Days
7:45 AM: My alarm rings. I slowly awake, my turquoise walls blurring, just too far away to be in focus without my glasses, and check the time. I know I don't have to get up for another 10 minutes. I look over to my right, and see my sister's bed. Her duvet is a mess and her pillow is on the floor, resting against the side of her bed. Her pyjamas are in a pile on the ground. I take a deep breath. I press snooze on my phone and close my eyes, pulling my covers up to my face.
7:55 AM: My alarm rings. I wake up more suddenly now, more aware of the time. Sitting up abruptly, I try to grab my phone off the night stand, knocking over my glass of water from last night. I finally pick up the phone and turn off the alarm. I sigh as I look back over to my sister's side of the room. One of her posters has fallen off the wall, and another is missing some tape in the top corner. I throw my covers to the side, instantly feeling the cold air gently touch my skin. Jumping out of bed, I retrieve my dressing gown from the hook on the door and wrap it quickly and tightly around my shivering body. I take another look at my phone and realise I forgot to plug it in to charge overnight. I take the time to swear at myself about it while I clean up after my sister, picking up the crisp packet she was noisily emptying at 3 AM the last night, and throwing it into the pile of paper overflowing from the bin. I neatly fold her pyjamas and place them on her bed, then replace her pillow.
Walking into the bathroom, I grab my toothbrush and as I brush my teeth with one hand, I brush my hair with the other. I run through my brushing at lightning speed, splash my face with water that's not as warm as I thought it would be, and quickly run back to my bedroom.
Opening our wardrobe, I see the nuclear wasteland left over from my sister's preparations earlier in the morning. I find my most comfortable underwear, and get them on me as quickly as possible after shedding my dressing gown. Next, I pull on my thermal shirt and leggings, and a blue, flowery dress. Looking in my mirror, I see my face looking back at me. I don’t let myself hold my own gaze for too long. I apply my makeup as quickly as I can, pull on some brightly coloured socks, and a pair of boots. I slip my phone and laptop into my bag, remembering to bring their chargers, and look back at my room. I pick up my glasses from my desk, then flick the light off and leave the door slightly open to let the cat in and out.
I walk down the stairs, my footfalls feeling harder than normal. I feel tired. My dad is at the bottom of the stairs, looking for his glasses again. I pick them up from the top of the shoe rack and hand them to him, then ignore anything he says to me. I walk into the kitchen, noticing the cat licking some leftover food nobody bothered to clean up. I give her an exasperated shout, and she meows her way to her water bowl. I grab the closest pastry to me and start eating it, as I walk to my door. My mum appears now, struggling to get ready for the day, and as I'm about to walk out the door, both my parents wish me a good day. I don't turn around or say anything, just lift my left hand in the air nonchalantly as I open the front door. Instantly, the cold autumn air hits me and I feel like all the thermals in the world couldn't stop this wind. The three-legged cat on my street limps along past the front of my house. A single car zooms by. Water is leaking, dripping, somewhere to my right. I close the door behind me and set off.
6:00 PM: The front door of my house opens. I walk in, exhausted, kick off my shoes and climb up the stairs, my whole body feeling weighed down from the day. And from every other day. I land in my chair in my bedroom, dropping my bag beside me. My sister is lying on her bed next to me, reading some novel.
3:00 AM: My sister's asleep now, and I'm still at my desk. Tired. I turn off my screen and my lamp, leaving the room in darkness. I make sure all the windows are closed. I turn up the temperature on the radiator. I strip out of my clothes, slowly, one by one. Trying to not wake up my parents, I throw it all into the laundry basket quietly. I climb in to bed, and set my alarm for 7:45. I place my phone on the bedside table, pull my covers up to my face, and close my eyes.
7:45 AM: My alarm rings. I slowly awake, my turquoise walls blurring, just too far away to be in focus without my glasses, and check the time. I know I don't have to get up for another 10 minutes. I look over to my right, and see my sister's bed. Her duvet is a mess and her pillow' is on the floor, resting against the side of her bed. Her pyjamas are in a pile on the ground. I take a deep breath. I press snooze on my phone and close my eyes, pulling my covers up to my face.
7:55 AM: My alarm rings. I wake up more suddenly now, more aware of the time. Sitting up abruptly, I try to grab my phone off the night stand, knocking over my glass of water from last night. I finally pick up the phone and turn off the alarm. I sigh as I look back over to my sister's side of the room. One of her posters has fallen off the wall, and another is missing some tape in the top corner. I throw my covers to the side, instantly feeling the cold air gently touch my skin. Jumping out of bed, I retrieve my dressing gown from the hook on the door and wrap it quickly and tightly around my shivering body. I take another look at my phone and realise I forgot to plug it in to charge overnight. I take the time to swear at myself about it while I clean up after my sister, picking up the crisp packet she was noisily emptying at 3 AM the last night, and throwing it into the pile of paper overflowing from the bin. I neatly fold her pyjamas and place them on her bed, then replace her pillow.
Walking into the bathroom, I grab my toothbrush and as I brush my teeth with one hand, I brush my hair with the other. I run through my brushing at lightning speed, splash my face with water that's not as warm as I thought it would be, and quickly run back to my bedroom.
Opening our wardrobe, I see the nuclear wasteland left over from my sister's preparations earlier in the morning. I find my most comfortable underwear, and get them on me as quickly as possible after shedding my dressing gown. Next, I pull on my thermal shirt and leggings, and a blue, flowery dress. Looking in my mirror, I see my face looking back at me. I don’t let myself hold my own gaze for too long. I apply my makeup as quickly as I can, pull on some brightly coloured socks, and a pair of boots. I slip my phone and laptop into my bag, remembering to bring their chargers, and look back at my room. I pick up my glasses from my desk, then flick the light off and leave the door slightly open to let the cat in and out.
I walk down the stairs, my footfalls feeling harder than normal. I feel tired. My dad is at the bottom of the stairs, looking for his glasses again. I pick them up from the top of the shoe rack and hand them to him, then ignore anything he says to me. I walk into the kitchen, noticing the cat licking some leftover food nobody bothered to clean up. I give her an exasperated shout, and she meows her way to her water bowl. I grab the closest pastry to me and start eating it, as I walk to my door. My mum appears now, struggling to get ready for the day, and as I'm about to walk out the door, both my parents wish me a good day. I don't turn around or say anything, just lift my left hand in the air nonchalantly as I open the front door. Instantly, the cold autumn air hits me and I feel like all the thermals in the world couldn't stop this wind. The three-legged cat on my street limps along past the front of my house. A single car zooms by. Water is leaking, dripping, somewhere to my right. I close the door behind me and set off.
6:00 PM: The front door of my house opens. I walk in, exhausted, kick off my shoes and climb up the stairs, my whole body feeling weighed down from the day. And from every other day. I land in my chair in my bedroom, dropping my bag beside me. My sister is lying on her bed next to me, reading some novel.
3:00 AM: My sister's asleep now, and I'm still at my desk. Tired. I turn off my screen and my lamp, leaving the room in darkness. I make sure all the windows are closed. I turn up the temperature on the radiator. I strip out of my clothes, slowly, one by one. Trying to not wake up my parents, I throw it all into the laundry basket quietly. I climb in to bed, and set my alarm for 7:45. I place my phone on the bedside table, pull my covers up to my face, and close my eyes.
7:45 AM: My alarm rings. I slowly awake, my turquoise walls blurring, just too far away to be in focus without my glasses, and check the time. I know I don't have to get up for another 10 minutes. I look over to my right, and see my sister's bed. Her duvet is a mess and her pillow' is on the floor, resting against the side of her bed. Her pyjamas are in a pile on the ground. I take a deep breath. I press snooze on my phone and close my eyes, pulling my covers up to my face.
