The Silent Girl (Chapter 2)

*Disclaimer*: This is a work of fiction. Some events may be based on real life, but some events are made up. For translations of the Chinese, see the Translation section at the very end.

     The next morning I jumped out of bed and started doing my Saturday morning chores. I first did my least favorite chore. That was milking the cow. I didn't like it because the first time I milked the cow, I accidently squirted all of the milk in my face. When I finished milking the cow, I went to find Clara because the milk pen was very heavy and we had to carry it together. I found her collecting apples for Nai Nai. Instead of having farm chores, Clara would help Nai Nai¹ make breakfast. Clara and I would wake up at six in the morning, so we could finish our chores and eat breakfast before we went to school. 

     Clara was the one who actually woke up at six. You see, we do this thing where I tie a string to my big toe every night and the other end of the string is connected to Clara's bed. I am not sure how, but whenever Clara gets off the bed, the sting will be pulled. I am a light sleeper. That means that I can wake up easily, so when Clara gets out of bed, I wake up. Ye Ye² is the one who made it up.

    

    "Isabella! Isabella! Are you going to come." Clara yelled interrupting my thoughts. I glanced at her. She was already three feet away. I quickly ran toward her and we headed toward the barn. When we gave Nai Nai the milk, she said "Xie Xie!³" We both nodded and then I went and fed the chickens while Clara went to the kitchen to make an apple pie for breakfast. 

    When I finished my chores, I went over to my room and started reading one of my new library books. The book is called "Little Women". It is about four girls: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. I was so engulfed in reading that I didn't hear the breakfast bell.

    "Isabella, hurry up! We're going to be late for school", said Austin. (Austin is my older brother.) Why did he have to be so impatient? The order was Austin, me, Malachi, Clara, Hayden, and Ava, from impatient to patient. 

    After breakfast, Ava and Nai Nai washed the dishes while Clara and I cleared the table. Malachi, Austin, and Hayden went to feed the ducks, cow, horses, pigs, and turtle. When we were all finished, we all got our backpacks and waited for the bus to arrive. In the time that we were waiting, I thought about all of us cousins.

    Ava has short black hair. Her favorite color is purple. She even has a purple backpack, a purple watch, and purple eyes. At 17, Ava is the oldest cousin. Her birthday is on March 8th.

    Malachi also has black hair. He has brown eyes. He is fifteen and his birthday is January 18th, which makes him the second oldest cousin. He has a red and black backpack.

    Austin looks like Malachi's tiny twin. His birthday is July 10th and he is 14 years old. He is my older brother. He has a dark green backpack. He is the most annoying out of all of the cousins.

     I am twelve years old. I have brown eyes and hair a little below my shoulders. I have a squirrel backpack. 

    Clara is eleven, so she is the closest in age to me. She also has brown eyes, but has long black hair. Despite the fact that she is my cousin, she is still my best friend. She has a panda backpack. 

    Hayden is nine years old. He has brown eyes and has black hair. He is my younger brother. He loves bugs, so he has a grasshopper backpack.

    When the bus came, we all went on. It was a small bus. It can only fit twelve people. It's called "The Lee Family Bus", even though we only take up half of the seats. The driver's name is Ming. Like Nai Nai, she only speaks Chinese. Nai Nai and Ming are best friends. They met in High School. they have been great friends for quite a long time. Sometimes Nai Nai accompanies us to school, so she can talk with Ming.

    When we got to school, Clara and I both headed to our classroom. Our teacher at the beginning of the day was Miss. Lay, the art teacher.

Translations: 

¹ Grandma

² Grandpa

³ Thank you!

To be continued... 

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