‘They’ve accepted me,’ announced Harmonia to the lunch table the next day.
‘Who’s accepted you for what?’ Damian asked.
Harmonia sighed at him then rolled her eyes. ‘The graduation committee.’
‘Great! When do you start?’ Ismene asked.
‘This afternoon; and every afternoon after that.’
‘So basically you’re not going to be able to go to any more movies with me and Izzy after school?’
‘Until graduation and formal are over; no.’
‘So what are you working on?’
‘Invitations, posters and table decorations.’
‘Interesting,’ replied Damian in a very uninterested tone.
Ismene laughed at the annoyed expression on Harmonia’s face and the distant look on Damian’s.
Later that afternoon, Ismene arrived home to a huge argument.
‘Mum! I have to go, don’t you understand? This could have terrible consequences if I don’t go!’
‘Penelope, we have let you go on so many dates with Gordon, with grace and politeness. Now you must return the favour. You. Are. Not. Going. And that is my last word on the topic.’
‘But Mum-.’
‘Enough Penelope.’
‘Hey! What’s going on here?’ asked Ismene, dropping her bag on the kitchen floor. Her mother was brandishing a wooden spoon at her red faced and annoyed sister.
‘Mum, won’t let me go on a night out with Gordon tomorrow,’ gritted Penelope.
‘Mum?’
‘Izzy, I know how much you go through when Penny leaves for the night. It hurts me too, to see you there like that in the front room.’
‘I can deal with that, just let Penny go.’
Her mother sighed. ‘Ok. Now I would but it also happens to be your grandma’s birthday tomorrow, and we’ve already promised to be there tomorrow night.’
‘Mum?!’ exclaimed both sisters, now both on the verge of screaming.
‘Girls, I understand your frustration in having to spend an evening with ladies and gentlemen in their seventies, but you’re doing this for your grandma.’
Ismene looked at Penelope and Penelope looked right back at her. Then they both sighed.
‘Fine,’ muttered Ismene.
‘Whatever,’ mumbled Penelope picking up her bag and stomping out of the kitchen and up to her room.
‘Now Izzy.’
‘Yes, Mum?’ Ismene looked slightly wary.
‘I need you to bake a chocolate cake for the birthday cake tomorrow and I also need you to wrap the presents. There are five on the dining table that need to be wrapped and ribboned with cards attached. Can you do that?’
Ismene sighed. ‘Yes Mum.’
Ismene set to work, making the chocolate cake. She had just finished tidying up after putting the cake in the oven, when there was a scream from above.
‘Penelope!’ Ismene raced up the stairs, two at a time and threw open her sisters bedroom door.
Her sister was lying on her bed, her phone tossed to one side. Tears were running fast down her cheeks and she was wiping them away with the back of her hand.
Ismene looked at her sister questioningly.
‘He just dumped me,’ sobbed Penelope.
‘What?’
‘I can’t make it. So he dumped me.’
‘Penny, why do you even go out with a guy like this? I mean, who dumps their girlfriend because she can’t make one date? Because of a family commitment?’
‘Gord.’
‘I know that, but come on. I’m sure there are heaps of better guys out there for you.’
‘But I love him. And he loves me.’
‘I find the latter hard to believe.’
Ismene put her arms around her older sister. Penelope sobbed hard on her shoulder. Then there was a knock on the door and it flew open.
‘Guess what!’ cried a happy looking Selene.
‘Selene! Can’t you see Penny’s having a moment? Come in and calm down.’
‘Sorry Penny. Well, I thought you might like to know I got 95% for my maths test yesterday.’
Penelope looked up at her youngest sister.
‘Well done Selene. See? I told you, believe in yourself, or no one ever will.’
‘Thanks sister.’ Then seeing the state Penelope was in added. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘Gordon just dumped her.’
There was a pause. ‘Penny? Why do you choose such stupid boyfriends? I mean, look what’s he’s done to you now.’
‘Selene! You’re not helping the situation. You’re supposed to be making her feel better, not worse.’
‘Sorry. Here.’ Selene held out a box of tissues and put down her paper. Then she wrapped her arms around her two older sisters.
‘Sister hug,’ whispered Selene. Penelope half-laughed half-cried.
Whispering comforting words to each other, especially Penelope, the sisters huddled together for most of the evening. Saying she couldn’t face dinner, Penelope remained in her room, only allowing her two sisters to visit.
‘Is Penny alright?’ asked their mother at the dinner table.
Ismene quickly looked towards the stairs and back again.
‘She’ll live. I don’t think she’s very hungry.’
‘Take her a tray.’ So Ismene piled some noodles in a small bowl and together with a glass of water, carried it to her sisters room.
‘I’m not hungry,’ demanded Penelope once seeing what was on the tray.
‘Come on. Eat. Mum’s not going to be a happy chappy if I carry down a full tray again.’
Penelope sighed. And with a little bit of coaxing, Ismene managed to feed her sister a quarter of her dinner.

‘Happy birthday Grandma!’ chorused the three sisters, upon seeing their grandmother the following evening.
‘Girls!’ exclaimed their grandmother. ‘You came!’
Ismene elbowed her sister.
‘We wouldn’t miss it for anything,’ said Penelope.
‘Oh! That’s too kind of you!’ Their grandmother kissed both of Penelope’s cheeks. Penelope looked at her sisters urgently.
‘Oh look it’s… cousin Hayley,’ said Selene nodding behind their grandmother.
‘Ehmagod! We haven’t seen her for ages!’ said Penelope grabbing her sister’s arms and dragging them away from their grandmother, who was greeted by another one of her friends.
‘You know what to do?’
‘Yes, Penny.’
‘Damn! Here comes Mum. See you later!’ Penelope ducked behind a clump of bushes and her two sisters moved a bit further off.
‘Girls!’
‘Yes, Mum?’
‘Where’s Penelope?’
‘She went to get some drinks for us,’ said Selene. Ismene nodded.
‘Lovely. There’s some really good finger food.’ Their mother patted them both on the shoulder and left.
‘I think I’ll leave this to you,’ said Selene, slinking off towards a bunch of Lanai cousins.
‘Fine,’ muttered Ismene. She looked over her shoulder. Penelope had already scaled the fence and disappeared as planned.
Penelope had been wrong. Gordon had not actually dumped her. He had decided to give her a second chance, goodness knows why, on the same date that night. With the help of her sisters, Penelope hoped to be able to impress Gordon without upsetting their parents for missing their grandma’s party.
Ismene hurried to get herself some short-eats. There were some delicious pastries, tiny sandwiches and small cupcakes. While she was helping herself to a plateful, her father hurried up to her.
‘Where’s Penelope?’ he asked.
‘Uh, she went to the bathroom,’ replied Ismene quickly. ‘Why?’
‘For some reason we’ve run out of the soft drinks we bought for the kids and I was hoping that Penny could run up to the shops and buy us some more.’
‘Well, I’ll tell her when she returns,’ said Ismene, smiling sweetly at her father.
‘Thanks. Here’s the car key, give it to her.’ Her father handed her the key and walked off.
Ismene hurried over to a desolate corner of the backyard and hit the speed dial on her phone. Her sister answered on the first ring.
‘Has something gone wrong already?’ Her sisters’ tone was coloured with anxiety.
‘Relax, everything’s fine.’
‘What then? Make it quick, we’re nearly here.’
‘We’ve supposedly run out of soft drink and Dad wants you to run up to shops to get more.’
‘What can I do?’
‘Call him asking what to get, pretend something, you’re stuck in a traffic jam or something. That much soft drink can’t disappear so fast, so I’m going to find out what happened to it.’
‘Ok. I’ve gotcha. Over and out.’
Ismene snapped her phone shut and contemplated the matter. Hiding soft drink was a sixth grader joke. And there was only one sixth grader she knew here.
Selene was by the pond, talking to some guy she didn’t know, who was definitely not one of their relations.
‘Selene!’
‘Hey Izzy!’ called Selene, sounding unnaturally cool and calm.
‘Whose-?’ Ismene looked from one person to the other.
‘Oh, Chris this is my sister Ismene. Izzy, this is Chris Delaine. He’s the grandson of one of grandma’s friends.’
‘Hi,’ said Ismene, raising a small hand in greeting.
‘Hi. Great to meet you,’ said Chris grinning at her.
Ismene didn’t spare him a glance. Instead she demanded from her sister. ‘Have you heard about these missing soft drink bottles?’
Selene flashed her teeth in Chris’s direction. ‘Give us a minute.’ Selene got up from her chair and walked a little further away. Ismene followed her until she stopped abruptly.
‘Is that the sort of thing you say to me in front of a guy like that? Accuse me of some stupid soft drink crime?’
‘Selene! He’s easily five years older than you!’
‘He’s seventeen!’
‘That’s older than me too!’
‘Shhh! Keep your voice down.’
‘Oh! For heaven’s sake! Now, do you know about the soft drink or not?’
‘Yes. I hid them under grandma’s bed.’
‘Why?’
‘I thought it would be another good excuse for Penelope. Was it?’
‘It was genius!’ Ismene gave her sister a hug. ‘Penelope’s out of the house which means that any excuse works. You’re brilliant.’
‘Wow, someone’s happy,’ said Chris approaching them.
‘That’s new for Izzy,’ said Selene smiling up at the dark haired, brown eyed guy standing in front of her. Ismene rolled her eyes.
‘Izzy!’ Ismene turned to see her father approaching.
‘Excuse me,’ she said to her sister and Chris. ‘What’s up Dad?’
‘Penny called to say that she was stuck in a traffic jam on the main road and she suddenly remembered about some project that she forgot to email to one of her teachers. So she’s going to drop off the drinks and head back home. Pick up the drinks and bring them in to me please.’
‘Sure Dad.’ Ismene smiled to herself at Penelope easy excuse. Her dad left and Ismene pulled out her phone and immediately called her sister.
‘Hey Penny. Great excuse.’
‘I know right, I’m so proud of myself. Anyway, what happened to the soft drink?’
‘Selene hid them.’
‘Awesome. Collect them and give them to Dad. Then tell him that I took off and I’m aiming to head back by the time they’re cutting the cake.’
‘Coolies. See you then.’
‘Love you sister.’
Ismene pressed the little red button and checked her watch. It was too early to get the soft drink out. So deciding to give it ten minutes, Ismene wandered over to where her sister was talking to Chris.
‘What’s the rush?’ asked Chris.
‘Nothing much,’ Ismene ran a hand through her wavy hair.
‘I haven’t met your other sister yet. Where is she?’ Chris looked around.
Selene dismissed it with a wave of her hand. ‘Oh she had a da-,’ she began and abruptly stopped at a glare from Ismene.
‘She went to collect some extra soft drink,’ amended Ismene. Chris nodded.
‘So what are you planning to do this weekend?’ asked Selene smiling up at Chris.
‘On Saturday I have soccer then I have to tutor my little brother and we’re having guests over for dinner. On Sunday my friend’s having her seventeenth party so I have to go for that.’
Ismene began to drift away from her sister and her new friend; both bored and aware of the time. When she was a good distance away she quietly approached the house and crept up the stairs. She collected the soft drink from under her grandmother’s bed, where Selene had hid them and packed them into a plastic bag. Then she crept downstairs and hunted around for her dad.
‘Here dad,’ she said holding out the bag as she approached him. He smiled and took the soft drink. ‘Penny left but she said she’d be here as quickly as she could.’
‘Thanks honey.’
‘You’re welcome.’
Ismene passed off the next half an hour or so talking to various people, including her grandmother’s friends and their grandchildren, her cousins, a couple of her aunts and holding her four month old baby cousin.
‘Cake time!’ announced her mother over the crowd. Ismene handed her baby cousin to her aunt and headed towards the cake she had baked the night before.
Just as she was approaching the edge of the crowd of her friends and relatives she heard hurried footsteps.
‘Ismene!’
‘Penelope! How was it?’ asked Ismene glad to see her sister back.
‘It was great. I’m not sure if he was happy that I had to leave a little early but he was kind of impressed about our scheme.’
‘Well, you can tell me about it later. But I’m so glad your back.’
‘Oh, Ismene.’ Penelope gave her sister a hug and they walked to the cake table in time to see their grandmother blow out the array of candles on top of the cake.

‘…and that’s about it,’ concluded Penelope. She was sitting on top of Ismene’s bed recounting her evening to her sister who was lying back in bed.
‘Well, I’m glad you a Gordon are back together so that you’re happy again.’
‘It’s all thanks to you.’ Penelope hugged her sister and then bent down to pick up something on the floor. ‘And I wanted to give this to you.’
Penelope held out a rectangular package wrapped in ribbon. Ismene took it and shook it.
‘A book?’
‘Yes, sort of. I thought you might find it helpful. There’s a note inside as well.’
‘Thanks.’
‘You’re welcome. Good night.’
‘Good night.’
Once Penelope left the room, Ismene placed the gift on her bedside table to open later at a more appropriate time.

‘Hurry up!’ called Penelope, rolling down her car window.
‘Coming!’ cried Selene running down the driveway to join her two sisters.
The minute her youngest sister was in the car, Penelope stepped on the accelerator. It was the day after the grandmother’s party.
Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at their destination.
‘Hi Scott!’ said Penelope as she got out of the car, addressing a man wearing workman’s clothes.
They had arrived at the site of Penelope’s major work. Being in year twelve, she was expected to produce a major work, but her two sisters were certain that Penelope’s was definitely the most major.
Penelope had decided to create a centre for single parent families or those generally in need of a home and some TLC. Penelope had decide to use a house her father had bought as an investment property as it was not too far from their own home and it was now being renovated to fit Penelope’s ideals.
‘How’s everything going?’ asked Ismene.
‘The room’s are almost complete,’ said Scott, leading them inside.
Penelope sighed. ‘There’s so much left to do. Painting, decorating, finding staff and families.’
‘We’re going to get everything done by the time your major work is due, I promise,’ promised Ismene, faithfully. Selene nodded.
‘We’ll help.’
Penelope had never told her two sisters exactly what drove her to create the centre but she had promised that they would find out someday.
The centre was to have six rooms for the families to live in, with a large living room that was to be turned into a playroom for the children. There was also going to be a backyard for the parents to relax and the children to run around in.
‘It looks great!’ exclaimed Penelope, upon seeing the nearly complete rooms.
‘Some other areas of the house have also been made child friendly,’ said Scott gesturing in the general direction of the kitchen.
‘I can’t wait to get painting,’ said Penelope, excitedly. ‘I can just imagine this place being painted with pink and purple colours. The backyard has to be designed. I think I have an idea of what I want it to look like but I’m not too sure.’
‘Well, you might want to get around to putting your ideas on a piece of paper,’ said Scott. ‘We think we’ll be finished in the next couple of days.’
‘Yes! Painting here we come!’ cried Penelope. Ismene and Selene laughed.

‘Hey! I have to go, I’ll be back around eleven or later,’ called Penelope the next evening heading for the door.
‘Hold it there.’ Ismene’s mother grabbed Penelope shoulder as she rushed for the door. ‘Where are you going?’
‘N-Club.’
‘Penelope.’
‘Mum.’
‘This isn’t funny Penelope.’ Their mother looked at her oldest daughter seriously.
‘I’ll be back Mum, I promise.’
Their mother sighed as she wasn’t given a choice. ‘I just don’t have a good feeling about this. It’s as if something bad’s going to happen to you if this keeps going.’
‘Mum calm down,’ said Penelope looking at her younger sister desperately.
‘Mum, let her go,’ said Ismene pulling her mother gently away from her older sister. Her mother shrugged her hands off and walked back towards her eldest daughter.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said hugging Penelope.
‘It’s ok Mum. I’ll be fine, don’t worry. Besides, you’re a mother. You’re supposed to worry about these things,’ said Penelope rubbing her mother’s back. Then her mother broke free and stepped back.
‘Oh, Ismene? The clothes are outside, don’t forget to take them in.’ Penelope waved at her two sisters and her mother before leaving.
Their mother turned to Ismene.
‘She’ll be fine,’ Ismene assured her mother.
Five hours later Selene was in her room, Ismene was in the front room and their parents were talking at the dining table. Bored, Ismene wandered upstairs to see what her sister was doing.
‘I’m re-reading my English essay.’
‘Didn’t you write that months ago?’ asked Ismene, sitting down on her sisters bed.
‘Yeah, but I like it because it got me the English award for our class to be presented at Presentation Day.’
‘Didn’t Penelope promise to come for that after her graduation?’
‘Yep. Hopefully all this Gordon stuff will be over by then.’
‘It’ll wear off don’t worry.’
Suddenly, the telephone rang.
‘I hope Penelope’s not stuck anywhere, she’s later than usual,’ said Ismene sticking her head out of Selene’s bedroom door. She could hear her mother on the downstairs extension.
‘Oh my…,’ she was saying. ‘That’s terrible… of course not… sure… we’ll be there soon… thank you… bye.’ Her mother hung up the phone and hurried upstairs followed by her husband.
‘Girls,’ said their mother pushing Selene’s door further open so Selene could hear. ‘Your sister’s been taken to hospital. The nurse wasn’t clear but she said we must get there as quickly as possible. Grab a bag and fill it with essentials, I don’t know how long we’ll be there. Hurry!’ Their mother hurried off to her bedroom.
The two youngest Lanai sisters stared at each other in shock for a couple of seconds. Then Ismene ran to her room and grabbed her backpack. Into it she stuffed a notebook, her pencil case, a reading book, a couple of lollies off her desk and some other bits and pieces. Then she dragged on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and a pullover, combed her hair back and glanced around the room. Her eyes fell on the still neatly wrapped rectangular package that her older sister had given her two nights ago. She put that, too, in her backpack and raced to the car where her father was waiting. Her mother and sister soon joined them and they left for the hospital.
Once they got there, their father immediately went up to the front desk and told them their sister’s name. A nurse appeared and ushered them towards a lift. They went up two floors to the ICU. Then they hurried down the corridor to room 348. The nurse held open the door and the Lanai family hurried in.
Penelope was lying flat on her back in bed with her eyes closed. She could merely have been sleeping except for the heart monitor that was lazily beeping beside her and the oxygen mask attached to her mouth. Ismene and Selene gazed open-mouthed at their usually bubbly, happy sister who was now lying still in bed.
‘What’s wrong with her?’ asked their mother in a whisper.
‘She’s in a coma,’ replied the nurse quietly.
‘What happened?’ asked Ismene still looking at her sister.
‘From what we know, she’s been out with Gordon Portman, correct?’
Ismene nodded and the nurse continued. ‘Gordon and a couple of his friends had been drinking and were becoming rowdy and were forced to leave the club. Penelope had gone with him, but they had begun to fight just outside. One of Gordon’s friends had thrown a punch at him and in trying to defend him; Penelope had stepped in front of him.
‘She had taken the punch and was knocked to the ground. We believe she hit her head very hard and was left lying on the ground in the middle of their fight until Teresa Lehman suddenly saw her there and called 000. When the ambulance got there she was hardly conscious. Teresa is still here if you’d like to talk to her, and I must tell you that the police are keeping Gordon’s friend, Alexander Herman- the friend who threw the punch- for the night.’
‘Alex is Teresa’s boyfriend,’ stated Ismene to no one in particular.
‘I know. But she had no problem in letting her boyfriend go with the police. Apparently, she actually swore at him before they left.’
‘That sounds like Teresa. She’s Penelope’s best friend. For Teresa, friends come before everything else.’
‘Well,’ said the nurse. ‘I’ll leave you alone for a while. If you wish you can stay the night or swap alternately.’ She nodded then left, shutting the door quietly behind her.
‘I want to stay,’ said Ismene, immediately. Her mother nodded, silent tears running down her face as she walked towards her oldest daughter.
‘Why don’t your mother and sister stay with you tonight? I want to go find the Portman’s and ask them a few questions about what has happened,’ said her father.
‘I can’t stay,’ whispered Selene. ‘I can’t bear to look at her.’ She turned away from the hospital bed and sat down in a chair near the door.
‘I’ll stay today and tomorrow,’ said Ismene. ‘But I’ll need to go home to change and collect my other stuff.’
Her father nodded. ‘Selene, I’ll drop you at home.’
‘No, I want to come with you.’ Her father shook his head at that.
‘It’s late; you need to go to bed.’
Ismene looked at her father. ‘Do you want me to see if the Fairburn’s are free?’
Her father nodded.
Ismene pulled out her phone and flipped it open. Then she dialed Harmonia.
‘Ismene? Why the heck are you calling me? It’s one in the morning!’
‘Sorry, Harmonia. But you see Penelope’s in hospital with a coma and I need someone to look after Selene for the night.’
‘I don’t think I heard that right. Your older sister is in hospital in a coma?’
‘I know it’s hard to believe but it’s true. She’s lying in bed in front of me.’
‘Well, in that case I’ll see what my Mum says. I’ll call you back.’
‘Thanks.’
Ismene snapped her phone shut then looked over at her mother. Her mother was sitting in a chair next to Penelope’s bed, holding her hand and sniffling into her handkerchief. Ismene walked over to her mother and sat down next to her. Her mother turned and began sobbing on her shoulder.
‘It’s ok, Mum. Everything will turn out fine,’ said Ismene patting her mother’s shoulder.
Twenty minutes later, Harmonia called back.
‘What took you so long?’
‘Chill. We’re outside the hospital now. What room’s she in?’
‘348.’
‘We’ll be there in a tick.’ Harmonia hung up.
Ismene told her father what Harmonia had said. He nodded then left.
No sooner had he left, the door opened again revealing Harmonia and her mother, Belinda.
‘Jasmine!’ exclaimed Belinda, hurrying over to Ismene’s mother. ‘Oh my goodness.’
Penelope’s pale figure seemed to punch everyone who saw it like a stabbing blow.
‘Will she be ok?’ asked Harmonia quietly.
‘Hopefully,’ said Ismene.
‘Mum’ll take Selene back home with her. I’m allowed to stay if you want.’
‘No, you go. You’ll need sleep. If you want you can come back tomorrow, bring Damian with you. I can’t make the shopping trip.’
‘That’s more than a little obvious. Yeah, I’ll come back tomorrow with Damian. K?’
‘Sure.’
Harmonia looked at her mother and Belinda nodded.
‘We’ll be back tomorrow,’ said Belinda. ‘We’ll take Selene to our place for the night.’
‘Thanks,’ whispered Ismene’s mother. Harmonia led Selene out of the room while Belinda gave Ismene’s mother another hug and then followed.
Ismene’s mother turned away from Ismene once they had left. Understanding that her mother wanted some time alone, Ismene sat down in the chair in the corner of the room and opened her bag to find her reading book. As she searched through the bag, Penelope’s gift fell out, making a loud thump as it hit the ground. Ismene looked at it. Now was a more appropriate time to open it.
Ismene picked up the package and slowly unwrapped it. Out fell a book with a pretty pink cover. On the front, in Penelope’s neat writing, were printed the words “My High School Diary”.
Ismene opened the diary. Just inside the cover was an envelope with her name printed on it in Penelope’s cursive. She shut the book and tore open the envelope. Inside was the note Penelope promised:

Ismene, my little sister,
I don’t know when you’ll open this, or where you will do so, but I hope wherever you are you are thinking of me, as I’m always thinking of you. I wanted to give you this from the day I started writing in it. I think that just before my graduation is the perfect time to do so.
When I was seven, our cousin Hayley once told me that high school was a time of struggle. You got so much homework and never enough time to do it. When she said it, I merely thought she was teasing me as usual, but I never forgot those words. From my first day in year seven, I kept this diary in the hope that one day I can pass it onto my sisters to help them overcome their struggle in high school.
I realize that when I graduate, the journal will be more appropriate for Selene than you, but I found year ten to be one of the hardest years of high school which is why I’m giving you this diary. Once you are finished, you can pass it onto Selene yourself.
I hope you will learn from my mistakes as much as your own. I know that sounds cliché but I mean it. Listen to mum and dad and even Selene sometimes. Trust Harmonia and Damian, because sometimes your best friends are the only people who will listen. Oh, and don’t get a boyfriend, it takes up too much time.
I feel that our time together is nearly at an end. I don’t know why though, it’s probably because I’m going to Cambridge next year, a whole continent away. But you know my number and my email. I’ll always be there if you need someone to talk to.
And don’t always do what other people say, do what you think is right. But whatever it is, do it because you want to; from your heart.
You were my first little sister, and you never will be anything else.
Love you,
Penelope
xoxo

Ismene folded the piece of paper back up and slipped it back in the envelope.
As she looked up at the frozen frame of her sister lying on the hospital bed, she couldn’t blink back the tears that began to fall.