::Logan's POV::
Dark. Cold. Harsh. Unbearable. Those were all words to describe the conditions my 5 year old sister, Lucy, and I were living in. In the state of Illinois, near downtown Chicago, there was a secluded, marshy area; an area abandoned and forgotten, just like me and my sister. The two of us lived in a shack deep in the vacant land; a dirty, old, beat-up shack. It was small, maybe about the width and length of four porta potties put together. It was also uncomfortable, unsanitary, excruciatingly cramped, and any other word that related to the meaning of terrible. But, it was something... at least it wasn't nothing.
Honestly, Lucy and I were fortunate to have this home. Even though it is probably the shittiest home that anyone could ever possibly own, the good thing was that we were together. With our parents being murdered, and the two of us almost being separated to different foster homes, Lucy and I had no choice but to run away to this hell hole. We could not be split apart, it would be too hard for her. I could not let my sister go on living her life thinking that I left her, because that's exactly what the foster caretakers would have told her if we didn't run away. I couldn't let her think that her 17 year old brother, the one she looked up to, walked out of her life when she needed him most. So in conclusion, we ended up here, in no mans land.
I wish I could do better for Lucy, she really does deserve the best, especially for how strong she has been. Ever since we have came here, which was exactly 1 week ago, not one complaint left her youth lips. She was always an optimist, saying that putting up with the rough times will give us good fortune in return. When she said that, I would chuckle. Her poor, little, naïve mind. She had not the slightest clue about reality, she had no idea that life wasn't how she viewed it. This only made me happier that I was still with her, guiding her through everything that came in her way, so her perspective of life didn't backfire and burn her gentle heart.
Closing my eyes, I took a strong inhale of the nicotine filled cylinder in my mouth, holding the flavor in the back of my throat, then exhaling deeply while leaning my head back on the wood wall of the shack. Cigarette smoke flew everywhere, vaporizing with the cool air that swooped inside the small space from the open door. In the frame of the opened doorway appeared my lighthearted sister, holding a bucket full of something that reeked.
"Lucy," I said questioningly, putting out my cigarette and stuffing it in my pocket. "What is that?"
"Dinner... maybe." She said, scrunching up her face in disgust as she looking into the metal pale.
I sighed irritably, but smirked at her kind intention. "Lucy, I told you this already, I'll handle dinner."
"But, Hortence," She pouted, using my birth name. "I want to help!"
I stood up and walked over to her, crouching when I was next to her, a kind, brotherly smile plastered on my face.
"I know you do, but look at that." I pointed to the black, lumpy ,sold-slash-liquid stuff in the bucket. "Do you really think that's eatable?"
Her lower lip protruded a bit. "No."
I chuckled, hugging her into my chest. "It's fine, you can help me go find something to eat now, if you'd like?"
Her face lit up with excitement as she pulled out of the embrace, nodding vigorously.
I smiled. "Alrighty, grab your sweater of the ground and lets go!"
I watched as she rushed to the corner of the room and pulled on her thin, fleece sweater, running back over to me with her face glowing. I held out my hand and soon felt her own squeeze it lightly; a squeeze full of trust and reliance. We then walked to the opening of the shack, stepping into the mushy, moist ground, beginning our walk towards the city.
