"Mother! Mum!" cried Penelope, hammering the door that stood between her and Aribella.
Aribella quickly shoved whatever she was reading into an open drawer under her desk. "Yes? What is it?"
Penelope burst through the tinted glass door and halted in front of Aribella's study table.
"Is it true you are selling the orphanage?" she asked, breathless. Penelope was nine, the youngest of Aribella's five adopted children. She had warm brown eyes that had people instantly liking her.
Aribella stared at her foster daughter, trying to keep her shock at a minimum. "Don't be silly. Of course not," she said sternly.
Penelope tossed her wavy brown hair behind her shoulder. "Yeah right. I heard you talking to the man yesterday. So? Are you?"
"If you did hear me, why bother asking?" asked Aribella, keeping her face clear of all emotion.
"I just had to check. So it's true then? You really are selling? Then what's going to happen to the orphans?"
"We are not selling, Penelope and haven't I already told you how I feel about the word 'orphan'? It's a mean word. Now leave. I have matters to settle."
Penelope refused to budge.
"Out. Now. Or I'm going to have to punish you."
Penelope glared at her mother and walked out of the study. She rounded the hallway and slid down the banisters of the marble staircase.
She glanced around circular room she was in. Well, it did not really look like an orphanage. For one thing, it was huge and rather posh. In fact, it looked more like a mansion than anything else. Maybe it was because this was an orphanage for girls only? Penelope wondered what it would look like if there were boys.
If her mother was really going to sell it, what would become of all this? All the luxurious furniture and the magnificent hallways?
Two giggling girls waved at her from across the room. She forced a smile and walked away, off to find her older sisters and hold a Boisevert meeting.
•••••
"Well Lo? What's the deal?" fourteen-year-old Eleanora Boise asked. Eleanora was Aribella's only child related by blood. She had straight black hair but it was always covered by a wig. Today, the wig she wore was purple.
They were in Penelope's bedroom which was small in comparison with her sisters' room. Yet, it was the most comfortable.
Eleanora threw herself onto Penelope's pink bed spread and waited for her sister's answer.
"Mother claims she isn't selling but I'm not lying! I did hear her yesterday talking to a business man about selling!"
"Huh!" another girl scoffed from the armchair across the room. She had long dark red hair and rolled her green eyes. This girl was Gemma. She was twelve. Everyone said she was the prettiest daughter Aribella had. "Huh! You all honestly believe her?" She looked defiantly at her four other siblings.
When no one replied, she stood, folded her arms and spoke. "Remember when Lo told us that Mother would soon be accepting boys into the orpagnage?"
Penelope blushed and looked away from her siblings' gazes.
"Yes but you were the only one who believed her, right Gemma?" replied eleven year old Ophelia, smirking. Ophelia was tall and had a permanent mischievous grin on her pretty face. Her hair was long and black. "Because you are obsessed with boys. I bet you were hoping that Mum would accept boys into the orphanage. Yeah?"
"Hear hear!" said Mavis. She was thirteen, the second oldest sister. She was short and had very long curly brown hair.
"Huh!" snorted Gemma but blushed a deep shade of magenta as her sisters giggled around her.
"Well then," said Violet, Ophelia's twin, breaking the laughter. "So do we believe Lo or not? This is getting really boring."
"I say we vote," Eleanora said finally.
"Agreed," agreed Violet.
"I believe Lo," Eleanora said immediately and Penelope felt a rush of happiness. "But we must do something to prevent it. That's for sure."
"Right," Penelope said.
In about five minutes, the votes were in and majority had sided with Penelope. Only Gemma had voted against her sisters.
"So, we have chosen to believe Penelope. Now, we have to find a way to prevent this madness," said Ophelia in mock seriousness.
"Yes. Of course," replied her twin, nodding vigorously.
"Boss!" they said to Eleanora in unison.
"What should we do now?" asked Ophelia.
"Can we do some spying?" questioned Violet.
"What happens if we don't prevent it?" asked Ophelia.
"Do you think Mum will find out about this?" questioned Violet
"This is all a great idea but are you sure we'll be able to stop this madness?" added Ophelia.
"Madness. Madness. Madnessssss!" screeched Violet.
"What?" asked Ophelia, a little stunned.
"Dunno. I kind of ran out of things to say," her twin replied, shrugging.
Ophelia grinned broader and they both burst out in unladylike laughter.
"Enough!" shouted Mavis over their continuous giggles. They stopped instantly and looked at her with innocence in their eyes
"It's almost about lunch time. I declare this Boisevert meeting over," she said with finality in her voice. Then she got up and walked out of the room, past the statue of a Greek goddess and her siblings all followed suit.
*The word 'Boisevert' was created after Penelope joined the family five years back. The first five letters stood for 'Boise'
( Eleanora's surname). The next letter V was for Vine, the twin's surname. E was for East. Mavis East. R for Roberts which was Penelope's last name and finally, T, Tracer for Gemma.
