Chapter One

There she is, sitting alone playing with her toys. Her beautiful blonde hair just rests below her shoulders, and her blue eyes are concentrated on what she’s doing.

Here I am, standing at the door way watching her. It just doesn’t seem right, she’s supposed to be the one watching me, not the other way around. I never used to understand why when I was younger, but now, I know. I see her body start to tense up, likes he’s going to flip out again. When I walk up to her, I have to do it slowly, so I don’t make things worse.

“Anne? Is everything alright hun?” I tried to sound more like my mother, she seems to respond better that way. Her shoulders relax and she let out a moan. “Anne, sweetie, look at me.” She turned around and stares at me blankly, holding the beheaded Barbie in her hands.

“I did an oopsy!” she finally said after a few moments of stammering. She held up the body of the Barbie and her head to me, asking for me to take it. I do, and put the head back in to place. Anne starts to get up from where she sat, and walked past me to the hallway. Now, like almost every day, I follow her around, just so she doesn’t hurt herself. What a perfect way to spend your summer. Baby-sitting your twenty year old sister, who has the mind set like a four year old. I could be hanging out with my friends, better yet with my boyfriend, but no, my mother just had to go back to work.

It’s not that I don’t like watching her, because she improves everyday, but it’s the thought that she will never be ‘normal’ that gets me. I love my sister, but being three years younger than her and seeing the way she acts is, I don’t know, weird. Sometimes I get embarrassed when my friends are over. I know I shouldn’t feel that way, but it’s true.

“Sissy!” she cries from the other room. “Sissy, where are you?” I quickly run to the room to find her yelling in to a fake megaphone she got for her birthday last year. I smile and made a sigh of relief, for I thought she was hurt.

“Here I am Anne!” I say as I walk over to the window. It is so warm outside, perfect day for the beach.

“Sissy, I gotta pee! I gotta go!” she cries in to the megaphone. I take the megaphone away from her and walk her to the bathroom. She knows how to use the bathroom, but troubles began the year she turned thirteen. Since then, every twenty-eight days we have to watch her, make sure she doesn’t flip out or anything. My mom wanted to put a diaper on her, but you know how that would go. Messy like there’s no tomorrow. Right now, she seems to be fine, but I know very well it’s going to be soon.

The phone rings as I shut the door to the bathroom, giving Anne some privacy.

“Hello?” I said in to the receiver.

“Alexis! Get your ass over here, we’re going to the beach.” the girl on the other end said.

“May, I can’t! I have to watch my sister.”

“Aw, come on! You’ve been baby-sitting her all summer! Can’t you mom or dad get out of work or something? It’s not like they’ve always done that this summer.”

“Ah, I know! I’m not even getting paid for this. I’m sorry I can’t, my mom would flip out if I called her to get out of work so I can go to the beach!” I could hear Maybelle frown.

“Fine, I did all that coaxing to get your boyfriend to come for nothing!”

“May, what do you want me to do? Ditch my demented sister?” Just then I heard the door slam. I look over towards the door, praying that it’s not who I think it is. My luck is gone, what’s coming toward me is an angry faced mother who had just heard what I had said.

“I gotta go!” I quickly said and hung up the phone before she could respond.

“Alexis Rose Easton! Tell me I didn’t just hear you call your sister demented!”

“Mom, I can explain.” I tried to calm her down, but instead she starts to wave her finger in my face.

“I don’t need an explanation. I came home to give you a day off, but now I don’t think you deserve it!”

“But Mom! It’s so not fair! Why do I have to watch my older sister? Might I emphasize on the older part? I’m supposed to be out with my friends, Mom. I’m doing something that could possibly end up taking over my whole damn life!”

“Don’t you raise your voice at me! I had enough with your rants young lady. Up to your room.” My mother pointed upstairs. Who does she think I am, an effing five year old?

“I’m not like Anne, Mom, I can handle the big vocabulary!” I yell down to her as I run up the stairs. I can’t believe I had to open my damn mouth. Now I have to stay in my room when I could be hanging with Maybelle and Trent at the beach!

I just can’t take it anymore. I look at my cell phone that’s lying on my desk. I pick it up and dial Maybelle’s number.

“Hello?”

“Hey May, it’s me.”

“Oh my gosh, what happened earlier? I thought you were being robbed or something!” Maybelle always had an active imagination.

“My mom came home and guess what part of the convo she heard?”

“Oh no. You mean she heard you call your sister -”

“Yeah! Now I’m stuck in my room. Do you think you can swing by?”

“Uh, what for? You just said yourself that you’re stuck in your room.” I sighed.

“Maybelle! Just pull up to the side of the house where my bedroom is. I know how to get out.”

“Great! I’m on my way to pick up Trent, so I’ll be there in a few.”

“Okie doke. That’ll give me time to get ready. Ciao!”

“Much.” We both hung up. After a few minutes I managed to get my bikini on, grab and put on my pair of shorts that matched and a strapless shirt. I take a look out my window to find Maybelle waiting. I leave a note on my desk for my mother and I left the house for the beginning of my most memorable summer, well what I hope it will be.