Claimed by my Unexpected Protector

Chapter Three

Eralia’s POV

When I come out of our room the next morning, I find the living room empty of both men and my mother, though the proof of their night still litters the floor around the space.

‘Rali? Can we come out?’ Austin’s voice calls out uncertainly from the bedroom I just left. I hurry back to the door to find my three siblings huddled together on Liberty’s bed, still in their wrinkled sleepwear, waiting for me. Another wave of unbridled anger washes over me at how these tiny kids are all so well trained by our mother’s lifestyle that they won’t leave the bedroom without my confirmation that it’s safe.

‘Hey guys, yeah, you can come out’ I reply, pasting a smile onto my face as they scramble off the mattress and hurry toward me, now grinning.

‘Can we have breakfast?’ Tanner asks me as he wraps his tiny arms around my leg, looking up at me.

I swallow down the worry that there might not be anything as I nod, ‘of course, baby’ I tell him, smiling wider as the older two look up at me hopefully as well.

‘I tell you what, you all get yourselves dressed for school, and use the bathroom while I sort it out’ I tell them, my smile turning playfully frowny as I add, ‘clean clothes! We are not scruffy urchins!’ I waggle my finger at them as they giggle before stilling it on Austin, ‘that goes double for you, Mr muddy knees’ I growl, making the six year old laugh harder.

‘I fell over Rali’ he giggles, ‘it wasn’t my fault!’

‘A likely story’ I huff dramatically, ‘I know you Austin Beaubank, you and dirt are like magnets to each other, in fact . . .’ I bend down, grabbing his chin and tipping his head upward before gasping loudly, ‘look at this face! Is it even a face at all? Not just a cake of grime! Begone child! To the bathroom with you and wash thy face until it shines!’

Austin laughs again, letting go of my waist before grabbing his brother’s hand and the pair running across the hall seconds before the sound of the faucet running can be heard.

‘It’s OK if there isn’t enough for everyone, you still have the cookies . . . I’m not really hungry . . .’ Liberty murmurs when they are out of earshot, her little voice wobbling slightly, with the concern that she has no right to be carrying.

‘I can find us all something better than some cookies for breakfast, don’t you worry about it’ I tell her firmly as her clouded gaze flicks back to me from where it was fixed upon my backpack.

I give her an encouraging smile, ushering her from the bedroom and across the hall where shrieks of laughter and the suspicious sound of splashing water can be heard.

‘You better not be having a water fight’ I call out as I open the door to find Austin with a wet wash cloth in his hand, air raised, about to throw it at Tanner who already has his arms up protectively.

‘Uhh . . no?’ Austin mumbles, dropping his arm and giving me a guilty grin.

‘Tanner?’ I ask, turning to my youngest brother.

‘He started it’ the four year old replies immediately, pointing at his older brother who turns on him.

‘Tan! You snitch!’ he growls, ‘I didn’t, he started it’ he adds quickly turning back to me.

‘Nuh uh’ Tanner argues, ‘you was throwing the cloth first!’

‘You splashed me! With your toothbrush!’

‘It was an acciderent’ the four year old retorts, stumbling over the long word.

‘No it wasn’t! You . . .’

‘OK enough!’ I shout over the bickering pair, crossing my arms over my chest and giving them my sternest look as they both fall quiet, turning to face me. ‘It doesn’t matter who started it, I’m finishing it, now get your faces washed, clothes on and meet me in the kitchen for breakfast.’

‘Can we have pancakes?’ Tanner asks hopefully, bouncing on his toes as Austin’s grumpy expression morphs to one of similar pleading.

I groan to myself, I doubt we have any pancake mix here, it’s not something Laurie would think to get, and I haven’t bought any in months as I couldn’t stretch to the expense. After the bills, I barely have enough to get some bread and jelly to make sandwiches for the three of them and some milk along with a few essentials.

I feel like s.hit as I look down at their eager faces, innocently sure that I can magic up what they want, which I should be able to do! It’s not like they are asking for anything any other child wouldn’t ask for. I know I have to tell them no, say that we don’t have any, that we might not have anything they can eat, but the pure excitement in their tiny faces halts the words on the tip of my tongue.

‘We’ll see’ I reply instead, my chest squeezing as they squeal happily, high fiving each other.

Shoving down the guilt, I quickly wave my hands toward the door as I vaguely wonder if we have any flour, eggs and milk that I could make some from scratch.

The boys traipse past me, heading back toward the bedroom as I watch them leave, talking excitedly about the pancakes I have little to no chance of producing for them.

‘Don’t worry Rali, I’ll tell them that we can’t have pancakes today’ Liberty whispers, her small hand touching my arm as I look down at her, finding her staring up at me with an expression far beyond her years. ‘They know we don’t have a lot of money; I’ll give them some of the cookies you brought us and they’ll understand.’

I gulp loudly as I lift my hand and ruffle her blonde hair, still dishevelled from sleep.

‘Thanks kid’ I murmur sadly, ‘I’ll try and get some pancake batter for next week, then we’ll all have pancakes for breakfast! OK?’ I add a little desperately.

Liberty nods, giving me a small smile that tells me she already knows it’s an empty promise which makes me feel even more like s.hit than I already did. For f.ucks sake, I’m just as bad as Laurie! I hated how she’d make promises she was never going to keep when I was a little girl, and now here I am doing the exact same thing.

‘I’m sorry, I probably won’t be able too’ I mutter, dropping down to my knees so I can look into her young face. ‘I don’t know why I promised that to you, that was wrong.’

Liberty places her hand on my shoulder, her eyes staring into mine, ‘It’s OK Rali’ she tells me softly, ‘you want to give us these things, and you are sad that you can’t, I understand.’

My smile falters as I grab her around the waist, pulling her into my arms for a tight hug as she slips her slim arms around my neck hugging me back.

‘Don’t be sad Rali, we love you’ Liberty mumbles into my shoulder, ‘we’d rather have you than any pancakes.’

‘I . . . I love you too kiddo’ I whisper, ‘more than all the blades of grass in the yard.’

‘How about more than all the pebbles on the beach?’ Liberty asks, giggling as she pulls back to look into my face, falling into our favourite game with ease.

‘Uh huh, and more than all the grains of sand ON the beach’ I declare.

‘More than all the stars in the galaxy?’ she continues.

‘More than all the stars in all the galaxies in all the universe’ I reply, tickling her as she laughs louder, squirming to get away from me.

‘Rali! My head is stuck in my shirt and Tanner can’t find his sock’ Austin’s muffled wail reaches me from across the hallway.

Rolling my eyes, I push up to my feet, ‘wash your face whilst I go and try to disentangle your brother from his own clothes’ I sigh, Liberty giggling as she reaches for the wash cloth her brother abandoned on the edge of the basin and places under the faucet.

Striding back into the bedroom, I find Tanner in just his underwear, half under the bottom bunk searching for what I assume is a missing sock whilst Austin wriggles ineffectively, his arms pinned above his head through one arm of his polo shirt, his head trying to force it’s way through the other arm hole.

Groaning, I grab the four year old by the feet, tugging him out, ‘just get a clean pair from the drawer’ I order before turning toward the six year old, kneeling down in front of him, and reaching for the hem of his top, trying to haul it upward again.

‘How do you two manage to get into trouble just putting your clothes on?’ I ask in exasperation, as, with a final tug, the polo shirt pops over Austin’s head, freeing his arms. Placing the top across my knees, I smooth it out, finding out that the reason he was struggling was that he didn’t bother to unbutton the top of the shirt before putting it on.

I shake my head, a smile tugging at my lips as my two brothers just shrug at me in confusion. Unbuttoning the top, I slide it over Austin’s head with ease, before turning to Tanner who holds out two mismatched socks as he sits down beside me, sticking out his feet in my direction, his toes wiggling expectantly.