"The more you have of it, the less you see. What is it?" Nudge asked me. She and I loved brain puzzles and riddles, so every night for, as long as I could remember, we asked each other a question.

"Not tonight, Nudge, I'm exhausted and really want to go to sleep!" I told her.

"C'mon, Dusty! It's tradition." She gave me Bambi eyes. Darn it.

I sighed. "Is it... Darkness?" I asked.

"Yep. Your turn."

I thought and said, "Fang loves this and Nudge knows nothing of it"- she narrowed her eyes-"And Dusty really wants it now. What is it?"

"Huh, is it silence?"

"Yes. Good night." I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep.

"Good night, then." Nudge laid down and soon she was sleeping soundlessly. I lied there in bed, trying to relax long enough to fall into the arms of Morpheus.

I loved my life here. It's so fun, with no grown ups, or schools, or the School. Just us (Max, Fang, Iggy, me, Nudge, Gasman, and Angel). And no one even knew we were here!

I shared my room with with Nudge (who was best friend) and Angel (the youngest). I was 13 years old, Nudge was 11, and Angel was 6. Max, Fang, and Iggy were 14, Gasman was 8. Max was our leader. Ever since Jed left, 2 years ago. We all believed he died, that was the only explanation. But I never told anyone this, but sometimes it felt like he wasn't dead. It was hard to explain. Anyway, Max took charge when Jed disappeared, and Fang was her right winged man. And that was the way things were.

Who is so tried she can't keep her eyes open but is avoided by the Sandman. Me. I thought. Well, I eventually found the void of sleep but it felt like forever later. And definitely didn't help how I felt when Max woke us up.

"Hey, sweeties, up and at 'em!" Max yelled. I groaned.

"20 more minutes, Max." I begged.

"You'll miss breakfast if you do that. Wake up, Dusty." She shook me gently. I sighed and sat up rubbing the sleep from my eyes. "I hate mornings." I mumbled as I stood.

"Don't we all." Max walked over to Nudge's bed. "Breakfast in 10." Max shook her shoulder.

"Wha'?" She blinked, her brown eyes struggling to focus on Max.

"Another day, get up and face it."

I helped Nudge wake up a little while Max checked on Angel. We walked down to the kitchen. Fang was setting the table, Gassy was pouring juice and Iggy was making eggs. Iggy may be blind but he is the best cook I know of, not that I know that many cooks. Nudge and I helped Fang and soon we were all sitting around the table eating.

"I want to go pick strawberries today." Angel said. "They're rip now."

"Okay, Angel, I'll go with you." Gasser said. Just then he 'let one rip' and giggled.

"Oh, jeez, Gassy." Max said.

"Gas...Mask!" Iggy choked out, he grasped his neck pretending to asphyxiate.

"I'm done." Fang said, getting up quickly and taking his plate to the sink.

"Oh, my..." I gasped.

"Sorry," Gasman said automatically.

"Yeah, Angel," said Nudge. "I think the fresh air would do us all good. I'll go too."

"We'll all go," Max said.

Outside, it was beautiful, clear and cloudless, and a little breeze. I tucked a strand of dark brown hair behind my ear. We carried buckets and baskets as Angel led us to a huge patch of wild strawberries. We stared picking, I ate a couple, just checking to see if it really was rip, and I heard Angel say something about strawberry shortcakes.

"Yeah that the day," Iggy said with out moving his lips. Hmmm. "When Max makes a cake, I'll make it, Angel."

Max whirled. "Oh, thank you!" She exclaimed. "Okay, I'm not a fabulous cook. But I can still kick your butt, and don't you forget it!"

Iggy was laughing, holding up his hands in denial. Nudge was trying not to laugh, I was laughing hard, holding my sides, even Fang, Mr. I-Never-Show-Emotion-Or-Say-Anything, was smiling, Gassy looked mischievous.

"Was that you?" Max asked him.

He grinned and shrugged. The Gasman was 3 when we realized he could mimic just about any sound or voice. I'd lost count of how many times Iggy and Fang had almost come to blows from Gassy saying stuff in their voices. It was a dark gift and he wielded it happily.

Angel, his biological sister, could read minds. I don't know how long she'd been able to do that, but, personally, it was not fun having her in your head all the time.

I guess that's how everybody felt about me. I had a specal gift for spying. There wasn't a secret in the world that I would not find out soon rather then later.

It was just another weid ability- most of us had them. Whatever they were, they sure made life more interesting.

In front of me, Angel froze and screamed.

And in the next second, men with wolfish muzzles, huge canines, and reddish, glinting eyes dropped out of the sky like spiders. Erasers! They'd found us!

I really hope you guys like that. Tell me what you think and if you have an ideas for the story!