𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐄𝐍 , 𝐞𝐝𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧

𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐞

˗'ˏ━━━ 𝑯𝑶𝑳𝑰𝑫𝑨𝒀 cheer bubbled within, threatening to burst at any moment. Her leg bounced nervously as she shifted, rolling on her back. A sigh escaped her plush lips and she moved a curl from her face. Fidgeting with the sheets, she finally relinquished to her excitement, tossing the cover off her body and throwing her legs over the bed.

Fuzzy socks padded along the carpet as she tiptoed across the room. "," she whispered. "Bessie, get up!" Rosetta urged.

The girl, Bessie, turned her head away from Rosetta, a groan escaping the younger. "Rosetta!" she complained. "It's still early!"

Rosetta shook her head. Bessie was a young girl, just shy of ten. Curly dark locks floated around her face in an unbrushed nest. Her dark locks complimented her dark skin. A frail body, puberty had not yet hit and her face remained with baby fat.

Rosetta, however, was twelve years old. Older than her sister by two years, her figure had just slightly begun to fill out, but she remained with her toothy grin. Like her sister, her hair was curly and dark, complimenting their skin shade.

"Bessie, get up now." she tapped her foot, arms crossed like an impatient old lady. She only relaxed her stance after a few seconds of waiting, when she heard a hushed 'fine,'

Happily trotting into the living room, she grinned at the sight. The once dull and dusty living room had been entirely lit up -- Christmas lights made their way around the area, and a nice plush tree sat right in the corner.

It was small, compact even. Striped walls of pink and white that had yellowed over the years took their place as the base of the house. The furniture is happy yet yellowed too. Each piece followed a similar pattern -- flowers. Like the kind you would see at Grandma Anne's house. More specifically, in the room that each kid knew as 'the off-limits room.'

Rosetta remembered once when she and Bessie had to stay at grandma's. It had been a week full of fighting between her mama and papa. During their stay, it became abundantly clear that you never go into 'the off-limits room' unless grandma specifically stated otherwise.

She was seven back then, fresh and full of child wonder. So of course she would wander into the room where she was specifically told not to go. Rosie had gotten her butt beat, but it was worth it. Seeing the beautiful china glass made it all worth it.

Of course, then it had seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Her mother, whom she lived with, was much too poor to ever afford china glass, let alone look at it. -- no matter how many times she wrote it on her list to Santa.

Speaking of Santa, it seemed he had already made his grand arrival. "Rhatz," the twelve-year-old cursed.

"Hey!" a voice came from behind her. Rosie jumped, her eyes widening. "I'm telling ma! You can't say that!"

Rosetta turned, flashing her signature smile to her younger sister. "Please don't! It's Christmas! Have some holiday cheer, don't be a bluenose!" she begged.

Rolling her eyes, Bessie only took a seat, wrapped in her sherpa blanket. Rosetta eyed her hungrily, eyes flashing towards the warmth.

In her opinion, it seemed like the comfiest blanket in the whole wide universe!

Bessie seemed to know this too, because the younger girl smirked but let up. Her arms opened wide and Rosie didn't hesitate to crawl in.

They sat like that for a few minutes, listening to the crackle of the fireplace until they heard soft pads along the carpet.

"Mom!" Rosetta jumped up. Their mother was a thick woman, with a figure any other would die for. Her hair, which had recently been straightened, curled around her face in elegant waves. She was a younger lady, freshly divorced but with a smile so warm it could've ended the ice age.

Unfortunately, that didn't show when they were getting spankings for the mischievous behavior they would participate in every so often.

Oh well.

Nonetheless, Erica Jones was a fine woman, a sweet woman. Rosetta knew that her mother deserved none of the pain she had gone through raising her or her sister.

Rosie felt soft arms glide around her shoulders until she was pressed against her mother's chest. "Merry Christmas girls," she whispered happily.

"Yay! Ma's awake. Now can we open presents?" Bessie pleaded, flashing a puppy dog face. Erica thought for a second, her finger tapping her chin as she looked up.

"Well..." Erica put all she could into the face. "I suppose."

The girl wasted no time digging into her gifts, and Rosetta took her place next to her. Bouncing with giddiness, her brown eyes gleaming with childlike wonder.

That was the night Rosetta Jones would remember — the Christmas of 1934, the last one she would have with her mother and sister before their tragic 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉. ˎˊ˗

TATI'S NOTES
new year new book! i love rosie so much
so of course i had to make the first technical
chapter a backstory! more to come of
erica and bessie later wink wink! make
sure to vote n comment!!! also, did u guys notice the new theme?