Elsie Sullivan smoothed back her hair, looking at her reflection in the dirty mirror. After considering it satisfactory she nodded and turned towards the door.
"Wait!" a couple of small voices cried
Elsie smiled and turned to see the twins running towards her, she knelt down and enveloped them in a hug "Cassidy, Leon" she said cheerfully
Cassidy looked up at her older sister with a sad expression. "Elsie, your not going without saying goodbye are you?" she wailed
Elsie shook her head "Of course not, I wouldn't go without saying goodbye to everyone" she ruffled her sisters hair
Leon shoved a crude picture he was holding in her face. It was a stick figure standing next to a house in crayon with Leon's name in the corner, at the bottom of the page it said 'To Elsie'
Elsie gasped 'Did you draw this, Leon?"
The shy boy nodded
"It's so good your a real artist" She said kissing his head, Leon giggled.
Elsie turned to see her mother enter, holding baby William in her arms. Her greying hair was tied back in a plaid bandana and her grey eyes looked tired. Her rabbit ears were drooped down and her dark skin was wrinkled, Kiara was glaring behind her leg.
Elsie stood to meet her, taking the baby from her arms and bouncing him up and down. The toddler laughed joyfully.
Elsie's mother sighed 'Honey, are you sure this is that you want?" she asked for the hundredth time
"Yes Mama, I'm sure" Elsie assured her
"I just want to make sure" Her mother said
William took ahold of his sisters finger, Elsie smiled into his orange eyes, smoothing back his hair "I'm sure' She said
Her mother sighed, taking back the smiling toddler. "Well I guess I can't stop you, you sure have your fathers stubbornness" she chuckled softly to herself
Elsie leaned down, meeting Kiara's eyes who continued to hide behind her mothers dress. "You gonna miss me, Kiara?" She asked
Kiara stuck out her tongue then ducked behind her mothers skirt again, Elsie chuckled and straightened. "Well, time for me to go" she said grabbing her saxophone case.
Her mother reached out to her "Honey wait, at least do me one last favour" she pleaded
Elsie raised an eyebrow as her mother walked across the room, grabbing the gun off the wall the only unbroken thing in the house. "At least take your fathers rifle" she said
Elsie took the gun, it was long and the scope still functioned. The only keepsake their father left for them before he..
"Thank you Mama, I will" Elsie smiled, strapping the gun to her back. She kissed her mothers cheek and hugged her tightly, pinching little Williams cheek.
She leaned down to address her siblings "Be good for your Mama okay and don't get into much trouble" The twins nodded, she hugged them both kissing their heads. However Kiara never moved from her spot.
Elsie straightened, taking one more look at her family and the run-down house she had grown up in and turned to leave.
"Don't go!" A voice cried out, Elsie looked down to see Kiara glued to her leg, her face buried in her knee.
Elsie turned, catching her sister in a hug "Oh Kiara, I have to go, I have to make money for you guys" she said soothingly
Kiara looked up, her eyes swimming with tears "But, but I can make money, I can get a job delivering papers or shining shoes, or, or" she cried deperately
"But your needed here" Elsie stated, interrupting the ten year olds rant "Your the oldest in the house now so you have to take care of the others. The twins are only six and William is only three and Mama can'ty do everything so we're both helping her, can you be a big girl and do that for me?" she smiled warmly
Kiara nodded, wiping her tears. Suddenly her eyes lit up "Oh, hang on" she said. She ran into the kitchen, then came running back with a handful of raspberry cookies, shoving them at her sister "Here, in case you get hungry" she said
Elsie smiled wider "Did you bake these, they look so good but I have nothing to hold them in" she said
Her mother unwraveled the faded bandana for her hair, handing it to her eldest daughter. Elsie took it, wrapping the cookies and tying it at the top. Then she placed them along with Leon's picture in her saxophone case. She hugged Kiara one more time before straighting up
She enveloped her family in a group hug "Bye, I love you all" She said. She opened the door and left.
It was raining by the time she made it to the station and she sighed in relief under the hooded roof. She quickly bought a ticket and sat down, squeezing the water from her beret. As she did, another figure caught her eye and she turned to see a girl with a lion tail buying a ticket. The girl sat down a few benches from her. She looked kinda sad
But if Elsie offered her some of her cookies, maybe she'd cheer up.