Ellis Island: Hope or Tears?

Hope

Ellis Island: The Island of Hope. The gateway to a new life. A life where the hardships of the past disappear. Whether it be famine or drought or persecution, all remnants fade away so there's only the now: hope.
    My siblings and I had completed the treacherous journey of thousands of miles. We left our life in the Italian countryside to join our parents in the land of the free.
    Back home, I knew who I was: Bianca D'Avella, a quiet country girl who worked hard for her family. The one who had no dreams other than to make sure her loved ones were safe.
    Here in America, I could be anything. I could do anything, be anything I wanted. I could live for myself, not that I knew who that was.
    "Are you ok, Bianca?"
    My younger sister, Adriana, was staring up at me. Looking into her beautiful eyes, I couldn't help but smile. She had the same eyes as  the rest of our family, but she still had the spark that the rest of us had lost after years of struggle.
    Even through her sickness, she remained a happy girl. We weren't sure what was wrong with her. She got tired very easily, resulting in horrible fits of coughing, sometimes even spitting up blood. We hoped that there was a doctor in America that could help her.
    "Yes, angelo," I said, running my hand through her wavy brown hair, "I'm fine."
    "Bianca! Adriana!" my eldest brother, Marco called, "Come on!"
    I squeezed Adriana's hand, hefted the small bundles that held our dearest possessions and went inside the small building. Marco was waiting with my twin brother, Giuseppe, in a large room that had bags, trunks, bundles, and suitcases littered all over the floor.
    "I guess we just leave our stuff here," Giuseppe said, dropping his bag.
    The rest of us followed suit.
    "I think we're supposed to go this way," Marco said, pointing to a large winding staircase on the other side of the room."
    I looked at Adriana, concerned. She gave me a small smile and we followed my brothers, stepping over other people's belongings and started up the stairs. Marco kept shooting glances at Adriana and me,  his concern matching my own. The two week journey aboard the steamship seemed to make her weaker and she was more prone to her fits.
    I could see her face starting to pale as we worked our way up. I was a little out of breath, so I could only imagine how she felt. We were nearing the top and her breathing had become more haggard.
    "Hey, bambino," I soothed, pausing briefly to give her a rest, "Almost there."
    Ahead of us, Giuseppe stopped and looked back at us, the worry evident on his face. He looked up at Marco, who had also stopped.
"Just a few more, Adriana," he said, almost begging her to keep going.
That's when I noticed what waited for us at the top of the stairs. Two men were guarding the door above, watching people as they walked by. Occasionally, they would mark something on the back of a person's coat. I immediately took notice that the people being marked were sickly-looking individuals.
"Giuseppe?" I asked, the confusion and my fear obvious in my face.
My twin followed my gaze and I could see his whole body tense.
"I think it's some sort of health test," he answered, confirming my suspicions.
"Marco-."
"It's okay," he interrupted, but he was staring at Adriana.
We started back and I hoped, prayed that we would breeze right by the men. When we reached the top step, Adriana burst into a coughing fit.
"Excuse me," one of the men said, stopping us from passing.
"Is there a problem?" Marco asked, his voice tightening.
Giuseppe stepped in front of me and Adriana, shielding her. The man ignored Marco and pushed past both of my brothers. My heart dropped as he reached around Adriana and wrote a big "P" on the back of her coat.
"What does that mean?" Giuseppe demanded.
"Keep moving," the other man answered.
Before my brother could say anything in response, I pushed him forward, still clutching Adriana's hand. The last thing we needed was to draw more attention to ourselves.
We entered another giant room, crowded with people lined up behind metal rails. The room was loud with the chatter of countless languages bouncing off the walls.
After what seemed like hours, we finally reached the front of the line and within seconds, my brothers were being pulled to the side to be checked by a doctor. My heart started pounding as another took Adriana by the hand. I squeezed her hand tighter as the doctor shot me a look and had to basically yank her away from me.
Before he could even examine her, he noticed the large "P" on her back. He waved his hand and two men came over. I could see the fear in her delicate features, which sparked me to rush forward.
"Adriana!"
"Sorry, miss," the doctor said, stepping in front of me.
"Bianca!"
The men started to lead my sister away.
"Adriana!"
The doctor grabbed me by the arm, holding me back. I could vaguely hear my brothers yelling about something, but I couldn't process it. My gaze was focused on the retreating form of my baby sister.
"Adriana!" I screamed one last time, but she disappeared.