I do not own the Boy/Girl Battle Series.
"With you by my side, Elmer, we can do anything!"
"Annabelle, I never though I'd amount to much, but when I met you, everything changed!"
April 1782
It was raining. And it wasn't like the good kind of rain where it just sprinkles enough that you could smell the petrichor. It wasn't like a summer rain, refreshing those under the hot sun's blaze. It wasn't even like a romantical comedy final kiss scene, where they were drenched as they confessed their love. Not like she'd know what a romantic comedy was. No, it was downpouring rain, with harsh, pelting droplets that had her soaked to the skin. She sniffled, her feet moving quickly as she ran with another person, a man. The fine dress she was wearing was muddy at the bottom and the tears on her face were indistinguishable from the rain.
"Please hurry!" She cried to the other person. They were rapidly approaching a house out in the country part of the town, running down a long gravel road. The man, whom the girl was running with, was a doctor.
They were about five feet from the door when it suddenly opened, revealing a man. The doctor was quickly ushered in and the man wrapped a cloth around the doctor. The girl quickly followed and was also wrapped with a cloth by the man.
"How is she?" the girl asked the man.
"I'm no doctor, Annie. I can only pray that she'll be alright." He said. The girl sighed.
A loud cry could be heard through the farmhouse; a woman's loud anguish in labor.
The girl ran to her mother's bedroom and peered through the door. The woman was panting and sweating. The man had come up behind the girl and lightly pushed her to the side.
"Go to your sister, Annabelle." The girl nodded and spared one more glance at her mother and then moved to go to her room she shared with her younger sister, Beulah.
When Annabelle arrived in the room, Beulah, who couldn't sleep, rose to her feet.
"How is she?" Beulah asked. She seemed to have been fidgeting and the room was surprisingly tidy. Annabelle reasoned that their father, the man that met her at the door, hadn't allowed Beulah to be near their mother just yet and her sister had resorted to cleaning.
"We should let you take a crack at all the rooms." Annabelle joked. She'd just turned ten a couple of months ago and was already a jokester, much to the annoyance of her sister. Beulah, who was 8, rolled her eyes.
"I can't sleep. Mother has been sick for ages and now is the time she's in labor? I'm worried, Annie, really worried." Beulah said. Her fingers were playing with the jewelry at her neck and she was slightly pacing.
"Come here." Annabelle held up her arms and Beulah rushed into them, burying her head in her sister's chest. Annabelle wrapped her arms around her sister and lightly stroked her hair, a calming technique she had picked up from her mother.
The cries of her mother had ceased, and little baby sobs started.
"See, the labor is done." Annabelle said excitedly to her sister. Releasing herself from the hug, Annabelle went to the door. She turned back to face her sister.
"Aren't you coming?" Beulah shook her head.
"I'm too nervous, tell me the gender later." Beulah sat down on her bed.
Annabelle shrugged and smiled, before she exited the room. She slowly creeped up to her mother's room. The door was closed, but the baby was crying loudly so that Annabelle could hear it.
"It's a girl, Mr. Smith." The doctor said. Another girl! Annabelle's eyes lit up. The doctor sounded somber but that had barely registered in Annabelle's ears. Annabelle wanted to go back to Beulah, but decided to wait to hear the name of her new baby sister. Annabelle crouched down, straining her neck to hear better.
"Mr. Smith? What do you want to name her?" The doctor spoke again. Her father's strangled sobs suddenly came to Annabelle's ears. She froze, having never heard her father cry.
"Christianna Smith." That was her mother's name, Annabelle realized. Come to think of it, where was her mother? Why wasn't she speaking? Annabelle got up to reach for the latch and open the door.
There was blood all over the mattress; her father was crying silent sobs and the doctor was holding the newborn girl. But her mother was limp, and her eyes were open. Her chest was not steadily rising and falling.
"Annabelle-" said her father. But it was too late. The ten year old burst into tears, sank to the floor, and sobbed.
5 years later, July 4th
Christianna Smith had decided to follow her older sister, Beulah, when she left to head into town. Little Christia, for that was her nickname, was a bit of a sickly child, and even now, even though she left at a different time than her older sister, Beulah could tell that Christia was following her, based off on the coughs she could hear. Beulah had only hoped that 15-year-old Annabelle wasn't with her youngest sister, for her oldest sister was sure to stop whatever scheme Beulah had made this time. At 13, Beulah was a worrisome troublemaker to Annabelle, causing her great grief at every one of Beulah's pranks. Today, Beulah held a long stick, having seen a wasp's nest nearby the grocers. She smirked as she stopped and glanced over her shoulder, catching Christia following her. The young 5-year smiled sheepishly, having been caught.
"Where are you going?" Christia asked, running up to her sister. After she reached Beulah, Christia broke into a fit of coughing and Beulah crouched down to hold her sister.
"You should go home, Christia." Beulah said softly. The little girl shook her head profusely.
"No-" she coughed. "I want to go-" Christia coughed again before finishing her sentence, "-with you!" Beulah shook her head.
"Fine, but stay close to me." Beulah warned. Christia's eyes lit up and she hugged her sister. Beulah smiled, and now walked with her sister cautiously. Beulah knew if anything happened to Christia, Annabelle would be on her case. She hadn't been the same since five years ago when Annabelle had to take on the role of 'mother' and its been like that since.
They made their way to the grocers, and Beulah spotted Clyde Buckham sitting at the back of the store, quite near the wasp's nest. Beulah smirked mischievously, and placed her sister as far away from the wasps nest as possible but also close enough to keep an eye on her.
"Stay here." Beulah told Christia. The younger girl nodded and sat herself down. Once Beulah was sure that Christia was staying, she crept up with the stick to the wasps nest. Looking back at Christia, Beulah placed one finger over her lips. The five year old giggled and Beulah smirked. Hitting the nest lightly, Beulah realized that she was going to get stung. She moved away ever so slightly and hit the nest harder. She hit it hard enough that it flung right in front of Clyde. The boy jumped up and hollered.
"Dad!!! Elmer!!!"
Beulah had already run away, grabbing Christia and holding her in her arms, taking the both of them home.
Christia giggled once she was placed down in the drawing room. Annabelle, having heard the door open and close, stormed into the room.
"Where have you two been!?" Annabelle practically yelled. "Christia, you should be in bed! And you-" Beulah smirked when her older sister turned to her, but Christianna looked scared.
"Ugh! Where do I even begin, Beulah?" Annabelle cried.
"Hold your horses, no one got hurt." Beulah said, trying to calm Annabelle down.
"Except maybe Clyde." Christia said quietly, but both her sisters had heard her.
"What!? You went to the grocers!? Beulah, haven't I told you!? Stay away from there!" Annabelle shouted.
"Ed Smith!" The always friendly sounding grocer called out from outside, but he wasn't happy sounding now. Annabelle glared at Beulah and left to see what was happening outside.
"Hello Joseph!" The girls' father called back, but taking a single glance at Annabelle, he could tell that something was wrong. "What's up old friend?"
"Hello Miss Annabelle," the grocer said, still trying to maintain a smiling facade. "You wouldn't happen to know where your sister is, would you?" Annabelle sighed.
Her father had come over now, and put two and two together.
"Beulah!!" Ed hollered. Beulah, having hearing her name being called, ran upstairs to her room, quickly telling Christia to not say where she went. The little girl watched her sister run up the steps and turned quickly to where the front door opened.
"Christia, where's your sister?" Mr. Smith asked. Christianna shook her head.
"She told me not to tell you." The little girl spoke, pouting clinging to her voice. Suddenly, the girl broke out into coughs, and Annabelle ran to her sister and picked her up.
"I'm putting you in your room right now. You need rest." Annabelle said. The girl couldn't even protest as she was carried upstairs, coughing the whole way up.
Annabelle opened up the door to their shared room and saw Beulah unsuccessfully trying to hide in the closet. Annabelle glared at her as she placed Christia in her bed, then went and grabbed Beulah by the ear to drag her downstairs.
"Ow! Ow! Annie, that hurts!" Beulah cried out. Annabelle rolled her eyes, not entirely realizing that Beulah used her nickname.
"You need to stop it with these pranks!" Annabelle said as they went down the stairs to the waiting men who were equally furious.
"Annie, you're hurting me!" Beulah cried again. Luckily, they made it to the drawing room and Annabelle had released her sister. Unfortunately, Beulah was now in the middle of the two angry men, and she couldn't back away for she'd run into her furious sister. Beulah smiled sheepishly, waving her right hand slightly. No one returned her gesture.
"Miss Beulah Smith, do you want to explain to me why my youngest son came running into the grocery store screaming his head off covered in wasp bites?" Joseph Buckham asked the girl. Beulah shrugged.
"I've no idea." Beulah said doubtfully.
"Beulah!" Annabelle hissed. Beulah rolled her eyes again.
"If he'd been paying attention, would he have gotten stung?"
Annabelle groaned and walked out of the drawing room to go to the kitchen.
Annabelle sat down on the one chair of the table that was in the kitchen and put her face in her hands. She could hear her sister getting scolded but Annabelle knew that her sister wouldn't stop. Beulah loved to play pranks, they were just too fun to pull on people. Annabelle exhaled and felt tears forming behind her eyes. She got a pounding headache and rubbed her temples with her fingers. Annabelle lay her head down on the small table and buried it within her arms.
After the sound of scolding had subsided, Annabelle heard the creaking of floorboards near the entrance of the kitchen.
"I'm sorry," whispered Beulah.
Annabelle looked up, her eyes red. Beulah rarely apologized, and her heart broke seeing the tears on her older sister's face.
"I'm really sorry," Beulah said with a lump in her throat, moving slowly to her sister as to hug her. "I know how stressed you are, I'm sorry."
Annabelle let her sister hug her and both of the tears fell from their eyes.
Meanwhile, nearby the grocers
"Clyde, just stay laying down." Mr. Buckham said. He had just been at the Smith's place and the young 13 year old girl had gotten on his nerves. His youngest son was covered with wasp stings and it hurt for Clyde to move.
"I hope that Elmer is controlling the grocery well, I'll have to go back soon." Joseph said. "Are you going to be ok, Clyde?" Clyde could only nod to answer.
As Joseph Buckham left the house that his family lived in, he threw a look to the Smith's house where Annabelle and Beulah were outside now, tending to the chickens. Mr. Buckham sighed. He started his walk back to the grocery. He talked with many people on his way there, asking about their days and sharing the misfortune visit from Beulah. The people be talked with agreed sympathetically, also having been pranks by the 13 year old. By the time Joseph made it to the grocery, he felt extremely better.
That is, until, he saw his oldest son, Elmer, asleep on the cashier counter. Joseph Buckham groaned.
"Elmer!" The fifteen year old boy woke up suddenly.
"Oh, hey Dad." Elmer said sheepishly. "Didn't think you were coming back." Mr. Buckham shook his head in annoyance as he walked by the counter.
"Damn lazy boys..."
Hey, so I was reading on Wikipedia about the Hatfields and McCoy's feud bc it was on the Boy/Girl Battle Series Wikipedia and let me tell you, there are some patterns like a McCoy had married a Hatfield, but like it was wild, sooooo yeahhh.