Title: Learning to Write
Rosalie was in her room listening to some music when she heard someone grunting from downstairs. She turned down the music to hear better, it sound like someone was very aggravated. She looked outside; no one's cars were in the driveway so she was still the only one with Emmett. She went down stairs slowly to see Emmett at the dining room table with a book in front of him.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
Emmett looked up startled as he fell from his chair. "N-nothing. I was just reading this book." He said stumbling over his words. Rosalie quirked an eyebrow, she had never seen a vampire act so weird.
"Why where you making groaning noises? Is it that bad of a book?" Rosalie asked looking at the cover. "Brave New World, I like this book." She mentioned, "Such a great plot, I just hope the world will never get to this point. Many people hate this book because the future is so bleak according to it. Carlisle and Esme got it for me when they went to France; it was just coming out when they went over."
"No, it is a fine book."
"Then why do you seem so frustrated with this book? If you don't like it you can say so. I have plenty more you can choose from."
Emmett looked away from her, "I don't know how to read it." Emmett whispered.
"That's alright I didn't know how to read French when they first gave me the book either."
"No, that's not what I meant. We had to stay home and work. My father said kids were only good to work on the farm. During the winter months we were busy with the cattle and everything else. My family said that we could learn to read when we were older."
"So you never knew how to read?" Rosalie looked appalled.
"I knew you would say that. I knew you guys would look down on me. You guys are all so smart I can't even tell what one word says unless if it says grain or corn or something else on a package. I barely know my alphabet." He whined.
"No I don't look down on you but reading is important."
"I wanted to learn when I was working with the cattle. I found a book when I was younger but I had no one to teach me. When I came here and found that you all knew how to read I wanted to try and teach myself so that you guys wouldn't find out. You guys are all so smart. Edward and Carlisle go to work and you read all the time. Esme can read huge books in no time and she used to work as well. You can fix cars. I felt stupid not even knowing how to read."
"What did you plan on doing when you were older if you didn't go to school?"
"I was going to help out on the family farm for the rest of my life or join the military once my family was back on their feet. You don't need a high school diploma for that! My dad said that diplomas are for rich people who have too much time on their hands."
Rosalie smiled, "Here let me show you but first let's get a book that is in English." She said as she started to go up the stairs.
Emmett's smile widened at that, "You mean it? You will show me how to read."
Rosalie stopped on the stairs, "Of course."
"My mom was going to teach me but then…some things came up."
"I have no problem teaching you how to read."
"Can you also teach me how to write? I mean like really write? I know how to write my name, somewhat, but I want to be able to write sentences."
"I thought you wrote a letter for your family."
"He showed that to you?" Emmett asked.
"No, I didn't get to read it but Edward told me he was going out to give a letter from you to your family."
"I asked him to write it. I looked it over but I didn't know what he wrote. So can you teach me?"
"Of course. It will give me something to do while home." Rosalie smiled as she turned around and sat down at the table grabbing a notebook and pencil that happened to be around. "Esme can teach you too, she used to be a school teacher."
"Can we keep this between us two?" Emmett whispered as if someone was home.
"Sure. We will start with writing. Do you know your alphabet?"
"Uhm, a,b,c…d, e" he stopped.
"Well once I tell you I am sure you will remember. The greatest thing about being us is you have a great photographic memory." Rosalie then spoke out the whole alphabet as she wrote down each letter.
"Wow, that seems easier than I remember." He said as he grabbed the pencil and gently wrote the alphabet. "I did it!" He said excitedly. "I am going to write it again!"
Rosalie nodded as she stared at the side profile of Emmett. He was so excited to do something she knew how to do way back before she even joined this family. "Now that you know the alphabet writing should be next. Writing out the word is easy, you just sound it out." She said, "Such as the word can. Just pronounce it and then you know c-a-n." she said to him.
"Can, c-a-n!" he repeated excitedly. "Soooo", he looked around, "Book is spelled, b-o-k"
Rosalie laughed, "Actually there is an extra o, just something they threw in there to mess you up." She said as he thought it over.
"So it is b-o-o-k."
Rosalie nodded, "You are a fast learner. Let me go get a book in English and then I can show you more words."
"Oh please teach me to spell everything around this room first!" Emmett was enjoying being able spell everything out.
The whole time that everyone else was out, they spent it spelling everything in the house.
Edward and Esme were the first two to come home before the sun came up, they were about to open the door when they saw a piece of paper taped to the door that read "Door." The letters were in somewhat blocky letters as if a kindergartener just spelled them out.
"What do you think this means?" Edward asked Esme as he ripped the paper down.
"I am afraid to ask." Esme whispered as the two opened the door. They looked around at everything with a piece of paper taped to it; each had the name of whatever the object was. "Oh my." Esme whispered.
They then heard Rosalie and Emmett in the kitchen, "Refrigerator." Rosalie had just whispered.
"What do you think refrigerator is a keyword for?" Edward said jokingly.
Esme gave him a glare as the two walked into the kitchen to find both Rosalie and Emmett lying on their stomachs on the floor. Emmett had a pencil in his hands as he started to write an r on the paper.
"Oh hey guys." Emmett laughed, "What brings you here?" he asked.
"We live here." Esme whispered looking around the kitchen. "What happened?"
"Better question is should we ask?" Edward said folding his arms.
Without thinking Emmett spoke, "I was learning how to spell and then we thought it would be fun to write it down and put them on the objects so that we know which one we already did." Emmett told them as if it were obvious.
"Perhaps you should take them down before Carlisle gets home." Esme said going over to the still new coffee pot and ripping off the paper that was on it.
"How would he hate this? I am learning!" Emmett asked then they heard the door open.
"Too late." Edward whispered as everyone went quiet.
"What is this?" Carlisle asked from the other room, "Something tells me that I already know who the culprits are."
"I was learning to spell." Emmett said happily.
"You don't know how to spell?" Carlisle asked walking into the room still looking around at the bits of paper; he didn't realize how many knickknacks they had.
"No but now I know how to write."
"Well, now I expect all of these paper's to be cleaned up by tomorrow." He said as he walked up the stairs not wanting to see the papers anymore. They heard his bedroom door open and then he yelled down the stairs, "Emmett"
"Ooops." Emmett whispered.
"What did you do?" Rosalie asked confused.
"I may have gone a little crazy when you went out to get more paper and used the last bit here to label everything in Carlisle's room."
"May have?" Rosalie questioned.
"Get up here and clean this up now." Carlisle yelled, "I told you guys a million times, this room is only for me and Esme, no one else is allowed in it."
"Sorry Carlisle." Emmett said getting up and running upstairs.
"I didn't have any say in this." Rosalie said to the two others still standing there.
"You should have stayed home and watched him, not go out and buy paper." Carlisle said through the floor.
"I did my part- no human came around. I don't have to baby sit; I just have to make sure no human comes around." Rosalie sneered.
The then heard Carlisle say, "And Emmett, mirror is spelled m-i-r-r-o-r not m-e-r-e-r."
"Really?"
Esme sighed, "Just stay home with him next time."
"Fine." Rosalie said sneering, it wasn't like he killed anyone.
(Small History Lesson!) "Brave New World" is a novel written in 1931 by Aldous Huxley. It was first put out in France. It is about the future and how human nature to always build something better has destroyed us all. It shows that humans make it so that we no longer have to think and are told what to do and they call this a perfect society. This is actually one of my boyfriends and my favorite books. Although as far as futuristic (or any) books are concerned my all time favorite book is "Fahrenheit 451" written by Ray Bradbury! It is about a society where books aren't allowed and if you are caught reading a book then the book is burned and you are hunted and killed on the spot. These types of books are amazing to read because as you read, you realize that our society is slowly turning into these societies. I love books about human nature! Guess that's why I found psychology so interesting…it always fascinates me.
(Bigger History Lesson!) School was not a big deal back then. Where now almost everyone graduates high school, in the early 1900's you were lucky to graduate seventh grade (which was the highest grade). In the 1920's, they finally started to break classes up with walls and different teachers. It was still considered unneeded by many parents with a farm. Many considered children to be used only as people to work on their land especially with the end of slavery. If they really needed money, they would take their child out of school (which was fine) or never allow their child to go to school to begin with in order to have the kid either work on the farm or go to work for someone else in their town. The child labor law was set out but it didn't stop parents from taking there children out of school to work for a neighbor in which they would pay under the table or the child worked in their own fields. The kids would work from a young age and unfortunately the parents would never teach the kid how to read or write. It wasn't until a law was set making kids go to school until they were 18 that child labor was stopped. Also back then you never went to school for longer than 7th grade unless if your family was really really rich. That's why I would assume Rosalie would know how to read from the start due to her family being rich. You can assume that either Edward's family was rich and he learned or Carlisle taught him. Esme probably knew before she was changed seeing as how she was older and the older people would start to learn different words.
(A little extra as to how I know this!) The kids who never got to go to school would end up joining the military which was a big thing back then, definitely because Pearl Harbor got bombed in 1941. As soon as you joined the military, you were considered a hero for America. My grandfather who was raised in the 40's and 50's never graduated high school. He left school to help out around the house for his family. Then he went off to join the navy at age 17 (I think that was the age) then he became a truck driver. To this day he still doesn't have a high school diploma. And at the food pantry that I volunteer at, I have met a few people who are in their eighties and don't know how to read- I have to read the form and fill it out for them.
Well, I just wrote a ton about the history and I have the two becoming closer and closer! It will still take them a long time to really declare their love but I love when dating goes slow! I believe in dating as slow as possible. I don't believe in love at first sight.
Anyways, PLEASE REVIEW! And let me know what you think! I hope you guys are staying warm wherever you are! I know there is snow all over the place and it is cold where I am…anyways till next time keep being awesome!
