The day before the reaping
My name is Rylee and I am 16 years old
Today's they day! I think as wake up. I walk into my kitchen and look at the window, I see my father rounding up the cows for milking as he usually does this time of day. My father owns a ranch, "Bochler's barn" which is about a quarter-mile down the road from our house. I work there as well as my boyfriend, Troy, and my older sister Laney. I see that my mother and youngest sister, Bay have already left to feed the chickens and collect the eggs. Bay is 9 and was born with autism she is slowly learning how to do things on her own so her chores she completes with mother. I have 1 other sister, Gianna who is 12. She is a spitting image of Laney, they are both beautiful with dark brown hair and light blue eyes. I also have a brother, Tate, he is Gianna's twin, they dint look much alike, I think he looks more like me, we both have light brown hair and dark blue eyes.
It looks like they have already left to go do their chores because all three of them are nowhere to be found, I guess they let me sleep in today. I quickly get dressed, put on my leather work boots, and tie my hair up with a brown ribbon. I make myself a piece a toast and spread homemade jam on it and leave to help my father.
"Good morning." I say to my father.
"Morning Rylee, we don't have much to do today so you can just give the horses hay then we'll take care of the rest."
"You sure?"
"Yes Ry, and besides today is the big day right?"
By big day my father means that my boyfriend, Troy and I have finally saved up enough money to go the district dinner. We have been saving our work money for about a month now.
"Yeah it is" I chuckle "how did you know?"
"Troy was here at the crack of dawn this morning doing his work, as a matter of fact we got here at the same time."
"Really? That's odd were not going out until one o'clock."
"I believe he said that he had an errand to run before he picked you up."
"Oh okay, well I guess I'll see you later father."
"Yup. Have fun"
"Thanks."
An errand to run? What kind of errand? I think as I walk across the ranch to the stables. We own about 23 horses, and one of our mares, Bridget, is pregnant so well have another horse soon. I arrive at the stables and notice that the horses already have hay. That's weird I think. I walk over to one of my favorite horses, Tailyn's stable and noticed a note on the door that said, I thought you should have an easy day today, see you at one, love Troy. That's why he came early today he wanted to do my chores. I brush Tailyn then start to make my way back home.
I met up with my mother and Bay on the way home
"Good morning Rylee"
"Hello mother"
"Hey Wylee!" Bay says smiling.
"Good morning Bay." I say while I pick her up.
When I get home I run a bath for Bay, then when she is done I run one for myself, I submerge myself in the water. I wish it was warm. I get out and drain the bath just as the rest of my siblings come home. I can hear them in the kitchen taking,
"I could have taken him." Tate says
"Tate what on earth happened!" My mother says
I walk into the kitchen and see Tate sitting on the chair with dirt on his clothes, his hand is bleeding and a swollen eye.
"Just a little tussle but nothing happened thanks to Laney." He says sarcastically
"Just a tussle? Tate your eye is swollen shut." I say
"Rylee I'm a man this is what we do."
I can't help myself but laughing, Tate is 12. He is just barely 5 foot, the shortest in our family besides Bay. Even Gianna is taller than him and she is younger!
"Oh I'm sorry it is the height that threw me off sir." I say sarcastically
"Tate I'm going to ask again seriously now what happened." My mother comes back into the conversation as she tends to his hand.
There is silence.
"Can you get some ice Ry?" She also says.
Tate just looks down at the floor.
"Alright so I got into a fight with Clay." He finally confesses.
"Over what."
"Nothing."
"It was more than nothing Tate." Laney says as she comes in through the back door carrying Gianna who looks like she has been crying.
"So, what happened then?" I ask Laney
"When we were dropping the meat off at the Butcher, Gianna said that she wanted to go pick flowers so I said that she could and just to stay close. Tate was helping me carry the meat in, we talked to the butcher for a few minutes, then we said we had to go. As we were leaving the Butcher's shop we saw Gianna in front of Clay's house and heard Clay screaming at her. So we ran over to her I grabbed G and asked what was going on. Clay said that she picked a flower from the flower box at the end of his drive way. He started saying nasty things to Gianna, and as soon as I knew it Tate punched him in the jaw. You know how big that kid is for his age so he pushed him to the ground and punched him in the eye. Then I tried to pull him off of Tate but I couldn't but Clay's dad ran out and broke it up."
"So how did he get the cut on his hand?" I say
"He scraped it on the gravel when he was pushed."
"Tate," my mother says in a steady voice.
"Mother I'm so sorry! But I just couldn't let him talked to her like that, You would have punched him too!"
Surprisingly she says, "I understand."
"You do?" he says shocked.
"Yes I do and I'm proud of you for protecting your sister, I am, but you just can't go around punching people."
"Sorry" He mumbles.
"That Clay kid is such a menace, I don't get it his father is so nice." Mother says.
"He's spoiled rotten by his mother, he's their only kid." Laney says.
"That's true" I say.
I look around, my mother is helping Tate in the kitchen, Laney and Bay are playing with blocks in the living room, but where is Gianna? I start to walk down to our room. Our house isn't the biggest so Laney, Gianna, and I share a room, Tate and Bay also share one as well. I find her on her bed with the covers over her head.
"Hmm I wonder where Gianna went?"
I don't get a response, so I pretend to check the closet.
"She's not in the closet."
This time she sniffles a little bit.
I quietly walk over to the side of her bed, and whisper by her head
"I think I found you."
She pulls the covers from her head. I sit on the bed and she crawls onto my lap and wraps her hands around my neck.
"What's wrong Gianna?"
"I shouldn't have picked that stupid flower look at Tate! His eye is swollen because of me!"
"It's not because of you-"
She cuts me off before I can finish my sentence "Yes it is! He is hurt because of me!" she says loudly.
"Shh, no he's not you didn't punch him in the eye now did you?" I say reassuringly
"No, but I might as well have."
"Listen, Tate punched him first because he was out of line with you. Clay shouldn't have talked to you like that. Tate was just protecting you."
"I guess so."
There is silence for a little bit then unexpectedly a smirk crosses Gianna's lips.
"What?" I say with a little laugh,
"You know what this means then." She starts to laugh.
"No, what?"
"Tate actually likes me." She says
"Well of course he does silly!" I tickle her a little bit.
"Look at you your dirty too you need a bath"
I walk her to the bathroom and run her a bath. I walk to the kitchen and get myself some lemonade. I look at the time, it's already twelve thirty. Troy will be her in a half an hour, I should probably get ready. I make my way to my room, I brush out my hair and pull part of it back with my ribbon. I also get changed in to light tan pants and a cranberry colored top.