The first time.
When Shannnon's father informed the eight year old blonde that not only was she going to be sharing her house with a strange woman named Sabrina, but also Sabrina's son Boone a vicious pout began to take hold of her pale face. Mr. Rutherford expected a temper tantrum from his fiery demanding daughter but nothing could compare to the news he'd just broken to her.
Immediately she ran up to her room, slammed the door shut before flopping down on her canopied bed. Crocodile tears forming at the corners of her eyes because she knew somewhere deep down inside this wasn't fair. Her father was all that she had and it was completely unacceptable to have to share him with anyone. It was bad enough that Sabrina, a handsome cold woman was going to be moving in to play mother. What was even worse was giving up the title of only child.
Shannon had never been good at sharing, it was evident in all of remarks made by teachers from kindergarten up. Shannon is bright but has difficulty sharing with the other children. Her teachers were always trying to make her share, but Shannon didn't see the need to share a thing she owned. After all, she was her Daddy's little angel and everything she had she deserved.
It was bad enough being forced to share with the strange children at school but Boone? He was a stranger and a boy and everyone knew that boys were icky. They liked to play in the dirt and chase her around the schoolyard with a worm dangling from their pudgy little fingers. Now she was expected to live with one of them? It was beyond a shadow of a doubt unacceptable. Even an eight year old could figure that much out.
She'd show her father by staying in her room and refusing to come out until he'd gotten rid of Sabrina and Boone for good. Shannon's father could never deny her whatever it was she wanted and in the end she always got her way. That was how things worked around here and she had no interest in seeing that change at all. She knew she'd have her way again this time because she was the only girl for her Daddy. He told her so all the time.
And so she waited.
And waited.
And waited some more.
Eventually she fell asleep, curled up on the bed. Not even the sound of her father calling her down for dinner with her new stepmother and stepbrother could wake her from her sleep for long. She slept through dinner, making her way in and out of tunnels of unconsciousness clutching her favorite doll underneath her arm.
When she finally opened her eyes it was to the sounds of shallow breathing coming from the end of her bed. Instantly Shannon realized that the pressure from the doll under her arm had been removed. Instead her doll was now resting comfortably on the lap of a small boy at the end of the bed. Shannon studied him for a minute. The shock of dark hair topping the most brilliant blue eyes she'd ever seen. His tongue poking just between his lips as he concentrated on the task at hand. A bottle of Elmer's glue held steadily between his fingers and aimed at the doll's face.
"Hey, what are you doing?!" Shannon exclaimed angrily, sitting up and glaring at the small intruder.
"Her eye was falling off. I'm fixing her for you." He replied in an even off-hand tone, all but ignoring her as he diligently began to glue the skewed eye back on the doll's face.
"Oh."
Shannon wasn't sure what to say to that because it hadn't been even close to what she had been expecting from the strange boy. Where were the worms and dirt? He should be ripping the doll to shreds because Shannon had a thousand to things to say to the thousand heinous acts she was expecting from her new brother.
"There. All done." He said simply as he laid the doll back on Shannon's lap. "Just don't touch her eye for a little while so the glue can dry."
Shannon picked up the doll, the cloth material soft between her small fingers as she studied the eye that had been put back into it's rightful place. She considered it for a long drawn out moment of silence. Maybe having a big brother wouldn't be so bad especially one that could do things like fix her dolls.
"Wanna play a game?" She asked, pleased when he grinned in response.
Immediately she ran up to her room, slammed the door shut before flopping down on her canopied bed. Crocodile tears forming at the corners of her eyes because she knew somewhere deep down inside this wasn't fair. Her father was all that she had and it was completely unacceptable to have to share him with anyone. It was bad enough that Sabrina, a handsome cold woman was going to be moving in to play mother. What was even worse was giving up the title of only child.
Shannon had never been good at sharing, it was evident in all of remarks made by teachers from kindergarten up. Shannon is bright but has difficulty sharing with the other children. Her teachers were always trying to make her share, but Shannon didn't see the need to share a thing she owned. After all, she was her Daddy's little angel and everything she had she deserved.
It was bad enough being forced to share with the strange children at school but Boone? He was a stranger and a boy and everyone knew that boys were icky. They liked to play in the dirt and chase her around the schoolyard with a worm dangling from their pudgy little fingers. Now she was expected to live with one of them? It was beyond a shadow of a doubt unacceptable. Even an eight year old could figure that much out.
She'd show her father by staying in her room and refusing to come out until he'd gotten rid of Sabrina and Boone for good. Shannon's father could never deny her whatever it was she wanted and in the end she always got her way. That was how things worked around here and she had no interest in seeing that change at all. She knew she'd have her way again this time because she was the only girl for her Daddy. He told her so all the time.
And so she waited.
And waited.
And waited some more.
Eventually she fell asleep, curled up on the bed. Not even the sound of her father calling her down for dinner with her new stepmother and stepbrother could wake her from her sleep for long. She slept through dinner, making her way in and out of tunnels of unconsciousness clutching her favorite doll underneath her arm.
When she finally opened her eyes it was to the sounds of shallow breathing coming from the end of her bed. Instantly Shannon realized that the pressure from the doll under her arm had been removed. Instead her doll was now resting comfortably on the lap of a small boy at the end of the bed. Shannon studied him for a minute. The shock of dark hair topping the most brilliant blue eyes she'd ever seen. His tongue poking just between his lips as he concentrated on the task at hand. A bottle of Elmer's glue held steadily between his fingers and aimed at the doll's face.
"Hey, what are you doing?!" Shannon exclaimed angrily, sitting up and glaring at the small intruder.
"Her eye was falling off. I'm fixing her for you." He replied in an even off-hand tone, all but ignoring her as he diligently began to glue the skewed eye back on the doll's face.
"Oh."
Shannon wasn't sure what to say to that because it hadn't been even close to what she had been expecting from the strange boy. Where were the worms and dirt? He should be ripping the doll to shreds because Shannon had a thousand to things to say to the thousand heinous acts she was expecting from her new brother.
"There. All done." He said simply as he laid the doll back on Shannon's lap. "Just don't touch her eye for a little while so the glue can dry."
Shannon picked up the doll, the cloth material soft between her small fingers as she studied the eye that had been put back into it's rightful place. She considered it for a long drawn out moment of silence. Maybe having a big brother wouldn't be so bad especially one that could do things like fix her dolls.
"Wanna play a game?" She asked, pleased when he grinned in response.