The Footsteps to Freedom

Chapter 1

“Oh, Alice your back!” Mrs. Kinsley smiled as her nineteen year old daughter walked in. she finished dicing the cucumbers in front of her and then wiped her hands on the towel. She turned towards Alice, who slung her bag off her shoulder and onto the dining room chair. Her daughter looked stylish in her designer jeans and plain white shirt. She wore a grey cardigan and had an apple green scarf around her neck. Her sunglasses sat in her wavy dirty blonde hair instead of covering her sparkling hazel eyes. Alice took over her grey flats and came to stand next to her mom. She gave her mom a quick peck on her cheek, and said, “Yep! What do you want me to do?”

“Nothing. I’m almost done, and I’m just waiting for you guys to come home,” She said.

“Jason’s not back yet?” Alice asked, though not surprised. Her sixteen year old brother was always getting into trouble.

“No, and nor is your father,” Mrs. Kinsley replied. “Here, put the salad bowl on the table. And please take your bag to your room.”

Alice did as she was asked and then came back to find everyone had come home already. She sat down in the only empty seat and began to fill her plate with food. Everyone was quiet for a minute as the food was passed around. Haden and Haley, the thirteen year old twins, shared secret smiles across the table.

“What are you guys smiling at?” Mr. Kinsley asked.

“Oh, nothing,” Haley replied, still smiling.

Mr. Kinsley raised his eyebrow but said nothing. Turning to Alice, he asked, “How was class today?”

“Oh, great,” she said with a smile. “I love college! It’s so much cooler than high school, right Jason?”

Jason stuck his tongue out at her. “Of course it is. That’s because Thomas Byrne is in the same college as you.”

Alice blushed. “It has nothing to do with him, you little jerk!” She teased her brother. She thought about her handsome 21 year old neighbor, and her not so secret crush on him. They weren’t dating or anything, but Alice wasn’t a girl who believed in dating. Besides, she didn’t even know how Thomas felt about her.

“Jase, stop teasing your sister,” Mrs. Kinsley said.

“I’m not teasing. I’m just stating the obvious,” He said. “But of course, you’re going to take her side on this. You always take her side in everything.” Jase pretended to be hurt, though there was a ring of truth in his words. That made his mother looked up.

“Of course I don’t,” she said softly. “None of you guys are different in my eyes.”

“Alice IS different. She’s the only one in the family without the signature blond hair and blue eyes look,” Haden pointed out.

“Looks aren’t everything,” Mr. Kinsley pointed out rather sharply, but that was just the way he was. Everything he said, which wasn’t much, just happened to be a few decibels too loud. Still, it was enough to close the topic.

“Hey mom, do we have any dessert?” Jason asked, as he practically licked his plate clean.

“Well, we have some ice cream in the freezer I think,” Mrs. Kinsley thought for a minute.

“Nope. I ate that yesterday,” Haley said.

“That stinks,” Jason frowned.

“I could go down to the store and got something if you want,” Alice offered.

“Get an apple pie,” Hayden said.

“But you should get ice cream too,” Haley mentioned. “Strawberry ice cream.”