Hello everyone. This is the re-done version. :) R&R

Just another day, I thought unhappily, and still no Sam, its been about a year, but I will find him. I have to.

Sam is my best friend. We grew up together, well until the start of the school term last year. That's when he disappeared, his parents just say that he's gone to a special boarding school in America for under-achievers, and that he can't come home for any vacations because they can't afford it and he prefers it there. I know thats a lie though. He's smart, he use to get almost full marks in every test, but when I pointed this out to his parents they said that the school told him otherwise and kicked him out, but I don't think this is the reason. I know the real reason.

He is special. He has a… gift, I guess you can call it. Anything he touches unlocks, whether it's a diary lock or high security locked door. He can lock it after too, but not just things that already have locks on. Anything. That isn't it though. He can also camouflage, disappear into the back round, and no-one can see him, its incredible really. The last time I saw him he do it was only because he was angry about something. Well, not just something, his ex-girlfriend broke up with him, saying that him and I acted more like a couple and tried to make him pick between her or me. He said that I was a better and a nicer person. She didn't really like that so she dumped him. I think that his power has changed now, I think it's stronger, but of course how should I know I haven't seen him for a year.

I think I have a gift too, but I'm not really sure what it is and I have only done it a couple of times by accident. I have talked to birds, any animals really but birds are easiest. And they talk back, but that isn't all because I have been able to do that all my life. Also after Sam… left I turned into some thing else for a little while. A week is a little while, isn't it? I think what I turned into wasn't human, I think I turned into a hawk. I have done that a couple of times since then and I keep practising, I'm getting better I think. I can some times do it when I want to, instead of just whenever I get really angry. When I was a hawk for a week, I met some other hawks. They looked after me, they still do really if I'm being honest, they're always somewhere near me. They're my flock. Part of my family, kind of. Or at least I wish they really were.

"Lucy? Lucy? Are you awake?" Mom called up the stairs.

"Yes, Mom, I'm up." I called back sighing.

"Good. Remember that Professor Xavier is coming today to talk about you having a place in his gifted and talented school over in America. That would be good, wouldn't it?" Mom said from just outside my door.

"Yes Mom." I said getting annoyed.

I don't know why they even want me. I'm not gifted or talented, really. I'm getting a level 7 in most subjects, which isn't that great, its just normal. They're coming at three and its only eleven now, but mom wants me to be up and showered and changed when they get here even though they're just going to speak to my parents alone for a bit to talk about my scholarship, which I don't even know why I am getting I'm not at all smart really.

I swung my legs off the bed and walked out my door, grabbing my towel off the banisters as I walked past it on my way to the bathroom. I turn on the shower and climbed inside, dropping my towel on the floor. I sat on the floor of the shower letting the hot water relax my muscles which were all tense from the worrying that mom was making me do about the scholarship and the school. Downstairs I could hear my mom start hovering, I don't know why she wants the house to look so nice, its not like they are going to come around and inspect the kitchen or my room, which she's made me tidy, for dust, are they? I carefully and slowly shampooed and condition my hair, then stepped out the shower and turned it off. I looked at the clock above the mirror. 12:02. Wow, that was a long shower, they are coming in just 3 hours. Well, dang it, that's got me worried again. I brushed my hair and pulled it up into a high ponytail, wrapped a towel around me and walked to my room. I was looking for clothes in my cupboards under my bed when my eyes caught a picture of Sam and me that was hanging up on my notice board that I had hung all the pictures of us on. The one that had caught my eye was one were we had just gone into town and were messing about on the statues of the cows, I was leaning off it and Sam was supporting me. One of his arms was around my back and the other one was under me, we both looked so happy and carefree then. I walked across and touched the picture gently with my fingertips.

"I miss you Sam. You know I do." I whispered as a single tear fell down my cheek.

"Lucy, what are you doing in there? You have to get ready and help me tidy the kitchen and make sure we have everything ready. You will be getting this scholarship, if I've got anything to do about it." Mom shouted loudly from downstairs in the kitchen.

"Why don't you get dad to help? He's just sitting down there watching racing. Lewis Hamilton isn't even winning he's fifth." I could hear mom bustling around in the kitchen, whilst dad sitting on the sofa watching the race, and eating Poppets.

Yes, I could, in fact, hear him putting them into his mouth and chewing them. I have very good hearing, I could hear most things really, like I just heard mom sigh and ignore me. Oh well, it doesn't matter really.

I searched my wardrobe for a long sleeved baggy top and baggy tracksuit bottoms which I seemed to live in these days but it appeared that mom had thrown them out. Its not that I don't like wearing short sleeved clothes and skirt or dresses, because I do, just not in public. If I get angry sometimes feathers shoot out of my skin, which can't be right, but I am use to it now. Before, at the start of the year, when I got angry I would turn into an animal. Normally a hawk, I don't know why, but they are my favourite so that might be it. My parents don't know about it and I plan to keep it that way. They don't like … abnormalities, I guess you could say. They don't like things that are not the way they should be. They don't like me much, I know that for sure. I have heard them arguing about me before, saying that there was something wrong with me, that I wasn't normal, that I should be more girly and wear a skirt and be like everyone else. But I'm not. I'm different, I know that for sure. I have very good sight, smell and hearing, and maybe the fact that I can turn into an animal might be a bit of a give away. I finally picked out a sleeveless blue top and a long sleeved dark blue hoodie to go over the top and a pair of black stretchy leggings. I stepped into them and then put some make up onto my face, to please my mom. She was always telling me to dress girlier or to put on some make up or wear a skirt but I never really listened too much, but today I wanted the scholarship almost as much as my mom wanted it for me. Finally I put my locket that I always wear on my neck. It had a picture of Sam and me in it, the last picture I took of us before he left.

" Lucy, get down here right now! You must be ready now its one o'clock. They are going to be here soon." My mother was shrieking at me.

I sighed. " Coming mom. "

I walked silently down the stairs, when I reached the second step I looked around. No one could see the stairs or me. I took a deep breath and leapt. I easily cleared the stairs and landed silently, in a crouch. I straightened up quickly and walked into the kitchen.

"Did you want me?" I asked mom.

She was facing the other way rooting around in the fridge; she jumped when she heard me. "Oh Lucy, I didn't hear you dear. Come and help me make this bread, I'm sure the instructions are in here somewhere. How long am I meant to put it in the oven?" she said without turning around.

I sighed again, mom and her legendary cooking skills, oh wait she had none. "Your not, mom, you put it in the bread machine. That's why you bought it. Give it here." I rolled up my sleeves of my hoodie and walked forwards to grab the bread off her. I grabbed the bread machine forwards and dropped the bread in and set the timer turning it on. Whilst I was doing this mom was scrutinising my outfit.

" Do you have to wear that big jumper? I bought you a nice pink dress. Why don't you wear that? And why those leggings? What about a nice skirt? I bought you one last week, it had nice pink flowers on." Mom asked as if she actually thought I would wear anything like that.

" I like wearing this mom, but if it makes you happy." I took off the hoodie showing my blue tank top that she had bought for me ages ago.

"See," she said triumphantly, "that looks better."

That was about the best compliment I could get from my mom.

" I don't see why you don't wear that kind of thing more often." She continued, " I mean, its not like your that fat, and your not really short, so you could probably look ok in most clothes…"

She continued blabbing on whilst I just blocked out the noise. I looked at the calendar that was hanging on the fridge door. It was only a month until school is meant to start, so I presume that the head teacher was coming to look for students for next year. So I would have to put up with another year of no chance of finding Sam, but maybe if I went to this school I could find Sam. From what I've heard so far both schools are in America, so how hard can it be to find the one that Sam's in.

"Lucy can you pass me the fruit bowl? I need to fill it with the new fruit I bought this morning." Moms voice drifted through my thoughts.

I picked up the fruit bowl and passed it to mom who was standing by the blender cutting up fruit and dropping them in.

"What do you want for lunch, Lucy? It's almost two so you will have time to cook something for yourself. "

" Can I make myself some pizza mom?"

"Sure, ask your dad if he wants any though. Surely you would prefer a nice healthy smoothie?" She didn't mind me cooking for myself as long as I offered dad some so she wouldn't have to cook.

"No, not really. Dad do you want pizza? Your usual?" I called through to him.

"Yeah, sure. Bring it in when its cooked." He called back whilst yawning.

"'Kay. " I mumbled to myself more than anyone else.

"Honestly I don't know how you hear him. I couldn't." Mom said quietly to her self.

I grabbed out the spare pizza dough I made yesterday and made two pizzas, both the same size. Even though I eat like a pig I have stayed solidly at six and a half stone for a year now. I spread the tomato sauce onto the pizzas, covered them thickly with cheese, put mine into the oven, then dropped the meats onto my dads pizza and put his also into the oven. I picked up one of my books up off the side that I had read loads before, in the nights I no longer could sleep during. I don't need sleep any more, I just don't get tired. Some times at night I go up to see my flock, then catch up with them for a bit, then come down and do home work or read. I'm getting pretty good homework grades now, which I guess is a good thing. I had just got stuck into the book when the timer went off making me jump. I grabbed dad's pizza out of the oven and put it on a plate for dad. I grabbed a knife as I walked out of the room.

"Breads done, mom. Pizza's up da." I told him walking into the adult's room.

"Excellent." He smiled. " Hey, why don't you grab your pizza and come in here to watch the end of the race with me?" He lowered his voice. "I'm sure you want to get out of your mom's way." He said still smiling.

I laughed. " Sure, Sure, Dad. Thanks, give me a sec."

I went back to the kitchen, of which my mother was now scrubbing franticly, and grabbed the scissors and my pizza and went to watch the race with my dad. I finished my pizza quickly, having not eaten breakfast or much dinner the night before, and finished watching the race, snacking on the sweets dad had on the table. At quarter to three, mom came into the parents room and sat in the arm chair near us, but she quickly saw the empty plates and jumped up.

"Honestly, Lucy did you really eat that whole pizza your self and all those sweets?" She asked with a sigh.

"Yes mom I did actually." I answered annoyed that she was fussing over my food again.

She just sighed and walked out holding both the plates in her hands.

"They will be here in fifteen minutes, get ready Lucy, go and put on a skirt or something." Mom said as she walked back into the room.

I looked at the clock, it was ten to three. I needed my hoodie to cover it up so if I got annoyed, it wouldn't be too obvious, not like… feathers coming out of my skin. That wouldn't be too great. Especially seeing as I am meeting the head teacher and one of the teachers. Mr Xavier and Miss Munroe. What kind of names are they?

I grabbed my hoodie out of the kitchen and pulled it over my head. I checked my hair as I went back into the adult's room. It was relatively neat for once. When I got there, I saw mom sitting, fiddling nervously in the armchair.

"Yeah, well, I'm going upstairs." I told mom as I ran silently up the stairs.

I heard her sigh and shake her head.

I went into my room and closed my door. Perched on my windowsill was Luke, he is one of hawks in my flock.

"You alright there?" he called at me.

" Yup, yup. You?" I said back to him.

I sat down on my bed.

"Yeah, I'm pretty good. The flock say hi and hope to see you again soon." He said as he flew to perch on my shoulder.

I always had one or another perched on me. I've managed to tell my mom that our class at school have trained two to be able to stay in a house and that we have to look after them for a bit. I was shocked when she actually believed me and let me have one sit on my shoulder sometimes.

"Yeah tell them sorry and I've been really busy. You know about the scholarship thing don't you?" I asked him.

"Yeah good luck today. And remember, where ever you go the flock will follow." He said to me seriously.

I then heard a voice outside.

"This house, Storm. This one is going to be special."

Okay, so I haven't changed much but R&R with some suggestions to make it better :)