Living with four older brothers is chaos, pure hell.

"Aaron Issac Montez, Aloysious Ian Montez! Stop with the music! The neighbors have already complained once and I don't need another police report from you two!" Maria Montez shouted from the kitchen at the Montez twins, who were playing loud thumping music from their stereo of the latest band.

"Ugh, Damon, please help me tell them to lower the volume of their music," Maria Montez pleaded with her oldest son and the oldest brother among the Montez siblings, "I doubt they can even hear me with their music so loud."

"On it mum," Damon sighed, getting up from the couch and climbing up the stairs. He knocked on the twin's bedroom door and without even waiting for them to respond, entered and ordered them in a stern voice to tone down.

"Come on, Damon! Don't be such a kill-joy!" Aaron, the older twin, said.

"Yeah! Join us! You know you want to!" Aloysious wriggled his eyebrows, suggesting that Damon ditch his role and responsibility of an older brother. Aaron and Aloysious were identical twins, meaning they look exactly alike, and only their immediate family and close friends could differentiate them apart. Aaron's face was slightly larger, probably since he was born first, but it was such a subtle difference that it can only be viewed from a certain angle. Other than that, it was like they were clones, even down to the last mole. Even their family has trouble telling them apart at times.

"No thanks," Damon muttered, "I can't even think straight with that annoying song stuck in my head." Damon turned on his heels to walk back down, but stopped short of the first step. He tilted his head slightly back and said, "I'm serious. Turn that damn music off or I swear I will break that stereo." Then, he continued his way down the steps, heading towards the living room.

"It's okay!" Aaron hollered from his room after Damon had already reached the bottom step, "It's Nick's!" He then held up his hand, just as Aloysious slapped it. One would think they had twin telepathy or something.

"What?" Nick, who was watching the television with Damon in the living room, exclaimed, pushing himself off his spot on the couch before climbing the steps two at a time, and forced open the twin's bedroom door as they tried to close it.

Aaron and Aloysious shared a look and grinned. "Come on little bro, you wouldn't dare hit us now, would you?" Aaron taunted. Aloysious followed suit and continued, "Yeah little Nicky, you gonna hit your big bros? There are two of us and one of you, plus we are way stronger." Aloysious purposely dragged out the "way", trying to get under Nick's skin even more than they already have.

Nick's hand relaxed on their door and the twins immediately slammed the door shut. Nick swore under his breath and instead of returning back to the living room, he headed towards his room, which happened to be beside their youngest sister, Gabriella's room.

Gabriella watched as Nick hung his head down, slumping as he walked back to his room. She sighed, feeling sorry for him. Nicholas Ray Montez was the youngest male in the family, therefore, always the target for pranks and such. His siblings did not particularly like the name Nicholas as it sounded formal and scholar-like, hence shortening it to Nick or even Nicky. It is not unusual for him to be made fun of for his name in the Montez family, although the older brothers tend to antagonize him even more by taking his things and even forcing him to eat the vegetables while they took all the meat. Aaron and Aloysious are the more common culprits, but to say Damon had no part in it will be a total lie. They enjoy "having fun" with him, and even though Nick knows they are joking, he would sometimes get rather irritable by them. Gabriella does pity him sometimes, but what could she really do about it?

Aaron Issac Montez and Aloysious Ian Montez are the self-proclaimed "funny prankers" in the Montez family. No one argues with them there as they truly have done every sort of pranks from whoopee cushions to anything one can think of. They are really cheeky and it is a rare sight if you ever see them not smiling. I've probably seen it only once or twice in my life and I live with them, Gabriella thought to herself. Aaron is about ten minutes older than Aloysious and both their initials spell "AIM" which somehow Gabriella gets the feeling is not really a coincidence.

Then, there's Damon. His full name is Damon Zachary Montez. As mentioned, he's the oldest. At times, he acts like the father they never had and others he acts like well, Aaron and Aloysious. He can be really responsible when he wants to but most of the time he's just pretty good company. In Gabriella's opinion, he's probably transitioning from a boy to a man. What's that called? Oh yeah, puberty, Gabriella chuckled.

Then there's Gabriella herself. She is the only daughter in the Montez household and she is the youngest. To say she was protected by her big brothers since young is an underestimation. They started protecting her once they found out their mom was having her first girl. Gabriella likes that they have always been there for her no matter what and they would always do everything she wants. She knows she may have been spoilt rotten in that sense but she doesn't care. In fact, she relishes in it.

So, being the kind-hearted person that she is, she sighed and closed the book she was reading and got off her bed. She walked along the corridor, towards the twin's room, and knocked thrice before silently waiting outside.

"Busy!" she heard one of the twins say. There really was no difference in their voice.

"It's me," Gabriella said in a rather tired voice while rubbing her eyes.

The door opened instantly, increasing the volume of the already loud music. Gabriella could almost feel her head throbbing from the music and she wondered how they are able to stand it. Both twins appeared behind the door with a grin each. "Yo Gabs!" They both greeted simultaneously. "What brings you to this side of the house?" Aloysious questioned jokingly.

Gabriella smiled her sweetest smile at them and said, "Turn down the volume please? I'm kind of reading and I can't exactly concentrate."

She knew they would oblige to her request. She was their baby sister and she knew they would do anything as long as she asked. True enough, Aloysious turned around and switched off the music completely, causing the house to be engulfed in silence. "Thank you," she replied, "and please, please, please return Nick his stereo. Don't over-bully him."

"Okay," Aaron complied after a moment of hesitation, "anything for you, Gabi." He then lifted his hands to ruffle her hair, which was plaid loosely down her back, causing it to be in a mess. Well, at least I got Nick his stereo back, she comforted herself with that thought. She knew how much it meant to him seeing as it was a birthday gift from his best friend.

"You guys are the best!" she laughed, albeit not heartily, hugging the two of them as they each placed one hand on her back. As she headed back into her room, she turned around to make sure the twins were actually going to return it and not just saying words to pacify her. When she saw them carrying the stereo out of their room, she went straight back into her room and dove into her bed, picking up her book to carry on where she had left off.

Gabriella was reading a book for her English class, "To Kill A Mocking Bird". Usually she likes to read. In fact, reading is her life. It's a great way for her to pass the time and imagine that she lives in an alternate world where everything was different, not that she hates her life or anything, but it is rather cool to think of what it would be like if she could live in a story-book. Anyway, as said, she loves reading, but somehow this book just doesn't appeal to her in any way. It is such a bore and she has zilch idea on what is going on in the book. Every time she tried to read it, she finds her eyelids getting heavier though she tries to force her way through reading at least one chapter. Always, she manages to read a chapter but the thing was, her brain was always in such a hazy state that she doesn't register anything into her brain.

Today was no exception. After about fifteen minutes of flipping through pages of empty words, she convinced herself that sleeping would be a good thing. She fell asleep almost immediately and drifted off to dreamland. It only seemed like a few minutes before her mother tried to wake her up.

"Gabriella, wake up," Maria Montez shook her. Gabriella whined a little and begged her mother to let her sleep for just five more minutes though she had a feeling it came out in a mumble.

"You've slept enough, it's time for dinner."

All of a sudden, Gabriella's brain jolted awake as realization hit her. She slept at around two in the afternoon, if it's time for dinner, it has to be past six in the evening. She just slept for over four hours and she has tons of homework to complete, not to mention read that tedious book.

"Mom!" she panicked, "Why didn't you wake me earlier? I have so much homework and stuff, I won't have enough time to finish all of them and-"

Gabriella's mother cut her off mid-sentence and said in an irritated tone, "Not now Gabriella. I have important news to tell all of you during dinner and homework is not that big of a deal once you hear it."

Dumbfounded, Gabriella stared at her mother of fifteen going on sixteen years. Her mother had never lost her temper at Gabriella before, not even once. Her scolding the twins is a normalcy around here but not Gabriella. Maria Montez was always there and always kind, even when Gabriella complained about girls in her class for about the millionth time, her mother would always give her advice and calm her down. What was going on that made her so annoyed today?

Gabriella didn't ask more questions for fear of pissing her off even more. She trotted behind her like a confused puppy and started thinking. Maybe it's something about our father, she thought. She was always sensitive about that topic so no one would ever ask why. Up till today, the Montez siblings only had photos of him, and their mother would never open up about him, or even tell them why he wasn't with them anymore. It was a taboo to talk about their father in the Montez household. From what Gabriella gathered, the only thing she knew was that he probably left when her mother was still pregnant with her since even Damon only had a vague memory of him and the twins don't even remember him.

Gabriella sat down at her usual seat between Nick and Damon with the twins at the opposite side of the table. Their mother took her seat at the head of the table, letting out a sigh. Gabriella looked to Damon, giving him a quizzical look but he just shrugged. If Damon didn't know, no one else would. He was the oldest and their mother tells him everything. It's not like anyone expects their mother to tell the twins about anything.

Sure enough, when Gabriella looked in front of her, the twins weren't the least bit affected as they grinned from ear to ear, scooping up piles and piles of meat onto their plates, leaving the vegetables untouched. Honestly, sometimes Gabriella wonders if they would ever mature.

"Nick! Eat up all the vegetables would you?" Aaron asked before roaring into laughter with Aloysious.

"Yeah sure," Nick replied sarcastically, "right after you eat my shit!"

"Up top!" Damon turned and held his palm out to Nick behind Gabriella's back. Nick happily obliged.

"Why you little squirt!" Aloysious got off his seat and went around the table to Nick's, effectively putting Nick's head in a headlock.

"Get off of me!" Nick growled.

"Make me!"

"Stop it!" Damon stood and tried to break them up, which would have worked if Aaron had not joined in the fight. Damon was a lot bigger than them and would have easily separated two of them, but since Aaron joined in, it was a little more complicated trying to pry them both off Nick, as it seems as though their twin telepathy is preventing Damon from restraining them both.

Gabriella, on the other hand, turned around from my seat and watched them go. This is the kind of entertainment she got everyday and she is not worried that anyone would get hurt as they do it all the time. Maybe a bruise of a nosebleed but that's about it. They can take care of themselves. She smiled as she watched Aaron and Aloysious move like synchronized partners, trying to get away from Damon while still torturing Nick.

"We're moving," a quiet voice was heard, and all heads turned at the same time. Their mother was sitting at her seat with a weary look on her face as all the Montez children searched for some hint of a joke. They remained silent for a few seconds, even the twins who were always making noise.

Their mother broke the silence. "I got a new job, it pays well but I have to go toAlbuquerque. I'm not leaving you guys behind, but not because I don't trust you, I just… don't know how often I can come back and I would really prefer that we stay as a family."

As she ended her reasons for the shocking revelation, the eerie silence continued for a few heartbeats. It was quite rare to hear the house so quiet, so much that Gabriella was actually feeling uncomfortable. They all stared at their mother like she wasn't making any sense but their mother only hung her head down as if ashamed or too tired to talk to her children, which in a way made Gabriella pity her a little.

The unusual silence was broken yet again, but this time by all of Gabriella's brothers. They all shouted together all at once that what they said was practically indecipherable. All that Gabriella could make out was that all four of them had the same bewildered yet mad expressions on their faces as their hands flailed around in all directions, trying to get their point across. One look and anyone can tell that they were fuming mad. Why wouldn't they? They lived here for the whole of their lives and they know every inch of the neighborhood, every person living on this street and all their memories were here. Gabriella would get mad too if she wasn't feeling that sense of numbness, most likely due to the shock, in her.

"Stop!" my mother commanded, "We are moving and that's final. We move this coming Saturday, you have all week to pack and say your goodbyes. Then you start school next Wednesday at your new schools." There was a tone of finality in her voice that was barely heard before. She would often let her children decide, or at least let them have their say but it appears that this time, there would be no negotiations. They were moving.

Disgruntled but with no other options, all the boys sat back down for their unfinished dinner in silence. No one had much appetite anymore and the twins did not even finish their plate of meat that they had taken before. One by one, after they finished their quiet dinner, they all left the table and locked themselves in their respective rooms. Once again, the house was silent as the night as they all pondered over what their mother said.

Throughout the dinner, Gabriella was silent. She didn't utter a single word since her mother told them they were moving, but many questions were burning through her head like wild fire.

Albuquerque? As in New Mexico? Did her mother know about this earlier? Is that why her mother said she wouldn't need to worry about homework? Why do they have to move so fast? Can't it wait till the end of the school year? What will it be like? What about her friends here? Is she just suppose to say goodbye and be done with it? All these fundamental questions and more were filling her head to its maximum capacity and she honestly just couldn't take it anymore.

It was a moment later when she grabbed her towel and her pajamas and took a cool refreshing bath to clear her head. After, she laid on the bed, forcing herself not to think anymore and just rest for the day. Soon enough, she laid in deep slumber as she subconsciously anticipated the chaos that would ensue the next day.