I'm BACK! Miss me? Well, I have finally came out with the sequel to Cinnamon Bread.

*CAUTION* If you are new to this story...I recommend you read Cinnamon Bread if you have not already read it. Just saying. It might make more sense if you have read Cinnamon Bread before reading this. Just saying. :D

F.Y.I.:

Azalea-(A-zale-E-a)

enjoy...


Crying.

Screaming.

Wailing.

Whimpering.

Silence.

This is the pattern I hear as I lye in bed, listening to Azalea. She is barely 6 months now. With her tempered mood (which she gets from Gale, mind you) and troubled sleep, it is hard to leave her alone.

I stare into the ceiling above. It is pitch black and Gale lays beside me, face buried in his pillow fast asleep.

She must have fallen back asleep now, because all I hear is the shortened breaths coming from beside me. Other than that, it is silent.

What time is it? Two? Three?

Swirls of darkened colors mix into my vision and I blot them out by blinking simultaneously. Sleep. I must fall asleep. I shift my weight and reposition my self to where I am on my side, staring at the door.

Slowly, my eyes close and I yawn. Maybe I will sleep more then 3 hours tonight. I need the sleep.

I nuzzle down into my pillow and make myself comfortable. Sleep comes back and begins drags me away when I hear the whine. Azalea.

My eyes flutter open and I resume staring into the black abyss, waiting for what she does next.

She begins with a huff and gradually works up her voice into a cry.

It is killing me just lying here listening to her cry. But I can't go to her. She needs to learn that when she cries, she does not get whisked away in my arms immediately.

Uh, but who cares anyway? She is only a few months old.

I throw aside the blankets and rise to a sitting position. I rub my eyes and stand up.

Gale, on the other hand, is still sound asleep beneath the covers. It is amazing that he can sleep through her sobs.

I stumble to the door and turn the knob.

The hallway is barely lit due to the nightlights plugged in at the baseboards.

I step into the hallway and leisurely walk. Maybe, if I am lucky, she will fall sleep again and stay asleep.

I tug at my wavy blonde hair, which seems to be knotted up, thanks to my lovely bed headiness.

I get closer and closer to the kitchen. It is the same shaded darkness as the hallway—a light black mixed with the hazy night-light blue.

I find the refrigerator and find the chilled baby bottle. I warm it up in the microwave and walk back down the hall to Azalea's room.

I open the door slightly and the round of wails begin to leak from her voice.

I sigh and walk in.

She knows I am there, so she won't go back to sleep now. I shuffle over to the lamp and click it on.

I find her eyes. She is lying on her back. She seems so small compared to the crib she is in. The maple wood rails tower over her. Her mattress is covered by a thin pink sheet, which reflects off the light.

Her cries stop.

I set down the bottle and grab a quilted patched blanket from the dresser next to her crib and walk over to where she lays.

She peers up at me intently, waiting anxiously to be held.

"Oh, Azalea," I whisper, bending down to tuck her into the blanket.

She lets out a soft whimper and I bring her in my arms. She begins to let out a cry, but not as desperate as the ones she has let out before.

I walk back to the dresser and retrieve the bottle and bring it to her mouth.

She quits her whine abruptly and pays attention to the bottle.

Sweet silence.

While she is being fed, I decide to venture into the hallway to pass the time.

Once out the doorway, I find our family pictures hanging and walk over to examine them.

There is one of Gale and I before we are married. He has his arms around me in a hug from behind. We both peer into the camera and smile. For once, he is actually smiling in the picture. Rare.

The next one is of Gale and I at our wedding. Our wedding. This is the one of us dancing on the floor while everyone watches. We are in the middle of the floor. I am in a long white gown and he is in a black suit. He has one hand on my waist and the other in my hand. We are laughing and smiling at each other. I miss that moment.

The third photo, next to the wedding one is of Gale, Posy, Rory, Vick, and I. This one is cheesy out of most. We are in the woods, sitting in the big Oak tree. Gale and I are on the branches near the bottom and Rory, Vick, and Posy sit in the branches above. We are all smiling at the camera. Well, it isn't that cheesy. I come upon Rory's face. Rory. Surprisingly, he has warmed up to me. He has accepted me as part of the family, but still has some restrictions. Not many, but he still has some. It is because I remind him of Prim. He fell in love with a girl named Prim a couple years back during the Rebellion. They seemed in love, as Vick puts it. But one day, the girl flew to the Capitol to aid the rebels in need. She was sent in to help children who were victims of a recent bombing. Seldom did she know that the bombing wasn't over. Once she reached the bomb victims, the remaining bombs went off. She was killed instantly. It had a major effect on Rory.

The last one is of Azalea. This is my favorite picture. She is sitting in a red woven basket in the woods. We finally got her to smile. Oh how I love her smile. She beams up into the camera. A pink bow sits in her hair and she is wearing a checkered pink and white dress that is laced with white ribbon. Beautiful. Although, her creamy brown hair hasn't fully grown yet, her intricately mixed light gray and blue eyes make up for it.

I hear a deep breath from Azalea and realize that she has fallen back asleep. I take the half empty bottle from her and set it on the stand under the hanging pictures.

I walk back into her room and gently lay her back in her bed. I sling the blanket over the rocking chair in the corner and click of the lamp.

Once I find my own bed, Gale shifts around and looks up to me. "Everything alright?"

"Yes. Now go back to bed, helpless." I point out, stifling a laugh. He helps so much with Azalea doesn't he? Not.

He flops over and is snoring instantly.

You have got to love him.


How was it? Do you like it? Hate it?

BTW, updates might be less freguent if I do NaNoWriMo. It depends on my grades...

But most importantly...

REVIEW!