|She was so artistic painting smiles on everyone's face but her own|

A sob echoed through and her eyes fell on the shaking form of her mother. She did quite get what was happening but all she knew was, it was bad and sorrowful because she had never seen her mother like this.

“Lise,” her aunt came closer to her and carried her from her chair and buried her face in Lise’s honey brown hair, and sniffed her shoulder as she watched her sister breakdown. With the help of her hands, she rested little Lsie’s head on her shoulder.

Annalise closed her eyes as she let her aunt engulf her in her warmth. Small sobs broke through the day as Annalise’s mom sat by the grave of her father and cried.

It was the fifth death anniversary of her father. Annalise had never seen him before for he had already left them when she wasn’t even born. Her mother was 20 weeks pregnant when her father left them. 

Annalise’s parents were so in love before her father Greg, passed away leaving his pregnant wife to fight her way in the large world.

It was all fine till May’s parents were alive. They took care of her, her sister, and the little Lise. But when May’s parents passed away, it was the young mother who had to provide for her teenage sister and daughter.

“Auntie,” Annalise cooed by her ear hearing her sniffs as Mila looked at her sister’s shaking form and she couldn’t help herself when tears rolled down her own eyes. Her sister looked so vulnerable and broken. He was her first love and May didn’t dare to love anyone after Annalise’s father. She just didn’t want another man in her or her child’s life. It was always Greg from her and it will be Greg, till her last breath.

“Auntie, why is mommy crying?” The innocent four-year-old in Mila’s arm asked her. Mila froze at her niece’s question. May had never spoken about Greg ever since he had passed away. Annalise was kept in dark about her father. Her mother didn’t want her child to know about her father. At least not yet when she didn’t even know what death was.

“Mommy, hurt herself,” Mila lied as she bit down on her lower lip and sniffed because she felt guilty for lying through her teeth.

“We should help mommy,” Annalise suggested, frowning because she didn’t understand why her aunt didn’t help her mom.

“Yes,

sniffs

we should,” she said and carried Annalise to her mother.

“Mommy?” Annalise called out and May instantly wiped her tears with the back of her palm and looked at her daughter. Mila leaned forward as May pulled her daughter onto her lap and sat her down.

“Auntie said that you were hurt, are you alright now? Do you wanna go to the doctor?” Annalise asked her mother.

May smiled looking down at her beautiful angel-like daughter. Her lips automatically spread into a smile. She was the best gift May had ever received from Greg.

“No baby, mommy is fine now.” She said and Annalise smiled back at her.

“Okay, can I please get something to eat now, I’m starving,” little Annalise fussed and her mother laughed.

“Yes, we’ll get some lunch,” she said as she picked Annalise up and walked ahead, and placed her back on her wheelchair.

“Can we get some burgers and fries? Oh, some large coke?” Annalise asked her mother and May smiled looking down at her child as she moved behind the wheelchair and began pushing it.

How had May wished that Annalise’s fate could have been different? How much she wished this young and lively girl could walk and not be trapped between the four walls of her house. How she wished that she could run around playing catch with the neighborhood kids rather than just sitting and watching them. But she was helpless.

The trio walked to the nearby diner and sat down while May ordered food for everyone. Annalise sat by the corner looking out the window. 

She noticed how kids ran up and down the stairs of the opposite building, playing. Oh how much she wished that she was one of them. Peeking down at her legs, she wondered if she’d ever be able to walk around like others. 

Her tasks and dreams had always been limited because of her inability to walk. She wanted to experience how it felt to stand on her own legs, walk around freely without any restrictions, and not be bothered by anything. Run carelessly while the wind slapped her face and brushed her hair.

All she ever dreamed of was to walk on her own like everyone else’s but sadly enough, her mother didn’t have any money for her treatment.

14 years later

“Sure,” She smiled looking at the person before her and accepting the papers from them.

“Okay, so I won’t be able to make it tomorrow.” She said looking at the twelve-year-old in front of her.

“Lise, I have a test coming up please don’t do this to me. You know how bad I’m at math right?” The twelve-year-old boy in the red hoodie whinnied.

“Well, you’ve got to learn to study on your own. Everyone your age does.” She said politely in her mesmerizing voice.

“Easy for you to say, you aren’t bad at math.” He rolled his eyes, huffing in the end and crossing his arms against his chest.

“Hey, I’ll be going tomorrow and you have to study. And to practice these questions thoroughly as you didn’t get it right the first time,” she said shuffling the boy’s hair. 

“Sure,” he obeyed as a small blush crept his face. Lise chuckled and nodded before picking up her cell phone and wallet and putting it into her handbag.

She kept it on her lap and began wheeling herself towards the door.

“Have a fun day Lise,” the boy said he opened the door for her.

“Thanks, Rob, you too and do study,” she warned and he bobbed his head up and down like the diligent kid he was.

Annalise was so glad that this house had just a tiny step that she could easily get down with the help of her wheelchair.

Wheeling down the driveway, she immediately noticed the silver Toyota. As she approached the car, Mila got down and ran behind her pushed the wheelchair to the passenger seat. She opened the door and helped Annalise up by her arms and carefully seated her in the car and closed the door. She walked back and folded the wheelchair and put it in the trunk of her car and walked to the driver’s side.

“So Lise, geared up for the shopping?” Her aunt asked her as she sat in and buckled herself up.

“Is it really necessary? Can’t I wear something I already own?” Lise being the money-conscious teen asked her. 

Annalise was well aware of how her mother worked two jobs to help her and Mila study. Mila was doing her post-graduation and she did also work part-time to help her sister out but the money wasn’t enough for the family of three.

“Yes, it is. It is your’s and Peter’s first dinner with family and you should look extremely gorgeous. And if this is about money, I don’t want to hear it,” Mila said and started the engine and drove down the neighbourhood.

“But...”

“No buts. You don’t have to worry about the money,” Mila said as she turns to the main road and drove straight while Annalise sighed and shrugged her shoulders in defeat and tuned in to the radio.

“I mean this dress is beautiful and all, but I really don’t think it is necessary. Please auntie,” Annalise said as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. It was a beautiful dress indeed but totally unnecessary and it came with a hefty price tag, which was a definite no.

“Yes, and you need it. The dresses you have are very... Old-fashioned,” Mila said looking at her beautiful niece. Mila was well aware of her niece’s lifestyle, which was rather simple. She always wore leggings and sweatshirts and occasionally dresses, to avoid many hassles as she moved around in a wheelchair.

“Old-fashioned?” Annalise scoffed and rolled her eyes, clearly offended at her aunt’s remark.

“Yes. You only wear leggings and rarely wear any dresses, so it is necessary,” she said and pushed Lise’s wheelchair to the next rack of dresses.

“Sure, Mila.” Annalise retorted in a mocking tone and rolled her eyes.

“So, how’s college?” Mila asked as she paused pushing the wheelchair when her eyes caught on an emerald dress. She wasted towards it and pulled it. Her eyes hovered on the design of the dress while Annalise, who seemed least stressed, scrolled through her phone.

“Lise, how’s this one?” Mila asked her as she held out the emerald dress for Annalise.

“Meh,” Annalise shrugged uninterested.

“Come on, Lise. Pick something. There must be something you like.” Mila almost pleaded at the girl’s lack of interest in anything.

“Mila...” Annalise groaned in frustration see her aunt persistent about getting a dress.

“Pick.” 

“Okay. That one.” Lise pointed to a blue dress that hung on the far-away rack.

Mila walked up to the rack and picked out the blue velvety dress and handed it to Annalise. Accepting the dress, she ran her fingers over the dress feeling the soft fabric under her fingers. With his deep back cut and noodle straps, it looked elegant and at the same time, sexy. An unknown smile crept on her face, looking at the beautiful dress. 

“You love it,” Mila said and Annalise looked up confused.

“Huh?” 

“The dress you love it,” Mila said taking the dress and looking at it.

“You want to try it on?” Mila asked but it was more like shoving Annalise into the changing room.

The real reason Annalise didn’t want to try the dress on was because of her inability to stand. She felt that she wouldn’t do the dress justice if she wore it. Neither will the beautiful back of the dress be seen nor will the length of the gorgeous dress that would end by her toes be visible. If she had to just sit around, she could have had any dress, why spend so much money on this elegant and beautifully crafted dress? 

With much difficulty, she slipped it on with the assistance of the staff in the store. And my god she looked prepossessing. With the blue color of the dress most definitely accentuating her light eyes, she looked no less than an angel. The dress hugged her petite frame, making her look even finer than she already was. 

Annalise has always been smaller in size when compared to girls of her age. Being bound to a wheelchair and having a terrible eating disorder, she wasn’t normal and she had made peace with it. She doesn’t really remember when the eating disorder started but it happened and she had managed to hide it well from Mila and her mother.

She knew she had to seek medical help, but she didn’t want to burden her mother with her extra bills. Being crippled was already a curse to her mother as she spent thousands of bucks every year for her medicines and they just didn’t seem to stop. Desire having a supporting mother and aunt, she still left tongue tide. She just couldn’t stomach the idea of them spending more than what is already necessary for her. 

One of the reasons she ever agreed to marry Peter was because she knew no one would want her. Being bullied an awful lot in school, she had come to believe that people only wanted perfection. With a lot of them being from rich families and owing expensive cars and purses, she knew she was far from that.

She didn’t fancy money or any other expensive things, she only had one wish, right from when she was a kid and that was, the beautiful ability to be able to walk.

“You look gorgeous,” Mila said as the woman who held her dress up, pushed her out of the changing room. Mila’s eyes glitter with joy when she looked at her niece all dolled up. She knew the girl would steal thousands of hearts by just gracing them with her mere presence.

Annalise faced a smile as she looked at Mila. 

“We’ll take it,” Mila announced.

Annalise zipped her mouth shut as Mila paid for the dress and pushed her out to the car. She was just too lost in her own thoughts of wondering how different it would be if she was just ‘normal’ like everyone was. As Mila helped her in, she leaned her head on the window and focused her gaze outside. It wasn’t the first time she had had such thoughts, but she just wished she was normal. People love normal. No one liked abnormalities like her. She just was a damn normal life

If only she knew about the raging storm that was about to enter her life, making her hope that she never existed.