It Should Have Been Like This

er's v

rs have all taken their baths but haven't brushed their teeth because as you can se

here's

n algorithm to… what he said. Shou

and started wal

She asked, following

the door partly, and smiled as I saw Zachary focused on what

r that is. He was more of the cold-hearted type to outsiders and too obsessed with drawing a line between him and everyone he finds underneath his standard. His personalit

I'm not allowed to carry him so I just let h

s, stressful. How did o

stopped school, they made use of their old laptops and surfed the internet for daily educational videos. Zachary, Zayn

om bought pizza and ice cre

it all!" And with that, he ran out of the room

me, and even took over my cleaning obsession… Ur, I mean, the ability to kno

Savvy helped me brush their teeth and change them into their pajamas. I sang them to sleep, kissed their

a huge stool, washing the dishes. If those two weren't so helpful, I would never have been able to survive. They started taking care of their s

the snacks. Cream cracker?" He raised his head

it in hot cocoa? Can yo

lows," I promised. He nodded in agreement. I tore the wrapper open and dropped it on the isl

ent every Friday with for game night. Their children were nine and eleven by age, but they were the only family we associated wit

kids' hair black to make it more difficult for people to spot the resemblance between my kids and th

ighed, the kind of sigh she normally did when she wanted to tell

land to drop the glass and the milk while she climbed down. Zach sh

ka

d our old landlord sold our house. He used to let me live for free but after he sold it, he told me I would have to pay the

ked about t

inced, "he called you all sorts of names, really bad ones that I do not wish to repeat

ould be forced to evict us out of his property," Savvy mur

did he scr

ke a year's payment or more and t

ed money for Zayne's surgery, they sent people over today—" I clapped my hand over my mouth to stop myself from screaming out loud. "And Mom," Zach sniffed back his tears, "Zayne showed

he drugs are t

om, I think Se

o?!" I cried. "She stopped breathing again?" I s

y were not healthy children, especially Zayne. They had been sick since they were born and that

emporarily tightened her lungs and sent pangs of pain to her chest. At first, the

r medication but the problem was that I didn't have the money to keep it up. I only bought some drugs to suppress it and keep i

It was an emergency surgery to prevent permanent paralysis. I spent it all but I didn't finish the treatment. He needed some drugs to comple

doctors told me when they were born that Serenity and Zayne would have very weak immune systems, that sickness would threat

, just one mo

better after ten was high. "There's a way," Zach said as he dropped to the floor to sit beside me. He place

RLICE, COMING TO LAS VEGAS TO FINALIZE THE A.J. COLLA

d and never bothered to look at the magazines or watch the news

between him and his father at five years old. Then he intentionally showed me magazines and talked about him to see my reaction. I fai

ay from their younger ones. It wasn't capable of scarring them (h

s, I know you would rather remain dead to him and the world, bu

N

need him because no on

ou away from me through the law! I don'

and Zayne could die, I don't want them to die." She burst

ather doesn't need to know about me or either

t,

ad. I rather watch my children die than have him fi