Someone was buckling her shoes for her as her toffee eyes roamed around the sparse room. Her eyes burned with lack of sleep, her cheeks sticky from her tears. The little girls deep black curls hung down around her face as one of the various servants made her presentable. The past few days had been a nightmare, the screaming and moaning coming from her mothers room had kept her wide awake deep into the dark of the night. Valentina looked back to her shoes, they were buckled. Suddenly someone was picking her up and straightening out her tiny little gown, full of lace and ruffles in all the places children dont need them. Her eyes shifted to the left, her bed, where her beloved doll Charity lay limp, her buttons eyes looking off into the distance. The servants moved around her quietly, some spoke of not wanting to upset the child, so they let her be.
Valentina grabbed Charity the doll and silently left her room and ventured out into the silent corridor, her eyes and ears sensitive to any movement. The only sound to be heard was the clicking of her buckled shoes on the stone floor. She walked as if in a daze through the home she had lived in all her life, memories of her mother flooded the tiny girl. She passed her brothers room, peeking in momentarily. He sat quiet as a mouse on his bed, his eyes glazed with saddness. She entered his room, the ruffles of her skirt swishing as she walked over to him. Silently she handed him the doll before placing her small hand on his, giving it a comforting squeeze.
Their mother had died in the night, overcome by fever and hallucinations. She had screamed for three days straight, wracked with overwhelming pain as her body contorted with the diease. Both siblings looked at each other, both carrying the eyes of their mother and at once began to cry silent tears cascading down their cheeks as the loss of their mother hit them with full force. Vicente grabbed Valentina and hoisted her up onto the bed with him, hugging her tightly as he ran his hand through her hair. They were all each other had now, brother and sister.