Chapter Two

Brianna's siblings were in the living room waiting for her. Her younger brother had already called severally but she didn't pick his call because she didn't know what to tell him.

She tried to keep a straight face at least before breaking the news to them.

"Hey Anna where have you been, we've been trying to reach you."  Brianna's younger brother Ryan said.

"How is mum doing?" Brianna's younger sister Scarlet asked.

"Are you okay?" Brianna's younger brother Liam asked.

The three of them kept studying her face for answers but she couldn't bring herself to say a word. She was too scared that she would break down in tears if she opened her mouth.

"Eww you wreck of alcohol sis."Ryan Brianna youngest sibling said.

"Brianna are you okay?" Liam asked. They all wanted answers. Brianna was at the verge of shedding tears.

"Can we go and see mum now?" Ryan asked.

"Mum is gone guys." She finally said with tears in her eyes.

"What do you mean mum is gone?" Scarlet asked feeling confused.

"We lost mum during the surgery. The doctor said , her cancer had spread to her lungs so there was nothing they could do." Brianna said blinking back the tears but the tears kept falling

"Is this a prank or what. Ok where's the camera. Bring out the camera ."

Scarlet said laughing.

"This isn't a prank Scarlet, not everything is a joke." Brianna said in a firm voice. Her voice breaking

Brianna could no longer stop the tears. Her siblings also started crying.

"I don't want to go to foster care. Brianna's youngest sibling Ryan said.

"Mum shouldn't have left us. She knew dad was no longer here, why did she have to leave." Scarlet cried out.

Bella could not bear the pain of seeing her siblings cry. She knew how they felt, especially her youngest sibling Ryan so stood up to hug him.

"I won't let any of you go to foster care, I'll do everything I can to keep you guys with me." Brianna told her siblings giving them a group hug.

"We all have to stay strong for each other, we are all we've got now."  Brianna told them.

Brianna and her siblings all cried themselves to sleep last night.

Brianna woke up around 8:30am with a banging head. She hated the feeling of hangover so much and that was the main reason why she doesn't drink although she could hold her liquor very well.

" To think I wasn't even drunk. I guess my head was aching badly because of how much I cried." She thought to herself before reaching for her phone.

She decided to delete all her picture with Jude and Cynthia. Sheblocked their numbers too before deleting them.

"I need to focus more on my siblings now." She said standing up from the bed.

She brought out her laptop to search for job Vacancies around her. She sent out her application and CV to some reputable companies and she was really hoping that she'd get a favourable response soon.

Brianna decided to make breakfast for her siblings which consisted of Pancakes and scrambled eggs. Her siblings had already woken up before she finished making breakfast.

She served everyone but none of them seem to have the appetite. Somehow she knew she had to force herself and her siblings to eat because she wouldn't want a situation where by another member of the family would land in the hospital.

"Eat!" she said in a firm voice glaring at her siblings.

Brianna also forced herself to eat. She noticed Ryan had tears in his eyes as he was eating. He was sniffing in while eating his food. Seeing him like that really broke her heart so she stood up to give him a hug.

Brianna was at the verge of tears too but she knew she had to stay strong for them so she swallowed her tears.

Brianna felt a grip on her hand.

Liam held her hand tight. He's been trying to be a man since Brianna broke the news to them. She knew how hurt he was because he had always pictured himself with their mum on his graduation. Brianna was sure that Liam doesn't know if he'd  graduate or not but Brianna was going to make sure he does. She vowed to make sure all her siblings have a university degree.

"Guys we need to plan Mums funeral." Brianna said.

"I have little money left to secure a place where we can bury her. The social workers will be here in a few days so we have to plan ourselves." Brianna told her siblings. 

"They'll want to take Scarlet and Ryan since you guys are not up to eighteen but I don't want that to happen so I'll do everything to make sure we do not get separated."

" I already sent out my job applications this morning and Liam, we are all they have now so I guess you'll have to start working part time but let's finish with Mum's arrangements before anything." Brianna told her siblings and they all agreed.

Brianna sent the funeral arrangements to her mum's co workers on my her to the hospital.

She and her siblings decided to bury their mum the next day at the church's cemetery. Brianna had already informed the priest and he also agreed.

She siblings and her siblings decided to stop by at the morgue where their mum was to pay their final respect before the burial. She looked so peaceful now that she was gone. She was always in pain and her kids could see how stressed she was when she was alive.

Their mum worked different part time jobs till she could no longer work. Their Dad used to be a lawyer before he passed away in a plane crash ten years ago. Ryan was only two when he passed away. Its a good thing he bought the house they were living before his passing but their was no guarantee that the bank won't throw them out of the house because they had used it as a guarantee for the loan.