Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters

Chapter One Cornelia p It was winter in New York City and the days were short. At three o'clock in the afternoon, the sun already hung low over the horizon, casting sharp pink light on the clouds above the skyscrapers. Cornelia S. Englehart lagged five steps behind her classmate Lauren Brannigan as they walked down the street. School had just ended for the day. Lauren wheeled around to face Cornelia, her long blond braids whipping through the air. "Come on, Cornelia," she said irritably, as if Cornelia were her annoying little sister. "Hurry up." Cornelia reluctantly quickened her pace. "So, what do you want to do this afternoon?" Lauren asked without enthusiasm after they had walked several blocks in complete silence. Now, in certain circles, Cornelia was renowned for her extreme reserve. Some girls always have a coterie of pretty friends, sisters, and cousins fluttering around thembut not her. She spent most of her time alone and hadn't had playmates since nursery school. Party invitations and after-school playdates had become few and far between. And when Cornelia did get asked over to someone's house, she was terribly out of practice and awkward. "We can do whatever you want," Cornelia answered, her breath forming a misty cloud in the cold air. Lauren sighed impatiently. "Well, I just got some new American Girl play scripts for Christmas," she said. "Maybe we can dress up and act one of them out." Cornelia's heart sank. "I've never done a play before," she said, longing for her warm bedroom at home, with her armchair and all of her books. "Fine," Lauren said. "My older sister just got a karaoke machine as one of her presents. Why don't we use that?" What a nightmare, Cornelia thought. "I don't like singing either," she said. Lauren lost her patience. "What do you like to do, then?" she snapped, staring at Cornelia. "We could play Scrabble," Cornelia suggested. It would give her secret satisfaction to trounce Lauren in the game, for Cornelia knew lots of uncommon words. It was her special weapon. "That is so boring," said Lauren as she strode down the street. "But better than nothing, I suppose." They arrived at Lauren's brownstone house and rang the front doorbell. When they heard the sound of footsteps coming toward the door from inside, Lauren whispered to Cornelia, "The only reason I invited you over in the first place is because my mother made me." She smiled meanly as Cornelia's face turned ashen. At that moment, Mrs. Brannigan yanked the front door open. "Hello, girls," she cried, clapping her hands together in apparent joy. "Come in, come in. It's absolutely freezing out there! Hello, hello, Cornelia! Welcome to our humble home. It's about time you came over and visited us. Ever since I heard that you were in Lauren's class, I have been simply begging Lauren to invite you over to play. And you live so nearby as well." She took the girls' coats and stuffed them into the front closet. "Follow me, troopsI have a snack for you in the kitchen," she shouted as she practically galloped down the front hallway. Lauren glared at her guest as she followed her mother to the kitchen. Cornelia trailed after them. "Sit down, ladies, sit down," Mrs. Brannigan whooped, clattering down some plates, cupcakes, and glasses of milk for the girls. Cornelia, who found Mrs. Brannigan as vBlume, Lesley M. M. is the author of 'Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters', published 2006 under ISBN 9780375835230 and ISBN 0375835237.