Fun-fact. I lost list document twice while writing it. So, after having to rewrite it twice, it is not as good as it originally was. Opps.

Paul

The sound of the rain hitting the tin roof was the only noise on this silent night. The small amount of light from streetlamp outside did nothing to help lighten the dark room, and I just stared sightlessly at the ceiling.

It was my first night off in days, and yet, the harder I fought to finally close my eyes and sleep, nothing hit me. And oh I wished it would. Like a truck, 90 mph down a wet road with just me standing there. But nah, not me. On the list of things I hated, this was one of them. Though, it never ranked quite as high as I did on my own list. This whole "gift" wasn't much of a "gift" but more of a burden.

How can someone with so many people running around in his head feel so utterly alone all the time?

Suddenly. The front door slammed shut, and I knew, just from the smell of the alcohol that immediately filled my nose, that she was on her way to wasted.

I shoved myself off my bed, tugging a pair of dirty sweats over my nude body, before padding bare footed over to the bedroom door. Upon opening it, the smell intensified, along with the new smell of smoke. I stepped over a discard toy, ignoring the mess of the living room to go the dim triangle of light spilling in from the kitchen. I rounded the corner slowly.

The kitchen was by far the messiest room in the house. The puke green tiled floors, hadn't been properly swept since the great depression, and the ugly wallpaper was peeling. The dingy wood kitchen table that sat directly in the middle was covered in papers and plates that begged to be washed. The counter was exactly the same, so filled with trash that we hadn't had a proper home-cooked meal in months.

I needed to get off my ass and clean, but work with the pack always had me running from one place to another. And then there was work in general. And taking care of Katie and Lily was not a walk in the park either. Both girls had just started school again, Katie as an 8th grader. And Lily as a 2nd grader. They always had me on my feet, heading to drop them off at play dates or to take them to the store. IT was near impossible, and the thoughts of having little girls one day made me cringe in fear. No way was I ever going down that road. If if I imprinted, which was the farthest thing from likely.

My attention snapped back to my mother. While, she had been an average looker in her younger days, she had aged less gracefully. Her black hair had fallen out of its pony tail and into messy waves onto her shoulders in tangles. Her eyes had more bag underneath them than they had the night before. She was tiny as is, but within the last few months she seemed to have shrunk. A sure sign that drinking every moment you were awake wasn't the best for your health.

"Shouldn't you be in bed? Dontcha' have school in the morning?" Her black eyed gaze didn't move from the wall, even as she pulled her burning cigarette to her lips. She took a long inhale, before pulling it away and letting the smoke spill from her mouth.

"Ma, I graduated two years ago."
"College, then." Her eyes shot to me quickly, then down to the beer wet with condensation in her hands. She reached it up taking a quick swig.

"I decided not to go, remember? There's no point in a Lahote going to college."
She pursed her lips bitterly. "Useless. Like your father." She took another drag of her cigarette.

I looked around the room, glancing at the time on the microwave. 3:47.

"How was work Ma?" I asked, trying to be casual. The outcome of her night at work would be the outcome of the night as a whole. If it was horrible, I was in for a long couple hours.

She snorted, taking another long drink of her beer. "Beckings came into work today bragging about her fucking sister. You probably remember her, she was the one that ran away with her whore mother to live with her snob of a grandmother. Mommy dearest is gone and little bitch is moving back in with slutty Beckings. What idiots." Her voice was starting to rise, and I knew if I didn't change the subject she would be screaming in a few minutes.

"Ma, why don't you go to bed, its late."

Her head flipped towards me, and she hurled her beer can. It bounced off the wall feet away. She always had been a soddy throw. "Don't tell me what to do." She hissed, stomped over to the fridge, and grabber herself a new beer. I heard her pop the tab as I walked past the trash of the living room and into my room. I shut the door softly and flung myself back onto the bed. I wish I was out there, running around with the pack. But no. If Sam caught, my ass was good as dead.

I decided it was worth it as I slid my sweats back off, pushed the window up, and jumped out.