𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐘 𝐍𝐎𝐕𝐀.

𝘰𝘯𝘦.

𝐃𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐒, 𝐓𝐄𝐗𝐀𝐒.
𝐒𝐄𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑 7, 2007.

"17 .. 18 .. 19 .. 20." seven year old za'nova stood on the porch of her auntie's house, taking a scope of the front yard. "ready or not, here i come!"

she made her way off the porch, in search of her eight and ten year old cousins. "y'all cheating!" she yelled out after 30 seconds and no sign of them.

"gotcha!" she quietly walked over to a bush and tapped her eight year old cousin, destiny, on the shoulder.

"mmcht." destiny folded her arms and smacked her lips, "i wasn't even playing."

"so you was behind a bush for no reason?" za'nova chuckled. "help me find alyssa."

"alyssa is on the other side of the house." destiny whispered as they made their way over to alyssa.

"destiny i know you told! you annoying!" alyssa shouted once they made their way over to her.

"this why ion play with yall," the three girls looked up and saw za'nova's older brother who was eleven, coming out of the house. "y'all don't play fair." he took a seat on the steps of the porch.

"shut up jayden." za'nova rolled her eyes and walked on the porch taking a seat beside him, followed by alyssa and destiny.

"my teacher embarrassed me today." destiny announced after a moment of silence.

"how?" jayden looked at her with his eyebrow raised as he waited on her response.

"she asked me what god's name is and i said the wrong thing." destiny rolled her eyes.

"ain't it just god?" alyssa asked.

"i thought it was howard." za'nova raised her eyebrows.

"exactlyyyyy!" destiny agreed. "my teacher dumb."

"no y'all dumb. why would his name be howard?" jayden asked while chewing on a straw.

"it's in the prayer, duh." za'nova smacked her forehead as if jayden had said the dumbest thing she's ever heard.

"prayer?" alyssa asked. "which prayer?"

"our father who are in heaven, howard be thy name." destiny said. "dang y'all slow too."

"i'm not even finna do this with y'all today." jayden stood up. "nova go get your stuff, mama on the way to get us."

"okay." she got up and ran in her aunt's house.

after about ten minutes, za'nova arrived back outside with her duffel bag that was filled with her clothes and things needed for the bathroom.

she and jayden spent a week at their aunt's house because of issues that were going on at home with their mother and stepfather. to keep them out of that unhealthy environment, their mother sent them to live with her sister until things cooled down.

as if on cue, their mother pulled up in the yard, signaling them to get in the car. "bye lyssa, bye dessi." za'nova gave her cousins a hug before running to her mother's car.

"bye y'all." jayden waved before following behind za'nova. "tell auntie we love her!"

$$$

"take your asses straight upstairs. bath and go to bed." their stepdad ordered as soon as they walked through the door.

"sean it's only 7:00. they don't have to go to bed this early." their mother glared at him. "i don't know why you take your anger out on my kids everytime you get drunk but this shit gotta stop."