Brussels, Belgium: Another Sister

Autumn had about had it with school. The teachers, the students, Julie-Pierre, and everything else, was pissing her off. She didn't even want to go home for the holidays because she knew her parents would be unreasonable. She was starting to be like Gregory: all sulky and angry for no reason at all.

She sighed when her father picked her up from the train station. She was tired from her journey, even though she was really only an hour away from home. She didn't want to have an awkward conversation with her father.

But he wanted to chat in the car. "How was school, Autumn," he asked. His stern tone made her roll her eyes.

"It was fine, father," she answered stiffly.

"Is Gregory well?"

"Yes, Father."

Her father sighed, just as frustrated as she was. He took one of his hands off the steering wheel and pulled on one of her curls and made a 'spring' sound. He had always done it because it made her smile, even when she was a baby. But not today.

Autumn fought the urge to swat her father's hand away. It would be rude and she was too exhausted to be rude.

"Autumn, I was trying to ease you into to this announcement, but here it is: your mother is pregnant again. You're going to have another sister and you get to name her, just like you named Marli. So if you want to be unresponsive, which is very disrespectful, go ahead. Just don't upset your mother. She has been unable to sleep the past two days and I don't want her to be stressed over you, as well."

"Stressed over me?" Autumn asked suddenly furious. "I'm just a child!" she yelled. "I've been away for the past six months in the UK or away at Beauxbatons. And you two aren't stressed about that? Do you worry about me at all? Do I matter to you? Am I just some sort of nuisance?"

"You are certainly not a nuisance. Don't raise your voice," Autumn's father said calmly.

"Then don't tell me not to stress my mother out!" she countered.

"She doesn't worry about you because she knows you're capable of taking care of yourself."

" I'm twelve, not twenty, Father," she stated.

Her father didn't say anything else. Whatever he'd say, she'd argue with. She was ill-tempered, just like her mother.

"Her name is Hannah," Autumn decided, after she calmed herself, "because I hope to God that you'll favor her over me."