A/N: I fixed the things that needed fixed, thanks Kristyn for your help I hope I meet your expectations.

How did I get here? I wondered to myself. The breeze came up from behind me and blew more leaves down from the apple tree above me. My orange curls flew about my cheeks, teased by the breeze. They tickled my face, as I sat here beneath my favorite tree and soaked in the beauty of fall. How did I get here? The question I had still not answered. I suppose it all began a few days before my youngest sibling was born.

I finished my cereal quickly, father had not been in a good mood, and he surely didn’t need a nine year old getting in his way. I guessed that mother had had another difficult night, and kept him awake. She seemed to have more difficult nights as that baby continued to grow bigger. I sure do hope that my baby brother or sister comes soon, so father and mother would not have such short tempers.

Samantha my 17 year old sister and the only one of us Rodchester children that could drive, suddenly poked her head into the dining room and jingled the car keys signaling that she was leaving now. I grabbed my backpack and lunch from the table made a dart for the door. Once in the living room I saw that my older brother, Jeffery, was hurrying out to the car too. I dropped my lunch, but my 12 year old sister, Lexi May, grabbed it for me.

“Come on Audrey, don’t want Samantha to leave without us would we?” She smiled.

“Oh no, you don’t think she would? Do you?” I asked.

“Oh Audrey, don’t be silly, father would never let her leave us behind. Now let’s hurry!” We both jogged as fast as we could across the rest of the room and entered the foyer. Father, Samantha, Claire, Charlie were in there apparently waiting for us.

“What does Ms. Crane want to talk with me for?” Father was asking Samantha.

“I don’t know. Now sorry to have to cut this short, but I gotta’ get these kids off to school!” Samantha practically ran out the door, leaving us trailing behind. Claire ran ahead of us, probably to grab the front seat. As I was about to get in, I looked back and blew father and Charlie kisses, then jumped in the car alongside Jeffery.

“Jeffery, you got the middle seat yesterday!” Lexi May complained.

“Just sit down Lexi, we’re gonna be late!” Claire yelled as she buckled into the front seat.

Finally after we were all belted in, Samantha began our trek to school. Twenty minutes later we arrived at the Harbor Family Private Educational Center. The school was an immense, three story house that had belonged to the Harbor family years before, but now was a school.

After Samantha parked we all climbed out and headed off to our little group of friends.

“Audrey!” Samantha called me. I turned and saw her coming toward me holding something out in front of her. “You forgot your lunch.” She handed me the bag and kissed the top of my head as she turned to head into the senior wing of the school. I hurried off to find some of my friends.

“Oh Audrey, you’re here.” Crystalin Hollingsworth bounded toward me her red scarf blowing in the wind. “Come on inside, it is arctic out here!” She took my hand and warmed it in hers as she led me into the school and down the stairs to our classroom. My closest friends were all clustered in the far corner like usual. Crystalin and I walked over and I immediately noticed my best friend since birth, Elizabeth Winston wasn’t there.

“Hey Melissa, where’s Liz?” I asked Melissa Mayburn, she tried to turn and face me, but Catheryn Hills was in the middle of braiding her long blond hair.

“I don’t know Audrey” Melissa was deep in thought, you could always tell because she’d play with her shirt. Her head popped up and Catheryn cast a silent glare at her, but Melissa didn’t care. “Wait, didn’t she say yesterday that she was going to Jersey for a long weekend?”

That was right, Liz had told me over the phone the night before that she was staying at her dad’s for a weekend at the beach. “You’re right” I told Melissa

Just then the bell sounded and Ms. Dai entered with my other friend Katie McCalister at her heels. Katie was always late for school.

“Good morning class,” Ms. Dai said as she signaled us to take our seats, and class began.

That day seemed to wear on forever, but it finally ended. When the last bell sounded I rushed to grab my things and head over to the kindergarten classrooms.

“Audrey!” Little six-year old Charlie ran to me with a huge grin and arms open for a hug. I picked up his backpack and we hurried off to the parking lot.

As we walked I began to ask Charlie how his day was and he was telling me all he had done today, until we arrived at the car and he started talking with Samantha. I jumped into the car and talked with Lexi May.

We finally got on the road and I turned to my favorite brother: Jeffery. “Do you think mom will have had the baby?” I asked him. He was the smart brother. Though only 14 he seemed so wise, and so much like daddy. Dad had always said that as soon as Jeffery was of age, he would take him to work at his business in the city. Jeffery didn’t want to work at dad’s office in New York; he had secretly told me he wanted to be a doctor.

“No Audrey,” he smiled. “I don’t think so, soon though, soon.” Jeffery said as we pulled to a stop in front of the house, and got out of the car. The crisp air was unseasonable hear in South Eastern New York.

We got in the house, and Samantha hurried off in the direction of her room, to prepare herself for a party this evening. Jeffery went off towards the nursery probably to get Charlie and finish watching a movie. Claire went off in the direction of her room. Lexi May went into mom and dad’s room. I picked up a large package that was on the coffee table, and headed off to mom’s room too.

When I walked in the room Lexi May was in the middle of retelling the story she had told us all on the car ride home. “…Ms. Quill is recommending me for advanced spelling courses.”

Mother had been confined to her bedroom for the past week now, by her doctor. Now, she sat on her bed covered by pillows, cushions and bowls of fruit. “That is a great honor Lexi May. Congratulations.”

“Mom, when do you think the baby will come, I can’t wait too much longer.” Lexi May exclaimed.

“I don’t think you’ll have to wait much longer honey, not very long.” Mom began to stroke her large stomach as if to touch the baby inside. “Now Audrey, how was your day?”

“Oh, my day was good mom. I read another three pages from the class reader, and was asked to bring in something into class next Wednesday for a presentation. I don’t have any homework. Oh yeah mom, this was in the living room.” I lifted the package on to the bed. “Can I open it?”

“Well let’s see who it’s from first.”

“I’ll read who it’s from.” Lexi May slid the box over to herself.

“No,” Mom said firmly, she could be as gentle as a dove but she could also be strict. “Let Audrey read it. She’s the one who needs practice, you are in 6th grade, and Audrey is only in the 4th.”

I silently slid the box back across the bed, and began to try to make out the fancy script of the address. “Momma,” I said. “I can’t read it may I please open it?”

“Sure Audrey.” Lexi began to tell mom of what her friends at school were doing and who was going where while I began to peel off the brown packing tape and finally opened the box. Lexi May then came over and began to help me take the items out of the box. Mother took the card, opened it, and read it to herself. “It’s just from my parents.” She sighed. My grandparents had given us a beautiful embroidered blanket, probably for the new baby, some beautiful red apples, probably from their orchards, there were two tablets of Bible stickers, those kinds of things were given to us every time they sent us something, and on the bottom of the box was a small parcel wrapped in shiny paper, on top of it was a card with my name written in fancy script on top.

As I was busy reading over the envelope, mom’s nurse Lucy entered and stood near her bed

“Ok girls take these things, here Lexi May you take the apples and give them to Chef Quin and tell him to make something good with them, Audrey you take your gift and I’ll take the rest.” Mom hurried us out because she knew that Lucy didn’t think that we should be bugging her, lest we cause her stress. But I knew we would surely see her at dinner.

When I got into my room I undressed into my play clothes, and set my birthday gift from my grandparents onto my night stand. I began to play with my dolls for a while, until the dinner bell rang. I hurried out of my room and into the bathroom to wash and then quickly took my place at the table between Jeffery and mom. After we had all been seated, Chef Quincy entered with his servers and served us our dinner.

Father began the dinner chatter by speaking to Samantha, “Samantha, what did you do in your English class today?” he asked.

Samantha never made eye contact with dad as she said, “I don’t remember.”

“Would that be because you weren’t there, but with Mario?” Samantha remained completely silent.

“Why have you been skipping school?” Father was getting angry, but my attention was focused on Charlie as he was telling about how he and I were going to make a gift for the baby. I truly didn’t care what went on with father and Samantha, I knew what would happen. Like usual, father would tell her that she wasn’t allowed to go to Bradley Holly’s party tonight, but she’d go anyways. That is how it went every single time.

“Audrey,” Mom’s voice brought me back to from staring at Charlie.

“Yes mother,” I replied.

“I have been thinking, your birthday is coming up soon. Since I don’t think I’ll be able to go on our usual birthday shopping together, I was thinking that I would send Nina to go with you. How does that sound?”

My heart leaped at the thought of going shopping with Nina. Nina was the daughter of our doctor, Patricia Hansburn. Nina was 18 years old. She’d known me since I was born; she is the nicest person I know. “Oh sure momma! I’d love to go with Nina.”

“Well, let’s see tomorrow is Saturday and you have piano and ballet, so maybe Sunday or would you rather go on Monday. Oh and don’t forget ?”

“Um, Sunday sounds good.” I began to count the hours till I’d be with Nina.

That evening, I was heading down to my room. After finishing a movie with Lexi May and Claire. I heard someone coming down the hall. The light was on in the hall and I saw that it was Samantha who had come home. She stumbled down the hall more, and then she fell and collapsed on the floor. She reeked of alcohol. I went back the way I had come and hurried up the stairs into Claire’s room.

“Claire, Claire, come here!” I called into the darkness of the room. I saw Claire’s nightstand lamp come on and her rubbing her eyes.

“What’s wrong Audrey?” Claire mumbled.

“Samantha’s back.” That instant Claire was up and coming my way. “She is laying in the hall.” Together we hurried down the stairs and out into the hall. Samantha was just as I left her, flopped on the carpet.

“Should we do the usual or let her get caught this time?” I asked. We had been here before. It seemed that every time Samantha would go out to a party she’d com home drunk or worse, like now, incapacitated.

“Oh Audrey, you know that we have to get her to her room. Come on let’s go.” Clair grabbed Samantha’s arms and I went ahead and opened Samantha’s door, turned her light on, and folded down the neat, made, blankets. Claire came in dragging Samantha behind her. “Help me get her into her bed.” I helped Claire lift Samantha into her bed. We tucked her in, turned off the light, and headed back towards our rooms. “Audrey, sometimes I wonder what Samantha would do without us.”