Family

Chapter 19

Like e'ery morning, I wake up 'fore e'eryone else. I make my bed and get dressed. Then I notice Mack is awake. He ain't ne'er awake this early. Normally I got time to make sure the dolls and toys are away 'fore anyone else is awake. But when I look at Mack, it look like he ne'er e'en went to sleep. I think he been thinking all night about the attic. I don't wanna wake e'eryone else by talking to him, so I gonna wait until we in the barn.

"Annie," Mack whisper. He startle me.

"Yes, Mack," I say.

"You were right."

"'Bout what?"

"I didn't wanna know the truth. The truth don't make nothing better."

I ain't got no clue how to answer Mack. He so sad now. I ain't ne'er seen him this sad 'fore. Why did I have to agree to go up there. I knew it could hurt one o' us. I was just hoping it wouldn't be Mack. I was hoping he could be strong. I mean he the one who really wanted to do it too.

"Can you come lay next to me for a little," Mack ask. He hasn't ask me to do this in a long time. I use to lay next to him all the time when he was younger. I miss when we use to lay and sleep next to each other some nights.

But this time I hesitate to go to him as I am dressed in my work clothes, but he just look so sad. I could ne'er say no to Mack when he sad.

I lay flat next to him, slide one arm underneath, and wrap him up in a hug. He move his body close to mine with his head right under my chin. "I don't care what those papers say. Ya my family," I tell him.

We stay like that, in silence, for a little while 'fore e'eryone need to get up and ready for the day. I get sad when it end. I just wish we could stay here for a little longer. But the others start to wake up. First Kate, then Megan, and Sam. I walk o'er to Claire's bed to wake her. But when I look down, she gone. I throw the blankets 'round, as if that will make her appear. Why did I not see she gone when I wake up? How long she been gone? Pa is gonna be so mad. I run o'er to Mack, and tell him. He jump outta bed and look at her bed. "She ain't there," I tell him.

"Where could she go," he ask.

"What's happening," Megan walk up to us with Kate following her. Concern o' what is happening. Megan don't see Claire missing. She just looking between me and Mack. But Kate is staring hard at the bed. "Kate your eyes are not gonna make her appear again," Mack tell her.

Megan's confused, until she look down, and her eyes go wide. "Where is she, Annie," she ask. The four o' us look at the bed in silence. No one know what to say. We all just stand there. Ma'll be so sad. Pa would be so angry. Pa would be angry. "Pa's gonna be angry."

"Well what we suppose to do 'bout this," Megan ask me.

"Let get dressed and ready for breakfast. Ma'll notice she missing and will know what to do. We can't do anything by just staring at the bed," I begin to walk away, but they ain't following. "Megan. Mack. Come on. Move."

We are all stunned. Sam keep asking me where Claire is, and I can't answer him. I keep saying "we don't know," but he don't like that answer.

While we wait for Ma to open the cellar door for breakfast, we all sit on our beds silently. We don't do nothing. We don't say nothing. We just sit and fiddle our thumbs. What're we suppose to do? We can't run after her, we ain't e'en got a clue where she is, or how long she been gone. There ain't nothing we can do now. We can just sit and wait for Ma to help us, but first we gotta be let upstairs. This the hardest silence we been in. E'en tougher than the barn. I can't just sit here fore'er and wait. I don't wanna sit here and wait.

I stand up fast. Mack, Megan, Kate and Sam snap their heads up and watch me as I walk to the stairs.

"What ya doing, Annie," Sam asked.

"I ain't gonna wait."

"They already gonna be mad, Annie. Don't make 'em mad at you too," Mack tell me.

"What if she hurt, Mack? We don't know what is happening to her. What is someone took her?"

"Annie, someone already took her."

"That ain't funny Mack."

"You're right, Annie! You're always right! This ain't funny. But it real now. We know the truth and that how it is. Like it or not, this is what's happening now."

"Yeah, it is. But that don't mean I gonna leave Claire by herself." I begin to walk up the stairs, but stop on my second step. "No matter what we a family. We have been a family for all I remember and that's what I wanna keep remembering."

I sprint up the stairs and throw the door open. It slam into the wall and make a big bang. Ma turn fast from the stove. "Annie, what are ya doing?"

"It Claire, Ma. She missing."