You're Telling Me... I'm a Mermaid?

Chapter Two - Chores Stink

April POV

  My body was weak and hurt like crap. I felt crappy too.

  There were going to be bruises, no doubt about that.

  "Are you sure you're alright?" Lucy asked me.

  "I'm fine, it just hurts a bit," I replied.

  "Well, if it ends up hurting a lot, you come to me. I may not be a doctor, but I can help," Lucy sighed, sitting down on her creaky bed, having dust form as she sat.

  It was February 29th, 2018 and Lucy was a senior in High-School, and Alexis was a junior.

  I am an eighth grader.

  Marie is in seventh grade, and Molly, Kit, and Kayla are in second grade.

  And finally, Hope is in fifth grade.

  None of us know our birthdays, so they gave us new birthdays, (we kept the years) based around the day we were submitted in.

Me: March 9th, 2005

Lucy: November 18th, 2000

Alexis: September 29th, 2001

Hope: February 14th, 2008

Kit & Kayla: July 31st, 2012

Marie: December 21st, 2006

Molly: January 16th, 2009

  I had the next upcoming birthday; I would be 14. That is if I survive this terrible pain in my sides.

  From the broom.

  The only reason I didn't tell Lucy I was in incredible pain, was last time she tried to help, I ended up having to go to the hospital for worse injuries.

  What happened is I was beaten with the broom, less than this, but still enough to hurt.

  I ended up going to the hospital, for burns. Somehow I got burned while being treated, badly. I was ten at the time, and now I had a huge scar down both my legs.

  And personally, it hurt like heck last time, and I'm not going to risk it again.

  "April?" The twins asked me in unison, snapping me out of my daydream.

  "Yah?" I asked, turning to look at them.

  "I think we have to go do chores now. The witch is yelling at everyone now," Kayla reported. I nodded and slid down the ladder for my bed. Hope, Marie, Molly, and Alexis had just returned from breakfast.

  I was mostly put at 'clean the floors' which I find pointless since they are just gonna get dirty again.

  I walked over to the 'Chores List' written in horrible handwriting.

  "Kit you are at washing dishes and Kayla you have laundry. Molly, you are with Kayla," Lucy told the younger ones, who could hardly read period and couldn't read the witches' handwriting.

  That's what we call Ms. Luchianna. The Witch.

  I had bathroom cleaning. Figures.

  Marie went down with Kit since they had the same job. Hope had Pool cleaning, and both Lucy and Alexis had Infant Watch.

  When you are from two years and down, you reside in Infant Watch until you are old enough to go in a normal room and do chores.

  Room 117, our room, had four more pairs of old bunk beds, so the next girls would probably go to our room.

  I reluctantly mindlessly wandered to the bathroom closet, grabbing the whatever, throwing it on the floor, and scrubbing it.

  There were about five rooms on each floor, with two bathrooms per floor.

  My floor is on the fifth floor.

  The first floor is the kitchen, Infant Watch, and doors to backyard.

  Floors Two-Seven are Girls Rooms, and Floors Eight-Fourteen are Boys Rooms.

  Every day one person per floor has to clean both bathrooms. Today was me.

  Each bathroom has three stalls, and one required handicapped stall.

  I scrubbed everywhere, and my already unwhite shirt was now even more unwhite, even yellow. Disgusted, I changed into a white crop top.

  There was really only 'White' around here.

  I finished both bathrooms and sighed. Now I had to walk all the way downstairs, and got a toothbrush and toothpaste, brought them upstairs, and set twenty toothbrushes and two tubes of toothpaste in each bathroom.

  Everyone would brush their teeth once, then leave them on the sinks, for the bathroom person to take down.

  Luckily, Floor Five had a system.

  Once a week we all go into one room and talk.

  We decided once we were done brushing our teeth, to put the brushes in a plastic bin, with a rubber glove.

  That way, the person could put the brushes in the glove and not touch them!

  Simple.

  Once we finish our chores, we are allowed to have lunch.

  Today, that is a grilled cheese and tomato soup.

  I thought and realized that Kit and Kayla wouldn't have to switch. Both loved dipping the grilled cheese in the tomato soup. (A/N Ma mouth is watering writing this ~Cherry)

  I grabbed one of each as a glass of water. Sitting at my normal booth, I was soon joined by Kayla and Molly.

  "You guys need help?" I asked, and they nodded.

  I took the laundry bins from their hands and let them get their food.

  I set them where I was supposed too, and realized they were the first ones done for their chores.

  "When you guys are done, go brush your teeth," I told the little girls, who nodded.

  "Do we get to play in the snow today?" Molly asked.

  "Probably not. We don't have snow clothes," I replied. Molly frowned.

  We luckily had heating, which was required. That's why Lucy can wear a crop top in five-degree weather.

  Soon Hope, Marie, and Kit made an appearance.

  Lucy and Alexis would probably be busy all day, leaving Marie and me in charge.

  When that happens, we've agreed that I take care of the twins and she has Molly and Hope. (Hope just goes with it because she's very quiet)

  "Room 117 you have a new member. I repeat, Room 117 you have a new member. The oldest available from that room please come to my room," The witch yelled over the intercom. I sighed, and slid from our booth, reluctantly walking to her office.

  Standing there was a young girl, obviously from Infant Watch.

  "This is Lola. She's yours. Birthday is August 2nd, 2016," The witch grunted, shoving the young girl at me.

  "Yes Ms. Luchianna," I replied, bowing. She smiled and I scooped up Lola.

  "Welcome, Lola. My name is April," I said.

  "Apool?" She asked. I nodded. 

  I carried her to our table.

  "This is Lola everyone. Lola, this is Marie, Molly, Kit, Kayla, and Hope," I said, pointing to Everyone as said their names.

  "Mary, Mowee, Cat, Kaywa, Hope," Lola copied.

  "She's the second of August, 2015," I told them. They nodded and we all headed back up to the room, to give Lola a place in Room 117.