Chapter 1

Due to the summer season, everyone was preoccupied with their respective tasks, resulting in Mommy having to leave the house early in order to catch a bus to get to her workplace.

Spending time alone at home with my little sister, Alice, is not something I relish as she has a mischievous nature and tends to cause me a headache whenever she can.

It's always a challenge to keep Alice in check when I'm the only one at home with her.

She loves to play pranks, make a mess, and generally make life difficult for me.

I can never let my guard down when she's around, as she's always up to something.

As much as I love my little sister, I secretly wish I had someone else to help me keep an eye on her.

.......

As I lounged in my bed, I suddenly heard Alice's piercing screams from the garden, causing a commotion in the neighborhood.

I quickly jumped up and rushed to the garden to see what was causing her distress.

My heart was pounding with anxiety as I raced towards the garden, fearing the worst.

Had Alice hurt herself? Was there an intruder? I couldn't imagine what could have caused her to scream so loudly.

As I approached, I could hear her crying and whimpering. I called out to her, my voice shaking with worry, and rushed to her side.

Upon my arrival, I found Alice seated on the ground, her dress covered in mud.

As soon as she noticed me, she lifted her head and explained, "Bella, I was attempting to climb the tree, but I slipped off the branch and fell down."

Anticipating my frustration, Alice quickly spoke up before I could say anything.

"I was only trying to climb the tree, Bella," she explained, flashing me a mischievous grin.

I scolded her, asking if she was supposed to be climbing trees at that time.

She simply stared back at me with a cheeky expression.

Pointing towards the house, I instructed her to go to her room, and without any argument, she stood up and left for her room.

As I returned to the house and collapsed onto the sofa, I pulled out my phone from my pocket and noticed a text from Jessica that had arrived a few minutes earlier.

I read and quickly responded to her message, and within seconds, she replied back.

As I pondered my next move, I wondered to myself, "Should I head over to Jessica's place?"

She's my closest friend, and Alice always has a great time with her, so it seemed like a perfect option.

Despite being just three years older than my little sister Alice, it proved to be quite a challenge for me to handle her at times, especially given her mischievous nature.

Walking into the parlor, Alice asked me with a hint of worry in her voice, "Bella, has Mommy returned from work yet?"

I attempted to reassure her, responding, "Not yet, sweetie. I'm sure she's just busy with work."

She then approached me and sat down beside me, smiling, before murmuring to herself, "Ugh, tomorrow is Wednesday, which means I have to deal with that annoying chemistry teacher again."

I chuckled, realizing that Alice was trying to avoid going to school the next day.

However, I reminded her that they had a test scheduled for the next day, and she needed to prepare for it.

It suddenly dawned on her that she had forgotten about the test, and she hugged me tightly while thanking me for reminding her.

She then added a peck on my cheek and exclaimed, "You're the best sister ever!"

As I made my way to my room, the sound of the door banging echoed in the living room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

Just then, my mom entered the house looking visibly stressed, dropping her bag and a brown paper filled with fruits and vegetables on the table.

"Hey honey, have you guys eaten anything this evening?" she asked. I responded with a negative reply and went straight to my room.

I could hear the clinking sounds of pots and pans coming from the kitchen, indicating that mom was already preparing dinner for us before we head to bed.