Chapter 2: Big Brother

You Are My Best Friend

You are my guiding star

You are my shining light

You are my everything

What helps me through the night.

- Tara J. Barker

"Mother, why does the baby cry so often?" the tall, skinny boy with curly brown hair, aged only ten, questioned his mother as she methodically washed clothes in a tub of water behind their cabin, while he whittled away at a thick piece of wood. His little sister was tucked safely away in her crib in his parents' room, but he was simply preparing himself for when she began to cry again. Every time she cried, his mother put down everything she was doing and went to go calm her daughter, who was only half a year old. It had been exciting at first, but now it was just tiring.

"Every child cries, Niklaus. It is a part of growing up. Every one of your siblings cried when they were young, even you." Esther chuckled and her son just scowled, taking a large chunk of wood out of his stick with his knife.

And as if on cue, a high-pitched wail hit both mother and son's ears. Niklaus groaned in frustration and shot a glance at his mother, who clucked her tongue at him in disapproval. She stood up to move into the house once again, but something stopped her. A tiny, pained gasp escaped her lips and caught her son's attention. He was by her side in a second.

"Mother, what is it?" he asked, suddenly terrified as his mother turned pale white.

"It is nothing, Niklaus. I am simply not feeling well, and I will see Ayana about it later. Would you mind…"she coughed harshly "…going to your sister? Please, Niklaus." Esther used the word 'please' the second she was certain she saw tentativeness on her eldest son's face.

"Of course." He assured his mother, helped her sit back down, then made his way into the house. The baby was still crying, even more loudly now, and it did not take long for Niklaus to locate her in his parents' room.

Emma, that was what they called her, was wailing as she flailed around in the crib Ayana had constructed for her. Her face was red from using up her lungs so much, and Niklaus suspected that if she did not stop soon she would pass out. And then his mother would blame him. Sighing with regret, he approached the wooden structure and reached down to carefully remove his youngest sibling from her bed. She still cried as he picked her up and held her just like Mother had shown him. Her blond hair and blue eyes reminded her so much of Rebekah when she was young, but then again, Rebekah had been much quieter than Emma.

"What is wrong with you? Why will you not stop this?" Niklaus asked Emma, knowing full well that she couldn't respond to or possibly even understand his words. However, as he continued to talk to her and bounce her quietly in his arms, Emma's cries slowly died down into hiccups. Soon, the only thing that could be heard in the large cabin was his low voice and her quiet, unintelligible murmurs and occasional giggles.

Niklaus was surprised. None of his other siblings had reacted in this way to him before, not even Elijah, who had been the most restless of them all until Emma came along. All of them had only responded to either their mother or Elijah in such a manner. When he had tried, the problem had only worsened and he had been sent outside to keep himself occupied. He had always despised Elijah for gaining the majority of the love from their younger siblings. Hi father had always praised the younger brother, and Niklaus felt his envy towards Elijah growing every day he saw Rebekah and the others turn away from him. Now, it seemed that he had found the one sibling who had taken a liking to him.

The baby girl gurgled happily and touched his face with one of her small hands. Smiling, he did the same to her, eliciting another gurgle. It felt different to have such this sort of connection with her, when all he had ever felt with the rest of his family was distant love and faint interest. Now, he had someone, who was connected to him as deeply as one could be with another at his age. Their eyes met, blue to blue, and Niklaus smiled brightly.

He had a little sister.

His little sister.