Julie's POV

I was in dreamland until I felt the wet licks being slobbered all over my face. It wasn't something I enjoyed waking up to each-and-every morning

"Agh! Lucky, go away" I moaned, pushing him off me and readjusting my position in the comfort of my heavenly bed. I was slowly falling back to sleep until the sound of Mam's obnoxious footsteps barged into my room

"Wake up! It's snowing!!" She squealed, clapping her hands wildly

**

"Wake up! It's snowing!" Came the cold tone of Alica's voice booming through my tiny bedroom - the sound of a shovel being tossed against the hardwood flooring jolted me out of bed. I didn't like upsetting her, because I always knew there was consequences.

"I want it cleaned up before noon" She said, walking out of the bedroom and leaving her orders. I changed faster than the speed of light. It was snowing hard that morning, inches and inches of snow towering over my small feet - I have never worked so fast in my life.

Noon was creeping up faster than expected, and my cold hands could only work so fast. I heard the front door open and close - I knew she'd be teaching me a lesson once again.

**

"Come on! Let's go build a snowman!" Mam cheered, jumping on my bed and straddling my weak body - did she not know how to be gentle in the morning?

"Mammy please let me sleep" I whined, tugging the cover over my head, but that didn't last too long - she whipped it off me shaking me out of sleep

"Come on!" My body was shuddering as her hands were vigorously disturbing my body - willing me to wake up

"Okay!" I snapped, tearing her hands off of my shoulders

"Yay!" She squealed, jumping off me and pulling me out of bed - I was still tired but just seeing her this excited over snow put me in high spirits

"Come see!" She dragged me over to my window and opened the curtains - blinding me at the sudden light change. Once my eyes adjusted to the outside world - I had to do double takes to make sure my eyes weren't deceiving me

"How are we supposed to build a snowman?" I had a confused look plastered across my face, the snow was barely a light sprinkle - it wasn't even sticking to the ground. The grass still very visible and the pavement no where near covered

"It looked different earlier" She said, she was scratching the back of her neck whilst biting her lower lip - I knew she was lying

"Are you lying?" I raised my eyebrow - my arms folding across my chest. She pierced her lips trying to hide the smirk begging to appear

"Don't" She raised her finger, wiggling it back and forth - like I would listen to her. I let the smile beam on my face as I picked her up and threw her on the bed, attacking her with tickles

"You dragged me out of bed, to see some half ass snow!" I laughed, continuing my tickle assault on her - she was howling with madness, her face turning red as she tried to catch her breath. Her legs threshing everywhere - arms trying to force my fingers away from her

"Say you're sorry!" I demanded, showing no mercy

"Ahh! I-I'm going to kILL YOU!" She laughed, her laughs had turned into screams as I pinned her down - my fingers still working all over her body

"I'm GOING TO WEE!" She screamed, pushing me off her with a bit more aggression this time - landing me arse first straight on the ground

"Ouch!" I groaned, rubbing my backside - she darted straight for my ensuite releasing herself form the tension - I lay fully on the ground, Lucky taking it upon himself to rest against my stomach, waiting for Mam to reappear from my bathroom

"I have a crazy Mam, don't I boy?" I cooed, giving him a scratch behind the ear - Mam came out sighing with relief, and laying out beside me - both of us petting Lucky no words being spoken

"Your Mum's gone to visit Amy, taking Bella with her.. Looks like its just you and me" She beamed, there was something different about her today - her eyes were sparkling and shining more than usual. She seemed happier.

"Did you and Mum have sex?" I giggled, watching her face burn with embarrassment - she wasn't expecting me to ask her that question and telling by her redness I was right.

"You don't ask your Mam that kind of question!" She said, trying to sound serious - but telling by the smirk making its way onto her lips I knew she wasn't mad. Deciding it wasn't an appropriate topic to be discussing with your Mam I changed it quickly.

"So what are we doing for the day then? Seeing as we can't build a snowWOMAN" I corrected her - getting a roll of the eyes, I shook my head mentally I can't believe she actually thought we could build snowman

"How about a Julie and Chezza day?" she suggested, tucking some hair behind my ear

"I think a prefer a Julie and Mam day"

**

Author's POV

Wintertime was perfect - everyone was in high spirits in the streets of London. Snow was falling, and the smile on Julie's face was beaming as they walked hand-in-hand. Cheryl always felt the need to hold her daughters hand tighter than needed - she never felt safe walking through the streets with her little girl.

Strangers always invading their personal space - Cheryl was used to it, but Julie has yet to accept it; she didn't see the need to allow cameramen bombard her on a daily basis.

"Here!" Julie squeals, pulling her Mam into an art gallery she had been raving about this past week - Cheryl loved seeing her this excited, she wanted her daughter to constantly tell her what she treasured and loathed.

They walked through the dimly lit gallery - paintings and sculptures scattered about the concrete built space. Spotlights shining down on arts of work. Julie loved more than anything to appreciate other artists - she'd fall in love with the work, drown herself with each paint brush stroked against he canvas.

"Isn't beautiful?" Julie breathed, tilting her head to the side - looking at the painting in all angles. Cheryl didn't know what she was supposed to be looking at, the artwork or her daughter - she couldn't seem to look at anything else.

She didn't get art, she didn't understand it - but she was going to love it because her little girl loved it. Julie released her hand from her Mam and walked around the room - her hands placed behind her back as she examined each art piece.

Cheryl smiled to herself, watching her little girl burst with excitement - she took in this moment. She needed to remember this moment, she needed to remember her daughters' priceless face - her eyes shinning with exhilaration

"We can go wherever you want after" Julie said, focusing on one piece and one piece alone. She was glued to it - her eyes never leaving the work that spoke volumes to her.

It was a painting of two hands holding a broken heart - separate hands grasping each broken piece. Coming together to bring the fragments back together - healing the heart. It was the way the artist hypnotized her with the dark colors - the bleeding heart popping out. It was her heart and those two hands were her parents - repairing it back together; healing her.

"Do you like this?" Cheryl asks, the painting didn't scream out to her the way it did to Julie - this was never Cheryl's thing; she never really got the whole "Obsessing over a painting" concept. She laughed at people who did - and how ironic was it that her girl was one of those 'obsessive art lovers'.

"It's amazing" Julie said, her eyes never leaving the canvas - its almost as if she had been hypnotized, even if she wanted to look away - she simply couldn't. Cheryl thought for a second, her daughter was engrossed in this art piece - she could soundlessly go and speak to the gallery owner and buy it for her, because she could only imagine her daughters reaction Christmas morning. Tearing the wrapping paper and revealing this masterpiece.

"I'm going to get some water, do you want anything?" Cheryl asks, getting a shake of the head - she discreetly went over to the front desk speaking to the owner of the work. She was shocked to know that this piece wasn't just a few pounds - this artist was named Anna Airy - born in the late 1800's the painting running for £70,000 - Cheryl was gob smacked but didn't think twice before purchasing the artwork

"How about we go for a bite to eat?" Cheryl asks, making Julie avert her eyes from the painting she couldn't seem to look away from

"Ah-yeah ... Okay" She nodded, as they walked out of the gallery Julie looked back one last time - smiling at how true that painting was. Mending a broken heart needed two people, two people with loving hearts to fix a shattered heart - that still had a couple beats remaining.

**
Julie's POV

Two days until Christmas, the entire lot was here - I don't ever remember them being so loud and obnoxious. Mam's family would speak in a shouting tone and Mum's family was just as loud. That's why I have found myself lying on the studio carpeted flooring - soundproof and away from anything and everyone. I couldn't catch a break, being pushed and pulled every which way. I needed a minute to myself, I didn't even have any privacy in my own room - the whole house was taken over by them.

I remember last year, things were so different - and here I am, a totally different person. I have been mended, been fed love from my parents - teaching me the meaning of it all. I've dreamt of it all, but never in my wildest dreams would I have known it would all come true. I smile, a wide and genuine smile - my eyes prickling with tears, they weren't sad tears - no. They were happy tears, tears of joy and tears of relief - I let them release and drop to the floor.

These tears represent my worries and sorrows; I'm freeing them - letting them go. Mam must have been looking for me, my sudden disappearance wasn't such a good idea. The sound of her shouting my name down the corridor followed by open and closed doors let me know she was close to the studio door

"There you are!" She sighed with relief, her hand being placed against her frantic heart - her worried heart. She tilted her head to the side, a pout on her face as she studied my appearance - the tears still very apparent.

"What's the matter?" She whispers, crawling down on all fours - making her way over to me. Taking me straight into her arms - I wasn't sad, but I stupidly began to cry in her embrace. It was all so overwhelming.

"What's the matter?!" She repeated, her arms tightening - the sound of her voice thickening with unwashed tears. She always began to cry with just the sight of me in tears.

"I'm f-fine" I giggled, my imperfection still streaming down my cheeks. She furrowed her eyebrows together, her eyes brimming with tears - I straightened up; wrapping my arms around her shoulders and placing kisses against her cheeks.

"I'm so happy Mam.. I'm so happy" I cried, and laughed all at once - if anyone were to see me right now they would assume I had gone crazy, because this wasn't normal - but nothing was normal in my family

**

Julie's POV

"Hey.. Look what I got" Che whispers, showing me the cannabis's he had hidden away in his pocket - I instantly forced him to put them back in his pocket, giving him a punch to the arm

"What the fck are you doing!?-" I hissed, pulling him off to the side - hoping nobody hears our conversation

"Do you not know how crazy my Mam is!? She'll fcking kill the both of us" I looked around, everyone was in their own little world - laughing and howling away about god knows what

"Oh come on! Nobody will even know, we'll smoke it out in the back!" He grinned, giving me a playful nudge in hopes to get me into a better mood

"Fine!" I huffed, leading him out to the back garden - it was freezing and the Christmas jumper Mum had me wear wasn't doing much

"Hurry up!" I shivered, my teeth clattering as we hid behind the patio set - it took him a few seconds to let the cannabis spark, but once it got going we tried our best to smoke it as fast as. I was sh*tting myself and in someway it was thrilling - my heart was thumping fast with each draw of the drug.

"Give it!" I giggled, as he took it out of my hands and drew a long drag out of it - both of us lying against the pavement in fits of giggles, laughing like a bunch of loons

"You can have the end! I know you like that bit" He took one last draw and handed it to me, my arse was getting numb and I wanted to finish it to get back inside - Che made my life so much more exciting - he made me feel free. I was taking in my last drag until I felt someone grab me from my underarms forcing me to my feet - cannabis still in my mouth.

"What the fck ARE YOU DOING!!?" Mam shouted, grabbing the lit drug and throwing it to the ground - her grip on my forearm tightened as she hauled me back inside, getting everyone's attention - Nana Joan standing to her feet straight away as she took in the sight of Mam's anger.

"Get the FCK OUT OF MY WAY!" Mam shouted, pushing Che aside as he tried to help me out of Mam's hold - she was beyond pissed at this point

"Sit your ass down!" She gritted her teeth - forcing me to sit in the armchair, everyone was looking at us with a questioning expression

"You want to smoke drugs!? You want to fcking smoke!? You're going to smoke the rest in front of us! Show us how tough you really are!" She hissed, my high was still very much still traveling inside of me - I could hear every gasp and shout coming from everyone in the room. She walked away grabbing Che and shouting at him to hand her the rest of the cannabis's - he gave in straight away, handing her the freshly rolled drugs.

"You're going to smoke them in front of everyone! Show them what a tough girl you are" She pryed my hand open placing a lighter and two cannabis's - I gulped, looking at Mum straight away, her face was pure disappointment

"Cheryl! Leave her alone!" Nana Joan said, she was always defending me - but right now wasn't the right time, Mam was fuming

"Stay the fck out of it Mam!.. Smoke them!!" She demanded, she stood in front of me as I shakily brought the first cannabis and lighter to my lips - sparking it up. I was physically shaking, the kids were no where in sight - thank god. I was growing sick, my eyes getting heavier as I finished the last of the first one - Mam was stood in front of me; danger in her eyes.

"Finish them!!" She shouted, I nodded weakly - bringing the next one to my mouth and smoking that one as well

"That is enough!!" Nana shouted

"Stay. The. Fck. Out. Of. It.!!" Mam hissed, giving Nana a shove - everyone's eyes on me; I felt judged and small in front of their disapproving looks. Nobody said a word to Mam, letting her control the situation - I couldn't feel anything anymore, the drug numbing my entire body.

"I-I don't feel g-good" The room was spinning - but she was forcing me to finish it. With one last puff I finished it - I tried standing to my feet, but I instantly stumbled - getting Nana to grab me straight away. I couldn't hear a single thing - my line of vision a complete blur. I was crying, I could feel the sobs escaping my lips - but not a single voice to be heard. The drug had overpowered me - I had gone deaf.