The Tanner Sisters

Chapter 1 -- Scarlett Tanner

                                                               Scarlett Tanner

There was a knock on the door. Mom and dad had already gone to work and Anastasia was off doing whatever Anastasia does. I walked over to the door wondering the whole time who it could be. I was delighted to find a tall tanned boy with short black hair and dark beautiful eyes staring at me. There was Terrance my wonderful boyfriend. He picked me up and spun me around. Then he kissed me. It was a long, slow, intense kiss but was interrupted by the awful wake up horn. We had bells that sounded when we were supposed to be somewhere at a certain time. If we weren’t we were beaten.

“I have to go get ready. I’ll see you at work. I love you!” with that he kissed me on the forehead and left. I missed him already. I went up stairs and got ready for the day. My job was to cut trees down then carry them to a big pile. I was just locking up when the work is about to start bell rung. I started to run. I got to the lumber mill just as the, you better be at work now or else bell rung. I slowed my pace just a little to make it not as noticeable that I was late. I was attacked for behind. Someone wrapped their big strong arms around me. I tilted my face up and was looking up into those eyes that I always got lost in. I only found my way back when some distant voice called,

“Terrance Richard?!”

“Here sir!” It was the head of the mill calling attendance. That was also . . . my father, Henry Tanner.

“Adam Sherlock?!”

“Here sir!”

“Scarlett Tanner?!”

“Here daddy!” he huffed in annoyance but continued on.

“Michael Tate?!”

“Here daddy!” he said it in the most high pitched mocking voice you can think of.

“What was that boy?” my father asked in his calmest voice. That meant Michael was a goner. Like he might as well just whip himself. I was so angry and I knew I had to help Michael so I did the only thing that helped us both.  I wiggled out of Terrance’s loose grip, I walked over in between my father and Michael and punched Michael Tate in the face. He fell flat on his back. He had the most confused look on his face.

“Don’t……. Ever…… Mock…… Me…… Again....! I growled through my teeth. I turned grabbed my axe and map of where to cut and left. I went to my post and started taking my anger out on this poor unsuspecting tree. I put my axe down and listened. I could hear my father yelling at Michael. I wondered if he would get sent to the peacekeepers or if he wouldn’t get punished now because I was involved. I heard some rustling in the trees and Terrance stepped out.

“Hey.” I called

“Hey buttercup. What’s up?”

“Nothing much. Is my father mad at me?”

“Who cares that was so bad ass !” I stifled a laugh. My mind was racing, my blood was boiling and I felt like I could rip someone’s head off and so this comment really surprised me. I loved that no matter what kind of mood I was in Terrance could always make me laugh. I kissed him then grabbed my axe. I had to get some work done before school stared. I worked really hard for the next hour and a half. Then the bell to stop working and get ready for school  rung. We now had to go spend 5 miserable hours at school. I walked axe in one hand Terrance’s in the other

“I better meet you outside I don’t think this is going to go real well if my dad is in there,”

I walked up the stairs and entered the beautifully crafted log cabin. I hung my axe and grabbed my backpack when my father walked in.

“What was that?! I can’t believe you did that! What were you thinking! Do you have any idea what you have done!” my father screamed

“Yes what you would have done.” I said in the same icy voice that my father had used on Michael. I lifted my bag higher on my shoulder and walked out. Terrance was waiting for me. We heard the get to class now bell start ringing when we were a block away. I was so furious with my father. He had no right! I was doing what he himself would have done! The whole day I was angry when school finally ended I was not relived. I was on my way to go to my other job (of hauling the trees I cut to the different places that used the lumber) when Terrence came up behind me and tickled me, I lost it. I felt so mad and I felt so bad for yelling but the get back to work bell sounded so I just ran to work. My friend and captain of the log hauling, Nick Travis greeted me with a smile that always melted your heart. But today it just made it worse. I finished my routes and went home early. I sat down in the middle of my room on the floor. I sat staring at a piece of wood. I continued to look at it and then I saw something in the wood. It was a wood pecker. I carefully started carving.

When I was very young my father taught me how to carve things out of wood. He said to look into it and see what it was that was trying to escape. I was staring at the wood for days. Nothing ever appeared to me. Then one day I came home after having a fight with Anastasia. I sat down and glanced down at the wood instantly startling me. I saw a girl on a stump crying over a wounded bird. On the other side was the same girl with a bird perched on her finger. I painted it. It was beautiful.

As I was finishing the wood pecker I thought about how awful I had been to my friends. I had to go talk to them. I got up and went to find nick. I found him still at work. I apologized and he said he understood. When I asked him if he had heard what had happened he said,

“Only if you wanted me to hear.” That's what I loved about nick. He always had a positive outlook on things. He hugged me and I dashed to go find Terrence. I found him at the old broken down water fountain. The fountain was carved out of cold white marble. I walked up and sat down next to him.

“Hey, I’m sorry about what I said earlier I have just been on edge.”

“I bet. Did your dad talk to you?” he didn’t sound at all mad

“Kind of…. I don’t really want to talk about it right now. Sorry.”

“It's OK love.” He smiled at me with his pearly white teeth.

“I love you!”

“I love you too!”