Fairchild's 7 Daughters-The 12: Book One

1. The Weekend

The soft southern wind pushed the old plank swing gently and rustled the thick crown of leaves of the oak tree. It was a warm day and it seemed as if the earth was stretching its back to break the winter ice from its spine

                Heloise put both hands on the chipped white fence that surrounded the house. It sat at a distance but still close enough that she could enjoy its beauty.

                Heloise heard Hannah's heavy breaths as her younger sister came running up to her. "Heloise, we'll be late for school," she said grabbing the green sleeve of her matching gingham dress

                Heloise picked up the strap of the belt that held her books and followed Hannah away.

 Hannah swung her books. "I can't wait until tomorrow night," she said. "I've been practicing my pirouette." she stretched out her arms and spun around teetering as she came to a stop. "What did you think of that?"

"I think more practice," Heloise giggled. "But oh to be living there again." She turned back to the house.

Alifair appeared at the end of the road looking impatient. Of the younger girls she most prided herself on being punctual.

              "Guess we had best hurry," Hannah said.

              "Race you," Heloise said and took off running. Hannah barely tried because she knew she was slow. Heloise reached Alifair first and looked back at Hannah who was only walking. "You didn't even give me a challenge."

                Hannah stuck out her lips. "Why should I?" Hannah said dusting off her clothes and murmuring blame on Heloise. "You always win."

                Heloise turned her nose up and stomped onto the next street like she was in parade. "I'm the fastest Fairchild!" she declared. "Ain't no one can out run me."

                Hannah was giggling but Alifair shook her head.

                "Look at your clothes," she said. "You're all dirty." She tossed a dark braid over her shoulder and they started up the other road toward the school house.

                "Say what you want, Alifair," Heloise said. "Who knows, maybe one day I'll enter a great race and win prize money. Just enough to buy back our house."

                "It won't happen," Alifair said. "Even if you had hundreds of dollars they'd come up with a reason why a black child shouldn't live in a house like that."

                Heloise looked down at her hand as she always did when color was mentioned. She slowed her pace letting Alifair and Hannah get ahead of her. Her whole family had dark skin. Her sister Miriam was a little lighter than the rest but as for Heloise, her skin was white. It was as if someone had dunked her in the river and washed all the brown away. Even her hair was the blonde color of the little girl's in the shoe advertisement in the window of the St. Cloud's shoe store.

                She wiped the sweat from her palm and skipped to catch up to her sisters.

At the school house the Dupree boy was ringing the bell as all the students were running inside. The Fairchild girls were last and the boy stuck out his tongue at Heloise who returned the gesture. Inside Heloise took a seat at her desk next to Hannah and in front of Alifair.

            "Good morning, class," Mrs. Martin said as she stood from her desk below the blackboard.

                "Good morning, Mrs. Martin," the students chimed.