"Mama," the young girl watching television spoke carefully as she turned down the volume using the remote, and kept her head focused on the screen.
"Hmm?" the woman just returning home hummed to herself, shutting the front door and putting her bag down on the counter.
"You're late," seven-year-old Jamie chimed slowly, tilting her head away from the screen and looking to her left, "Are you okay?"
"I'm late aren't I?" Wendy arched her brows at her daughter as she took off her wet coat and hung it on the rack, "Are you hungry, Antoinette?"
"You didn't answer me.." Jamie let out a silent sigh as she drifted her gaze to the carpet she was sitting on.
"Ah," Wendy came back, side-smiling as she peeked at her child from the kitchen, "I was caught up in a little rain. No biggy. I'll go make dinner now. Anything you want?"
There was silence from the living room, and the child was full of unrest for some reason.
"Mama, I—" Jamie started, her breath hitching before she gritted her teeth together. Her eyes were hurt, but her own mother couldn't tell.
"What is it, dear?"
Jamie shut off the TV and pushed herself off the ground, dusting her nightgown of carpet fuzz as she grabbed her cup of water. She turned her body to face her mother's location, where she would be hidden behind the kitchen making dinner.
"... I'm not hungry," the child let out.
This was the third day in a row that she had been refusing food.
Wendy stopped what she was doing and straightened up, tilting her head back to glance at her daughter. "Antoinette?"
"For the love of god, I'm Jamie," the girl choked out, then forcing a small laugh afterwards so that her mother— who was startled from the outburst— weakly laughed along.
"Yes, sorry," Wendy smiled at her, "It's just, Jamie isn't feminine at all. I don't know what he was thinking when he named you."
′He'.. Jamie let the word linger on her mind before she snapped out of her daze and forced a smile at her mother. "I'm going to sleep early. School tomorrow."
Wendy sighed, "But I just got home. Don't you want to spend time with me?"
Jamie's eyes pained, but she didn't let her mother see.
She was an inconvenience to both of them. He didn't want her. And Mama, well, she always put her last. Jamie had grown to label herself as a responsibility, and a chore, that no one wanted to see to. When Mama was always out late, does she enjoy her time better? With better people? Was there a home for her someplace else?
"I'm just tired, Mama."
"Oh alright, I'll come check on you later dear."
She trudged up the stairs slowly, letting her mind empty as she reached her room and entered.
Jamie dropped the glass of water she was holding when she saw her father standing in her room. With a cup of alcohol in one hand, and a cigarette in the other, Jamie narrowed her eyes at the man in her room who had changed so drastically the past month.
"Papa.." Jamie trailed off and watched Charles in disbelief, "Ich möchte schlafen." (I want to sleep).
"Your mother came home, ja?" (yes?). Charles raised his brows with an eerie look on his face, taking another sip of his drink. He pushed off from the bed and started towards the door. Jamie felt him pass her small body and her eyes widened, panic rushing through her body.
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AGENT W | ✓
الأكشن❝ A sniper doesn't always need a partner, they just need someone to give the signal. ❞ Going solo gave you a lot to ponder on, especially given a mission that isolated you from your daily life of sniping up dozens of armed agents per hour. A change...
