Family

Chapter 8

After breakfast, Pa ask us to finish with the horses fast and go to the open field. Me and Mack only do some o' what we suppose to do for the horses. Pa don't notice if we skip a few. E'erything alway done e'eryday. Today we decide to jus' do what really needed. Megan, Sam, and Claire really wanna get to the field. They love it 'cause they can run 'round without worrying Pa see.

The field only got tall grass. It go up to my thigh. E'erything green and happy. There trees 'round the edge away from the house. When we get there Megan, Sam, and Claire run e'erywhere. They playing a game they made. I walk to the middle of e'erything. Mack stay at the edge and watch us. He laugh when something happen to the little ones. I don't watch nothin'. I jus' stare at where I going.

I alway go to the middle o' the field. No one follow me there. It the only time I think 'bout myself. I bend down in my dark blue, knee long skirt and pick up my two favorite rocks. They soft to touch. Perfect ovals. They e'en small enough to fit both in my hand. I wish my white button up had pockets, I alway wanna take my rocks home. Ma and Pa ne'er be happy if I did. I jus' leave 'em in the same spot e'erytime. No one move my rocks 'cause they don't know they there.

I look up from my rocks and see the house. It old. The top o' the roof follow the long side o' the house. In front there a triangle o' the roof. The tip higher than the rest o' the roof. There a porch below the part o' the roof that hang over. It got four poles holding it up. There stairs continuing the path in front to the door. In the front there three windows. They long windows. They almost touch the roof and the porch. But there some space between. There also a window on the roof triangle. I don't know what the window up there see. I ne'er allowed up there. I didn't e'en know there an up there. I just seen the reading room, the kitchen, the dining room, and the downstairs. I wish I could go up there. Jus' to see what in there.

Mack walk to me. He turn to see what I looking at. We stand there silently. Sam, Megan, and Claire keep running 'round. They playing a new game. I don't know what they doing this time. They make new rules e'erytime someone don't like what another do. Megan alway change e'erytime she lose. No one e'er loses. They jus' get bored and change the game.

After few hours, Ma ring a bell from the porch. Me and Mack watch her walk out and stand at the edge. It a silver bell with a black handle. She ring it five times and stop and ring again. Megan, Sam, and Claire got sad when they heard the bell. I put my rocks back where I keep 'em. Me and Mack walk together. The three run 'round some more while walking up. They ne'er stop playing 'till we get to the porch. Ma standing in the doorway. She ain't smiling, but the corners o' her mouth raised. She move out the way to let us in. First it me, Megan, Mack, Claire and Sam. We stop in the dining room door and it there. Another chair. But it ain't empty. There a girl there. Her legs touch her chest. She scare. "Who this, Ma," I ask.

"This Kate. Ya new sister," she tell us. Mack don't move 'cept for when he reach for my hand. I take his hand tight. We got nothin' to say. She got nothin' to say. "It time for dinner, wash up," Ma break the silence.

I follow Ma into the kitchen. "Ma," I say, "I thought we done after Claire. Why she here?"

"Ya Pa want another. No need to question it."

"Ya don't want her."

"'Course I don't. I just want who I got. But ya Pa brought her and she ain't going back. Now ya need to care for her like ya do for the others." I nod and walk back to the table, but Ma stop me at the door. "Wash ya hands. I know ya playing with the rocks." I listen to her and rinse off my palms. Then I sit at the table. I can't help but look at her and I look at us other children. Me, Mack, and Megan got dark brown hair. Sam and Claire got blonde. Kate got red. It a dark red, but it ain't brown or blonde. She not like us with her skin. Us five got warm skin, but she got it cold and light. She also ain't one, like we 'pose to be. She older.

"How old ya," I ask her.

"T-twelve." All us look at her scare. She ain't 'pose to be twelve. No one e'er come at twelve. "I want my Mom and Dad."

"Ma in the kitchen and Pa come after we all here."

"No, my Mom and Dad."

"What she talking 'bout, Annie," Mack ask me.

"What ya mean, Kate," I ask her, "our Ma here and Pa coming."

"They are not my Mom an-"

"Are we getting to know each other," Ma ask 'fore Kate can finish. We all nod, but no one say nothin'. She hear what Kate jus' say? What Kate mean? Ma right here. She our only Ma.

Pa walk into the room and smile. "We complete now, Margaret." Ma sigh to this.

"It delicious, Margaret," hey say after he talk a bite. Then, we fill our plates and eat. Kate don't eat. Pa see this and get mad 'bout it. But he don't yell. He jus' ask Ma to fill her plate. Kate jus' stare at the food. She don't lift a fork. Her eyes fill with tears. But she ain't crying. Her eyes jus' getting wet. I tell Mack to help her by nudging my head. While Pa and Ma talking, Mack whisper, "Ya need to eat some. Not all, but some. Pa will hurt ya if ya don't." She look at Mack scare. Mack nod his head and she grab her fork and take a bite. A tear fall down her cheek. Mack wipe it away. "Pa don't like cryin'." She sniffle and stop cryin'. She jus' sit there quietly. Eating one potato chunk at a time. Her eyes say she scare. Her mouth say she hungry. If she don't eat more she gonna be hungry all night. I wish she ain't so scare. We ain't gonna hurt her. And she ain't gonna be near Pa without us. I make sure o' it.