Rising Above

Chapter 2

"Nana," whispered a familiar voice. 

"Nana, wake up," whispered the same voice. 

It was a hard, female voice voice that was young, around a teenager's age. Maria then remembered whose voice it was. Ava.

Maria's eyes slowly opened from their horrible slumber. Standing in her room was her twelve grandchildren. Going from oldest to youngest there was Sonia, Diego, Maggie, Edger, Carlos, and Ava. All of them were bunched up in her room or by the door. 

Maria looked to her left and kneeling next to her. Ava looked gentle and harmless with smooth skin with only blotches of dirt. But, she wasn't so harmless. She had a mean tempe and a fiery  passion which showed in her beautiful hazel eyes she inherited from her mother. She was as tall as Maria with long, straight hair which she hid in her hoodie she always kept on. Her hair was a dark brown like coffee. She wore a grey shirt, with a few holes and a thin sweater which was too long for her.  She was fifteen.

Maria smiled and slowly moved her hand to touch her grandbabies cold skin. "Buenas días, mija," she said with a cool voice dripping with joy. 

Ava smiled and gently held her abuela's hand. "Buenas días, Nana," she responded. 

"Nana, they're serving food right now," Edgar said, his voice deep and slow. 

Edgar was  a large young man, seventeen years old. He had no hair on the top of his head and a thick goatee which wrapped around his upper lip. His eyes were fierce and cold and his teeth yellowed from no cleaning. He wore a black shirt too long for him and black pants which were torn all around, nearly ready to turn into shorts. He was a tough guy with a big laugh to match his large heart.

Maria smiled and sat up in her chair. She looked down at her cold feet stained with dirt. She slipped her feet into some ragged slippers with a hole near her big toe. "Help me up," she asked with a breathy tone in her voice. 

Edgar and Diego hurried and helped her up from her feet, staying with her as support. Maria was a stout woman with thin hair and a welcoming smile she always wore to strangers and especially family. His skin was paler than what it used to be and she wore thin glasses which always were dirty somehow. She wore a worn out dress with faded colors depicting flowers. "Mijo, grab my walking stick," she asked. 

Carlos quickly grabbed it from the side of the wall and handed it to her. He was a skinny young man with a thin puff of chisel on his chin which stuck far from his pointed chin. His long hair fell down to his back and was rough yet thin. His eyes were deep in his face and small. He was missing a hand and had it wrapped in cloth. He was rowdy with a many jokes running through his head. A man who anyone would want at a party.

Maria slowly stood up, leaning on her walking stick to help her. She took deep breaths and tried not to hiss as she stood. Once up, her warm smile hit their hearts like a warm ray of sun. "Now, who's ready to go have some breakfast?"

They all smiled back and stepped out of her way as she walked out of her room. Maggie and Sonia opened the blankets for their abuela so she can pass through the hall. After her, all her grandbabies followed with Sonia and Diego right behind her. The halls were narrow with many rooms similar to hers lining them and the lights were on. There were few people who were in the hallway, all of them heading to the cafeteria to eat, all of them dressed poorly like Maria and her grandbabies. "Mija, do you know qué es para desayuno?" Maria asked. 

"No Nana. Nosotros venimos aquí. No sabemos qué está para desayuno," Maggie replied with a soft voice. 

Maggie was a scrawny lady with thick, curly hair like brown vines from a jungle. She had a narrow face with goggles sitting on top of her thick hair. She walked with a limp because from her knee down was only a metal leg Carlos made her. She wore a black button up with a few buttons missing towards her belly. It was long on her and her hands were hidden in her sleeves. She was dark like Diego and was covered in filth. She was seventeen.