Chapter 1: Good Morning

Warm blankets surrounded the sleeping form. Screams came from the room next door, jarring the boy from his restful sleep. Austin slowly sat up as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Another scream of terror. He sighed, stood up, and walked to the door. Darkness covered the hallway as he felt for the light switch. His fingers found it and he flipped it, bathing the area around him in the light. A choking cry came from the bedroom again

“Kazzy, wait, I’m coming,” he called as quietly as possible. Mom would already be at work but it was not time for the other four kids to be up. The crying grew softer at the sound of his voice.

Austin turned the doorknob and stepped inside, shutting the light in the hallway off and the one in the bedroom on. He walked over to the crib and lifted the red-faced infant into his arms. A smile crept onto its face as he held it close, rocking it back and forth.

“Mom’s already gone so you’re stuck with me,” he whispered to the girl. A soft coo came from her as she closed her eyes. “You know she has to work a lot since Dad disappeared.”

A few minutes later and the baby was back asleep. He thought about placing her back in the crib but then looked at the clock. He was supposed to be getting up in five minutes anyway. Instead of going back to bed, he went to the bathroom and got in the shower.

As Austin stepped out, his eyes landed on the family picture hanging next to the mirror. He looked at his dad, arms around his mom and a smile on his face, and then looked at himself in the mirror.

“Hey Dad,” he started to talk to the picture. “I miss you. If you were here, mom wouldn’t have to work so hard to support all of us. And you’d be the man of the house, not me. I’m too young for this anyway.”

He started to brush his teeth but the thoughts continued in his head. Dad had disappeared close to a year ago and Mom had to work like crazy to support them. She had to pay the rent, pay the car bills, taxes, and get out of the debt that Dad had left them in. She was working from five in the morning to ten in the evening, working other people’s shifts and overtime whenever possible.

The boy rinsed the sink out and pulled a shirt over his head. “I guess what I’m trying to say is, we miss you Dad.”

Austin turned and walked out of the bathroom to the kitchen where he quickly made breakfast for himself and the others. Footsteps on the stairs moments later told him they were up and hungry. Another fit of screaming from the baby’s room reminded him that Kazlynne still needed to be fed.

Taking the stairs two at a time, he reached the baby’s room and hurried back downstairs with the sobbing child. Sitting her in the highchair, he reached high up into one of the cupboards and pulled out a jar of baby food.

“Here ya go, it’s your favorite,” he told the baby as he unscrewed the lid. “Mashed potatoes and carrots.”

“That sounds disgusting,” a little boy commented as he walked by, still in his pajamas.

“DJ, get out of your pajamas and into your school clothes now. You know Mom doesn’t like it when you wait till last minute to change,” he commanded him.

“Who are you? My dad?” the nine-year-old did not realize how much that statement hurt him.

“No, but I’m going the try the best that I can until he gets back. Now go change!”

Austin didn’t have time to think about the statement because as DJ was going back up to change, a little girl came running down the stairs.

“Hey, do you need any help with food?” the little girl was seven and always trying her best to help him out.

“Nope. It’s all ready for you to eat,” he told her. He dipped the spoon into the baby food jar and fed a little bit of it to the baby.

"Okay, thanks,” she grabbed one of the cereal bowls off the counter and carefully carried it over to the table. Sliding into the seat next to him, she looked at him.

“Does it already have milk in it?” she asked him. Her round brown eyes were so cute that they made him smile.

“Yes, Rox, there’s milk in it.”

“I want to pour my own milk,” DJ came sauntering back down the stairs.

“That’s not necessary,” he told him.

“I want more milk,” he argued.

The boy rolled his eyes as DJ opened the fridge and grabbed the milk container. As he went to pour it, another little boy dashed through, knocking his elbow.

“ROME!” Austin yelled. “No running in the house!”

“He made me spill the milk,” DJ sobbed.

The container was tipped on its side, milk spilling out everywhere in a steady stream. It cascaded down the front of the cabinets and onto the floor. A little girl, about five, ran through trying to catch her twin brother. She slipped in the milk and landed on the floor with a thump. She started to cry.

“Venice, if you hadn’t of been running, you wouldn’t have slipped,” DJ lectured her.

“D, I’ve got this. Go eat your cereal and get ready for school.”

“Go get ready for school,” he mocked as he walked away.

Half an hour later all the little kids were on the school bus except for Kazzy, who went to school with him. He jogged up the street at a steady pace. If he kept it up he’d be there within a few minutes.

“Isn’t my life just so wonderful?” he laughed to Kazzy as they waited for the light.

This started as a creative writing assignment but then, after few minutes of shower thoughts, the idea blossom and grow in my head. And you know me, once I get a book idea in my head, I have to write it. I will continue on Hybrid and will put out at least one chapter a week of both books!