LAUGHTER

Annabelle's POV I woke up that morning with an unusual lightness in my chest.The world seemed brighter,as though it had been painted with softer colors just for me.My name is Annabelle Dean,and I am twelve years old.My parents,Mr.and Mrs.Dean,had traveled for a business trip a few days ago,and today was the day they were supposed to return. I wasn't alone,though. Bella was,well,technically she was my older sister,though everyone treated her more like a nanny was staying with me.My parents had brought her from our village years ago,and since then she had been my companion,caretaker,and sometimes even my best friend.She had this way of making the house feel alive,even when it was just the two of us. “Annabelle,you have to get up now,” Bella's familiar voice floated into my room.She was already tugging the curtains open,letting the morning sun spill across my bed in long golden streaks.I groaned as the light hit my face,covering my head with the pillow for a moment before surrendering. “Yeah,yeah,I'm coming.Good morning, Bella"I muttered as I dragged myself up, stretching. She smiled,the kind of smile that made you feel both scolded and loved at the same time.“Morning,dear.Shower quickly and come downstairs for breakfast.Your parents will be back today,remember?” That reminder sent a spark of excitement rushing through me.I almost skipped into the bathroom.By the time I was finished and dressed,the smell of scrambled eggs and warm milk called me downstairs. On the dining table,a simple but comforting breakfast awaited me.I sat with my plate,munching on bread and sipping milk,while the TV buzzed softly in the background. It was Saturday, which meant no school,just cartoons and an easy morning.Bella wandered into the living room with her usual energy,flipping through channels to find something"sensible" while I half watched,half ate. And then,something caught my eye. On one of the news channels,an image flashed:an airplane engulfed in flames, falling from the sky like a wounded bird. The reporter's voice was urgent,grim, describing a crash that had happened only hours before.I blinked,the bread still in my hand,but dismissed it quickly. Airplane crashes were terrible,yes,but they were things that happened to other people,far away from me. "Na wa o,"Bella muttered,her Nigerian slang slicing through the heavy atmosphere.She quickly changed the channel,deciding Nickelodeon was safer,and soon Henry Danger filled the room with laughter and color.I leaned back on the sofa,trying to push the image of the crashing plane from my mind. Minutes later,the shrill ring of the house phone echoed through the quiet. Bella,still busy dusting the furniture,hurried to pick it up. “Hello,Deans residence,”she answered cheerfully at first.Then silence. Then her tone shifted, cracked. “What?What do you mean?Who's dead?What crashed?” The panic in her voice sliced through me.My stomach twisted as I jumped from the sofa and rushed to her side.I grabbed the phone from her trembling hand,pressing it against my ear. The words that followed didn't feel real.They fell heavy and slow,like drops of poison seeping into my veins. There had been a crash.The plane.Their plane. My parents,my everything,were gone. In that moment,the world I had woken up in,so full of light and color all drained before my eyes.