An Unexpected Connection

Introduction

It was just another ordinary day for Y/N. Just another day at school, just another day fantasising about a life that was different from this one, just another day where she wished that something better could happen. But alas, she felt exactly the same. She wanted to feel like a normal girl, living a normal life, but what hopes could she truly have?

Walking through the door into her small home, she looked around her. There was the living room, with its stained brown carpet, old couch and small TV that looked like it belonged in the 19th century (even though TVs weren't even around back then). It still had the food wrappers from last night's takeout spread across the floor, because no one had gotten around to picking it up. Y/N sighed. Yet again, it was up to her to clean everything up, since her parents were too busy to do anything besides work. They both worked so hard, trying to earn enough money to keep the family from going broke, so she knew she shouldn't complain either way. The girl knew that, being 16, she should probably find a job too, but with school, the housework AND her younger sister needing supervision, it wasn't possible at the moment. Because of that, Y/N and her 11-year-old sister Olivia were usually home alone.

Sighing again, Y/N scooped up all the rubbish and threw it in the trash, taking a moment to look around the kitchen. It was small and dirty, to say the least. There were dishes needing to be washed, food to be put away, a few spills on the countertop that needed to be wiped, and there was SOMETHING that needed to be thrown away, not even knowing what. Y/N groaned, telling herself she'd do it later because, right now, there was homework that needed to be done so she didn't fail. Yay.

Upstairs in her yet again tiny room, Y/N was lying on her stomach on her bed, tapping her pencil against her lips while racking her brain for the answer of a particularly hard maths problem, when suddenly her sister burst into the room. Y/N groaned, looking up from her book and glaring at Olivia. "What have I told you about knocking before you come in here? You could've scared me", she stated, her E/C eyes fixed on the younger girl. Olivia rolled her eyes.

"You and I both know that you don't get scared, Y/N", she said matter-of-factly, leaning against the doorframe. "I just needed to let you know that I'm going over to a friend's house tonight, and I won't be back until 7, so you might be on your own with all the work", she said, actually looking a bit sympathetic for her older sister. Y/N sighed. "What did mum and dad say about this?" She asked, knowing what the answer was gonna be. The only reason why she asked is because she didn't want to be left alone with all the chores to do. Olivia looked down a bit before replying, "I didn't ask them, partly because I knew they wouldn't care and also because they would never even notice if I was gone anyway". Y/N nodded slightly, feeling a bit bad that her sister grew up without a strong parental figure in her life. There was only so much that Y/N could do to care for Olivia, and missing out on a relationship with a real mother wasn't something that any child wants. Y/N knew that she could handle not having parents around, but Olivia was a bit more sensitive than her, being younger and all.

"Come here", Y/N told her, getting off the bed to give Olivia a hug. It was a usual thing for her to do. Olivia feels sad, Y/N gives her a hug to get over it, and then they go their separate ways, really. "Have fun at your friend's house. I'll be fine with all the work. Go have a good time and try not to think about mum or dad... or the lack of them". She kissed the top of her head, then playfully nudged Olivia out of the room. "Now leave me alone, coz I was TRYING to do my homework before you barged in". The younger girl smiled and giggled a bit, then left, closing the door behind her. The faint trace of a smile left Y/N's face as reality hit: she actually did have to do this homework. "Oh man, can't life just get a little bit easier? Or at least a little bit better in some way?" She mumbled to herself, flopping onto the creaky bed before resuming the arduous task in front of her.

Little did she know that her life really was gonna change quite soon, for better or for worse, she would never know....