"I hope our new neighbor is a boy," Tum Tum said.
"You might jinx yourself spaz," Colt said.
"Your so immature," Rocky said.
He did. When the three boys went to greet their new neighbors, they found that they had a new girl. Not only a girl but a girl that was the same age as Colt, fifteen.
"Hi," Colt said. The girl came out of the moving truck carrying a box.
"Hello," she said.
"Let me take that," Rocky said.
"No, it might be too heavy."
Rocky took the box, without a sweat.
"Do you want some help?" Colt asked.
"If you want to," the girl said. She went back into the truck and got another box. Colt and Tum Tum followed in suite. "Follow me," the girl said. She led the boys into a house, up a flight of stairs and to a room decorated with huge boxes and computer parts everywhere.
"My name's Robin," the girl said, as she set the box down. "I made it up myself."
"You made it up?" Colt asked.
"I'm orphaned," Robin said simply, like it didn't matter. "I made it up when I was old enough. I don't go by my old name anymore, my adoptive parents don't even know my old name."
"Can we know it?" Tum Tum asked.
"My parent's don't even know that, you think I'm going to tell you?" Robin gave him a skeptical look.
"I'm Rocky," Rocky said. "That's Colt," he pointed to Colt, "and that's Tum Tum."
"Did you make up your names too?" Robin asked. She talked about it like it was normal.
"Not really, our grandpa gave us those names," Colt said.
"Yeah, we're ninja's," Tum Tum said.
"Ninja's, huh?" Robin said. "I want to be a knight. But my Da wants me to be a fighter."
"We should introduce you to grandpa sometime," Rocky said. "What's with all the computer parts?"
"I have an interest in robotics." That was the answer. She dived into a box marked "Done" and pulled what looked like a sword hilt. "Most of my interests lie in Medieval Times. This is a stunner I made." She held the hilt like it had a blade. Her finger came over a button and blue sparks sparked at the hilt handle. "I have a belt full of nifty gadgets."
"Impressive," Colt said.
"Rocky! Colt! Tum Tum!" a yell came from outside.
"Rocky stuck his head out the window. "Coming!"
Robin walked the boys down the stairs. "We're going to the pizza parlor, Do you want to come?" Colt asked.
"Cult has a cru-ush," Tum Tum chanted.
"Shut up, Spaz," Colt said.
"I'd like to, I've never been here before," Robin said. "I'll go ask." Robin ran back inside.
"Colt! Rocky! Tum Tum!" A woman across the street was standing at a van next door. The boys ran over and told their mother. "I've got errands to run, so if you want to eat out, hurry up!"
The boys told their mother of their invitation to Robin and they got their answer when Robin came running at them. They tried not to stare, but it was hard not to. She wore cloth pants that went over leather pull-on boots. She wore a cotton short sleeve shirt with a tie at the top. She wore a belt that was loaded in pockets, big and small.
"Hello," she said politely to the boy's mom. "I'm Robin."
"Hood?" Tum Tum said. He coward at the scowl she gave him.
I don't blame him. I would too, Rocky thought.
"I made all my own clothes," Robin said.
"Sew?" the mom asked.
"Spun and sew," Robin answered.
"You spun it?"
"Uh-huh," Robin said. "I got a spinning wheel and a loom at a renaissance fair. I learned to spin and weave there."
"She's into Medieval things," Rocky said.
They pulled into the pizza parlor. The mom gave Rocky a twenty and said, "I'll be back in thirty minutes sharp. Don't get in trouble. I mean it."
"What was that about?" Robin asked.
"Trouble finds us all the time," Colt said. "Remember that dork that used the low time robbers to kidnap us and took us to that ship."
"Yeah, he was training an army of ninja's," Rocky added to Robin. "We broke through most of the security, but grandpa had to fight the dork. He won."
"What about the time we went to Tokyo," Tum Tum said.
"We used grandpa's credit card to go after we found out that he got into a car crash," Rocky said. "It turned out that some dude was trying to steal some expensive dagger grandpa had. We teamed up with the winner of a martial arts competition."
"A girl," Tum Tum teased. "A girl that kicked colt's butt
"You might jinx yourself spaz," Colt said.
"Your so immature," Rocky said.
He did. When the three boys went to greet their new neighbors, they found that they had a new girl. Not only a girl but a girl that was the same age as Colt, fifteen.
"Hi," Colt said. The girl came out of the moving truck carrying a box.
"Hello," she said.
"Let me take that," Rocky said.
"No, it might be too heavy."
Rocky took the box, without a sweat.
"Do you want some help?" Colt asked.
"If you want to," the girl said. She went back into the truck and got another box. Colt and Tum Tum followed in suite. "Follow me," the girl said. She led the boys into a house, up a flight of stairs and to a room decorated with huge boxes and computer parts everywhere.
"My name's Robin," the girl said, as she set the box down. "I made it up myself."
"You made it up?" Colt asked.
"I'm orphaned," Robin said simply, like it didn't matter. "I made it up when I was old enough. I don't go by my old name anymore, my adoptive parents don't even know my old name."
"Can we know it?" Tum Tum asked.
"My parent's don't even know that, you think I'm going to tell you?" Robin gave him a skeptical look.
"I'm Rocky," Rocky said. "That's Colt," he pointed to Colt, "and that's Tum Tum."
"Did you make up your names too?" Robin asked. She talked about it like it was normal.
"Not really, our grandpa gave us those names," Colt said.
"Yeah, we're ninja's," Tum Tum said.
"Ninja's, huh?" Robin said. "I want to be a knight. But my Da wants me to be a fighter."
"We should introduce you to grandpa sometime," Rocky said. "What's with all the computer parts?"
"I have an interest in robotics." That was the answer. She dived into a box marked "Done" and pulled what looked like a sword hilt. "Most of my interests lie in Medieval Times. This is a stunner I made." She held the hilt like it had a blade. Her finger came over a button and blue sparks sparked at the hilt handle. "I have a belt full of nifty gadgets."
"Impressive," Colt said.
"Rocky! Colt! Tum Tum!" a yell came from outside.
"Rocky stuck his head out the window. "Coming!"
Robin walked the boys down the stairs. "We're going to the pizza parlor, Do you want to come?" Colt asked.
"Cult has a cru-ush," Tum Tum chanted.
"Shut up, Spaz," Colt said.
"I'd like to, I've never been here before," Robin said. "I'll go ask." Robin ran back inside.
"Colt! Rocky! Tum Tum!" A woman across the street was standing at a van next door. The boys ran over and told their mother. "I've got errands to run, so if you want to eat out, hurry up!"
The boys told their mother of their invitation to Robin and they got their answer when Robin came running at them. They tried not to stare, but it was hard not to. She wore cloth pants that went over leather pull-on boots. She wore a cotton short sleeve shirt with a tie at the top. She wore a belt that was loaded in pockets, big and small.
"Hello," she said politely to the boy's mom. "I'm Robin."
"Hood?" Tum Tum said. He coward at the scowl she gave him.
I don't blame him. I would too, Rocky thought.
"I made all my own clothes," Robin said.
"Sew?" the mom asked.
"Spun and sew," Robin answered.
"You spun it?"
"Uh-huh," Robin said. "I got a spinning wheel and a loom at a renaissance fair. I learned to spin and weave there."
"She's into Medieval things," Rocky said.
They pulled into the pizza parlor. The mom gave Rocky a twenty and said, "I'll be back in thirty minutes sharp. Don't get in trouble. I mean it."
"What was that about?" Robin asked.
"Trouble finds us all the time," Colt said. "Remember that dork that used the low time robbers to kidnap us and took us to that ship."
"Yeah, he was training an army of ninja's," Rocky added to Robin. "We broke through most of the security, but grandpa had to fight the dork. He won."
"What about the time we went to Tokyo," Tum Tum said.
"We used grandpa's credit card to go after we found out that he got into a car crash," Rocky said. "It turned out that some dude was trying to steal some expensive dagger grandpa had. We teamed up with the winner of a martial arts competition."
"A girl," Tum Tum teased. "A girl that kicked colt's butt
