• BLANCA!! I woke up at my father's voice sound. 7:30, time to wake up.

    I open my eyes a little. the morning light entered through the only window of my room, between the blue curtains. My room wasn't too big, just like my house. There was a not too big cupboard in the right. In front of the door was my bed, and above it , the window. i had a little desk at the right too. And, of couse, my librery. I loved books. When I read, it was like i I was in another world, one more misterious, one more fantastic. One better world were I could be what I wanted to be. The walls and the roof were blue, like miy curtains and my bed sheets.

    "BLANCA!! IT'S TIME TO GO TO SCHOOL!!!" my father shouted again.

    "COMING!" I shouted back, geting up.

    I lived in that house with my father and my two brothers. my mother had died about two years ago. She was spanish, there's were my name comes from.They told me she had an accident, but no one really knows the details. My sister has been ill for year and a half. the doctor said that she hasn´t got much time. She didn´t deserve to die. She was a really good girl: good grades, good maners... she was allways good with everyone. But I still had hope. She had only two years younger than me, fifteen. My other brother was too little, he was just five. He was called Jacob. I took care of him when my father wasn't home and I wasn't at school, of course.

    I took some clothes from my cupboard and went to the bathroom. My brunette hair was unraveled and my brown-green eyes were covered with gummy. I walked inside the shower and turned on the hot water. How I loved hot water. my muscles relaed with the touch of the water, and I started to feel a little more active. When I was finished and dressed, I run down the stairs and into the kitchen.

    I took some milk from the fridge and some cereal and prepared myself a bowl. My father came down the stairs and into the kitchen and prepared his own breakfast. then he sat down next to me. " Good morning father" I said grining. " Good morning Blanca. Is Rachel coming today?" He asked me. I shook my head. " No. she had some things to do. I'll meet her at school". I answered.

    Rachel was my best friend. She came every day of school to my house and we went to school together. She was blonde with blue eyes, the perfect combination acording to all guys at school. I knew her since I was born. Our mothers were friends.

    "Well i have to go to work. I'll see you tonight. Goodbye." He said cleaning up his breakfats. "Goodbye, father. I'll see how Elly is before going to class." I go up and cleaned up my own breakfast while my father closed the front door. After I cleaned it all I went up the stairs and into my sister's room.

    Her room was small too, even smaller that mine. There was only a little bed in the right and a cupboard at the entry. there was one window too. Elly was laying on her bed, like allways. She got up too little times, and when she did it, it was with my help, and only to go to the bathroom.

    I went to her bed and sat on the edge. "Good morning, Elly". I told her, smiling. "How did you sleep?".

    She looked up at me and smiled slightly, with tired eyes. "Fine. what about you?" Her voice sounded weak. Her illness wa weakening her. Even I was starting to lose hope. I tried to keep my smile so that she didn't notice my concern, but she read it in my eyes. No one could read my eyes. I could hide my feelings too well. Well, no one except Elly, of course.I didn't know why, but she could read my eyes like an open book.

    "Blanca... don't worry about me, ok?. I'll get better. I won't leave you alone with Jacob and father. they're still recovering from mum's death." She said. I could see that she suffered everytime she saw that sadness in my father's eyes, that sadness that never left his eyes, and it wasn't good for Elly. It wasn't good to make her suffer, it only worsened her illness. She tried to smile, but I could see sadness in her eyes. In that moment i realized that she was trying to convice herself more than me.

    I nodded slightly, fearing for my sister's live. " Don't you have to go to school?" She asked me trying to seem more cheerful.

    "Yeah. I'll bring you your homework." I answered her still thinking about her health.

    I started to run to the front door, knowing I was late. "BYE, ELLY!" I shouted to the house when I was out. But as I run through the little town I couldn't stop thinking about Elly, and about what she said before. Father was still recovering of mother's death, and I could see it everyday in his eyes. But he would have to recover, for the family's sake, and for Elly's sake.