Joy's Mom

Here's a picture of what Joy's real mom (the girls' biological grandmother) who died of lung cancer in the story would look like in real life:

 Malva

Some of my favorite children's books

The More the Merrier by Anne Fine.
This book was SO funny. I was laughing on almost every page when I little.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D.Taylor
Very Emotional.

 The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
Girly, fun and relatable.

 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
A great Adventure.

Age group

I am debating whether this story is appropriate and will fit better with a younger age group (ages 8-10) or a little older (11-14)
 Or even different ages than that!
What do you think?

Chapter Two: [Before the beginning]

HALLY! Turn off that light!” Suddenly an ear-splitting scream came from downstairs, I crept to the door. Mom was downstairs watching the 11:00 soaps with the lights turned low and the T.V. screen blaring. The Dramatic sound effects sounded almost realistic with the shadows creeping up the wall showing what kind of scene was next. Quickly I snapped out of it still angry at what happened last night. Then in an attempt to prove I was angry I slammed the door shut and banged down on the bed “Mom and her soaps” I thought rolling my eyes and turning a page. Then I went back to what I was I doing in my room. I was too busy reading the American girl Magazine to pay attention while in the back round the Sunday night Super bowl was on. My hometown was winning. I picked up the remote and blindly flipped through my 300 channels while with the other hand flicked through the magazine my hand shaking nervously. This is how it all happened: There was a time when I had what you could call a “normal” dad; he really loved my Mom and my brother and sister. We lived in Maine then and we never thought anything would go wrong, but then when Holly and I were three and Charlie about seven, things went wrong. Of course Holly and I were so young we didn’t really know what was going on, but Charlie always picked us up, put one on each side of him and with his arms around us and told us everything. Dad started seeing other women and drinking. Then he starting hitting Mom and sometimes didn’t come home for weeks. Then he went off to war, which was short and he came back starting his old habits again. Holly and I were about 7 and Charles, 11. Now at seven were aware of what my dad was doing. Sometimes mom sent us away when she knew dad was coming back to keep him from hurting us. It seemed that since Dad came back home form war, it changed him, started some kind of anger. Then one day he was gone, just like that…of course mom cried but the next week she already had a new boyfriend she brought home. Mom just wanted to forget about dad, and two weeks later we sold our house with all the memories of dad and moved to Maryland, then Virginia, then Florida on and on. We kept moving every time one of her boyfriends dumped her. We had to go in and out of school, Sometimes not going to school for 4 weeks at a time. Mom dragged us all across the country, then she had two more kids, Sam and Emmie and we settled down here in California. There ‘s more detail of the story but that’s basically what happened.

YOU made it!!

YAY!

That's the end of chapter one. How was it?

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  I thought he was joking and so did mom and the look on his face was so real, but before she could say anything he got in his car and sped off tires screeching leaving a cloud of dust behind, leaving us in total silence with the door swinging on it’s hinges.
The cold and fear eating us away inside. The sudden silence was unbearable and it was drowning out my ears ringing louder and louder. We just sat there in the silence I was only hurt a little but mom was almost unconscious she was still panting and groping for air. Her breathing was raspy and shaky. She was laying in a puddle of blood her clothes stained and dried blood was on her face. The red mark from Dad’s slap was still there, jumping out at me. My head was swimming and everything was out of focus
And I could hardly move.
Finally it takes me a few seconds to realize actually who it is- in the corner on her knees mom is crying uncontrollably her frail shoulders shaking violently. Her hands were covering her beautiful face and the delicate features dad had left now expressionless. I wondered if it would be like that forever then I looked at her long shiny auburn hair reaching to her waist. The pearl hairpin her grandmother gave years ago when she was a little girl lay broken in a heap on the floor, the pieces glistening in the light. Now her hair lay loose cascading over her shoulders and face to hide her now crumpled face, ashamed. Blood is still spilling and the vomit is starting to smell. Mom is still in the corner crying and weeping loudly.
She sounds so lonely and frightened and the pain is choking up her voice. Then before I know it I’m crying softly then, as mom crying gets worse mine gets louder. She must have heard because she looked around and slowly came towards me. Now she is so close I can hear her breathing she grabs me and covers me and I hold on for dear life I want to grab onto her and never let go. I’m still shaking and she holds me closer runny nose and all rubbing my head rocking me back and forth and whispering soothingly in my ears. I was so cold and scared and hungry. I didn’t know what was happening. My ears were still ringing as if she understood she covers my ears trying to block out the thing that was attacking me. Wrapping arms around me as tight as she can. She smiles, and continues rocking. Hours later I’m still fidgety and unsettled and soon I start crying again for the hundredth time that day, mom held me and we both cried together for a while our house a wreck. Glass everywhere blood splattered against the wall.

A very moving song.
Where is the Love

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His finger at us. I thought he was joking and so did mom and the look on his face was so real, but before she could say anything he got in his car and sped off tires screeching leaving a cloud of dust behind, leaving us in total silence with the door swinging on it’s hinges.
The cold and fear eating us away inside. The sudden silence was unbearable and it was drowning out my ears ringing louder and louder. We just sat there in the silence I was only hurt a little but mom was almost unconscious she was still panting and groping for air. Her breathing was raspy and shaky. She was laying in a puddle of blood her clothes stained and dried blood was on her face. The red mark from Dad’s slap was still there, jumping out at me. My head was swimming and everything was out of focus
And I could hardly move.
Finally it takes me a few seconds to realize actually who it is- in the corner on her knees mom is crying uncontrollably her frail shoulders shaking violently. Her hands were covering her beautiful face and the delicate features dad had left now expressionless. I wondered if it would be like that forever then I looked at her long shiny auburn hair reaching to her waist. The pearl hairpin her grandmother gave years ago when she was a little girl lay broken in a heap on the floor, the pieces glistening in the light. Now her hair lay loose cascading over her shoulders and face to hide her now crumpled face, ashamed. Blood is still spilling and the vomit is starting to smell. Mom is still in the corner crying and weeping loudly.
She sounds so lonely and frightened and the pain is choking up her voice. Then before I know it I’m crying softly then, as mom crying gets worse mine gets louder. She must have heard because she looked around and slowly came towards me. Now she is so close I can hear her breathing she grabs me and covers me and I hold on for dear life I want to grab onto her and never let go. I’m still shaking and she holds me closer runny nose and all rubbing my head rocking me back and forth and whispering soothingly in my ears. I was so cold and scared and hungry. I didn’t know what was happening. My ears were still ringing as if she understood she covers my ears trying to block out the thing that was attacking me. Wrapping arms around me as tight as she can. She smiles, and continues rocking. Hours later I’m still fidgety and unsettled and soon I start crying again for the hundredth time that day, mom held me and we both cried together for a while our house a wreck. Glass everywhere blood splattered against the wall.

Hally757 1.17

he had forcefully tied me to a chair Dad was real angry now and he starting hurting mom picking her up and throwing her against the couch and kicked her in the stomach until she started vomiting. Mom used whatever she could to protect herself but it was no use Dad was too strong. Glass was broken and mom was bleeding with a black eye.
Then dad said he wanted to take Holly and me to live with him in Lakeland. Mom said no, which made dad hit her some more but Mom was made of tougher stuff than that. She was always a strong-willed and determined person and when she made up mind to something no one could stop her. Even with dad hitting her she wouldn’t give up. She fought for Aline and me all she could.
Still arguing, dad thought of something mean. A smug grin creeping across his face and said it to Mom about her Mother. Mom’s mom died of lung cancer and she never quite recovered, so when dad made a rude remark about her mom she went crazy. Attacking his head and stomach desperately trying to find a weak spot. She was slapping, scratching anything. I’d never seen mom so angry. She got him down once but Dad quickly got up and hit back. Suddenly, mom out of breath got slower and slower and couldn’t fight back anymore. She slid to the floor gasping for air which did not come and holding her sides she coughed violently she begged him to stop but he ignored her and threw her crashing into the wall and landed again on the couch when their wedding picture fell missing her by centimeters. It tumbled and fell shattering into a million pieces mom’s only wedding photo-gone. He kept on at mom and I had to watch every sickening moment. Dad had tied me into a corner.
Now mom was completely helpless she just stood there while he punched her in. But dad was just getting heated. Mom didn’t even cry out in pain anymore just let him- there was nothing she could do to stop him. When he had finally gotten his satisfaction he shouted something about mom putting his ugly face close to her and whispered something I couldn’t hear but I could tell it was bad, Kicking chairs and knocking the books off the shelf he was destroying what we had left of our broken family. His face was red and he was fuming. Then one last time and just as loud as he came he suddenly left shouting so loud I thought the neighbors would complain. ...Shouting threats about taking us to court, and taking custody of Holly and me. Every now and then turning around and pointing his finger at us.

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but this time she didn’t get up I ran to stop him each step harder than the last. “You leave her alone you mean old monster!” it seemed like that was the only thing I could say, but still I spat out words arms folded. The look on my face was worse than his. I didn’t like him and I wanted him to know it, so I did what the bad kids do on T.V. to their parents. I dragged my leg back and kicked him-hard. He was more surprised then angry at this little 3-year old trying to stop him. For the moment he was sidetracked and let go of Mom’s arm turned around and with one blow knocked me down against the wall.
I slid down with a crash. Mom just walked up to him smacked him and said” You little creep! Don’t you ever put your filthy hands on my daughters- Hally or Holly again!” She practically screamed out the words. The anger flashed in her eyes. Dad just ignored her and which immediately triggered Mom into arguing. When they were still together if they were angry they just yelled anything that came off the top of their heads until someone ran out words. Mom always won because while it was Dad’s turn to argue she was already thinking of something to say back. She was always clever and
witty with her words and when she got him to eating his words he had to give up, stalking away red faced. Then we would silently give each other high fives, smile and go out to buy ice cream to celebrate. When we got back dad would be fixing the car or inside watching T.V. or something like that, and my favorite- reading the newspaper because he would be forced to put it down and look at us, watching from a distance. “Where have you two been all day?” he asked his voice edgy, but we just looked at each other and smiled mom always came back with grocery bags so he would think we went to buy food. But dad knew he just didn’t want to admit it. Mom started to go in the house and I followed and I sneaked a look back at Dad smiling, the melted ice cream dribbling down my chin.
A sudden shout brought me back to earth. Mom and Dad were Still arguing and quarrelling like old ladies. Mom pointed her finger in Dad’s chest pushing him back a little, her mouth running. Then what seemed like about a month later Dad started talking about her parents which got them arguing about mother- and -father –in- law’s. Dad never liked mom’s parents. Slowly with my thumb in my mouth my eyelids started drooping. I had given up trying to help

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“M-M-Mommy? What was that?” Dad had come back his friends gone and this time he was using his spare key. “I-I-Is it Daddy?” She nodded and I cried even more, tightly squeezing her arm. I would have burst into tears if she hadn’t clamped her hand over my mouth. She pulled me to her and I sat there whimpering silently, wiping my nose for a tissue. I tried stifling my sobs but they came out accidentally sounding like a wounded animal. I turned and wiped my nose on mom’s dress. She obviously was upset but couldn’t yell because dad would hear so she pursed lips and frowned. I smiled wobbly teeth and all- happy- for the moment because that’s when Dad turned the key. At first it wasn’t working mom had changed the locked ever since “He” moved out. Dad hated when he couldn’t have his way. He was mad when the key wasn’t working now he started jerking the key in the lock back and forth getting angrier each time. He kept at it for 5 minutes about to give up. Then took the key out and slowly put it back in. Images of what he would do if he got in flashed through my head…again he tried the key-he just wasn’t giving up.
This time he didn’t jerk the key but slowly turned it again it didn’t work, but he tried again turning the key even slower so slow we couldn’t hear it so we were surprised when it did. At that moment, the door creaked open and dad barged in. A look of pure hatred all over his face… light… movements then gunshots…screams…he was going to kill my mom…he was only using the gun as a threat but any little 3-year old registers a gun with death and killing so I leaped up and grabbed him and screamed “you leave my mommy alone you mean old monster! She’s not yours!” I tried stopping him but I was too small but I didn’t let that stop me I kicked, hit, punched and bit… the picture in my head was going fuzzy when a fight broke out - Mom vs. Dad. I’ve seen Mom and Dad fight but this was different they’d always fought verbally now they were doing a mixture of both.
Dad slapped Mom hard and she fell to the ground but slowly she got up and that’s when we saw a huge red mark cover the left side of her face. … Noises… more shots… and screaming in between Mom said, “Brad! … You’ll wake Holly…” she gasped through painful breaths. Holly was upstairs, she could sleep through anything. Mom was losing the fight and Dad wasn’t about to give up until he won. Mom could hardly stand up and her eye was swollen black and blue. How could he do this to her? But in reply he forcefully grabbed her wrist and twisted until she let out an awful cry of pain and again fell prone to the ground.

Hally757 1.14

And I smell mom pudding baking in the oven. The fire was crackling and it lit up the room making it warm and welcome. At first I can’t see out the snow-covered window. Then I see him- Dad and friends coming closer, long legs moving fast. I immediately back away fear creeping down my spine.
Dad calls something and I hear the laughing jeers of his friends… in the distance Dad chants my name in a fake sweet voice… bang… bang…
…Bang… a machine gun! I cover my eyes when I realize it’s the harsh pounding on the door…two knocks…and then the awful silence in between them. Moms smiled slowly faded away. I ran back to my mom and cling fearfully to her.
The strange voice again spoke this time it was racked with anger…. Tears from someone’s face slowly slide down.
Mom looked down to me at her legs a worried look sketched all over her face transforming her from the playful mother I always knew, to a sad and unloving person. I saw it right before my eyes and it would be the last time she would be happy and carefree. Since that day mom’s heart turned cold and she shut out the world forever. Sometimes I wish she would be like she used always laughing and happy, but she just pushes me away. Every day slowly, little by little, our family breaks farther away. The tears-Cold and bitter tasting… they’re mine… I knew whom this forbidden strange, angry, frightening and to me powerful monster was. For someone as small as me his every move was magnified 100 times so he seemed like a monster to an almost 4-year old girl like me. My head was spinning when everything went blurry I ran and cowered in the corner …my small world was falling apart… spinning round and round in an endless frenzy
…. More footsteps and I hunched even further more poundings on the door with unimaginable things going on behind it. Movements…too much moving makes it blurry…it’s mom… slowly crawling on her knees to get away from the door not making a sound… Thump…thump! …Mom winces stopping in her tracks- why don’t they just go away and leave her and her frightened daughters alone Bradley was never like this when they were together- crack! … Mom winces again still crawling across the floor like a baby, thinking angry thoughts of what she would do to her bully husband Bradley if she got out alive. He was practically bringing the house down.
Hours later its nighttime and they are still going strong. Mom and I sat in the dark, listening to each other breath. She brought out some games and we played for a while then I climbed into her lap and stuck my thumb into my mouth. In her lap, we played pat-a cake and sang old Mac Donald whispering the farm noises I laughed and mom put her finger to her mouth. “oops!” I said and quickly covered my mine “Shhhhhh!” I repeated putting a chubby finger to my mouth, giggling softly. Then we did counting games using my fingers and mom using my stuffed animal acted out a story. Using a different voice for each character. It was a long day and every now and then I dozed off and I awoke frightened and scared, but mom snuggled me closer to her and rocked me back to sleep giving some crackers and cheese to nibble on. Then silence…nothing at all… was this it? The end to all the terrible noise? Was this actually happening anyway? We both listened carefully then mom crawling went up to the door and looked out the peephole. Then we heard something. Unexpectedly with an angry grunt and deafening shout there is a lone single bang signifying defeat. Noises… and then the crunching of footsteps walking away… we sat clutching other and 10 minutes later sitting clutching each
other there’s footsteps… crunch…crunch at first soft but getting louder every second. We strained to hear what was going on outside in the blistering cold where dad must be close to freezing to death. Then we heard it… click…click

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We were dancing and humming and laughing through the whole thing. My older brother Charles who was five was with Scott one of mom boyfriends and my twin sister Holly were gone. Charles was out at the movies Holly was at a friend’s house she would be home later tonight but now we wanted to spend time together before she came back. Sometimes when Mom was like this I thought I was her only daughter and that Hally didn’t look exactly like me so mom couldn’t even tell Who was Hally and who was Holly, who older by 3 minutes and 10 seconds, to even think about favoring one twin, but no. It just couldn’t be that way. Our personalities were opposite. Ignoring the neighbors knocking on the door we sang louder, Not even aware we were in danger. My cookies and milk already ready for Santa. Every now and then we stop to eat our own cookies and when we get up Mom tickles my stomach and we laugh and giggle together. Mom tickling me and I fall to the ground laughing until I feel like my sides will burst. “ Oh No! I forgot the surprise!” Then mom rushes to the back room grabs her red housecoat, which she bought especially for tonight and races out back to her daughter who’s waiting patiently. She comes out, puts on a Santa hat and a fake white mustache and pretends to be Santa holding her belly and saying “ho, ho, ho!” I laughed and pointed out, “Mommy Santa Clause is fat!” Mom was a thin person and a slim Santa didn’t look too good and any good kid could tell. Realizing her mistake Mom turned around and quickly stuffed some couch pillows down her housecoat and swung around “How about now?” she asked.
Putting on a show, she tramps around the living room in Dad’s old work boots a shameless and genuine smile spread wide across her face-something Mom rarely does anymore. She was trying to do the job of Mother and father. Since Dad was never home for Christmas, and back then so I was so young- it worked. Now when mom tries it I can tell if she tries to be like dad and I get angry. Why would she try to be like him? He was never here and it wasn’t worth it. I always wanted to block him out of my life. I knew what happened between her and dad no matter how much she tried to hide it. But like I said when your three you can’t tell the difference. So that night waiting for grandma and grandpa I hear a car and I happily rush to the curtains and with a sweep I pull them back hoping to see Grandma Jo and Grandpa Jim. I look out my breath steaming up the frosty window to a white world outside. The Christmas tree lights reflect on the window.

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My face still wet from crying I stuck my thumb into my mouth and Mom switching me to her hip so she could cook, carried me into the kitchen to finish the rest of the baking I couldn’t do. She moved slowly around the kitchen humming a tune and gently switching me around when I got too heavy. For a while it’s quiet and it’s unusual to our normal loud and noisy Christmas Eve. Resting my head on her should I was silent while I watched her cook. My eyelids felt heavy and started drooping.
Mom was a small person with a small frame and everything she did was smooth and graceful. Moving around almost in a swaying motion I almost fell asleep on her shoulder. When she was finished putting the pie in the oven she said “That’ll be awhile so let’s finish the tree while we wait and I have a surprise for you! She said wiping her hands on her apron “But first I need you to go get the stockings so we can hang them. We’ve got a lot to do before Grandma and Grandpa get here,” She said kissing my forehead and putting me down. I moaned because she woke me out of my sleep and I didn’t want to get down. She went back into the kitchen and when I hadn’t moved she look over her shoulder and saw me standing there rubbing my eyes thumb in my mouth. “Go ahead, now” she said, gently hitting my bottom sending me off to get the stockings. I came back and mom walking out of the kitchen came over to me and we continued decorating the tree, singing and yelling like nothing ever happened. We are singing jingle bells and Christmas carols so loud we could be heard down the street, but we couldn’t care less; we were hanging ornaments and we do it every year and it’ s almost a tradition that could never be interrupted-Mom got really mad when it did.
We sang jingle bells again starting out softly we gradually got louder and when we got to the chorus we sang it at the top of our lungs and louder that ever twisting the words a little” JINGLE BELLS JINGLE BELLS JINGLE ALL THE WAY!!!! OH WHAT FUN IT IS TO RIDE IN A LIMOSINE WITH GREEN JEANS! JINGLE BELLS BATMAN SMELLS GREG
PARKER STINKS LIKE BEANS! MR. DELL ATE A BELL AND WE LOVE BEING MEAN!! JINGLE BELLS JINGLE BELLS SANTA’S HERE SO WE…
 “ WE MUST NOT BE SEEN- EATING- GREEN BEANS? Green Beans? Huh? We looked at each other. Where did that come from? We were trying to find something to end that rhymed. We looked for months and now we found something but was it right? Who cares!?”
We repeated the last line and finished the song then collapsed on top of the couch laughing at our new “Green bean” ending to Jingle bells-with our laughing echoing outside we didn’t even know Dad was watching us from outside planning to attack any minute.


Here's a link to hear Jingle bells...It's cute ;) Click the purple words.
Jingle Bells Song

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She explained she didn't mean to make me think she was going to eat all the cookies up, and that she was not going to eat them while she was sleeping, and she wouldn't even dream about it. In her loving motherly way. When she saw she was not getting through to me she switched to tickling. She tickled me once under the chin. Mother knew I ticklish and and whenever she wanted me to do something she tickled me but today I was determined not to laugh. So I didn't. I frowned folded my arms and pouted-anything to keep me laughing. At first it was easy easy, but then she started taking off my socks and tickling there. I tried holding it in but she kept at it and I couldn’t help but laughing. She tickled me until I couldn’t breath; she tickled me all over the couch until I fell on the floor, rolling into the kitchen and back again into the living until I almost fell into the burning fireplace, laughing and laughing holding my sides. Over and over, I finally escaped and ran to my room but she followed me, took one look at me held up her fingers with a sly grin etched on her face and started all over again until I had to give in. “Ok, ok, mommy Stooooop!!”
I said between breaths “Stop! Stop!” I screamed pounding my fists onto the floor and kicking wildly on the floor, I couldn’t take it anymore
I couldn’t even get the words out I was laughing so much “Ok, I will, …S-s-stop… stop…t-t-tickling me!” I rolled over and said it again, trying to block her hands
And all the time Mom was enjoying it. In the end I gave in and she finally stopped. “Now, my girl we will have no more temper tantrums, whining and pouting is that clear?” “Hally” She said pointing her finger in that tone of hers she used when she was mad or angry. One word was enough, and when I didn’t answer she threatened to tickle me again “Ok! Ok… No more tantrums!” I said “Promise?” She she said, again I didn’t answer right away, giving up my tantrums just like that was a pretty tough thing. She warned me about tickling me all week “ok, I promise!” “That’s a good girl!” She hugged me put my socks back on and we went back out to the living room, I was beat, out of breath and very tired but altogether happy. The “temper” over we were back to normal. We laughed some more and settling down in her arms I nestled my head on her shoulder and settled down, I was so tired from all that tickling.
 

Memories

What was your favorite childhood story growing up? And Why? What kind of memories do they brig back?

Hall757 1.10

Mom always knew just how to get me. "Nooooooooo!" I screamed and burst into tears, I rushed from where I was hiding and jumped up into her arms. She picked me up and was trying hard to control a smile she said in a serious voice "My darling! whatever is it?" I glared at her and this time she couldn't hold it in any more. She spun me around laughing at her precious little girl she couldn't bear to live without. Her and her sister Holly. Hally was still crying as she hugged her close and she didn't know why. The joke was over but she held her close, smoothed her hair and patted her curly haired head. I thought she was really not going to give me some pudding that we worked so hard making. After a while I realized that she was going to let me have some cookies and pie and pudding but I didn't want to show I did so I frowned. But then panic came over me again-what if she ate them all while she was sleeping? So I told her sniffling-the words coming out mumbled. When I was finished she started laugh again and bent to where I was and pinched my nose a twinkle in her eye. And I got angry because she was laughing. "Hally you know I was just playing my sweetums." She said kissing a wet teary cheek. I squirmed, twisted, wiggled and turned in her arms my lower lip poking out a scowl on my face still not satisfied with her answer. Mother was used to my sudden outbursts like this-and the pouting fits after.

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And anything that made her daughter happy made her happy, because she was too young to understand what was going on between her and he husband Brad. She didn't want her daughter to grow up in hate and conflict, so she tried hard to hide it as best as she could, and as long Hally didn't know what was happening the better. She knew she could'nt hide it forever-Hally wouldn't stay three forever and she was bound to find out the truth but did she want her to find out her big dark secret? The truth? She quickly brushed the thought away. Right now just seeing the joy on her daughter's face made her happy and that was all she wanted. "Oh no! She's gone. Now what am I going to do?" She said a smile on her face. Her finger was tapping her chin thoughtfully. From the back room  she heard suppressed giggles. Of course she had to make it seem like she couldn't find her because it wouldn't be any fun if she just went and found her. "I'm looking for a little girl named Hally, she's very small and she's got dark brown hair and the most lovely hazel eyes. Have you seen her?" She questioned to a pretend policeman. She shrugged her shoulders."Now where did I leave her last?" Putting her hands on her hips as if looking for car keys she sighed and turning around said "Well..I guess she won't get any of that delicious yummy pudding, sugar cookies and apple pie!"

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All she was told was that he called last night and said he couldn't make it home for Christmas. Hally lowered her head and tears rolled down her cheeks, she looked up again. "B-But why did Daddy have to go?" she cried. She ran to her mother who picker her up and surrounded her in a mother's embrace. I could smell her sweet perfume and the smell reminded me of when Daddy bought it for her on her birthday along time ago, and she clung to her dress and sobbed out loud. As her daughter cried her mother felt horrible, she knew she shouldn't keep this terrible like from her children, she didn't know what to do. So to keep Hally distracted she called her parents who knew about the divorce and had offered to take the children with them, agreed to come over later that night with food for a Christmas dinner since she couldn't afford a meal, and while they were waiting they played games. And baked sugar cookies. Hally's favorite game was hide and seek. They started playing and soon lost track of time. Now it was her mother's turn to find her.  She pretended to look for her hiding daughter who was behind the next door down. "Hally..come out..." She paused. "Where are you? Mommy can't find you? She's getting upset that she's losing." A tiny giggle was heard down the hall. She made a big show of looking under the beds, even under pillows, and blankets, behind the bathroom door and even the refrigerator. She looked around covering her eyes with her hands and every now and then Hally peeked out from behind, her mother was smiling away because she knew she loved this game.

Sneak Peek

so..I thought I would give you a SNEAK PEEK at what some more of the characters look like. Remember these characters haven't appeared in the story yet:
* I claim NO copyright to ANY of the pictures I use to post and use as characters.

    Emma (Stepsister)

Sam (younger brother)

Hally757 1.7

I hear myself screaming over and over and its like I'm watching myself through bottle glass. Its like there's a deep dark hole with a force pulling me toward it more and more to fall into the hole. Then it starts to change again. The familiar, but scary dream clouding over, I'm spinning and whirling through time, and this time I've landed home. The nightmarish scene of the the dream was over and now the next part was happy..at least for now. The suddenly almost as if a violent storm had suddenly stopped and the ship drifted in calm water, the dream cut off and became perfectly peaceful and quiet. I smile and let my mother's voice flow over me. I hear a sweet, warm voice-beckoning her small child. "Hally...Hally...Hally...Hally..Hally...Hally...Where are you?" It went over and over. "Hally..Hally..." Almost like a chant, the thing kept calling my name, but it was only mom. "Hally." She called softly down the hall. It's Christmas Eve and mother and I were decorating the tree and baking for Christmas dinner when we decided to play hide and seek. It was our first Christmas dinner after mom and dad's divorce. The court allowed Hally to stay with their mother at home, but her brother and twin sister Holly were sent away to foster homes until their mother was able to care for all her children again. Hally didn't her mother lied to her and told her that they were at a friends house...somehow all the excuses never added up to her. She believed everything her mother said because they were so close. In her defense Hally's mom told herself that her two young daughters were too young to understand the divorce...so she lied. She hated it but she just couldn't bear the look on their faces. Keeping it from them was the best thing. She thought. Maybe when they are a little older. When Hally came downstairs that morning she saw that nobody was home. Her mother said they left this morning to go to a friends house. When she asked where her father was her mother said "Daddy had some important things to do today." At that moment she knew something was wrong, but she didn't really know what. She didn't know he was gone for good.

Hally & Holly's father (Brad)