Sherry sat on the porch and looked up at the sky. It was a beautiful summer day and the gentle breeze felt good and blew her short sandy blond hair. Alfred looked out the window and smiled to himself, looking at Sherry.

"Sherry!" he called out, "It's time for dinner!" She blinked and looked over at him with her deep blue eyes then smiled. "I'm coming, big brother!" She stood up and walked towards the front door. Alfred turned from the window and headed towards the dining room. As he did, he kicked something and blinked.

"Huh? What's this?" He picked up a broken down grass basket that was lined with a soft blanket and a pillow. "Is this...?" he asked himself, starting to think back.

---

The 16th Century

The Spanish Exploration

Antonio looked around and sighed. Walking through this undiscovered area in the New World was more boring than he thought. "Alright, everyone," he said, "We're leaving." As he turned back to the ocean, he thought he saw a small child hiding behind the trees. He blinked and went over to the trees, "Anyone here?" He saw the child again, behind another tree yards away from him. He sighed, "This isn't funny, kid." He took a step towards the child and it disappeared.

"What's going on?" one of the men asked Antonio.

"Nothing," he said, heading to the ships, "Let's go." The child watched the strange men leave and sighed. Maybe that would be the last time they would be there. An elderly woman with tanned skin placed a hand on the child's shoulder and led the child away from the shore.

---

The year of The Trail of Tears

Arthur walked through the recent settlement and smiled. "This looks wonderful," he said as he saw a small child sitting outside one the settlement, dressed as a Native American with her blond hair standing out. He walked over to the child and smiled. "Hello, little one," he said as the girl looked up at him, her face covered with dirt and tears. "...."

"Aww, I can't leave a young girl like you here alone," he said, picking her up, "Let's get going." She nodded and looked out to the wilderness, more tears starting to fall down her face.

Arthur looked at the little girl, now cleaned up and wearing 'proper' clothing, "You're really cute," he said as she looked up at him with deep blue eyes, "Hmm? Can you speak. little one?" She opened her mouth and said, "...Nunna daul Isunyi..." He stared at her for the longest before smiling. "Heh heh," he laughed, "Maybe I should teach you how to speak properly."

---

1795

7 years after the American Revolution

Alfred walked around and sighed. He was still beating himself up for what happened between him and Arthur, but he had to become independent. He looked up into the trees when he heard crying. He looked around and followed the noise until he found a small child in a grass basket, crying. "Oh," he said, picking her up and looking at her, "Hey there. What are you doing out here by yourself?" She sniffled and looked up at him. The man had blonde hair like her and the same colored eyes she did.

"...My name is Sherry," she said softly, looking at the man, "Who are you?" He smiled at her, "I'm Alfred. Do you have any sisters or brothers?" She shook her head and clung to him, trembling. He felt bad for her, "What if I became your big brother?"

She looked up at him, "R-really?" He nodded and started back to his house.

"Yes, I will be your big brother and I'll protect you." She smiled brightly at him.

---

1976

Sherry looked into the mirror and smiled. She was wearing a light blue and white dress with a red, white and blue hair pin in the back of her short hair. Alfred smiled at her, "You've really grown, Sherry," he said, walking up behind her. She looked up at him and smiled, "Yea... but I'm still so short compared to you, big brother." She looked in the mirror and looked at Alfred. He was dressed in a suit and was trying on a pair of glasses. She giggled, "You look like a nerd." He blinked and placed a pair on her face.

"You need a pair too, young lady," he said, "Just until your eyes become as strong with justice as mine!" She sighed and looked into the mirror. Sherry pouted a bit but when she saw that she and Alfred looked alike, she smiled.

It was that year that Tennessee joined the United States as the 16th state.

---

"Hey, Alfred," Sherry said, poking his arm, "Are you okay?" He blinked and smiled at her. "Yea, I am," he said, "What did you say?" She sighed and held up a hamburger. Alfred reached for it as she held it away from him.

"Give that back, Sherry!" he whined as she laughed at him.

"No way, Mr. Hero," she said taking a bite, "You missed dinner, so you have to pay the price for it."

"You're mean!" he said, "Give me that burger!" She moved away from him and ran into the dining room. He followed her and saw a mountain of hamburgers on a tray. Sherry stuck her tongue out at him and smiled. "Thanks for everything, big brother," she said as he smiled.

"You're welcome, little sister," he said, stuffing his mouth with half of the burgers on the tray.