Broken

chapter two

Chapter 2 family

My mamma was very mad at me the next day. She hates it when I push myself too hard. You would think because I have been like this my whole life I'm used to my family embarrassing me like that, but no. It is still embarrassing every single time. I was up in my room and I was thinking about yesterday. It was so much fun. Even though Hannah was not happy. I loved every moment of it, besides falling because that was really embarrassing. Hannah says I could have really hurt myself. But she said she forgave me. My brother Mathew said that if he had a shorter leg he would have not listened to mom too. I didn't believe him. He has always wanted to listen to what my mamma said to him. Today was boring. I was stuck in my room all day. There was nothing to do though. I felt like I was a human jumping from the sky and then I never stopped falling, and it finally just got so boring because all I could do was fall. I had to sit in my room Because my leg was bruised, and I was in trouble because I played with the kids yesterday. I wish my mother would understand that I wanted to be normal and that playing with the kids made me normal. So I was stuck in my room. But I didn't care. I wanted to be free. I wanted to go run with everyone. Elizabeth says that I would have been a really good runner. A tiny piece of my heart believed her.

"Kayla!" My mother called me to supper.

"Here I'll help you Kayla," said my smothering sister Hannah. After what happened yesterday she has been helping me with everything. She always does but now she does it so much. I went over to the mirror on my wall and pretend like I was talking to someone,

"Hi I'm Kayla and I don't know why but one of my legs is taller than the other. I am so different from everyone else. I just want to be normal. My family believes in God and I do too but why did he make me like this? Why am I so weird? I want to be normal like everyone else". I turned off my imagination and headed toward the door.

"Kayla, come on!!" My mamma screamed up the stairs. My mamma is very kind. She loves our family so much, but she feels like a part of us is missing. Right before I was born my dad passed away. My oldest brother was only six years old. My brothers tell me my mother has never been the same without my father. As I was going downstairs Hannah came out of nowhere.

"Let's get you dressed," Hannah said while getting out my nicest dress.

"Why do we need to get dressed all fancy?" I said fiddling with my fingers.

"Because Mother is having friends over for dinner." Hannah exclaimed like I was stupid.

"Oh".

Hannah is my loving but smothering sister. She treats me like a total baby, I mean all of my siblings do but mostly Hannah. She is the oldest sister but not the oldest child in our family. The oldest in the family is my mamma, then my brother Mathew, then Isaac, then Hannah, then Elizabeth, and then me. Hannah's eyes looked at me like I was a complete baby. I can tell she wants me to be normal just as much as I do.

"Elizabeth." Hannah said in a quiet voice, "come get your dress on!"

" I am coming," Elizabeth called, running to our room.

Elizabeth is the sibling that is the closest in my age. She is 16, which means she is only two years older than me. She is the one who plays with me the most. Even though I'm 14 I love to play outside with my brothers. They play any game they can come up with.

Every Sunday we go to church, we meet up by the Jordan River, where a group of people meet and talk about God. Today is Saturday. That means we are having guests because my mothers, friends are coming.

"Kayla, come on!!!!" called Elizabeth ruining my dreams,"we are already ready and waiting!"

I really don't want to go. They will think something is wrong with me even though they won't say it out loud. My brothers always get mad when people look or stare at me. Because they know that I wish I was normal. I wonder why God made me different. Why am I broken? How come He picked me? These are all things that go through my mind constantly.

"And Andrew will be here!" Elizabeth said in a dreamy voice.

Well maybe just this once I'll go to dinner with them. Thankfully Andrew was not playing at the game yesterday. So he does not know what happened. I started to comb my long blond hair with my fingers and tried to look my best. When I came downstairs Andrew was there. His curly brown hair mesmerized me. He looked right into my eyes, getting trapped in the ocean. I think we had a moment. Just then Isaac and Matthew came barging in and Isaac picked me up and threw me onto his shoulders. I'm small for my age, and light so he picks me up a lot. My moment was over.

"Isaac put your sister down. This is inappropriate behavior. And you know that." Mamma scolded.

As Isaac set me down My oldest brother Mathew laughed. My brothers are the opposite of small; they are tall and very strong. They just came in from plowing the farm. They have to do this job because our father is gone. And they have to provide for the rest of the family, after all they are the men of the house. We all sat down for dinner, Mother cooked the most appetizing supper we have had in a very long time. I know that mother was trying to act properly because Andrew's family was very wealthy. But, Andrew and his mother Addie, were different. They were kind. And they cared for other people. They believed in the gospel too. They soon believed that the day would come. They talked and talked for hours. But, I did not say a word. I could not help but think of Andrew. I have never thought of him in this way. For we have known each other our whole lives and now I feel nervous. I have never liked a boy besides my brothers. I had not met my father, so I have no love feelings for him. But Andrew has been my friend for so long. Why do I feel this way now? I pushed my feelings aside. By the time I was done with my daydreams, supper was finished. Mrs. Addie and Andrew were heading home. For we would not see them for a week or so. When I was getting ready for bed that night I couldn't help but think about my father. Was he like Isaac or maybe Matthew? Was he as kind-hearted as he is in the stories? Mother says that he had always wanted another little girl before he died. Sometimes I can feel him touch my shoulders or even stand behind me, but this is just my fantasies and nothing more or less. My brother Mathew always comes in and says goodnight to me. I do like it, but it makes me feel like I'm 3 years old and I am learning how to walk.

"Knock knock" he said as he was coming in as he said those words.

"Have a good night, I love you" he comforted me. Even though my family treats me like I am a baby I still love them and I am thankful for them.

"Good night" I whispered.