Chapter 1
The breeze blows on by, making the willow trees sway, and gathering dust from the deep roots of the ground. Hannah breathed in deeply, smelling the richness of the soil, the fresh air, and the tangy wildlife. Birds sang around her, calling out to one another in beautiful tones. A dear would come occasionally, nibbling at the stray grass, and then would wander off, to somewhere else unknown.
Hannah looked onto the woods with happiness; the only content she ever truly found was here. Everything seemed to revolve in a world all its own. It was beautiful.
Sometimes, she would come out here when she needed to think. She wondered why things couldn't be this peaceful all the time. Why people had to fight all the time. Why people couldn't learn from there past mistakes. Why you could even repeat the past. And why her parents had to die.
As the sun started to sink lower into the trees, she got up and brushed the dirt off of her grubby jeans. Sighing, she headed back to the path that would lead her home.
She winced as she climbed through the wired fence; she could already see the pinched face Aunt Jackie wore, shaking her head in disapproval at her. When the log cabin came closer into view, Hannah hardened her face, knowing another fight would be coming on .
"Hannah Mellark! You have come home late once again, and I am tired of it young lady! You are old enough to keep track of time now. This is no behavior for a girl like you!" Aunt Jackie bellowed. The tight gray hairs flew around her face and her black eyes burned into Hannah's face, giving the impression of Medusa about to turn her into stone. Hannah looked away and walked right on past, into the cabin. "Oh we are not done, missy!" she called after her.
Her brother Will, who was sitting at the table, smirked at her, and whispered, "You're in for it." He chuckled his little boy laugh, amusement dancing in his eyes.
"Oh shut up," Hannah said, walking past him. She stormed off to her bed, or rather, her and her brother's bed, and sat down. She knew she was going to get yelled at, and knew it wasn't going to be over with until she went out into the kitchen and faced her aunt.
She put her head in her hands and sighed. Deciding to get up, she walked over to the little dingy cracked mirror that was on their wall. The least she could do was scrub the dirt off her face.
Once she finished, she crept as quietly into the supper room and sat down. She looked over at her brother and whispered, "Where is she?"
He pointed to the kitchen, while Hannah took a deep breath, just wanting to get this yelling over with. As Aunt Jackie entered the room, she cringed a little inside.
"Well, look who decided to show up for supper."
I love advice and comments! What would you like to see in this book? This is only part one. Part two will come out shortly.