In Which Alina Is a Big Sister

January 26, 1195

"She's so cute!" Alina waved at the tiny little baby in Auntie Camaline's arms, grey eyes like their sister Celina's staring back at her. She'd been a sister all almost-seven years of her life, but she'd never been a big sister before. She'd never thought she would be! Her poor father had died when she was a baby, and now her mother was married to Auntie Camaline (though she wasn't supposed to tell anyone that, for some reason she didn't quite get but was probably stupid). Almost seven was old enough to know that Auntie Camaline couldn't give her mother a baby.

And yet, here a baby was, fresh from her mother's womb! Yes, she'd wondered how it had gotten there, without any men around, but now that her sister--her little sister!--was here, she didn't care. "What's her name?"

"Her name is Geneva," her mother answered from the bed, bringing a smile to Auntie Camaline's lips. "For Auntie Camaline's mother. A pity she didn't get the violet eyes, though."

Auntie Camaline laughed, though Alina didn't get it. How could the baby have gotten Auntie Camaline's violet eyes, anyway? "Nothing wrong with this marble grey. She does wear them splendidly--don't you agree, Alina?"

"I think she'd be cute with any color eyes. Even yellow!" Well, maybe not yellow. Or maybe yellow? Ah, what did it matter--she didn't have yellow eyes! "Hello, Geneva. We're going to have so much fun when you're a little bigger!"

Geneva gurgled. Alina pretended she'd meant to say 'Yes, we will!'.

"I'm going to teach you everything I know. And if any other kid makes fun of you, I'll box them."

Her mother gasped. "Alina!"

But Auntie Camaline smiled. "Now, now. There are worse things a little girl can have than a protective big sister."

Big sister.

She loved the sound of that. "That's right. I'm your big sister."

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