I learn something about myself that day: I am very fast at both reading and learning. When the grandfather clock in the library strikes seven pm, I have already read and learnt both the basic AND the expert levels of hacking. I feel like I could hack into the Pentagon if I wanted to. Of course, I'll need experience in this field before I can truly call myself a master.

Realising the time, I get up off the rocking chair, put back the seven books on hacking that I read, and take out three rather heavy books on engineering. One of those books is Engineering For Dummies, another is called Physics and Maths For Engineers, and the final one is called So You Want To Be An Engineer? so I have quite a mixture. Just as I'm about to leave, I catch sight of a book called How To Be A Rocket Scientist-Level Engineer, which contrasts nicely with Engineering For Dummies, so I take that one and leave So You Want To Be An Engineer? behind.

As I'm walking towards the stairs, I see one of my older sisters up ahead of me, going into the stairwell. "Quinn!" I call loudly, just as my grip on the three books loosens and all three books tumble to the ground.

I think that that is what causes Quinn to hear me, not my call. She turns and comes back to help me pick up the books. "What are you doing with books on engineering?" she asks.

"Learning," I reply. "I can't be a field agent so I'm going to try and do some stuff on the technical side."

Quinn gives me a smile. "Good thinking. As I learnt, there's always a way to help OWCA without having to fight or go out in the-Anton, what the heck?!"

I look at my sister, confused. "What?"

I see that she's pointing to the side of my right hip. "What happened to you?!"

I look down at my hip and am startled to see a massive black and blue bruise staining the seafoam green fur there. "Pip gave me a fright and I fell over," I explain. "I landed on my hip."

Quinn's eyebrows knit together in an expression of sympathy. "That's why you can't be a field agent, isn't it? Apollo didn't tell me or let me see the results of your test. You're haemophiliac."

I nod.

"Who knows?"

"In the family? Just me, you, and our parents."

"Not even Pip?" Quinn asks.

I shake my head. "Well, she does know that I'm haemophiliac but she doesn't know what it means, and I didn't want to explain. All she knows about it is that I can't become an OWCA agent because of it."

"That means Mom and Dad must be carriers of it," Quinn muses. "It's genetic."

"Yeah it is," I agree.

"Strange how only you inherited it out of six children. Especially since you're one of twins."

"We're not identical twins," I remind her. "If we were and I had it, she'd have it too, because our DNA would be genetically identical. But since our DNA isn't identical, it's not exactly a stretch that only I out of six siblings inherited it."

Quinn is staring at me in confusion.

"Hey, I've read every book on haemophilia that I could find. I know everything there is to know about this stupid genetic disease."

Quinn helps me carry my books down the stairs. When we reach the ground floor, I see Teddy, Hazel, Hermes, and Mom waiting by the front door. I hang back slightly as Quinn goes to greet them. My siblings don't like Pippa, and they don't much like me either. However, there is one difference between the way they treat Pip and the way they treat me: they're extra snappy with me when they're in a bad mood, but even seeing Pippa PUTS them in a bad mood. It makes me sick, seeing the way they treat their own sister.

I turn as I hear footsteps, and Dad and Pippa exit the stairwell. Dad has a cross expression and Pippa looks like she's about to cry. This makes me angry. Like I said before, interaction with Pippa can make people grumpy, even when she literally does nothing wrong. Today looks like one of those times. Dad raises an eyebrow at the three large books I'm carrying. "When do you expect to finish those by?" he inquires.

"Tomorrow evening," I reply truthfully. "That's if I read all day."

"You're going to read all day?" Dad asks.

"There's nothing else for me to do," I say pointedly. "Not since I can't be an OWCA agent."

"You don't have to-."

"I don't have to be an OWCA agent for you to be proud of me," I snap, seeing the tear tracks down my twin sister's face and getting angry with my father. "I know, Dad. But here's the thing: I know it's not true. Mom said you guys made a mistake with Quinn, but you haven't learnt from it. I can see slight disappointment in your face right now. If I don't become an OWCA agent, you're going to be disappointed in me. You're going to act happy and proud, but we'll all know the bitter truth, so why not just spare all of us the extra pain and just come out with it?"

"Anton!" Dad says, shocked. "What are you talking about?"

I shake my head. "Don't act proud of me when you're not," I say simply. "And don't lie about it. One thing I can do is tell when people are lying."

Dad is still staring, shocked, at me. I gather up my books into comfortable positions in my arms and walk away. My siblings and Mom back up as I walk through the door. As I head towards Bodicote—the OWCA village—I hear someone running to catch up.

"Are you really going to read all those books before tomorrow evening?" Pippa asks, awed.

"Yes, yes I am," I reply. "I can't be an OWCA agent so I have to find some other way to fill my time. Who knows: I might even join OWCA as an engineer or inventor. You know I like to tinker."

"You do," Pippa giggles. "But mostly it's with scrap metal and the odd nail you find around the house. Are you going to up your game a little bit?"

"I've always wanted to," I answer truthfully. "I've always wanted to make and fix things better than I currently can. Who knows: maybe it'll finally convince Mom and Dad that I can be worthy without being physically fit." I interrupt what Pippa's about to say by stopping and looking her in the eyes. "What did Dad say to you?"

"Nothing," Pippa says, looking down at the ground, all the light gone from her face.

"He must have said or done something to you; you were in tears when you came down the stairs," I say. "Tell me what he said."

"He-he was watching me training and I did a really good move and Jayne praised me so when I went over to Dad, I expected him to praise me too but all he did was point out everything I did wrong or could have done better and he didn't even mention the move that I did well," babbles Pippa, almost crying again. "I-It was just disappointing because I'd been expecting and hoping for praise, that's all."

"Okay." I put my books down on the ground and put my arm around my twin sister. "Tomorrow, I'm going to sit in on your training session and watch your progress. I'll be fair; I'll praise you when you deserve it and give you constructive feedback when you need it. Okay?"

"Okay," smiles Pippa. "Thanks, bro."

"No problem, sis. Now can you carry this book for me?" I pick up one of the books and put it in my sister's hands.

"Oof! You gave me the heaviest one!"

"You want two books or the heaviest book? You decide."

Pippa sighs. "I knew it was too good to be true. You gave me the heaviest book."

"Seriously, I'll swap with you if you want. You can carry these two books, whose combined weight is heavier than that one book."

"Why can't you carry all of them?" Pippa complains.

"Because both of us want me to be in that training session tomorrow, and I can't do that if I have a bruised spine because I fell backwards while trying to carry too many books," I say, smirking. "C'mon, it's not even a quarter of a mile back to the house. Besides, it's good weight training."

"Ugh."

"You really do have a way with words," I chirp, earning me a nudge from my sister. "Hey, I'm delicate. Don't touch me."

Pippa nudged me again, though not as hard this time, in the same spot.

"Great, I'm probably going to have a bruise there tomorrow." I sigh theatrically. "Oh, the humanity!"

"You need to get a life."

"I'm dying!" I sink to the ground carefully and dramatically drop my books on the floor. "Help me!"

"Bye," Pippa says, beginning to walk away.

I get up off the floor and retrieve the books. Grinning, I follow my sister. She may be annoying and really chatty, but I wouldn't trade her for anyone.