Dear Austin...

"Lily-Pearl!" I called out to my little sister. Her tiny head poked out of the kitchen door to the backyard. I was at the rose garden and I watched her tromp out over the deep green sea of grass to my spot in the yard. I had been a little busy this week to mow the lawn and our yard had become a jungle. In our little cul-de-sac, we wouldn't have won the best kept lawn award, but we had a flower garden to die for.

Two years ago, I had made it my mission to plant a rose garden. At first the small plot of land held five rose bushes, but now it had fifteen. They were tended to each morning every week. A family of blue jays had taken to nesting in trees near my roses and enjoyed hanging in the cool shade of the lovely patch of land.

For my avian friends, I had put in a bird bath and hung a small feeder. It was the least I could do for those who appreciated the flowers.

At this moment, I was tending to an apricot colored plant tinted on the edge with a soft cream color. I carefully trimmed some of the leaves back and cut some of the low hanging thorns. The blue jays had four chicks that could fly short distances. The chicks liked to hang under the shady leaves, so I cut some of the thorns just to be sure.

Lily-Pearl came up behind me, watching my progress. Today she was dressed in petite green sandals, tan shorts, and a yellow shirt that had a purple tulip on it. She was adorable. Silently, she stood behind me until I turned to her.

"Can I help?" Her timid voiced asked carefully. LP had seen how well I took care of my bed of flowers. After a hail storm had wiped out most of the bushes, I was beyond upset. I knew they would grow back the next year, but I couldn't believe I wouldn't have many roses that year.

"Of course. We'll pick some roses for Mom, okay?" I asked her. She smiled at the thought.

I had many different colors of roses, from pure white to purple and white striped bushes. Although I had only a few pink flowers blooming, they needed to be trimmed. It was a good time to, since they could be for Breast Cancer. Lily-Pearl pointed a small finger to a rose bush called Conquered Challenge. I thought it was a very appropriately named pink bush. From that, I trimmed back three blooming flowers. Taking off the thorns, I handed them to my small sister.

She took the three roses in tender hands. Her fingers never let a petal fall to the earth, nor did it crush the life out of the delicate roses. I glanced over my shoulder that burned in the blazing sun to see her carefully sniffing the scent pink blossoms.

"Momma's surgery." She mumbled. I threw on a false smile in less than a second. I didn't want to think about the upcoming procedure in four days.

"That's right, LP. She'll be out of the hospital in a day." I told her. LP didn't look convinced, but ran into the house, holding out the flowers for our mom. Standing up, I brushed the dirt of my pants before following my small sister into the cool shade of our home.

I heard my mother's voice wafting from the kitchen, "Oh are these for me?" Her voice rang, saturated with delight.

"Rae picked them." LP spoke up. I entered to find my sister handing my mom the roses. I smiled at the thought.

Lily-Pearl and my mom exchanged the roses for an envelope. LP handed it to me, expecting me to take the paper cuts for her. I smiled as I read the familiar names. Instantly, I tore through the envelope and handed an paper labeled FOR LP (FROM ALAN) to my sister who squealed with delight and plopped on a couch in our living room. I sat next to her and opened my own letter. The familiar handwriting of Austin Carlile sprang like a well of water up to my eyes. I smiled as I read the news.

He told me the tour was going well, and he would be excited to meet us! Even though we had exchanged many letter that ranged from serious topics to favorite Disney shows, I couldn't believe he was still excited to me. Shouldn't I be filled with joy to meet him? I finished the letter and looked over my sibling's shoulder.

"Alan drew me another cat!" Her small smile was brighter than the sun. Sure enough, on the paper, I saw a picture of a cat with a guitar. It was a familiar ginger cat.

"It's Alan!" I grinned for her. She was still beaming at it. My eyes scanned over the words at the top of the page.

Lily-Pearl,
I loved the picture of the tabby cat you sent me last time! It's hanging on my wall in our tour bus! Phil and Valentino like it as well! When you asked if I played any other instruments, I only play the guitar, but I think that learning the violin would be awesome! You're so talented, being able to play the violin!

Warped Tour can be a little scary, going for the first time. I'm sure your big sister will protect you! Some people can be a little crazy, but otherwise it's tons of fun! Just stay out of the Mosh Pits, and you'll be okay!

I'll talk to you soon! Keep me updated!

-Alan (Ginger Princess)

"I have to tell him about the roses!" LP gushed before running to her room. Her small legs managed to hop two stairs at a time to the second floor where I heard her door fly open in her excitement. After finishing going over the words in my mind, I knew that eventually I had to tell her what a Mosh Pit was. I laughed at the thought.

I started headed upstairs to start a letter of my own.

Notes

Hey guys! Next chapter will be a letter from Lily-Pearl!

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