Lacey felt her eyes closing, feeling gritty and her eyelids heavy. She felt like she was moving underwater as she cleaned mechanically. Her limbs were so slow and it felt like she had been cleaning for hours. She cast a look at the clock and her eyes widened. Was it really only 5pm? She cursed, grateful that dinner had already been put it in the oven, a casserole she'd made this morning.
She swayed on her feet, tears welling in her eyes. Agnes and her father as usual were nowhere to be seen, Agnes disappearing the moment Lacey had forked over her hard earned wages. The house had been unusually messy as though it was intentional, mountains of dirty laundry piled near the washing machine, dirty dishes in the sink, floors dirty and surfaces not wiped over. It had been all Lacey could do not
