feet a bit before scratching his fuzzy, sand-colored hair.
"Uh huh. What's the 'and stuff?'" Karen asked knowingly, raising her eyebrow at him as his green eyes avoided looking directly into her suspicious bronze colored gaze.
"They... want a parent teacher conference," he admitted, changing Karen's look into one of shock and panic.
"What? Why? What did you do?" Karen gasped in shock, her face quickly turning dark.
"Nothing, nothing," he waved defensively. "It's just... they might mention something about... me putting a frog in Joey's egg salad sandwich."
"Quinton Morris Belmont, you should know better!"
"But he was picking on Lucy by putting a frog in her face, so I thought I'd put a frog in his face!" Quincy defended. When it came to Lucy, Quincy was very protective of her, since she was the baby of the family and was the one closest to his age. Though she was usually pretty understanding of this fact, Karen was fairly upset at the repercussions at what Quincy had done might have on her little patchwork family. In any other normal household, it might have been a minor annoyance for them to be called in for a parent-teacher conference, but the Belmonts were hardly a normal household. Karen was already anticipating breaking out into a cold sweat while she lied directly into the teacher's face, watching her patchwork family slowly pulling apart until it was bursting at the seams in front of her very eyes, but then she remembered what her mother Marie had always said about how in the end, family was all that you had. Slowly, she felt her glare turn into a slight scowl.
"A frog? Seriously, Quincy, I've taught you better than that," Karen scolded, the seven year old looking down shamefully at his feet. "If you want to get away with something like revenge, spit in the guy's food, don't put a frog in it. The revenge is so much sweeter when you have the satisfaction of knowing something he doesn't, plus, think of the frog! I don't think he'd want to be put in an egg salad sandwich, do you?"
"No..." Quincy blinked, surprised that he wasn't being punished. "So you're...you're not mad?"
"Why should I be mad? All you did was protect your little sister. We look out for our own in this family. Anyone who doesn't is scum." A look of confusion flushed over him before a mischievous smile grew on his face as Karen leaned in and put her hands on her knees. "So... did he freak out?"
"Yes," he grinned deviously.
"Nice one, Quincy," she said, giving her seven year old brother a slight head scruff.
"You are the worst mom ever," Alex deadpanned before breaking out into a small smile.
"Yeah, but at least I'm a cool mom," Karen replied with a lopsided grin as she signed the paper and gave it back to Quincy before her face turned grave as she bent down towards him at eye level. "But seriously, Q-tee, if someone's bothering your sister, you should tell me or a teacher about it. I can't keep calling on Darcie's mom every time you kids get into trouble."
"But Rhonda loves us," Quincy replied.
"Yes, but she's got a business to run and a daughter in community college," Karen began before Jesse came into grab his basketball backpack.
"Some business. All she does is read fortunes and cut hair from the back of her smelly old trailer," Jesse interjected with a frown.
"Excuse me, but I don't remember you having any complaints when she gave you a ride from soccer practice or when she gave you a discount on a haircut," Karen frowned, not liking how Jesse's tone but quickly found herself letting it go, feeling like she was going off on a separate tangent. "The point is, you guys need to stop getting into trouble. If someone would find us and call someone, they would separate all of us, do you understand?" She took the awkward silence and the slow nods from most of the kids as a 'yes.'
"Good. Now, group hug," Karen said opening up her arms.
"Awww..." some of the older boys grumbled.
"Come on. Group hug," she gestured again as the boys ruefully joined in anyways, secretly enjoying the embrace before almost knocking over the twenty seven year old when Lucy joined in in excitement.
"I love you guys," Karen smiled warmly as she squished them together before letting go. "Now hurry up and finish up and be ready for the bus! Quincy, go help your sister tie her shoes. She still can't get the bunny knots right. Alex, make sure everyone gets on their separate buses and that Jesse and Jack don't forget their homework. They spent most of the night wracking their whole brains to finish it. I have to call Mrs. Varkalov and see if she can come in for that parent teacher conference. After that, I need to jump in for a quick shower before our neighbor Mr. Buttaki wakes up and uses up all the hot water again."
As soon as she stated her orders, everyone began doing their set tasks as Karen began quickly dialing Rhonda's number. Yep. When pulled together, the Belmonts were a quite the patchwork family, and for now, they seemed to hold together pretty well.