In the sweltering heat of the late June month, there Margaret and her husband David were anxiously awaiting the arrival of their new baby. At 11:10 in the morning into the bright world she came, Elizabeth Carlile Hill. She was seven pounds and eleven ounces. She was a healthy looking baby, with fair skin, green eyes, and no hair at all.  Her parents however did not know
that when she was born. They didn't even know they had a little girl. Elizabeth was rushed off to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, or the NICU, before they could find out any information. In the NICU, there are many sick babies in plastic boxes with blue tubes and machinery all hooked up to them. Elizabeth, or Carly as she was known now, had trouble breathing when she was born and had to be hooked up to blue tubes placed in her nose to help her little lungs get the oxygen needed to live. In two weeks, Carly would be home with her parents in Newark to grow and prosper.

At the age of five, Carly's parents enrolled her in Immaculate Conception School, located in Elkton Maryland. Nervous about the first day of her school career, Carly nervously put on her blue, black, and grey uniform in her spacious room filled with Lion King paraphernalia. Her plaid jumper, bright white blouse,   navy blue knee socks, and navy blue penny loafers, all went on the little girl in the bright early morning of August. Still,
obviously very nervous, Carly grabbed her blue Lion King book bag and slowly walked out of the door with her mother, father, and younger sister, Claire, and sat in the back seat of the grey Volvo Station wagon. Just then, Carly started to cry. The tears rolled down her dark skinned face, out of her green eyes. She cried silently, thought her parents knew that she was scared
and nervous for her first day of school. Her mother, with her short, curly, blonde hair, skinny body, turned around and with a soft voice said " Carly, my baby, its going to be okay...I promise." Carly dried the tears from her eyes with the white sleeve of her uniform blouse and sat up straighter with reassurance. Now at the school, Carly's family walked her into the square, wide brick building. The kindergarten room was colorful, tables of red, greens, and blues. There were nametags at every seat, and Carly quickly found hers. It was yellow with neatly written letters that spelled out her name on it. Carly's face lit up as she felt someone must already know her if they know her name. Carly got settled into her seat as the teacher, with her rotund self, and loud voice, raised her voice, telling the children to stop talking and sit down in their assigned seats. As all of the kids sat down at her table, Carly suddenly wished that her mother was there with her, to be by her side in this new, unknown environment. But she sucked it up and got through the rest of her day.

ICS slowly became her home away from home as she got through the grades. Carly was friends with everyone, and everyone liked Carly. She was known for being a class clown, and for being the musical one. Sixth Grade, however, was a not so great year for Carly. Her friend Ellie, who was timid though loving, was always mentally slower in school and did not have many best friends, all though everyone was nice to her. Ellie was way too skinny, she had long brown hair and thick glasses that made her cross-eyed. Carly was Ellie's best friend. The two of them hung out all of the time and Carly was Ellie's support system, doing her best to be a good listener and friend. They could often be seen sitting on the beat up concrete curb talking about whatever Ellie wanted. Around Christmas time, Ellie's mother was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. The whole class came together in support and prayer for Ellie and her family. It was a long struggle and the road seemed long and weary with no light at the end of the tunnel. Though through all the prayer, Ellie's mother died. On the day of the funeral, Carly went to the funeral with her class.

    Everyone took a seat in the long wooden pews that were spread all around the church with its robin's egg blue walls. They sat there in total silence, not knowing how to handle the loss. A long torturous 5 minutes went by and then all of a sudden, the casket came down the isle, slowly and silently, almost like death its self. Everyone stood motionless watching it slowly get carried down the isle. Ellie, her brother, father, and other family members, all dressed in total black, preceded the casket mournfully, sorrowfully. As the casket stopped, Carly's eyes slowly filled up with tears, as she, standing in her plaid skirt, navy wool vest, whit collared blouse, navy socks and shoes, felt helpless for Ellie, for her family. Carly just stared and listened to the priest, while looking at everyone around her, crying, not being able to keep themselves together. She too, started crying harder and harder as she remembered how loving and caring Ellie's mother had been. The funeral, not long enough to say all of the good things about Ellie's mother, ended and everyone slowly went out of the church, back to their classrooms. Carly, walked back, spending the whole day thinking about why it was Ellie's mother's time to go and how Ellie was going to deal with it. The day ended, but was never forgotten, just like Ellie's mother.

Soon eighth grade came along and Carly had to leave her friends who had over the years become her family. All though sad, Carly knew that she had to go on and close that chapter of her life. High school was next. So here Carly is, sitting in the far left corner of the classroom, at her computer, typing this story, praying she'll get a good grade. Writing this story made Carly realize how lucky she is for being so blessed. Reading other children's stories, she realized how unfortunate some of the kids were to  have such troubled lives, such makeshift homes, such an unlucky life. Carly realized she was lucky to have great friends, great family, and all of them together and not as troubled.