Topic: Downtown Girl

Sierra Owens

Date: 2017-09-12 19:28 EST
"Lyssa," the man whispered, gripping the little girl's shoulders in a gentle grasp. "Daddy needs you to be a big girl, okay?" Their father always tried to appeal to Lyssa's sense of being the older sibling. "I need you to take care of your sister, okay?" Peeking in through the crack in the doorway, Sierra stared with wide brown eyes, fingers curling over the edge of the door. She watched her older sister sob and sniffle; but who could blame her" She was a nine-year-old girl who'd just lost her mother, and now her father was telling her good-bye.

Sierra was a few years younger, hiding behind the crack in the door as her father grabbed his suitcase and walked out. She didn't get a farewell, not even a glance. The door shut, and the younger child came out of hiding, moving to place a hand on Lyssa's back. "Don't cry, Lyssa. It'll be okay," her tone was soft as she gently combed her chubby little fingers through her older sister's hair.

"Shut up!" Lyssa cried, turning back to her and swatting away Sierra's hand. "This is your fault!" Static rang heavy in the air, the lights dimmed, then flickered. Standing above the younger sibling was a skull-faced monstrosity.

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A hissing intake of breath was taken in as the girl jolted awake and rubbed her eyes. She'd fallen asleep against a brick-sided building. Her shoulders felt bruised and sore from where they'd pressed against the building, her neck was kinked by the way her head hung near her chest. She wiped her nose, a smear of bloody mucus on the back of her hand before someone dropped a few coins into her cup in passing. She pulled it closer to check it, there wasn't much, but there'd be enough to support her habits. A pack of smokes, a small amount of drugs. The last thing on her mind was food, which made sense for the skeleton.

In front of her was a cardboard sign, Homeless. Give me money. Or don't that's fine, too.

Eyes fell shut for a moment as she craned her neck from side to side and winced lightly. Get a job" a man hissed as they walked by, talking on his phone. "Hey! I don't come to your place of business and ask you to wear a shirt that fits, you fat fuck!" she snapped back, a bit cranky from the abrupt wake-up. The man turned around quickly, and her eyes widened some. "Time to go," she mumbled, grabbing her sign and cup.

Who knows where she was going? She sure in hell didn't. From one nightmare to the next, finding the most random places to sleep.