Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1: Natalie smiled at the old woman as she placed her blackberry lemonade down in front of her.

"Here you go, Mrs. Herbert." She said with a kind smile.

She grinned up at Natalie, her silver hair shining in the muted lights of the diner.

"Thank you Natalie. Always such a sweet girl. Have you found yourself a new beau as of late?" she asked and Natalie smiled despite the pang in her heart.

"Not yet." She said softly.

Mrs. Herbert's eyes grew confused.

"But, you are such a pretty girl. Surely you have a line of fine young men lined up." Natalie blushed and wiped her hands on her short black apron.

"Nope, not yet. Enjoy your lemonade and let me know if you need anything." She said and then turned, her ponytail brushing her shoulder blades as it swished around her head. She walked over to the counter and sat down.

The diner was pretty deserted at this time of night, and she liked nights like that. It made her waitressing job easier.

She had been waitressing here for 7 years and tonight was her last night before she left for Italy with her best friend Ciara. She would miss it here, but it was time for her to spread her wings and explore. Her whole life had been sheltered.

Her mother had been a drug and alcohol addict her entire life and Natalie didn't remember a single time that she didn't feel like an adult. Even when she was little and would wake up screaming from nightmares, she dealt with it, and she dealt with it alone.

Sighing, she dropped her head down on the cold linoleum of the counter when her phone rang. She jerked up and pulled her phone out of her pocket.

She sighed when she saw who it was.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hey, Nat. Your momma is here again. She is pretty drunk and I cut her off and she is causing a bit of trouble. Mind coming and picking her up?" Seth asked from the other end of the line.

Seth was the bartender of her momma's favorite bar and she had known Seth longer than she knew how to tie her shoe laces.

She cursed, nodded.

"Yeah. I'm on my way. Just hold on to her for me. I'll be there soon." She said and hung up.

Untying her apron from behind her back she hung it up on the small rack before she punched in her time card and walked to her small locker and pulled out her small purse and jacket.

She waved goodbye to the last remaining patrons of the bar before she stepped out into the cool night.

The sky was a dark exotic black, stars glittering like fire flies millions of miles away. The wind whispered a caress across her face and she sighed as she got into her old bug and began driving to the bar.

It wasn't far and when she arrived she ignored the cat calls and whistles that came her way when she got out and made her way into the bar. The bar was pretty quiet since it was around closing time, and only a few muted lights lit the bar.

She spotted her mother with her head resting on her forearm.

Natalie rushed over and pushed her mom's platinum blonde-dyed hair away from her face, grimacing when the smell of strong scent of vomit hit her.

She was used to the smell though... Used to cleaning it up.

She looked up and found Seth watching her sympathetically. He had short salt and pepper hair with a goatee.

"You got her?" he asked as he towel dried a shot glass.

She looped her mother's arm around her neck, grunting.

"Yup." She managed.

"Thanks." He nodded, smiled, before returning to his work.

Stepping out of the bar with her mother snoring roughly against her neck, she managed to pull open the car door and maneuver her mother in. Natalie was about to get in the car when her neck prickled. She turned, swearing she felt eyes on her, but found only the night around her. She rubbed at her eyes.

Her mother was going to be the death of her one of these days.

The paranoia had to stop, but that was easier said then done.

She pushed away the uncomfortable feeling, got in the car and began driving back to her mother's house, all the while tapping her fingers restlessly against the leather of the steering wheel.

She looked back in the rear view mirror and found her mother snoring and drooling all of the upholstery.

She didn't care, there had been worst times and worst accidents. She didn't think it would matter to add to the list of stains.

Pulling into a parking spot, she shivered.

She hated coming to her mom's apartment. It was so trashy and so unhealthy for a person to live, she hated that her mother chose to live here even when Natalie gave her the option to move into her small condo with her. But, that would limit the amount of drugs and alcohol she would be able to take so of course, she dismissed the idea immediately much to Natalie's indignation. Pushing the thoughts away she climbed out of the car and wrapped her mom's skinny arm around her neck. Her mom really needed to eat more.

The drugs were making her basically skin and bones and it didn't help the fact that she never ate. Was always too strung out too do so.

Pulling her mother up the stairs she finally got to her mom's door, her eye brows furrowing when she noticed the horrible state the door was in.

What had happened?

It looked as if someone had kicked the door in? Panic threatened to eat her up in one large gulp but she pushed it down.

Maybe the landlord forgot the key.

Yeah, that was it, she thought sarcastically, but made herself not dwell on the state of the door. She had enough to worry about and she was sure there was a reasonable explanation.

She got her mom inside and laid her down on the couch too begin stripping off her mother's vomit covered shoes.

They hit the ground with a loud 'thunk', but Natalie didn't think too much of it. You could make some of the craziest sounds and it wouldn't matter.

Wiping a small bead of sweat away with the back of her hand, Natalie pulled off her mother's close and dressed her in a comfortable big t-shirt.

She was just beginning to lay her mother back down when she woke up, partly.

"Nat?" her mother asked and looked at her as if she was an alien.

She managed a small smile at her inebriated mother.

"Just me, momma."

Her mother sighed and Natalie watched with surprise as her mother's shoulders began to shake with sobs.

She pulled her into her arms and rested her head on her chin.

"What's wrong momma?" she asked in a whisper.

Yes, her mother hadn't been the best but she had never, not once cried in front of Natalie, even in the hardest of times.

"I had to, Nat. surely, you understand, right?" she wailed and she held her mom tighter in her arms, confusion making her frown as she stroked her mother's sweaty hair back from her neck.

"They made me. I didn't have a choice. Please forgive me." Her mother said and then a moment later threw up all over Natalie's waitressing outfit.

Natalie sat there for a moment, not entirely shocked at the wet feeling the coated her chest and the smell that tickled her nose.

She laid her mother back down.

"Of course, I forgive you momma." She said and stroked her mother's brow.

Her mom sighed and curled into her hand.

"Always such a good girl. Momma loves you. Momma always loves you." She mumbled and then was asleep.

She watched her for some time, ignoring the vomit that covered her and instead stared at her mother's sleeping face.

In her sleep she looked innocent, youthful, an empty canvass just waiting to be filled with the bright streaks of colorful memories. Her face looked more relaxed, the frown at her brow dissipating until a contented sigh slips past her mouth.

She looked like a child.

Sighing, Natalie stood and pulled off her vomit-covered shirt and threw it into the overflowing dirty clothes hamper.

Now, left only in her black lace bra she pulled on a thin grey cotton robe, not bothering to tie it as she walked over the barred window to stare out at the night.

She didn't want to leave her mother, but she would be back at the end of the summer and until then Natalie's uncle would take care of her mother.

Her whole life she had taken care of her and this summer was for Natalie.

Just for her.

But, then again she had no idea what was just lurking in the shadows....

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Hope you liked it!! It is fun writing it. Vote. Comment. You know the drill! :) xx