Piper McFarr's Arc

Chapter 2 of 2

Piper came back with two bags of instant noodles and a small sack of rice. The oldest kid took them without a word and disappeared into the kitchen. She heard water running, then the hiss of a heating plate. The tuition deposit was gone now. She pulled out the credit chip and stared at the empty balance display. Zero credits. The holographic patterns still shimmered across its surface, pretty and useless. She'd walked into the store with enough for the deposit and walked out with enough to keep four kids from going to bed hungry. The choice hadn't felt like a choice at the time. Now it did. Outside the window, a neon billboard cycled through the time in glowing numbers. Two days and seventeen hours until the deadline. She watched the minutes tick down while the kids ate in the other room. The pile of empty cans and wrappers in the corner seemed to grow with every bowl of noodles they finished. Evidence of what she'd done. Evidence of what she'd lost. The oldest kid came back and sat on the couch next to her. He didn't say thank you. He didn't have to. He just sat there, not hungry anymore, and turned on a broken game console that barely worked. Piper looked at the credit chip one more time, then put it away. She still needed the money. She still had the deadline. But now she knew what she was willing to give up to get there, and it wasn't this.