Some Things Were Meant To Be

o1o

Derek groaned as the sunlight beat through his window and warmed his face. The alarm clock next to his bed that he didn't recognize in the least flicked ahead a number and suddenly began blaring. He frowned to himself, wondering why he was getting up so much earlier than usual. Rolling his eyes, he decided Casey must have snuck in and set up an alarm just to drive him nuts. Slamming his hand down on it, he rolled over and closed his eyes. He pulled the pillow half over his head, expecting to hear the customary loud voices of the rest of the house as they pushed each other out of the way to get to the bathroom. When he didn't hear anything, his brow furrowed. It was the first day back at school, wasn't it? All of his thinking was waking up, so he gave up fighting it and rolled off his bed, his legs getting tangled in his blanket on the way.

Stopping at his dresser, he grabbed his new jeans, a clean polo shirt that he didn't remember buying and assumed Nora bought him, and searched through his drawers for his hockey hoodie. He looked around the floor, expecting to see it hidden beneath a pile of dirty clothes but found his floor fairly neat. There were a few things laying around, but all of his clothes were piled in a basket. Scratching his head, he shrugged it off and padded over to the basket to see if maybe it was clean enough for the day. Instead, he spotted it hanging nicely in his closet, next to a few dress shirts, sweaters, and some jackets he didn't remember owning. He wondered when Nora had the time to go shopping and pulled his black hoodie off the hanger.

Slipping out of his room, he looked around to make sure that nobody was scurrying to the bathroom in hopes of getting ahead of him. He glanced at Casey's door, surprised to see it closed and then looked over at Marti's and Lizzie's doors, finding one open but hearing no noises from anyone. Smirking to himself, thinking that everybody else must have forgotten it was the first day of school, he strolled into the bathroom, shut the door and turned to the linen closet expecting to see a messy pile of clean towels, instead finding them all perfectly folded. He grabbed his off of the shelf and turned the taps to the right temperature. After a twenty minute shower spent waiting for somebody to bang on the door or shout for him to wake up, he figured it was just because he was up an hour earlier that nobody was bothering him.

Wrapping his towel around his waist, he walked to the sink and combed his hair quickly, before opening the cabinet door and readying himself for the annoyance of searching through women's products and messy shelves for his shaver. Instead, he found it sitting on the first shelf, near his toothpaste and toothbrush. His brow furrowed when he didn't see any of Casey's stuff layering the shelves and his eyes roamed the bathroom to see that none of her things were in the bathroom. Not even her flowery shampoo or vanilla shaving gel. Her makeup was nowhere in sight and he couldn't see her hairspray or facial cleansers anywhere. He deduced that she either ran away, cleaning the bathroom in her wake, or she just moved all of her stuff to her bedroom. Shrugging it off, happy for the space, Derek got back to his bathroom regiment, happy that he had the complete quiet and privacy. He shaved, applied cologne and deodorant, brushed his teeth, did his hair, and got dressed before he even heard anybody else in the house rouse.

Walking out of the bathroom, enjoying the cool air that hit him as he exited the heat, he glanced over at Edwin, surprised to see his younger brother rather than the early and anal Casey hurrying to get ready. Walking downstairs, he was surprised not to hear the usual hustle and bustle of his dad and Nora in the kitchen, hurrying to get lunches and breakfast ready. The house was unusually quiet, especially for seven thirty in the morning. He wasn't regularly up that early, but he could hear it all from his room. He walked into the empty kitchen to find there was no usual mess from the occupants of the house and nothing was on the stove. Assuming Nora had left them to their own devices, Derek pulled down a box of cereal and found the milk in the completely stocked fridge. He wondered why it was one percent when they usually used two, but poured it on his cereal all the same. Yawning, he shifted around on his feet. He was still rather tired from the rough night he'd had. He wondered if maybe Casey had slept in too, likely because she was up crying her eyes out until all hours of the night. He ignored the regret creeping up his spine, it wasn't as if she hadn't said some cutting things herself. They'd likely shake it off and go back to being their usual selfs, nothing to worry about.

As he was finishing up his cereal, he heard the door open and nodded at his younger brother as Edwin sleepily made his way over to the cupboard to get a bowl of cereal together. He waited for the usual conversation Ed would strike up, joke about the new freshman coming in and how they'd likely fawn over Derek as quickly as they could say 'homeroom,' but Edwin didn't say anything to him. He went about having breakfast and even took it at the table rather than hanging around Derek like he usually would. Derek was tempted to ask what his problem was but didn't. George entered the room then, with a yawning Marti trailing behind him. His father was all dressed up in an impeccable suit that made him look like the big shot lawyer he could've been but declined years ago to just work nine to five. He even had a briefcase and Derek had to wonder exactly where he was when Nora got the urge to go on her mega shopping spree. And why didn't he get any of the cash? He could've put it to use.

"Lookin' sharp, pops," Derek said, nodding to George.

His father smiled at him briefly, before moving to the cupboards and pulling down a packet of something. Before Derek could ask what he was doing, he pulled out the blender, filled it with some water and then poured the powder inside. He turned it on and then turned his attention to grabbing a bowl and a box of cereal and handing it to Marti to take care of on her own. Derek frowned at the blender as he put his bowl in the sink and moved to help Marti get her cereal ready, using the milk sitting near Ed who was quietly eating his cereal. None of the MacDonald's were anywhere in sight and he wondered exactly when the pod people had taken over his family. Walking back into the kitchen after hearing Marti mumble thank you to him, he searched through the fridge for an apple to bring for his break between classes. The loud noise coming from the blender stopped and Derek turned to see his dad pour it into a glass before beginning to drink it. He frowned, looking disgusted by the grey gunk sitting in the glass.

George sighed, looking up at Derek as he leaned against the fridge. "It tastes better than it looks. You should try it some time," he told his son, motioning to the half-full glass.

Derek watched the grey gunk slide back down to sit with the rest of if and shook his head, his mouth twisted with confusion. "No thanks. I prefer real food." He tipped his head, wondering when his dad started drinking the revolting looking drinks. "Is anybody gonna wake the others up?" he finally asked, looking around to find that Nora, Lizzie, and Casey had yet to join them. It was beginning to get weird.

"Others?" George asked him, his brows furrowed. "Derek, you know your step mother is out the door before six each morning."

Derek shook his head slowly, questions milling around in his head. Six? Nora was never out the door before eight thirty. Half the time she got Marti late to elementary school because they always forgot something and then had to make her way over to work, barely arriving just under the wire. He knew that for a fact, because he saw it every morning for the last two years. He usually walked to school with Sam, while Casey and Emily left earlier so his lovely step sister wouldn't have to put up with him. On occasion, when Nora or George were pretty much on schedule, they got a ride, but usually they walked it. He didn't know why it was that Nora was nowhere in sight, or when she started going in so early. He figured it must have happened over summer break, which he never rose earlier than noon for. But that didn't explain why nobody was moving to wake Lizzie or Casey up. They couldn't already be up and out, could they? Casey got up early, but there was no way she was up earlier than Derek and already on her way. And Lizzie wasn't the earliest riser. Besides, she always walked to school with Edwin. The two of them didn't do anything without the other. Maybe that was why Edwin was in such a bad mood. Lizzie had left without him. But there was really no reason for Lizzie to get up so early. Derek had been up and out of bed by quarter to seven, what the hell was anybody else in the house doing even thinking of getting up?

"Are you going to need the car to pick up your girlfriend?" George asked him, leafing through some papers and taking another drink from his grey gunk.

Girlfriend? "My girlfriend?" he repeated, his brow lifting. He'd broken up with Kendra years ago and he hadn't had anybody steady since, so he had no idea what his dad was talking about. Had he taken a hit to the head this morning?

George sighed, standing up and looking over at him with exasperation. "Yes, Derek, girlfriend. I'm sorry I've been busy lately, but don't tell me you and she broke up? I know I haven't made a very big effort to get to know her, but you have to understand how busy work's been." He sighed, walking to the sink as he knocked back the last of his drink, rinsed the glass and left it in the dish rack. "So, did you break up or do you need the car?" he wondered, looking only mildly interested.

Edwin snorted in the background and Derek looked at him, expecting to hear his brother start singing praises about Derek having any girl he could ever want. "Please. He was practically shopping for rings last weekend," Edwin muttered to himself, barely loud enough for Derek to catch.

Derek nearly choked on air, stumbling back a step and staring at his brother like he'd grown a second head.

"Well? Derek?" his dad asked, looking at him searchingly.

He had no idea what his family was on, but he wasn't about to give up a chance to take the car. "Yeah, I need the car."

"Okay," George agreed, nodding. "You can drop Marti off at school and bring Edwin with you when you pick up Casey," he told him, putting his folders back into his briefcase and dropping a set of keys that clearly had a Lexus emblem on them.

"Casey," Derek repeated, his hands picked up the keys and his mind trying to wrap around all the inconsistencies happening around him.

"Yeah, that's her name, isn't it?" George asked, turning around to look at him as he walked backwards through the dining room, briefcase in hand. "Casey MacDonald or McPherson or something?" he wondered, shaking his head.

"MacDonald," Edwin replied, nodding as he leisurely ate his soggy cereal.

Okay, now Derek knew he was dreaming. Or having some sort of nightmare. He wasn't sure. Everything was surreal and out of place.

"You okay, Derek? You look a little peaky?" George said, pausing at the doorway. "Did you want to stay home today? I'm sure your teachers would understand," he offered.

Derek was completely sure the world had stopped spinning. His dad was asking him if he wanted to take a day off from school?! That hadn't happened since he was like... eight! Back when he was trustworthy enough to be believed when he said he was sick. He stared at his father a moment, at a loss for words. Seriously, what just happened? he wondered.

"You gotta tell me now, son. If you're staying home, then I've got to take the kids to school." He lifted his arm, checking his watch, which happened to look way too expensive for a man who raised five kids. "I've got to be at work in ten minutes," he said, wincing.

Derek shook his head, trying to clear it. "Nah. No. I can take them. I'm fine. Just... just a little... uh... off balance. First day of school, right? Not used to being up this early."

George nodded, accepting the answer. "All right. So I'll see you guys later tonight. I hope to be home for dinner, but you know how it is." He turned to leave, but paused and turned back with a grim expression. "Please try to be nice to Kelly. It's been two years guys, she's doing the best she can."

"Kelly," Derek muttered, his arms lifting to cross over his chest. Who the hell is Kelly? And why the hell was everything so completely off kilter? Did Casey slip him something? That was impossible. He was out all day. Okay, so it was all just some elaborate dream. He'd wake up any minute now. His foot tapped to the seconds he was counting in his head, waiting for Marti to wake him up or the loud noises of Casey arguing with somebody for the bathroom to startle him from his sleep.

George heaved a great sigh. "Derek, really, I know you don't like her. But I don't think you've given her much of a chance." Edwin snorted but their dad didn't seem to notice. "She's tried really hard to get you to like her, I don't know why she bothers you so much." Edwin snorted again, but this time he looked disgusted and Derek had no idea why. George frowned, as if expecting Derek to concede and admit that whoever Kelly was, she was an okay person. But being Derek, he simply stood there silently. "Look, I have to be at work. We'll talk about this later. I promise. Have a good day at school everyone," he said absently as he turned and left the room.

Derek stared at the door, waiting for his dad to realize his mistake in not kissing Marti goodbye, but George never returned. He heard the door shut in the distance and turned to Marti, expecting her to become upset and chase him down for her usual farewell hug and kiss. Then their dad would make her promise not to bite, hit, or taunt anybody, and to be a good girl for her teachers. But Marti simply sat in her chair, stirring her cereal. The house was completely silent, in an eerie and oddly foreboding way. He waited a moment for everybody to jump out and yell 'GOTCHA!' but it never came. There was no telltale signs that Casey, Lizzie, or Nora were ever there. He left the kitchen quickly, suddenly looking all around him, trying to find pictures or clothing or something, anything that belonged to one of them. There were hardly any pictures taken during the last few years was the first thing he noticed. There were a few of Edwin or Marti, but no family photos or pictures of Casey or Lizzie anywhere. The house was incredibly clean, everything put in a certain place and nothing looking like it usually did. Now that he was actually looking, he could see that his favorite lumpy couch was no longer sitting in the middle of the living room, but a stylish new living room set had replaced it. He gritted his teeth as he saw that his chair was nowhere in sight.

Climbing the stairs two at a time, he practically ran to Casey's room and threw it open, inside was one large queen bed, the one his dad had owned for years. There was nothing that Casey owned sitting anywhere in the room. There were a few pictures on the wall, but they were floral and of pastures or fields or something else pointless. There was a jewelry box on the long dresser near the door and a woman's bathrobe hanging on a hook near the closet. Matching lamps sat on bedside tables and his father's slippers were sitting near the side of the bed. There was a small photo on his table of Derek, Edwin, and Marti, all of them looking like they were three years younger. Derek stumbled back in confusion before walking to Lizzie's room only to find it was still Edwin's. Everything was as it had been back before Nora and her daughters moved in. But that wasn't right. What happened to the two years they spent living with them? What happened to all that time he spent fighting with Casey and putting up with all the crap that happened when the families merged? What the hell happened period?

Derek walked back to his room, throwing open the door and looking around in confusion. His chair was there, sitting in the corner. How had he not noticed that when he woke up? He walked to his computer and turned it on, checking the date and time. It was just as it was supposed to be: September 8th, 2008. The first day of his senior year, ten months before he was graduated and done. He searched through his computer, looking for something that would tell him he hadn't gone crazy. Instead he found a whole lot of homework assignments, and they were completed! Essays, reviews, notes, everything. Two years worth of Derek doing work he hadn't actually done. It was all wrong. On top of that, the files that used to hold pictures of him at hockey practice, most of them being him horsing around with Sam didn't exist. There were a few of him with random guys on the team, but Sam was never seen hanging around Derek at all. There was a whole folder, bigger than the rest marked "Symbolistic white walls surround me and you." He felt his curiosity peak, his brow lifting slowly. He recognized the line, it was from a Matthew Good song. He moved his mouse toward it, but before he could click on it, a loud, sharp knock could be heard on his door.

Jumping in his seat, Derek looked up to see Edwin leaned against the doorway. "I don't need a ride. I'll walk," he stated simply. "Marti is already dressed and I made her lunch, so she's ready to go when you are."

Derek looked down at the clock on his computer. "It's only eight."

Edwin stared at him, his expression confused as his eyes looked at Derek as if he had suddenly become something to study. "Yeah... and you're usually gone by now. Casey's place is like a ten minute drive from here. If you guys want to be on time, you kinda have to leave now." Edwin lifted a brow at Derek, "You sure you don't need to stay home today?"

Derek shook his head, rising from his chair. What was it with everybody bringing up him and Casey like that? Obviously there had to be a whole other Casey MacDonald. MacDonald was a common last name and Casey was... well... Whatever. Although that didn't explain why the house was so bare of the family that used to be there. Maybe he was crazy. Maybe he should stay home.

"Derek? Can we go now?" Marti asked from the door of her room, her expression rather sad.

"Sure Smarti," he replied, walking toward her and wondering why she hadn't used her customary "Smerek" when greeting him.

Marti's expression lit up instantly. "I thought you forgot," she whispered as he picked her up and held her against his side. She may be nine, but old habits die hard.

He looked at her weirdly, not sure what she meant. "I could never forget my Smarti," he assured, walking them downstairs. Edwin passed them by, sticking his shoes on and hurrying out the door. "Are you sure--"

"I'm sure," he replied, cutting him off and shutting the door with a loud bang before running off across the front yard.

"Okaaay," Derek said, shaking his head. Whatever was going on, it apparently made Edwin into a jerk who didn't much like him. "Great," he muttered, pulling his shoes on and sighing. He was about to go back to his room to gather his backpack, before he spotted it by the closet. Picking it up, he threw the strap over his shoulder and motioned for Marti to walk out. His bag felt heavier than usual, as if there were actual books inside, which rather confused him. Locking the door behind him, Derek walked out to the driveway where a two year old Lexus sat freshly cleaned and waiting. Whatever his dad was doing that he wasn't in Derek's real life, he should definitely start. Marti climbed in the back after Derek unlocked the door and buckled herself in. After tossing his bag into the seat beside him, he leaned back to wait for it to warm up a bit.

"Smerek, am I gonna come with you out to Casey's?" Marti asked from the back as she tugged on her dress, squirming in her seat.

"Nope, I'm dropping you off first," he replied. He had no idea where this Casey chick lived and he figured it didn't really matter because he was obviously having some kind of mental breakdown or a bizarre dream. "Why? Do you know Casey well?" he wondered, hoping he didn't sound as weird as he thought he did. If she was used to whatever it was going on, then she'd think he was being odd, wouldn't she?

Marti nodded, taking her shoe off and beating it against the back of his chair. She smiled when she saw something fall out and then put it back on her foot. "Of course," she replied as if it was most the obvious thing in the world. "I play with Casey more than I play with daddy," she told him in her 'duh' voice.

Derek's brows pinched together, but he sighed. He didn't know what was going on, but questioning it was just absurd. He figured waiting it out was the best option. That way, he didn't look or act like a tard and he could just pretend it never happened whenever he woke up. With the car ready to go, he backed up and headed toward Marti's elementary school. When she didn't mention anything out of place, he figured her school hadn't changed. "You want me to walk you in?" he asked when she pushed open the door and climbed out. She shook her head, pushing the door closed and turned to leave. "Don't I get a kiss goodbye?" he asked, shaking his head.

Turning back to him, she smiled faintly and hurried over to kiss his cheek. "Will you pick me up?" she asked hopefully. "I don't like it when Kelly does," she admitted, frowning.

"Uh, you guys get out a half-hour before I do," Derek said, frowning. Her face fell and he immediately felt bad. "But I'll be here to get you, if you want."

"Promise?" she asked, looking up at him hopefully.

"Of course," he said, nodding.

"Will you bring Casey?" she wondered, her hands wrapping around his arm on the window. "Please, Smerek?"

"Uh, sure," he agreed, feeling his gut twist. He didn't even know who Casey was! It couldn't be who he thought it was, because that would mean that things were even more twisted than he thought. "I'll see you at two-thirty, Smarti," he told her, reaching out to ruffle her hair.

Marti giggled, nodding her head before she turned and ran off toward the school, a skip in her step that he'd sorely missed all morning. Sighing, Derek turned back to the wheel and took off toward school. He felt a little nauseous, worrying over what else could be in store for him. So far the family that had been living in his house the last two years were long gone. His brother didn't seem to like him much. His dad drank grey crap for breakfast and basically ignored his family. He had a step mother he apparently hated and a girlfriend he'd never met. How much worse could the morning get?

oOo

Casey opened her eyes to see the sun beating down on her through an unfamiliar window. Her first thought was that somehow in the middle of the night, Derek had managed to move her to an unknown place and left her to fend for herself. After realizing how completely absurd that was, she sat up in her bed and looked around. All of her stuff was in the room. Her desk and computer, her dresser and bed, end tables, posters, pictures, everything. But the room itself was a different layout than she was used to. Confused, she rose from her bed and walked to the window, looking outside. There was crisp green yard out front, but it wasn't the one she was used to. Shaking her head, she turned and ran out of her room. Standing in the hallway, she looked around in a panic. She had no idea where she was, how was she supposed to get help. Maybe she hit her head. Or... or maybe she was kidnapped! Then why did they bring all of her stuff? Maybe they put together a room with stuff that looked exactly like hers. Oh my god, she thought, I've been watching way too much TV. Before she could scream bloody murder, Lizzie exited a door down the hall from her.

And as if it were the most normal thing in the world, simply greeted her with an easy, "Morning Casey," before she walked into a room that from the small glimpse Casey caught was a bathroom. Okay... so she hadn't been kidnapped. Either that or so had Lizzie and she'd apparently been brainwashed to think everything was fine. Yup, way too much TV. Walking back to her room, her mind whirring with the weirdness of it all, she dug around in her dresser for the new outfit she'd picked out specifically for the first day of school. Unfortunately, she couldn't find it anywhere. However, when she turned around she found a cute black tank top with little dark blue hearts imprinted over it. It was casual and adorable and Casey couldn't help but silently thank her mother for finding it wherever it was she went shopping. She'd never seen it in her life, but she loved it. A pair of faded blue jeans hung over a hanger next to the shirt and Casey wondered when her mother had grown fashion sense. Since Lizzie was occupying the shower, Casey left the room to go looking for the kitchen in search of breakfast. She wandered down the stairs, her eyes moving over pictures of her and Lizzie, most of them separate. She found her mother was hardly ever present and nowhere in sight was anybody with the last name Venturi. There was a man she didn't recognize though, featured in a family picture above the fireplace in the living room. He was dark haired with tanned skin, a crisp smile, very white teeth, and impeccable dressing style.

Pushing open the swinging door near the living room, she found herself standing in the dining room. Hearing the clatter of dishes, Casey walked forward hesitantly until she saw her mom rinsing off a plate, cup, and a couple pieces of cutlery before drying them off and putting them away. The lack of clutter in the kitchen area surprised her. All of the dishes were washed and put away, the counters were clean and there was no milk sitting on the counter, warming. In fact, there was nothing out of place anywhere. The house was quiet, too. She couldn't hear Edwin and Lizzie chatting or Derek getting in the way to have his breakfast at any cost. Marti was nowhere in sight, shouting for attention. It was just her mom and her, and Nora hadn't even noticed she was there yet.

Looking around, she wondered where the cereal was, but couldn't see it anywhere. "Mom?" she asked, her voice soft, rather hesitant.

Jumping slightly, Nora turned around and smiled at her lightly. "Oh, Casey, you're already up," she said, sounding rather surprised.

Casey stared at her funny. Already? She was always up this early. She was surprised her mom was up! "Uh, yeah," she replied, lifting a shoulder in confusion. "So, where's the cereal?"

"Casey," her mom said, drawing her name out as if to chastise her. "You know Darrel doesn't approve of cereal. It's too sugary and unhealthy. No matter how many times you bring it up, we are not going to have a box appear out of nowhere," she told her, shaking her head. "There's fruit in the fridge, as usual. I'm sure you can remember how to make yourself a fruit salad. Like you have for the past two years." Her mom frowned at her before putting the drying towel on the counter, neatly folded.

Casey took a step back, feeling a little hurt that her mom had taken such a sharp tone with her. Since when did they not have cereal? And who was Darrel? That was really the least of her problems. Because honestly, she had no idea what was going on. She wanted to ask where Derek was. Where any of the Venturi's were. But seeing the look on her mom's face when she'd simply asked about cereal had been enough to scare her off of asking anything. Nobody else seemed to find it weird that Marti, Edwin, Derek, and George were nowhere in sight. And who was the guy in the family photo? Was that Darrel? What was going on? She went to bed in a house nothing like the one she was currently standing in.

Her mom was staring at her, her arms crossed over her chest. Casey turned, opening the fridge, assuming that her mom was waiting for her to make her fruit salad. Casey's eyes widened as they fell on the contents of the fridge. Everything was neatly placed in a certain order and some of the things were even labeled! A carton of soy milk said 'Darrel – Don't touch' on it, as did the grapefruit juice on the top shelf, carefully wrapped in saran wrap. Everything was spaced out and none of it was unhealthy. There was no chocolate sauce on the door shelf, used for desserts or chocolate milk. There was no pop or Gatorade or any of Derek's cans of Red Bull sitting on the shelves. There wasn't any pudding or Jello cups for lunches or cold pizza sitting on the bottom. There were just low-fat yogurts, bottles of water, a jug of one percent milk, a carton of orange juice, fruit, vegetables, and some wrapped leftovers. Even the condiments on the side were low in fat and very few. Pulling out a yogurt and a bottle of water, she closed the fridge and took a step back. Since she'd seen her mom put the cutlery away, she knew which drawer it was in and wouldn't look completely ridiculous searching around for it. Pulling out a spoon, she walked over to the table and sat down.

Following her over, Nora slid into her chair and opened the paper waiting there for her. She was already dressed and Casey couldn't help but think how unusual it was to have time to spend with her mom. In the past, while living with the Venturis she'd missed having her mom to just sit around and chat with. However, now that the family seemed to be missing and everything was completely different, she found she really didn't have anything to say. On top of that, she didn't know what would constitute as weird or insane. Logically, she figured coming right out and saying, "Where is your husband George and his three kids?" wouldn't go over well. From what she could gather, she had to be dreaming. There were no Venturis in sight, it was just her, her mom, and Lizzie. Oh, and some Darrel guy that apparently was a health freak. But besides that, things looked to be better than normal. A clean, quiet house, no pesky step brother to make her cry, and she didn't have to worry about anybody taking over the shower and keeping her away from it until five minutes before she had to run to get to school.

"So..." Casey said quietly as she pulled the top off her yogurt.

Nora looked up from her paper, glancing at Casey. "Did you want to talk about something?" she wondered, lifting a brow.

Casey shrugged one shoulder, not sure how to approach what was going on. "First day back at school," she said, her voice coming out hollow to her with its fake enthusiasm. She was a little distracted to be too excited that she was going to school. What if her school wasn't the one she thought she went to? Then again, what if she wasn't even in the city she thought she was in? In didn't matter, right? Because this was obviously some weird dream that she'd wake up from any second now.

"Yes, I bet you're happy to be getting back," Nora said, her voice sounding rather clipped, like she wasn't used to talking to Casey about things like school. "It's your... last year, isn't it?" she asked, inquisitively.

Casey nearly laughed. Her mother could be a little forgetful, what with five kids to take care of, a job of her own, and a husband that tended to forget things seconds after being told to do them, but she had to be kidding, didn't she? "Yeah. Last year. Bound to be the best," she said, her voice tinged with hopeful excitement. She had big plans for her last year. She'd been waiting for it for so long. Just ten more months and she'd be finished and getting ready for college! It was... exhilarating.

"Hm," Nora seemed to agree, her eyes falling back to her paper with interest.

Casey couldn't help but feel a little down that her mom found her newspaper more interesting than hearing all about her plans for her senior year. Wasn't she supposed to be excited for her? Tell her to have a good day and study hard? Something other than 'Hm'?! Frustrated, she dug into her yogurt and frowned down at the table. It was kind of weird sitting at a table that didn't have dried jam on it or that she didn't have to put with Derek's loud noises and Marti's incessant shouting. The quiet was more unnerving than anything and she found she almost missed the sounds of everybody else. Her yogurt was tasteless and the water didn't make it any better. The only sound in the room was that of her spoon scraping on the plastic container and the pages of her mom's newspaper turning. When she was done her breakfast, she pushed her chair back and walked into the kitchen, tossing the container under the counter in the recycling and dropping her spoon in the sink.

She was about to walk away when her mom called out, "Casey? You know we do the dishes right after using them. Is it too much to ask that you wash your spoon and put it away?" she asked, sounding annoyed.

Sighing, Casey turned around and rinsed off the spoon, putting it back where she found it. Her morning was not going as planned. Leaving the kitchen, she walked back through the unfamiliar living room, her eyes settling on the family picture again, finding a creepy shiver run down her spine as she stared at the man beside her mother, and climbed up the stairs. The bathroom was open, so she gathered her clothes and hurried inside to have a shower and get ready. Within a half hour, she hadn't had to deal with one person banging on the door or shouting for her to hurry up. She had ample time to brush her teeth, do her hair, spritz on some body spray, put on a bit of makeup and get dressed. Walking out of the bathroom refreshed, she found her happiness dissipate as soon as she looked around again. Everything felt so weird and out of place. There was no games closet, no Marti running around in a crown, no Derek bugging her to let him past so he could have his shower. It was both good and bad.

Walking back downstairs, she avoided looking up at the family portrait and immediately went into the kitchen. Did she need to pack a lunch? Her dream certainly felt real. She had the distinct feeling that she should be getting her things ready for school and making sure she had everything. But if she was going to wake up, what was the point in hurrying? And why wasn't she waking up? Exactly how long was she going to be in this bizarre world where there was no Venturi family? As she stopped in the kitchen, she looked down at Lizzie who was reading a book silently at the table. She felt like starting up a conversation, but didn't know what to say. Since it was Monday, she wondered if Lizzie had her soccer practice.

Walking to the fridge, she searched around for something edible to bring to school. Finding only an apple, she turned to the cupboards and looked around them. Rice cakes, tasteless granola bars, tuna, soup, digestive cookies, and various ingredients for meals stared back at her. Sighing, Casey leaned against the counter, wondering exactly what she was supposed to do. Was this some kind of weird test? Was her mom going to laugh and spring a big surprise on her and tell her it was all some big joke? Somehow, staring at her sister and mother, she didn't think so. Moving to sit at the table, she found herself bored within minutes. "So, Lizzie, you have soccer practice after school, right?" she asked, lifting a brow.

Lizzie's chin rose dramatically and she stared at Casey like she was crazy. She shook her head, eyes wide and then glanced at her mom.

Sighing, Nora frowned at her. "Why are you being so uncooperative this morning, Casey?" she asked, staring at her daughter disapprovingly.

Casey shrugged, not entirely sure how to answer that. "What? I was just wondering..."

"Look, I know you and Darrel don't get along, but do you need to put down everything he thinks? First you brought up the cereal thing, then you didn't wash your dishes right away, and now you're trying to bring up Lizzie's old soccer team?" She shook her head, looking disgruntled. "I understand that you feel like Darrel is taking over, Casey, but there are just some things that are best left alone. He lives here now. He has a say in what goes on. He didn't think Lizzie should be focusing so much on soccer when her grades needed more attention. There's plenty of time for her to play soccer over the summer and she did. I don't see why you need to bring up old news," Nora chastised, rising from her chair. "I really wish you would just give Darrel another try. I know he seems a little overbearing, honey, but he's only doing what's best for you." She shook her head, folding her newspaper and sticking it beneath her arm. "You have to admit, your grades could be a little higher if you put the effort in." She sighed, frowning. "I don't know if this move to public school was such a great idea. I mean, almost as soon as you started going, your grades began to slip." She shook her head, "You used to spend hours on your homework. Up all night, cramming for tests and going over every detail to make sure you got the best grade possible. In fact, you used to bug your teachers when you thought your grade was better than what they gave you." She tisked and Casey's shoulders fell. Exactly how bad were her grades? she wondered.

Lizzie scoffed, rolling her eyes at their mother. "Mom, Casey gets straight A's."

"Yes, but she used to get A pluses," Nora reminded, frowning.

Casey relaxed. She could handle straight A's. Her heart wasn't doing somersaults anymore. For a moment there, she was sure that she was failing and it really was a nightmare. She didn't understand though, shouldn't her mom be proud of her? Straight A's, that was a huge accomplishment. Even if she could do better, shouldn't her mom be happy with how well Casey was doing to begin with? "I don't understand the problem," Casey muttered, confused.

"My problem or your problem?" Nora wondered, lifting her brows. "Because your problem seems to be with Darrel and how this home is run. He's tried to be understanding Casey, and so have I. But you're going to have to stop rebelling against everything we decide."

"So, wait?" Casey said, her brows furrowing and her mouth setting in a frown. "I'm not allowed to eat cereal, Lizzie's not allowed to play soccer, and I absolutely have to do my dishes the second after I use them?" she asked, letting out a snort of indignation. Wasn't that a little overboard? "But Lizzie loves soccer! And... have you tasted the yogurt? It's like eating glue! And honestly, is one spoon in the sink going to cause a disturbance?" she wondered, becoming irritated. When would this nightmare end? How long was she supposed to put up with all of this?

"Casey," her mother said, using a warning tone. She sighed, shaking her head. Her mouth opened as if to retort but her eyes landed on the clock. "I don't have time for this. I have to be at work. Is Derek picking you up or do you need a ride?" she asked, lifting a brow as she frowned at her daughter while moving to fill a travel mug with decaf coffee.

"Derek?" Casey repeated, her eyes thinning with confusion. Why would Derek come pick her up? As far as she knew Derek didn't even exist, right? This weird dream world didn't have any Venturis in it, did it?

Lizzie standing up from her chair drew her out of her thoughts and she looked over to her sister who was moving to toss out her apple core and earmarking her page in her book.

"Well?" Nora asked, shaking her head at Casey, eyes wide and questioning. She was pulling her coat on as she waited for Casey's reply. "I'm surprised he's not here already. Usually he's the one waking you up for school," she heard her mom mutter.

It must be a completely different Derek, Casey decided. She wondered why her mind would make up a Derek at all and what he was to her. "Uh, I think I'll need a ride today," she finally said, deciding not to rely on whenever her dreamworld would bring about whoever Derek was.

Lizzie looked up at her, brows bunched together. "Last night Derek said he would be here early to pick you up though," she reminded.

"Last night?" Casey asked, feeling lost.

"Uh, yeah," Lizzie replied, staring at her like she'd lost her mind. "You guys were watching a hockey movie... Darrel kicked him out when he found you guys cuddled up on the couch... You got into a fight with Darrel over his lack of understanding over your relationship with Derek..." she said, drawing it out as if it would slowly remind Casey.

"Oh.. Yeah... Uh, well, I talked to Derek this morning and he said he'd just meet me at school," Casey told her, shrugging her shoulder.

"Well, go get your things then, I have to get to work," Nora told them, waving for them to hurry off. Casey nodded, walking out of the kitchen and running upstairs to grab her backpack and a thin sweater. She slipped her feet into a pair of flip flops and walked outside to see a fairly new and clean Land Rover sitting in the driveway. Her mom locked the door behind them and brought a few things to the back while Casey climbed in the front seat, putting her bag down in front of her feet. Lizzie sat in the back, slipping the buds to her iPod into her ears and turning her attention out the window. Their mom climbed into the car and let it sit for a moment, warming up, as she looked through her cell phone for something while Casey drummed her fingers against the arm rest. After a moment, Nora put away her phone and backed out of the driveway.

Casey watched the scenery fly by as she sat quietly next to her mom, who was paying close attention to the road. Her phone kept ringing but she'd check the call ID and then put it down, mumbling to herself, "Yes, yes, I'll be there soon." Finally, after what felt like the longest seven minutes of her life, her mom spoke to her. "I suppose you have a lot planned for this year, hm?"

Casey nodded, a smile finally breaking out on her face. "Yeah. Tons of things. It's going to be great."

Nora nodded slowly. "Have you given anymore thought to what we talked about?" she asked, lifting a brow.

Casey turned to her, frowning. "What we talked about?" she asked.

Nora frowned at her, shaking her head. "Please don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about, Casey."

Lizzie snorted and Casey looked over at her, confused. Pulling her ear buds out, she rolled her eyes. "After two years of nagging, are you really surprised she's bringing this up again?"

"I do not nag," Nora protested.

Casey was surprised at how annoyed Lizzie appeared to be with their mother. "Ever since Casey started dating Derek, you and Darrel both have been trying to tell her that they need to slow down," Lizzie reminded, seeming to ignore Casey altogether. "You think he's the reason her grades aren't perfect every time. You blame their relationship for the reason Casey doesn't like Darrel. Darrel thinks she's too young to be thinking about commitment and you think their puppy love won't last," Lizzie listed off, smirking. "Did I miss anything?"

Nora sighed, turning to Casey, who was sitting stunned in the passenger seat. "Casey, honey, Derek is a nice boy. He's sweet, funny, smart, and he treats you like a princess, but you're only eighteen. You have college to worry about, you need to get your grades up so you'll have your options open for whatever college best fits you," Nora told her, turning her gaze back and forth from the road to Casey. "Your relationship is just... I mean, don't you think you two are a little too serious with each other?" Nora asked, nodding at her slowly.

"Well... I..." Casey stalled, not sure what she was supposed to say.

"I mean, I understand that you think you're in love and that the world seems so small and insignificant in the face of what you have. That's how it is when you're young," Nora assured, turning onto another road. "But, sweetie, you can't lose sight of our long term plans. A top college, a career in psychology, the whole deal. You'll need to put your mind back on school for that."

"Psychology," Casey repeated, her face dazed. But she wanted to be a journalist! She wanted to write for newspapers on huge issues in the world. She wanted to one day have her own paper or magazine or book. Something that was all her own. Something that really made a different. Something that she wrote!

Nora clucked her tongue, sounding non-plussed. "We talked about this. Darrel's a top psychologist and he really thinks you have a knack for it. It's a great opportunity. He can help you when you're in college, he can train you to be the best at your job. Honey, it'll be perfect for you. You always said you wanted to help the world."

"By writing about it!" Casey said heatedly, feeling irritated. "By getting the issues out there and informing people of the world around them instead of letting them ignore it!"

"I know," Nora said, nodding. "But I really think this would be better for you. Writing is... It's not stable, Casey. It takes awhile to get yourself known. As a psychologist, Darrel can help you in the beginning, really get your name out there." She turned to her, shaking her head as they pulled in front of the high school. "I just think that you're focusing too much on your relationship with Derek and not enough on your future. I mean..." She laughed lightly, looking at her with a small smile, "Ten years from now, can you really see yourself as Casey Venturi? It's just unrealistic, sweetie. It's time to move on from that and start..."

Casey stopped listening, her mind blanking as she took in exactly what her mother had said. Casey Venturi. The Derek her mom and sister kept bring up, the one that she'd apparently been together with all this time, was Derek Venturi!? Her step brother! Except, in whatever dream world she was in, he wasn't. He was... He was her boyfriend? Wait! What?

"Casey? Casey, have you heard a thing I said?" Nora asked her, breaking into her thoughts.

"Huh? What?" Casey asked, turning to her and blinking rapidly. "Uh, yeah, sure. I gotta go. First day and all. I'll, um, see you after school." Hopping out of the car, she pulled her book bag over her shoulder and shut the door behind her. Lizzie was already half way across the walkway to the school, meeting up with a few girls Casey had never met before. Well, at least she knew what school she was in.

"Casey?" she heard her mom call out.

Turning around, she found Nora was staring at her with a rather annoyed expression on her face and holding her ringing cell phone. "Don't be late for dinner tonight. And please, please don't bring Derek this time. You know that Darrel and him don't get along," she emphasized.

"Yeah, okay, I'll be home for dinner," Casey agreed, feeling exasperated. "So, uh, what time is that again?"

Nora sighed, frowning at her. "I don't have time for this, Casey. You know dinner is always at 6. I realize your life isn't as scheduled as it used to be, but do you really need to put down the way Darrel schedules everything? He's only trying to create a better home for you. Could you please show a little more consideration?" she snapped.

Casey's shoulders slumped and her eyes rolled. She didn't know who this Darrel guy was, but she was really starting to hate him. "Okay, whatever. I'll see you tonight," Casey muttered before turning on her heel and walking off toward the school. Halfway there, she heard her name being called. Turning around, expecting to hear another ridiculous argument with her mom, she was surprised to see Derek jogging toward her. She felt her stomach twist. What if he expected something more than her confused expression and crazy questions? Was she going to look foolish as she asked him what was going on? Would he make fun of her? She was reminded of the night before and her throat constricted. Did he really think that about her? She waited for him to catch up, her eyes darting around nervously. When was she going to wake up from this nightmare?

oTBCo

A/N Hey guys! I should have a chapter to "For Marti," out within the next couple days. Hope this will tide you over. Gives you a certain vibe from the alterna-families and a look into the Dasey to come. Hope you enjoyed this! Be sure to review, I'd really like to know what you think.

oBDTo