Chapter 2

We put the 'fun' in dysfunctional

Skye's P.O.V

"She probably got killed when she got jumped out."

Well at least she would've been gang-free when she dies."

"Yeah, I didn't like how those Blood Boys looked at her."

"You didn't like how anyone looked at her, Dante."

"I liked how Kyo looked at her-"

"Shut up, Dante. You know not to say his name around us. It hurts too much."

"It's not my fault he got murdered by the Krips. It comes with the territory of being in a gang."

"Still it's painful to think about."

I slammed the newspaper on the table they were gathered around. Rayne bounded down the stairs, slipping and skidding down the stairs, making a thud sound as she did so. I laughed softly, holding out my arms wide open as she tackled me to the ground.

"MOMMA!!!!!!!" She squealed excitedly. She looked at Emmett. "Who's that, Momma?" She asked me, and I smiled.

"That's Emmett. He saved Mommy's life." I picked her up and put her on my shoulders so she was face to face with Emmett. She lunged for him, knocking me off balance and into his chest.

I looked up at them, in awe at how comfortable Rayne looked, squeezing the life out of Emmett's neck. Emmett was holding her gently, so she wouldn't fall. She looked surprised at how Rayne responded to him.

"My name is Rayne." Rayne said, smiling at him.

"Hello Rayne, I'm Emmett."

I smiled, feeling a moment of peace.

"Where the HELL have you been?!"

And now the peace is gone.

I turned towards the wave of rage that would soon be onslaught at me. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm so sorry that I almost died. Next time, I'll be more considerate of how you feel." I said sarcastically. Dante ran a hand through unnaturally white hair, as if I were being the stubborn one.

I looked around, seeing half of my residents not there, I sighed, turning to Emmett, who was still holding Rayne. "Rayne honey, I need too yell." Rayne systematically covered her ears and I limped to the stairs, slapping Dante across the back of the head as I did so. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him holding the back of his head, whimpering.

"What the hell was that for?!"

"For being a douche bag to her. I mean she could have died out there, and you acted like she was doing something horrible-" I cut Rai off by screaming up the stairs.

"Aiden, Kaoru, Hikaru, Dei, Payne, and Zane! Asses down here NOW!" Even As I said it, they were all piling downstairs while the others line up. I turned to see all six of them simultaneously skid across the hardwood floor and to their places in line. I smiled softly to myself. Alphabetical order, just as I taught them to do for role call.

"Sound off." I said confidently, like any other drill sergeant would.

"Aiden!" Aiden called out as he saluted in an overly dramatic way.

"Cloud!" Cloud called out, following suit.

There was a deathly silence that floated over the room, and I turned to glare at Dante. He looked at me, eyes defiant.

"I'm two years older than you! I shouldn't have to be degraded to salting this

ass-" I grabbed a hold of Dante, throwing him against the wall.

"Then bow down, Dante. Or leave this home."

"Kyo would've never made us do this." I tightened my grip of his shirt, pressing him harder against the wall.

"Kyo's dead, and he left this house, and you people, in my hands. If in doing this, helps me cope with being the mother figure to the seventeen of you, then so be it."

"Kyo's dead because of you." Dante spat out, his eyes holding every ounce of hatred I felt for myself. I backed away, dropping him on the floor.

"I know…" I whispered softly, wiping away unshed tears. "And I'm sorry" I stepped away from him and going into the kitchen. I heard Rinn step up and tell Emmett everyone's name, pointing them out as she did so.

"I'm Rinn, and this is, Aiden, Cloud, Dante, Deijinn, Erin, Hikaru, Kaoru, Katana, Kioko, Mizumi, Payne, Rai, Ryo, Sam, Tessa, and Zane. You already know Rayne."

"Nice to meet you all, but if you'll excuse me, I need to see Skye." Emmett said and a few moments later he was leaning against the door frame, eyes boring into mine.

"You can tell me, if you trust me."

"Tell you what?" I asked, burying my head in my hands.

"What happened to Kyo, how you got all of these children… anything you want…" He said softly, sitting at the table across from me. I sighed, shaking my head.

"No…You deserve Answers," I started, taking a deep breath. I continued after a moment. "I was a Blood, and I met Kyo on the way to a Blood meeting. I was shopping for a few things for the guys to snack on. They got high a lot, so they got some major munchies. Rayne was with me, asleep in a car seat in the middle of the cart when Kyo bumped into a stack of cereal boxes, which jostled the car seat, which woke Rayne up, which made that girl scream like a banshee." I said, smiling at the memory.

"He was freaking out, of course, and he just picked Rayne up and started to rub her back soothingly, trying to calm her down. He kept apologizing to me, and I just stood there, dumbstruck, When Rayne had finally fallen back to sleep, he stuck out his hand and said his name was Kyo. I smiled at him and said my name was Skye.

"A little kid came up to him and tugged on his pant leg. The child said 'Daddy, who is this?' He simply smiled and said 'Kioko, this is Skye.' The little girl smiled at me and waved. I waved back, and she looked at Kyo and tugged him down to her level, whispering in his ear and looking at me. I remember him blushing lightly, and saying that a little panda wanted him to ask me to dinner." I grinned. Stopping as Kioko came in and asked me for some juice. I nodded and began when she left. Emmett looked truly intrigued by the story. I smiled sadly as the next part of the story flooded into my mind.

"One day I pissed off the Krips by rocking Blood colors in their territory, then starting a fight with the leader. I don't think they would've cared that I started the fight, if I hadn't have won. When Krips get revenge, they don't hurt you physically; they hurt the ones you love," I felt a tear slide down my cheek, "And Kyo couldn't do anything but stand there and take it." I whispered, my fingers clinging to the tablecloth.

"Did you do anything about it?"

"Of course I did. I went into the Krip's headquarters and pressed a gun to the head honcho's temple, telling him that if I even got so much as a glare from any of my Krips, I would go in there and kill every last one of them. That was three months ago, and I haven't seen any of them since then….except for Rinn and Rai, of course." I mused, running my finger through my hair.

"So, where did all of these kids and teens come from?"

"Where did you come from? Where did I come from?" I said, smirking.

"I meant where did all of they live before they came here, you smartass." He said, chuckling a bit.

"Streets, mostly. Mr. High and Mighty got kicked out of an orphanage when he turned sixteen. He had been in there for six years. Surprise surprise, no one wanted him. Kyo brought him in. Aiden, I found working a corner in tattered cargoes. I kidnapped him, basically. I lured him with food and shelter, telling him that if he got in the car he would get everything he ever needed. He obviously got into the car.

"The twins were the only adopted ones of the bunch. Their fourteen, but probably the most mature of the tenants. Their gay, of course, and Hikaru is dating Cloud. I found Cloud dumpster diving." I grinned. "You wouldn't have thought that was his roots by the way he treats me and everyone around him. He never takes anything for granted. He treats me as his superior, and even though he's a year younger than me, I see him as a big brother."

"But anyways, Koaru is dating Ryo, who's on a five hundred dollar field trip to Washington D.C. We're still recovering from that money, but I'm glad we sent him, and that's what I want to do with all of the other kids, if they want to, and have the chance to. I'm giving them the opportunity to excel, and hopefully leave whenever they get settled down, so I can do the whole thing over again.

"But anyways, Katana was running from an old street vendor when I found her, and I had given the guy ten bucks to leave her alone. She thanked me, and I took her in. She's been here for three weeks, a month tops. Erin was with Sam when I met them. They were in a fight, and losing bad. So I helped them out-"

"How many were there?" Emmett asked, and I snapped out of my reveling for a moment to look at him.

"Twelve or fourteen."

"Did you win?"

"Yes and no…" He looked at me quizzically. I smiled.

"We cheated. Kyo was with me, helping me out. So I don't think of it as a win." I smiled at him. He shook his head, chuckling softly.

"I can't believe you." I cocked my head slightly, giving him a confused look.

"What did I say?"

"Nothing, you just take care of seventeen-"

"Eighteen." I corrected. He smiled.

"Okay, eighteen people, and want nothing in return-" I interrupted him again by laughing.

"I want something from all of them, ranging from good grades to a fraction of the bill payments. I don't ask for much, but I do ask." I said softly, smiling.

"So how many jobs do you work?"

"Five."

"Five jobs?" He said eyes wide in amazement.

"I'm a housecleaner from 8 AM to noon. Then I'm a waitress at New Japan from 12:30 to 4:30, and then I'm a tutor for three kids from 5 to 8. Then from 10 to about four in the morning I'm a night club performer and why are you staring at me like that?" I asked his as I told him my schedule. He shook his head, letting out an exasperated sigh, like just hearing my schedule made him exhausted.

"You do all that with only four hours of sleep?" I chuckled, shaking my head.

"Two hours on most days, others I can sleep in until 11:30 in the morning if I don't have any house calls. But that usually only happens on Sundays. Sundays are the time I hang out with all the kids. The only job I run on is my new Japan job, and that's from 12:30 to 6."

"So...during the week you don't see them?"

"No, I usually read to Rayne when I get home, then I take a shower, get my hair and make up done my team of crack beauticians, then I head to Yami Ai for my night job." I smiled, glancing at the clock. I had to get going soon, or I'd be late.

"Wait…what day is it?"

"It's Friday, why?" He said as my eyes widened.

"I need to get to Shawn's house in 15 minutes."

"Student?" He asked, and I nodded.

"Yeah, 10th grader. Has some trouble with math." I smiled sadly, remembering that I should technically be in 11th grade now.

"So wait, how old are you?"

"I'm seventeen, with a college degree." He did that wide eyed amazed stare again, and I just chuckled.

"Wh…how??"

"Online courses. Finished high school in two years, and finished college last month." I smiled slightly. "Bachelor's degree in general mathematics, along with a degree in music." I said, getting up and going to the living room, snatching the hairbrush from Rinn and a hair tie from Rai. I hurriedly brushed my hair and put it up, grabbing my shoes and limping down the hallway, stopping and staring at my reflection in the mirror. A cut lip, bruised cheek, cut eye. My hairline was purplish, and my chin had a few nicks on it. I sighed, knowing that in a few hours they wouldn't be there. I peeked my head back into the kitchen, grabbing the attention of Emmett.

"Come on, we're walking to Shawn's." I said to him, and he fluidly got up and walked to my side.

"Why not take the car?" He asked and I gave him that 'why must you ask so many questions?' look.

"He's only a block away." I said to him, walking to the door. I opened the door, turning toward everyone.

"If someone knocks on the door, what do we do?"

"Open the door with a baseball bat in hand. We know, we know." They said, and I smirked, walking out the door and turning the corner, walking down the street. Emmett kept up easily, and I felt his eyes boring down on me.

"What?"

"You never cease to amaze me." I arched an eyebrow, giving him that 'what in the HELL are you talking about' look.

"What have I done to absolutely amaze you?"

"Everything." I rolled my eyes.

"Well that tells me a lot."

"Well it's true."

"Suggokkuo bakabakashii." I mumbled, shaking my head at how cliché that sounded. He smirked, wrapping his arm around my shoulder, which I leaned into absentmindedly. I turned left and shrugged away from Emmett, going through a group of Krips who kept most of their eyes downcast, while one just stared at me. I kept my eyes level with his, showing I wasn't afraid of him. Emmett gently grabbed my arm.

"Leave him be."

"I have every intentions of doing that. He knows the rules."

"Silver! Back off. She'll kill us all, and have a smile on her face the whole time." One of the older Krips said to him, and he scoffed pulling his gun and aiming it in my face. I sighed in irritation.

"Not so tough now, are you?" He said, pressing the gun to my forehead. I grabbed the gun and stuck the barrel in my mouth. My eyes taunted him, daring him to do it. His eyes widened, and he stepped back. "Y…You're crazy!" I pulled the gun out of my mouth, aiming it at him. I smiled.

"Maybe. Now leave." I said, waving the gun at all of them. They turned and ran, cursing Silver out.

I began walking again, stopping at an apartment complex and buzzed up in. We went up two flights of stairs, and I knocked on door 4. The door opened after a moment, and I was attacked by a 6 foot blob.

"Skye!"

"Hi Shawn. In pain." I managed out and he jumped up, laughing in embarrassment.

"I'm just so glad you're alive!"

"If not, Shawn would be failing math." Shawn's mother chimed in.

"Plus we couldn't hear you sing! We love to hear you sing!" Shawn exclaimed, dragging me into the house. He looked at Emmett, as if just now noticing him, and let him in. He stuck his hand out and Emmett took it.

"I'm Emmett."

"Please make yourself at home. Any friend of Skye's is a friend of ours. As long as he's not in a gang." Mrs. Kaire said, smiling sweetly at him. He smiled back, making her stare for longer than necessary. I slapped him playfully as she left.

"What did I do?"

"You're dazzling her. The poor woman's probably in the kitchen, thinking she's a pervert I scolded, and he smirked.

"Do I dazzle you?"

"Quite often, actually." I admitted, smiling shyly.

"Skye! Please sing for us" Shawn asked, almost begging me.

"Will it make you shut up if I do?" I asked him, and he nodded excitedly. I sighed. Closing my eyes and tapping my foot softly, the rhythm forming in my mind.

Just one more moment
That's all that's needed
Like wounded soldiers
In need of feeling

Time to be honest
This time I'm pleading
Please don't dwell on it
'Cause I didn't mean it

I can't believe I said
I'd lay my love on the ground
But it doesn't matter
'Cause I made it up
Forgive me now

Everyday I spent away
My soul's inside out
Gotta be someway
That I can make it up
To you now some how

Emmett's

Honestly, if I had a beating heart, it would have stopped right then and there, her voice was amazing.

"By now you know that." I joined in, doing harmony.

I'd come for you
No one but you
Yes, I'd come for you
But only if you told me to

I'd fight for you
I'd lie, it's true
Give my life for you
You know I'd always come for you

"You know Skye, your talents could get you somewhere farther than a night club." Shawn's mom said, staring at her from the couch. Skye just sighed rubbing her temples.

"You've told me that before, and although I could do some better things than a night club, those 'better things' won't pay the bills due next month." Skye said exasperatedly, and it made my heart strings tug. I couldn't remember the last time we had ever been that way.

"So, where's that homework, Shawn?"