-Don't have a title yet-

-Chapter One-1


“Where are you going?” my mother asked. She always seems to be prying into my business. I don’t like the way she always suspects me to be doing something wrong. I think it is because I am the eldest and I am looking for somebody who would be a suitable husband.2

I don’t want to have to take care of my siblings forever; they are a major pain. They are always arguing over one thing or the next. Alexis and Baldwin are always running around and knocking things over. And Gavin is always crying because of Raven picking on him. Raven can be so cruel sometimes; she needs to learn to treat people better. The only one I can seem to get along with is Adrienne. She doesn’t bother me because mother takes care of her. She is only one year old, which makes her the only one who isn’t walking yet.3

So I walked down the dirt road that connected my house to the new stone street in the town. With no surprise to myself, I tripped over a few stones and stray branches. Someday we are going to get the path cleaned up, but for now we don’t have the money. As I was walking, I saw a deer in the wood. They don’t usually come this close, so it made me cheer up a little. There were also scurrying squirrels looking for nuts to horde for the long winter. I’ve heard tales that it is going to be bad this year, but they say the same thing every year at this time. It is almost time to start getting ready for the winter, like the animals. We need to stock up on meat and vegitables, and secure everything outside of the house so it will not get blown away if there is a blizzard.4

When I finally got to town, it wasn’t very crowded, so I was relieved. I don’t like shopping when there are a lot of people about. I prefer the quiet peace of an empty market. Maybe I should tell you why I came to town in the first place, seeing as I started off complaining. I’m sorry, I will try not to, but when something bothers me I like to complain about it. I’m not like most girls around here. They always want to do whatever they are told to, and I’m always do my own thing and not letting people make me do things. Granted, I do my chores around the house, but I don’t usually do more than I am supposed to. My mother doesn’t like this, but I don’t think she understands how hard it is to be taking care of all your younger siblings; she was an only child. So she puts all the worry on me and just takes care of the baby. I prersonally don’t think she is a very good mother, and that I will be because I grew up taking care of Raven and Alexis, and then Baldwin, and Gavin when they were born.5

I came to town for two reasons. The first is to get some fabric, thread and sugar The other reason is to see if a boy I have been eyeing for the past couple weeks is here. His name is Alexander, and he is the local baker’s son. I don’t think he is going to take after his father, though. He doesn’t seem like the one for making breads (or any other kinds of food, for that matter.) From what I know about him, he wants to become a blacksmith. I love the thought of rough hands upon my bare skin. I’m not sure if he knows who I am, or even that I exist, but someday I want to get the nerve to talk to him. Unlike most girls my age, I don’t like the idea of marrying somebody my mothers age. It is creepy that they have so much more experience in life, it’s like they are better than you or something. I plan on marrying somebody my own age, I don’t care if he is already in a trade or not, I just want to be with the one I love.6

Instead of looking for Alexander right away, I went to get what I need to buy. I don’t usually like shopping, but I was in a good mood and I was anxious. Though I didn’t want to make it look like I was waiting for something to happen, so I tried to look as normal as possible. I don’t know if it worked because a few women that were nearby kept glancing at me and then one went to talk to her friend outside of the shop. After I got the cloth, needle and thread, I went to get sugar. I’ve realized that the best place to get sugar is actually at the baker’s. I know you might be thinking that I just think that because it’s where Alexander might be, but it’s actually because it is the best sugar.7