She had just won a spelling bee. Everyone sat there, clapping for her. Everyone had thought this was going to be a great day. Even me. Her older sister. The one who comforts her when times are tough. The one who is her shoulder to cry on. Just look at Evangeline, so pure, so innocent, so intelligent. Why didn't I think about it this time? Why didn't I plan for the worst like I always do? Why didn't I consider the fact that all her hopes of making it big on the spelling bee would be crushed like a delicate dewdrop? Of course, I waited and waited.

She seems happy, I thought to myself as she skipped around the house, telling everyone who lived with her that she had won. She came up to me again and said in her pure, innocent, little voice, "Rose, I won! I won!" I smiled and hugged her. We danced around in excitement. To make matters better, Mom and Dad had promised they would take us to Castaway Bay. We would see Nicole there, and we would have great fun. Or so we all thought.

"Goodnight, Evie!" I said to my sister as I slipped into my pajamas.

She smiles and says, "Goodnight!"

We fall asleep; Evangeline with dreams of winning the spelling bee, and me with dreams of who knows what. We slept peacefully until a bang punctuated the silence. I was startled awake. I looked over at Evangeline, hoping that she would still sleep in that still, peaceful way of hers. Seeing that she was sleeping, I rolled over. Probably a nightmare, I thought, and I went back to sleep. Then, another sound happened. A sound that would change our lives forever.

BEEP BEEP BEEP! Fire! I woke up, eager to rouse Evangeline. I wanted her out of the flames. I wanted to protect her. And so I did. When Dad told me to, I got her safely to the car, where he told us to wait while he and Mom called the fire department.
There we waited, Evangeline not comprehending our situation. I couldn't bear to tell her. I couldn't bear to tell her that she might not be able to see her friends again, that she might not be able to do the spelling bee. It would hurt her so badly, I thought. I can't bear it! I looked at her with a motherly look.

"Evie," I said gently, rubbing her back, "The house is on fire!"
Comprehension dawns on her face. She begins to cry. I feel a duty to protect her. I hold her,
comforting her, telling her it will be okay, that we will get through this. Finally, the fire
department came, and they put out the fire.

They told us that the house was gone for good. The Red Cross came and put us in a hotel called the Hampton Suites. People came to comfort us, but I didn't care. All I cared about was comforting Evangeline. Her eyes were flooding with tears that pooled on the floor, and I knew that she would be sad. 

"I'm here for you, Evie!" I said gently, stroking her forehead comfortingly. Evangeline wept and wept. I felt helpless. How could I help such a bright, intelligent girl? She needs me, and I can’t console her. Mom appears by Evangeline. 

“Don’t worry, honey, ll make sure you can go to the spelling bee.”

It was Mom’s voice, high, lilting, and comforting. Evangeline seemed consoled by that, but she still wished she could stay with her friends. She loved our old school, and so did I. 

We stayed in a hotel for a few days, our relatives comforting Evangeline and I. Evangeline got most of the comforting. I could tell she needed it more so than I. Finally, it was time to go to our Grandma’s. We lived there until we found a house, and Evangeline went to the spelling bee in the old city where we lived. (Mom had taken her). But, she seemed older now. More mature. She seemed more hopeless than happy.

She is still pure-hearted, but she has now learned what the bad part of life is after Mom, Dad, and me sheltering her from the harsh truths of the world. Now, our airtight shelter had leaked, and it had leaked on her! It was then that I realized I couldn’t protect her. It hurt both of us to hear that, but we knew we would bounce back. We were phoenixes, and we would rise from the ashes.