Courtney pushed open the door to reveal a small room. It had faded pink walls and a wooden floor. The bed had a plain pink duvet, and the wardrobe was plain wood that blended with the floor boards. A desk had been squeezed into the corner leaving no room to walk. Courtney climbed over the bed and onto the chair that was placed infront of the desk. She pulled out her homework and got staright to work on her algebra.

There was loud screams coming from varous places in the houe, but Courtney ha learnt to ignore them over the years. Outside, in the garden a three young children were running around playing chase. A car pulled up and the children ran straight to it. Out came a young woman. She had shoulder length brown hair and her eyes were hid behind sunglasses. She was wearing a white t-shirt and pink shorts that hugged her figure perfectly. She The woman locked the car and walked inisde the house. Courtney was watching from her bedroom window. She had finished her homework and hadnothing better to do. The young woman entering the house had signalled it was almost time for dinner. Courtney pulled open her bedroom door once again and made her way downstairs.

The kitchen, unlike Courtney's bedroom, was a large room. It had two long tables pushed together in one corner and all the usual kitchen appliances along the tow opposite walls. Around the table's were 14 chairs. One for each member of the house and that woman who had once lived here. Courtney took her place at the table before the others had a chance to take it. She sat quietly, listening to the young woman talking on the phone. Nothing interesting was being said. She was just explaining to her boyfriend where she was.

"Courtney, can you se the table? Thanks." Another woman asked the teenager. She didn't argue, but got up and placed the cutlery in the correct places of the table before taking her seat once again. "Dani, call the others for me." The older woman asked the younger one. Dani finished talkingand made her way to the bottom of the stairs.

"Foods ready!" She yelled, and took a seat at the table a few spaces down from Courtney.

There was loud screeching of chairs being dragged along the floor and bedrom doors being slammed shut before a stampeed of feet made their was down the stairs and into the kitchen. 6 more people had joiined the room, taking their own places at the table. Afew minuted after a late comer came down the stairs. He looked as if he had just gotten out o bed, and he most likely had.

"Look's like Charlie han't had enough beuty sleep." A girl across the table form Courtney giggled. Charlie hit the girl over the head.

"Shut it, Stephanie!" He screamed.

"My name's Stevie!" She protested, folding her arms and going into a sulk. Charlie took the space beside Courtney and ran his hands through his messy, black hair, trying to comb it.

He looked at his reflection in the spoon and flattened his hair. Nothing was working.

The chatter died down as the foo was placed on the tbale. Nothing special, just fish finger and fries. A usual in this house. The kids from outside came skidding inot the kitchen and took a place at he table. Only two spaces remained after all the children were seated.

This isn't a children's home, or anything like this. This is a family home. All these children are siblings. They live with their parents in Muskoka, Canada, well all ut Dnai, who has her own apartment with her boyfriend.

When the two parents took a seat at the table everyone dug staright into their food. Various converstaions took place, some of them were laughing and others were arguing. Insults and gossip flew across the table and ourtney was stuck in the midle of it all. She was deep in though about her day at school.

"So, how was school everybody?" Their father asked. Everyone's converstaions stopped as soon as he had spoke. They all directed their attention at him and all at once began elling him about their induvidual days. "Woah, woah, woah." He held his hands up and everyone shut up. "One at a time." He looke aroud the table at all his precious little children's faces, butchose one in particular. "Courtney, how was your day?" Barley audible moans were heard from some of the other kids.

Courtney was their fathers favourite child, even though he denied it. This made some of the other jelous of her. She was picked for everything by her father. She hated it just as much as her brothers and sister, but her father contiued choosing her.

"You know, schools school." She replied, twirling her fork around her fries like they were pasta. It was unusual for Courtney not to want to talk bout school. She was an A+ student, who did bucket loads of extra curricular and was on honour roll. But on thsi particular evening Courtney didn't feel like sharing anything with her father.

"I haven't been to school for years, tell me what you did today." He told Courtney.

"I studied for my biology test, passed another Geometry exam and completed more homework. Nothing out of the ordinary." She explained sarcastically.

"Are you in a bad mood becaus of that kid in school?" Stevie shot from across the table.

"What kid?" Courtney asked nervously. She knew exactly what kid her little sister was on about.

"The new one. He's only been at school since the beginning of the semester. You know, the one with the green hair and facial pierecing's." Stevie informed Courtney.

"Oh, that kid." Courtney was trying to act normal.

"Who's this kid?" The girls mother interupted.

"Duncan Lewis. He's a new kid in my year, he's in most o my classes so I've been helping himout a little." Courtney told her family.

"Ain't that the kid the rumour's about?" One of the older boys asked.

"What rumour, Shayne?" Courtney's father almost choked on his food at that word, 'rumour'. The man hated rumors. It was because with a bug family it was easy to start rumours about each other. He disouraged it.

"The word round school is that Courtnay and Duncan are an item." Shayne explained, wording his sentance careully.

"Shut up, Shayne!" Courtney hissed at her older brother. By now all the other kids had got involved, asking Courtney about the rumour and the boy. "The rumour is't true." Courtney told them all. She looked up at her mother. "May I be excused?" Her mother nodded her approval and Courtney left the table to go to her room.