Chapter 1 I

"Ara help me set up the table" Ava screamed from down the stairs.

She moves back to the kit hen and pushes towards her boiling pot of soup. She stirs vigorously going it doesn't cuddle to the sides of the pot. She sighs when she noticed her daughter had not paid attention to her at all.

She puts off the stove in front of her and wipes her hand on her apron. She can't believe that she was left to do all the work by herself. Her husband would soon be back from work and it was their turn to host dinner with their neighbors.

Once a week they had dinner together and rotated who hosted it. This week was her turn. She glanced at the wall clock on the kitchen wall. Her husband should be back in ten minutes and in thirty minutes her neighbors should be coming in for dinner.

Her elder daughter was nowhere to be found. She was probably surging through the mall with full passion unable to buy anything. Her daughter needed to return before the Sterlings came over. She heard the front door squeak open. She pushed her head through the kitchen door to see her daughter enter with a huge pout on her face.

"Seraphina help me set the table," Ava said.

Seraphina was expectinscoldingding for being home late but her mom was overwhelmed and just needed to get the job done before thru sat down to dinner. Seraphina knew that she was going to get an earful from her mom later that night.

Seraphina moves and begins to set that table. She knew that the Sterlings were coming for dinner which made her mom go into a crazy frenzy to impress the neighbors. Once every two weeks Ava outdid herself in her cooking competition.

"Mom, where is Arabella?" Seraphina asked her mom.

"Her nose is probably stuck in a book somewhere upstairs. I have been calling her but it seems she did not hear me" Ava responded handing her daughter a bowl to place at the table center.

Seraphina moved swiftly back and forth from the kitchen to the dining table. She was exhausted from touring the mall all afternoon with her friends but she dare not complain or else she would be grounded.

"Ara" Ava screamed once again.

She needed someone to run to the nearby store for some cheese and since Sera was already helping her out there was no way she could send her to the store. Arabella needed to get her nose out of the book and help her mother win the championship in the neighborhood.

"Sera see what Ara is doing. Take give her this to run to the store for a block of parmesan cheese now" Ava said pulling out some money from the pocket of her apron.

Seraphina collected the money from her mom and ran upstairs to her sister's room. She pushed the door open and saw her sister sitting there a huge book in hand and her glasses slipping over her face.

Arabella was not aware of her sister's presence now in her room. Seraphina put down the money on her sister's book. Arabella looked up the smile turning into a frown.

Arabella pushed her glasses back up and blinked multiple times at her sister.

"What do you want?" she asked looking down at the money.

She was aware that her mom was probably cooking up a storm downstairs and would probably need her attention but the book she got from the library had too many important hooking points that she could not help but get lost in it.

"Mom said you should get a block of cheese," Seraphina said gesturing to the money on the book.

"Do I have to?" Arabella asked annoyance lacing her voice.

Arabella hated every other Friday night because their mom made it a nightmare for them. She had to run around trying to help her mother prepare an award-winning dinner and sit through the adult boring conversation while the blank and aloof Kieran Sterling who was ten years older than give her a blank stare.

"You know the answer," Seraphina said in a sing-song voice as she turned to leave. Arabella put a bookmark between the pages of where she was just reading. She stood up from the window side couch she had been sitting on and dusted her skirt. She stretched to ease herself of the leg cramps she was feeling.

She followed her sister and went downstairs. As she got to the base of the staircase her dad pushed open the door. She rushed over to him and threw herself in his hands.

"Hello my pumpkin pie," Richard said picking her up and spinning her around.

"Hello Dada," she said.

Arabella was ten years old and was closer to her dad because he loved the way she read. He frequently bought her books and allowed her to visit the library as often as she could.

"Mom is cooking up a storm again, "Arabella said in a fake whisper to the ears of her dad. She said it loud enough so that everyone could hear.

"She is going to withe contest one of these days" Richard replied with a snicker at the end of his statement.

Everyone knew what a maniac Ava could be in the face of being the best.

"Ara, I hope you are back from buying the cheese?" Ava screamed her question as she heard the chatter between her daughter and husband. They could chatter all they wanted when the dinner was a success.

"I better get going" Arabella whispered to her father's ear before she sprinted out the door.

"Hello darling," Richard said as he entered the kitchen.

"Welcome Dad" Seraphina sighed as she moved to the dining area with her hands filled with cutlery.

"Let me help you my sugar," Richard said collecting the spoons from Seraphina.

"No, you can't, go have a shower or freshen up now," Ava said with a glare at her husband and older dinner.

Richard returned the spoons to his daughter and squeezed her shoulder gently. No one wanted to dare the mother of the house when she was in full crazy mode. He turned and walked upstairs to freshen up.