Chapter 4 "Emily! Come on downstairs!" Sarah called. Emily leapt out of her bed, and down the steps.

"Happy birthday, sweety!" Sarah cried as Emily ran down into her arms.

"Thank you, mommy!"

"So, how old are you today?"

"Seven!!!" Teddy walked out and handed her a box. Emily ripped it open and found a leather single strap bag for her books. "Thank you daddy!" she cried, and jumped up into his arms.

"Your welcome dear."

"Sweety, your mother as another surprise for you," he said. Emily spun on her heels.

"Emmy, we are going to England for a week, just you and me, to see your grandparents," she said. Emily's face lit up, and she said, "Yahoo!!!" Sarah smiled at her daughter, and said, "Go on upstairs, get some things packed up." Emily turned on her heels, and ran up the steps to her room. Then a knock came to the door. Sarah walked over and pulled it open, and found her son standing there, a little unsure.

"Hello, Derek."

"Hi, mom.listen, is Emmy home?" he asked.

"Yes, but she's upstairs right now, packing some things for a trip. Why?"

"Well, can you give her this? Tell her it's from me," he said, handing his mom a box. She nodded, kissed her son's forehead, and watched him turn around and leave. She shut the door, and turned back to the study.

"Who was that?" Teddy asked.

"Derek, with a gift for his sister," she said, setting the box on the table. Emily came down the steps with two bags; one with her clothes, and the other with her books.

"I'm ready, Momma!" Emily saw the box on the desk, and said, "What's that?"

"A gift from Derek.open it," Sarah said. Emily ripped it open, and inside, found a book. On the front, in neat gold letters, were the words, "My Little Sister, Emily Violet, the Nicest Seven Year Old Girl I Know." She turned open the cover, and found a photo of her and Derek, when she was five, and he was six, before he became a newsie. He was holding her on his shoulders, and she was laughing. Emily set down the book and ran out the door, hoping he was still nearby. He wasn't. Emily sadly walked back in, and picked up the book, slid it into her bag, and said, "When do we leave, mom?"

Emily looked up from her mother's shoulder as the carriage arrived at a big white house behind a gate.

"We're here, doll. Come on, let's go on in," she said, helping Emma up, off the carriage, and taking her hand as they walked up to the gate. Sarah pushed it open, and walked up to the house, where an elder lady opened the door, smiling.

"Sarah! Hello! Oh, and little Emily!" she said.

"Hi, grandma!."

"Where's my little Emma?" a voice asked. An elder man came up behind Emily's grandma, smiling.

"Grandpa!" she cried, and hugged him. The elder man pulled them inside, and closed the door behind them.

"Come in, sit down, it's not like your strangers, you know," he said. Emily sat beside her mother on the couch, and her grandparents sat across from them on another couch.

"So, how's Derek? And Teddy?" her grandma asked.

"Teddy is fine.Derek is now a newsboy, for the city. And he got his vision shot off by a marble."

"Which eye?" Grandpa asked.

"His.which one was it, Emma?"

"His left eye."

Emily curled up into a ball on her bed that night, thinking of her brother. Since her mother had still to come in and blow out the candle, Emily reached down and picked up the book Derek had given her. She read the inscription, and a tear slid down her cheek. It read: My dear sister, Emily, although you may still be mad at me since that day last year, I hope you know how I feel.I feel so blessed that you are my sister, and no one elses. You are the most special thing in my life, and I hope you never get hurt, or feel that I should. I love you. ~Derek. She smiled, and sighed.

"Oh, Derek. I love you too," she whispered. She turned the page, and began to read the story Derek had written her the year before.

Emily opened her eyes the next morning and smiled. She took a whiff of the air, and sprinted out to the kitchen, where her mother was making breakfast.

"Hiya, Mommy!"

"Hey, there, doll."

"Whatcha makin?" she asked.

"Pancakes, just for you," she said, smiling. Emily giggled as her mother set down the plate in front of her daughter, handed her the fork, and gave her a glass of water.

"Thank you, momma."

"Your welcome, sweety," she said, sitting down from her daughter with a glass of coffee.

"Hey, momma?"

"Yes, Emma?"

"Later today, can we go downtown and get some things to make a bag for the book Derek gave me?"

"Sure, sweetheart.but you think we can do it tomorrow? Today, we're going sightseeing with Grandma and Grandpa."

"Alright, momma," Emily said, smiling.