1 The country

The butterflies fluttered and flew throughout the atrium, just close enough to see, but to far to touch. They were beautiful. The morphos and their shining blue wings, and the swallow-tails with long black tails on their creamy wings. A ring echoed through the atrium, and she was guessing, the whole zoo.

" Oh, come on, vi! We're late again! We were supposed to be back before the zoo closes!"

" Oh, be quiet," I said. Secretly, I knew I shouldn't have stayed here for so long. It took Cedar at least two hours to get down town with that clunky, old, hunk of Junk that Cedar got passed down from our older brother who decided he 'needed a new life' and up and left us.

" Chase you to the truck!" Cedar said.

"Oh, that's it!" I said. I was already hot and sweaty from the humidity in the atrium, but dodging all the janitors and guards around the building trying to clean up, well, that wasn't fair! By the time I was finished complaining with myself, Cedar was already out the atrium and half way to the parking lot. I grumbled under my breath. Then I ran off.

I winded through the narrow pathways through the atrium, just above the grass. I ran as fast as I could towards the big double glass doors that kept the butterflies in. Twisting and turning, I reach closer and closer to the doors with each step. I reach out a hand s to push the doors open, and run right into the second pair of glass doors.

"Ouch," "well that was great." I growl as I fall on my butt in the small room made for an extra security measure, because they really, really, need to keep these breathtaking, but annoying, butterflies.

My black hair falls into my eyes, cutting off my view .While I hold my hand up to my nose to see if I was bleeding, I say,

"Nope, no bleeding. Thank god. Next time I see that little pain in the but sister, I will-"

I am interrupted by my sister opening the door with a worried look on her face.

" God! Are you ok!" " oh I am so, so, so sorry, oh please-" She leans down to my level with her better looking, perfect, curly black hair in her eyes, and her athletic body perfectly balancing. Why does she have to look so perfect in everything? Even in her dirty denim overalls she looks perfect.

"Why are you so worried all the time?"I snap back, overcome with jealousy. She draws back with hurt on her face.

" Well if you fell that way, why don't you just go walk home by yourself." She says as her face hardens as she fixes her hair into a messy braid.

"Wait no! Please,I'll be nicer." I reply.

"Well then." Cedar says. She turns around and pushes the second set of doors open and motions for me to follow her. I stand up and follow her out the door and onto the parking lot. We ignore each other while we walk to the truck. When we get to the truck she gets in on the driver's side, and I get into the shotgun. She immediately guns it and I'm snapped back into the seat while I try to put my seat belt on. When I'm done and over the shock of driving so fast, it feels exhilarating. I look out of the window at the sunset that is slowly giving way to the night sky. There are not many stars out here in the downtown, if you could call it that. It's more like a suburb, with houses lining the streets and every so often and an intersection where the shops and schools are located.

Cedar keeps driving like a maniac, but I don't mind. I'm to busy gawking at the night sky like I do every time there is at least two stars in the sky. My eyes trace over where the constellations should be, if there wasn't as much light pollution. I hardly even notice it when Cedar stops the truck at our house. It's a bit more like a tiny house, because our parents were too cheap and didn't plan on having three kids. Even though Sam left for collage with his own tiny house, it's still very crowded, but I like having a room to myself. We pull up into the gravel path in the middle of the cornfield my parents own. Our tiny house is about the size of half a one floor house. It's considered big for a tiny house, but my mom liked space. It is more cottage looking, with oak sides and almost-flat tiled roof. I get out of the car and walk up to the illuminated house. You can hardly see the black door in this darkness. The big windows in the front have the curtains drawn. I reach for the door handle, but pause mid-motion when I her footsteps on the inside of the house. Then the door swings open. Hard. The light pours out and blinds me.