Chapter Three

We'd reach their house before evening that night, so we thought it'd be best to just go straight shot. Besides stopping for breakfast and lunch, and a bathroom break between them, we made it there just before dinner time.

Zack and I were busy arguing lightly in the back over some stupid subject as Mike called ahead. Letting them know we were in town, and almost there.

It was maybe fifteen minutes later that we arrived. Just like in the pictures, this house seemed bigger in person. Mike's sister, Robin was already outside to greet us. Barefoot, she immediately struck me as a very laid back person. On first look, her jean shorts and tanktop appearance made me think of someone normal, which was a very good sign.

Scott, Robin's husband, stood in the front doorway. He was on the taller side, but not very close to Mike's stature. Not scrawny, but not bulky either. Normal. I didn't take that as comforting, though. He seemed just as normal as Robin seemed, but again, I wouldn't let that comfort me into letting my guard down.

I'd studied both of them thoroughly before the car had even stopped, I realized.

Once it did, I chose to get out of the car at the same time as Heather, despite my nervousness at such a new place. Sensing that nervousness, she took my hand. Offering a small smile, which helped a little. She knew these people, and she obviously trusted them, or she wouldn't be bringing not only me, but her sons to see them.

Then I had to think about it. She'd let Jack and Ken into the boys' lives, so that didn't comfort me either.

We rounded the front of the car just as Josh finished climbing out after Zack. Robin was in the middle of a giant bear hug from her brother, but didn't seem bothered by it in the slightest. From Mike, she moved on to hugging the boys enthusiastically.

"You guys definitely need to move closer." She laughed, turning to Heather, but seeing me, she paused. She knew I was coming along, of course, so she wasn't surprised, but I immediately liked her. She had a very kind face, wearing a very warm and welcoming smile. She didn't seem bad at all. My first instinct was to like her.

"Hi there." She greeted me, "You must be Leandra." I nodded a little, "I'm Robin. It's amazing to finally meet you, sweetheart. I've heard so much about you." She held her hand out to me, and I couldn't help returning her smile as I took it.

She gently squeezed my hand, before standing up straighter, "She's just a little darling, isn't she? You say she's ten?"

"Eleven, actually." Heather replied, nodding, "Turned it a few weeks back."

"Oh?" Robin smiled at me again, "Happy belated birthday, sweetpea." She was so warm. Instantly likable. That, I decided, was enough to comfort me a little.

Our attention was taken by a younger boy running our way from the front door. Shirtless, wearing bathing suit shorts and soaking wet.

"Zack!" This boy was obviously overjoyed at seeing him, and I had to laugh as he hugged him tight, drawing a grunt from Zack and a laugh from the rest of us.

"As you can see," Robin laughed a little, "The kids are out back in the pool." She reached over and peeled the boy away from Zack, "Let's let them come inside, shall we?" Scott had wandered over, offering to help Mike bring the bags inside. I carefully avoided Scott for now, watching after him as he offered me a small smile.

He seemed quiet, which struck me as a thing to watch for. I hadn't even been around him five minutes and I was already suspicious, but I also knew full well that was my own doing. That had nothing to do with my gift. Just instinct.

The very same instinct Carlisle had explained to me just a few weeks ago. The instinct I'd learned when I was young. The instinct that had developed through being in constant danger, with Jack's influence on me as a small child. That instinct made itself known now, and reminded me of Carlisle at the same time.

I stayed with Heather, listening to her and Robin chat a little about our trip here as we slowly made our way toward the house. From the pictures I'd seen, the boy being led by Robin must have been Daxton, except he looked bigger than he was in the pictures. Just a scrawny thing, but obviously overjoyed. I'd finally found someone I was taller than. He grinned over at me, obviously just as friendly as his mother. Blue eyes, brown hair. The looks that seemed to be normal in this side of the family.

Josh and Zack followed us, so I wasn't as uncomfortable being in the front group.

Just as we were walking in the front door, two girls came running in from the sliding glass back door on the far side of the house.

"Good." Robin called, "You girls come in here for a minute."

"Mom," The bigger one called, "Can I have a popsicle?"

"Yes, but come in here first." She replied, "Come and meet Leandra." They both wandered over, both clearly just having gotten out of the swimming pool, given their attire and limp, soaking wet hair. They offered smiles of their own, not seeming put off in the least at having to come over.

I was introduced to the whole group, starting with Scott, someone I'd already studied for myself. He seemed friendly enough, but not friendly in the way that would effectively scare me off. Not yet.

Daxton, of course, then Taylor. She looked older than me, but Ryanne was the one that looked closer to my age, which was a little depressing when I remembered she was only nine. Ryanne was just a smidge shorter than me, not even half an inch, and not much smaller than me build wise. Maybe a little heavier than me. Not chubby, but she definitely had more substance to her than I had to me.

Taylor had the longer hair of the two girls, almost down to her butt, while Ryanne's was cut shorter, just barely brushing the top of her shoulders.

Both had blue eyes like their brother, and the resemblance was unmistakable between the three kids. Ryanne looked exactly like a younger version of Taylor, and Daxton looked like a younger, but rounder, more boyish-looking version of Ryanne.

All three of these kids were also friendly enough, but I really wasn't sure about Ryanne. She seemed the most bored out of the three, and already reminded me of someone that constantly needed to run around, or she'd go nuts. Those kinds of kids were always trouble. Exactly like a female version of Zack.

"Why don't you three go on outside?" Heather suggested, "Go have fun." I had no doubts that the adults wanted to catch up a little before their focus was completely taken by us kids.

I doubted I'd have any fun right away, but I couldn't exactly make myself be rude and tell her that, so I followed Josh closely. We made our way toward the back of the house, toward the kitchen where Taylor stopped to fish a popsicle out of the freezer.

"You guys want one?" She asked us, and I was surprised to not be the only one declining.

"No thanks." I mumbled while Zack shook his head and she accepted that, letting the door close. Ryanne was the first one out the back door through which Taylor and Ryanne had both wandered, closely followed by Zack and Daxton, which didn't surprise me in the least. Josh and I followed Taylor outside, and onto the smooth, raised deck that had been built back here.

My first glance of the backyard had me amazed. The front didn't look much like this at all, but the back yard was clearly mostly for the kids. Everywhere passed the deck was grass. Just grass that stretched on for quite a distance.

The sheer size of this above-ground pool off to the left of the deck was insane. Probably ten to fifteen feet across, from edge to edge, and probably four or five feet deep. It could probably hold twelve kids, much less just three. Inflatable toys littered the grass around it, and a few had managed to stay in the pool.

The back yard was certainly big enough to handle a pool that big. The back deck was big enough to hold not only a whole outdoor kitchen, but multiple furnishings as well. Beyond the deck, was the extensive grassy yard, complete with outdoor play area that didn't look like it got much use, a very large swimming pool, and a very large, fenced trampoline.

On either side of the back yard, sat nice, wooded areas. Trees just threatening to overtake the yard. Not quite ominious, but both wooded areas insisted caution. I wasn't sure how far the neighbors houses were, but probably pretty far, considering those wooded areas were pretty thick from the looks of them.

"Wow." That was all I could say as I looked around. Josh gave me a knowing smile, probably having had the same thoughts I did at some point. The house they lived in might not look like much from pictures, but it was probably worth a lot more than the house we lived in, just by the backyard alone.

Daxton stepped around us frozen on the top step of the deck, and hauled himself back into the pool. Ryanne followed him, already attempting to drown him.

"Don't mind them." Taylor had stayed with us, sitting down on the step we stood on and unwrapping her popsicle, "They're always like that."

"I would be too with a back yard like this." I mumbled, and she laughed a little. I felt a little better with that laugh, sitting down next to her. Josh sat down to my other side, Zack wandering forward to look at the pool.

"So how old are you?" She asked, looking over at me, "Mom says you're ten, but you don't look it."

"I'm eleven, but I'm pretty small for my age." I admitted, drawing my legs up a little.

"It's okay." She said, "I've always hated how tall I am. Tallest in my class."

"Me too." Josh replied with a small laugh, "But I don't care."

"You've always been tall, though." She told him, "It's because uncle Mike is so tall."

I stayed out of that discussion. Choosing to focus on Zack instead. Despite the fact that he wasn't dressed for swimming, he was hanging on the side, practically halfway in the pool already.

Somehow, with six of us back here and three of us sitting down, the backyard seemed busy. I wondered if it was like this all the time.

"You guys wanna jump?" Taylor asked, pointing to the trampoline with her popsicle, "You can. You just gotta take your shoes off first, after what happened to the old one."

"Sure." Josh replied, standing up. Taylor followed him, but I stayed seated. I wasn't sure about that thing. Neither of them seemed to notice me staying behind, though, which I didn't mind in the least. Though I couldn't help feeling a little abandoned by Josh. He'd told me just that morning that he'd stick around, but I didn't mind so much, as long as nobody cared if I stayed behind or not.

Sometimes I hated how anxious I was around new kids. I would love to just warm up to people the way Zack or Josh could. I knew they'd been coming here for years, but that was beside the point. I didn't exactly feel like I fit in here, despite knowing Josh and Zack for awhile by now.

Sure they were nice enough, but I was still pretty reluctant to just walk around like I owned the place. Thankfully, the grown-ups decided to join us outside at that point, giving me an excuse to stay up here on the deck. Scott got started on cooking, but everyone else chose to sit around on the furniture out here in the shade.

I was a little uncomfortable, so as she offered, I found and stuck close to Heather's side. She didn't seem to mind in the least, and it wasn't like I was trying to eavesdrop. I mostly watched the other kids out in the yard, which everyone eventually noticed.

"Sweetheart," Robin laughed a little, and I looked to her, "It's okay to go and join them."

"They won't bite." Scott added, and I blushed a little, shaking my head and looking down. They really didn't understand. Not many people did, so they wouldn't be alone in that aspect.

"She's shy." Heather explained, "She doesn't have much experience around other kids yet."

"Oh, dear." Robin laughed again, "And this is where you brought her to practice? You know how Ryanne gets."

"I think here is the perfect place for her to practice being around other kids." Heather assured her, "She'll warm up."

"Dax used to be the same way until he started school." Scott replied, "Remember how he used to be? Now it's almost impossible to keep him still."

"We're hoping that'll help." Heather nodded, "She starts school with the boys next month." I couldn't exactly take that back now. I'd agreed, but I couldn't help wondering what I was thinking. That thought no longer appealed to me.

"Oh, that look." Robin laughed, reading my expression and causing laughter to round the group. I had to laugh a little too, embarrassed at being caught pouting. Reaching over, Heather smoothed my hair, comforting me significantly.

"Zack," Heather had caught sight of what her son was up to, "Go change if you want to swim." He looked back at us, his arms and shirt soaking wet.

"Sorry, mom." He called back, hopping off the side of the pool. I watched him jog up the steps and into the house.

"Your bag is in the girl's room." Heather called after him.

"'Kay." He called back.

"You're welcome to swim too, kiddo." Scott offered, looking to me, "I'm positive there's room in there for you somewhere. If not, then just kick Ry out. She's been swimming enough today."

"No thanks." I mumbled. I was just fine where I was, and I knew they were beginning to understand that. I pursed my lips, sitting closer to Heather who laughed a little.

"Oh, honey." She sighed, smoothing my hair down my back again. I appreciated that, but I also knew it bothered her to see me so withdrawn.

Zack came running back outside, now in proper swimming attire, but I wasn't sure why he bothered, because the sun was on its way down already. He wasted no time, though, in hopping over the side sideways, splashing everything within a five foot radius, drenching even part of the deck.

I sighed, shaking my head.

As it turned out, I couldn't hide up here for very long anyway. Taylor and Josh both joined us as well, probably being summoned at the smell of food. Josh took the open space beside me, and Taylor took the open spot beside Robin.

"I can't get over how much these kids have grown." Heather spoke up and the pride in Robin's smile was unmistakable, "Since Christmas, even."

"I tell you," Robin replied, "It's been so hard keeping these kids in clothes that fit. Every time I turn around, someone's pants don't fit, or that one needs new shoes." She laughed again, "I certainly don't mind summertime when these kids choose to practically live in their bathing suits."

"I bet." Heather laughed, "Believe me, I feel your pain."

"And you've got a third one now." Scott pointed out, "You're in for it, Mike. I swear. Girls are a lot harder to raise than boys are."

"Now that, I doubt." Mike chuckled, "I haven't had to sort her out really but once yet."

"I'm not talking about how much trouble they get into." Scott replied, "Boys will have girls topped every time in that department, but imagine later on. Boys are easy in the way that you've only got to worry about the girls they fancy. Girls are harder in the way that you've got to worry about all the boys out there that fancy them."

Taylor laughed a little, and I knew Scott was already speaking from experience.

"She's barely eleven, and I'm worried sick." Scott went on, "Boys these days, I swear have no proper role model out there."

"Dad." Taylor sighed, the word being whined.

"You don't have to worry." Mike waved it off, "Because my niece knows if she finds herself in some trouble, I'll kick her behind from here to Washington. She knows better." He looked to her, "Isn't that right?" Taylor just laughed, looking down. I was glad the focus was off of me.

"But look at it this way," Scott shook his head, "You've got one just as pretty to worry about now." He gestured to me, and I immediately looked down. It was nice not having their focus on me while it lasted, but now that that was up in flames, I just blushed.

"I see your point." Mike muttered.

"Leandra's a good girl." Heather stuck up for me, "I don't think she'll be a problem."

"It's always the good ones that go bad out of the blue." Scott pointed out with a chuckle, "I'm not convinced there are any good ones left out there."

"I won't be trouble." I muttered defensively.

"I'm gonna hold you to that." Mike chuckled, "I think I need that in writing, honey." The laughter made me blush even more, which I didn't appreciate.

"Mike," Robin spoke up, "Tell me. Why didn't you stop in and see mom and dad on your way into town?" Thankfully, the subject was now changed. With how quickly that had turned on me before, though, I knew better than to be relieved.

"Oh, do we have to go over this every time?"

"You know that fight you had with dad is ancient history." She went on, "You know he'd love to see you and Heather. Not to mention their grandsons."

"What was it about?" I asked quietly, and they glanced to me, "The fight?"

"It was bad." Robin laughed a little, obviously volunteering to be the one to tell me. She went on, "Let's just say.. Our parents were the really protective kind. Strict as all hell, please pardon my language, and had a set plan for both of us while we were growing up and made sure we knew it." I was following so far, so I nodded.

"Mikey here, well.." She hesitated a second, "He didn't exactly approve of the plan set for him. He wanted his own life. Not the life our father set him up for. After high school, Mike was supposed to get his butt into Cornell and live the rest of his life to become the best doctor in the world. He had potential. Boy, did he, so it wasn't like he couldn't get in. Flawless grades, extra curriculars.. Big into sports, boss on the football and baseball teams. Finest application I'm sure they'd ever seen. Even if he didn't somehow manage a scholarship, he'd be going there."

"But..?" I prompted, interested now.

"Well," She sighed, "He didn't exactly approve of that kind of life for himself, and one night.. He let our parents know that that wasn't going to work for him. I swear, the neighbors are still talking about that little argument he and our father had. You can't just crush both parent's dreams like that without expecting some kind of resistence. There was cursing, blaming, accusations flying every which way for probably an hour before Mikey decided it'd be a good idea to take a nine iron to dad's car."

I blinked in surprise.

"Now, don't think badly of him." Robin insisted, seeing my expression as I glanced over at him, "He was a kid. A stubborn, hot-headed and rebellious kid that wanted his way for once. So.. After that night, he took what money he'd earned at his place of employment, and he left town to find his own way. He was eighteen, so it wasn't like our parents could say a damn thing about it.

"Our dad was pretty pissed for a long time, but he got the car fixed up. Good as new, but nobody, not one of us knew where Mike had gone. We didn't hear a word from him for.. Oh.. Probably five years."

"Four and a half." Mike defended himself.

"And by the time we did," Robin went on, "He'd found an amazing girl, fell in love, and planned to stay there working on his own business to raise this boy." She smiled pointedly at Josh who laughed a little, "And the little boy that came two years after him. Just a baby back then. Now, our parents are lucky to see him once a year."

"Wow." I had no idea before.

"Yeah." Robin laughed a little, "And well.. You can say I followed in his footsteps. I did go to college. I'm not some big important doctor like they wanted me to be, but I did become a veterinarian, and that's just fine with me. Scott here is the big-shot, and that seems to please them well enough. All that matters to me is that our kids are well taken care of."

I nodded a little. I could understand that.

"We just do what we can to raise good kids, and from the looks of things, he's doing a fine job with these boys." Robin smiled again at Josh, who looked down with an embarrassed smile. I nodded again, agreeing fully this time.

With a smile, Heather reached over and lightly fluffed Mike's hair. He chuckled, still clearly uncomfortable but he captured her hand, and kissed her fingertips. I couldn't help smiling a little at that sight. Just like I always did when they showed affection in little ways like that.

I was a lot less uncomfortable after that discussion, and I was positive it showed. Josh and Taylor both chose to return to the trampoline, and this time, I chose to follow them. I wouldn't get onto the death trap, but I could stand by the side and watch.

Ignoring the rest of the kids for now laughing in the pool. There was still a little bit of a wait before dinner would be done, but I didn't mind that too much.

The further it fell into evening, the sun falling further, the rest of the kids got out of the pool to join Josh and Taylor on the trampoline to dry off. Try as I might, I couldn't understand the appeal of jumping up and down. Dax stayed on the ground with me, keeping me company, but mostly because there wasn't much room for him up there without him getting trampled on.

So he and I sat on the grass, watching them up there, and waited for dinner to get done. The evening trees started singing with cicadas, the pulsing buzz almost a homey sound, before a whistle from the deck told us food was done. As much fun as the ones jumping seemed to be having, the call to food was too impossible to resist. Dax ran forward first, having a head start, considering he didn't have to climb down.

I hung back, despite my own hunger. I'd let everyone else get theirs first.

I didn't have to worry too much, because there was plenty for all of us. Which I was grateful for, because Zack was already coming around for seconds while I was getting mine. I didn't mind that much, considering it looked like nobody had even gotten anything yet, there was that much.

I understood completely why Scott decided to make that much. By the time everyone was done eating, pretty much everything was gone. Four bags of chips, gone. A pile of hamburgers and hot dogs, demolished. Zack had to have eaten his weight in everything, practically falling asleep in his seat on the patio couch. Dax had already lost that fight, laying beside him even despite the conversation still going around the group.

Nobody seemed to mind just leaving him there until it was time to go inside to get changed and cleaned up for bed. Scott scooped Dax up off the couch, much to Dax's displeasure, and carried him inside with a chuckle.

I took my time standing up, just sitting there. Just wanting to be out here a little longer. I listened to the cicadas in the trees, buzzing away and the conversation and laughter coming from inside the house. Oddly enough, even with where I was right now with so much to distract me, I felt alone. I was a homesick. I missed home. Not the home I'd come to know recently, but my old one. I missed it a lot.

This place was nothing like home. As much as I'd run from just weeks ago, I wanted that back desperately. The slight smile I'd worn for the last hour or so faded, replaced by the frown I knew my emotions caused.

I couldn't help hoping, yet again, that they were somewhere close by. I couldn't help looking toward the portion of trees that I could see. It was dark out there now, only the light of the back porch to see by and that didn't go very far, but that didn't sooth the disappointment I felt when I didn't see anything worth seeing.

"Leandra?" Heather was coming to see why I wasn't inside yet, "Come on in, sweetie." Probably seeing my expression, she stepped back outside with me, "What is it?"

"Nothing." I mumbled, finally tearing my gaze away from the trees. I shrugged a little.

"You look like you're waiting for something." She observed. With a soft sigh, she sat back down beside me, "I know they're a little much at first."

"It's not that." I shook my head, looking down.

"You miss home?" She asked, and I nodded, "I know how you feel, sweetheart. We'll be back there before you know it." I wanted to tell her that it wasn't her home I missed. I didn't, though, worried that she'd be hurt, but she seemed to understand that without me having to say anything, as she spoke again.

"We'll be back before you know it," She repeated, "And I know they're going to want to see you. I know they're going to want to hear all about the trip, and all the things you did and saw. Just think about everything you're going to be able to talk about when you get back. That should help, honey."

Just having her know what I was going through was helping.

"Just a few more days, sweetie." She offered gently, "Now, come on. Let's go inside."

With a nod, I sighed and stood up. I hesitated as I stood there, though, as the cicada sound stopped in one portion of the trees. It was faint, hardly noticeable to anyone that wasn't paying attention, but in one area, the insects fell quiet.

I knew exactly what to listen for, and the silence in that one spot made me smile as I looked back toward it. That silence was comforting to me. I felt a thousand times better instantly, knowing that there was a reason for that silence.

"Better late than never." I muttered under my breath. Which was true.

"Leandra." Heather laughed again, "Come on in. The mosquitoes are chewing you up." Reminded, I looked to her again. She was right, of course, but I couldn't help wanting to stay out here even longer now. Instead, though, I turned with her and this time made my way inside.

Sleeping that night was interesting.

The girl's room had been cleaned up, and of course, they both got their own beds, but everyone else got the floor. The room was certainly big enough to fit all of us, but it was still interesting. Zack and Daxton both took the left side of the room, closest to the door near the foot of Ryanne's bed, and Josh and I got the right side of the room, just under the window closest to the foot of Taylor's bed.

I thought piling all of us up into one room was bound to cause trouble, but it never really did. At least for the first night, as all we did once we got in there was go to sleep.

Well, everyone else did. I laid awake. Smiling to myself, knowing that someone from my family was near by. Once I was sure everyone was asleep, I turned over and kneeled up. Peering out the window. I just wanted to see if I could see anyone. I couldn't, of course, but I really tried.

This side of the house looked out over the right side of the yard, the thick trees close enough to touch from the window. I wanted to try, but I didn't want to wake anyone up. My arms folded on the sill, just resting there.

"I miss you." I whispered anyway. Hoping someone was out there to hear. The sleeping breaths of everyone else continued, but I didn't hear a response. Of course I wouldn't. Maybe with all the people here, they couldn't tell where I was in the house?

As much as just knowing they were nearby made me happy, I'd have given anything to see them.

Just when I was about to give up, I did notice movement down on the ground, just inside the trees. I couldn't see exactly who it was, but I knew there was someone out there. More than one someone, but it was too dark to see exactly how many. I kneeled up straighter, my attention caught.

Whoever this was didn't seem like they noticed me, but I definitely noticed them. I waited, watching whoever it was, until within the time it took for me to blink, they were gone. Leaving nothing behind but a slight rustle of the leaves as a sign that anyone had been there.

I laughed as silently as I could, ducking back down and laying on my back. I settled back into my sleeping bag, my smile still in place as I rolled over. Sighing, I let my eyes close.

Oddly, I passed the night without waking up, but I knew that wouldn't last for another night. Six kids in one room was interesting enough, but breakfast the following morning was even more interesting.

I was the first to wake up, but just laid there. I didn't feel like leaving the room of this strange house on my own. Thankfully, Josh woke up next, and I followed him up and out of the room.

Downstairs, there was already activity, so I knew we weren't the only ones up, but first, it was a bathroom stop. Surprisingly, Josh let me go first, and I waited for him outside in the hall. He was my security blanket for the time being, despite how the smell of pancakes downstairs wanted to send me running.

Once everyone else woke up, it was practically chaos. I was surprised the kitchen wasn't completely destroyed before all of us kids made our way outside. The morning bright, sunlight already warming everything up out back.

It was too cold to go swimming immediately, despite how Ryanne and Dax bugged to do so.

Instead, we got some exercise, kicking a soccer ball back and forth across the bare area of grassy yard with Scott and Mike. Josh, Taylor and I were on Mike's team, thankfully, everyone else against Scott, Ryanne, Dax and Zack. On more than one occasion, I kicked the ball straight at Zack's head. I nearly had him once, but the ball wound up in the pool, and everyone wound up laughing too hard to retrieve it right away.

Zack got the ball out of the pool, and kicked it back as hard as he could, while I was distracted by Taylor saying something. It came right at me, and it nearly got me, but I was pretty startled when Mike suddenly picked me up and whipped me out of the way.

"Keep it on the ground, guys." Scott told us, laughing a little. Mike set me back on my feet easily, and I smiled a little.

"Thanks." I told him, and he ruffled my hair a little until I ducked away.

It went smoother from there, and we kept it on the ground from that point. I tripped, hitting the grass more times than I could count, often taking someone else down with me, but I was alright. I was far from coordinated, but that didn't stop me from trying.

Thankfully, Taylor was very understanding. Laughing it off as much as I did when I'd make her trip too, and Josh was always there to help us both up.

The pool got its use before noon. Dax and Zack both insisting enough for them to give in and tell them they could, just to shut them up. I joined them this time, and found out just how deep it was. It came to just above my head, so it was about four and a half feet deep. Now I understood why Dax wasn't allowed in the pool without someone else in there with him.

I stayed by the side, which was safest, considering the roughhousing going on between Ryanne and Zack. Ryanne made me think of the tomboyest tomboy out there. Not afraid to get dirty or rough. I considered myself a pretty set tomboy as well, but I wasn't willing to try to drown someone or get drowned in return. Dax sat beside me on an inflatable chair, watching them in the other side of the pool. Taylor and Josh stayed with us for the most part, but when I started getting cold, I climbed out to dry off a little, and surprisingly, they followed me.

"Hey," Taylor spoke up as we wandered off over the grass, "You guys wanna see something?"

"Sure." Josh replied, shrugging a little.

"But you can't say anything." She stressed, pointing at him, "Not to anyone. It's a secret." I wasn't so sure.

"Okay." He laughed a little, pushing her hand away. She turned to the pool.

"Ry!" She called, gaining her sister's attention, "Come here."

"No." Ryanne called back.

"I wanna show them the thing!" Taylor countered. That got Ryanne moving, instantly making her way to the side. Dax insisted on her helping him to the ladder first, so she dragged him over, waiting for him to make his way out. It really made me wonder what this thing could be, if it was important enough to get them out of the pool.

We all waited patiently for the other half of our group to make their way to us. Once we were all here, Taylor looked around and led the way. We followed her off toward the trees on the edge of the yard, Taylor going on about how this was a secret, and we shouldn't tell anyone. Stressing her point.

None of the adults were out here, probably inside talking in the kitchen or something. The underbrush and foliage kind of hurt on the bottoms of my bare feet, and all of us wandering through here in our bathing suits, still dripping wet from the pool, was a little awkward, but it soon didn't matter that much.

I was surprised to find exactly what she was talking about. It was shaded in here, nearly completely isolated from any view of the house, but up in one of the stronger trees was a tree-house. Crudely built, slightly tilted and probably very unsafe, but I found it very fascinating. They'd built this on their own? It was hardly anything more than some platform nailed a million times to the trunk of the tree, but it was still interesting.

"Wow." I couldn't help that, and she smiled over at me.

"It's not that good." She replied, "But we spent like a week building it from the stuff daddy didn't use in the garage."

"I helped." Dax announced proudly.

"Think he noticed?" I asked, looking over at her.

She shrugged, "He never said anything, so I don't think so."

"How'd you even do it?" Zack asked, which I couldn't blame him for. I was curious too, and I knew he wanted one like it at home.

"One board at a time." She laughed, "I got up on the ladder, and did the first five here." She pointed towards the ones first secured around the tree, "Then just added more when I could. I nailed them together, and there's one board sticking up, but it's okay. I wouldn't let Ry do anything but hold the ladder, and Dax had to get the stuff. They probably would have just hurt themselves."

"Hey." Ryanne didn't appreciate that.

Taylor smiled again at me, "Wanna go up?"

"Um.." I hesitated, "You first."

"Trust me." She said, starting forward, "If Ry can jump around on it without it falling, it's safe." I watched her round the tree, following along slowly. On the back side of the tree were four thick boards nailed to the tree as well, leading up to a narrow hole in the bottom of the platform. It looked like a lot of work to get up there, but she did it just fine. Ryanne followed her easily, pausing when Taylor paused for a better grip to hoist herself up through the hole. Dax right behind her, waiting his turn.

"Shoot." Taylor muttered as she kneeled there.

"What?" Zack asked, looking up at her from beside me.

"Splinter." She laughed, showing us her hand as Ryanne finished her climb, "So be careful when you come up." I glanced to Zack, and he shrugged as he stepped forward to the ladder. He made it look so easy, so I followed him. Josh bringing up the end, probably to make sure I didn't fall. Despite the way we both knew that if I fell, I'd land butt first on his head.

It was a little tough climbing straight up like this, but I eventually made it.

It wasn't that high up in the tree, but from where I stood, it seemed a lot higher. Especially over the other side, as the hill started to slope downward, further into the trees. I didn't trust leaning on the handrails built, because it looked like one good breeze would crumble it, but I didn't hold that against them. This was pretty amazing. I could never even imagine building something like this on my own.

We stayed up there for quite some time, but I began to grow nervous. Getting up was one thing, but getting back down was going to be interesting. I wasn't the biggest fan of heights, and I worried about being unable to get down.

When it finally did come time to get down, I'd freaked myself out so much, and couldn't make myself step down. I knew in the first five seconds of hesitation that I wasn't going anywhere.

I tried to copy the others' movements, using the sides of the bottom to brace myself to step down, but the first step down seemed really far away. The more I tried to force myself to move, the more nervous I got.

"Come on." Ryanne rushing me didn't help. She was really pushy, which was a quality I didn't appreciate in a person.

"I think I'll just stay up here." I replied, and Ryanne sighed heavily.

"You can't." Taylor told me, "The grown-ups are gonna notice we're gone so long."

"I want to stay." I argued.

"Come on, Leandra." Zack called, looking up at me, "You can do it." He knew I was scared, and though his vote of confidence wanted to help me, it wasn't enough. I hesitated, eventually shaking my head. I couldn't.

"Should I go get my dad?" Zack asked, looking over at Taylor.

"No." She whined, "Then my dad will find out, and probably be mad."

"Well, then how do we get her out of there?" He asked in return.

"Quit being a baby." Ryanne told me, and I glared at her.

"I'm not a baby." I snapped, "I just want to stay here."

"I'll tell my dad not to tell your dad." Zack offered, "He's pretty cool about this stuff."

Sighing heavily, sounding suspiciously like her sister, Taylor groaned, "Fine."

All of us stood around while Zack ran off. Ryanne sighed again.

"I could go up there and push her off." She suggested.

"You do that, I'll punch you in the face." Josh immediately told her, and for a second, I was relieved he was there. Until she clenched her fist and held it up, challenging him.

"Stop it, you two." Taylor crossed her arms, rolling her eyes.

"Look, Leandra." Dax climbed up again, "Like this." He tried to show me how to get down again, and though I did watch him, it didn't help. He sat up there with me for a minute, before he spoke again, "I used to be scared too. It looks really high up, but it's not really. Once you get down the first time, it's easy to get down after that." I appreciated his attempts to help me.

It got quiet after that, until Zack returned with Mike in tow. The second Mike saw me, though, he chuckled.

"Well," He came to stand beneath the platform, "When Zack said you were stuck in a tree, I certainly wasn't expecting this." I didn't appreciate him laughing at me. The top of his head was about a foot below the bottom of the platform. A foot too high for me to comfortably let him pluck me down.

Mike looked to Taylor, "You guys built this?"

"On our own." She replied almost proudly.

"Impressive." He nodded, chuckling again.

"Thanks." She grinned.

"Dad." Zack reminded him of why he was there.

"Right." He said, looking up at me again, "Okay, you're going to turn around, face the tree, and just-"

"I can't." I cut him off. I knew how to get down. I just couldn't do it.

"She just sort of freezes." Zack explained, "She's afraid."

"Ah," Mike understood now, "Can get up, but can't get down." I nodded a little, shameful, "It happens to the best of us, sweetheart, but we've gotta get you down from there somehow."

"How?" Zack asked, "I don't think you'll fit up there."

"Oh, thanks." Mike laughed, giving his son a glance, "I'm not talking about going up there. She's gonna have to come to me."

"You mean jump?" Ryanne asked, interested.

"I can't jump." I squeaked. If I couldn't use the ladder, what made him think I could jump?

"Look," Mike told me, stepping forward, "Sit on the edge here." His fingertips could just barely reach the edge of the platform, "From there, it'll be easy." He had a point there, so I sighed and did as he suggested. Moving forward, I held onto the edge tightly as I sat down, my legs dangling off.

"Now," He spoke again, "Just sort of scoot off. I'll catch you."

"I don't know." I wasn't so sure about that.

He smiled, "It's okay. Look, I can reach your foot." His hand gripping my bare toes gently, "It's like.. An inch of a drop. Just push off, and I'll catch you."

He was right, but I whimpered. It was a lot more of a drop than that.

"Come on." He urged, clearly confident. His open hands ready to catch me.

Taking a breath, I held it as I forced myself to scoot off the edge of the platform. Yelping as I dropped, blindly reaching for him to catch me. I felt his hands catch my weight easily, holding me up for a second before he lowered me to my feet.

It surprised me how easy that was. He sure knew what he was doing, and somehow, it also surprised me how he didn't drop me or let me fall. As soon as I smiled, the others laughed a little.

"See?" Mike asked, "Not so bad, was it?" I shook my head, and he chuckled, taking my hand lightly in his as we all started toward the house. I was still slightly shaken up, so I allowed him to hold my hand. I was glad I did so, because I stumbled over the bottom step of the porch, and he held me up. Keeping me from hitting the deck steps face first.

"Whoops." Was all he said, not laughing at me or anything. Unlike Ryanne behind me. I didn't like her so much anymore, giving her a look.

It was lunch time, so it was more kitchen chaos, followed by back outside to let the food settle before it was back into the pool. Safe in there until dinner, but this time, I did get sunburned.

I wasn't the only one, thankfully. It was all of us, and after showers that night, it was time to get some Aloe cream spread on our burns while we watched some TV in the living room. That was far from comfortable, and Heather had one hell of a time getting me to sit still. I wasn't the biggest fan of pain, and somehow, it didn't sit right with me that it had to hurt more to feel better.

Dax was the only one that cried more than I did, but I kept mine silent.

"Next time," Scott was saying, "We won't forget the sunscreen, will we?"

"I'm not going to insist you guys stay inside, because I know that won't go over well," Robin added, smoothing more cream over Ryanne's back, "But stay out of the pool tomorrow, okay? Let this set a little."

That got almost the whole room whining. Ryanne and I, both sitting on the floor, glanced at each other. She gave me a look which told me that the pool ban wasn't happening. Until she was turned around by Robin.

"Now the face."

"Let me do it." Ryanne requested, and she allowed that.

"Just make sure you get everywhere." Robin told her as she poured a little bit of cream onto her hands.

My yawn was the first indication of the busy day we'd had, and it was bedtime not long later. I was too tired and too sore to get up once I'd settled into my little nest, closing my eyes almost immediately.

I felt better in the morning, the burn not as intense, so I knew the grown-ups knew exactly what they were talking about when it came to that cream they made us put on the night before.

The next day started early, all six of us going out back to play in the back yard. Thankfully, nobody suggested going back to the tree-house platform thing, choosing to jump on the trampoline and eye the pool for later. It was warm outside already, but still too early for the moms to let us go swimming, and not to mention the ban hadn't been lifted yet. It was bound to happen, though.

Everyone else piled onto the trampoline this time, except for me. I chose to stay sitting off to the side at first while the others had their fun. The grass felt sharp on my burned legs, my shorts not providing much coverage.

"Ry," Taylor eventually said, "Get off so Leandra can get on." She didn't seem to mind, sitting up where she'd fallen and bouncing to the edge.

"No," I said, "It's okay."

"I gotta pee anyway." Ryanne muttered.

"Don't tell me you're scared of this too." Taylor called to me, bouncing her way to the edge as well.

"No." I grumbled, "I just don't want to jump around like a moron."

"Just try it." Zack urged, coming to Taylor's side, "Come on."

I hesitated as Ryanne landed on the grass, making room for me to get on. I sighed, stepping forward and gripping the outside bar.

"Shoes off." Taylor reminded me, which I complied. I pushed myself up, rolling over the padding covering the springs. I stood up before I could stop myself, and immediately, the difference hit me. This was nothing like the solid ground.

"Whoa." I couldn't help smiling a little, and Josh laughed next to me.

"Now jump." He told me, and as a test, I gave a little jump. That was all it took to get me hooked. I didn't ever want to get off this thing.

Over the course of the next several hours, I learned to do a flip mid-jump. Starting off with a simple turn in mid-air like the others, before Zack taught me to flip forward. At first, I could only land on my knees, before I figured out quickly how to land on my feet.

"I can't even do that." Ryanne whined from next to me.

The parents had all gathered out on the back porch to talk while we entertained ourselves with the trampoline, and after enough time, the pool ban was lifted, but only if we all coated ourselves with enough sunblock to paint the house. Zack and I practiced flips while the others played some stupid game in the water.

Until Zack got the bright idea to jump from the trampoline into the pool, and started a whole new trend, bringing the backyard game to a whole new level. The rule was to land like you were sitting down. Otherwise, it'd hurt to land with how shallow it was.

We only got to do that a few times before the parents caught on, and abruptly put an end to that.

Bummed, but still entertained by jumping, Zack and I continued flipping. Before the day was even over, I'd learned how to flip backwards too. At first with Zack's help, ready to catch me if it didn't work out, but after awhile, he didn't need to stand ready anymore. I couldn't land standing up yet from a back-flip, but I'd save learning that for the next day.

I was exhausted that night. Barely able to stay awake through dinner, hitting my sleeping bag hard. I had never spent this much time outside before. Even lunch and dinner was provided outside, so I got far more sun than I was used to.

The next day started off about the same way, except I learned fast that it was our last full day here. Because of that, they decided to throw a little party. Nothing huge, but it was enough.

Some of the neighborhood kids came by, a few of Ryanne and Taylor's friends, which made taking turns on the trampoline extra difficult. The back door stayed open with all the parents coming and going from the house to outside, and the barbecue grill was going nonstop since noon.

I thought it was busy before? That was nothing compared to now.

Mostly I just concentrated on my group, the kids. Zack, me, and another kid worked hard on getting the timing right for the three of us to do flips at the same time, and we came close, but it just didn't work. I was too light, but landed faster than they did. I worried about getting landed on, but it never happened.

Moving from the trampoline back to the ground was always a weird feeling. It made my legs feel like jello, but it was fun.

Somehow, I made it through the day without feeling too much nervousness at all the new people. Maybe a little bit in the beginning, but I had too much fun to stop and worry.

Taylor was off entertaining some of the older kids, Josh keeping a few busy in the pool, Ryanne and the younger ones standing in awe at the flips going on on the trampoline, and I bounced between the three groups.

Not one person, not even Ryanne, was unpleasant to me today. It was almost like the entire time I'd spent avoiding people my own age was all for nothing. I wasn't worried about what they'd say, or how I'd react. It just never came up. I had more laughter than I knew what to do with, more activity than I knew how to handle, and yet even more sunlight. Snacking constantly all day when my stomach would tell me I'd worked through whatever I'd previously eaten, which wasn't in the least a problem, and somehow, I was still starving come dinner time.

Once all the people were gone, and it was time for bed, I felt sad to see the day end. I'd had a blast today, and wanted it to keep going. Thankfully, however, that wasn't the end of the day's activities.

We all sat up, awake in the room once we were in there, talking. Even Dax was wide awake, and though this was a big change from the previous couple of nights, I soon figured out why.

"So." Taylor said from her bed, but on her way to stand up, "How late do you think they'll stay up this time?" I frowned a little, watching her move for the closet. Stepping over me on her way.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused as she started digging around inside the messy closet.

"Well," Ryanne replied, taking my attention, "It's sort of like a tradition of ours. I forget how long ago it started, but whenever the guys come visit us, on the last night they're here, we always go back outside after all the grown-ups go to bed. Until we're too tired to stay out there anymore."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because it's tradition." She replied, "It's how it's worked for years."

"Oh." I muttered, not understanding any more than before, but I had one more question, "What do you do out there?"

"Whatever we want." Taylor replied, emerging from the closet, shaking a flashlight with two held under her arm, "Last year, we made so many s'mores on the grill." She laughed, "Zack threw up all over the place." He laughed along with her, and I joined in, "He almost got us caught, but we made it back in bed before we could get caught. Mom never figured out why her potted plant died." She frowned, looking back, "Ry, where are the extra batteries? This one's dead."

"Same place, but in the shoe box on the other side." Taylor nodded at her instruction, dropping the flashlights on the floor and going back into the closet for another look.

"We only have four flashlights, so we'll have to share." Ryanne told us.

"Who gets one?" I asked immediately.

"It depends on who can handle the responsibility." She replied almost smugly, "You can't turn it on or point it anywhere that the grown-ups can see, and if you have to, you have to hide the light. Know what I mean?" I nodded.

"I want one." Dax piped up.

"Not you." She barked at him, "Josh should get one, because he's oldest. Then Taylor, then me, then I guess either Zack or Leandra."

"She can have it." Zack said, "I don't want to have to carry it." Score.

I took the flashlight offered to me, grateful to have it. I turned it on to test it, accidentally blinding Zack, but he just laughed. It was nice and bright, and I found through shaking it, it was reliable.

Taylor grabbed one more thing, a plastic light-up pocket watch. Probably so she could tell how long we were out there, so if it got too late, we could go back in. I agreed with that.

It was passed midnight before we even bothered to open the door and take a look. It was silent and dark downstairs which told us the grown-ups had already gone to bed. It made sense, considering Mike and Heather had to handle three of us for hours tomorrow smashed into the car together.

"Clear." Ryanne whispered back at us, and with that, she led the way out into the hall. It was a quick trip through the dark, and with everyone else with me, I couldn't stop to get worried. I just followed Dax, Taylor following me. Down the stairs, round the bottom, through the kitchen, out the back door and outside. It was exactly silent until the door was shut behind us.

"You're pretty good." Taylor laughed, looking to me, "You've done this before, haven't you? If I wasn't looking at you, I wouldn't have even known you were there."

"I'm pretty good at moving quietly."

"Well it worked." She added, and I smiled a little.

"What do we do now?" Dax asked, looking around us in the dark.

"We could jump?" Zack suggested, but Taylor shook her head.

"That'd make too much noise." She said, "We have to be quiet, remember?"

"We could swim." Dax suggested next, but Josh shook his head.

"Too cold." He replied, "That doesn't sound like much fun." I was glad I didn't have to be the one to bring that up. As it was, I was the only one willing to speak up about caution, and got the bad rap because of it.

"He's right." I offered, "I don't like being cold." I rubbed my aching stomach. It'd been aching pretty much all day, and I didn't know why. Ignorable until now. It was still ignorable, but now I could afford to pay it some attention.

It was pitch dark out here, nobody wanting to turn on any lights and get us caught. We stood in the darkness, just thinking for a minute.

"Hey," It was Ryanne that had the winning idea, "Let's go up into the tree."

"Okay." Zack agreed, obviously excited. Then he looked to me, along with most of the group. I could hear the hesitation in their silent stares.

"I'll stay on the ground." I muttered, and they all nodded.

"I'll stay with you." Josh offered, which I appreciated. That got us going, down the deck steps and the second my bare feet touched the cold grass, I shivered. My pajama shorts and thin t-shirt offered little protection against the cool summer breeze out here, and though I mentioned it before, I really didn't like being cold.

Across the cool grass in the pitch dark, we all made it into the trees before turning on the flashlights. I followed their lead, helping Zack beside me see his way forward.

We made it, wandering through the trees for about a minute before we got to it. It was especially creepy out in the trees at night. I wasn't the only one looking around myself, which didn't really surprise me. Josh stepped forward, offering to hold the flashlight on the ladder for them as they all pulled themselves up.

"Okay." Taylor said once everyone was up, "Now turn it off."

"What?" I asked, "You never said anything about staying out here in the dark."

"Come on." She sighed, "Stop being such a scaredy cat." I rolled my eyes a little, but did as she said. Turning off my own flashlight as the others turned their own off.

Ryanne spoke this time, "Let's see who can last the longest out here without getting too freaked out and running for their mommies." She cut herself off, "Dax, don't go near the edge. Stay near the tree, stupid."

I could just barely see their shapes moving around in the tree as I turned a little. Finding the closest big enough tree and crouching down a little, resting my back against the tree. I felt better this way, but I still looked around nervously.

"We could always tell scary stories." Zack offered, "Or this could take all night."

"I vote we don't," I said, "And just make the stupid s'mores like you all did last year."

"Shut up." Ryanne told me, and I glared in her general direction, but did as she said, "Got any good ones, Zack?"

"Yeah," He said, "But don't tell her to shut up. She's smarter than you and me both put together."

"Thank you." I told him.

"That's not hard to do, Zack." Ryanne replied, "You're pretty stupid."

"No he's not." I immediately said, Josh saying the same thing at the same time. Glancing over as Josh made it to my side, I spoke again, "Come down here and say that."

"Geez," Ryanne muttered, "I was just kidding."

"Well, kid about something else." I snapped up at her.

"Shut up, all of you." Taylor grumbled, "Are you two idiots trying to wake everybody in the neighborhood up?" We all fell quiet, "Tell your stupid story, Zack."

As Zack got to talking, Josh sat down next to me, sharing my tree. He found a stick, just to give his hands something to do. He was about as bored as I was already.

Zack told one having to do with a driver in the middle of the night, standard stuff. I wasn't that creeped out by it, though, but it obviously worked on Dax, because he'd had enough of the trees and wanted down. So we paused the story-telling, and provided light for him to climb down by.

"Safe spot by the house." Taylor told him as he turned to look up at her, "Just don't wake up the grown-ups."

"Come with me." He requested in a whimper.

"I'll go." Josh offered, glancing to me. I nodded, letting him know it was alright. Dax accepted that, and Josh left with him, leaving us to the story-telling.

"I've got a better one than that." Ryanne said as the lights were turned off again. I followed their lead this time and turned mine off without complaint, despite how I'd rather leave it on. It was creepier down here on my own.

She told one involving a clown statue that actually did creep me out, along with the others, given their laughter. Taylor got into telling one about some dead kid, but my attention was taken by something further off in the trees.

I watched in that direction through the entire story, but I honestly couldn't tell what I was looking at. It was decent sized, though. I could tell that much. I tried not to think that it looked like the shape of a person, but it was way too dark to tell for sure. It could have been a tree for all I knew. It never moved, so I figured that's what it was.

Ryanne had to leave at that story, but she made an excuse about how she was cold, and wanted to go see if Dax was okay. Not really wanting her to fall and hurt herself, I kept my flashlight directed at the ladder, despite how I wanted to direct it toward the shape I'd seen.

Looking back over once the light was gone again, the shape was gone. Through a very mild form of panic, I tried to reason that it was probably because my eyes had to re-adjust to the dark.

Once Ryanne was gone, Taylor spoke up again.

"I think we should have a bet." She said, "Who's brave enough to last out here the longest." I wasn't sure I liked where this was going.

"I'd win." Zack immediately said.

"Alone." Taylor clarified, which got his attention, "You know there are bears out here, right?"

"That's true." I said, "There are bears, and cougars, and lots of that kind of stuff around here. I heard it last year when I lived here."

"And it can't be up here." Taylor said, already on her way down, "It has to be on the ground, like Leandra."

"I don't know if that's a good idea." I muttered.

"Since she's such a scaredy cat," Taylor went on, "Leandra can go first, since she'll give up the fastest."

"No I won't." I frowned, "And I'm not scared, okay? I just thought I saw something."

"I bet you couldn't last fifteen minutes in here on your own." Taylor challenged in front of me as Zack climbed down. I sighed and stood up.

"I bet I could." I countered.

"Okay," She accepted that, "But you have to go further that way. Just start walking, and I'll tell you when to stop." I hesitated, looking in the direction she'd pointed. Right in the direction that I'd seen something.

"You can do it, Leandra." Zack offered, "You've got your flashlight." Like that helped me.

"Unless you're too scared?" Taylor grinned.

"Fine." I snapped, "What do I get when I win?"

"I'll never say you're scared again." She said, but it wasn't like that mattered. We were leaving the next day, but I accepted by turning. Walking in the direction she said to. If it shut her and Ryanne up, I would do it.

With my flashlight on, it projected shadows in the close knit group of trees in a very creepy way. It was downhill this way, and though my feet slid a little, it wasn't too bad.

"Here?" I asked, stopping.

"Further." She said, "Keep going until I say stop." I sighed, but continued on. The further I went, the slower I walked, in hopes she'd think I was further than I was, since she couldn't see me anymore. I couldn't see her, so I assumed she couldn't see me. I was actually really creeped out, and thoughts of that clown crossed my mind. Even scarier than some story, though, I thought about bears. I was just about to insist that this was far enough, when I barely heard her voice call.

"Stop." She called to me, "Now stay there for fifteen minutes, and you'll win."

"Fine." I called back, "But go back to the porch." Why did I tell her to do that? Was I really out to win that much? How stupid could I be?

"You got it." She laughed, "I'll tell you when fifteen minutes is up. If you make it that long. And turn off the flashlight."

"What?" I asked, "Why?"

"That's the rules, stupid." She replied, "It has to be in the dark, or not at all." I hesitated, looking around me again. Was this really worth it? My heart was already pounding, but I wasn't sure I could last out here at all, much less without any light.

"Well?" She challenged, so I closed my eyes in dread and turned off the flashlight. Opening my eyes, I was now surrounded by complete darkness. Can't see my own nose in front of my face, darkness.

"Fifteen minutes, Leandra." Zack called, "You can do it."

I made my voice as confident as I could, "I will."

Far in the distance, I heard the clear sound of them turning and walking away. Making their way out of the trees like I told them to.

Once their steps went silent, I knew they'd made it to the grass, and I was suddenly so alone. My legs were already shaking in fear as I tried hard to see around myself, so I crouched a little. Leaning back against a tree like I had done before. I was in for a bit of a wait out here.

I thought about what would happen if I had to make it out of here in a hurry. I'd probably trip and kill myself, and nobody would know what really happened, because they'd no doubt lie.

Trembling from head to toe now, I was very tempted to turn the light back on anyway, but keep it hidden. I wasn't sure if they could see it from the house or not from where I was. Nearly on the very bottom part of the hill, a flat portion of ground filled with old leaves and lots of sticks that hurt my feet. Trees in every direction, darkness making them seem closer.

I whimpered quietly, but suddenly shut up as I sensed something moving to my right. Panic flooded through me, and I froze.

It was especially dark in this area, and I literally couldn't see two feet in front of myself.

"Guys?" I asked quietly, despite the way I could clearly hear their voices way over by the house. I was quickly beginning to regret agreeing to this. I jumped, standing up and squeaking at the sound of someone suddenly directly beside me. It was just a sense, something telling me someone was there. It could have been all in my head, but I didn't buy that.

"You shouldn't be out here." I sighed heavily. It was just Carlisle. The relief was instant. Like night and day. I wasn't alone anymore.

"It's a dare." I replied quietly, "They thought I'd be too chicken."

"Well, tell them you're not." Mikah had come with him, "And get your butts back inside. It's not safe out here right now."

I finally began to pay attention to their tone. They were worried.

"What is it?" I asked, worried myself.

"Just go." Carlisle replied, "And don't come back out here."

"I can't." I replied, "I still have like twelve minutes." With that, I turned on my flashlight, wanting to see them better.

I caught sight of Carlisle first, as he was closest. Mikah next, as he stood just behind Carlisle. I smiled a little, cupping my hand over the light, mostly blocking it as I turned and sat back down.

"Fine." Mikah said, "Ten minutes, then you go in."

"I promise." I replied, watching as Mikah crouched, looking at me closer.

"You're sure a sight for sore eyes, princess, I must admit." He smiled a little in the dim light. I thought the same thing, but it puzzled me. He acted like he hadn't seen me since I left.

"Haven't you been around?" I frowned a little.

"No." He replied, "We've all been a bit busy elsewhere."

"Wait." I sat up straighter, "I saw Emmett. The first night we got here."

He frowned, looking up at Carlisle.

"Are you sure?" Carlisle asked.

"Well, I couldn't really tell that it was him, but I definitely saw someone. It sort if looked like him, so I just thought-"

"Goddammit." Mikah suddenly stood up, "Didn't I tell you, Carlisle? I knew that was just a distraction."

"Keep your voice down." I looked over at Esme's clear voice coming from the right, further in the dark, "They're listening." She stepped closer, leading Rosalie.

"What's going on?" I asked, standing up again.

"Hi, honey." Esme greeted me warmly, accepting my hug easily. She studied me a bit, "Looks like you got a bit of sun." She smoothed my sunburned cheek with the back of her fingers, and though it was a little uncomfortable at first, it felt good almost immediately. Soothing the burning sting of my face.

"We couldn't follow, Carlisle." Rose reported quietly, "It just disappears."

"Where are the others?" Carlisle asked, "If you can, gather them here. Our focus now needs to be on Leandra, and only on Leandra from this point forward." With a nod, Rosalie turned. I stayed hugging Esme, not wanting to let go yet.

"We leave tomorrow." I told him, taking his attention, "To go back. I don't know how long that'll take." I hoped this information helped him. He gave a nod, obviously appreciating that.

"It's so good to see you." Esme told me, and I appreciated that.

"It's good to see you too." I mumbled in reply, though I closed my eyes. Committing this feeling, her hugging me, to memory. She had no idea how much. I missed them intensely, and she had no idea. I'd seen them pretty recently, about a week before this whole trip started, but that was far too long in my opinion.

"Shorty's been cooked." Emmett came through the trees next, and I smiled a little over at him, "Hi, shorty." I couldn't help releasing Esme, only to hug him. I missed him quite a bit.

"It doesn't bother me as much." I replied, referring to my sunburn, "Heather put some stuff on it, and it stopped hurting last night."

"What are you doing out here on your own?" He asked.

"It's a dare." I repeated, "Taylor said I couldn't last out here on my own, and maybe she's right, but I'm not on my own anymore."

"You okay?" He asked me, probably referring to how tightly I hugged onto his side.

"I missed you." I whimpered quietly, closing my eyes again, "A lot."

"Aw, shorty." He replied, smoothing my sore shoulders, "We've missed you too. Probably more than you can imagine." I glanced over as Rosalie returned.

"Hey wait." Emmett chuckled as he picked me up, "You're bigger." I couldn't help laughing a little as well.

"I am eleven now, you know." I replied, "I'm still not as big I should be, though. Taylor is way taller than me."

"She's just weird then." He countered, "You're just fine the way you are." I appreciated that, but he frowned a little, studying me, "What happened?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"You're- Oh." He cut himself off, glancing immediately to Esme, "Uh.." He set me back on my feet, and though I was confused, I allowed that, "She has no idea, does she?"

"Nope." Mikah muttered. He'd been oddly quiet and distant this whole time.

"Well, someone better tell her, or she's got a big surprise coming to her." Emmett replied.

"Tell me what?" I asked, worried, but Esme's smile was comforting as she gently took me aside.

"Happy birthday, shorty." Emmett chuckled.

It was there, off to the side, where Esme quietly reminded me of one specific important moment in growing up that I had clearly forgotten. The first mention of it, though, I slapped my palm to my forehead.

"I completely forgot." I admitted, and she seemed surprised.

"You knew?"

"It happened earlier last time." I replied, "But yeah. I forgot about it, even though Heather reminded me about it a few weeks ago. Don't worry. I won't be scared this time. I know what it is." She seemed relieved. I frowned, though, "Would sitting down just make it worse? I can't leave the trees yet. I still got a few minutes, or they're gonna think I'm scared."

"It's not too bad yet." She assured me, "Just hardly started. Just keep the activity to a minimum until you can get inside and let Heather know to help you out." I nodded, accepting that.

"Sorry." I said as I made it back to the others.

"Don't be sorry." Emmett replied instantly, "You're kidding, right? You don't have a choice in this, shorty. It's a good thing. It means you're growing up." I couldn't help smiling a little at his reply.

I looked over, though, as Alice and Jasper both arrived, and Carlisle seemed to ease his tension a bit.

"Nothing." Jasper reported with a sigh, "This is frustrating." He paused as Jasper looked over at me, "Has anyone-"

"She knows." Esme thankfully replied, "She's aware."

"Then why is she out here on her own?" Jasper asked, "Shouldn't she be in there, uh.."

"It's a dare." I explained, "I have to be out here for a little longer."

"Five minutes." Mikah specified, thankfully. I was glad he was keeping track. I couldn't help being glad, though, that I took this dare. Being able to spend this time with my family really, really helped.

I hugged onto Esme's side again, unable to help it but she didn't seem to mind returning the embrace.

"How's your trip been so far, miss shorty?" Emmett thought to make small talk, making the most of these five minutes.

"How much time do I have?" I asked.

"Four minutes now." Mikah replied quietly.

"It's been okay." I answered, "Too much to talk about right now, but it hasn't been bad."

"Not bad is good in my opinion." Emmett pointed out, "Looking forward to going back?"

"God," I groaned, "No. It sucks so bad being stuffed into the back seat with them for hours." He chuckled, "But I will be glad when we get home. I'm pretty over this travelling thing."

I sensed the difference as everyone fell silent, looking toward the direction I had come.

"Leandra?" I heard Taylor from the yard, "Are you still alive?" They were early. I whined, not wanting to let go of Esme, but I knew I had to.

"Coming." I called louder, hoping that would stall them.

"We'll be around." Esme assured me quietly as I reluctantly let her go.

"I miss you guys so much." I whimpered sadly, "So, so much."

"When you get back, we'll request a few more days with you." Carlisle offered, and I nodded immediately. That worked just fine for me. For some reason, it surprised me that they'd be willing to do that just to make me feel better. This separation was my idea, and my choice. I should be made to feel this lonely, not comforted.

"Okay, princess." Mikah spoke, reminding me, "Go."

I hesitated until he nudged me lightly back toward the house. Turning me at the shoulder, and pointing me in the right direction, "Go on."

I knew better than to ignore his repeated attempts to get me to listen, especially when they were so insistent. The other kids must have been approaching. I started back up the hill, and though it was a little more work getting back up than it was coming down, it wasn't too bad. Especially when compared to the activity of the last few days.

"There." I called quietly ahead of myself as I finally left the trees behind, "Happy? Can we go back inside now? I'm tired." Sure enough, there they were.

"It's my turn now." Taylor said, "I'll go how far you went, and stay for twenty minutes."

"But-Uh-" I tried, but she had already turned. No doubt they knew she was coming. I took comfort in that.

She wasn't in there for longer than two minutes, giving me just enough time to sit down on the grass before she was suddenly hopping out with a squeal. Pale and on the very verge of tears.

"What's wrong?" Zack asked, surprised.

"I heard something in there." She sniffled, looking back at the trees, "I swear, it was a bear or something. It-It growled. Whatever it was, it sounded big." I did what I could to hold back my fit of laughter. Knowing full well who that was.

"I heard that, too." I said instead, standing back up, "It didn't scare me." She gave me a look, "Just don't bother it, and it won't bother you. Go on. Give it another try."

"Um," She replied, "No." She laughed, though, "God, that scared me so bad."

"I'm not going in there if there's a bear in there." Zack laughed nervously, "I think Leandra wins this one." Smug now, I smiled at her. Leave it to Emmett to scare her into giving up much earlier than me.

"If there's a bear," Dax spoke up, "Can we go inside? Please?"

"Yeah." Taylor immediately said, "Let's go back inside." She was only too eager to lead the way back toward the house.

I looked back at the trees, "Thank you." I whispered, smiling a little before following the group. It was very faint, but I clearly heard Emmett's chuckle in the darkness. It made me laugh a little to myself as I jogged to catch up.

I hesitated on the deck, though, the last one to go inside, as I looked back toward the trees once more. Wishing I could see them one more time.

Seeing them filled me with the strongest sense of homesickness I'd ever felt. Choking me up, and forcing me to sniffle back emotion. I missed them more than I thought before, and I wasn't afraid to admit that anymore.

Before anyone could get impatient, I stepped inside and closed the door behind me, locking it.

I made my way to the bathroom, just to check out the situation in there, and found it wasn't bad at all. Just a tiny bit of pinkish blood, but I was glad I had the heads up. I dug around under the sink, finding a pack of small enough pads that I could use, and hoped Taylor wouldn't mind me taking one until I could talk to Heather the next day.

Now uncomfortable, I made my way back into the kid's room, laying down in my nest of blankets. Grateful to be warm now as I settled in to sleep.

A/N: I did mention I was making this chapter longer, didn't I?
I'm sorry this took so long. RL just suddenly got really hectic, and I could only work on this in my very limited spare time. It should start evening out after this weekend, so it shouldn't be as long of a wait next time.
I really hope this chapter makes sense. I'm admittedly a little rusty, but I'm learning how to get back into the swing of things. I hope this chapter was worth your time, as I could use a bit of encouragement at the moment.
THANK YOU! To those that reviewed last chapter! THANK YOU! I can't tell you what those mean to me.
As I mentioned before, chapter four will be on its way as soon as I can possibly get it out to you.
Until four, my friends! :D