For the next week and a half Juliette felt like she was on autopilot. She was just a spirit puppeting a body that wasn't her own and living a life that was completely unrecognizable to her. This period was the closest she had ever come to fully dissociating, maybe she had at some points. Virgil had made it out of surgery with only a few complications along the way. The only physical evidence of the accident were a cast and a long thin scar across his chest and abdomen. Mentally, all three siblings were in different states of grief and disarray. Virgil had been in almost constant tears since he found out their mother had passed. Juliette remembers how he grabbed onto the doctor and begged him to explain how he survived, and their mother didn't. Though the word guilt never came up, it was clear on his face. As the days went on and the arrangements for the funeral began he withdrew further into himself. Noel, on the other hand, lashed outward in rage. He was angry at himself for letting Virgil sit in the front, a privilege he normally reserved for himself as the older of the two. He was angry at their mom for not being more careful on the road. He was angry at being angry. It just spun in a never-ending cycle that led to shouting matches with anyone who would feed into it. Lettie and Virgil learned quickly not to and how to calm him down momentarily. By the time of the funeral his rage had become cold and simmering. Lettie almost missed the shouting, at least then she knew when he was feeling upset. She could understand his feelings though. After Lettie went off to college Noel had become the oldest sibling living in the house and he took those duties very seriously. He had always been protective of Virgil before that point but after she left, he became even more dedicated to giving his sickly younger brother a good life. The accident must have caused damage to many different parts of his psyche. Juliette did her best to support both of them, but she had her own pains to deal with.
They were going to lose the house. Mama only had three thousand in her account, four thousand in her savings and she didn't have a life insurance policy. She was only 38 and likely thought she had a long time to go before needing something like that. What she had in her savings barely covered the cost of the funeral. Payments on the house were 1,579 a month not including utilities. In the end, Juliette had one month to figure out what she was going to do. The last week and a half already felt like a living hell for her as she planned the funeral and made all the necessary calls. She tried to reach out to her mamas' side of the family, but they had stopped talking to her the moment she married their dad and even her death wouldn't soften them. Letties' dad was an only child and his parents had died when she was just a little girl. She was the only one left to handle everything and it was exhausting. Not to mention she still choked up a bit whenever she thought about her mom. Now she had to find a job, a place to live and would likely have to give up her dreams of finishing college with the degree she wanted. Conservationists don't make much right away and now she was responsible for making sure her siblings could follow their dreams. So, Lettie started looking for work anywhere she could. She spent the third day after her mothers' funeral applying for any job. The school had given her two weeks off to sort everything out and she needed to use that time properly. So far, the only ones that looked both promising and paid well were part time at a library, some receptionist work and a live-in child caregiver position with flexible hours. For the last one the only request seemed to be that she be there at least five days a week and take care of all the children's basic needs while also doubling as a part-time tutor. She was surprised to see the next day that she had been invited to an in-person interview for the nanny position. It was a bit suspicious, but she checked the company online and everything seems legitimate. The person whose family she would be working for would even be there. She agreed right away and set the interview for the following day.
The day of the interview Lettie was more nervous than she had been in years. If she got the job today a huge weight would be lifted off her shoulders. Having a steady income would make it that much easier for her to take care of her brothers. She was told that there wasn't a dress code and to come in what she would wear for the job, so her normal clothes. She was still concerned though so she wore something a little nicer than normal. The dress she wore reached her knees, it was green and covered in white tulips with short sleeves. She wore matching green shoes with flower embroidery and very light make-up. She wanted to look like a fun but caring young governess. By the time she got to the company's building for the interview she had managed to calm down and was far less anxious than she had been at the start of the day. She used the drive to go over what she would say more than a dozen times. This would work out; she knew it would. A kind looking older woman behind the front desk asked her to fill out a paper application while she waited. Putting down her current address felt a little like lying but she had no choice. After about fifteen minutes she was finally called to meet the interview and her possible future boss. She opened the door with newfound confidence. Unfortunately, it immediately melted away to surprise and confusion as her eyes again met soft blue.