Edward's POV

June 24, 1911

Today Hazel turned five years old…wow. I was amazed at how big my baby sister was getting. In September she would be starting kindergarten and I would be starting fifth grade!

I took Hazel for a walk to the small lake at the edge of town. We found a tire swing and I put her on it. She laughed as I swung her around in it.

"Stop!" she cried out still laughing.

"Never" I said and Hazel kicked me. "OW!" I pretended to cry and she jumped off.

"Eddie are you OK…I'm sorry." She said thinking I was hurt.

"Just kidding" I said and picked her up.

"Hey!" she said trying to get free since I was holding her upside down.

"Can you believe you're going to go to school next year?" I asked sitting down and putting her in my lap.

"Yes" Hazel said.

"I remember when you were about two years old and I had to go to school and you were saying to mama that school was for big girls and now you're one of them." I said.

"Do you remember the day I was born?" Hazel asked.

"Yeah…as a matter of fact I was your age when it happened."

"My age?"

"Yeah isn't that funny." I said and Hazel smirked.

"I dunno." She said shrugging and I tickled her as she laughed again.

August 30, 1911

Today was two weeks before the first day of school and Mum made us go to the School Uniform shop to get new uniforms for us.

Hazel wasn't too amused and neither was I but at least I had done this before. Mama made sure that I was holding Hazel's hand at all times because of what happened last time considering we were in the general area of what happened although I'm about 100% positive Hazel doesn't remember.

As mama opened the door one of the workers was there and said "Hello can I help you?"

"Yes, I need boy's uniforms for my ten year old son and girl's uniforms for my five year old daughter." Mama said.

"OK right this way, we just got a new selection."

After Mama got stuff for me she turned her attention to Hazel who didn't seem amused with the idea of wearing a blouse and skirt with knee high socks.

"Why can I not wear the same clothes as Edward?" She asked.

"Because you are a girl and he is a boy you need to wear nice clothes." Mama said.

"But nice clothes are boring." Hazel said "and you can't play in them."

"But little girls don't play they do nice stuff." Mama tried to explain.

Hazel just scowled but said nothing. "We'd like to take these please." Mama said after getting up the cash register. After she paid we went home to eat lunch.

"Where's Papa?" I asked.

"At work" Mama sighed.

"What else is new" I muttered.

While Mama was making lunch Hazel and I practiced her writing which was really getting good for a five year old.

After eating our sandwiches and drinking milk. Hazel and I climbed one of the trees near the lake as she tried to enjoy what she called "her last days of freedom" before she went off to school.

I guess she was right in that sense because if you really think about it once school started we couldn't really do this stuff anymore. I actually liked school because I got to see my friends and now that Hazel would be going too it would be awesome.

Hazel's POV

September 13, 1911 6:55am

I woke up early…it was the first day of kindergarten! I couldn't believe I was finally going to school just like Edward. Although the idea seemed boring mama assured me it would be fun.

I just hope I don't end up like a loser or something and Edward said if anyone gave me a hard time he would "shove their teeth down their throat." That seemed to relax me until we reached the classroom where kindergarten, first and second grade met.

I froze as I was absolutely terrified…I didn't exactly know why but I just was.

"Come on Hayz…it'll be fun." Edward tried to coax me.

I just stood there and shook my head "No!"

"Why not?" Edward asked.

"What if I get murdered?" I asked.

Edward got a real serious look on his face "Hazel…we've been through this before no one is going to murder you…you've been listening to the radio too much."

I just sighed and walked into the classroom and looked back at my brother who smiled at me before walking off to his class.

My teacher rapped a stick on the black board. "Everyone, take their seats!" she bellowed at the class and I timidly went to sit in the back.

"OK everyone Listen up! I am your teacher, Mrs. Baudelaire and that is what you may call me. You may call me that or ma'am or Madame, anything else?" Mrs. Baudelaire waited a second and them shouted "You respond 'yes ma'am' does everyone understand!"

"Yes ma'am" we all answered like robots.

OK I need our thirteen kindergarteners to come up and stand in a straight line in the front to introduce themselves OK?" Mrs. Baudelaire said.

"Yes Ma'am" we all answered again.

As everyone lined up I went to the back of the line not wanting to draw attention to myself. A girl walked up first she had curly blonde hair and blue eyes. Her hair was in bows and she had a dress on with long stockings…similar to my uniform except it was a dress.

"My name is Marilynn Haywire; I was born on January 21, 1906. My mama's name is Ethel and my papa's name is Henry I also have a little sister named Gertrude who is two and a half." Marilynn seemed really confident "oh and I prefer to be called Mary instead of Marilynn" she added.

"Why thank you Marilynn who is next?" Mrs. Baudelaire asked.

A boy with jet black hair and was really short walked up. He said his name was Roy and he had a brother named Richard who was in second grade. After Roy a boy named Frank walked up and he said he had a brother named Rod and a sister named Ana who were both younger than him.

Then another girl with curly blonde hair and blue eyes with all sorts of ribbons in her hair and a pink dress walked up and said "my name is Hattie…Hattie Van Se and I am the sweetest little baby girl anyone can ever meet. I am darling and delicious and my mommy says I'm very special. I am an only child but my mama says that I'm enough because I'm the bestest sweetest girl ever."

"Well I'm sure you are Hattie…thank you." Mrs. Baudelaire said and called the next person to come up.

"My name is Bessie !" Bessie sang her name. "Bessie Abington and I am also a sweet and amazing little girl. Hattie is my best friend and we are both amazing together!" Bessie said and I was just as disgusted with her speech as I was with Hattie's.

"Well thank you Bessie!" Mrs. Baudelaire said singing Bessie's name as well. Two twin girls walked up together "well aren't you darling" Mrs. Baudelaire said and the girls smiled.

"My name is Nora Smith" Nora Smith said.

"My name is Olive Smith" Olive Smith said.

"We are twins…we are the brightest blessing in everyone's life…that's what our mamamy says and our friends too." The girls said and then they were done.

"Beautiful I look forward to spending the year with two bright blessings." Mrs. Baudelaire said.

Next several boys went up; Harold, Willie, Henry, George, and John. After that Mrs. Baudelaire said "Alright and now we have our final friend."

I gulped before walking up in front of the class "M-m-my name is H-Hazel Masen" I stammered and bit my nails. "I have an older brother named Edward who is in fifth grade. My parents immigrated from England twelve years ago and two years before my brother was born. "I said.

"That wasn't very interesting." Mrs. Baudelaire commented and I just went back to my seat.

The day went by a little while longer and during our lunchtime Mrs. Baudelaire was sitting at her desk when the girl named Marilynn walked over to me.

"Hi" she said cheerfully.

"Hi" I said quietly looking down.

"I'm Marilynn." Marilynn said.

"Hazel" I muttered and she shook my hand.

"Mrs. Baudelaire isn't being very nice to you."

I just shrugged

"She seems like a brat anyway." Marilynn said and I smiled.

"Thanks Marilynn" I said and she just smiled back.

"So do you live in the city?" she asked and I nodded.

"Do you?"

Marilynn nodded this time "so you have on older brother?" she asked.

"Yeah." I said.

"I've always wanted an older brother." Marilynn said and I just shrugged.

At 3:00pm Edward came to collect me from my classroom.

"Goodbye Marilynn" I called and she called back 'goodbye Hazel.'

Edward looked at me "so you weren't murdered and made a new friend?" he asked sounding impressed. I timidly nodded as he picked me up and effortlessly swung me onto his back piggyback style.

I rode like that the rest of the way back to our apartment and mama was already sitting in the kitchen waiting for us. "How was it?" she asked.

"Great" Edward said.

"Double Great." I said and Edward ruffled my hair, chuckling.

Mama handed us each an apple to eat for snack and Edward did stuff he called "homework." He said it was something that teachers gave you for home.

"So how's your teacher?" Edward asked me later that night as we were preparing to go to sleep.

Typically on school nights I either slept with him in his room or he slept with me in my room. Tonight we were in my room.

"She's a brat." I said

"How so?" Edward asked.

"She is only nice to the mean girls." I told him.

"What mean girls?" Edward asked sounding alarmed.

"These girls who think that they're 'the world's sweetest, bestest, brightest blessing'" I said and Edward widened his eyes and raised his eyebrows.

"Wow…really? Are they bothering you?" He turned his tone back to being concerned.

"No…but they probably will sometime soon." I said and Edward put his head back on his pillow.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because girls like that they always find a way to pick on someone at least once." I said.

"Where'd you hear that?" Edward asked.

"Mama" I said.

"It figures" Edward said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"It's nothing…just go to sleep Hayz OK?" Edward said and took me in his arms before singing my lullaby.

January 8, 1912

It's been several months since I started kindergarten and aside from having Mrs. Baudelaire and the mean girls in my class things have worked out well.

Marilynn Haywire quickly became my new best friend, it seemed that she shared some of the same views on life as I did.

On that Monday morning things weren't much different we had our arithmetic lesson, and then English, then we had our art period before lunch break.

During lunch Marilynn and I sat together (as we always did) and Marilynn said to me "would you like to come over to my house after school?"

I thought for a second…I had never hung out with someone before…but I wanted to. Edward had hung out with his friend William lots of times.

"Sure, I would love to. I just have to ask Edward first." I said and Marilynn shrugged.

"OK we can tell my mama when she comes to collect me." She said

"OK" I said.

At two fifty eight pm Edward came to collect me from the classroom and I said to him "Can I go over to play at Marilynn's?"

I could see my brother get a tense look on my face I knew he didn't want to leave me alone. Finally he said "OK but why don't we go home and you can tell mama then I'll walk you over there."

I nodded and said "that sounds good."

Edward smiled at me and I went to go tell Marilynn and she said that it was good. She gave me her address.

As Edward and I walked home we talked about our day and he said he was happy that I had made a friend.

When we walked into the door of our apartment Mama was in her usual spot waiting for us. "Hello Hazel, Edward how was school?"

"Good, Hazel" Edward gestured to me.

"Mama Marilynn asked me if I wanted to come over and play may I?" I asked.

"I don't see why not" Mama said.

"Thank you mama" I said.

"I'll take her over there." Edward said.

"Thank you Edward and goodbye Hazel, have fun."

As Edward and I walked towards the Haywire's house we were quiet but of course he still wouldn't let go of my hand afraid that I would wander off much like what I did when I was two.

He thought that I didn't remember it but it was quite the opposite. I could remember it slightly but not the whole full story like Edward.

Edward knocked with the door knocked thing that was on the front door of the Haywire's house. Marilynn's mother answered the door.

"Why hello there, you must be Hazel"

I nodded and she chuckled "are you her brother?" she asked Edward.

"Yes Ma'am" he said politely.

After Mrs. Haywire called Marilynn Edward said goodbye to me and left.

April 13, 1912

Today Marilynn and I were having our first sleepover. Marilynn's mother was going out with her father and baby sister so Marilynn was allowed to stay over at a friend's house.

She came over at around 7pm and had brought over several of her dolls. I didn't really enjoy playing with dolls but she liked it so I just pretended I did.

Later that night as we were in my bedroom both sleeping on the hard wooden floor she said to me "Hazel?"

"What." I said.

"Um well you know Edward?"

"Yeah…" I said suspiciously.

"Well I mean I like him…like really like him."

"Can you please repeat?" I said kind of creeped out.

"I like your brother." Marilynn said.

Great so now my best friend had a thing for my older brother…just great. Maybe the whole idea just creeped me out because he was my brother.

"I like locomotives" I said hoping to change the subject and Marilynn chuckled.

We went to sleep shortly after that.

April 15, 1912

8:00am

It was Monday morning after the sleepover with Marilynn when I woke up and turned on our radio

"And now a tragic story…the RMS Titanic sunk last night after it hit an uh…ice berg was it? Survivors are being held on a separate boat but many are believed to be dead." I heard the radio man say.

My mother went still for a second and then her eyes went wide before she fell to the floor.

"Mama?" I asked.

"Oh my gosh!" was all she said.

I heard Edward running down the hallway. "Mama! Mama! Did you hear?"

Mama nodded and Edward asked "were Aunt Helen and Cousin Michael…" Mama nodded too and Edward's reaction was similar to Mama's.

I had no idea what was going on when suddenly I remembered. Several weeks ago Mama was telling us that her sister, our Aunt Helen and her son Michael were coming to America from England. They were going to be staying with us until they found a home and work.

Mama had told us that they would be taking the RMS Titanic to New York and I suddenly understood why my mother was so upset at that moment.