Hazel's POV

June 24, 1915

I looked back reflecting on third grade. Ever since Edward stood up to Mrs. Baudelaire things have been better I mean yes she still doesn't like me and makes it obvious but she doesn't beat me or punish me for things I didn't do anymore.

Nine years old…I couldn't believe it me a nine year old. That sounded about as strange as me saying I was ever going to go overseas one day.

In my short lifetime I had never been outside twenty miles of Chicago and probably never would. That was why mama and papa were lucky…they had been overseas and had gotten to immigrate.

As usual Papa was at work. I think of all of my birthdays he's only been present for one. At least he was there the day I was born.

I walked out of my room and down the hall to Edward's room. Edward just turned fourteen just three days ago and now the only thing he ever talks about is going into war to help England Mama's brother Alexander already had joined and besides Edward wasn't even eighteen yet.

Edward was reading one of his novels while sitting in his bed. His hair was sticking up in spikes from sleeping but it looked like he made it that way. I knocked on his door "come in" he said without looking up.

I sat down beside him on his bed "Good morning Hazel" he said pulling me down onto the bed with him.

"Good morning Edward" I said laughing.

"It's nine today right?" Edward asked.

"What?" I asked.

"Is today your birthday?" Edward repeated.

"You forgot?" I asked.

"No" he said and ruffled my hair.

"What did you do for your ninth birthday?" I asked.

"Well I was trying to teach you how to not be a crazy kid" Edward said and I elbowed him.

"OW! Hazel!" he pretended to cry.

"Eddie!" I said in the same tone and he just laughed.

"Do you want to go eat breakfast?" He asked.

"Sure" I said and he scooped me up in his arms and walked to the kitchen "is this really necessary?" I asked.

"Yes" he said and I rolled my eyes.

"Don't you roll your eyes at me Hayz" he said and I just looked at him.

When we walked into the kitchen Mama was there reading a letter that she had received from her brother, Alexander. Uncle Alexander was fighting in the war in England.

Edward and I sat down at the table and waited until Mama was done just in case she had any news of any sort.

When Mama put the letter on the table Edward asked "How is Uncle Alexander mama?"

"He's fine the war is escalating though. So far now it's a war involving all of Europe. He said he wouldn't be surprised if the whole world got involved eventually" Mama said and Edward raised his eyebrows taking this all in. "Do you want breakfast?" she asked.

"Yes" Edward and I said together.

"Happy Birthday Hazel…you're nine today right?" Mama asked.

"Yes" I said and mama chuckled.

"Next year you'll start learning how to do more household chores."

"Ugh boring" I muttered.

"Hazel" Mama said firmly.

"What?" I asked trying to sound innocent much like Edward did.

I got myself a strawberry and put whipped cream on it as part of the birthday tradition.

"Mama, do you remember when Hazel turned one how she used to lick the whipped cream off of the strawberry and then eat it plain?" Edward asked.

"I did that?" I asked.

"Yes you did" Mama said kissing my forehead and sitting down at the table with Edward and I.

"Nine years sure did go by fast" Edward said.

"I don't remember nine years ago" I said and Edward just laughed while ruffling my hair.

After breakfast Edward and I went for a walk around town. I looked around and tried to picture how forty four years ago our city had been destroyed in the Chicago Fire and it looked almost as if nothing happened.

I looked at my brother who gripped my hand tighter and said "so no more Mrs. Baudelaire huh?

"FINALLY!" I practically shouted.

"Shush and you're going to love Mrs. Newberry she's really nice" Edward said.

"She better be" I muttered.

"Just respect her and she'll respect you" Edward said.

"Who is your teacher this year?" I asked.

"Mr. Collin" Edward answered.

"Is he nice?" I asked.

"I don't know I've never met him before I hope he is though" Edward said.

"Are you excited to be in Secondary School?" I asked.

"Yes, but I'm happy that we'll still be in the same building" Edward said and I smiled at him. He just ruffled my hair.

Later that night I went to bed thinking about how amazing it was to think…I was really nine now I wasn't a little kid anymore I was going to have to start acting like Edward now. Hopefully I wouldn't be all sullen and depressed though (no offense to him).

Edward's POV

July 24, 1915

7:45am

SCREAM! That was the first thing I heard before I was jolted out of my sleep. The screaming continued.

"OH MY GOSH!" I heard my mother scream.

"Did it just tip like that?" my father asked nobody in particular.

I dashed out of my bed and ran to the window. I saw tons of people on the street running towards the Chicago River that was just down the street from our apartment. People were looking out the window and I tried to see what was going on. I figured someone was drowning or something. Then I saw it.

The side of the SS Eastland, a touring ship. I had only been on it once when I was very little, before Hazel was born. The ship was lying on its side it looked broken. People were floating in the river and stuff was falling out. I knew what was going on.

My fourteen year old brain comprehended the situation and I went to go see where my parents were.

"Mama! Papa! Did you see?" I asked and they nodded. Papa was holding mama in his arms mama was shaking.

"Was anyone on there that we knew?" I asked.

"Not that we know of Edward, no" Papa said trying to calm me down.

"When did it happen?" I asked.

"During breakfast, I was sitting here and I heard a bang…a splash and I went to go look out the window and saw it." Mama said.

"Didn't they learn to be more careful with boats after the Titanic?" I asked and mama and papa just shook their heads and looked down in silence.

"OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH!" a woman was screaming and I looked to see a little bit more out the window.

"What's going on?" I heard Hazel's voice in her room and I ran there.

"Edward, what's going on?" Hazel asked when she saw me.

"The ship…the Eastland it flipped over onto its side" I explained.

"WHAT! Was anyone hurt?" Hazel asked me.

"I think so" I said.

Hazel darted out of bed much like me and ran to the window. "OH MY GOSH!" she screamed when she saw what was going on.

"It's OK Hayz" I said pulling her close to me.

"How can you say it's OK? Do you know how many people are on that ship right now probably dying? Can you imagine how horrible that is?" Hazel asked.

"I know Hayz…I know" I said trying to calm her down.

But I could tell Hazel wasn't listening she continued to cry as her tears soaked my shirt and I looked on horrorstruck as the bodies were pulled out of the river, people started clearing out when the doctors and police came. I knew things wouldn't be the same for a while. But more importantly I knew that hundreds of people had just lost someone close to them forever.

Hazel's POV

September 15, 1915

7:25am

Today was the first day of fourth grade. I would get to have a new fresh start with the teacher and hopefully she wouldn't be like Mrs. Baudelaire (though I knew no one could be as insane as Mrs. Baudelaire was).

Edward and I left the apartment to go to our private school. We passed the place where about two months ago the SS Eastland capsized.

I still felt terrible about it. The families who lost people. Over eight hundred people died that day and most were young women and children. I couldn't imagine how I would've felt if I had been there or if Edward had.

Edward walked me to my classroom and I saw my friend Marilynn there. Mrs. Newberry seemed to be happy to see Edward again. Unfortunately the annoying/ mean girls were in my class. Hattie Van Se, Nora Smith, Bessie Abington, and Olive Smith but I decided I would ignore them.

The only bad thing was that Marilynn basically worshiped them and wanted to be part of their clique.

"Hello, will everyone please take their assigned seats. I am Mrs. Newberry and I am going to be your teacher for those of you who are new. My fifth and sixth graders already know each other so why don't we have the fourth graders come up and introduce themselves?" Mrs. Newberry said.

I felt like I was in a flashback of kindergarten because Marilynn went first. This year there were ten fourth graders since some of the kids had transferred to Washington Hills Prep. Hattie went up after Marilynn.

"My name is Hattie Van Se and I am the most darling, sweetest, doll you will ever meet."

"Oh well um, nice to meet you Hattie" Mrs. Newberry bit her lip.

"My name is Be-e-e-esi-e-e-e-e-e" Bessie sang her name much like she did on the first day of school in kindergarten. Mrs. Newberry didn't seem so thrilled with her, Nora, or Olive.

I went last and said "My name is Hazel Masen…"

"Oh are you Edward Masen Jr.'s little sister?" Mrs. Newberry asked and I nodded.

I told her the same thing I told Mrs. Baudelaire on the first day of kindergarten except I added the bit about Aunt Helen and the Titanic.

"Well that was very interesting Hazel and I'm very sorry to hear about your aunt." Mrs. Newberry said.

I decided from that moment that I loved Mrs. Newberry and was going to love having her for the next three years.

During lunch Marilynn came up to me at my desk and we ate together "do you like Mrs. Newberry?" she asked.

"Yes I love her…much better than Mrs. Baudelaire" I said.

Marilynn chuckled "Yes that is true."

"Would you like to come over after school today?" I asked and Marilynn nodded.

So far I think fourth grade was going to be the best year yet.

October 15, 1915

7:30pm

Papa, Edward, and I were listening to the nightly radio broadcast while Mama was knitting a new sweater for winter.

"And now an update on the Battle of Loos" he said and we heard mama drop the needle and run into the room. "The Battle ended yesterday and the victory went to the Germans who had a casualty of about twenty five thousand men. England, suffered about fifty thousand in casualty."

Mama was standing next to the couch with wide eyes and looked about frozen. Papa looked at her and they started speaking French. I knew something must've been bad because they only spoke French when they didn't want Edward and I to understand what they were saying.

"savez-vous ce que cela pourrait signifier, si l'Allemagne gagne?" Mama said.

"Nous devrions essayer de trouver un moyen pour nos familles à immigrer" Papa replied and Mama just sighed.

I looked at Edward who just shrugged as if to say "I have no idea what they're saying."

Later that night I heard Mama praying in her room "please let this war be over before Edward turns eighteen."

I knew why…Edward wanted to fight for England if the war was still going on when he turned eighteen.

I felt like I was beginning to understand things better than I ever would. It was as if there was something that had to do with my age but I think that was it I mean when you got older you became wiser right?

Edward's POV

January 27, 1916

The war is still going on in Europe and now things are tenser in our house than ever. Partly because Mama's brother is fighting. Papa's brother is fighting too. If England is still in the war I think I might want to go back over and fight.

The only thing I could think of was Mama and Hazel. Mama and Hazel. Mama and Hazel. It was like an echo in my head. I couldn't leave them. I couldn't especially Hazel I couldn't leave her. She would need me I couldn't do that to her.

As Papa and I were listening to the radio tonight I couldn't help but think about everything that was happening with the war and stuff. It seemed like it was never going to end.

"Now today Conscription was introduced to Britain leaving anyone who does not want to fight but is in fighting condition not forced to fight. The bill is especially good for those who believe fighting is against their religion such as Quakers and Jehovah's Witnesses." The radio man said.

I looked at Papa who yelled something to my mother in French. "Edward, see now you don't have to fight for England it isn't required" Mama said.

"Mama I'm fourteen years old I don't think the war is still going to be going on for four years." I said.

"Don't be so sure" Papa said and I instantly knew what he meant.

Later that night I went into Hazel's room. "Hello Hayz" I said sitting on her bed.

"Hello Edward" she said.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Reading." Hazel said and I nodded.

"Do you like fourth grade so far?" I asked.

"Yes, you were right I love Mrs. Newberry she is awesome" Hazel said and I smirked before pulling her down on her bed so she was lying right beside me.

"Eddie!" she shrieked.

"What?" I asked pretending to be innocent.

"What?" she asked copying me and I ruffled her hair.

"Hazel" I crooned.

"Can you stay with me tonight?" she asked.

"Sure" I said and I began humming her lullaby and caressed her forehead as she fell asleep.

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