Chapter 1:

The sound of rain pattering outside was muffled by the closed windows around the small one story house. I looked out through the kitchen window, the one facing the back yard. The rain drops pooled and slivered down, tracing strange patterns. The rain seemed to emit with it a cool and relaxing atmosphere.

I sighed.

"Is somfin' burning Rachie?" Asked little Charoline.

My eyes opened wide as I rushed back to the pan of chili on the stove.

"Shoot!" I cried out as I turned off the stove and mixed the chili.

It was burnt at the bottom of the pan. I took the spoon I had set to the side and tasted a sample of the chili. My eyes watered and I opened my mouth to let the steam release from my mouth.

"Hunmt Hunmt!" I cried as I fanned my mouth in a poor attempt to cool the chili. I heard a giggle from the entrance of the kitchen.

When it stopped roasting my tongue, I chewed slowly and tasted it. It was okay, as long as I gave Carie the little nonburnt chili there was left. Yay me for another burnt meal!

"Rachie. I'm hungry," Carie stated in that matter of fact way once her giggling ceased.

I turned around to completely face her. The princess already had her stubborn face on. Arms crossed and eyes stern. A look adorable on any 4 year old. I couldn't help but smile at her. Little Carie was such a sweetheart. Lucky her, she inherited hazel eyes from Dad and Mom's dark curly brown hair. She was still wearing her dress from when our family had gone out earlier in the day for an informal family gathering. In fact, Mom and Dad had stayed at Uncle Benny's house because the "adults" wanted to continue hanging out. We were home alone, and knowing my aunts and uncles, they would be smoking and playing cards until 3 am. I would have gone with them too, some of the older cousins were over there as well, but someone had to be home with Carie.

"RACHIE!" Carie cried frustrated while I was lost in my thoughts. I laughed.

"Come on, sit at the table. I'll get you your bowl." God, please don't let her realize it's burnt. Just let her eat it contently!

I gave her a small bowl, and put down my own bowl in the seat next to her. I then took out the crackers from the pantry and filled her sippy cup with water from the fridge. We sat at the table and began eating.

"Make sure you blow on it, it's still hot," I warned Carie. I blew on a spoon full of my own chili before eating it.

My face involuntarily scrunched up. Of course I would get the burnt part. I dropped my spoon in the bowl, appetite gone, and leaned on my elbow to stare at Caire.

"Today was fun? Wasn't it?" I asked.

Carie look up from her concentrated blowing to smile and nod enthusiastically.

"Mmhum! Denny said she wanted to have a cousin movie night at her house! And you wanna know somfin?" She leaned close whispering. "Denny said we girls might even have a sleep over!"

"Really?" I asked. "When is this suppose to be?"

"Ummm…" Carie was concentrating."Later."

"Okay, maybe me and Sammy can discuss this with Denny, yeah?" I sighed internally. Denny really should stop promising these kids things she can't deliver.

I looked at her slyly.

"Or maybe you're too spoiled of a brat as it is? Maybe I should tell Mom that you can't go because you haven't been eating your greens?" I teased.

Carie shook her head as she chewed."Nghh uh." She swallowed.

"I HAVE been eating my greens, and I'm not a baby!"

"Sure, I'll just pretend I didn't see you being carried around by everyone at the party."

"I'm not a baby!" Carie scrunched up her face. I laughed and kissed her head as I got up to throw away my bowl of burnt chili. When Carie finished I sent her off to wash up. I cleaned up after, particularly struggling to scrub the burnt chili out of the pan.

The rain continued outside.

1

I glanced at the clock on my laptop and cursed. It was already midnight, the date stating 12/28/18. I clicked the last available episode of Transformers: Robots in Disguise and paused it before it played. I got up reluctantly from my nest of blanket I had dragged from my bed and yawned. I went over to Carie's room and leaned against the open door frame. A light snoring came from a bundle on a small twin sized bed.

Than I caught it.

A small bit of light escaped from the blanket.

I walked over to the bed and threw the blanket off. Sure enough was Carie scrunching her eyes and trying to hide the tablet under the sheets.

"You're not fooling me Carie." I stated. I grabbed the tablet and her eyes bolted open to glare at me.

"Sleep Carie! Go - to - sleep." Carie grumbled as her eyes slowly fell shut. I almost laughed. What a spoiled princess. I went to the door.

"I love you Carie. Sweet dreams." I said softly as I closed the door behind me.

I opened the tablet to see what Carie was doing and was pleasantly surprised to find a drawing. It was two poorly drawn stick figures (only one had half of its hair), watching a box. Outside of the box was poor handwriting. "Vrm" and "Autobots vs Deceptocons" along with a list of her favorite bots: Bumblebee (of course), Optimus (or Optamous as she spelled), and, surprisingly Rachet. I saved the drawing.

I left the tablet on the bathroom vanity and did my business. I washed up, and brushed my teeth. I pulled my hair tie out (unfortunately taking some strands with it) and combed my long brown hair. I took off my green rimmed glasses and put my night lotion on my short face. I looked at myself in the mirror and my generic brown eyes stared back.

Why couldn't I have inherited hazel eyes? Life's just not fair.

Thunder sounded from outside. It was becoming quite the storm.

My mind began wandering back to Transformers as I walked back to my room, tablet in hand. To continue watching or go to sleep? Deep question. Tomorrow (well I suppose today) was Saturday. Three day weekends are the best retreat from a busy Community College schedule. But, I had promised Carie sometime last week we'd do something together and had dragged Mom into promising to come along on whatever fancied Carie this time. And who knows, maybe Dad will choose to come with us.

So the answer is obviously to go to sleep…

But…

Nope. Mind made up. I was going to sleep and that was final!

...

AFTER this last episode.

Giddy I sat down ready to watch. But my laptop wasn't waking up.

"Shit," I said under my breath. Of course I forgot to plug in my charger. It seemed the universe demanded my sleep. I sighed as I threw my blanket back onto the bed and got up to turn off the light. I entered my bed, eyes already drooping. I snuggled into the blanket and my eyes closed.

Hazily I thought I could hear a hum in some far off place.