Smiling But We're Close To Tears

Chapter One

I touch her hair, her soft silky blonde hair then I leave the room. I hear Aunt Grace's violent words to the construction workers who are trying to pursade Grace to give up her farm and move somewhere else so they can build a glue factory. Aunt Grace hasn't act the same way ever since Mom got lost and dad gave us to her because he was in the military and no one will take us in except her and Uncle Harry. I have 1 set of twin brothers Henry and Marvel, and 1 sister Hanna the youngest out of all of us, and me I'm the oldest so I try to help out as possible as I can. Grace and Harry can only afford one of us to go to school and that was me, the rest of them I have to home school them.

"Well I'm off to the bakery" Aunt Grace says while taking of her apron off and grabbing her worn out purse. " Can we come with you Auntie" Marvel and Henry begged, "No. I'm only just going to get some bread and that it" Grace said firmly. "Alright" they both said sadly and left the room. "Don't worry I'll keep an eye on them" i say while backing out of the room. "Thank you so much, Marie" she says while putting her had in her purse trying to find her keys. "Nah it's what I live for." I say in a nice calm voice. " Well I'll be back in a few minutes good bye" Aunt Grace says while closing the door. I don' t care if i say bye or not she won't hear me anyways. I left the room to check on the boys. "So what Y'all doin' here" I saw with my fake southern accent. "Playing dinosaurs" Henry said while showing me his miniture plastic purple dinosaur. "Want to play?" Marvel asked me while holding a yellow dinosaur at me. " No thanks I need to check in Hanna" I say while I push the dinosaur back to Marvel, "You always check on her and barely play with us anymore" Henry and Marvel nodded in agreement. I feel a little guilty, before when my mother got lost I would always have time to play with them but things aren't what they use to be. "You guys know I want too but I have to look after Hanna" I say. "Fine but you have to promise that you'll give us fruit tarts when Auntie Grace comes back" Marvel said. "Okay fine but don't make a huge mess" I say while leaving the room.

As I open Hanna's rugged door and sure enough Hanna was awake. She was still in bed but curled up with a book. As I got closer to her bed her big icy crystal eyes unglued themselves to the book and went stright to me. "Hey there" I say while sitting on a small piece of the bed. "Hi" she said quiet. "Whatcha reading" I say trying to have a peek of the book. " The Tale Of Despereaux" she said while showing me the cover. "Nice, so aunt Grace is off to the bakery to get bread and the boys are down stairs playing dinosaurs so what do you want to do?" I ask her. "I'll just keep reading" she said while opening her book "ok so if you need anything I'll downstairs ok?" I said "Ok" she said then her eyes zoomed back to the book and I went downstairs.