Found in Time Chapter Three

So I've finally decided to release the full first seven chapters of my NaNoWriMo novel, Found in Time. I've written more than these chapters and will eventually finish, but since I do intend to have this novel published someday I don't think it would be a good idea to release the thing in its entirety.

Also, please keep in mind when you're reading that I wrote these chapters very fast. There is guaranteed to be a lot of mistakes or areas in desperate need of revision. There are many parts I don't like. It's kind of difficult to go ahead and put these chapters with them having so much wrong with them, but I still really want to do it. Please leave comments telling me what you like, or if there's anything confusing. Please also keep in mind that the first seven chapters are Part One of the story. Part Two will explain a good portion of background not comprehensively explained in Part One. This may be why it feels as if some things are not properly described. Still, speak up if something seems as if it's completely out there. You might be the one to catch something I've overlooked.

So, without further ado, here's the third chapter of Found in Time!

Ella couldn’t stand to go into the kitchen. George, Jane, and Hazel had been able to fix everything back to the way it had been before. Now every time Ella simply passed by it, the heads of anyone close by turned to watch her. They were all afraid just her presence in there would make something terrible happen. It’s why Ella avoided it at all costs. Hazel had even silently helped by taking her dishes to wash for her.

George and Jane had given her a long lecture last night. They were upset that she refused to apologize, but there was nothing for Ella to apologize for. At the same time, she had no way to prove it was Leo, so she stayed quiet until the two were finished and had left. Unfortunately, Henry would never let Ella get away with anything so easily. He had decided George and Jane’s punishment wasn’t severe enough, so he announced that Ella was not allowed to celebrate her birthday properly when Edwin, Clara, Peter, and Sadie returned. Her grandparents actually fought for her then, yet Henry was unmovable.

It didn’t surprise Ella. She would have been more surprised if Henry hadn’t done anything, but it still hurt her a lot. Ella was done crying though. This was how things got every once and a while. Negative events would pile up on each other, Ella would cry, and life eventually became more positive again. The events this time around just happened to be much worse than they normally were. Ella hoped it meant that greater positive things would be coming.

Still recovering from yesterday’s chaos, Ella was keeping to herself. Jimmy was fuming more than she was, and simmered quietly as he watched her finish the snow family. Ella had taken out a lot of her aggression on Leo and Alma’s snowmen. The two figures were reduced to flakes by the time she finished. Leo and Alma themselves avoided her. Ella naïvely dreamed that it was because they felt guilty about what they had done.

She had built their figures again, though this time they were on the ends at opposite sides. Ella looked down the line. There was still one more to do, but Ella didn’t want to make Henry’s. Although she had reprimanded Jimmy before for saying that Henry should die, Ella secretly dreamed of the day when the family would no longer include him. She felt like a terrible person, and felt that it was those bad thoughts of hers that made Henry so cruel towards her. They kept coming though.

In fact, Ella had been all too excited to learn that Henry and George were making a sudden business trip. They would be gone for at least a week, maybe more. Ever since her family had moved to the forest and became its guardian, they had stopped believing in any sort of god. However, Ella couldn’t help but to think this was a small birthday present for her from some unknown being. It would make more sense to call it luck or coincidence, but the idea that someone was quietly helping her out was a more appealing idea.

“If you don’t want to make his snowmen, then don’t.” Jimmy called to her.

Ella hadn’t realized she had been standing still for so long. Leave it to Jimmy to perfectly know her thoughts. For a brief second, she decided not to make Henry’s snowman. Jimmy was right. If she was doing this for fun, why force herself to do something she didn’t want to? Ella turned away from the snow family fully resolved.

Until that resolve disintegrated. Henry and George hadn’t left yet. What if Henry came out for some reason, and saw that his wasn’t there? Ella knew he wouldn’t care about her snowmen, but he would use any excuse to appear insulted. If something like that occurred, Ella would get lectured or even punished again. Such a situation probably wasn’t going to happen. However, it scared Ella enough to change her mind. She turned back around and began her work.

“I’m just making a normal snowman. It’s not going to be him. It’s just in case anyone bothers to ask why there is one less.” Ella explained to Jimmy.

He said nothing back in return. He didn’t fully believe her, and Ella understood. She really was making a normal snowman though. She had no plan to make it look like her great-grandfather, and Jimmy didn’t have to make eyes for it. It took her a while to build simply because she had already all the snow in the area. Ella only left enough to keep the grass from showing.

Ella stepped back for the last time. She felt proud of herself. Proud that she managed to finish, and proud that she had gone ahead and made the not Henry snowman. Ella figured it wouldn’t be too long before they melted, or Leo and Alma decided to knock them down, but either of those was alright with her. She accomplished what she wanted. Her family was together.

Just as she was about to head back to the house, Ella caught something in the corner of her eye. It had been by the forest, so she feared it was Shadow. Ella realized how ridiculous she was being. Shadow’s fog had disappeared the previous night, and it had retreated deep into the forest. Besides, what she had seen was a flash of blue light. That was not the work of Shadow. Ella stared in the direction where the flash had come from. There was nothing there now.

“Hey Jimmy, did you see that blue light coming from the forest?” Ella asked.

“Blue light? I didn’t see it, nor do I know anything that would create it.” Jimmy replied.

“Couldn’t it be Light?”

“Hmm….it’s not impossible, but I don’t see why Light would do something so trivial.”

“Aren’t there strange creatures in the forest though that are different from the animals elsewhere?” Ella pondered.

“That’s just the thing though― they’re animals. Some members of the normal species that reside here have been changed by the forces, but they possess no powers of their own.” Jimmy explained.

“I wonder what it really was then.” Ella said.

“Are you sure it wasn’t simply a trick of the sunlight?” Jimmy suggested.

“Maybe…” Ella trailed off, genuinely puzzled.

“Ella!” Hattie called for her from inside, “Break time is over! Henry and George are also leaving, so come say goodbye before we resume lessons!”

“I’m coming!” Ella answered, her thoughts about the light quickly leaving.

Honestly, she would rather they left without her having to say goodbye. Not so much her grandfather, but wishing Henry a good trip was always an awkward affair. Ella rushed inside, cleaned the snow off her boots, and met the rest of the others at the front door. Henry and George were all dressed up and ready to go. George had just finished hugging Alma goodbye. When he spotted her, her gave Ella a warm hug.

“Have a good trip grandfather.” Ella told him as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“I will. Try to make sure the house is still here when we return.” he joked.

Ella wasn’t very amused, but let it slide and smiled slightly. She did this mostly because she spotted guilt in George’s eyes. He was still feeling bad about Henry’s punishment for her.

“I’ll do my best.” Ella played along.

George quickly kissed her forehead and stood back up.

“Keep safe the both of you.” Jane instructed.

George nodded, and Henry made some sort of similar motion. He had not hugged anyone nor said goodbye to them. There had only been two times Ella remembered where Henry had made any sort of physical contact with them. It had been when he held Alma when she was born, and then his recent attempt to hold Sadie. George had once told her Henry had been much kinder when his wife, Elsie, was alive. He explained that Henry had been a slightly sterner version of Edwin.

It seemed impossible to Ella. She knew Henry was George’s father, but she absolutely could not imagine Henry holding, hugging, or kissing him when he was little. All she saw was the near heartless man who thought himself like a powerful king. Ella actually wanted to believe what her grandfather said, but Henry’s actions never allowed any possibility for that happening.

“We’ll be off then.” George announced.

He and Henry transported away. Normally they would transport close to where their destination was, but this time they had to meet another man in Gale who would be taking them on a train. It was why they were to be gone for so long.

Even though it had only been seconds since Henry left, Ella already felt unburdened. There were so many things she could do and say that she couldn’t get away with if he was there. It was also a bit strange, because now with Henry, George, Edwin, Clara, Peter, and Sadie gone, the house felt very empty. So many people had never been gone at the same time before.

They all broke up to go their separate way. Charlie, Ella, Leo, and Alma followed Hattie back into the dining room where they had their lessons. Kenneth and Hazel were going to do a routine check in the forest, and Jane began to plan lunch. Ella found that she could concentrate better on her lessons now that she felt more relieved. With a bit more effort, Ella could possibly even forget about the horrible way her birthday went.

Ella sat in the parlor, the scratching of her quill against paper echoing throughout the quiet house. Night had fallen and dinner had long since passed. The others were retired in their rooms. Ella, on the other hand, was tired of being in her room. It was why she moved her work down by the large fireplace in the parlor. She had finished the sheet music for the violin part of her song, and now worked on the piano accompaniment. Although not nearly as skilled with the ivory keys, Ella enjoyed playing them as well. She wrote the notes with Hazel in mind. Her older sister was the only other person in the house able to perform at the level of complexity she was composing.

Her plan was to have everything finished and practiced by the time her parents and Peter arrived home. The moments where everyone sat and listened to her music were the best ones. Ella hoped someday more people could hear her play. Mr. Cunningham often hinted at the idea. He spoke about how female musicians were a bit unorthodox, but gender would make no difference when they heard her.

It wasn’t clear to Ella if Mr. Cunningham said such things because he really believed them, or if he was boosting her confidence. If the latter was his goal, he was accomplishing it very well. Ella might not be the prodigy musician he talked her up to be, but Ella did not deny she had talent. It was his enthusiasm for her composing that shocked her. Ella did it because it was fun and easy. All she had to do was write the notes appearing in her mind onto paper.

She got so consumed by it that the late hour was lost on her. Jimmy lay on the table, sleeping. Even if his body was not the same as a real frog, he could enter a sort of trance that would lessen the amount of power he had to use to keep working. It was a close enough state to sleeping, so that was what they called it. Ella felt a bit bad for him. His mood had been poor all day because of yesterday’s events, and since Ella spent most of the day on her music they hadn’t talked a lot. They would have to do something fun tomorrow.

Ella returned her quill to the ink well, and let out a long breath. She sunk back into the couch, and weariness descended quickly. Ella held her hand out. Not only were her fingertips stained with ink, but her hand didn’t uncurl because she had held her quill so long. Another loud exhale escaped her lips without notice. Ella’s hand dropped to rest on the cushion.

About to close her eyes, her attention was instead drawn outside. Another blue flash of light had just occurred, this one being brighter than the last. Ella’s head whipped to look out the window. She expected to see nothing. However, her whole body froze when she realized there was something there.

A figure was standing still in the distance right at the edge of the forest. It was made of the same blue light of the flash. Ella thought it was humanoid, but whether it was a man or woman was impossible to discern. A glow of the same blue light surrounded the figure, and made her question if it really did have the shape of a person. In any case, it clearly wasn’t human.

Ella didn’t blink. She thought if she did the figure would go away. However, even as she stood up and pressed up against the window, the figure remained. Her mouth opened in silent shock. The figure had slowly raised its arm towards her. It wanted her to come to it. Ella’s heart beat furiously against her chest.

“Jimmy.” Ella said in no more than a whisper.

“Jimmy!” she said much louder.

Ella rushed away from the window to grab him. The poor frog was jolted awake, and was terribly confused as Ella nearly smashed him against the window in her haste.

“Wha?! What is it?!” he asked in confusion.

“Look! Look at what’s outsi―” Ella’s words fell quiet.

“What am I supposed to be seeing?” Jimmy questioned curiously, his tone not pleased.

In the mere seconds it took her to grab Jimmy, the figure had disappeared. Ella searched for it furiously, but it was nowhere to be found. However, she was not giving up. She held onto Jimmy tightly as she ran out of the nearest door without bothering to grab a coat. Night’s chill had no effect on her as she scanned the forest perimeter again.

“Ella, what are you doing? Take us back inside, or at least grab a coat! It’s freezing out here….for you anyway!” Jimmy demanded.

“Remember the blue flash I saw earlier? I saw it again, but something was different this time. There was a blue figure made of the light. It stood by the forest and motioned for me to come.” Ella explained, completely ignoring him.

“A figure made of blue light? There’s nothing in the forest that would make such a thing. Maybe you fell asleep without realizing, were dreaming, and are now awake thinking it is real?” Jimmy proposed.

“I know for sure it was not part of a dream. There’s no way.” Ella rejected the idea instantly.

She began to move forward through the snow.

“We are not going out there, Ella! Let’s just supposed this figure was there, it doesn’t mean you actually have to go over it!” Jimmy said forcefully, desperate to convince her.

Ella continued to ignore him, and began to run. She was sure if she could get into the forest the figure would reappear. It was beyond her what it was or why it wanted her to follow, but Ella’s curiosity was so great she was willing to ignore the danger.

“Stop! Shadow is strongest at night! We could be attacked if we get any closer!” Jimmy warned with no luck.

Ella ran, and ran fast. The cold air burned in her lungs and stung her face. The only light she had to see by emanated from the house. Clouds blocked the stars and moon. As she got farther and farther away, the world in front of her grew dark as the ink on her hands. Ella stumbled and slipped a couple times, but kept going.

Jimmy finally created an orb of light that floated in front of them. Since she rarely ever got close to the forest, Ella didn’t comprehend how far away it was. Her throat was dry, her feet were frozen, and her heart beat as if it was going to burst. Finally her pace slowed down, and she slowly jogged until she reached the edge of the wood.

Even with most of the trees leafless, the forest was dense. Sounds like whispers echoed out from its depths, and the branches danced as the wind brushed past them. The very air took away the last of her breath― its taste both sweet and bitter. Pinpricks of white light flittering about like butterflies broke through the darkness.

As Ella stared at the otherworldly sight in front of her, she fell into a reverie. Her eyes glazed, and she no longer was cold. An unheard voice in the wind beckoned her forward. Ella obeyed willingly. She took her very first steps alone into the woods. Subtle movements amongst the darkness escaped her notice.

“Ella, this is very bad. Turn around now. Shadow is here, and it’s watching us.” Jimmy whispered.

Ella did not answer. However, now she was not ignoring him. In her trance, she couldn’t hear his voice. Jimmy panicked quietly. His body went transparent as he tried to transport Ella away with him, but he lacked the amount of power necessary. The only options available to him to stop Ella would end up hurting her. Even if he went back to the house alone to get help, something was sure to attack the second he left.

“Ella, please!” Jimmy pleaded.

There was no change. Jimmy suddenly increased the power of the light orb hoping to scare Shadow away. It was still weak from its fight. If he put up a strong front it might flee. Unfortunately, his effort had the opposite effect. An aura of anger arose from the hiding darkness. There was a pause― the deep breath before the attack. Jimmy tensed as Ella walked forward unknowingly.

Then the chaos came.

Rays of absolute darkness shout out from the shadows. Jimmy’s orb of light shattered like glass as the darkness wrapped around to consume them. Ella was knocked back by the raw power, and finally snapped out of her daze. A mighty wind pressed her motionless to the ground. Ella wanted to scream, but the world had gone silent. Shadow devoured everything.

Jimmy fought the wind to jump to the middle of the sphere of Shadow around them. It was quickly growing smaller. A force field of bright light erupted out from him and pushed back against their cage. Shadow began to break. The forest could be seen through gaps, but the darkness was persistent. Jimmy’s field already began to weaken and fail. Ella cowered and covered her head with her arms.

Jimmy’s resistance broke. Thin spears of Shadow smashed past his failed shield and through Ella’s body. Her mouth opened, but even her cry caused by the burning pain she felt couldn’t ring out against Shadow’s overwhelming power. Her vision dimmed. Another spear shot into her upper arm. Ella writhed in sheer agony, but Shadow pinned her in place. She caught Jimmy trying another Light shield out of the corner of her. It cracked and broke before he could surround even himself. Their prison grew even smaller. Ella closed her eyes and anticipated the worst.

That’s when hope broke through. Now strong spikes of Light pierced the wall. The silent world vanished as the gusts of wind roared, and Shadow started to retreat. The spears holding Ella vanished, as did her pain. Ella lifted her head to find Charlie standing nearby. Bolts of Light appeared in his hands, and he tossed them at the darkness with a vengeance. Jimmy renewed his efforts with the force field.

Shadow broke and withdrew. The wind vanished, and the world around them appeared as if nothing had happened. Ella sat on the ground in a stupor. There were no lasting marks from where Shadow pierced her, but she still trembled with absolute terror. Somehow she managed to look towards Charlie, but he had already rushed towards her. He choked her with his tight embrace, but quickly let go and shook her.

“What are you doing out here?!” his voice cracked with worry and panic, “You almost got yourself killed! What on earth possessed you to come into the forest like this?! Ella?!”

“I-I’m sorry.” Ella stammered.

She quivered strongly, and was scared beyond the point of tears. Charlie sighed loudly and shook his head. He took her in his embrace again, and rocked her gently to calm her down. Ella rested against him. Honestly, she could remember nothing after she entered the forest until the attack woke her up. That she blacked out like that scared her almost as much at the attack itself did.

“I have to apologize. I tried to stop her from coming out her, but she refused to listen.” Jimmy said.

“I’ll ask again, what are you two doing out here in the first place? You know you’re not allowed to go into the forest, Ella. At least not without one of us with you.” Charlie question.

“She said she saw a figure of blue light standing by the forest beckoning her to come here.” Jimmy explained when it became apparent Ella didn’t have the strength to answer.

“A mysterious figure made of blue light telling her to come into the dangerous, deadly forest.” Charlie said to himself, in awe at the absurdity of it.

He ran his hand through his hair and sighed once more. It was clear what to do next was unknown to him. After a moment of consideration, he lifted Ella’s chin up to make her look at him.

“I can see you’ve learned your lesson, and you’ve gotten more than your fair shares of punishments recently. I’m going to be the nicest brother in the world to you right now. We’re going to go back to the house, get into bed, and never speak of this fun incident. I won’t tell anyone else. You just need to promise that this little running after strange blue lights in the middle of the night alone thing won’t happen again. Alright?” Charlie said.

“Promise.” Ella agreed weakly.

Charlie had to pull Ella up to get her on her feet. She held onto his arm for support as they walked out of the forest and towards the house. The whispers returned to her head, but Ella dare not turn back. Charlie and Jimmy didn’t believe her about the figure. It existed for sure though. However, now Ella understood its intentions might not be as innocent as she naïvely believed.

“How did you know where we had gone to?” Jimmy broke the silence.

“I sensed Shadow’s disturbance. If my ability to feel such things wasn’t so keen, I wouldn’t have noticed it at all. That’s why no one else showed up. You two were lucky. The part of Shadow that attacked you was very weak.” Charlie paused, “I guess it helps the rest of us in a way too. We knew some violent remnants of Shadow were hanging around, but we couldn’t find it. Now it’s all been taken care of.”

“So maybe you should actually be thanking us.” Jimmy joked.

“Not a chance.” Charlie laughed.

Ella couldn’t laugh, but her heart was lightened. The farther away from the forest and the closer to the house they got, the more she calmed down. Even more strange was that the event almost felt like it was a dream now. She loosened her death-grip on Charlie’s arm. He instead put his arm around her shoulders. They were all glad when they entered the house, and Ella realized for the first time how cold she was.

“Alright, now remember, you promised. Go collect your things, and head up to bed.” Charlie instructed.

“I will. Good night, Charlie.” Ella’s smile finally broke through as she gave Charlie one last hug.

“Good night to you too.” he responded, hugging her back.

With a smile and a wink, he left Ella to grab her sheet music and left for his room. Ella silently gathered up her things. The journey up to her room snatched away the last bit of her energy. She dumped her load on her desk, and lazily changed into her nightclothes. Jimmy did his normal routine of warming the fire before hopping onto Ella’s pillow next to her.

However, Ella wasn’t falling asleep as easily as she expected. With her eyes closed and the silence in the room, save for the gentle crackling of the fire, her heart beat with fear once more. Knowing she was safe, Ella ignored her alarm. She lay there completely still for ten minutes. The fear didn’t go away. Ella expected that any second Shadow would come from nowhere to hurt her. The fact that she had never been scared of the dark when she was little was something Ella was proud of. Now she was terrified to sleep because of it.

“Jimmy?” Ella whispered, praying he was awake.

Almost instantly, a small orb light appeared and hovered above the bed. Ella watched it sparkle and pulse, and was comforted.

“Thanks.” she whispered appreciatively.

Relieved, Ella closed her eyes without fear. She could see the light shining even with her eyelids shut. In her head, Ella heard the lullaby her mother her mother used to hum to her every night.

Her consciousness slipped, and sleep whisked her away.

Ella dipped her quill into the ink well, and dragged it in the shape of an X on the sixteenth day of her calendar. It was the morning of the seventeenth, and the day when her parents, Peter, and Sadie would return home.

True to his word, Charlie had not mentioned what happened in the forest to anyone else. Likewise, going back there never crossed Ella’s thoughts. There had also been no flashes of blue light or the blue figure itself. Even though the figure lured her into a dangerous situation, she still wanted the chance to meet it. However, Ella was smart enough to know not to mention that desire. Charlie and Jimmy would only get upset with her if she did.

Ella put down the quill and finished getting dressed. Today was going to be a busy one. Besides Edwin, Clara, Peter, and Sadie’s return, the family was also making a trip to Gale. She hoped she would meet the other children she had played with what seemed like an eternity ago. The family’s last trips to Gale had been on weekdays as well, so Ella hadn’t seen them. It was a Saturday now, so her chances were better.

She pulled her hair back with the pretty hair ribbon she had bought on the previous trip. Ella also wondered about Henry and George. The two were due back any day now. Their trip lasted a lot longer than anyone expected, but it was alright with Ella. Things had been positively wonderful with Henry gone. There had been no more trouble for Ella, and Leo and Alma had treated her better. They even promised not to knock over her snowmen, and had built a snow house for the snowmen to live in. Of course, because of the warmer weather the snowmen and the house were nothing but stubs now.

A bit of green was poking through the white, and Ella could feel the world coming alive. It made Ella absolutely giddy. There was something about the coming of spring that made her want to run, jump, and laugh all at the same time. For the moment, she kept herself composed as she went downstairs. Kenneth had announced he received a telepathic thought from Edwin telling that the group would arrive back any minute.

Since they were to appear in the parlor, Ella stood between Jane and Hazel as they all waited nearby. Her parents, Peter, and she might have separated on bad terms, but Ella was ready to have them back and make everything right. Her palms sweated a bit in the anticipation. She hurriedly wiped them against her dress.

No sooner had she done that then the familiar gust of wind swept through the room, and Edwin, Clara, Peter, and Sadie were standing in front of them. They looked out of place dressed in much lighter clothes, and had relaxed smiles on their faces. Everyone rushed forward to greet them. Ella and Alma practically dove for Clara, and they hugged her waist in unison. The two of them gave slight glares towards each other, but were too happy to start fighting though.

Clara laughed and hugged them both as best she could with Sadie still in her arms. They had only been gone for two weeks, but Sadie was already so much bigger. The room was crazy for the next couple minutes. Ella eventually got around to hugging her father and Peter, and everyone’s voices overlapped as they asked how things went and how things had been. Ella was pleased to see no one was mentioning anything about the mishap with the cakes and fire.

A few more minutes passed, and the conversation eventually calmed down. Ella wanted to hear more about what her parents and Peter did. Then Edwin reminded them of the trip to Gale. He said the four of them were going to hang back to rest, and the rest of them should go ahead and leave.

Agreeing it was a good idea, the large group broke up. Edwin, Clara with Sadie, and Peter made their way upstairs. Ella and the other children gathered around Kenneth to receive their spending money. Everyone except Alma was given seven dollars; she was given the normal five. This was because Alma’s birthday was coming up on the twenty-third. The extra money was for them to purchase a gift, or to purchase something to make a gift with.

Ella glanced at the money sadly. Because of everything that had happened on her birthday, and in accordance with Henry’s punishment, Ella hadn’t gotten a single present for herself. It wasn’t that she was so obsessed with getting more material goods, because she had plenty of those, but it was the sentiment she missed. It made her feel like no one had given her a second thought.

She didn’t have much time to feel down. Ella had just pocketed the money when Kenneth and Hattie reached for her hands. Ella took them, and within seconds they were outside the first fence. The familiar walk down the path passed quickly.

Ella went off on her own like normal. She noticed that Charlie watched her as she went. Ever since the night in the forest, he had naturally been more protective. Ella paused to see if he was going to follow. He seemed to consider the idea, but chose to go his own way. Ella continued on hers.

Her plan was to buy Alma’s present right away, and have Jimmy take it to the house to hide it. Ella had once bought what she wanted first, and then waited to the last second to try and find anything. Hazel was kind enough to give her leftover money. However, Ella still had a hard time finding something she could afford. The present she ended up buying was pitiful. Luckily, it was Peter she was buying it present for. He had accepted it with genuine appreciation.

Ella had been four-years-old at the time, so her carelessness was easily forgiven. Since then, Ella made sure she took her time picking out birthday gifts. It was something she enjoyed. Ella felt good spending her money on other people, and it was always a fun experience to see their expressions when they opened the gift.

Unfortunately, Ella had a hard time picking out anything for Alma. Her tastes were constantly changing, and she was definitely the most materialistic out of their family. She wouldn’t accept anything cheap. Ella would have brought more money along if she didn’t know better than to spoil her sister. Besides, even though Alma had been acting nicer lately, Ella wasn’t about to forget all the trouble she put her through.

Gale was much more alive today. As usual, Ella wasn’t heeded too much. The adults passing by were in better mood though. They were more likely to give her a smile. Ella walked past the main street of stores, and when she reached the end, she turned around. Not sure where to begin, Ella finally entered the large general store. It had a section devoted to toys so it was her best bet for finding something.

Ella wandered through the shelves. Unfortunately, it was harder than she thought to find something Alma would want. Alma loved dolls, yet she had plenty already. Ella had half a mind to find her sister, and simply ask her what she wanted. Since she was probably going to spend most, if not all, of her money on the present, Ella needed to be sure it was something Alma actually desired.

With her mind made up, Ella was about to quietly ask Jimmy to sense where Alma had gone to. She cried out in surprise when hands from someone behind her darted over her eyes and blinded her.

“Remember me?” the girl’s voice asked playfully.

It was one of the girls whom she had played snowball with. Ella thought back hard. It had been well over a month since then. While Ella remembered the other children’s names, it was harder to remember which voice belonged to whom.

“Uhh…” Ella said pathetically.

“I’ll give you a hint. My obnoxious brother is standing next to me.” the girl added.

“Hey!” Sam protested.

“You’re Dorothy!” Ella guessed correctly, even though the hint made it too easy.

Dorothy released Ella, who then turned around to face the twins. It certainly was a surprise to see the two of them. Now that they were standing next to each other, Ella got to see how similar they really looked. They had the same auburn hair, hazel eyes, and basic facial structure. Ella was sure if they swapped clothes they could easily pass for the other.

“So, you’re making another visit. What brings you here?” Sam asked, ignoring his sister’s previous jest.

“It is just a visit, although at the moment I’m looking for a present for my younger sister. Her fifth birthday is coming up soon.” Ella explained.

“What are you getting her?” Dorothy asked.

“I don’t know. She already has a lot of dolls and toys. I want to get her something unique, but I can’t figure out what it should be.” Ella answered.

“Let us help you out then.” Dorothy offered.

“No thank you. I don’t want to pick out a girl’s present. I want to meet Walter like we’re supposed to be doing.” Sam protested.

“I told you I didn’t want to meet with Walter and play your boy games in the first place. Why don’t you go play with him like you want, and I’ll shop with Ella instead?” Dorothy decided.

“Sounds perfect.” Sam agreed quickly, and wasted no time leaving.

“My brother Leo would get along with him well. He’s just as short-tempered.” Ella said after the store door closed behind Sam.

“My brother is normally pretty nice. He just got in trouble with our parents before we left, so he’s in a bad mood.” Dorothy explained.

“I can understand that.”

“So this present…” Dorothy got them back on topic.

She began to walk around the shelves. Ella followed. Dorothy obviously had a better knowledge than she did of the stores, what was in them, and where to find what one wanted. She began to pull off things and hold them up for approval. Ella would have never picked half the things Dorothy suggested, but she saw the ingenuity behind the items as potential presents. Unfortunately, while Ella would have liked to receive many of the choices as a gift, she knew none of them were right for Alma. Dorothy wasn’t dissuaded though.

“You said you wanted unique, right?” she asked. Ella nodded.

“Your sister might not like it, but I want to show you something I’ve always wanted.” Dorothy said.

“Alright.” Ella agreed.

Dorothy led her out of the general store, and across the street to a store Ella had never been in before. She could instantly tell the objects here were of a much higher quality. There were many interesting objects to look at, but Dorothy pulled her forward until they reached the back of the store.

“What about this? It’s really beautiful.” she pointed towards a small object.

Ella stepped forward to see what she was pointing at. It turned out to be a music box. Ella gently ran her finger over it in amazement. The stained glass music box was made out of various shades of stunning blue. A butterfly design graced the front, and the rest of the box was decorated with flower shapes and shining crystals. Silver lining held it all together.

“Go ahead and play it.” Dorothy urged.

Ella tenderly took off the lid and turned the dial. As she replaced the top, a sweet song began to play. It was as calming as a lullaby, but as a cheerful as a warm spring day. Ella could have sworn she heard a voice singing along with the melody. Neither of the girls spoke as they were entranced by the ethereal beauty of the music. Ella instantly rewound the dial when it stopped.

“I can see you like it. You think your sister will?” Dorothy asked.

“I don’t think it’s something that she knows she wants, but I definitely think she’ll like it. Alma has always loved soft, pretty music like this.” Ella said.

“That’s good, although…” Dorothy was a little unsure now, “I showed you this, but I should have checked to make sure you had enough money to buy it first. It costs six dollars, so it’s really expensive. That’s why it has been in the store for so long.”

“I have seven dollars to spend, so it’s just perfect.” Ella answered with a smile.

“You’re given seven whole dollars to spend on whatever you want?” Dorothy asked in amazement.

“Normally it’s only five. The extra two are so we can have enough for a gift.”

“Even so, that’s a lot of money! Your family really is super rich.”

“I suppose so. I never really feel like we’re that much richer than a normal family. I know our house is big, but we don’t buy too much new stuff that often. I buy a book or three when I come here, occasionally some candy or a toy, but then I save the rest.” Ella told her.

“I’m still impressed. Say, what would you think about adopting me?” Dorothy joked. Ella laughed. If only she knew what she would be getting herself into.

“I don’t think you’d like it. I have two siblings who have made it their life goal to prank me whenever they can, and you would be amazed to see how stern my great-grandfather is. He is quite awful sometimes.” Ella said.

It was strange to talk so openly poor about Henry. Maybe it was because she finally knew someone outside of her situation who she could tell these things to without fear of repercussion. Ella did panic for a second though. She quickly looked around to make sure Henry wasn’t around. Then she remembered he wasn’t home, and felt silly.

“I don’t think he can be as bad as my grandmother. I’ve never even seen her smile.” Dorothy said.

“I’ve only seen great-grandfather do something close to smiling once. It was the scariest thing I’ve seen in my life.” Ella explained. Dorothy found this funny and laughed.

“I would imagine so. If I saw grandmother smile or laugh, I would think I was dreaming or she had gone crazy.”

“Imagine what it would be like if we got the two of them together. Do you think they would get along with their common bitterness, or would they think they were too good to associate with the other and feel animosity towards them? Honestly, knowing great-grandfather, it would be the latter.” Ella supposed.

“I have to agree that it would be the latter.” Dorothy nodded.

Ella nodded as well, and decided she and Dorothy should stop standing about. Ella carefully picked up the music box, and went to the counter to pay for it. Dorothy was amazed once more when she saw Ella pull out the money and easily hand it away. Honestly, Ella was hoping she would have a bit more left over. The opportunity couldn’t be passed up though. Since she was so excited about the gift, Alma had to love it just as much. Hopefully the store would get another similar item. That way Ella could have one for herself.

The store clerk padded the music box into another box. The outside box was beautifully decorated as well. Ella wouldn’t even have to worry about wrapping it. She took the package with great care, and she and Dorothy left the store.

“What were you planning on doing next?” Dorothy asked.

“I didn’t have anything in mind, but why don’t we go and take a look at some candy? I’ve still got a whole dollar left.” Ella said with a wide smile.

The same smile appeared on Dorothy’s face, and the two of them cheerfully hurried to the store with the best candy.

Ella sat up after reaching under her bed. She had just hidden the gift. Alma had never tried to find her presents before, but Ella liked to make sure it wasn’t left in a tempting spot. Quickly jumping up, she went to the second floor. When she and the others arrived back, Peter had told her he wanted to talk.

It definitely had to be about their fight. Ella hoped Peter was as willing to make up as she was, and wasn’t about to reprimand her further. She really didn’t want him to think her selfish. Fearing that to be the case, Ella hesitantly poked her head into Peter’s open door. He was taking a wooden box off of his desk. Peter spotted her as he turned around.

“Come and join me.” he welcomed cheerfully.

He sat down on his bed with the box in his lap. Ella walked inside and sat across from him. She was very surprised when he placed the box into her hands.

“I’m sorry it’s not wrapped very nice, but I don’t think the outside will affect what you think about what’s inside.” Peter said. It was unexpected how excited he was.

“What is this for?” Ella asked in confusion. Peter stared at her curiously.

“It’s your birthday present, of course! I thought the idea up, and mother and father helped pay for it. It’s from all three of us to you.” he explained.

Ella ran her finger over the wood. It really was a shock that they had remembered to get her a present while they were gone. She assumed they would have been too busy. The desire to open her gift was overwhelming, but she knew she couldn’t. Instead she handed it back to a very confused Peter.

“Thank you, but I can’t take it.” Ella said sadly.

“What? Why not? Are you that angry with us?” Peter asked, clearly hurt.

“No! It’s not that. Actually, great-grandfather has forbidden me from celebrating my birthday in any way. That includes receiving presents.” Ella clarified.

“He would do something that awful because of the simple argument we were having? That’s ridiculous!” Peter exclaimed in disbelief.

“No.” Ella corrected him again, “Something else…..happened while you were away.”

“What was that?”

“I’d tell you, but I don’t think you’d believe me.” Ella hesitated.

“Try me.” Peter responded confidently.

Ella still paused. It was her preference for Peter or her parents not to know the situation at all. Things had been working out well since no one had chosen to say anything. However, Ella knew it was a matter of time before Henry spilled the information. Ella took a deep breath. It was better for her to say it than for it to come from him.

“Shadow was acting badly the day before and the day of my birthday. Everyone was busy dealing with the situation, and when it was finally under control, the others were too exhausted to celebrate my birthday. I was fine with that. I understood perfectly well. However, I did want to try and do something special.”

Ella took another breath and pause. Peter waited patiently.

“I made some velvet cakes. When they were done, I took them out to cool, and Jimmy calmed the fire down. We went outside to build some snowmen. Unfortunately, the counters and cabinets around the range had caught on fire from a dangerous fire inside the range.”

“What caused it?” Peter asked.

“That’s the problem. There was no way for the fire to have started from the way Jimmy and I left the range. The interesting thing is that the cakes had also been placed back into the oven, and the fire had been stirred up. The others accused me of being careless, but I knew it wasn’t my fault. Someone had moved the cakes and stoked the fire on purpose. I’m pretty sure it was Leo, but I don’t have any proof. Grandfather sent me to my room, and he and nana lectured me afterwards. Great-grandfather felt that wasn’t a harsh enough punishment, so that’s when he decided I wasn’t allowed to celebrate my birthday.”

Ella quieted as she finished. She watched Peter process all the information. He opened his mouth a couple times, but quickly closed it. Ella wanted to be patient, but she had to know what her brother thought.

“So, do you believe me or don’t you?” she prodded.

“I…believe that you didn’t cause the fire. You’ve got your troublesome moments, but you’re not a liar. You shouldn’t have been blamed so quickly.” Peter started.

“But?”

“…..but, as you yourself pointed out, there’s nothing to prove that Leo was the culprit. I’ll support that you didn’t do it, but I can’t go ahead and pin the blame on him.”

“Well, that’s more than I was expecting.” Ella said in surprise.

“And so, I’m going to give this back to you.” Peter went on.

He handed her the box again, and spoke over her as she protested.

“Great-grandfather will probably take it away if we call it a birthday present, so we won’t call it that. It will be a making up present instead.”

“A making up present?”

“For you hopefully forgiving me for being so unfair to you. I called you selfish for not considering my feelings, and yet I was a hypocrite for I didn’t even consider your feelings for a second. I pushed you aside so easily like some of the others do. I won’t do it again, so take this as my apology.” Peter said.

“I―” Ella started, but Peter interrupted her again.

“Please go ahead and open it. I want to see what you think.” he urged.

Ella stared at him, and then the box. Ever so slowly, she lifted off the lid and pulled the decorative paper aside. Set delicately against plush cushion was a brand new violin. The dark wood shone so well that Ella saw her face reflected against it. Elegant silver lines ran decoratively along the entire bout. Her name was embossed in the same color on the right side. Ella’s mouth opened wide in awe and delight. Peter smiled widely at her speechlessness.

“We heard from Mr. Cunningham that the violin you have now is old and small for you. Since he said you’re one of the best students he has ever had, we figured we should get you a violin that reflected your prodigal status.” Peter explained with the lightest air of loving joking. Ella carefully set the violin back in the box, and gave him a big hug.

Not too long ago, Ella wanted the music box. Now she had gotten something even better. It wasn’t just the violin either. She had been upset with her parents and Peter partially because they had decided to leave during her birthday, but what hurt her the most was that they hadn’t seemed to care. It felt like her birthday and her feelings meant nothing to them. Caring was all she wanted from them, and Peter had thankfully noticed that.

“Play something on it.” Peter requested.

Ella picked up the violin, matching bow, and stood up next to the bed. If she had one of her songs memorized she would have played either of them, but instead she went with another song that Mr. Cunningham had taught her some time ago. It wasn’t until Ella began playing with her new violin that she realized how poorly her old one fit her. She messed up the song a couple times while getting used to the new fit. Once she did, her fingers and arm moved smoother than she thought possibly. Mr. Cunningham was sure to be pleased during the next lesson.

The song was a couple minutes long, but Peter listened quietly and was captivated by her dancing arm. The music eventually stopped, and he clapped. Ella bowed and sat down on the bed again.

“Now we know for sure the present will get some good use. Maybe I’ll have to get you to start teaching me.” Peter said.

“You can’t even follow the simplest tune on the piano. The violin will be too complicated.” Ella teased.

“How very rude of you!” Peter exclaimed in mock indignation, “Though I may not have the slightest musical talent, you should at least encourage me.”

“Yet you told me a couple minutes ago that I’m not a liar. I cannot hold to that reputation if I let you believe you have the capacity to play an instrument.” Ella shrugged her shoulders.

“There is a difference between lying and simply avoiding the truth.”

“I do not see one.”

“You are being very bold today.” Peter said in a tone that signified danger to Ella.

“I think I’ll go put this away.” she said.

She quickly placed the violin and bow back into the box, and closed the lid.  Just as she was standing up, Peter grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into him. He then proceeded to tickle her without restraint. Ella managed to hold down her laughter for a couple seconds, but Peter was relentless. Her laughs burst out loud enough for anyone on the floor to hear. She was only let go when her eyes started to water.

Her laughs slowed to giggles before Ella got a grip on herself. Her sides ached, but they didn’t hurt. Peter wrapped his arms around her. She tensed, prepared for another attack, but he was only hugging her now. He kissed her on the top of her head.

“Happy birthday.” he said.

Ella wanted to cry. A couple tears fell. Mostly it was from Peter’s tickling, but also because she was so happy. It might just be Peter, but he cared enough to make everyone’s ignorance towards her forgivable. He didn’t question her tears. Ella wiped them away and turned to face him properly.

“Alright, that’s out of the way. Tell me about your trip now. I’m sure it was fun.” Ella asked.

“Indeed it was. We will all have to go as a family someday. We’re too cooped up here.” Peter began eagerly. It was obvious he had been waiting for the chance to share his experiences, “Since we were traveling with Brooke’s family, we had to use normal transportation. It was slow, but it really gave us a chance to get to know them. I have to tell you Ella, I remembered Brooke being an attractive woman. When I finally got to see her again, she was even more beautiful than I remembered!”

 Ella nodded, a little surprised at Peter’s willful gushing over Brooke. She listened intently at first to his words. However, the longer Peter went on, the less Ella knew about the trip and the more she learned about Brooke. Apparently Brooke had the softest brown hair and the most stunning blue eyes out of any person elsewhere. Her voice was melodic when she laughed, and her kindness was immeasurable. She was refined and well-educated, but she knew how to tease, flirt, and be playful.

Ella wished she was more interested, but the more she heard about the all too perfect Brooke, the more annoyed she got. Despite Ella’s best attempts to ask questions or change the topic, Peter would ultimately bring the conversation back to Brooke. Ella kept a straight face even though she wanted to walk right out the door. Never before had she been do disinterested in what Peter was saying to her.

It had to have been at least a half hour that Peter when on and on before a call came up the stairs. Henry and George had arrived back home. Ella couldn’t believe she was glad that Henry was home, but it stopped Peter’s one-track rambling.

“Let’s go welcome them home.” Ella said brightly.

“Yes.” Peter agreed.

Ella heard from his tone that he was disappointed he had to stop. She felt bad that hearing so much about Brooke made her annoyed with not only Peter, but with Brooke as well. It was too much to take in at a time. As she and Peter went to welcome Henry and George, Ella calmed herself down by silently pointing out that Peter was simply excited about this girl he so obviously cared for. Once he got back into his normal routine, his obsession with her would dim down. It had to, or else Ella was worried indeed.

Ella helped her mother carry large stacks of dirty dishes into the kitchen. They left them on the counters, and went back to the dining room. Normally dishes had to be done right away. However, today was Alma’s birthday. The family had made a large selection of her favorite dishes, and they had just finished eating their slices of cake. The dishes would be put on hold on account of the celebration.

Ella and Clara took their seats. Alma hadn’t wanted to wait for them to begin opening her presents. Ella watched quietly as Alma unwrapped a new dress from George and Jane. The sadness she expected to come never did. Ella thought seeing this big party and feast for Alma would remind her of her own pitiful birthday. As it turned out, Ella kept pretending that she could enjoy Alma’s party like her own. She was having a fun time and all of the family was here, so even if she wasn’t the center of attention, she was alright.

Alma moved quickly through the presents. Henry had given her a book. If anyone else had given her a book, Alma would have made a big deal out of it. Everyone knew to expect a book from Henry though. It was what he always picked. He believed they were the only proper sort of gift. Alma accepted it and thanked Henry politely. Peter, Hazel, Charlie, and Leo had all gotten her new toys to play with. Alma was much happier with those.

Three presents were left: Edwin and Clara’s, Kenneth and Hattie’s, and of course, Ella’s. Alma pulled hers closer to open, and Ella was nervous. She really hoped her sister would like what she picked out for her. Alma yanked off the bow Ella had put on the box before lifting the lid up. She peeked inside, and gentle brought the music box out onto the table.

“What is it?” Alma asked as she turned it around to look at the designs.

“It’s a music box.” Ella answered. Her mood had already dropped from Alma’s indifference towards her gift, but Ella hoped once she heard the song, Alma would love it as much as she did.

“Here, you get it to play like this.” Edwin said.

He took the lid of the box off and wound the dial. The sweet melody began to fill the room. Everyone in the room, even Henry somehow, listened with enjoyment. Everyone..…except Alma. Jane, Clara, Hattie, and Hazel all had smiles on their faces as they heard the song, but Alma stared at the music box with the same apathy as before. No one said anything until the music slowed to a stop.

“That is such a beautiful song. This is a wonderful gift, Ella.” Clara said to her.

“Thank you.” Alma said.

Her mother’s words were genuine, but Alma’s gratitude was forced. For her, Ella’s music box was no better than Henry’s book. Ella watched with a straight face as Alma placed the music box back in its container before pushing it out of the way.

Ella couldn’t believe it. Even her stuffy great-grandfather had found her present appealing, but Alma couldn’t see any value in it? She couldn’t help but to wonder if it wasn’t so much the music box that caused Alma’s attitude, but if it was simply that the gift came from her. Now that Ella thought back, she couldn’t ever remember Alma being particularly impressed with her gifts. Was Ella really that bad at finding things Alma liked, or did she now have more support that Alma cared little for her?

Her thoughts were interrupted by Alma’s squeal of delight over her next presents. Her parents and Kenneth and Hattie had bought her twin collectable dolls. They were made of the finest materials, and thus had been expensive. Apparently they were something Alma had wanted for some time. Ella couldn’t be happy for her sister after the way her own gift had been treated.

Ella wondered if she could ask Alma later on if she was willing to trade the music box back for an exchange of six dollars. Ella wanted to give it to Dorothy instead. That way it would have a home where its sentiment actually meant something.