"Mum, why can't I get my own room?" I ask. She sighed and turned to me.

"Astrid, we've been over this. There's too many people in this family and our house is much too small."
"Well, Papa and I can build a new room," I offer hopefully. Mum shook her head.
"Please continue sharing with John."

Just then, my younger twin siblings Ruffnut and Tuffnut came running in.
"Dagur and Heather are coming!" they shouted.
I groaned. I hadn't seen my cousins in years; I couldn't even remember what they looked like.

"When will they be here?" Mum asked. The doorbell rang.
"Now."

My name is Astrid Hofferson. I'm sixteen years old. I have two younger siblings, Ruffnut and Tuffnut. They're fourteen year old twins. I also have an older brother named John, he's eighteen.

Heather is my age. She lives across the world. She had to flee here, to Kansas. Why? Because of war. Her father Oswald is fighting in the war. There's also Dagur, who is John's age but mentally twelve (like the twins). Their mother Sally is my mother Ingrid's sister.
Confusing family.

Heather, Dagur, and Sally walked in. Ruff and Tuff tackled him to the floor. Sally and Mum shared a hug while Heather set down her stuff.
"Go say hi to Heather," John whispered to me. I walked away.

I woke up early to get ready for school. I ran outside to feed the animals. Someone was at the border fence. I grinned. Hiccup.
He lives on the farm near me. His father owns more land, but our lands border each other.
"Hey Hiccup!" I say as I feed the chickens.
"Hey, Astrid!" Hiccup climbed over the fence and began helping me collect eggs.
"My cousins are here," I mutter.
"Huh. That's cool."

I frowned.
"It's not cool."
"Why?"
"Because... I don't know."
"Give em' a chance. Besides, you've got me as backup!"
"I know."

Hiccup and I usually go over our homework on the bus ride to school. However, I had to sit alone while Heather copied Hiccup's homework into her book.
"Thank you!" she said. The bus arrived at school. I jumped out and the to class.

"My name is Heather, I'm from London and I'm here to avoid the war!" Heather said in front of the class. Some boys whistled and many girls began to whisper. I didn't blame them. Heather was gorgeous!
"Hey!" Hiccup whispered from my left.
"Hmm?"
"After school, can you-"
"Excuse me, but the teacher says I have to sit here now," Heather says, setting her stuff down on my desk.
"What?!"
"Yeah. You can sit over there, next to the boy with the black hair."
Heather pointed to the back of the room.

I groaned as I dragged my backpack to the desk next to Snotlout, the school flirt.

At lunch, I started going to where I sit with my friends Greta and Stephanie, but Heather was in my spot. I sighed and went to the only empty table. Hiccup ran over with his lunch and sat next to me.
"Sorry Astrid," he said apologetically. I shrugged.
"It's only the first day. Maybe things will get better."
"HICCUP!" Heather cried. She ran over and dragged him to where she and my friends were sitting. Hiccup's sandwich flew out of his lunch and I caught it.

When lunch was over I went up to him.
"You dropped this," I say, handing him his sandwich.
"Thanks. So... my dog had puppies yesterday! Would you like to see them after school?" Hiccup asked.
I gasp.
"Of course I would! That's awesome!"
Hiccup smiled. "Great! See ya, Astrid!"