My Flower // a theodore laurence story

1. The March Sisters

"It's too tight!" I heard my twin sister Amy call out. I was sitting on my bed, scanning through a small novel I found on Amy's drawer. I glanced up at her to see her tightening the strings at the back of her corset.

"This is why I dislike corsets," I interrupted her. "They are too tight around me. I don't like my belly to be held back."

Amy scoffed. "Me either. But Jo and Meg are going out tonight. I'm planning on sneaking out."

"And what did Marmee have to say about that?"

"She just chuckled," Amy added.

Marmee was our mother. When we were young, we used to slur our words together and instead of calling her 'mommy', we had called her 'marmee'. Eventually, that had become her name.

"Well, I hope you have fun tonight," I said, flipping through the pages of the novel.

"You're really not going to go?" Amy asked. She looked back at me, still fidgeting with her corset strings.

I shook my head, "No. I have no reason to. I don't like parties, Amy. You know that."

Amy rolled her eyes and looked back at the mirror. I never liked to go out and join in on social gatherings. I would always sweat and shake when someone I had no relation with. My sisters say it was a problem, but I did not think much of it.

Suddenly, my two other sisters Meg and Jo burst into the room. "Amy," Jo announced, "what do you think you're doing?"

"Nothing! I'm doing nothing. I'm just playing dress-up with Ruth."

My two sisters looked back at me only to see me not dressing up. I giggled.

"Oh, Amy," Meg laughed, "I know you want to go to the party, but it is for older children only. I'm sorry, my sweet."

"But...But I—!"

"Quiet, you." Jo snapped back, pinning her hair up. Jo was always so cold at times. I never knew why. She had always had that kind of attitude though.

"What about Beth?" I asked my sisters.

"Beth will be practicing piano tonight. Feel free to join her. She can teach you chords!" Meg added. Amy rolled her eyes.

"Anyways," Jo started, "we're off. Ruth, make sure Amy doesn't touch anything. Marmee and Hannah are downstairs if you need anything."

"Please! Can I just come with you?!" Amy shouted as the two sisters left the room.

"No!" Jo snapped back. She slammed the door behind them, making me giggle a bit. I looked back at Amy who huffed.

"They never let me go to things. It's so unfair!" Amy crossed her arms and sat down on the bed next to me. I pulled her into a hug.

"Well, Amy," I said, "we are the youngest in the family. They don't want anything bad to happen to the youngest in the family."

Amy rolled her eyes once more. Yet, she snuggled into me as I held her. I knew how much she wanted to go to parties, but I also knew that it was against the rules for us to go alone. I was never much of a participant in gatherings like that, and Amy knew that, but a part of her always wanted me to join her.

"We'll go to one someday."

"When?" Amy sniffled.

"Someday."

. . .

ok i know this is a really short chapter but a longer one will come out soon. the next chapter will introduce laurie and i know that is one of the reasons people are reading this story.
anyways, stay safe out there. ❤️