Eralia’s POV
Benny watches me intently as I wrestle with myself, I can’t tell him about our life, he’ll insist on calling the authorities and I’ll lose my siblings! Yes, I’m over eighteen but I have no stable home or income to speak of, I doubt they’d let us keep the trailer and kick mom out as it’s not a safe area, last night was proof of that. Plus, where would mom go if they made her leave? She needs me to take care of her, without me, who knows what would happen to her. She’s a crappy parental figure, but she’s still my mom and regardless of everything, I love her, so do the kids.
‘Cupcake,’ the Navy Seal’s nickname for me is like a warm blanket, wrapping around me, a life raft in a turbulent sea and I instinctively reach for it, wanting that safety, ‘trust me’ he coaxes.
‘Our mom i
