Violet

This was just awesome. I couldn't believe this was happening. My parents sucked big time. That was for sure. 

Stomping across the backyard, I made my way to our tree house. I frowned. I hadn't been there since my little sisters took over the place. Not that I cared anyway.

If the place was a mess, it wasn't my fault. Why did I have to clean it, and babysit my sisters at the same time? With a huff, I climbed the steps to the tree house. My earlier conversation with my parents on repeat. 

"Sorry, honey, but you've got to stay with your sisters today. End of the story," my father said.

My mother kissed my forehead. "Believe me, you'll thank us later.” Then they turned around and left the house.

"Whatever," I said, slamming my bedroom's door. I lied in bed for a few minutes, getting my temper under control. After all, it wasn't my sisters fault I was grounded. Trying to sneak out turned out to be a bad idea. 

Why did my parents had to choose today of all days to leave me on babysitting duty? It was summer, for crying out loud. I had plans with my friends. Plans that involved having fun. And guys. Please don't forget guys.

Now here I was. Doing something I didn’t want to do. And the closer I got to the tree house, the louder my sisters giggling became.

I sighed. 

It would be a long afternoon. It just wasn't fair that I stayed and my parents went out with their friends. Why couldn't they take the girls with them? Better yet, why couldn't they just hire a nanny? No, of course they couldn't. They had to go and ruin my afternoon plans. 

I had a feeling they did it on purpose. 

Gathering all my patience, I walked inside the tree house my sisters loved with all their little hearts. I had to admit, I was fond of this house too.

"Violet!" my sister Melody said with her high pitched voice. 

"Hi," I said. My other sister, Kennedy, hugged my leg. By the looks of it, she wasn't letting me go anytime soon.

Fantastic.

"It's tea time," Melody said out of nowhere. "Come join us."

They took my hands and led me to their small table. Three chairs were in place with tiny cups placed in front of them.

In that moment, I realized why our parents wanted me to clean this place while I watched the girls. I shook my head.

They were a mess, these girls. Always leaving things everywhere. Their dolls, pillows, and drawing notebooks were scattered all over the place. Still, I managed not to destroy anything on my way to the table in the corner. 

I smiled.

Maybe this wouldn't be that bad. I mean, my sisters were sweet and kind. Maybe a few hours away from my friends would be good for me. Now that I thought about it, when was the last time I spent quality time with my sisters? 

My smile faltered. 

I had no idea when it was. I was a terrible sister. Now the best I could do was give them my full attention, right? Yeah. That was it. 

Taking my phone out, I ignored my friends' texts and turned it off. Now, I can't lie. It was hard turning it off. Especially when it seemed they were having fun without me. But that didn't mean I couldn't have a good time too, did it? 

"It'll be a pleasure to join you, young ladies," I said, my voice sweet. 

Their smiles were blinding. That lit up my heart. I would do anything for these little girls. Besides, making them happy was easy. It made me feel terrible that I refused to stay with them one afternoon. I should watch them without force.

Kennedy filled my cup with invisible tea. "You're our special guest today, Lady Violet."

I placed a hand on my chest. "Really? What an honor. Thank you for having me."

Melody's eyes shone with happiness. "The honor is ours, Lady Violet. It's been a while since you joined us."

My shoulders sagged. "I know. And I'm sorry."

Kennedy patted my shoulder. She was cute. She was our little girl. We all loved her. "It's okay. Just don't do it again." She sounded like an adult. I didn't want her to sound like that. I wanted her to be a happy little girl.

Why did my chest hurt all of a sudden? 

Oh yes. Because I neglected my little sisters for weeks. I got it now. Why my parents left me baby-sitting them. They forced my hand because the three of us had something special. And I was starting to lose it. Our sisters bond was slipping through my fingers.

I nodded. "I promise I won't."

"Pinky promise?" Melody said, her tone hopeful. 

What I wouldn't do for my little girls. "Yes. Pinky promise."

They threw themselves at me. "Thank you!"

We ended up on the floor. We giggled. We hugged.

And for the rest of the afternoon, we pretended to drink tea. We cleaned. And drew beautiful sunsets like the ones we could see from here.

Of course, our drawings made them no justice, but still, we tried. Melody told me all about the new kid at her school while Kennedy told me her plans to be a fairy princess when she were older.

Little did she know that she was already our princess.

It had to be the most intense afternoon of my life. And the most amazing one too. Because it was filled with laughs, hugs and the craziest theories from two little girls who loved fairies and happy endings. It was an afternoon that would live in my mind forever.

And as we watched the sun go down, I vowed nog to neglect my sisters again. 

Because our moments like this one were limited. They would grow up and change. It didn't matter though. We had today. And no one could take that away from us.