text: Kenya  Harper Freedom Reigns 
   
   
   Chapter 1 
   Kansas’s beautiful dawn sky was a timid blue with marvelous streaks of orange, red, purple, and yellow running through it, making the sky look like an artist had somehow painted it.  Madeleine, though she was typically an early riser, was still asleep in her bed, snoring softly and her covers shielding half her face as the sun slowly began to light up the world. It was the start of the new school year- beginning today Madeleine Leigh would be a Junior .She suddenly turned restlessly in her sleep, flipping onto her stomach.  Madeleine pretty much liked all her teachers and classes so she hated the idea that everything was going to change again, whether she liked it or not. She thought high school was going perfectly fine already but now they had changed the script completely…and she didn’t get a chance to rehearse. It really seemed like life adored pulling her out of her comfort zones lately.  For example, before she began going to Lawrence high school, Madeleine had to move from her home all the way in Houston Texas to this house in Kansas with Cara, her sixteen year old sister, and her mother Daniela. Her parents had agreed to get a divorce without giving their children any fair warning so in all honesty she should’ve expected life to pull the same thing sooner or later.  The light sound of chirping from the birds outside her cracked window kept Madeleine sleeping since she always enjoyed listening to the songs they made in the mornings. It made her feel calm. Their different vocal tones could be compared a lullaby.  Madeleine smiled in her sleep as they birds kept on singing but then they stopped abruptly. Slightly annoyed by the silence, she gradually opened one eye then the other to see her orange tabby skittles sitting on her desk by the window, licking her paw.  And Madeleine immediately knew Skittles had frightened the birds away.    “What’d you do that for?” She asked with a frown, finally deciding to get out of bed and come over to scratch Skittles behind the ear. “That wasn’t very friendly.”   Skittles just purred, looking up at Madeliene and not all feeling guilty about scaring away the birds as usual. Madeleine just sighed and averted her gaze to her alarm clock that now read 6:34. Maybe if she got back in bed quick enough she could get a little more sleep.  “Hey, Madeleine!” her mom unexpectedly called from the kitchen. “Are you up?”  Madeleine cringed at her mother’s voice. Her mom should still be sleeping herself but Madeline had forgotten that her mom was still searching for a job. “So much for my plan….” She thought unhappily as she headed to the kitchen.  Skittles jumped gracefully down from the desk and silently followed Madeleine out of the room.  The breakfast today was cereal to Madeliene’s and Cara’s disappointment. “I’m really sorry girls.” Her mom said remorsefully, hurriedly combing her blonde hair and pulling it into a ponytail. Daniela was wearing a formal short sleeved twinset top with a khaki colored pencil skirt unlike her usual outfits which were jeans and a t-shirt.“I have job interviews to go to today so I don’t have time to make breakfast… unless Maddie wants to take my place as cook.”  Madeliene, hearing her name, immediately looked up from her bowl of lucky charms. “It’s fine mom.” She said quickly, boredly swirling the milk in her bowl around with a spoon. “I’ll just make breakfast tomorrow- you look nice by the way.”  Cara nodded in agreement, unable to speak with a mouthful of cinnamon toast crunch.  Their mom smiled as she brushed her skirt off then hugged each of them tightly.  “I love you guys.” She murmured, kissing them both on the forehead and ruffling Cara’s hair before heading to the bathroom to do her makeup. "Be good at school ok?"  They would have to catch the bus since their mom was usually to busy to take them but it's not like they minded.  Madeliene noticed Cara staring at her from across the kitchen table, concern written in her dark green eyes.  "Why aren't you happy?" She finally asked. 'I would love to be a junior. It's better than being a freshman or a sophmore like me."  Cara was finally going to be a sophmore but she didn't seem phased at all. Apparently Madeliene's younger sister can handle change a lot better than she could.  
   
   
   Publication Date: March 16th 2013 https://www.bookrix.com/-sv084a0c9494415