Not Just A 'Shelby'

Chapter 1: Loss of one, gain of another.

*Arthur- 22
Thomas- 19
John and Dorthea- 14
Ada- 12
Finn- newborn *

It was one of the coldest winters Small Heath had seen in a while, but the cold wouldn't stop the Shelby siblings from reeking havoc while waiting for the sixth child to be brought into the world.

Knock Knock. "Go away" Dorthea pleaded while throwing a pillow at the door. She was allowed Saturdays to sleep in because those days there would be no school and on Sundays Aunt Polly would drag her to the church, 'At least one of you lot should know the good Lord'.

The door flew open revealing three of the four of her siblings. John was the first to enter the room, plopping on top of Dorthea. "Oh my god John, get your fat arse off me." She yelled, trying to swat at him. "John Micheal Shelby, I cannot breathe." She began to fake suffocate and look at the others for help. Arthur and Tom stood in the doorway giggling at the scene in front of them.

"Well D maybe if you would have gotten up when we asked the first time we wouldn't have to strangle it out you, ey?" Arthur spoke from his position against her dresser.

"I swear, I will strangle all you if you don't leave me be." She spoke as John leaned off of her.

Thomas chuckled and walked in the room to sit on the other side of her in the chair next to the bed. "Now Dot, that's no way to speak to your family on the day of the new baby." Her eyes widened at his statement.

"Today's the day?" She asked happily.

"Yes, Aunt Pol came in this morn' telling us to get everyone out the house for the day." Thomas spoke from his seat next to her. Dorthea hopped up from her bed and grabbed her two brothers and shoved them at Arthur who was still standing in the doorway.

"We'll get out of my room and I'll be down in 10 minutes." She slammed the door in their face.

Dorthea had always wanted a baby brother. She had nothing against Ada. She loved having another girl in the house. She always loved going around dress shops for Ada to play dress up. They never bought anything, but it was always nice to pretend. When her Aunt Polly told her that there would be a new baby in the family and it was to be a boy, she was over the moon. She had helped her parents think of all kinds of names for him. She had pestered her parents to tell them what the name was, but they had said they wanted everyone to find out at the same time. But Dorthea already knew.

Arthur Shelby Sr. always had a soft spot for his oldest daughter. The day she was born into the Shelby clan, she had all the Shelby men wrapped around her little fingers. Arthur Sr. always got the little girl whatever she wanted, even if it meant stealing it from time to time. He never let her know though. So one night when Dorthea was asking her father questions about the new baby, he caved in and told her.

"Dotty, you can't tell anyone. Do you understand?"

"Yes dad, just tell me." She giggled at her promise to secrecy.

"He will be named Finn." With this statement her green eyes sparkled.

"Finn Shelby" She tested the name to see how it rolled. "Dad I love it."

Dorthea thought back on the memory and smiled as she rummaged around her room for clean clothes. She didn't dress like other girls in Small Heath. They wore nice skirts or dresses with clean white shirts. But not Dorthea Shelby. She always wore pants and a button down shirt, just like her brothers. When she was younger she was always given her brothers old clothes because the family couldn't afford new dresses and skirts for her. But as she became older she was so use to the pants and button downs that she just adopted it as her own style. You wouldn't even know that she was a Shelby girl if she didn't wear her hair down everyday. Even though it wasn't fit for women to have long hair, she had never cut hers (per Tommy's request), so everyday her long brown hair curled down to her lower back.