Prolouge
She didn't understand.
She wondered and wondered, and wondered again. It seemed strange to her. She stared at the boys, watching them carefully as they ran across the large field. Then, she glanced over to the others beside her.
Not a single boy was among the crowd she stood in. Only women and their daughters.
Anna looked up at her mother. "Mama," she said. "Why do I have to sit here?"
Her mother looked at her. "Because, we don't want your dress to get dirty."
"But I want to play with the boys." Little Anna pointed over to the smaller group of boys playing soccer or tag. A few were climbing trees.
"Then you shouldn't have worn the dress."
Anna frowned. "But you made me. You got mad at me when I said 'no'."
"Too late now."
Anna huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. She looked back at the boys longingly. All of her cousins and their friends, and, of course, her brothers. She wanted so desperately to join them. She looked at her mother for a moment, silently scheming her escape. Yet, she gave it a second thought. Her mother would grab the belt again if she dared to get dirt on her dress.
The brunette stared down at the frilly, princess pink cloth adorning her and frowned. She hated everything about this dress. She hated dress, period. What was worse was that it was pink: the most despised color she could think of. Well, not to other girls. They liked pink, or didn't mind it. But her? She loathed the shade and all of its forms. She preferred dark magenta or purple. Things more similar to the shade of blue she loved. She liked almost any color, in fact. Any except for pink.
Anna sighed as she sat there and watched her fa
