text: Heather Lawhun Crystal Falls 
   
   
     
   
  Info 
  Name: Emi Andrews 
  	17 
  	Long brown hair, green eyes, tan skin, athletic build, 5’8 
  	She’s athletic. She loves volleyball, swimming, and track. Also, she’s an A student, and top in her class. She’s usually immature for her age, so she naturally draws people to her. She is kind to everyone. She is talented at drawing and lovers to read and write as well. She has many friends from different groups. So she pretty much hangs out with everyone. She doesn’t get angry easily. She loves joking with her friends. She’s bubbly and you never catch her without a smile on her face. Despite all that, her at home life is pretty dull and depressing. She lives with her older brother and twin brothers. Her older brother, Isaac, is a graduated college student and works in a bookstore for part tie and at a restaurant part time as well. Her twin brothers, Adrian and David, are both sophomores in high school. The house is depressing because their parents died in a tragic airplane crash the year Isaac graduated from college, which was Emi’s sophomore year. Adrian and David are close and are very much alike, in appearance and personality. Sometimes Emi doesn’t even understand them but she tries. When one of them is in some sort of trouble, they call on their twin and not her. 
  	She doesn’t let that get to her because she knows they do that because they know more about each other than anyone, including Isaac and herself. She finds herself wishing she could help them even if it’s just a small problem. Isaac isn’t home very often because of his jobs, so she’s stuck with the cooking and cleaning. Adrian and David help her with the chores, so she doesn’t have to do all of it. She doesn’t feel like she should leave her brothers alone in the house. It’s not that she doesn’t trust them it’s just that she worries about them constantly, because their parents are gone. So she feels that it’s her duty to do whatever it takes to keep them happy and to take care of the m. She loves them that much. The only times when Adrian and David are at home by themselves is when Emi has afternoon practices. Even then, Emi constantly worries about them. When Isaac has a day off from work, they all go out for dinner or go watch a movie together so that they can catch up. 
  Name: Adrian Andrews 
  	16 
  	Short, brown hair, green eyes, tan skin, average build, 6’ 
  	He’s not really athletic but if he were asked to run a mile, he could do it. He is energetic, except for in the mornings, unless he hears good news. He’s book smart like Emi. He and his brother have their own group of friends, who they hang out with every day after school. He knows his sister worries about him and his brother and he doesn’t want her to worry. Whenever he’s in a tight pinch, he goes to his brother for help. His brother is the number one person that he trusts. Isaac and Emi are number two. He loves playing video games and competing against his brother. He loves going to the movies when Isaac comes home, because they always go see the really good movies. He loves listening to music and supports his sister when she has games and meets, and she supports him and his brother in return. He and his brother get into a lot of trouble at school, meaning they’re class clowns. Emi scolds them from time to time but has never grounded them. Isaac isn’t home enough to ground them, so they get off pretty easy. They never go over the top. They know not to cross the line. Adrian likes the color blue, pizza, spaghetti, mashed potatoes, Sweeney Todd, etc. He cares about his friends and family and will stick up for them. 
  Name: David Andrews 
  	16 
  	Short, brown hair, green eyes, tan skin, average build, 6’ 
  	Like his brother, he’s not very athletic. He likes to draw, read, and paying his guitar. He also likes to goof off in class with his brother. Not really a morning person. Likes the color green, he’s energetic, and laughs a lot with his friends and brother. He’s smart but not book smart. Despite that, he has really good grades. When he’s having trouble he goes to Adrian for help and if Adrian doesn’t have an answer, then they go to Emi. When they ask for her help, David notices, her eyes light up which makes him feel bad, because he knows she’s trying hard to be there for the both of them and worries about them. So he tries to make it up to her by going to her when he needs help on homework and helping with the chores. Adrian, he knows, feels bad too, so he helps with the chores as well. They also go out and do the grocery shopping from time to time, especially when Emi has to stay after school for practice. 
  Name: Isaac Andrews 
  	20 
  	Short dark brown hair, green eyes, tan skin, slightly muscular, 6’4’ 
  	He’s already graduated from college. He works two different jobs, but he’s looking for a good paying job, so he can work full time. That way he can be home more often. When he’s home, he acts like a little kid, but he knows that there is a place and time where he can act that way, so he doesn’t act like that at work. He loves teasing his younger siblings and to help plan pranks against them. He feels bad for leaving all the house chores and cooking to Emi, but he knows that none of that would get done if it was up to him. That’s part of the reason why he takes them out to movies. 
  Name: Aurora Scott (Rori) 
  	16 
  	Very pale skin with few blemishes, copper hair that falls in curls to mid-back, ice blue eyes, 5’6 
  	She’s girly but doesn’t show it because of rough home life. She is an only child living with her heroine-addicted mother. Dad left when she was small and has never had anything to do with her. She loves to dance and uses dance to escape her mom. He loves music, also, and reading. She dreams of some day making it to L.A. Fine Art and escaping completely from her mom. She is shy and soft spoken. She gets good grades but never participates in class discussions, mainly because she is sacred of being wrong. She has a puppy named Skittles. Skittles is a husky puppy, stray she found at her last home. She moves around a lot and doesn’t have many friends because of this. Also, she is quiet, so most people think she is a snob. She isn’t too athletic other than dance and her home life is very rough. She is physically and emotionally abused by her mother and her mom’s constant stream of boyfriends. She wears lots of hair bands constantly to keep her hair out of her face and rarely wears it up. She works for a local dance studio, cleaning floors and picking up after the kids to earn enough money to keep herself fed and joins amateur dance competitions to earn extra money. She lives next door to Emi and her brothers. 
  Name: Rachelle (Ray-chill) Kace 
  	16 
  	She has small feet, long skinny legs long torso with long strong arms. Light skin splattered with freckles. Long light brown hair, active brown eyes. 
  	She always has a positive attitude.   Loves to sing, dance, run, and have fun. She is always a ball of sunshine. She loves the color green. She also loves people with green eyes. Her favorite food is Chinese. She hates rude people and bad language. She is best friends with Rori. 
  Name: Eva Smith 
  	21 
  	Blue eyes, long red hair 
  	I love kids and animals. I like to swim, I love horses. I have my own horse ranch. I live on my own because my parents died when I was fifteen years old. I graduated highschool at the age of fourteen and college at age eighteen. I own a company called S&B Smith Shop. S- Swimming, B- for reading books. I have six cars and they are: 1994 Camero, Mustang GT, 1966 Mustang GTO, 1969 Camero, 1968 Firebird and Lotus EX. My favorite color is baby blue. 
  Chapter 1 
  “David, Adrian! It’s time to get up!” I yelled as I walked to the stairs. Right now, it’s six in the morning. I’ve been up since five. I do this every morning. Isaac has already gone to work. I went to the kitchen and started breakfast. I can drive, but we take the bus because we don’t exactly have the money for gas. David and Adrian came into the kitchen looking half asleep. I chuckled. Those two are so not morning people. “Good morning sleepyheads.” I greeted them smiling. 
  	“Good morning.” They muttered, tiredly. I put their breakfast on the table. We ended up missing the bus so I had to drive us to school. I noticed as I washed the dishes earlier, the new girl in the house next to ours was sneaking around. I shrugged it off at first, but it’s really starting to bug me and I’m beginning to get worried. I know I shouldn’t stick my nose in other people’s business, but I just can’t help but worry. We went outside and the girl from next door was heading to the bus stop. 
  	“The bus already left.” I said smiling. She jumped a little and looked over at us. 
  	“Oh.” 
  	“I can give you a ride, if you want.” She smiled. 
  	“Thanks, I’m Aurora by the way, but you can call me Rori.” 
  	“I’m Emi and these are my twin brothers, David and Adrian.” David and Adrian just waved and got into the car. “Don’t mind them, they’re not morning people.” She nods and gets into the passenger’s seat and buckles up. I so badly want to ask her about this morning, but I don’t want to be nosy. I got into the car and then drove us to school. “So did you just move here?” 
  	“Yeah, just me and my mom.” She said a little nervous. 
  	“We have an older brother but he’s at work, but he’s off tomorrow, so you might get to meet him if you want.” 
  	“Isaac’s off tomorrow?” Adrian asked. 
  	“Yeah, sorry. I meant to te you guys this morning but it just escaped my mind.” I said smiling sheepishly. 
  	“Are we going to the movies?” David asked grinning. I smiled. 
  	“Yeah, Isaac said something about watching Paranormal Activity: two.” 
  	“Yay!” They both cheered at the same time. I chuckled. 
  	“Rori, are you doing anything tomorrow after school?” I asked curiously. 
  	“No.” I grinned. 
  	“Then would you like to come with us to go see a movie? I’m sure Isaac wouldn’t mind, right guys?” David and Adrian nodded, grinning too. 
  	“I couldn’t…” 
  	“Oh come on, it’ll be fun. I’ll buy your ticket and snacks.” 
  	“Well,” She sighed. “Okay, I’ll go. What time?” 
  	“Right after school, so we’ll have time to do homework and stuff after the movie.” She nodded. “Which brings me to my next question: have you gotten your schedule yet?” 
  	“No, not yet.” 
  	“Then I’ll take you to the office, so you can get your schedule and give you a tour of our school.” I said smiling. 
  	“I don’t want you to be late.” 
  	“The teacher won’t mind.” I said shrugging it off. 
  	“Okay.” She said in defeat. I grinned. 
  	“Perfect.” I caught David and Adrian rolling their eyes. “Oh, after school on Wednesday, I have track practice so I won’t be home until later.” I said to them. 
  	“Okay, we’re going to invite some friends over.” David said. 
  	“The house better be clean by the time I get home.” 
  	“Okay ‘Mom’!” Adrian said rolling his eyes. I smiled. 
  	“I went to the store, so there should be some snacks for you guys to snack on.” I said as we pulled into the school parking lot. I parked the car and we got out. David and Adrian walked off to go meet with their friends. “Alright, time to go to the office.” 
  	“Can I ask you something?” Rori asked hesitantly. 
  	“You just did, but yes.” I said grinning. 
  	“Where are your parents?” I looked down at the ground sadly. ‘I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.” 
  	“No, it’s okay. They died in a tragic airplane crash two years ago. They were coming back from Europe. It was their Anniversary.” 
  	“I’m sorry.” 
  	“What about yours?” She grimaced. 
  	“It’s complicated.” I left it at that because I could tell she didn’t want to talk about it. We made it to the office and we walked u p to Ms. Carry. She had mid-back length hair and baby blue eyes. She was pretty young compared to all the other staff members. She looked to beautiful. She had the right curves in all the right places. Now, why does a woman like her have a job like this and why is she single? The world may never know. 
  	Despite all that, she’s a really nice and cool person. “Good morning Emi, who’s your friend?” 
  	“Good morning Ms. Carry. This is my new neighbor, Rori, and she needs her schedule. She just moved here.” 
  	“I see and what grade are you in?” Ms. Carry asked Rori. 
  	“Junior.” Rori said quietly. Ms. Carry nods and starts fumbling with papers. 
  	“So how’s that brother of yours doing Emi?” 
  	“You mean Isaac?” 
  	“Who else?” She asked rolling her eyes. I laughed. 
  	“He’s doing great. He’s off tomorrow.” 
  	“That’s great. Are you skipping practice?” 
  	“Of course.” I said grinning. She shook her head. 
  	“Well, it’s none of my business whether you skip or not. Ah, here it is, Aurora Scott. That’s a pretty name.” Rori took her schedule mumbling thanks and then we left. I looked over her schedule. 
  	“You’re in two classes with David and Adrian and three classes with me!” She nods. Then I took her on a tour of the school. It took a good thirty minutes. It’s a good thing we have block scheduling, huh? I took her to all of the classrooms that were listed on her schedule. I showed her the lunchroom, gym, and the library as well. I love our school’s library! Anyways, I walked her to her first class and then took off to my own class. She has third hour with David and Adrian, so she’ll have second lunch and so will I. I hope David and Adrian will be her friends too. Mr. Garrison wasn’t too angry with me, but I think that’s only because he knows I’m a good student. The day went by slowly. 
  Chapter 2 
  Today had to be one of the longest days of my life. Every class I went to, I had to introduce myself. I had to fake smiles all day and act like my life is perfect. The only people I actually felt wanted to talk to me were Emi and her brothers. She really saved me this morning. The last thing I need is to be around when Mom wakes up. Honestly, she is higher than a kite by the time I get home. Unfortunately, she hasn’t found a dealer yet. I realize that as soon as I walk in. “It’s about time you showed up!” She yells at me. I look a t the clock on the wall. It’s three-thirty and she considers it late. I roll my eyes and try to walk past her. She slaps me across the face, knocking me backwards. “You will respect me!” She yells in my face. Her breath smells like vodka and tic-tacs. That’s always the worst. “Get your lazy butt busy making my super!” She roars at me and lets me through to the kitchen. I decide on grill cheese and tomato soup. 
  	I get the soup boiling, then heat up the pan. It’s about this time I see Adrian at the back door, holding a plate of cookies. He is frozen in place, staring at the spot where Mom just slapped me. I walk back and open the door. “Hey!” I said smiling brightly, hoping maybe that will sidetrack him from the handprint on my face. 
  	“Hi,” He said smiling slightly. “Emi made these, they’re really good.” Then his voice dropped to a whisper. “You should come over and talk to Isaac. He can help.” And with that he left. After dinner, I went down to the basement. I set it up so I could practice as soon as I got home. I changed into workout clothes and started warm-ups. I got lost in the music so fast, I quickly let the pain and worry melt away. After dance, I took a shower. Homework is always better after a nice, warm shower. I got to thinking about the movies tomorrow. It seemed fun, but the last time I went to the movies was two years ago and the guy had used me to get to my Mom. Speaking of Mom’s boyfriends, she must have already got one here since I heard a loud pound on the door and her rushing to answer it. Maybe he was her new fix. As much as I hate the smell that comes with her drugs, I hated her off the drugs even more. I figured I would head to bed early and try and catch the bus tomorrow. There was a note on my window when I got back from brushing my teeth. 
  	Rori, 
  	I know you probably want me to pretend that I didn’t see anything earlier, but I did. Emi seen you sneaking around this morning and knows what’s up. I can’t get the sight of her hitting out of my head. Please talk to our brother. He can help you. 
  	Your friend, Adrian 
  	I checked my face in the mirror and sure enough there was a bruise on my face. That was going to be hard to hide. I went to bed and planned to fix it in the morning. 
  Chapter 3 
  I got up the next morning worrying about Rori. I know that I’m being nosy, but I just can’t help it. Adrian told me about what he saw last night and I just wanted to go over there and help her, but I stopped myself. Why? Well, I what I could have done to help her? Bring her over here and let her stay? Yeah, it’s good, until her mother decides she wants her back over there and then there’s nothing I could do about it. “Someone’s distracted this morning.” I jumped. Isaac chuckled. “And a little jumpy too.” I sighed. 
  	“I’m sorry.” Then I got an idea. “What would you do if you had a friend who gets hurt by a parent but they don’t want anyone to know?” 
  	“Do I know this person?” 
  	“No.” But you will… I finished in my head. 
  	“Well, I’d do the best I can to help them and then when it’s not enough, well; I’d go to the police about it.” 
  	“What if you don’t have much evidence? Like what if you don’t have the evidence to prove it?” 
  	“It’d work out somehow.” He said sitting down at the kitchen table. “Now tell me about our new neighbors. Are they nice?” 
  	“The daughter is, but I haven’t met the parents yet. Oh and speaking of which, we invited the daughter to go to the movies with us today.” 
  	“Are her parents okay with it?” 
  	“Hm, well she didn’t really say, but I’ll ask her. Her name is Aurora Schtt by the way. He told us we could call her Rori.” He nods. “Question…” 
  	“Yes?” 
  	“Why are you up so early if you don’t have to work today?” He shrugged. 
  	“I’m used to it I guess. What about you?” 
  	“To talk to you before you go to work.” I said shrugging. He smiled. 
  	“Isn’t it about time those two upstairs have to get up?” 
  	“Yeah, I’ll...” 
  	“No, I’ll get them up.” He said standing up and ruffling my hair. He wants to make up all the times that he’s been gone. I sighed. I wish there was some way he could get a good paying job, so that he’ll be home more often. I started breakfast. I miss all the times when we were little. We always played at the park and messed with each other, and then when one of us was getting bullied, the rest of us would go and help them. I got bullied the most. SO Isaac, Adrian, and David always came to my rescue. I caught a tear that was rolling down my cheek and wiped it away. I calmed myself down and focused on making breakfast so I wouldn’t cry. I put breakfast on the table and sat down. 
  	I made sure I wasn’t going to cry before Isaac, Adrian, and David walked into the kitchen. Adrian and David were in a really good mood and were really energetic. This is only because Isaac is here. I smiled. I love it when they’re energetic in the morning, because there’s never a dull moment. “Smells good.” 
  	“Thanks.” I said as they all sat down. 
  	“So are we really going to see Paranormal Activity two?” Adrian asked grinning. Isaac chuckled. 
  	“Yes, we are going to see Paranormal Activity two.” 
  	“Yay!” Adrian and David cheered. I smiled. 
  	“Did you tell Rori what we’re watching?” 
  	“Oops, I forgot.” I said freaking out a bit. 
  	“It looks like you got carried away again.” Isaac said shaking his head. 
  	“I’m sorry!” 
  	“It’s okay, Emi. We’ll tell her at school.” David said smiling. 
  	“Ah!” I yelled. 
  	“What?” all three of them asked at the same time. 
  	“We missed the school bus again!” 
  	“I’ll drive you all to school.” Isaac said chuckling to himself. 
  	“Yay!” We all cheered at the same time. Isaac drove us to school. 
  	“I’ll pick you guys up after school.” 
  	“Okay!” We yelled as we got out of the car. People looked at us strangely but we didn’t care. We waved at Isaac until he was gone. 
  	“I miss him already.” I sad pouting. 
  	“Me too. “ David and Adrian said at the same time pouting too. The bell rang and we went to class. We had the same lunch hour, although I’m not sure which lunch Rori has today. I hope she has third lunch. And if she doesn’t then I hope Adrian or David tells her. I sat down in my seat next to one of my best school friends, Sarah. 
  	“Good morning Emi!” Sarah greeted me grinning. 
  	“Good morning Sarah!” I greeted back grinning too. Sarah has long, brown hair that reaches just past middle of her back. She has chocolate brown eyes and has fairly nice tan skin. She’s not much taller than me. We’ve been friends since kindergarten. We tell each other everything. She’s on the track team with me! I love her death. “Guess what?” 
  	“What?” 
  	“Isaac’s off today!” I said excitedly. 
  	“Really? That’s great! So are you going to skip out on practice?” She asked grinning. 
  	“You know it! I’m not going to miss out on my brother being home!” She chuckled. 
  	“You love him a lot, huh?” 
  	“Yeah.” I said smiling. The teacher started class and I ended up getting lost in my memories of when Isaac, Adrian, David, and I were little. 
  	“Miss Andrews, please answer the problem on the board.” The teacher said pulling me out of my thoughts. I glanced at the problem. 
  	“X=5.” He blinked in surprise. 
  	“That’s correct.” He said after awhile and then he continued his lecture. Some of the students laughed. I just went back to my memories. Memories are the most precious things that I own and if anyone took that away from me, I don’t know what would happen. Rori has third lunch today! I’m so happy! Now we to get to discuss after school. 
  	“Okay, Isaac is going to pick us up after school today. Oh and the movie that were watching is Paranormal Activity two.” Rori nodded. 
  	“It’s been a long time since I’ve gone to the movies.” 
  	“Really?” I’m so happy that I learned something new about Rori! We all sat there and talked the rest of lunch. Finally, the bell ran ending school and we all went out to go find Isaac. Rori looked really nervous, so I tried to tell her that she didn’t have to worry so much. But that didn’t seem to work. Isaac didn’t show up until ten minutes later. Those ten minutes felt like ten hours. Adrian and David would completely agree with me on this if I had said it out loud. 
  Chapter 4 
  I am so glad the day is over. I had yet another day full of stares and introductions. Why is it that everyone stares at me? I mean, it would be a different story if I was amazingly gorgeous or freakishly ugly, but I look average. I couldn’t help but smile when I heard Adrian call me over in the commons. “We are headed to the movie so I figured I’d catch you here rather than going all the way back to the house.” He said looking down at the ground. When he finally looked up I made sure and smiled really big to let him know I was glad he caught me. He seems really sweet. When we got to the car, I met the only member of their family I hadn’t seen before. “I’m Isaac.” He said smiling. 
  	“I’m Rori.” I said shaking his hand. I saw his eyes almost involuntarily shift to my cheek. 
  	“That’s quite a bruise.” He said frowning. 
  	“It’s nothing.” I lied trying to think of an excuse. “I ran into a door handle.” I said looking at Adrian as I said it. Last thing I needed was someone with authority snooping around and forcing us again. Adrian seemed to understand, but Isaac didn’t look convinced. He looked me over with judging eyes taking inventory of scars from past beatings and bruises and scratches from recent ones. “I’m a bit of a klutz.” I whispered ashamed that a stranger cared more than my own mother. He surprised me by hugging me. 
  	“If you need anything, don’t think twice about asking me. I won’t tell but you have to be honest with me about what happened.” Yeah right, like I hadn’t heard that before. 
  	“I ran into a door knob and tripped on the stairs. That’s what happened.” Isaac sighed but dropped the subject thankfully. The drive to the theater was quiet. At the movies I sat between Adrian and Emi. I must have been really tired because I fell asleep. I got really embarrassed because I was leaning on Adrian, so I hurriedly moved when I woke up. He stifled a laugh since the movie was still on. I decided to get a pop to keep myself awake. The line at the concessions was super log, but I waited anyway. I ordered a cherry Pepsi. I was digging in my pickets when I remembered I didn’t have any money. 
  	“I got it.” Adrian said handing the cashier the money. 
  	“Thanks.” I said blushing. “I will pay you back I promise.” 
  	“Don’t worry about it. Isaac told us to pya for you so it’s all good.” HE bought himself some popcorn and we went back to the theatre. I’m not sure how it happened but we somehow ended up sharing the popcorn and soda. David looked at us weird and Emi almost busted up laughing. I don’t see why. After the movie we went to the arcade. Adrian and I played a dance game. “You know,” Adrian said after losing three times. “For a klutz you sure are light your feet.” Even though he was only joking, it was like a slap in the face. I figured he would have caught on that I had lied to his brother but apparently he didn’t understand as well as I thought. 
  	“I have to get home.” I told Emi and left. I ran about halfway there when I heard a car following me. 
  	“You need a ride?” Isaac asked looking concerned. 
  	“No thanks.” I said and kept walking. He drove right beside me all the way home. When I walked in, I saw mom out like a light with needle marks on her arms and syringes on the table. Drug of choice, heroine; lovely mom, best example yet. I ran up to my room and started to cry. When I couldn’t cry anymore, I looked out my window and saw Adrian staring at me. ‘I’m sorry’ he wrote on a piece of paper he held up to the window. I really wanted to be in a house where I wasn’t alone at least for a few hours. ‘Can I come over?’ I wrote back. I took his huge smile to mean yes.  I grabbed shoes and rushed over. He was waiting outside for me.  
  	“Want to walk to the park?” He asked. 
  	“Sure.” I said. We walked and talked until we both got too tiered and then walked home. Emi was on the porch. 
  	“Isaac said she could stay the night.” She said sleepily. I went home and got clothes for the next day and went back to the Andrews’ house. Even thought I fear becoming close with anyone, I have to admit this family cares for me a lot. I fall asleep thinking of what it would be like to have a family like them. 
  Chapter 5 
  The next morning, I got up earlier than usual. Why? Well I can’t sleep. I couldn’t get the bruise on Rori’s face out of my head. I sighed as I grabbed my stuff for school. I also have early practice this morning too. I went downstairs and began making breakfast after I made sure everyone was awake. “Well, I’m going to work and my next day off is Saturday.” Isaac said grabbing the keys. 
  	“Okay.” He gave me a hug and then he left. Rori stayed in our guest bedroom next to Adrian’s room. David walked into the kitchen. “Where are Adrian and Rori?” He shrugged and sat down at the table. I hugged him and then I put breakfast out on the table. Adrian and Rori walked in soon after. David looks like he’s feeling likes he’s been left out. I can sympathize with him, although he may feel worse about it. For once we all actually made it to the bus. Adrian sat with Rori, so I sat with David. “Are you okay?” 
  	“I miss Adrian.” And that’s all he said for the rest of the bus ride to school. I wanted to hug him and reassure him, but I don’t know what to say. So I felt helpless the whole time. David looked really tired too. 
  	“If you don’t fell well, come get me okay?” He nodded but I don’t think he heard me. I sighed. We got off the bus and I went to track practice. We were just running laps today. 
  	“So did you have fun yesterday?” Sarah asked as we stretched. 
  	“Yeah, and we invited Rori to come with us.” 
  	“Rori? You mean the new girl?” I rolled my eyes. 
  	“Do you know anyone else in this school that has the name Rori?” 
  	“Still, why did you ask her to go with you guys? She looks like stuck-up snob.” I glared at her. 
  	“She’s not a stuck-up snob! She’s just really shy!” 
  	“I’m sorry, but,” I just took off running without her. How could she think of Rori like that? Rori is really nice. Is that what people at this school are saying about her? If you ask me, they’re the ones who are stuck-up snobs. They don’t even know her! “Emi, I’m sorry!” Sarah said running up to me. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean those things.” I sighed. 
  	“It’s okay Sarah.” 
  	“You two, stop your yapping and run!” Coach Stevens yelled. 
  	“Yes ma’am!” Sarah and I yelled at the same time. 
  	“Andrews, get over here!” I stopped and ran over to Coach Stevens. “You’re wanted at the nurses’ office.” I wonder what it is. I rushed to the nurses’ office when thoughts of David and Adrian came to my mind. I walked into the nurses’ office and saw that David looked really pale. 
  	“He threw up in the middle of the lunch room. His friend brought him here.” One of David’s friends was sitting on a chair. 
  	“Thank you.” I said to David’s friend. He nodded, got up, and left. The nurse went off into the other room. “Are you going to be okay?” I asked David as I walked up to him. 
  	“Yeah, I’ll be okay.” 
  	“Do you want to go home?” 
  	“Yeah, I don’t feel so well.” 
  	“Are you okay to walk?” He shakes his head ‘no’. “Okay, stay right here and I’ll go get the car.” He nods and then I go to the office, explain what’s going on, and run home to get the car. I drove back to the school and got David. We brought a bucket just in case. At home, I got him to take a shower and then made him lay down on his bed. I checked for fever and it turns out, he’s got a fever. I went through the medicine cabinet and got some medicine for fever and upset stomach. I gave David the medicine. He fell asleep some time after that. That’s odd. I thought for sure Adrian would’ve brought David to the nurses’ office. That’s usually how it is. I wonder if Adrian was with Rori. 
  	I don’t like seeing David upset. I called the school and told them my situation. They understood and I told them to tell Sarah to gather all of my stuff and bring it by the house later. When I was done with all that, I plopped onto the couch, exhausted. Five minutes later, someone was banging on the door and was yelling. I opened the door hesitantly. There was a woman standing on the porch looking drunk out of her mind, high as a kite, and angry; not a good combination. “Where’s my whore of a daughter!?” 
  	“She’s at school.” I said assuming this was Rori’s mother, calmly. 
  	“You’re a liar! I saw her walk inside your house!” She yelled shaking her fist slightly. 
  	“Ms. Scott, could you please quiet down? My brother is sick and is sleeping.” Next thing I know, my cheek started to sting. 
  	“How dare you talk back to me with that tone of voice, you slut!?” I blinked in surprise. 
  	“I wasn’t,” I somehow ended up on the ground and all I could feel was pain. I blacked out eventually after my whole my body went numb. I don’t even know if I even yelled for help or not. HT e last thing I heard was Ms. Scott leaving. 
  Chapter 6 
  It’s lunch time and Emi still isn’t back. I tried calling her cell and she didn’t answer. Adrian is worried to, so Isaac told us he would pick us up and go check on her. When we got there my mom was in our front yard. “Get over here, you little slut!” She yelled at me. I went to talk to her, but Isaac held me back. 
  	“You don’t answer to that.” He murmured to me. So there I was stuck in the middle of two yards and the only two lives I had ever known. I heard Adrian scream from inside and saw Emi lying unconscious on the floor. That was like the last straw for me. I stormed right up to my mom prepared for whatever she had waiting for me. 
  	“I’m tired of this mom! You can’t run around hitting everyone like you do me! If they press charges, you are going away for quite a while and you would never see me again.” I started to cry from all the built up anger and abuse over the years. I was too busy crying to see the first flying at me. Adrian however wasn’t. He grabbed her fist and threw back one of his own. 
  	“You don’t get to hurt her anymore!” He yelled throwing another punch. I ran in and grabbed the phone. Isaac took it and called the cops. Adrian stopped hitting my mom about five minutes before the cops showed up. They told me in order for her to go to jail I would have to press charges. I really hate court and said I didn’t want to. The officer had a paper for me to fill out that could make me legally allowed to move out and even helped me pack. Isaac said I could live with them, even letting me turn their basement into a dance studio. Isaac then took me to Dance Central, the studio in town that had all kinds of dance and got me signed up to do ballet lessons for two hours every Friday for little kids for fifteen dollars an hour. I figure if I get four kids a week, I can help with groceries, maybe even rent. 
  	Isaac tells me not to worry about it, but one thing my mom taught me was that Scott’s weren’t moochers. She might have broke that, but I won’t. I will not take kindness, and pay it back with irresponsibility, either. I will prove that I deserve the second chance I have been given by having good grades while holding down a part-time job. But right now, I am tired. I have had a long day and I am going to sleep. Or so I thought. Apparently, Mommy dearest isn’t done with her fit yet. She goes off on a chain of curses and tells me how pathetic I am and how I am a failure. She continues this until the neighbors called the cops on her. So now instead of getting a lucky break, she gets to spend the night in jail. She might be gone but this is far from over. She has me so frazzled Adrian had told me just so I could stop crying. Isaac said for tonight only I could sleep in Adrian’s room, while David slept on the couch. There’s a bunk bed so I slept on the top bunk. It just felt safer up there. I then fell into a nightmare filled sleep. 
  Chapter 7 
  So I ended up being in the hospital. A lot of things have happened in the past few days. The doctors told me I have bruised ribs, a sprained wrist, and a lot of bruises all over my body, but nothing broken. David keeps apologizing and saying he could’ve stopped her, but it’s not his fault. He can’t help if he was sick and wasn’t feeling well. Isaac has taken the rest of the week off, so he’s been visiting me and doing the house chores. David has spent the most time visiting me in the hospital. Rori has come in a couple of times and apologized. I told her it was fine. “David if you’re tired, you can go home.” 
  	“I know but I feel bad about everything.” 
  	“Well, don’t. It can’t be helped. You were sick, what can you do? That’s in the past now, okay?” He sighed. 
  	“Okay.” He said smiling. I smiled back. 
  	“Good, now go get some sleep.” He nods and hugged me. I hugged him back and then he left. 
  	“So you finally got him to go home, I see.” Isaac said walking in. 
  	“Yeah, it wasn’t easy.” He smiled and sat down on the bed next to me. 
  	“Rori feels really bad about what’s happened.” I sighed. 
  	“I know, but I don’t want her to feel bad.” 
  	“Also, I’ve noticed some tension between David and Adrian.” 
  	“Yeah, Adrian has been spending some time with Rori and David misses him.” 
  	“Has he talked to you about it at all?” 
  	“No, I’m assuming he’s working it out with himself. I wish there was some way I could help him.” 
  	“I know, I do too.” Isaac and I sighed at the same time. “I wonder if Adrian has noticed.” I shrugged. 
  	“Who knows?” We sat there in silence for a moment. “Do you know when I can get out of here?” 
  	“The doctor said tomorrow.” 
  	“Joy, another night without sleep and bad food.” He laughed. 
  	“Don’t worry, it’s just one night.” He said grinning. I rolled my eyes. 
  	“Why don’t you stay the night and tell me it’s just one night?” 
  	“No thanks.” I stuck my tongue out at him. He chuckled. “I’ll be here at nine tomorrow morning with your clothes.” 
  	“Okay.” I said as we hugged. He let me go and left. I suffered through the night with the awful food and no sleep. So the next day, I was really tired, but I was excited about leaving the hospital. Isaac came with a bag of clothes and I went into the hospital bathroom. This is the first time I’ve seen myself since I’ve been here. I’ll be honest, I look really messed up. I was bruised from head to toe. No wonder Rori and David were apologizing so much. 
  	I put my clothes on and then Isaac took me home. At home, I was greeted with hugs form David and Adrian both. They looked like they’ve been crying. I hugged them both back wondering why. Rori was sitting on the couch looking guilty. I rolled my eyes. Adrian, David, and I let go of each other. “Welcome home, sis.” They both said at the same time grinning. I smiled. 
  	“Thanks.” 
  	“I’m really, really sorry.” Rori said sadly.	 
  	“Rori, it’s okay.” I said for the millionth time. “David, Adrian, why do you two look like you’ve been crying?” 
  	“We had a small fight, but we’re okay now.” David said smiling. Adrian nodded in agreement. 
  	“That’s good.” That night Isaac cooked dinner and he wouldn’t let me lift one finger. David, Adrian, and Rori wouldn’t let me do anything either. I’m not crippled people! Gr. Adrian told me quietly how he heard Isaac and me talking last night and decided to confront David and work it out. That made me happy and really proud when he told me that. Later on, we all went to bed after everyone, but me that is, cleaned up. 
  Chapter 8 
  I woke up feeling more relaxed than I’d felt since step dad number three left two years ago. He was the only one who tried to protect me. His last act before he left was having the sheriff keep an eye on me. That worked until we moved four months later. I went downstairs to eat and found everyone else already eating. “Morning.” David and Adrian said. Emi smiled at me. 
  	“What do you want to drink?” She asked setting a plate of eggs and bacon in front of me. 
  	“Do you have any juice?” I asked shyly. I hate mooching off others. 
  	“Grape or apple?” I asked for apple juice and ate. Emi went to drive us to school, but Adrian wanted me to walk with him. 
  	“You and I are bowling tonight.” He told me once the others had left. That got me to laugh. “What?” He asked nervously. 
  	“Bowling isn’t really my thing, dancing is about the only sport I’m good at.” 
  	“Well then I’ll have to teach you.” He said smiling. As much as I tried to deny it, I was actually looking forward to it. I had never been on an actual date withought having to pay for it in the long run. 
  	“I’m broke.” I told him frowning. 
  	“That’s why I’m paying.” He said laughing. “Just say you’ll come and I’ll handle the rest.” I thought about it for all of five seconds. 
  	“Of course I’ll come.” I said smiling. He relaxed a lot after that and we teased and joked the rest of the way to school. I had a lot of trouble paying attention in class. It seemed everywhere I went, I thought about tonight. The biggest problem was I had nothing to wear. That was the problem with never dating. You never have anything to wear on the rare occasion you do go out. Emi noticed me worrying and asked what was wrong. I told her and she said we could cut last block and go shopping. I was going to end up owing this family my entire first pay check, but it was worth it. At lunch, Emi told the boys they were gonna have to walk home. 
  	“Why?” David asked clearly upset. 
  	“Because me and Rori are gonna go shopping so you and Adrian are walking home.” Emi said annoyed at her brother. 
  	“Do I get the car tonight?” Adrian asked. 
  	“No,” Emi said sarcastically. “I’m making you walk you date all over town.” That made David choke on his milk. 
  	“What!? Since when did Adrian have a girlfriend?!” He seemed mad for some reason which made me mad. 
  	“Is that a problem?” He shook his head no and went back to eating. Emi and I signed out after lunch and drove to the mall. I found a cute pair of jean Capri’s and a really pretty top. Emi wouldn’t let me look at price tags, but seeing as we were shopping at the mall, it wouldn’t be cheap. Then I went home and took a nap. Tonight would surely be fun. 
  Chapter 9 
  Rori and I had a lot of fun at the mall. I felt bad for David though. He really missed Adrian and when he found out that Adrian and Rori are going out, he was upset about it. When Rori and Adrian left, David was in a very sour mood. I tried everything in my power to cheer him up. He sighed for the millionth time this night. “Okay, let’s go watch a movie.” I said tired of his sighing. 
  	“Just you and me?” He asked wide-eyed. 
  	“Yeah, why not?” I asked shrugging. He nodded after awhile. 
  	“Okay.” I smiled. 
  	“Then get your things and lets go.” He got up and grabbed his stuff. 
  	“How are we going to get there if we don’t have a car?” 
  	“We’re going to walk to the movies of course.” He rolled his eyes. I chuckled. We got our stuff and walked to the movies. I’m going to try and get to know David as much as possible. I don’t even know his favorite kind of candy! That’s just really sad, I know. “So what’s your favorite kind of candy?” Might as well… 
  	“You don’t know what kind of candy I like?” 
  	“Sad, isn’t it?” He looked down at the ground sadly. 
  	“Sorry.” 
  	“Why are you apologizing?” 
  	“Because, well you know…” 
  	“It’s not your fault and it’s not Adrian’s fault either. You’re just used to going to each other for help.” I said shrugging. He sighed. 
  	“Not anymore.” He muttered. I was trying to avoid this and it ended up being brought up anyways. 
  	“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked as we walked through the park. There were lamps on, so it wasn’t dark. He sighed. 
  	“Can we sit down?” I nodded and we sat on one of the many park benches. “I just, I just feel like I’m being left out.” 
  	“That’s normal for someone when their brother or sister, that their close to, allows someone else into their life.” 
  	“I don’t like it.” He said as some tears escaped from his eyes. I hugged him. 
  	“I know.” That’s all I could say. I can’t imagine how he feels or what he’s going through. He hugged me back and I let him cry. I comforted him as much as I could. I got him to calm down. 
  	“Can we go watch the movie now?” I chuckled. 
  	“Yes, we can go watch the movie now.” We got up and stretched. 
  	“Emi?” 
  	“Yes?” 
  	“Thanks.” David said smiling. I smiled back. 
  	“You’re welcome. So what do you want to watch?” 
  	“Whatever’s playing.” He said shrugging. I chuckled. Then we walked to the movie theater. It was a little crowded, but we got in okay. I’m glad that David talked to me. I feel like I’ve gotten closer to him. Oh and I did find out what his favorite kind of candy is: Reese’s cups. Now, I have to figure out Adrian’s. David and I had a great time together. We decided on a scary movie. There was this one guy who sat in front of us and he’s on the football team and he screamed like a little girl. You would think he screamed at the part with the chainsaw dude, but he didn’t. He screamed at the part where the main characters ran into a dead end and a cat jumped out. David and I laughed our heads off about it after the movie. We walked home and Adrian and Rori were still gone, so we had dinner and that’s when Adrian and Rori came home. 
  Chapter 10 
  I found myself trying to sneak back into the house, like I used to any time I worked later than four or hung out with anyone on the rare occasions I had friends. The only one I really miss is Rachelle. I was so lost in thoughts of Rachelle that I tripped on the steps to the house. Adrian caught me and laughed. “You weren’t kidding when you said you were a klutz. I’m just curious how you manage to dance with this bad of balance issues.” IT would have hurt my feelings if I hadn’t heard the joke in his voice. 
  	“Sorry.” I mumbled. “Just thinking.” 
  	“What about?” He asked taking my hand. 
  	“An old friend. She’s been the one girl who I’ve always talked to and I haven’t got the chance to talk to her since I moved here.” 
  	“You can call her when we get in then.” He said smiling. I smiled back. Adrian is so sweet. I have no idea how I got so lucky but that gives me an idea. I knew how I was gonna make David accept me and Adrian. I ran in and immediately called Rachelle. She answered immediately. 
  	“Rori?” I could tell she had been waiting anxiously for me to call. I’d promised to call as soon as I got here, so I was about a week late. 
  	“Hey Rachelle. Sorry I haven’t checked in. Mom caused trouble, so I’m staying with some really nice people.” 
  	“That’s great, Rori! But how will I stay over this summer if you aren’t with your mom? Much as I hate her, she was oblivious. I always stay with you. It’s a tradition!” 
  	“Relax! I’ll talk to Isaac. He is uber amazing and I’m almost positive he’ll let you stay here. If not, I’ll save my money and put you up in a motel. A nice one at that. I’m teaching ballet for fifteen dollars an hour per kid. I start tonight, so I have to go. I’ll call you back tomorrow.” Then I went and got dressed for ballet. I hadn’t practiced since Monday, so I did some warm-ups and basic moves just to limber up. I was in the middle of a pirouette when I saw Adrian in the doorway. I stopped and he clapped. I blushed, got my purse, and he took me to work. They gave me a class of ten girls. That’s three hundred a week! I decided to work on toes today. You can’t start ballet until you can get the toes down. The girls were working on that when I saw a little girl standing outside. She looked a lot like me when I was little. 
  	My old ballet instructor taught me for free because I hadn’t had the money for ballet at that age. She had passed away before I got to pay her back, so maybe this was my chance. “Take five girls, I’ll be right back.” I said as I went to talk to the little girl. The closer I got the more I saw neglect written all over her. “Hey sweetie.” I said. She squeaked and started to back away. I found some skittles in my purse. “Here.” I said. She looked at them longingly and I walked a little closer and gave them to her. “I’m Rori, what’s your name?” 
  	“Lily.” She whispered eating her candy. 
  	“Where’s your mommy?” I asked. 
  	“I don’t know.” She muttered crying. “My daddy takes care of me but he lost his job. Now I can’t take ballet even though he promised. He told me to stay away from here but  I can’t! I really like ballet.” 
  	“Can you come in and watch while I teach. Or better yet, I can find you an outfit and you can start practicing.” We found some warm-up clothes, but no tutus. She quickly caught on to the walking on her toes and I couldn’t even tell it hurt her until she took off the ballet shoes and I saw her toes bleeding. The shoes had been my first pair. I took them with me for good luck. After practice I saw her dad look upset. 
  	“I’m sorry ma’am, I don’t have any money. I will pay you as soon as possible.” He said. 
  	“Don’t worry about it. Just let me teach Lily every Friday, for free.” 
  	“What if I have to work, Lily?” He asked his daughter. 
  	“I can watch her. Please sir, just let me teach her. I’ll even buy her ballet outfits and equipment.” 
  	“Okay, I applied at a bunch of jobs today. As soon as I get money, I’ll start paying you, though.” And so we went to the mall with my first paycheck and bought Lily her own shoes, tutus, and some work-out clothes. 
  	“Okay, she’s all set.” I said, smiling. Lily and her dad went hoe and I wetn to the park and met Adrian. Then we went home and slept. 
  Chapter 11 
  FF>> Monday 
  	David was in a good mood on Monday morning and didn’t brood on what Adrian and Rori did Friday night. Adrian got suspicious, buts didn’t say anything. I chuckled. Isaac was acting weird this morning. I asked him why, but all he told me was that he met someone who owned some company that had something to do with books and swimming. He said that she, yes she, offered him a job and he told her that he’d think about it. He said it was a good paying job and that if he worked there, then he’d bring in twice the money he does now, even with the two jobs put together. I told him he should take the job, but you know, I never asked him for the girl’s name. It makes me wonder sometimes. “Uh Emi?” Rori asked. 
  	“Yes?” 
  	“I have a friend, Rachelle, and she always comes and stays the summer with me. So I was wondering if it was okay.” I smiled. 
  	“That’s fine with me. I’ll talk to Isaac tomorrow morning.” She nodded smiling back. 
  	“Thank you!” 
  	“No problem.” I drove us all to school and Rori told us about her Rachelle. She sounded really happy when she talked about Rachelle, the happiest I seen her since she moved here. David was even interested in her. Interesting… Adrian seemed to think so too. 
  Isaac’s P.O.V (The day he met Eva) 
  	I’m at the bookstore shelving books. I constantly think about Emi and the others. Thinking of them keeps me motivated. “Um, excuse me.” 
  	“Yes?” I said looking up from what I was doing. I stopped dead in my tracks. What I saw was probably the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. In front of me stood a girl, about 5’5 with baby blue eyes, and red hair. 
  	“I’m looking for a book catalog, so I can order books and I’ve looked everywhere for one, but I can’t seem to find one.” She had one of those voices that’s music to your ears. I finally found my voice and said, 
  	“Well, you’re at the right place.” I said smiling. If Emi, Adrian, and David were here, they’d be laughing their butts off. I almost rolled my eyes; almost. “My name is Isaac by the way.” I said as I went behind the countertop. 
  	“Eva.” She said blushing a little. I bent down and looked through the drawers in the countertop. 
  	“So what do you do for a living?” 
  	“I run a big company that sells books.” 
  	“What’s it called?” 
  	“S and B Smith Shop.” 
  	“What do S and B stand for?” 
  	“Swimming and Books.” 
  	“That’s interesting.” I said with a weird look on my face. She laughed. 
  	“Unfortunately, we’re running low on employees.” 
  	“How much is the pay?” I asked interested. 
  	“Seven twenty-five an hour.” Wow that’s a really good deal. I’d definitely bring in more money than I’ve been bringing in. 
  	“What’s the scheduling like?” 
  	“Day shifts start five-thirty a.m. and end at four-thirty and night shifts start at four-thirty p.m. and end at five-thirty a.m.” That works for me. “Why? Are you considering on employing there?” She asked smiling. I chuckled. 
  	“Yes, I’m working two jobs to support my siblings and I don’t get to see them very often. So I’ve been looking for a better paying job.” 
  	“That’s understandable, but where’s your parents?” 
  	“They died in a plane crash.” I said sadly. 
  	“Oh my God, I’m sorry I shouldn’t have asked.” She said freaking out. I chuckled. 
  	“It’s fine, really.” She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. 
  	“So what are your siblings’ names?” 
  	“The oldest of them is Emi, then the other two, who are twins, are Adrian and David. We also have another person who stays there, Rori. She’s our neighbor’s daughter.” 
  	“Why is staying at your house.” 
  	“All I’m gonna say is that her parents aren’t the greatest.” She nodded. “So, what about your parents?” 
  	“They died when I was fifteen.” 
  	“Sorry.” I said feeling bad. 
  	“Don’t be. It’s only fair, because I asked about yours first.” I chuckled. 
  	“So we’re even now.” She smiled. 
  	“That’s right.” I got her the book catalog and she left me her phone number and directions to her company. That day had to be the best day ever. 
  Emi’s P.O.V 
  	I had to stay for practice at school. I’m just glad David is in a better mood. I’ll have to tell Isaac about Rachelle tomorrow morning. I hope he takes that job. I miss him so much. I know I’m not the only one, but it’s hard when it’s just me and David and Adrian. We have to clean the house and make sure there’s food in the house every week. I know it’s hard for Isaac too. He spends most of the money on the house and food and the rest goes to gas and stuff for David, Adrian, and I. He doesn’t have much for himself. That’s why I try to make money, so that he can have some for himself. I went home after practice, had dinner, and then we all went to bed. I was exhausted from practice. 
  Chapter 12 
  I overslept this morning and no one bothered to wake me up. It was 9:30 when I woke up, so I rushed around, hoping not to miss all of second block. “Rori, can I talk to you?” Isaac asked as I ran downstairs. 
  	“Sure” I said, trying to figure out what I’d done wrong. 
  	“Emi talked to me and I am fine with your friend coming for the summer. However, I’d like to talk to her parents first, just to ensure they know that I am taking care of you and would be responsible if anything happened. Also, she would have to know the rules of the house, which weren’t really a problem for you, but if she smokes or drinks or something like that-”  
  	“She doesn’t” I cut in, and then felt bad since he was being so polite to me. “Sorry” I mumbled. 
  	“As I was saying, that’s not allowed here. If she agrees to that and helps a little around here, I won’t mind having her at all.” He said with a smile. “Now let’s get you to school” I walk in right as third block is starting. Why couldn’t I have missed math instead of art? It’s hard to focus in math when I want to call Rachelle and tell her she can come. A note appears on my desk. I open it.  
  Hey Sleepy head, 
  Did you have a good rest? Maybe we can hang out after school. Go to the movies.  
  Adrian  
  	I smiled and the bell rang to go to lunch. “Sounds great, Adrian, but I have to work. Maybe we can go after dance, though.” 
  	“Okay, that works. Emi has practice, so David will probably tag along.”  Lunch was filled with plans for what to watch. It was decided we all needed a pick me up, so we wanted to see The Hangover Part 2. 
  	“If you guys wait, I can go with you and we can go to dinner, too.” Emi said. 
  	 “Sounds great” I said with a smile. Then it was back to math. I found myself doodling instead of doing the work. I was surprised when the bell rang. “Did you get any of that?” I asked Adrian as I headed to the choir room. 
  	“Yeah, I’ll let you borrow it later.” Choir has got to be my favorite class ever. We get more free days there than anything else. 
  	“Would you like for me to play for you?” Austin asks. He is one of the few people I am friends with outside of Emi and her family. 
  	“Sure” I said. Everyone was watching a movie except us, so I danced while he played, just like normal. Adrian works in the office this block, so I shouldn’t be surprised when he shows up. He looks kind of hurt when he walks in. “What’s wrong?” I asked. 
  	 “Why is he allowed to watch you dance, but when I watch, you stop?” 
  	“Adrian, what he thinks of me doesn’t matter. What you think does. If I mess up, which happens a lot, I don’t want you to see me fall. You have seen so much of the wrong in my life; I only want you to see the right.” He wrapped me in a hug. 
  	“Rori, it doesn’t matter how many times you fall, I will help you up because that what I’m here for.” Austin had gone to watch the movie at some point and Adrian had to continue delivering notes, so I decided to dance without the music. It is the best stress reliever I have ever found and it feels so good to just dance. Before I knew it, the bell was ringing and everyone was staring at me. 
  	“You’re really good” one girl told me. I had no clue who she was, but she sounded shocked that the new kid has a talent. 
  	“Thanks” I said, hurrying out of the room. I hate people watching me! I am very self conscious. I checked in with my seminar teacher and then left, leaving a note in Adrian’s locker. I got to the dance studio and Lily was already there. She looked adorable in her ballet outfit and I started working immediately with her. When the other girls started showing up, I lead them through warm-ups while Lily worked on what I had taught her. Today we started working on twirls on toes. You’d be surprised how hard it is at first to just walk on toes. When the time was done, I found a note on my desk.  
  I need you to watch Lily until 5. I have work. 
  I took her to the park where Adrian and David were waiting. 
  	“Hey. Who is this?” David asked. 
  	“I’m Lily.” She said, hiding behind me. 
  	“Well, I’m David.” He said with a smile. 
  	“And that is Adrian” I said, pointing at Adrian. Lily’s feet hurt her after practice, so I picked her up and walked to the movies. 
  	“Your daughter is so cute!” one lady told me. 
  	“Thanks, but she’s not mine” The lady had walked away before I even finished talking. Great! Just what I needed. 
  	“In her defense, she does look a lot like you” David said, cracking up laughing. 
  	“It’s not funny! That lady was not nice!” Lily yelled at David, which made him laugh even harder. By the time we got to the theatre, it was 4 and Emi was waiting for us. Lily gave me her dad’s number and I texted him that we were at the movie theatre and he texted he would wait for us when he got there. We decided to try and find a more kid friendly movie. We decided on Kungfu Panda 2. It was a cute movie and it made us laugh a lot. Afterwards, Lily’s dad took her and we went to dinner. Then, we went back and watched Hangover Part 2. It was hilarious and by the time we got home, Isaac was off work and I called Rachelle. She was really excited to hear from me and her mom talked to Isaac immediately and was okay with her staying here. I knew that something was up this morning when everyone was acting weird. I found out it was because they had turned their basement into a bedroom for me. It was so pretty and was perfect for me. One half of the basement was set up like a dance studio, complete with a wall covered in mirrors and a pirouette bar. The second half of the room had a bed, dressers, and a full size bookshelf completely empty and waiting for me to fill it. I had my stuffed animal that I have from stepdad number 3 and it was in a place of honor on my pillow. I was so tired I fell into my bed and went to sleep. 
  Chapter 13 
  I’m glad that Rori likes her room. David has been in a very good mood lately and seems to have gotten over the fact that Adrian is going out with Rori. I think it started when Rori started talking about Rachelle. He’s really interested in Rachelle. Rachelle is coming this summer, which is like only a couple of months away. Wow this school year has gone by fast. Right now, the school is making us do a series of tests and it’s really nerve wracking; like I’ll finish a test, but then I can’t relax because I have another one coming up. It’s driving me nuts. David has been coming to me for help and this time I don’t think it’s because he feels bad about going to Adrian for help. No, I think it’s because Adrian is helping Rori out, so I’m helping David out. I’m happy about helping him though. Studying for the tests became harder for me because track practice has become scarce because we have a meet this Saturday. So I’m at school practicing for the meet more than I’m studying, not that it will count against me, but it might count against David, because I usually help him. So I have to call and make sure Adrian is helping him and not just Rori. I also know that they have friends over while I’m gone, but I trust that they study. Right when I got home from practice, I went straight into the kitchen, chugged a whole glass of water, and got started on my studying. David walked looking annoyed. “Adrian isn’t helping you, is he?” 
  	“No, he keeps staring off into space when Rori isn’t around and when she is, he only helps her and pretty much ignores me.” I sighed. 
  	“I thought you guys worked it out.” 
  	“I guess not.” He said sitting down next to me. 
  	“I’ll help you.” He nodded. 
  	“Thanks.” I hugged him. 
  	“You’re welcome.” I let him go and we got to studying. Adrian walked in later, looking guilty. 
  	“David, I’m sorry for ignoring you.” He said looking down at the ground. David sighed. 
  	“It’s okay I guess.” He said shrugging. Adrian smiled. 
  	“Do you still want my help?” 
  	“Nah, Emi’s got it.” He said grinning. Adrian rolled his eyes. “Maybe tomorrow.” Adrian grinned. 
  	“Okay.” Then he left. Now I know David said that because he felt bad. I shook my head. Those two, what am I going to do with them? My cell phone rang and I answered it. 
  	“Yes?” 
  	“I got the job!” Isaac said excitedly. I grinned. 
  	“That’s great! When do you start?” 
  	“As soon as I send my two week notices and quit my other jobs.” 
  	“David and Adrian are going to be happy when I tell them.” 
  	“You guys will be seeing me after school all the time starting Friday. Oh, I’ve got to go.” 
  	“Okay, see you tomorrow morning.” 
  	“Bye.” Then we hung up. 
  	“What is it?” David asked. 
  	“We’ve got to find Adrian and I will tell you.” He nodded and we went looking for Adrian. When we found him, he was in his room and looked like he was going to kiss Rori. David and I cracked up laughing when they looked at us, blushing. When we calmed down, Adrian asked, 
  	“What do you want?” They were still blushing. I grinned. 
  	“Isaac called and said he got the new job and that we’d be seeing him after school all everyday starting Friday.” 
  	“Awesome!” David and Adrian said grinning. Rori smiled. 
  	“I’m happy for you guys.” Rori said smiling. “Oh, I’ve got to go to work.” Adrian nodded and I let him drive her to work. David was still grinning as we went back down the stairs and went back to studying. 
  	“Emi, I’m bored.” He said pouting. I chuckled. 
  	“What do you want to do then?” It’s been an hour and Adrian came back ten minutes ago. 
  	“Let’s go to a carnival or something.” 
  	“I think there’s one in town today.” Adrian said grinning. 
  	“Then let’s go.” I said smiling. We all got up and I drove us to the carnival. We played some of the games at the little booths and then we went on the Ferris wheel. Thirty or so minutes later, David and Adrian were getting upset stomachs, so we went home and I gave them some medicine for their stomachs and made them go lay down. Rori called and asked for a ride home, so I went and picked her up. 
  	“Where are Adrian and David?” She asked as she got into the car. 
  	“They got stomach aches and I made them go lay down. We went to a carnival earlier and I think they ate a little too much cotton candy.” I said shaking my head as I drove us home. She nodded. 
  	“Well, I hope they’ll be okay.” 
  	“I’m sure they will. They’re big boys you know.” I said grinning. She laughed. When I pulled into the driveway, I noticed that the door was halfway open. I frowned. “I know I didn’t leave the door open.” Rori and I got out of the car and ran inside. We looked around and noticed that things were knocked over. I went straight to David and Adrian’s room. I’m more concerned about them than any expensive thing in this house. When I got in there, they were sitting on the floor playing cards. I sighed in relief. “Thank God you’re okay.” 
  	“Why?” They asked. 
  	“Don’t tell me you didn’t hear anyone come inside and knock stuff over.” I said in disbelief. They looked at me shocked. “Wow, you guys are deaf or something.” I said shaking my head. 
  	“Emi!” Rori yelled. I ran to where I heard her and she was in the kitchen. 
  	“What’s wrong?” She pointed to the wall. On the wall was a message in paint. It read, I spared those brats and just messed up the house, but next time I won’t be so merciful. I want my slut of a daughter back and I will do anything to get her back. If you call the police, I’ll do worse than what did to that whore who wouldn’t tell me where my daughter was. “Oh God.” I said shaking a little. David and Adrian ran in and saw the message. David saw me shaking and hugged me. I hugged him back and started crying. 
  	“I’m sorry, this is all my fault.” Rori said sadly. 
  	“Don’t say that.” Adrian said comfortingly. I can imagine him hugging her. 
  	“What are we going to do?” David asked trying to calm me down. Adrian sighed. 
  	“I don’t know, David. I don’t know.” 
  	“Let’s call Isaac, he’ll know what to do.” 
  	“No, please don’t. What if he calls the police? Then what will happen? My mother is unpredictable and she’s not kidding when she says she’ll do anything to get me back.” Rori said stressed out. 
  	“He won’t tell anyone, I’ll make sure of it.” Adrian said. I calmed down and stopped crying. David let me go and I wiped my tears on my shirt. Adrian was hugging Rori. I got out my cell phone and dialed Isaac’s number. 
  	“Hello? Isaac?” 
  	“Emi, what’s wrong?” I sniffled. 
  	“Can you please come home?” 
  	“I’m on my way.” Then he hung up. I put my phone back in my pocket and sighed. 
  	“We better start cleaning up.” They nodded. We left the message on the wall, but cleaned everything else up. When that was done, we went into the living room and sat on the couch and waited for Isaac to come home. 
  Chapter 14 
  I am so glad that I have a safe place to stay, but I can’t help but wonder what my mother has planned. I tell Adrian I am skipping school to go talk to the cops. Instead, I track my mother down. She had at least cleaned up enough to recognize me and looked to be happy to see me. At least until we left the restaurant. “That was quite a stunt you pulled, Aurora. I didn’t like it one bit. I forbid you to see that family ever again. We are moving to California and this time maybe you won’t ruin my life!” All the years of putting up with her abuse came rushing back to me. Now that I saw Adrian’s family, I knew that being a single parent wasn’t a good enough reason for it. Isaac was a good father, and he was their brother. Something in me had finally snapped. 
  	“No” I told my mother, and it felt so good I decided to keep going. “I am NOT going to California with you. I AM going to see Adrian tonight and I WILL go teach tomorrow. My life has changed, but you haven’t.” she was in such shock, she froze. I started to walk away and she grabbed my wrist. I turned on her and she must have seen just how mad I was, because she let me go. I ran home and found Isaac in the kitchen with a woman. She was really pretty and I could tell I wasn’t supposed to be there. 
  	“Rori!” he said, shocked and turning red. 
  	“I’m sorry. I was just getting my stuff so I could go to school. I won’t tell the others, I promise.” He looked at my wrist and saw bruises where my mom had grabbed me. 
  	“Come here” he whispered. He looked at it and I started to cry. No one had ever cared what happened to me before. It was obvious I was interrupting a date and he still worried more about me than impressing the girl at the counter. She didn’t seem to mind, either. Once his examination was over I grabbed my bag and ran to school. I made it just in time for math. I found myself honestly focusing for once and even understand what we were doing. At lunch, Adrian kept looking back and forth between my wrist and face, trying to figure out what had happened. 
  	“I’ll tell you later” I muttered at him. After math, I ran to the choir room. Now, I don’t know how everyone else thinks, but to me, the art wing is the one part of the school I can completely relax. No one ever questions why you love music or dance or drawing or painting in the art wing. We are the kids that no one else fully understands and that is fine with us. When I got in the room, I decided to lie down on the bleachers. “Hello?” I heard a shy voice say. I looked towards the door and I saw a new girl standing there. “Is this choir?” 
  	“Yeah, but I don’t know where the teacher is. She is either in her office, the closet, or the other room.” Turned out she was in the closet, doing inventory. Once she checked in, she looked lost. “There is a movie in there, or you can listen to music, read, and do whatever it is you want to do. We are killing time until end of semester.” 
  	“What are you doing?” she asked, looking at the bleachers. 
  	“Thinking” I said, laying down again. “If you want to talk we can do that. I just don’t get along with many people.” I told her. 
  	“Why not? You seem so nice. I’m Elizabeth, by the way. But I prefer Lizzy.” 
  	“It’s kind of a long story. I am really shy and know there are better things in life than parties and the mall. I am Rori.” Lizzy and I spent the rest of the class talking. When she went to leave, I saw scars on her wrists and ankles. “What happened?” I asked her. 
  	“I could ask you the same thing about your face and wrist. I will talk when you do.” And with that, she left. I guess that everyone had rough patches in life, but I couldn’t think of much that would make someone want to hurt themselves. Things would have to be rough to do that. I met up with Adrian, David, and Emi, still thinking about Lizzy. I did some research at home and learned why Lizzy had shown up so late in the school year. She was a runaway who had just gotten out of rehab for self-mutilation. She had grown up here, but no one recognized the once sunny little girl. She had moved in with her grandmother to avoid her mom. It was in the local newspaper, so it couldn’t be too big of a secret. However, no one knew why she had started in the first place. I decided I would help her, if only be listening and being her friend. It was time to return the favor I was given. I went to bed thinking of ways to help her.  
  Chapter 15 
  It’s the last day of school and surprisingly Rori’s mom hasn’t done anything. I wonder what happened. Oh well, as long as she isn’t going to do anything to us.  Since it’s the last day of school, there’s really nothing to do and it’s a half day so this is going to be one boring day; just like this last week. All we’ve done this week is watch stupid movies that not everyone liked, mostly me, because they usually pick comedies and I don’t like them very much. I’m just not that interested in them. So I ended up falling asleep most of the time. Also there will be practices throughout this summer, so I’m never going to get a break am I? Oh well. I could always get a summer job for an excuse to miss them? Yeah, that’s what I’ll do. I smiled at the thought. I’ll start looking for some as soon as I get out of school. Ugh! I just want this day to end already. The only reason why I came is because if I didn’t they’d give me a referral and I’d have to serve ISS starting the first day of school next year and nobody wants to spend their first day of school in ISS. The reason for this is because I missed so many days of school and if I miss another well I’m not going to repeat myself. Isaac brought Eva home a few times and we met her and she seems really nice. Isaac is crazy head over heels for her and when she leaves, we laugh at him. 
  	I’m glad that he’s found someone he likes though. He deserves to be happy and do something for himself after all the things he’s done for us. And Rori’s friend Rachelle came yesterday and Rori has been busy helping her get settled into her room for the summer. I noticed that David was staring at her the whole time but looked like he was trying not to. I chuckled quietly at the thought since we’re watching a movie. He’s been a lot happier since she got her. He’s always staring off into space and when I ask what he’s thinking about, his face heats up and he stutters. I can’t help it but laugh. He’s totally in love with her. Adrian laughed at him every time and David would tell him to shut up and then Rori and Rachelle would walk in and ask what’s going on and David would just go in the other room making Adrian laugh again. I’m glad that they’re both happy. They’re happier than they’ve ever been before we met Rori. That’s all I’ve ever wanted, that those two be truly happy. They haven’t been this happy since Mom and Dad were around. I’m happy just knowing that their happy. 
  	Ugh! I wish they’d let us watch horror movies instead of this stupid comedy crap! That’s another thing, they always show the same movies; they meaning the teachers. It’s like they get together and all decide on what movie they’re going to show the kids to bore them to death. The actors in this movie aren’t even good. I went to the teacher and asked to use the bathroom and left. Once I was out in the hall, I sighed in relief. Just across the hall, Adrian, David, and Rori were doing the same thing. We looked up at each other and laughed. “You guys want to go do something fun?”  I asked smirking. They looked at me curiously but nodded. 
  	“Just what do you have in mind, my very mischievous sister?” Adrian asked grinning. 
  	“I thought you’d never ask.” I said grinning as I led them to the gym. There wasn’t anyone in here and I went to the supply closet. I opened and said, “Grab all the basketballs you can and follow me.” David and Adrian both grinned and did what I said, but Rori hesitated. “If we get caught, I’ll take all the blame.” She nodded and grabbed some basketballs. I led them to the top of the second floor stairs and started throwing them down the stairs. I told them to go to the other set of stairs and do the same. They nodded and left. Rori stayed with me. I got bored quickly until a teacher yelled at us. I grinned, grabbed Rori’s hand, and ran. We ran towards the other stairs while the teacher chased after us. We ran into David and Adrian and they followed us out to the school parking lot. School would be out in like thirty seconds. Then right on cue, the bell rang. 
  	“That was the best twenty minutes of my life.” Rori said sarcastically and rolling her eyes. I laughed. 
  	“Well, it was better than sitting in class and watching a stupid movie, right?” She nodded grinning. 
  	“You’re right about that.” 
  	“Let’s go home before the teacher catches us.” David said. We nodded and we walked home. 
  Chapter 16 
  Having Rachelle around has really helped me a lot. It lets me know that my old life doesn’t have to be completely ignored. She is sweet and funny and, surprisingly, in love with David. I could tell the minute she walked in the door and she hasn’t stopped talking about him yet. I don’t mind because I can talk about Adrian with her and she’ll listen without complaining. She’s always been my best friend and it’s easy for me to see why. Even with distance between us, we have more in common with each other than anyone else we’ve ever met. But even with my best friend here, I can’t get Lizzie out of my head. We’ve been talking all week and are online friends now too but no matter how much I talk about my mom, she won’t talk about her scars. I know this might just take time, but time is something I don’t like. I always feel like I don’t have enough of it, like it’s ticking away, second by second, and I can’t fix her. “What’s wrong?” Rachelle asked me for about the millionth time. She knows something is bugging me but I can’t tell her about it. I keep telling myself I can’t tell her but something inside me says I should tell someone. Adrian telling had saved my life, but something tells me this is different. She needs support, not police intervention. 
  	“It’s nothing” I tell Rachelle. I focus on keeping a smile on my face until it was time for me to go to work. Rachelle doesn’t much care for the dance studio so she usually hangs out with David while I work. It’s really pretty outside for the middle of summer. There is a nice breeze and I decide to walk to the studio. When I get there, I see Lily already in the studio practicing her dance. She was learning so quickly. I clapped when she finished and she ran up to me and gave me the world’s biggest hug. 
  	“My daddy told me to give you this” she said, holding out an envelope. Inside was every penny of the money for Lily’s dance classes so far, plus this week’s, and a note. It was written on pink paper, letting her know that Lily had wrote if with her dad.  
  Rori,  
  Thank you so much for teaching me. I have had a lot of fun and would like to continue in your class. Daddy says I can as long as we can pay, and if we can’t, to talk to you.  
  Your friend, 
  Lily 
  	I was so surprised by this little girl’s potential and didn’t even think of how I could have made her day every Friday by teaching her to dance. I still had a while before ht rest of the class would show up, so I decided to call Lizzie. The phone rang for so long I almost hung up. Then I heard a groggy “Hello?” It was a male voice and I could hear someone snoring in the background. 
  	“Is Lizzie awake? If not, it’s fine.” 
  	“Just a sec” he said in a bored voice. I heard him crawl back into bed and wake her up. Great. I told him not to and he did it anyways. 
  	“Hello?” even just woke up she sounded happier than I heard her all school year. 
  	“Hey” I said, now nervous. What if she thought I was checking up on her? “I hadn’t heard from you in a while and wanted to know if you could hang out tonight.” 
  	“I’d love to, Rori, but Adam and I have plans. We can double date if you want.” 
  	“Sounds like a plan” I said, happy to at least get to meet up with my friend. We said our goodbyes and hung up. I texted Adrian we were going on a double date and decided to work with Lily until the other kids show up. We are working on a fairy tale mash up ballet and we are almost ready, so I send home the recital flyers with the girls. Then I rushed home and got ready for the date. We decided to go bowling, so nothing too dressy. Rachelle and David were going to the movies and Emi was moping in her room about something, so we were all set for the night. When we get to the bowling alley, I am kind of surprised by Adam. He looks exactly like every guy your parents warn you to avoid, right down to the lip piercing and tattoos. He also was holding Lizzie’s arm a little too tight and she looked on the verge of tears. As I walked closer, I caught fragments of what he was saying. 
  	“I said I wanted alone time and you drag me to a bowling alley! What is wrong with you?!” I didn’t like the situation at all so I figured I’d interrupt. 
  	“Hi” I said, smiling brightly. “I’m Rori and this is Adrian” Adrian played along well, even distracting Adam long enough for me to talk to Lizzie. “What’s up?” I asked her. 
  	“Not much.” She said, avoiding eye contact. 
  	“I saw what he did” I mumbled to her and she looked scared. 
  	“I don’t know what to do.” she whispered, starting to cry. “He used to be so nice and now that I moved in with him, he’s become aggressive and abusive. Gran kicked me out for dating him so I have nowhere else to stay.” I call Isaac and he says she can stay the night and talk to her Grandmother in the morning. We finish our game and start to leave with Lizzie following us. 
  	“Where are you going?” Adam asked her. 
  	“She wanted to stay the night with me” I told him, grabbing her hand protectively. 
  	“No. we need to go home Liz.” He said, grabbing her other arm. 
  	“Let her go” Adrian told Adam. He must have looked serious because he let go of her. We got in the car and drove home. Emi was still moping, but I was too exhausted to ask why. I gave Lizzie my bed and passed out on the couch in the basement. 
  Sorry I don't have a lot done for this book, but once again I have writer's block... But I hope to have more for the story soon. 
   
   
   Publication Date: September 2nd 2012 https://www.bookrix.com/-heather.lawhun