**Author's Note**

Well... This is my first piece of writing on this site. I hope it gets some good reviews or ratings or whatever is used on this site.

I wrote this a while ago... Two or three years at least. But it was one of my better pieces and was featured in one of the school published books... so I guess it's alright. Sorry if some of it is confusing... It follows a storyline my friend and I came up with a while ago.

Just tell me what you think and I can answer any questions you may have about it. Creative critisism is gladly welcomed! I'd love to make myself a better writer. The only thing I can say is that if you say it sucks, please give me a reason it sucked... don't be a moron and say "It sucked because you're a piss poor writer and you shouldn't be writing" etc. etc. I don't think many people, if any, likes that kind of stuff.

So now I'll quit being a mom and let you read... if you even bothered to read this lol

**End Author's Note**

Don't call us Squirts

I looked up to my mother... Her long, usually kept up hair was cascading around her shoulders as she bent low to plant a feathery kiss on my forehead. She smiled and I looked back at her as my dad grabbed my small six year old hand. I looked up to him. He was so tall and also had long hair. His was, unlike my mother's, blonde. I stared up to his blue eye and then looked back to see my sisters run out after the two of us. Mine and my sister's first time. Amber has been there before with three of our cousins. Another one of our cousins was to be there for the first time too. Mama hadn't taken us to see them since the newest one was born.

We had just reached the school and I relunctantly let go of my dad's hand.

"Okay Siden, Iris. I have to leave you guys here. Don't forget that your Aunt works here so if you need anything, go to her or Amber. And Amber, don't get into anymore trouble with Chelsea, Jazzy or Jessie. Okay?"

"Sure... Whatever dad. I'll see you squirts later. The three of us were supposed to meet twenty minutes ago but you two had to take forever," said she as she flipped her red hair back over her shoulder and twitched her red ears and ran off to meet three people who were standing in a tight circle talking about something important. I looked back to my dad with my younger-than-me-by-five-minutes sister's hand in my hand.

"You guys stick together with Trixie. Since she has more body guards... err... sibilings than you do. And be careful," he said and walked back to the gate. He turned around once more before disappearing back into the woods. I walked with my sister and approached the four of our family. I looked up to Chelsea, our oldest cousin with brown hair and hazle eyes. Then Jessie and Jazzie, twins like me and Iris, Jazzy with purplish eyes and red hair and Jessie with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes. And then we saw her. The newest of our cousins. Trixie. She was about as white as newely fallen snow. She had bright green hair and had golden yellow eyes. She reached up to Amber and opened and closed her hands and Amber picked her up.

"Hey squirts," Jazzy said and smiled.

"Hey," I mumbled and Iris squeaked.

"Look. Here comes mom and dad."

"God I hope they don't like swap spit in front of us."

"That's soo gross."

"They are probably going to take Trixie with the squirts here."

"Amber, can you not call us squirts anymore?" Iris asked and looked up to her with big eyes.

"Hey kids. Your dad is leaving and you guys need to get your scrawny butts inside. School is starting....." the bell rang. "ehhh... now." our Aunt Kate said and gave our Uncle Tom a quick kiss on the cheek before he left. Then she hauled it to class.

"Come on. Let's go," I said and took off running really fast, as is normal for me, and was followed by my sister. We made it to class quickly and sat down together at the back of the class with Trixie. She was really shy. I couldn't imagine why... she only looked like a freak.

Some people have all the luck...

I sighed again and tried to pay attention to the stupid teacher. This was all stuff that we already knew from watching dad and mom and our step-dad and our aunt and uncle. The only thing the two of us didn't know was all the math stuff but who needs that anyway?

I looked out the window to the dense forest and saw dad looking up at me and I gave a reassuring nod.

"Siden."

"Yes?"

"What is the quadritac equation?" Aunt Kate, our teacher, asked and I saw Trixie's hand fly into the air.

"I'm not sure."

"*sigh* You need to pay attention more. Trixie you answer."

"Negative B plus or minus the square root of B sqared minus four AC over two A," she recited perfectly.

"Show off," I murmured and stared out the window even more.

Things were changing faster than I wanted them to. I was throwing kunai with dad just yesterday with Amber and Iris. I was given compliments on how well I was at survival. And praises on how well my aim had improved. But now I was being told to pay attention and I was being scolded.
That was something I didn't like. Something I needed to get used to. I just wanted to go back to the cave and go to bed. To be in my mother's warm arms again. I didn't want to be here.

"Okay everyone. Out to the practice field. We're gonna do a beginning of the year tests. We're gonna do this so we can see how much you improve over the years," Aunt Kate said and clapped her hands as the class filed outside.
This is the kind of stuff I like to do. I was the first to go. We had an accuracy test and I hit dead in the middle of the target. I ran faster than anyone else. I did my flips better than everyone else. I was all out perfect at all this stuff.

"Good job Siden and Iris. Top of the class already. That's what I'd expect from you, being just like your mom and dad. And Trixie, you did awesome. Good job class. We can go inside now and take a break. You can talk amungst yourselves or do something else, but please keep the volume down," Aunt Kate said and directed everyone inside. She sat at her desk and did some paper work. Trixie went up to her and said something and came back up to her seat and started to draw on the back chalk board.

It was amazing. She could draw wonderfully. That must have been why she wasn't ahead with me. I know she can run. Her father is faster than mine and so is her mother. She must have gotten a lot of creativity and honed it instead of physical skill. All of us on the back row was watching her. She climbed on a chair and made a row of them so she could walk on them to reach the top of the chalk board. By the time she was done, she had the whole class looking at her and she walked past them and went down to her mom and handed something to her. On the board was a picture of her mom when she was in school.

It looked marvolous. She smiled and walked behind her mom's desk and started to work on something else.

"Who is she? She can draw really good."

"That's Trixie. Didn't you know? Her father's that plant freak."

"Her father is not a freak," Iris peeped up.

"You haven't seen him have you? Then you wouldn't know."

"We've seen him. We live with him."

"You poor souls. I'd move out."

"He's our uncle."

"Excuse me, but could you not talk about my dad that way?"

"Okay freak."

"Don't call me a freak. Just cause I'm different than you. I know I'm a freakin bad ass like my mom by you don't have to compliment me that much."

"You're a dipshit."

That was enough. I wasn't going to have them talk about my family like that. So the chick that was talking had a black eye and a bloody nose before I was pulled off of her by Aunt Kate. I was still punching the air.

"Okay kids. Break it up. I don't know what is going on but it stops here."

"She called Uncle Tom a freak and Trixie a dip."

"I understand that you want to stand up for the family, I was just like you when I was little, but this is a part of school. You'll get picked on," She whispered into my ear. "Now both of you up to the principal's office. Hurry up."

I walked out of the classroom and up to the principal's office and sat there talking about why we were there.

The end of school had finally arived and I walked slowly to my cousins and my big sister.

"Hey squirt. Heard you gave a girl quite a shiner. And a bloody nose. I'm proud of you," Jazzy said.

"Why'd you do it?" Jessi asked.

"She called Uncle Tom a freak and Trixie a dip," I said and looked over to where Trixie was. The same girl was walking over to her and I ran over. Trixie was drawing with some sidewalk chalk and the chalk went flying. The older ones walked up behind me. Amber called me back as Trixie's older sibilings approached the girl.

"Excuse me,"Chelsea said.

"But why," Jazzy said.

"Are you," Then Jessie.

"Ruining our little sister's drawing?" Chelsea said again.

The little girl looked like she was about to piss her pants. I laughed with Amber and watched as the four of them walked back over.

"Are we ready to go? Mom said that she was staying home today so she could make us some food."

"Okay. What about Aunt-"

"She's coming home with Tom," Chelsea said and picked Trixie up. Amber grabbed Iris and I ran on my own to the house. I beat the others and hugged mom. I buried my face in her stomach.

"What's wrong Siden?" her gentle voice caressed my ears.

"I'm not a squirt no more."