Victoria

chapter 1

“Victoria! Victoria!” They yell. I turn around and smile, seeing my little twin brother and sister run out of the house toward me and Daniel and Sarah. “Victoria!” Little Jane yelled, trudging through the snow. I hear Sarah laugh and I turn around to see her throwing a snowball at Daniel.

 “Hey!” Daniel yelled.

 “Wait for us!” Edward yelled, helping Jane who fell down.

 “Be careful Jane! You wouldn’t want Mr. Henry yelling at you for making your dress all muddy.” I say, putting my arm around her when she finally reaches me with Edward at her side. Henry is our tutor, and is very upset when us girls do not act like ‘lady’s’ when supposed to.

 “Victoria, why didn’t Sarah wait for Edward and me to play with snowballs?” Jane asked.

 “Oh don’t worry about it Jane. We can play now, together. Right?” I said, walking with Jane’s small hand in mine.

 “Yea.” She said with a smile.

 “Ok, here are the rules”, began Daniel. We all stood in a circle, ready to listen to Daniel speak. “We have to keep away from each other as best as possible and see who can reach the fountain in mother’s flower garden first. Our ammunition is the snow balls that we only have two minutes to make. Each person can only get hit three times before we have to play dead. Edward and Jane, you are on a team. Victoria and Sarah, you two are on a team. But you two can split up at any moment to help Jane or Edward if needed. I’ll be on one team by myself.

 “Now, you have to be under stealth mode until you reach the garden. When you do reach the garden, you need to run as fast as you can to reach the fountain first. If you reach the fountain first, you have to sit on the edge. The prize is that you get first dib on the cookie jar.”

 “OOH!” Jane and Edward yelled. Sarah and I smiled at each other. We were both thinking the same thing. ‘Get to that fountain first!’

 “Ok, go and hide behind whatever, and I’ll yell ‘Go’ when two minutes are up.” He gave us the signal, and we all ran to hiding spots and when we hit the ground, Sarah and I immediately started to make snow balls.

 We finished, and I counted about thirty snow balls. We smiled at each other, and we knew we had the best chance. We had our backs to a tree, quietly peeking around to see if we could see anyone that would be easy to hit when ‘Go’ was said. I turned forward, facing strait ahead of me. I saw something out in the woods move. Oh, it was probably a bird or something.

 “Go!” Daniel yelled.

 Sarah and I immediately turned around, crouched to the ground, and we saw Jane and Edward running for their lives towards the direction of the garden. I laughed to myself, and Sarah had already thrown the first ball towards Edward, and I did the second for Jane.

 “Ouch!” Was said from both Jane and Edward. Sarah and I smiled to each other, and we crouch-walked forwards.

 We made it to the gate of the end of the woods, and I saw Daniel already in the courtyard. I reached out for Sarah, but she waved it off. Meaning she knew. We both aimed for him and threw. One hit him, mine, and Sarah’s almost hit his arm. He turned around and faced us and we quickly ducked from his view.

 Sarah and I turn the corner of the gates and Sarah runs ahead of me. I then see her get hit with a snowball.

 “Owe!” She whispers. I look at her and she gives me a face of recognition. We run on, and I look back at Jane and Edward following us, trying and failing to throw and hit me and Sarah with snowballs.