Dedicated to my friend, Mogurt (another nickname). I hope you enjoy this little cuteness (but don't get used to it with Orc in this story, dearie). C:

Chapter 10

I felt warm, so very warm. Something soft was wrapped around my torso and I was leaning against something that was slowly rising… and then slowly falling… slowly rising… and the cycle just kept repeating. I felt safe, protected. I kept my eyes closed as I snuggled closer to whatever I was being held by. That something moved as I did, the thing wrapped around me, shuffling and rewrapping again, more comfortable. In a drowsy trace, I picked up my hand and began to rub my eyes. Noooo… I moaned mentally. Not just yet… You're warm, can't you tell? This feels good… You're cozy and safe… you're happy… stay happy…

But my maternal voice piped up, kicking my teenager whiny voice's ass. They need you. Get up. You can be happy and cozy some other time; right now you need to scrounge some breakfast together. Besides, you have a guest. Remember? Maye Hawkins. Now get up. Get up now. My eyes slowly opened, hesitant and unsure, but nonetheless opened. Everything was blurry, nothing but a bunch of colorful fuzz that sure wasn't helped by my grogginess. Well, it was my grogginess, but- aw, hell with it, I just woke up…

Rubbing my eyes some more, things became clearer and clearer. I was in the living room on the couch. Pete was sleeping, sitting strangely upright on the floor against the side of the loveseat, her head tossed back and her hair touching my feet. Howard was sprawled out, his abdomen over her legs and his face into the floor. I saw Maye's feet poking out from under the coffee table (weird…) and Savannah's curled up figure as she breathed in and out loudly. Andrea and Odette were leaning on one another, both sharing a small purple blanket and rainbow striped pillow. I smiled when I noticed Odette drooling onto Andrea's pillow (well, it was rightfully hers). Lavender was on the floor, one arm around Delilah and the other under her face, her free hand cupping her pale cheek. It was a sweet sight; until a loud snoring made me turn my head away.

Orc was snoring at full volume, his head thrown back and mouth open wide. A little drool had dried on the corner of his lip; but what had really got me, was when I noticed his arm. It was coiled around my waist. I was over top of him, my face against his chest and my legs falling off to the side of the couch. I was so close to him; too close. I felt my face burn with embarrassment and I began to scramble off of him. Too my horror, his tight, strong grip held firm. I stopped struggling and felt myself being pulled even closer.

Aw crap, I thought miserably as he pulled me up so close to his face, I could feel the heat of his breath on my cheeks. Frowning and sticking my tongue out, I noticed he hadn't brushed his teeth in a long time. I heard someone getting up, stretching.

"Nonononononononono!" I whispered to myself, praying that whoever it was would decide to go back to sleep. I would not let anyone see me like this.

Well, just my luck, I heard steps coming my way. But they sounded different, stranger. Furrowing my brows, I wondered why anyone would be crawling. Yes, that's what it sounded like; someone crawling. Whoever it was had stopped behind me, I could feel something cold and wet touching my back, which was exposed due to my shirt being crumpled up to my tummy (if I looked down straight enough from the angle I was at, I could see my bruise on my stomach). Finally, a tongue licked my back and sent shivers down my spine, only until I realized who it was. "Delilah!" I begged my dog. "Stop! C'mon girl, stop it! Help me out!" I kept my voice down, for the last thing I wanted was for anyone –especially Orc- to wake up. But, alas, as smart a dog Delilah was, she was not a genius; there was no way she would call 911 if I was unconscious and then give me CPR until help arrived. She just knew how to spell 'walk' and 'bone'.

Then again, it never hurt to hope. "C'mon girlie, help me out!" I moaned as Delilah kept licking my back, trying to be affectionate and get her master to pet her. A little bulb seemed to click in my brain as I said, "I'll give you a bone!" I whispered as loudly as a whisper could go. "Deliwannabone? Deliwannabone?"

Sayings like these (rushed words put together really…) were usual when I talked to my dog, such as 'Deliwannagoout?' or 'Deliwannabewwyrub?' And, as usual, they worked well. I felt Delilah's tongue cease licking and the familiar thwap, thwap, thwap of her tail hitting the couch's side. I knew that her German-Shepherd-like ears were up and her intelligent, eager eyes were sparkling. 'Bone?' She must've thought. 'I like bones! She likes giving me bones! I gotta do something good! Good! Good!' Curse me and my over-imaginative mind…

I sighed out of relief, for the licking was starting to tickle. But my sigh was not unheard. To my (second time) horror, Orc's face scrunched up with distaste. His eyes began to open, slowly. He seemed even slower than usual, staring at me through half-lidded eyes and a dulled expression. Using his free hand, he wiped away the dried drool from his cheek. Yawning loudly, he then asked, "Evveee?" His voice was slurred due to being so sleepy.

Biting my lip, I muttered, "Damn… so close…" Orc's brows furrowed as he tried to figure out what the problem was; an absolute feat that would take forever and by the time he figured it out, everyone would have woken up and will have already finished their day. Well, an overstatement, but it seemed like forever until he noticed how close we were.

I saw his eyes follow his arm. "What the hell…?" He grumbled in his low voice, and I couldn't help but notice that when he talked, his chest seemed to rumble. I felt my cheeks warm again. His eyes rested on where his hand tightly grasped my side. Holding back a huff, I waited until Mr. Caveman understood why I was getting so fluster- I mean, embarrassed. I looked up to see Orc looking down at me. Our eyes meet and I couldn't help but see something flicker in his copper orbs. Was that… was that one of those warm and fuzzy looks?

His face was suddenly distorted with disgust. "Your breath smells." Nope, not warm and fuzzy.

Frowning, I retorted, "Yeah, well, your breath doesn't smell like roses either, Princess Snores-Like-A-Yeti."

He scowled at me and I felt his hand tighten around my side. I winced and hissed, "That hurt!" Orc smiled a cruel smile and dug his dirty nails even harder into my flesh. Biting my lip, I felt his fingers press against part of the bruise. I held back a pain-filled moan and put every ounce of the anguish in my eyes as I glared at him. "Orc…" I whispered, my voice getting softer with every word. "Let… me… go…"

He frowned, confused; he was like a dog, big and dumb, trying to be funny, trying to be playful. Well, dogs sometimes go too far. Orc's eyes rested on his paw of a hand once more when I put my hand over his, trying to get him off. "You're on my bruise…" I finally whimpered gently. It took him a second for his eyes to widen and his hand to come flying off of my waist.

He didn't say a word when I put a hand over my abdomen and curled up in a little ball. I groaned and took a few deep breaths through clenched teeth. He didn't say a word when I looked up at him. Realizing he wasn't about to say anything at all, I frowned at him and rolled over, only to fall off the couch. My feet hit Howard's head and his face got more intimate with the carpet than he had really wanted. He howled with pain, holding his sore nose. Pete jumped a foot in the air, awakened by Howard's cry. Delilah began to race around the room, excited. The eager pup accidentally trampled Savannah, who woke in a fit of annoyance and hit the coffee table. I heard Maye's startled (and shrill) scream in response to her little shelter moving on her. Just as Maye shrieked, Odette woke to find turmoil and Delilah running right into her. Odette yelled out in alarm, which caused Andrea to wake up and scream. Well, when Lavender woke up to find the entire room in hell, and everyone shrieking, why not she join along?

I put my face in my hands, so wanting to scream in absolute annoyance. That wouldn't help the situation, though.

I can't deal with this right now…

Yes you can; you have to!

But I don't wanna…

You don't have a choice.

I'm not a mother!

That was before the FAYZ; you're one now.

But I don't like it! I'm only fourteen!

Does that matter anymore? Is age really relevant? Mary is caring for children, younger and in much more need of attention than your family; and there are much more of them to take care of.

…

"… …Eve…?" I looked up to find the others had stopped shouting; even Delilah had stopped bouncing about. Andrea was looking at me curiously, asking, "…Are you alright…?"

Taking a deep breath, I nodded. "I'm fine." I answered, lying boldly through my teeth. "My head just hurts…"

Andrea nodded. "Do you want some Ibuprofen?" She asked me softly, as though her voice was the cause of my throbbing head. That part I didn't lie about.

"No." I shook my head and stood up, running my fingers through my tangled red locks. I felt my fingers get intertwined with the curls; I had to pull my fingers out, ripping a few stray hairs out by accident. "I'll be fine. Maye?"

She looked over at me. "Yeah?" She asked, a little cautious.

"You wanted to move into a house near the plaza, right?"

"Well, yeah."

"Then that's what we're doing today, if you want. We could collect food from that other house you were staying in, bring it to another house closer to the plaza, and get you settled in. Sound right?"

There were nods of heads and hums in agreement; all except for two. "You ain't gonna tell me what to do." Orc grunted from the couch, where he not even moved yet. Howard nodded, agreeing like the little shadow he was.

"Yeah! You don't tell us what to do!" Howard argued.

I felt my cheeks flare. "…Shut up, Howard…" I warned him.

"Hey, I'm just sayin'!" He folded his arms across his chest and raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think that you call the shots, girl?" Great, now I'm back to 'girl'.

I knew this would happen. I was the eldest of the girls, and they respected me for my intellect and personality. Even though I want to –due to maternal instinct and protectiveness- I couldn't control them and order them around. I was merely an adviser, bringing up points and ideas to share; it was their choice to follow or pave their own way. But, the two young men who had joined in our little family were a different story; they were older and stronger. They had the upper hand and they did not respect me as the others did. If they could, they could easily team up against any of us and have their decision rule. I couldn't allow it. If I let them win today, they'd always think they'd be able to win me over.

"I'm not calling the shots, Howard-" I started and Lavender cut me off.

"Eve knows best!" She told him and I felt myself break into a cold sweat. "That's why she's the leader."

Savannah snorted. "No way, Lav. No way in hell Eve could boss me around."

Lavender frowned. "Then how come she's the one who washes the clothes and dishes? Folds laundry and tucks me in for bed?"

Savannah had nothing to say after that; she turned away, avoiding the little girl's strangely tight gaze. An uncomfortable silence settled in and we all began to look around, evading eye contact and sifting through our own thoughts. Pete was looking at her sister with a small frown, as though she was blaming her as the cause of the uneasiness. Andrea and Savannah seemed to be having an argument through their glares, like expressions were as sharp as pointed, cutting words. Odette looked worriedly between me and the boys. Howard's stance was strong with his arms folded over his scrawny chest and legs, shoulder length apart. But his eyes were uncertain, he would only fight for Orc's side until it was best to backtrack and go to the other side, tail in between his legs and pride left behind. Orc kept his gaze on me, unusually firm and rigid.

Maye looked over at me and I decided to end the silence. "That's enough." I said, my voice sharper and louder than I had hoped it would be. "I'm going upstairs. I'm going to get dressed and ready for the day. And I'm going to help Maye get her house." Looking around with softer eyes, I said, "And if you want to come and help, that's your choice." My gaze ended on Howard and Orc. "Okay?"

Howard eyed me warily and I hissed, "This is in no way to be confused with an order. Do whatever the hell you please for all I give a damn." Pete covered Lavender's ears, but didn't give me a disapproving look; she was beginning to learn that the language was something she couldn't hide anymore. But what Pete did do was look over at Howard with an expression of hurt.

"Howard…" Her voice told me that she was going to use reason. "She's not calling the shots. You know Eve, she's got a good head screwed on her neck; she wouldn't do that."

He gave her a look. "She's been callin' shots! Ain't right!"

"We. Are. A. Family." I enunciated, walking closer and closer to him. I didn't use anger behind my voice, but the other's emotions. "I'm never going to replace a mother." That hit everyone. Lavender sniffled and Pete wrapped her arms around her neck, a casual hug. I gazed into Howard's dark eyes; they looked a little moist from the word 'mother'. "But I sure as hell can try my best to put food on the table, clothes on your backs, a roof over your heads, and maybe patch-up a few boo boos for you." Howard gulped and I stepped back. "Can I not do that?"

Everyone seemed to hold their breath; I had crossed the line no one had ever wanted to cross. Savannah and I knew never to breathe a word about family with everyone else. It would get messy because they missed them dearly. Everyone else knew never to breathe a word about our family; our family was a whole different mess. Last person who talked about my family was a kid back at my old town, at my school. I had punched his nose in until it was black (far past blue) and you could no longer recognize where the blood began or ended. After that, no one ever said anything about my family unless it was about Savannah, me, or my pets; and that was that.

Howard was silent a moment, and then said quietly, "No…"

I softened my voice. "No, can I? No, can't-"

"You can…" He interrupted, looking embarrassed about saying it. I nodded, taking the words in.

"Thank you." I said at last, turning away. "You guys can go eat if you want; I'm not hungry this morning." They all gave me looks, but I ignored them. "I'm going upstairs."

To prove my point, I began to go up the staircase, my hand on the railing, sliding up as I tip-toed upwards. I avoided their firm stares by looking straight ahead. Once out of view, I leaned against the wall and took a few deep breaths. My mind seemed to spin with different thoughts, raging, fighting to dominate. I didn't know how I felt; I was mad, relived, frustrated, calm, angered… it was like a tornado of emotions, all whirling around me until I got sucked up into it all. I grabbed onto the railing again, feeling dizzy.

My eyes widened as I heard a pair of footsteps getting closer; I bolted for my grandmother's room. Closing the door quickly behind me, I locked it. The footsteps were coming up the stairs, the squeaks and creaks were familiar. Letting go of a breath I didn't even know I was holding, I walked across the room over to my grandmother's closet.

Opening the door, I smiled at the wide range of colors; yellows, blues, reds, and quite a bit of purples. Some greens and oranges were thrown in, too; but no pinks. Pinks didn't look good on me, being a redhead. No, I knew when the color had to stop. My hair was vibrant enough as is. Pinks would just melt the face off of anyone and blind them mercilessly. I could hear the footsteps end in front of my door. There was no knock.

I grabbed a sundress; it was a bright blue, light and soft. I slid out of my pjs and garments, letting them fall to the ground, and slipped into the dress only to find that it was far too short. It fell quite a distance from my fingertips. I shuddered at the thought of walking out wearing such a thing. Grabbing a pair of white Bermudas, I slipped them on, zipped quickly and stood in front of my grandmother's mirror. I nodded, taking it in. Not bad… could use a little sumthin'-sumthin' though…

Looking around the room, I saw a ribbon tied to the bed's bedpost. I had tied it there because the posts were white and bland; the ribbon was a deep cobalt blue and it brightened the bedposts up a bit. I untied it and flipped my hair over, retying it around my head as a really small bandana. I stood up straight and looked into the mirror once more. Well, acceptable. Do something about those teeth and your face. How long has it been since you've brushed and cleaned? I frowned and walked over to the door, about to grab the knob.

There was a shuffling and I stopped. I heard some breathing if I listened closely and held my own breath for a few seconds. The person outside seemed hesitant; they leaned close to the thin door, as if going to say something, and then they turn away, as though changing their mind. Getting fed up with waiting, I touched the handle and turned it. I heard the person freeze and then bolt. I waited a few seconds and then came out. The person was gone.

After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I jogged down the stairs, sporting my old tennis shoes, which used to be white until I had painted smiley faces and splattered numerous colors. The girls were totally ready, dressed and full and chattering away like hens in the early noon. I looked around and saw that neither of the boys were there. Smiling back a frown, I asked, "Where's Orc and Howard?"

Andrea answered that. "They just ambled out of our abode. I'm deducing that the two had departed to find some mischief to engage in."

Maye snorted. "Yeah, most likely; didn't any of you guys see the looks they were giving Eve? Geez, just cause Eve's pretty in charge doesn't mean their manly pride had to be destroyed…"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not in charge; they're being ridiculous."

Maye raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh, and I'm Michael Jackson reincarnated."

"THRILL-AHHHH!" Odette began to dance, making Maye giggle. Pete put a hand on my shoulder, giving me a reassuring look.

"Don't worry 'bout them, Eve… they'll get used to us." She said. I don't want them to get used to us. I hardly want them here at all. I nodded at Pete all the same.

"Well…" I began, grabbing a satchel I had made when I was younger. "Shall we?"

"Don't do this to us, Eve." Maye clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "Quit changing the subject."

"Yeah, we will disregard your observable endeavors to struggle to alter the issue at hand for the time being because you're expressing great stress and frustration." Andrea gave me a disapproving look and Odette frowned at her.

"That would have been a helluva lot more helpful for me to understand if it was in ENGLISH NEXT TIME." Odette emphasized. Andrea rolled her eyes.

"I was articulating in Engli-"

"NO!" Odette slapped her on the arm, giggling. "No more big words! All words under four letters!"

Andrea laughed, and counted on her fingers. "Okay!"

By the time they had finished their argument, I was already outside and hoping the fence (in case you didn't know, you could hear them easily; we're just that loud). I waited to hear the sounds of annoyed huffs, a few murmurs of disapproval, crunches of grass underfoot, and the final click of a locked door. I smiled to myself, proud to listen to the melody of my guessing. It always pleases me how I'm often right; another reason why I'm tempted to reach for the 'leader' position in the family.

I caught up with Lavender and walked next to her. She offered me a small smile, and then looked ahead, humming to herself once more. I did the same, and we enjoyed the peaceful droning as we strolled idly down Alameda.

We soon reached the plaza, quiet and as sullen-looking as ever. Children were just walking across the large area, as though it was any other day. It'll never be the same to them; they didn't know how to handle the disaster. I nodded to myself sadly and took Lavender's hand as I did the other afternoon.

My mind then changed, a teenage voice purring in my ear. I wonder if Edilio is here… I couldn't help but blush, remembering his cool fingertips pushing the blonde locks from my warm cheeks, and the dazzling, tingling sensation that went up my spine when he smiled. I looked around the plaza casually, because there'd be no reason for me to be looking for someone, right? Right. I wasn't looking for Edilio; of course not.

The parade of girls soon caught up with us and looked over the almost empty plaza with a look on their faces; one that looked as though they had tasted something bitter. Savannah murmured, "This place looks emptier than the inside of yer skull, Odette…"

Odette frowned at her. "Aw, shuddup! We all know it's like your old beau! Dull and vacant!" The others giggled as Savannah steamed a bit. Can't say I didn't blame her, but then again, I didn't blame Odette either. It was true; her old boyfriend was so dumb, a candy necklace and a broom got a higher status on an IQ test than he did. It's true, I was there; I saw it happen.

There was noise over at the day care as Mary stumbled out, rubbing her temples with a frown on her face. I pursed my lips and frowned, pitying the job as a young mother, and said to the girls, "I'll be a minute, okay? You guys get started on finding Maye a place."

Pete nodded and said, "Okay, where you goin'?"

"I'm gonna talk to Mary for a little bit; I want to see if there are any more rumors we would like to hear about." I said, eyeing kids and wondering to myself what their minds could have come up with (conspiracy theories?).

They all nodded in understanding, and as Lavender took her sister's hand, they walked away. I was left alone and my own footsteps made my cheeks warm, for they sounded loud and rang out compared to the others'. Mary looked over at me and smiled wearily. I waved and she waved back, cringing from what seemed like a massive headache. I jogged over to her, worried. "Oh, Mary, are you okay…? You like you're in pain, honey…"

"I'm fine, I'm fine…" She murmured, waving off my concern. I frowned when she took a deep breath, muttering something about grabbing a coffee in a little bit. "So, what brings you here?" Mary asked, quickly glancing back into the day care to see if any trouble stirred up; the fact that she turned back to me led me to assume nothing was wrong.

"Oh, nothin'…" I said, reaching into my satchel and grabbing an apple. I put it in her hand and smiled. "I came down to the plaza to help out a friend of mine get a house to stay in, but we've got plenty of helpers so I thought I'd catch up on stuff with my friend Mary."

She looked at the apple and gave me a thankful smile. I noted that she didn't eat it. "Thanks Eve, but there's nothing much going on." As if on cue, a shrill scream came from in the day care. And as though I could read her mind, I watched her begin to groan, think better of it, and run in. John pointed to a crib, where in which laid the tiny screaming child.

Mary began to go over to it, but I was faster. I jogged over and looked in before picking the babe. It was small, no older than a year or so, and had wispy golden hair. Its eyes were tightly closed and its face was a blotchy red. I felt my face soften as I cooed, "No, no… it's alright, dearie, it's alright…"

I picked up the child with care, gently holding it and whispering, "Don't cry now, sugar, everything's fine…" Walking around, I kept bouncing lightly, as though it could feel a happy light step and stop wailing. It began to hiccup and I felt the hot tears touch my neck. I patted its little back and hummed, "You're safe… you're warm… Everything's right with the world…"

Mary watched as I cradled the babe in my arms. I smiled at her, and then down at the baby, who was now only sniffling, staring up at me with dark chocolate eyes. The babe reached up at me, gurgling, and grasped a lock of my hair. I took a finger of mine and gently rubbed underneath its chin. The babe giggled and started to nibble on my hair. I cooed, "That's right… that's right… You must be hungry…"

I looked up to Mary, asking, "Do you have any formula?"

She nodded and smiled, "Yes, yes! Hold on!"

She didn't have to tell me twice; I loved the feeling of the baby in my arms, so small, so sweet. I laughed softly when it furrowed its little brows when my curl sprang back up and escaped their teeny hands. I paced the floors again, bouncing with every step; the baby was curious, their big eyes staring at me. I used my free hand and stroked its short, wispy baby hair and smiled when it leaned into my hand. Mary came back and looked between the two of us. She smiled softly. "You're good with kids…" She told me, bottle in hand.

I nodded. "Thanks; I've always wanted kids…"

Mary nodded and asked, "Did you want to feed her?"

"Her? So this cute little babe is a girl?" I smiled and rubbed under her chin again; it made her gurgle and smile.

"Her name's Shea." Mary said, handing me the bottle; it was warm, not hot, but just warm enough.

I smiled at the baby and cooed, "Shea's a beautiful name for a beautiful dearie…" Mary laughed softly, as though being loud would make the crying start up all over again. I bit my lip. "I wonder who her mother was…"

Mary's smile slowly faded. "She was herein the day care before the poof; I don't know."

I bit my lip harder and tried to smile; the baby could sense the sadness and was looking up at me, now reaching for my face. I bent my head over and it touched my freckled cheek. It smiled and giggled loudly, poking my face and stroking over my cheeks. "Well, you're doing an amazing job, Mary. And if you ever need a mother…" I looked up at her, still keeping my face low for the babe's entertainment. "You know where to get me."

Mary nodded and before the bottle could touch the baby's eager lips, a CRASH rang out in the plaza. We all whirled around, even the children; I held the baby tighter. I saw two faces looking into the day care, and they were both familiar. Howard had fallen outside of the window from looking in. Orc was staring at the child in my arms. There was a sudden shouting and before I could say anything in protest, Mary took Shea out of my arms; they felt colder now. I ran out of the day care and heard people yelling, "It's them! Look, it's Howard and Orc!"

I was suddenly in a crowd, getting shoved and pushed. There was a center, of which were our two refugees. Kids were yelling at them, screaming. They were angry, not furious with white hot rage, but angry enough to be causing a commotion. Howard and Orc were backing up, and in Orc's eyes, I saw the fury burning and building; he wanted to fight, and wanted to badly. My heart raced. Stop them! Stop them! The mob's going to hurt them! Save them! Save them!

No! Then everyone else will piece two and two together, they'll figure out that you're friends! They'll know where they've been!

But you're not friends with those two. They're just staying at your grandmother's house.

And what would happen if these kids found out that? You would be in the center of that mob! You would be the one yelled at, cursed at! Do you want to drag the others into it, too? Because that is what would happen.

I closed my eyes, trying to block out all the yelling and angry faces. A hand grasped my shoulder and I turned to see Savannah, whose face was pale and her mouth in a thin line. We knew what the other was thinking and I ran with her to an alleyway, where children couldn't see us. I held onto her shoulders as we hid. "Where is everyone?" I asked in a hushed voice. My eyes were wide and boring into her, and she squirmed.

"They're fine." Her eyes slid over to the crowd. "We figured we needed to keep a low profile; they're out there in the crowd, pretending to yell. No one would figure it out."

I nodded, biting my lower lip; Savannah did the same. It was just another family trait we both inherited. I loosened my grip on her and then looked over at Howard and Orc. Howard was looking through the crowds, searching for a face. Orc's fists were clenching and relaxing and his lips were in that almost ever present scowl. Savannah whispered, "What are we going to do…?"

An idea popped into my head and I looked at her, a smile coming on my face. "Do you remember May 15th, two years ago?"

Though that date may not stick out to you people, Savannah would remember it perfectly. She nodded and frowned, "Is that the best idea you can come up with?"

"Yeah, sorta."

"…bitch…"

"I know what you are, but what am I?"

"Ugh!"

"C'mon," I urged her, grabbing her arm and pulling her out with me, closer to the crowd. Kids were still yelling and screaming. I guess I would just have to yell and scream louder. Savannah stood across from me, took a deep breath, gave me a wink, and began.

"YOU PUSHED ME!" Savannah shrieked. I had to admit, the girl had a good pair of lungs. Kids in the outer rim of the crowd turned around and watched as the scene unraveled. I held back a smirk. Perfect…

"No, I didn't!" I snorted, giving her a scowl. "You were in my way, loser."

Savannah brought her shoulders up to her ears and clenched her fists. "Whacha call me? Loser? Take a look in the mirror if really want to see a loser!"

I rolled my eyes and yelled, "Oh, really? And will I see your ugly face?"

There were 'oohh!'s and chuckles. More kids turned around to see what was becoming of this and I saw Savannah bite her lower lip; I to stop myself from biting mine. I wouldn't allow anyone to see the relation. Savannah scowled at me. "You think you can take me on?"

I laughed loudly and gave her a mean smile. "With my hand tied behind my back, shorty." I loved to tease her about her height. She frowned at me, for real this time. I smirked and stuck my tongue out, taunting her. She let loose a yell and came charging at me. The wind was blown out of me as she swept me off my feet and sent me flying. I landed a few feet away, skidding on my butt until I hit a kid's legs. They fell over and shoved me off of them. I ignored the peeved boy and got up, glaring at my sister. "So that's how we're doing this, huh?" I asked, pulling my ponytail up tighter. Smiling, I added, "Bring it on."

Savannah came running at me once more, but this time I was ready. I grabbed her arms and swung her around, using her own force against her. She tripped and almost face-planted. I ran over to her, grasping her arms and twisting them behind her back and pushing her chest into the dirt. Savannah kicked and thrashed. I looked up to see everyone's attention on us. Good, I thought. That's what we want.

I looked back down and was shocked to feel Savannah flipping over. I was the one on the ground now, writhing like a worm under a hawk's glare. Savannah pushed my face into the dirt and I inhaled before I could think; I began to choke. With a swift kick, I managed to get her off of my back. Savannah rolled on the ground and stayed there a moment, stunned. I sat on the ground, coughing and gagging. Spitting out saliva and dust, I began to get up; I was too slow. Savannah had already gotten up and she was running at me full speed. Once again, I was knocked off my feet. I fell back on yet another kid, but this time, hands held me firmly. I looked up to see familiar chocolate brown eyes and I felt my cheeks flush; Edilio.

My jaw fell and I sat there, his arms grasping mine and holding me, like an idiot. I felt dumber than Savannah's ex-boyfriend (and that's really stupid). He was frowning and it made me shrink back. Kids who were egging us on were now silent; Sam stepped in. He, too, was giving everyone a scowl. A pretty blonde girl looked between me and Savannah, giving us an expression of dislike. I gave the same look right back.

"Alright, get out of here! Nothing to see!" Sam yelled, looking around and waving his hands as though to shoo them away. Kids were muttering under their breath and frowning, but they did as he said and began to leave. I noted that I could see neither Orc nor Howard anywhere. It was a physical relief. I began to move, but Edilio held tight to my arms. Sam turned to me and furrowed his brows. "And what was that?"

I looked away from his glare. "…We were fighting…" I said, as if it were not obvious enough.

"And who is she?" He pressed on.

"…my sister, Savannah…."

He slapped his hand to his face and let it slide off, groaning. "Unbelievable… now there are family feuds to deal with…" He muttered under his breath. Then, after a deep breath, he said, "Forget it. I'm not in the mood to deal with this…"

"But, Sam-" The blonde was cut off.

"They can handle whatever on their own, Astrid. I've got more important things to do." Sam was walking off already, not even a glance around. Astrid threw me and Savannah dirty looks and then ran to catch up with the brooding boy. I felt Edilio's arms slip from mine and I turned around to him. He wasn't frowning anymore, but he looked disappointed. I avoided his let down gaze as I whispered, "Edilio… I-"

"Why would you fight with your own sister like that?" He asked.

"It wasn't for real, we were just messin' around!" I pleaded. He raised an eyebrow.

"Messin' around?"

I rubbed my arm. "Well… yeah, pretty much…"

"I'd hate to see when you get mad."

"Yeah, if you thought that was rough, you really don't."

It was silent a few seconds. He was staring at me intently, as though I would disappear from his sight any moment or that his gaze would will me to look up at him; the spotlight made my cheeks turn rosy.

"Listen, I've got to go." Edilio started, looking over where Sam and Astrid had gone. "Sam's mad and someone's gotta be there to tell him when he's finally gotta take a break. If not Astrid, well, that's me."

I nodded, still looking at the ground. I felt him touch my arm and I looked up at him with surprise. In his eyes was concern, which shocked me even more. "Don't hurt yourself, okay? You worry me…" I felt my cheeks burn. "See ya later, Eve."

He walked away, jogging to catch up with the other two. I watched him run and touched my arm where his hand had held it so tenderly. Savannah came over to me and said, "Well, he was a cutie."

"Shut up." I punched her in the arm, but it seemed to have no effect; in fact, it seemed to have fueled her taunting. She smirked and made kissy noises, much to my dismay. "Shut up!" I shrieked.

Savannah rolled her eyes and said, "Let's just head home. I'm beat…"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Listen; let's go home two different ways so no one can figure out where we live. I don't trust these guys…" Savannah nodded and began to take the shorter route home. I decided not to argue and just let her.

It was getting dark when I began to head home, wanting to give Savannah some time ahead of me. Walking past an alleyway, I rubbed my eyes, tired and beaten from the long day. Suddenly, two strong hands gripped my arms and pulled me into the darkness. I was about to shriek when one of the hands clamped down onto my mouth. There was a low chuckle and then the heat of someone's breath burned my cheeks. I could feel the steaminess make my hair stick to the nape of my neck. As they spoke, my heart stopped beating and my breath became shallow. They had a low, raspy voice, as they purred, "Well, this just déjà-vu; isn't it, my Evelynn…?"

Miss Rouge Apple~ GASP! Who could it be?! If you review with a guess, I'll give you e-cookies! Again, please excuse my lateness, for things are getting more and more hectic than I had planned. It's wearing me down, let me tell you, luvies. I just hope this satisfies your little craving of my fanfiction, Monster, and keeps you hooked until next chapter is posted. Please review, and I promise to write back (but if you don't have PMing or an account, I'll just scream thanks from my laptop). Thanks for everything! Toodles for now, dearies! :D