Chapter 185: Tree Hill Hall
Monday, January 16th, Late Morning
Last week, if that were a bore, this week at Tree Hill Hall would be worse. Brett looked out her bedroom window. Jamlyn had a weight room and a gym; she could pass the time there. Tree Hill Hall had neither of these; it's tucked away in the woods. Typically, the peace and quiet is welcome, but once you're trapped there it's a prison.
One thing Momma Chase set down for the ground rules of her restrictions was Brett couldn't go out of sight of Tree Hill Hall. So, she was stuck here and to the outbuildings. Here her usual run now consisted of sixteen laps around the compound of Tree Hill Hall and its pair of small outbuildings.
After a sigh, Brett walked out of her room. Framed pictures covered the walls in the hallway. Brett looked at the framed picture closest to her room. It was a large frame filled with multiple images, which Momma Chase and Daddy Huck populated with photos of all the kids.
Brett could see herself clearly in every photo she appeared. She had bright ginger hair like her dad, while her siblings by her dad had their mom's brunette hair. It seemed like a history of Brett and her siblings. She nodded; there was a lot of basketball.
Finally, she shook her head and went downstairs. Walking down the downstairs hallway, she came to the playroom. Standing in the door, she could see the four Burke siblings were playing. Brett noted the difference, these four would be off doing their own thing, but they were closer than the Scott siblings.
"Brett?" Paige "PJ" Burke asked, looking up from what she's doing. She's the oldest of the Burke siblings.
"PJ," Brett said.
"Would you play with me?" PJ asked.
"What are you playing?" Brett asked.
"I don't know," PJ said, "What would you like play?"
"What do we have?" Brett asked.
"Board games, maybe something like Candyland or Sorry?" PJ asked, knowing that Brett was restricted, and Momma Chase didn't want her kids to be heavy on the internet.
"Would everyone else like to play?" Brett asked.
"I don't know," PJ said, and turned to the next youngest, Keelan "Key" Burke, "Key, would you play a game with Brett and me?"
Key looked up from her book. "What are you playing?" she asked.
"I don't know, one of the board games," PJ said.
"Which game?" Key asked.
"Candyland, sorry, I don't know, what do you feel like playing?" PJ asked.
Key shrugged and got up. She walked over to the game's cupboard. Soon, Key was going through several of the boxes of games.
"Can I play?" the youngest Burke Girl, Bridget "BB" Burke, asked.
"I don't know," PJ said.
"PJ!" BB said.
"PJ, BB can play as well," Brett said.
"Okay," PJ said.
"BB, why don't you help Key pick out a game," Brett said.
"Okay, Brett," BB said and ran over to where Key was looking for a game.
Brett shrugged and walked into the room. Taking a seat near where PJ was doing was going. Brett made sure she settled into the chair right. Shaking her head, she must look foolish, sitting on such a small chair. Brett sort of half shrugged, not as silly as her dad probably does when he sits in one.
Colin "Col" Burke, the baby of their dad's family, and the only boy came over to them. Being only six, he's the same age as the twin boys on Brett's Mom's side. Col's also the same age as his cousin Ellis Scott, his aunt's son, on his mom's side. He climbed up into Brett's lap and looked at her with a smile. Col had a funny smile, as he's missing one of his front teeth.
"Do you want to play too, Col?" Brett asked.
Col nodded, "I would like too," he said.
"Well, let's see what they bring back," Brett said.
"If I can't play," Col asked.
"You can help me," Brett said.
Col nodded and smiled. Brett looked up to see Key and BB returned to the table. They carried a box over and placed it on the table. Brett looked down at the game and nodded.
"Only four people can play this game," Brett said.
"I know," BB said.
Col frowned a bit. Brett nodded to him, "I guess you're on my team, Col," she said.
The little boy nodded and smiled his missing tooth smile. Brett adjusted Col on her lap. The three girls took their place along the edge of the table; Key unpacked the game and set it up.
Slowly they started to play the board game. Brett smiled; she enjoyed spending time with all her siblings, especially her sisters. Both her mom and step-mom had sisters, but they had different relationships with their sisters. Her Mom and Aunt Savannah didn't get along at all and hardly talked. Momma Chase and her three sisters were very close and were always together. Brett's sisters were different from each other. Maeghan, her mom's daughter, is the same age as BB, but only had brothers, other than Brett, so when Brett stayed there, she wanted to spend time with Brett. Brett's other three sisters had each other, so Brett was just another, but older, member of the group. Also, the Burke girls tended to livelier.
"Hey, that's not fair!" BB said, looking across the table at PJ.
"It's the rules, BB," PJ said.
"But why me?" BB asked.
"You were closer to where I have to be," PJ said.
Brett shook her head, "Whose move is it?" she asked.
"It's mine," Key said.
"Well, let's go," PJ said.
Brett laughed. Key took her turn; Brett nodded as BB took her turn. Once BB finished, Brett looked down to Col.
"Our turn, Col," Brett said.
Col reached over and took their turn. Brett watched as Col played the game for their team. Brett nodded and looked at the board; they weren't doing well in the game. Brett nodded and then smirked; it didn't matter.
The game kept going, and finally, Brett looked up to the playroom door. Momma Chase stood there watching, with a smile on her face.
"Hello, Momma Chase," Brett said.
Four smaller heads popped up and looked at the door. There was a solid stream of greetings Chase replied, patiently to each. Slowly, she walked into the playroom, coming to rest over the table and looked over the game.
"Who's winning?" Chase asked.
"PJ, Momma," BB said.
Chase nodded, "I'm surprised," she said and looked at Col, "Are you watching, Col?"
Col shook his head, "No, I'm playing with Brett," he said.
"Oh, really?" Chase asked.
Col nodded, "Yes," he said.
"They wanted me to play a game with them," Brett said.
Chase nodded, "It's okay," she said, "I was just checking because Y'all were so quiet."
"That's why?" Brett asked.
"Yes, and I'm going to leave you to it," Chase said, and left the playroom, and the game kept going on.