Authors Note: I would just like to give a special shout out to 'bonniereads' for giving me positive feedback and enjoying my story. Suspense and conflict are great, I agree. And thanks to everyone else who has taken the time to read this far. I update everyday, sometimes twice a day, and have no plans of not doing so. If you like what you have read so far, please check back daily and I should have a new chapter waiting to be explored. If by chance I do not update, it's probably due to writer's block, but that rarely stops me.

Lizzie pressed her head against the rough carpet in the games closet, trying to

understand what had just transpired with her older siblings. Edwin sat up, slowly

banging his head against the wall.

"Do you think it's been going on this whole time?" Lizzie spoke into the darkness.

"Look at the facts, Lizzie. Have you noticed how they rarely fight anymore?"

"Ah, no. Just this morning, Derek did something to Casey. And last week they were

screaming at eachother so bad that Casey started to fall down the stairs?"

"True, but before he would have let her fall to her death, Derek actually reached out

and caught her, thus causing the screaming to stop."

"So what are you saying?"

"What I have observed is that this 'thing' between them is newly developed," he

paused for a minute. "I think they have been fighting this whole time to keep at bay

what they really feel for one another."

Lizzie shot up and faced her step-brother, though no light lead her line of vision. She

was reduced to gazing in his general direction. "Like sexual tension?"

"Errr," Edwin was stammering, the word 'sexual' throwing him off the 'case.'

"Edwinnnnn?"

"Right, that's exactly what I mean."

Lizzie couldn't believe the weight of what was going on. She had never thought about

the fact Casey and Derek liked eachother, but it had been staring them in the face

this whole time. She just never looked close enough; read between the lines.

"What do we do?" she asked softly. Lizzie needed Edwin to tell her what to do.

"I'll tell you what we do. We do nothing," he said a matter of fact like.

"Nothing? Edwin! How can you say something like that? If we just ignore the fact

that they are together, and it does come out, what will George and Mom think when

they know that we know?"

"First of all, stop bombarding me with questions. And second, they will go back to

hating eachother because what we just witnessed," he got silent. It was three

breaths before he spoke, "was a break-up."

Lizzie released her breath. "They won't go back to the way they were."

"Sure they will."

"No, Edwin, you don't understand. Take it from a girl. Break-ups are awkward

enough without having to see the same person all the time for the rest of your life.

They'll either be trying to get along or they will avoid eachother at all cost."

"You think?"

"I do. The 'rents aren't exactly observant. Take the 'how well do you know your

children?' test I gave them. I should have called a social worker 'cause they stunk so

bad."

"So what you're saying is that we should just keep our mouths shut and Dad and

Nora won't find out?"

Lizzie nodded her head, and then realized Edwin couldn't see her without light.

"Right."

They sat in peace, grasping the enormity of what had just occured in the past

twenty minutes. Abruptly, Lizzie squinted her eyes as Edwin turned on the pull-light

from the ceiling. He ran a hand through his hair and smirked, kind of like Derek did.

Lizzie knew exactly what Derek and Casey were going through. But she had a feeling

this time...it was one sided.