Be with me

My sisters.

"Please come with me. Come on It'll be soo much fun!" Squeals my red headed sister Nellie, Eleanor. Shes two years older than me but acts younger than me when she wants me to get up go some nonsense.
"I really don't want to. I don't like the idea of it Nel." I explain getting comfortable of the sofa in our very small living room.

The place we live in used to be a city where there was hundred of people for thousands of years. After world war 3 the landscape was ruined and millions were killed. Luckily my whole family survived but I can't say the same for the majority of the people that used to be around us. Our home was obliterated and now we live in a tiny two bedroom house about 20 minutes outside of what used to be the big city.

I look at Nellie who's face drops but her hands stay on me. "Milly come on it'll be fun. You can read your book in the morning. Pleassse for your big sissy." She begs trying to pull me off the sofa.

I shake my head "No. Why don't you ask Tori I'm sure she'd love to go." I say trying to turn away from her.

She comes close and whispers in my ear. "Tori isn't as fun as you. She's always with a boy or worrying about something or another."

"Nellie I'm leaving come on. Leave poor Milly to her book we can regroup in the morning." Orders Tori putting on a thin jacket and heading towards the door. Tori, Victoria is the eldest out of the three of us. She's 25 and doesn't let us forget it. She treats me like a baby because I'm 7 years younger than her and Nellie follows her but Nellie follows me too. The war ended 15 years ago so Tori still remembers parts of what it used to be like. The technology, the lights, the people. However when the war started all the IT savvy people were killed and there was so much destruction that instead of building up technological communities again we built up manual ones by ourselves. Our house barely has electricity at least we have running water!

It's late. I'm lying in the room I share with my two older sisters. The rooms quiet I like it that way. We're usually always together, the three of us then our mother and father in there room. Tonight in the first night in a while I've had the bed to myself even if it is for a little while. I share with Nellie and Tori has her own small bed in the corner of our small room. Tori says she remembers the home we used to have. In the middle of the city, but I think sometimes she makes parts up. She was so young I don't understand how she could remember everything.

It's late when my two sisters come home and they wake me up. I keep my eyes closed pretending to be asleep while they come in and get ready for bed. "You mustn't force poor Emmeline to come out with us all the time. She's still so little." Whispers Tori to Nellie.

"But she has to have some fun. To grow up with us." Explains Nellie sitting on the bottom of our bed.

I hear Tori sigh and get into her bed. It's old and a creaky. "No Nellie. She has her whole life to grow up. She's young and still so little. We have to keep her safe... now time for bed it's late. Goodnight Nellie." Whispers Tori and the conversation is over.

The rooms quiet but I feel Nellie moving her way up the bed and plopping herself close to me. She pulls me closer to her and touches my face. "Dear Emmeline, how perfect you are." She moves strands of hair from my face and kisses my head then lies down beside me.

I feel the morning sun streaming through our small window that's cracked open just to the left of me. I can hear that both my sisters are still fast asleep and the rest of the house is still quiet. I get up climbing over Nellie trying not to wake her go into our small kitchen. At night time father always fills a cup with a little sugar and some tea for me to pour water into in the morning. I pour some and take it outside slipping on some shoes before I open the door. As soon as I step outside I hear birds and our chickens. They're noisy and sometimes annoying but a good source to have around. I open the hatch and go Inside. They cluck away and run around my feet. I sit on an upturned bucket and drinking my tea, they calm after a while. When my cup has been drained I stand pulling up my T-shirt and filling it with 10 eggs. Two each. I go back into the house and into the kitchen. Preparing the eggs in three different ways fried, boiled and scrambled.

My family one by one appear at the smell of breakfast. "Oh Milly you are a morning gem." Smiles Nellie sitting down beside Tori at the table. I hand everything out to everyone having water and tea already on the table. As I'm cleaning up behind them my mother speaks in a hushed voice. "Girls why don't you ask Milly to go out with yous at night? She'll never find a husband staying home all the time."

"I've asked and asked but Tori said I should stop asking." Explains Nellie putting her fork down on the table.

Before my mother has a chance to say anything Tori answers. "Mother she is still so young. She doesn't need a husband just now. Let's leave her alone. She'll do just fine reading her books."

That was the end of that conversation. When Tori finishes a conversation like that it's best not to argue with her. She's clever with her words. "What book are you reading Milly? I have a new one for you" says my father finishing up his breakfast.

"Oh nothing just re-reading. I'd love a new book!" I smile walking towards him and putting my hands on his shoulders. "It's called the Great Gatsby. An old book before the war. I think you'd like it." I watch my father pull out the book from under the table. "I hope you like it."

"Thank you father, I'm sure I will." I smile taking the book from him and go through to the bedroom. I place it onto the window sill where I keep some of my other books. When I go back into the kitchen everyone has left and are getting ready for work. My father and Tori say I'm to young to work my mother and Nellie disagree. Instead I do bits around the house and make sure everyone is fed it's easy and I don't mind doing it. By 8am everyone has left for work and the house is quiet. I have to start making dinner by 4 so when mother and Nellie are home it's ready. It's dry today. We don't get a lot of rain which I'm grateful for as I like to spend my days out in the sun doing a number of things that Tori and my father would say are just much to dangerous.