Disclaimer – I don't own The Covenant

"Cough it up boys," I said with a sly smile as I leaned against my pool stick. I held out my hand to Tyler and Reid. Tyler shook his head at me but pulled out a twenty from his wallet and Reid a sighed angrily but fished two tens from his pocket.

"Oh yeah," I said as I stuffed the money in my pocket. "I have a feeling I'm gonna be rich by the time I leave."

"Shut up, DJ." Reid barked.

"What?" I taunted. "You mad that a girl beat you? Or was it the fact that you made a huge mistake by –"

His glare shut me up. We were at Nicky's Bar, we being Caleb, Pogue, Reid, Tyler, me, Kate, and Sarah. No, we weren't the stupid teenagers that try to get away with drinking. We were the stupid teenagers that ended up winning money from the losers who think it's cool to drink. It was a Friday night, a good time to head out Nicky's. I had just moved back to Ipswich, Massachusetts from an all girls' boarding school in New York. My mom said that I would be transferring to Spencer Academy, the place everyone I was here with went to. I heard it was an amazing school. The scary part is that I start Monday and I just got back yesterday. I was still settling in, getting familiar with the place I hadn't been in five years.

"It's only my second day back and I'm already whooping your asses," I said.

"Whatever," Tyler said but I could see the small smile at his lips.

"See?" I asked Reid, who was still glaring at me. "Why can't you be more like Baby Boy? He's not angry."

"I just lost twenty dollars," Tyler cut in. "I'm a bit upset, Baby Girl."

I frowned at him. "You couldn't play along?"

"No," he shook his head.

Reid chuckled and I shot a glare in his direction. His all-too-familiar smirk found its way up to his lips with the same twinge of humor in it along with sudden amusement in his eyes. I rolled my eyes at his failed attempt to flirt.

"Are we playing again or not?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah," I said and Reid nodded in agreement.

Suddenly I yawned. Sleep was something I haven't been getting lately. I leaned against the edge of the pool table and bowed my head. Suddenly I felt two hands on my shoulders.

"Danni?" Tyler asked.

"Hmm?" I buzzed.

"You sure you want to play?"

"Yeah I'm just tired," I assured. "Been up late reading some…stuff."

"What kind of stuff?" a voice asked. I looked up to see my big brother Caleb standing a foot away with his arms crossed over his chest, eyebrows raised.

He had black hair and dark brown eyes identical to mine. Even though I was a year younger than him he treated me like I was an eleven year old. I was a responsible, mature seventeen year-old…most of the time.

"Nothing important Caleb," I said as I tried to brush past him. He caught my wrist and turned me around gently.

"Danni," he scolded.

"I wanna know more about why I was born," I sighed. So much for keeping that to myself,I thought.

"You hid that from him real well," Reid said sarcastically. My head snapped in his direction.

"You had to comment on that?" I growled.

"Couldn't resist," he shrugged and smirked.

If it wasn't for Caleb having a vice grip on my wrist I would've marched over to Reid and he would have gone back home with a broken arm. I huffed and turned back to Caleb. He looked at his watch and back at me.

"We're going home," he announced. "C'mon."

"But we just got here –"

"Three hours ago," he finished for me. "Say bye to everyone, Danni."

Damn. Time goes fast.

He let me go and I walked up to Tyler, Reid, Pogue, Sarah, and Kate giving each of them a hug and said my 'goodbye's'. Caleb and I walked out and headed for the car. Once we were inside he looked at me.

"What did I do now?" I asked.

"Why do you want to know how you were born so badly?" he asked.

"Well, I'm sorry Caleb that I am curious as to why I'm the only freaking Daughter of Ipswich. For the last three hundred years it has only ever been guys. And then one day I randomly appear. For you guys at least you know what to expect. For me anything could happen and I – we – wouldn't know if it's natural or not."

By the end I was yelling. Caleb started the car and sighed. "Look, I understand that this is frustrating. You think I like the idea that my sister could be in danger at any moment all because she's a Daughter? I…hate that. Just promise me you won't look into that for the next couple of weeks. After that we'll look at The Book of Damnation, see if there's anything we can find, okay? You think you can stay away from that stuff for a little bit?"

"Yeah," I said lowly. The rest of the ride home was a silent one. Neither one of us so much as breathed loudly. When we pulled up to the house Caleb turned the car off and looked at me. I kept my gaze forward, resisting the urge to look at him.

"You know I'm just looking out for you, right?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"Right now, I can't afford to lose anyone that I care for," he said quietly. "Dad died a month ago and I know you're still getting over that 'cause I know I am, mom…I don't even know what I'm gonna do about her, she's always drinking. And then there's you, Danielle."

He never used my full name. Ever. Caleb only called me what everyone else called me, the things I like to be called. Danni, DJ, Baby Girl, names like that. Nobody called me Danielle except for a few teachers at my other school and when I start at Spencer I have no doubt it's going to be like that as well. He was being completely and utterly serious right now. I slid my eyes in his direction then slowly turned my head.

"You are the only real family I have left," he whispered. "I can't lose my little sister when I just got her back."

"You have the boys."

"You know what I mean D," he said.

Caleb got out of the car, just like that. He started walking up to the house when I bolted from the car. I heard the beeping signaling the locking of the car. I raced up next to my brother, then in front of him. I hugged him and he stopped short. Sure, Caleb and I had our disagreements but we were still closer than most siblings. I buried my face in his chest while mumbling, "I'm sorry I blew up like that. It was stupid and uncalled for."

He hugged me back and chuckled. "It's okay Danni."

Caleb had always been like a father to me. Our father wasn't always there for us and that's where Caleb steps in. Mom started drinking more and more and Caleb treated me as if I was his own daughter and not his younger sister. Even though we were only a year apart, he was more responsible than most, and after I found out Dad died by willing his power to him, he became even more fatherly. I pulled away from Caleb and sighed.

"It just…" I trailed off, not knowing what to say. "It's aggravating. People know you as a Son of Ipswich. People know Tyler and Pogue and Reid as Sons of Ipswich. I'm the only Daughter and it…"

"I know," he said. "But trust me – you don't seem like a girl. To the rest of us, you're just one of the boys."

I smiled at that and we continued up the walkway.

Soooooo what do you guys think of iiiiit? Tell me in your REVIEW. If you have a question PM me. Review…please? Do it for Caleb, Pogue, Reid, Tyler, and Danni…and me. Please? Ya know you want to. I can tell you're going to do it. You're going to press that sexy little button on the bottom of the screen. Riiight there.