Rainbow Roses

Chapter 1: Cross-Legged in a Flower Field

Cross-legged in a flower field. Sounds so cliché, but yet cliché for a reason. Out here, I'm finally at peace from this hell of a day. I'd just gone on a short hike through the woods at the back of my home, and I came across a field of multicolored flowers, and I knew I just had to stop and smell the roses, quite literally.

"Hazel! Get inside, now!"

"Coming, Mother!" I shouted across the fields. I waited a second before going back into my meditative state to listen for Mother.

"HAZEL TAYLER ABBOT!"

"Damn it, mother, I'M COMING!" I got up and walked back through the woods, trying not to trample the flowers.

I took my time. I wasn't in a particular rush to get back home, where my mother and six of my siblings live. Most of my siblings are younger than me, my two older brothers were adults now, and they moved out years ago. So, how many kids did my mother have since her infamous story about that day in high school? Nine. She has nine kids, and none of us have the same father, except for the twins, Emma and Sally.

My three-year-old brother greets me at the door. He gives me the creeps. "Mother-Dear would like to see you in the kitchen." He turned and waddled back into the living room.

"Thanks, Leo." I said under my breath. I make my way to the kitchen, passing the living room where the twins, Leo, and Harley are glued to the television. The twins were silently fighting over the bowl of popcorn they had. I see my mother standing over the sink, rubber gloves on, sponge in hand, staring at the dishes that needed to be cleaned.

"Mother," I addressed her respectfully. "You need me?"

"Yes, can you put Leo and the twins down for their nap, then rake the leaves out back?" Mother says with a heavy sigh. 

"Aren't Emma and Sally too old for naps now?"

"Will you stop arguing with me and just do what I tell you? How about that?" Mother turns the faucet to hot and begins scrubbing down the dishes. 

"Fine, don't use our perfectly-good dishwasher. And when the twins are eighteen and still taking naps, I'll know exactly who to blame." I murmur under my breath, trodding to the living room.

"I heard that!"

I ignore her. "Nap time." I call, as I usually do to get the attention of Leo and the twins. emma and Sally come running to my side, whereas Leo stays on the couch. "C'mon, Leo. it's nap time."

Leo looks at me the creepy way he looks at people. "No thank you, Hazel-Dear. I currently do not require extra rest time."

"Alright then," I turn to the hallway. "But if you get tired, you're not sleeping until bedtime."

"Understood, Hazel-Dear."

"C'mon girls, your brothers giving me the creeps." I escort them down the hall to the end, where a door plastered with drawings of unicorns and rainbows awaits. I jiggle the handle, of course expecting it to open. "Why isn't this working?"

"Oh, we installed a security mechanism to keep out unwanted visitors." Emma said.

"Yeah, Leo helped us build it." Sally and Emma nod to each other in unison and lift up a unicorn drawing on each side of the door. They held their thumbs to the door, and I heard the door lock click. 

In all honesty, I'm impressed. "Good job girls. Now it's time for bed. Away from your super-smart brother."

"We can put ourselves to bed." Sally bragged, running into the room and crawling to the top bunk.

"Thank you for the offer, though." Emma followed and flipped onto her bed. 

"Okay. Back outside for me." I mumble. I close the twins' door and start back toward the door, when Mother calls out for me again. 

"Hazel! Are they all asleep?" She yells.

"Yes, Mother! Can I go back outside now?"

"Sure, I don't care. Have fun with your flowers and whatnot."

I roll my eyes and make sure to forcefully close the door on my way out. Once I get halfway through the woods, I run for the field and happiness I know is ahead, smiling the whole way through.