Pyro

Toss and Turn

     I laid on my side, facing away from my clock so I didn't stare and watch time pass. Why aren't I asleep yet? My first day is tomorrow, I can't just stay up all night. 

     I imagined my mother, petting my head and singing to me after long nights of my fathers raging. 

     Softy, slowly... warm, comforting... I could almost even smell the cherry blossom soap she used.. 

     "Jun, take your sisters and go to your room, now!" My mother cried out. I grabbed Yumi's hand and cradled a swaddled Mika in my free arm, running down the hall and into the safety of my room. 

     "You can't protect them forever, Akari!" My father bellowed. The second the door latched a plate crashed against it and shattered. Yumi burst into tears. 

     "Shhhh Yumi don't cry. We are going to be okay. I promise we are going to be okay." I turned the lock on my room. My father banged on the door and hollered inaudibly. I set Mika on my bed and covered Yumi's ears, then shoved her into my closet. After sitting her down on the floor, I grabbed Mika and joined her. "Mom called the police. They will be here soon to help. Let's work on our reading while we wait." 

     As the time passed I watched the dusk sunlight flooding my room fade into night from the crack under my closet door. Yumi fell asleep clinging to me as I read to her. It was so quiet. Why hadn't mom come to get us yet? Surely it was over by now. It wouldn't be long before Mika started crying from hunger, I didn't have any bottles for her. 

     The door slowly creaked open. "There are children in here!" I looked up to see her - Rabbit Hero: Mirko standing in front of me. She got on her knees. "Hello little ones. I'm Mirko! I'm a pro hero, and I'm here to help you." 

     "I'm Jun. Where is my mom?" 

     Mirko got an uneasy look on her face. A man dressed in all black burst in. His eyes glowed red through his yellow goggles and his hair stood up on end. I cowered back and tears began to flow. "Eraserhead! These girls don't even look old enough to have quirks to erase! You're scaring them!" 

     "Im sorry" his hair lowered and his eyes stopped glowing. "But we just walked in on a murder scene. You can't just go around checking random closets." 

   "M-Murder?!" Yumi stirred more awake and Mika started crying. My ears just rang. I couldn't hear. I couldn't think. 

     I sat up in a cold sweat. I couldn't catch my breath. My ears rang and all I could hear was that word over and over. "Murder. Murder. Murder."  I held my head in my hands and took a deep breath. 

     "Jun?" My grandmother was standing at the barely cracked door to my bedroom "Are you okay in there? I heard something break..." 

     I look around and notice my empty water glass shattered on the floor. "I... I'm okay. Knocked my cup over in my sleep... I'm okay..." 

     4:12 am. 

     I feel like I haven't slept at all. I have to be up in an a little over an hour. This is going to be a long day...