"Alice! Alice wait for me!"
"Well hurry up then Claire!"
Ten year old Alice Trask waited at the water's edge for her six year old sister Claire to catch up.
"Claire, remember to listen to your sister," Boliver Trask yelled out to his youngest child with a bit of indiffernce.
"Ok Dad!" Claire answered, pouting a bit because she knew he didn't care about her like he did Alice. Running as fast as her little legs could carry her, she reached her sister and grabbed onto her hand, desperate for affection and attention. Alice rolled her eyes in annoyance and glared down at the chubby hand that was gripping hers like a lifeline. Frowning, she pulled her hand away from Claire and crossed her arms at her chest.
"Alice..." Claire began to whine.
"Just shut up Claire and quit acting like a baby. You are six years old now. You can walk into the ocean by yourself."
"But... but I want to walk with you!"
"Tough."
Claire's lower lip began to tremble and her eyes began to fill with tears. She reached out for her sister's hand once again, but again, Alice snatched her hand away. Claire turned around to tell her father, but he was immersed in reading the paper, a "don't bother me" look on his face. Claire hung her head and faced the ocean again. Tears spilling down her cheeks, she sat heavily on the ground and crossed her arms.
Daddy dosn't love me, she cried to herself. Neither does Alice. I wonder if Mommy would hate me too....
Tucking her little legs up to her chin and wrapping her arms around them, Claire watched Alice with blurry eyes as the tears continued to fall down her face. Alice frolicked happily in the water and was splashing everywhere. While spinning in the water, Alice caught a glance of her sister on the shoreline.
Ugh, I better bring her in the water or she'll pitch a fit, she thought angrily to herself. Stalking back to her sister, Alice grabbed Claire roughly by the arm and dragged her in the water. Once the water reached Claire's waist, Alice released Claire's arm as roughly as she had grabbed it. A bit down the beach a man and his son watched the exchange with a bit of curiousity.
"Dad, why are those two so mean to that girl?" the boy asked.
"I don't know Kage."
Back down the beach, Boliver looked at his watch. "Girls! It's time for lunch!"
Alice began to run for shore, yelling back over her shoulder, "Race you Claire, but it won't matter! I always win!" She sprinted towards the shore, leaving Claire in the water.
"Wait for me!" Claire cried, running after her sister. Alice stopped for a second and waited for Claire to get back on dry land, then she took off again.
"Hey Dad!"
"Hello my dear," Boliver smiled at his oldest child. He patted Alice's wet brown hair, adoration and love shining in his eyes.
"Having fun?" he asked.
"Yeah, but Claire is being a pain. She's such a baby."
"Now now Alice, she's your sister." he said, his smile flickering slightly.
"I wish she wasn't. I wish Mom had lived and she died."
"Alice, don't talk like that."
"Well it's true!"
"Shhh! Here comes Claire." Boliver silenced Alice as Claire came running up to them. She stopped short when she heard them talking. She heard more than she let on. It wasn't as if she hadn't heard this stuff before. Claire knew Alice wanted her dead. She also knew her father thought the same thing.
"Well hurry up dummy. You better get what you want before it's gone." Alice snapped at her.
"Ok." Claire took the plate her father distractedly handed her. "Thank you Daddy."
Trask grunted at Claire and began fussing over Alice. It was at that moment that Claire's rose colored glasses were lifted and she saw with a clairty few six year olds saw.
Her family didn't care about her. They only did because it was expected of them. They only took care of her because everyone would talk if her family gave her away. Her father doted on Alice. Alice was the apple of his eye, the center of his universe. She was nothing. She sat a little bit away from the two of them, seeing them as what they really were for the first time. She quickly finished her lunch, and got up to throw her trash away in a nearby trash can. On her way there, she got hit in the arm with a frisbee and before she could react a little boy about her age or maybe a year older, accidentaly ran into her.
"Ow!" she cried as she fell onto the ground.
"Sorry," the little boy blurted, grabbing the frisbee.
"Kage, what do you say when you knock someone over?" a man a few feet away yelled.
"Sorry," Kage mumbled. His dad walked over and crouched down so he was eye level with Claire.
"Are you allright young miss?" he asked, smiling at her.
"Yeah. I'm fine."
He smiled at her again as he stood up. "Kage, it's time we go. Take care of yourself little one." He waved at her as he and his son walked back to their stuff and began to prepare to leave. Claire threw her trash away and walked slowly back to her family that didn't notice if she was gone. There was something about that man and his son that puzzled Claire. It was like a recognition.
But I've never met them before, she thought to herself. She continued to walk back to her dad and sister, but glanced at them over her shoulder one more time. The man waved at her and then he and his son began to walk away.
"Well hurry up then Claire!"
Ten year old Alice Trask waited at the water's edge for her six year old sister Claire to catch up.
"Claire, remember to listen to your sister," Boliver Trask yelled out to his youngest child with a bit of indiffernce.
"Ok Dad!" Claire answered, pouting a bit because she knew he didn't care about her like he did Alice. Running as fast as her little legs could carry her, she reached her sister and grabbed onto her hand, desperate for affection and attention. Alice rolled her eyes in annoyance and glared down at the chubby hand that was gripping hers like a lifeline. Frowning, she pulled her hand away from Claire and crossed her arms at her chest.
"Alice..." Claire began to whine.
"Just shut up Claire and quit acting like a baby. You are six years old now. You can walk into the ocean by yourself."
"But... but I want to walk with you!"
"Tough."
Claire's lower lip began to tremble and her eyes began to fill with tears. She reached out for her sister's hand once again, but again, Alice snatched her hand away. Claire turned around to tell her father, but he was immersed in reading the paper, a "don't bother me" look on his face. Claire hung her head and faced the ocean again. Tears spilling down her cheeks, she sat heavily on the ground and crossed her arms.
Daddy dosn't love me, she cried to herself. Neither does Alice. I wonder if Mommy would hate me too....
Tucking her little legs up to her chin and wrapping her arms around them, Claire watched Alice with blurry eyes as the tears continued to fall down her face. Alice frolicked happily in the water and was splashing everywhere. While spinning in the water, Alice caught a glance of her sister on the shoreline.
Ugh, I better bring her in the water or she'll pitch a fit, she thought angrily to herself. Stalking back to her sister, Alice grabbed Claire roughly by the arm and dragged her in the water. Once the water reached Claire's waist, Alice released Claire's arm as roughly as she had grabbed it. A bit down the beach a man and his son watched the exchange with a bit of curiousity.
"Dad, why are those two so mean to that girl?" the boy asked.
"I don't know Kage."
Back down the beach, Boliver looked at his watch. "Girls! It's time for lunch!"
Alice began to run for shore, yelling back over her shoulder, "Race you Claire, but it won't matter! I always win!" She sprinted towards the shore, leaving Claire in the water.
"Wait for me!" Claire cried, running after her sister. Alice stopped for a second and waited for Claire to get back on dry land, then she took off again.
"Hey Dad!"
"Hello my dear," Boliver smiled at his oldest child. He patted Alice's wet brown hair, adoration and love shining in his eyes.
"Having fun?" he asked.
"Yeah, but Claire is being a pain. She's such a baby."
"Now now Alice, she's your sister." he said, his smile flickering slightly.
"I wish she wasn't. I wish Mom had lived and she died."
"Alice, don't talk like that."
"Well it's true!"
"Shhh! Here comes Claire." Boliver silenced Alice as Claire came running up to them. She stopped short when she heard them talking. She heard more than she let on. It wasn't as if she hadn't heard this stuff before. Claire knew Alice wanted her dead. She also knew her father thought the same thing.
"Well hurry up dummy. You better get what you want before it's gone." Alice snapped at her.
"Ok." Claire took the plate her father distractedly handed her. "Thank you Daddy."
Trask grunted at Claire and began fussing over Alice. It was at that moment that Claire's rose colored glasses were lifted and she saw with a clairty few six year olds saw.
Her family didn't care about her. They only did because it was expected of them. They only took care of her because everyone would talk if her family gave her away. Her father doted on Alice. Alice was the apple of his eye, the center of his universe. She was nothing. She sat a little bit away from the two of them, seeing them as what they really were for the first time. She quickly finished her lunch, and got up to throw her trash away in a nearby trash can. On her way there, she got hit in the arm with a frisbee and before she could react a little boy about her age or maybe a year older, accidentaly ran into her.
"Ow!" she cried as she fell onto the ground.
"Sorry," the little boy blurted, grabbing the frisbee.
"Kage, what do you say when you knock someone over?" a man a few feet away yelled.
"Sorry," Kage mumbled. His dad walked over and crouched down so he was eye level with Claire.
"Are you allright young miss?" he asked, smiling at her.
"Yeah. I'm fine."
He smiled at her again as he stood up. "Kage, it's time we go. Take care of yourself little one." He waved at her as he and his son walked back to their stuff and began to prepare to leave. Claire threw her trash away and walked slowly back to her family that didn't notice if she was gone. There was something about that man and his son that puzzled Claire. It was like a recognition.
But I've never met them before, she thought to herself. She continued to walk back to her dad and sister, but glanced at them over her shoulder one more time. The man waved at her and then he and his son began to walk away.