My little sister is what you call an angel on Earth. Like an angel she is beautiful, as if she was a porcelain doll. Like an angel she has a voice of gold. And most importantly, she's exactly what my mom and dad could've asked for.

Yet like an angel, she just doesn't belong on Earth. She's often in another world, wishing that she could be with her own kind. She always has a lost look in her eyes, wishing she could be where she belongs. But she never has the chance to go. Because that is what it's like for my little sister.

In fact, that's what it's like for any kid with autism.

My mom always said that she just needed time to adjust to changes. To adjust to life. Which could be true enough, she has a lot of trouble coming to terms just about moved furniture. Most days, she would throw a fit if anything changed. But that's just how she is.

So, this is the story of how I, Alfred, happened to pull my little sister out of her shell and into the spotlight. This is the story of Madeline Kirkland-Bonnefoy.

…

From the day she was born, Madeline had won over everyone's hearts. She had golden locks that flowed from her back, shimmering blue eyes that turn violet in the sunlight and a contagious smile that can lift anyone's mood. She truly was a gift from heaven, as my dad would say. When I first saw her, I knew instantly that I was bound to protect her from any harm just like Superman. As a ten year old kid, it was my duty.

She was normal at first. She would babble some incomprehensible words that can only be understood by other infants. She would chew on her stuffed polar bear, Kumajiro, (which I had picked out specifically), and would do the one thing that any normal baby would. Madeline would ball her eyes out until something she wanted was there.

Yet not all things last.

We noticed the signs when she started to get older. First there was the speech. She had none. My mom, Francine Bonnefoy, would coax and bribe her with all good things to make her speak. Yet not a word came out of Madeline. Even for eye contact, my little sister just wouldn't comply. It was as if she was holding a secret so big that she couldn't tell us what it was. She would kick, scream and bite anyone that would try to hug her or tie up her hair.

However, when it came to night-time routines and putting her to bed, there was only one man for the job. My dad.

My dad, Arthur Kirkland, had a knack at getting babies and young children to sleep. Even as she would cry and yell when he picked her up, he would laugh and sway gently until she grew tired. He'd hum a soft tune as he tucked her and kissed her goodnight. Mom would always ask how he did it, but he honestly didn't know. Dad just adored kids.

So, when the day came to see a specialist about the issues that Madeline had, I insisted I had a day off to hear the verdict. Which of course my dad instantly said no, but my mom complied with my wishes. And there we were, in the waiting room with other kids just like my sister. I was keeping Madeline entertained with her stuffed bear, making funny noises and moving him around. She giggled and clapped her hands when Kumajiro hugged her face.

It was always a rare moment to see her smile, but it never lasted long.

Madeline began to shake, her hair waving with each movement she made. I moved Kumajiro to her face, tilting his head to one side. "What's the matter, Maddie?" She only got worse as she gripped her hair tightly. I glanced to my parents, beginning to shake myself. "Umm, guys! Maddie's doin' that thing again."

My mom sighed and knelt in front of her. She tucked a strand of brown hair out of her face and behind her ear. "Darling, what's the matter? Are you hurt?" She stroked Madeline's blond hair, which to everyone's surprise she didn't scream. Mom began to undo her ribbons, smiling. "Is it your hair? Would you like me to tie it?" Madeline clapped her hands as mom neatly did up her hair.

We were finally called into a small room. We sat down, eyeing out the place. Butterflies, sharks and all other animal posters covered the walls. A dollhouse was in a corner, inviting anyone to play. Madeline only sat on the chair, hugging Kumajiro tightly. She stared off at the butterfly picture, rocking slightly. Mom only sighed as she placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to make her to sit still. It never worked though.

The doctor walked in sometime later, a huge smile plastered across her face. Her brunette hair flowed across her back like waves and was neatly kept from her face with a flower hairclip. Her green dress rolled off her knees as she sat down and faced my parents. She grinned, "Hello! How are we all?"

Dad smiled, rubbing his eyes. "Tired. Basically, I'm in hell right now. Bloody stupid kids and their stupid demands…"

"Arthur!" mom gasped. He laughed sheepishly as his she glared at him. She forced a smile towards the doctor. "I'm very sorry, Dr Héderváry. He's been busy with his hairdressing business. Prom is this time of year, you know…"

Dr Héderváry laughed, waving her hand. "It's fine. I'm actually not surprised, considering he looks like he's about to fall asleep right now." She chuckled, shaking her head. "And please, Francine, keep telling you that you can call me Erzsébet or Liz. I prefer it."

She heaved a sigh, brushing her hair out of her face. "Right…So shall we start?"

"Of course!" Her smile disappeared from her face, with a sombre expression replacing it. "Well, from the tests we did the other day, I can defiantly now say that your daughter has autism on the lower end of the spectrum."

Dad woke up a bit more, his eyes plastered with sadness. "Really? So she…" he glanced off to Madeline, who's eyes were still glued on the butterfly on the wall. A small smile spread across his lips as she began to swing her legs. "She doesn't look it, does she?"

The doctor sighed, rubbing her eyes. "Arthur, we talked about this. Autism doesn't have a look," she glanced at Madeline, "but yes. I understand where you come from. Most two-year old's don't look that cute…At least I find anyway."

He chuckled softly, "Very true." He gripped mom's hand tightly, glancing at the doctor. "So what do we do now?"

She shrugged, leaning back into her chair. "Well, it depends on what you want to do. I mean, I've had couples come in here and put their kids straight onto medication when they found out they were autistic." She closed her eyes, thinking. "I honestly don't think she'll need any of the medications for now though."

Mom glanced at me, sighing. "I suppose not…But is there a way to cure it? Any way at all?"

"Not yet, no. But I can tell you this," she leaned forward, closer to their faces. "She's normal just like any other kid. You'll just have to push her through life a little more than most, okay?"

"Right…"

Dad smiled towards me, ruffling my hair. "Alfred, my boy, what do you think? Do you think your sister's normal?"

I nodded, grinning. "Yep! I love Maddie!"

"Oh really?"

"Yeah! I'm gonna be her hero!" I stood and pointed at myself. "Like Superman!"

Erzsébet laughed, "I bet you can be like him!" She turned towards my mom, who still had a look of disbelief on her face. "She'll be fine, Francine. And who knows," she hummed. "She might even be an amazing kid one day…no. She will be an amazing kid one day. So just give her time."

Mom sighed, smiling tightly. "Okay. When is our next appointment?"

"In six months! Just go to the receptionist and she'll organise it with you, alright?" She stood and opened the door. "I'll see you guys in later, okay?"

Almost immediately, Madeline ran out of the room. Dad ran after her, with mom on his tail. All I could do was stare, watching as they ran like the wind after the little angel who was curious about everything.

From then on, Madeline changed our lives for good. She had done so many little things that surprised us, from the good to bad. Now, if we were to skip forward to when she was six and I was sixteen, she had performed a miracle.

The day where my little sister, Madeline, spoke for the first time.

...

Hello! My name is Sarah and this is my first fanfiction in over six years. I'm a bit rusty on writing stories, so I'm sorry if this didn't make a lot of sense when you've read it. Now. Onto explanations.

I happen to be on the autistic spectrum, (I have this thing called Global Impairment), and saw a specialist just like Liz here for it for years. Each time I would see her with my mum, she would ask me how my day was and a bunch of other questions about myself. It was a way to record my progress of growth you could say. Madeline's visits are kind of based off my own. So if any of you are autistic and see a specialist, please let me know of your experiences and tell me if I need to fix it!

Madeline herself is based off, again, of real people and their experiences, (including myself). So PLEASE, if you have a problem with how she's portrayed and how she acts, let me know. I know a lot of people, (myself included), who are autistic but I have never written a character like her before so….yeah. Makes me nervous.

I won't go into detail about Arthur, Francine and Alfred right now because they're not at the right age I'm intending to write them in. But how do you guys like the idea of Arthur running his own hairdressing business and Francine being an art teacher for high school students? Yay or nay?

OH! If you're wondering why some of the spelling is weird, it's because I'm not American. I happen to be Australian and a lot of things will be spelt differently with this. So sorry if I confuse you.

Again, thanks for reading and thanks for taking an interest in this idea! See you next time!