[center][color=990000][h2][b]ALEXANDRA “ALEX” METCALFE[/b][/h2][/color][b]December 26th 2015 8:37am [/b][/center]
Alex' eyes slowly flickered open as she heard the light hum of her phone on the nightstand. Stretching her arms up above her head, she tapped lightly on her phone turning the buzzing alarm off. Slowly, she swiped the back of her hand across her right eye and down across the side of her face, wiping the drool from the night before. Having just had the most peaceful slumber in a long time. Constant nights up until four am or early wake up calls from her brother with constant nightmares. The culprits mainly being either of her parents. Alexandra turned over facing her younger brother, watching him as he slept. Eyelids closed against the dim light, his breathing deep and relaxed, all the muscles in his face and body were totally at peace, like a baby in its' first deep slumber. Not a twitch, not a spasm, barely any movement apart from his chest rising and falling with each intake of air such was the depth of his oblivion. This was a body totally at peace, at rest.

Eventually, Alex lifted her head from the pillow, her long hair tumbling down her back like a waterfall as she calmly took in her surroundings of the room she sat in. Her eyes fell to the window, a sheet hung from the broken curtain rail letting in as little light as possible. She stood and made her way towards the main of her apartment. Turning the corner, a passed out mother lay on the sofa causing Alex to sigh instantly. She allowed her eyes to wonder over her disgrace of a mother: bottle of vodka in hand, mouth wide open, fully clothed and television on. Again she sighed and shook her head, dragging her feet towards the kitchen. Alex had full hope that after coming out of rehab their mother would finally start being a better mother to them, a mother her and her brother deserved but she should've known that was all just too good to be true. 

In the kitchen, Alex pulled open the fridge with ease. Her eyes scanned the fridge shelves from top to bottom. Empty. Nothing but sour milk and mouldy cheese. She turned away, taking a few breakfast bars from the cupboard, leaving a few for her brother yet to awaken. The kitchen they had was extremely old but their whole house needed to be re-done, most of it was falling apart. She wondered back towards the passed out body on the sofa, her eyes retracing the body of her mother and around the unkept living room until finally they rested on the battered television screen. A young news presenter standing proudly as he gave more news about this new virus attacking many more countries. All the new information they were feeding everyone genuinely intrigued Alex, she wanted to know more. She unwrapped her first breakfast bar, feeding it to herself as she stared deeply at the television screen perching herself on the edge of the coffee table.