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1
Piper
Eight years old
“Hey! Stop running around the pool!” Lawson shouted from his perch on the porch.
He’d been reading one of his stupid books, refusing to play with us, like always. I didn’t know why he even bothered coming outside if he was just going to have his nose stuck in a book.
That was typical Lawson, though.
Cautious, worried, boring.
“Come play!” Georgia yelled to him over her shoulder, her red hair streaming behind her as she chased Hampton.
I rolled my eyes at her plea. She knew he wasn’t going to move from the porch unless it was to migrate inside to his computer.
But that was typical Georgia.
Optimistic, free-spirited, fun.
I watched them running, Hampton easily outpacing Georgia, yet still pretending she was the one who was the fastest. He was only a year older than her, but was easily twice her size. But he’d never been one to relish in winning, or to rub his superior size in someone’s face—unless it was Lawson’s. He’d always been happiest when he let Georgia think she was the best.
And wasn’t that typical Hampton?
Strong, sweet, dependable.
I stood rooted in place on the edge of the grass, unable to move, watching the people I loved most race around me.
We were playing freeze tag, taking advantage of the break from the hot summer sun that had held on for far longer than it was welcome. When we’d gotten up this morning, it had been almost cold enough for a sweatshirt. Almost.
“Hurry up, Ham!” I shouted, bouncing on the balls of my feet. “Come tag me already!”
It was my favorite time of year. The leaves had finally begun to change into the bright reds and oranges I loved so much. We were back in school, and even though I didn’t like waking up early, I did love learning about new things. It was getting closer to Christmas, which was my favorite holiday. Not just because of all the presents, but because we always went on vacation to the mountains.
Lawson, Hampton, and Georgia weren’t actually my brothers and sister, but it felt like they were. My mother was their nanny, and she’d been working for their family since my actual brother, Jack, and I were just babies. My mom liked to call us her own personal staircase. Lawson was the oldest at twelve, with Hampton just two years behind him. Georgia was a year older than Jack and me, and she never let us forget we were the youngest. We’d all grown up together, spending our summers at the beach and the winters skiing. We fought like we were all siblings, and sometimes I wondered how my mother could stand it, but we also loved like brothers and sisters do, and I knew they considered us family.
“Pip! I’m coming, be ready to run!” Jack shouted. I twisted my head, catching sight of him sprinting toward me, and nodded.
Georgia switched gears when she heard him call out and darted after Jack. She was hot on his heels, so I knew that as soon as he tagged me I had to be ready to go. If I didn’t, she would freeze me again.
I watched as Jack barreled toward me, excitement coursing through my veins. I’d been frozen since the start of the game and I was ready to run.
