Wings

3. Ink

Isabella's POV:

No matter how many times I told myself not to 'rest' on the couch before heading to bed, I still ended up doing it anyways. I groaned and rubbed my neck to ease up the tightened knots as the sunlight blinded me. Checking the time, I shot up in panic. Its 5.40 already?! "Anna baby! Come on we're late", I yelled before starting up some breakfast for my niece. Normally she gets dressed by herself to help me out, that little angel, she always tried her best to make things as easy as she could for me, just like her mother once did. No, dont do this, you need to get Anna to school. I gulped down the tightened painful knot stuck in my throat and forced the threatening tears back. Even though it's been 5 years since her death the wound and pain was still fresh, time was not able to heal this tragedy. I held on to the wooden table and steadied myself, come on dont do this. "Aunt bella?, I'm ready for school", I looked down to see my beautiful niece, her big green eyes watched every movement of mine cautiously, she knew I wasnt feeling well. My baby, even at the young age of 5 she was far more mature than any kids her age or even older. I caressed her golden locks lovingly and nodded, she looked just like her mother, my older sister katrina. Apart from her blonde hair that she got from him, she was a carbon copy of Kat. The bastard responsible for my sisters death, she was the only family I had left if it wasnt for Anna. "Good girl! You're so responsible baby, thank you. Here eat this while I go change, alright sweety?", after fixing her favorite breakfast; peanut butter and honey sandwich, I pushed all the negative thoughts behind and focused on getting my niece to school.

"Mr Walter, what would you like today? Your usual or would you like to have a look at the menu?", I asked the elderly man who was hunched on the stool, scratching his graying bald head. He looked up and smiled shaking his head. " my dear everything that you serve is exceptionally splendid. But I really like to have my usual please", he chuckled when I mockingly touched my heart and acted to faint. " your sweetness is good enough to kill me, the usual coming right up", I smiled at the customers who just got in and took their orders to the batch kitchen. There stood Derek and Sarah, completely forgetting the food cooking on the stove and fully engrossed into kissing each other. I cleared my throat and knocked on the wooden table before placing the notepad on it and resting my.hands on my waist. They smiled sheepishly and pulled away from each other, derek held up his hands and took the notepad off the table before getting busy. " Sarah, you've been married for 2 years now, I'm pretty sure you have some self control by now", I teased Sarah as she laughed and wiggled her eyebrows," wait till you get the man you love in your life, let's see what you would do". I shook my head and went back to the front, katrina met the man she thought she loved, look where it got her.

"How was school baby? Did you have fun?", I asked my niece as I drove back to the cafe. She nodded and smiled tiredly, her small mouth forming an o as she yawned and rubbed her green eyes adorably. Yep I officially have the cutest kid in the world. "Tired huh?, how about I drop you at Ethans huh? You can take a nap there and help him out with the supermarket hm?", she nodded and smiled excitedly. She loved Ethan like a grandfather, and after hearing Tom calling him grandpa one day, she started to do the same. Just as I was about to stop her and apologize to Ethan he shook his head at me and pulled Anna in his arms and kissed her head, his eyes shone slightly before he blinked away the moisture. I remember the concerned look Tom had on his face, seeing his father walking down a memory lane, remembering someone he lost. No matter how lively and happy this town seemed, it was no secret that there was a dark past that almost everyone hid I'm themselves. After moving from Northridge with my niece I knew that St.Helena would be the best place to start a new life, and its been 5 years now and our lives here have been nothing but quiet and peaceful.
I stopped my car in front of Ethans supermarket and picked up my sleepy niece carefully and walked inside to find him sitting behind the counter, engrossed in his book as usual. "Hey Ethan, look whose here to take a nap in your store", I snickered as he looked up and fixed his stare at the sleeping child in my arms. His eyes lit up and he got up, carefully taking Anna in his arms. I craned my neck to see his once stern expression now soft as he looked down at me and kissed my forehead, just like how a father would. I smiled at him and thanked him silently to which he nodded and smiled. " I'll bring her with me for lunch", I nodded and headed to my cafe.