Sisters and Brothers, set in 1864
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters. Everything else belongs to the creators of Bonanza.
My sister and I came up with this story the other day and I just had to write it. This is my first fanfiction so I'm sorry if it isn't that good. excited to hear what you think! Thank you and please review!
This is just a background chapter. The story actually starts in chapter 2.
Life was hard. Kathleen, Isabelle and Lila, three sisters, had lived on their own for the past five years, ever since their parents' had been brutally murdered by Kathleen's ex fiancé. After finding her parents bodies she and her family was once again threatened by her abusive fiancé, and Kathleen decided to take matters into her own hands to protect her younger sisters. She packed up what little belongings they needed and all the money she could find, which only amounted to about one hundred and thirty dollars, and she ran. Even to this day she has never told Isabelle or Lila the truth behind their parents murder and as far as she knew He was still out there. Kathleen was not tall, standing only 5'6", but she was a lady in every sense of the word… her temper excluded. Kathleen was the oldest at twenty three and could be a bit bossy and controlling. She was very protective of her heart and didn't let others get very close to her for fear of being hurt. Underneath her rocky outer layer she was very caring and had a huge heart. She kept her long, dark brown hair in a careful bun and took good care of her one pink colored dress. Isabelle, eighteen, was a lot like her sister. She stood at 5'2", and her hazel eyes beautifully complemented her sister's green ones when they stood next to each other. She was well mannered and soft spoken with a very gentle nature. She was the peace keeper between her sisters, or she tried to be at least, Kathleen and Lila clashed more often than they ever got along. Her blonde hair was usually in a simple bun, and her everyday dress was one of light blue, the quarter length sleeves showing off her alabaster skin. Lila was the youngest girl, having just turned fifteen. 5'4" and a rebel, she was fiercely independent and had had to grow up a lot since her life had been turned upside down. Kathleen was hardest on Lila, constantly trying to tame her wild nature and just keep her alive through her many, many insane adventures. Lila was very intelligent and fearless, she did what she wanted, when she wanted and she did not care what people thought of fiery red hair, usually free or in pigtail braids, never stayed clean, perfectly reflecting her personality. She did have a dress, a dusty green one that came to her mid-calf, but she only wore it when Kathleen caught her and all but physically forced her into it. Any other time, she preferred a torn pair of pants and short sleeved shirt.
Ever since their parents' deaths, they had lived in a small shack outside of Virginia City. It had one bedroom, a small kitchen, and there was a barn outside. They kept a couple of chickens for eggs and a garden for produce, both for their consumption and to earn whatever money they could from selling the extra product in town. They had one horse, a beautiful chestnut mare of about eight years, which Lila had won them in a poker game. Needless to say, the previous owner was not thrilled to lose his horse, and losing to a twelve-year-old girl did not make matters any better. Though his anger was nothing compared to Kathleen's when she learned that her youngest sister had directly disobeyed her and gone to the saloon on her own. Every so often their cousin Thomas would come by and stay with them for a while, but other than that they lived completely on their own.
This was their life for five years; wake up with the sun, cook breakfast, tidy up around the house, take care of the horse, cow, and chickens, and tend the garden. Then they would scrounge around the woods for firewood and if they had extra in the way of eggs or vegetables, a trip to town was in order. After a hopefully productive time there, it was back home for supper and bed.
Everything would soon change for the girls, though, when one fateful day, a young Joe Cartwright would happen upon these young ladies and change their lives forever.