Disclaimer: I do not own TMI, TID, TDA or any of the characters.

Chapter 1

Isabelle groaned. Why, why, why did her Uncle Benedict have to go mad and end up in hospital? More importantly why did she and her brothers have to come live in England so their parents could look after their cousins when Gideon was eighteen? And last but not least why was there mould on the ceiling above her bed (on which she was
currently lying)? The mould was a dark mottled green with some particularly black splodges so that if she tilted her head to the left it looked vaguely like a smiley face. A very smug smiley face.

Isabelle doubted she would receive answers to any of her questions, in particular the mouldy one. The first two her parents would spout bull about but the last she was sure no one knew the answer to. Her cousins were rich. Or at least they seemed to be as she had her own new bedroom, rather than sharing with her younger (by a year) cousin Tatiana. If there was damp then her Uncle would have done something about it, but then that brought her back to him being mad.

…

A piercing scream brought Isabelle out of her reverie quite suddenly. She rolled off her bed with another groan and flung the door open. Outside, her cat Church was attacking the fluttering end of an exceedingly long silk scarf that was draped around Tatiana's neck, who screamed again, "Help me! Isabelle! Get that monster off of my scarf! It's designer!"

Stifling a giggle she bent down and grabbed the pet they'd brought with them from the States. The Persian cat always had a permanently disgruntled look to his face but ever since they'd arrived in England Isabelle swore that he'd looked very irritated. Church was exceptionally unimpressed with his new home. Isabelle could relate.

"Izzy?"

She looked up with a smirk, "Yes?"

"It's not funny!" whined Tatiana. Isabelle just raised an eyebrow.

"I mean… Thank You," she sniffed, then continued, "I just don't get how you can like that little beast so much!"

"'The little beast' as you so rudely put has a name. It's Church. And you just need to get to know him better." At which Isabelle held him out towards Tatiana cheekily. But she was only rewarded with a disgusted squeal so she gave up her cousin as hopeless. Then Church scratched and squirmed his way out of her hands before stalking into Isabelle's room and curling up in the bottom of her wardrobe.

Isabelle suddenly noticed a pile of black and white clothes at Tatiana's feet, "What's that?"

"Oh! That's why I'm here. Aunt Maryse asked me to give you these," exclaimed her cousin excitedly before bending down to pick them up by a hanger. On closer inspection Isabelle could identify a black pleated knee-length skirt, a white blouse with a weird collar and a black woollen jumper that was already crackling with static electricity.

"It's your uniform," she continued.

"My what?"

"Your school uniform," Tatiana explained impatiently.

"There is no fu-" Isabelle broke off as she spotted Max had suddenly appeared behind them clutching a comic book. Their mum was very strict about her and Alec not swearing in front of their nine-year-old brother.

"Hi Max!" then she started again, "there is now way I'm wearing that five days a week!"

Tatiana smiled and shoved the unfortunate uniform into her hands, "You have to."

As her cousin walked off she glanced back down at her hands and grimaced before turning to Max, "You ok?"

"Yeah. Mum just thinks Church has run off again," he shrugged.

"Oh no. Church is in my room. I think he's sleeping in my wardrobe." Isabelle turned and shut her door sighing as Max ran off back down the stairs.

…

The next morning Isabelle was up early not wanting to be late for her first day at their new school. Walking down to breakfast she fell in behind Tatiana and upon noticing that her skirt was just as short she rolled hers down in order for her mum not to notice. She could roll it back up later anyway.

She was just about to grab some toast when her eyes fell on Alec and she stopped short! "Why aren't you wearing itchy uniform too?" she demanded.

But Gideon answered instead, "Sixth-formers like Alec and I don't have to. You're only in year 11," he glanced over her shoulder before adding, "like Gabriel."

Isabelle ignored him and continued to glare at Alec who was wearing a pair of dark jeans and an old jumper, although she did notice there were no holes in either of them, as he eyed her outfit focusing on the sequins she'd added with painstaking effort to the collar of her jumper last night, "Nice."

"Just sit down and eat," said Maryse sharply as she swept into the room closely followed by Max, "and roll down that skirt Tatiana!"

"Father never made me roll it down," she retorted.

'Yes but your father was an immoral man with no sense of decency,' thought Isabelle, rolling her eyes, although she didn't say it aloud.

"Where's Uncle Robert?" wondered Gabriel curiously, interrupting the start of a very long and tiresome argument.

"He left early this morning to visit your dad. He's taking the day off work," she explained tersely, "now Gideon, do you have your key… (He nodded)… good. (She turned to Alec) I'm going to get the paint on my way home, can you pick up Max from school? And what colour did you want again?"

"Yes mum, and blue please."

"What shade of blue?"

"I don't know… just blue!"

Isabelle interrupted impatiently, "He wants dark blue. Somewhere between navy and royal. And I want black and glittery gold!"

"Ok. What time does school start?"

"In ten minutes," shrugged Gabriel.

"What? Go! Go! You don't want to be late on your first day! Just take the toast with you! You'll need to run!"

"Bye Izzy. Bye Alec," called Max from his seat.

…

As they jogged to school, Isabelle rolled her skirt back up and tried to concentrate on how to avoid Tatiana all day than the dismally grey sky and the extremely likely impending rain.