"Clarity." I heard my mother softly singing my name, trying to get me to wake up.

"Mpf, it's too early." Rolling over in my bed, wiggling deeper into my quilt.

"Sweetheart come on, we have a friend coming over today."

I rolled over back onto my side, facing her. My head was resting in the palm of my hand. She had a faint smile, and a look in her eyes I couldn't figure out. Something important is happening today, she won't tell me what though.

"Can't it wait until tomorrow? We were driving all night." I groaned.

"Clarity Rose, us flowers rise better early in the morning than we do at dusk. And do you know why that is?"

I shook my head. My mother desperately wanted my middle name to take after her first, like it had important meaning. It's just a name, yet she always turns it into a lesson. A lesson I knew by heart yet could never understand.

"Because we get the most energy then. And when its dark, people think we're weak. The moment they try to harm us-"

"We sting like a bee. I know mom, I know."

"Roses have thorns for a reason doll. Remember that." She tucked my hair behind my ear and walked to my door opening it. "Now get dressed please, we want to look our best today."

The sound of the birds outside of my window woke me up. God, why is everything alive so early? These birds better be lucky I'm used to this. I jumped out of bed, slipped into a pair of slippers and walked over to my window, opening the doors to let in fresh air.

“So much for being a rose with thorns mom… it didn't protect you.”

I know the thing I should be most ecstatic for is I finally get to be with family, but it's not. It's the fact I even have the option to open a window. It's like a sense of freedom, only it's not the same. The truth is, I wasn't trapped in that building. The people who worked there was great, and Julie became a second mother to me. She always looked out for me, was always there when I needed her, she was my best friend. I know a lot of people there feel like they're caged, but they don't know what it's like out of it. I feel like my whole life I’ve been in a nonstop nightmare, the dreams just help it come alive. A nightmare I never wake up from.I've always been caged, and the only way I can get free is when the person who killed my mother is six feet in the ground. A life for a life, but even then, that wouldn't be enough punishment for him.

"Knock knock." Evony opened my door, staying her distance.

I turned around to look at her. She had enormous bags under her eyes. "Did you not sleep?" I asked tilting my head. If I'm going to be living with her, I need to make it bearable. Even if I'm angry at her, I guess I understand. It doesn't mean I like her, but it gives room.

She shook her head, "No. Not even a wink. You?"

Besides the constant nightmares leading up to my mother's death? "I slept like a baby." And stretched my arms far and wide, acting like I was well rested.

"Good." She spoke slowly, drifting off into her thoughts. "So I was thinking we could stop by the shops today, maybe get you a few clothes and grab-"

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I quickly interrupted her. I said I'll make conversation, not make friends. "I actually have work today. I don't know what time I'll be back. But don't wait up for me if you get hungry."

"Work? You just moved in here, how did you find something that fast?"

"Mr.Whicks said he could give me a spot in the bar."

I could tell when I mentioned his name, she got tense. The corner of her lips pinched into a tight grimace, her eyes got darker, and she said nothing in response.

"Do you know who he is Claire?" She finally spoke, this time in a harsher tone.

”I do. We had a long conversation about you and my mother, believe it or not.”

“Be careful, Clarity.” She spoke through gritted teeth.

”I feel the safest there.” I shot at her.

”Promise me, please.” She pleaded.

She seemed genuinely concerned, but what for? If she’s so worried about me being around their god father, why isn’t she trying to stop me from going?

”I promise.” I said in return.

I didn’t lie. I will be careful. No matter who I feel safe around, I have to be careful. Look where it got my mother. I started digging my nails in the pockets of my jeans. She was stuck on that stupid lesson and didn’t take her own advice. What happened to her stinger? I scoffed to myself; can’t believe I’m fixating on it. I never believed that shit anyway.

“I have to go Evony.”

And with that, I left promptly. The walk to the bar was no quieter than the first time I made my way here. There were no passing cars besides a few, and they were gone as fast as you saw them. There were a bunch of river birch trees in a beautiful pattern down the side of the roads. They blossomed here like no tomorrow because of all the sand. Hm. Funny. They don't have much to grow on, yet they still bloom. They hardly have water, there's no nutritional soil to say, "Hey! You! Eat this, drink that, you need to eat your carrots and broccoli to get stronger and stand your grown for when storms come!" There's no social contact, besides the robins and cardinals that land on each individual structured branch, the ground is just dead. The only thing the trees have to look forward to, day in and day out, is the dramatic pulsing of the sun. What motivation do they have to keep going? Surely it can't be to provide for the very humans that destroy their ecosystem. The trees were here first and then here we came, barging through and destroying everything we touch. So why don't they just die off too like the rest of the planet? Why do they keep helping the things that are killing them, every... single... day. Because they're weak. That has to be it. They're weak minded. They think we'll change so they keep growing, and growing, and giving. But we won't, we won't change. We never have.

"Excuse me!" I heard a woman run through me to get through the front doors. "I'm late! Oh boy, he's so going to kill me for doing this again." the stranger muttered to herself.

"Oh, sorry."

I guess I dazed off because I didn't even realize I was standing in front of the bar. She must be one of Mr.Whicks employees. The bar was busier than before. There was people everywhere. Laughter ringing in all directions, glasses clashing upon one another. There was even karaoke in the back, and whoever was singing was obviously deaf, or the crowd was, because they are horrid, and everyone is cheering them on.

"You're here!" Mr.Whick said, clapping his hands together. "Just in time for rush hour! Training starts now my dear. Hazel will be the one training you, her brother is here as-well, so either of them can show you the ropes really."

"I thought you said this business was small?"

He looked around the place and shrugged, looking back towards me. "You don't think so? Huh. Well anyway, I have to go pick up a few things so be back in a jam!"

In a jam? Who even says that? I laughed to myself. "I'm sure we got it from here Mr.Whick, take your time."

He scurried off and I took one last look around the place before heading behind the counter. There should be an apron around here somewhere...

"Hey Newbie! You looking for this?" The girl that was rushing through the door tossed the apron over to me.

"Thanks. You must be Hazel?" I asked her, tying the apron around my neck and waist.

"The one and only! That's my brother Gino over there." She pointed onto the stage.

"Yikes, can he hear himself?"

We both laughed and she fixed her glasses, nudging them up the bridge of her nose. "I like to think so, you should hear him at home." She shivered and laughed again. "I know we're pretty busy, but I don't want you overwhelmed with it being your first day and all. Do you mind just taking people's orders and cleaning up whenever you can?"

"You got it, boss."