Helen.

Chapter 2: Candies and Cashiers

I held the letter tightly in my hand to prevent it from drifting away in the breeze as we were approaching the post box. As I got closer, I felt a small tug on my coat. I looked behind me and smiled for it was Ashley pulling on my coat with puppy eyes.
I sighed softly with an icy, cold breath.
"What is it Ashley?"
"May I, p-pretty please, um..if you wouldn't mind,I would like to..."
"Yes, Ashley, you may." I softly chuckled as I handed her the letter. Smiling widely, she grabbed the letter, skipped over the post box, and delicately pushed it into the little slot. I shook my head at her interesting times she decided to be gentle and rough.
"I suppose little girls such as her can be quite spontaneous,"I thought as she skipped back to me as happy as a tweeting bird.
By the time she got to me, she was jumping up and down enthusiastically.
"Can we go now?" She asked excitedly.
"May we,"I corrected her before saying, "and, not yet, I would like to pick up a couple of books before we go,"
Ashley wrinkled her nose in frustration.
"You always have your head in books, Phillip! Books are so boring! I betcha if you played with Helen and I, we could show you something much more interesting than those dusty, old books!"
I laughed at her naive comment as we started walking.
"Someday, young lady, you will need to read those 'dusty, old books' and I'm sure you will enjoy it much more than you think you will."
Ashley snorted.
"No, I won't!"
"Yes, you will, Ashley,in time," I reassured her, "and, who knows, I might take up on that offer to play with Helen and you."
Ashley's eyes widened.
"Do you really mean that?"
"Yeah," I inquired, "I might need a break sometime."
"Oh, no, Phillip, " Ashley said shaking her head, "if you played with Helen and me, then, it'll be an adventure!"
At that point, we had gotten to the book store. I gathered my books while Ashely waited impatiently as the cashier and I got into a conversation. I waved goodbye to the cashier and we went on our way.
Ashley smirked.
"What?" I asked inquisitively
"You have a crush on her, don't you? The cashier? It isn't just to get and search through books is it?" Ashley giggled.
I silently blushed as Ashley laughed even louder.
"You didn't answer my question, Phillip...do you-"
"Oh, look, there's the candy shop! What kind of candy do you want, Ashley?" I asked quickly.
Ashley thankfully became immediately distracted with the sweets and went into the store without another peep about the cashier.
She excitedly and carefully picked out her candy while the old candy maker smiled at the young child's exuberance. I decided to order some too while I was there.
By the time we left, Ashley had taken her candy out of the bag and was licking a huge lollipop. However, I had noticed that Ashley had gotten some smaller candies and it surprised me greatly when Ashley didn't even touch them when she was finished with the lollipop. In fact, she didn't all the way home.
"Ashley? Why didn't you eat the rest of your candy? Are you saving it for a special occasion? Chocolate sweets won't last long, I'm afraid," I asked curiously.
"Oh, no, Phillip," Ashley answered shaking her head, "these sweets are for Helen! She liked the chocolate ones from my birthday so much that I thought I'd give her some more. After all, it wouldn't be fair if I got candy and she didn't."
I smiled at her kindness for a friend that wasn't even real.
"That's sweet of you, Ashley!" I commented.
She grinned and started to go to the the living room. She stopped at the door and looked at me.
"Are you really going to play with me and Helen someday, Phillip?"
I softly snickered.
"I'm planning on it." I said as I walked to the library.
I set the books down on the desk and started to organize them for later. For me, there's something about the smell and the atmosphere of books that's almost unparalleled to anything else. It gives a sense of knowledge and discovery. All it takes is the reader's decision into which adventure he wants to take. I smiled at the thought of Ashley being so sick of the idea of books. It's funny how siblings can be the complete polar opposites of each other although they have the same blood.
"Philip?"
My concentration broke as I turned to find my sister in the doorway.
"Yes, Ash?" I smiled.
"You have a letter," she smiled, "from Jonathon!"