All right, so I'm having difficulties with my Microsoft word, it is completely out of date and needs to be replaced. I hate it. Mostly cause I have about six stories on here I can't read anymore since my Microsoft word trial for 2007 ran out. It completely SUCKS A!!

Anyway, here is the much-needed update for this story. Idk why I haven't updated recently, I think its cause I've begun a new story, but on paper, and its about my own struggles and whatnot… anyway. Here it is. If it sucks don't be afraid to tell me!

Oh! I just found out that somehow times new roman got deleted from my Microsoft word… how the heck does that even HAPPEN?! Grrrr (insert extremely confused and infuriated face here)

Ch. 11:

Thinking of Thoughts, and Taking Over

(Rafi's POV)

I sighed again and stood up to climb back through the window into the room I shared with the other guys.

"What were you doing out there?" asked Adam, slowly rising from his deathlike sleep. I swear that guy could sleep through five marching bands giving a performance around his bed.

"Just thinking," I replied quickly.

"Do you shout to yourself when you're thinking? Because I swear I heard shouting."

"No, that would be weird. You must've been dreaming. What's that smell?" I asked.

"Brendan came in yelling something about a breakfast buffet packet about an hour ago. Haven't seen anyone since."

I snorted, wonder why, sleeping beauty.

Trotting into the kitchen with a still sleepy Adam walking in behind me, I found a large buffet table set up with everyone but Manda crowding around it.

"There you are baby! I tried to wake you up but it was like you were in a coma!" she fretted around him like a nervous humming bird, fixing his hair and rubbing slobber off of his cheek. He gave me a 'help me!' look, but I just chuckled and grabbed a plate.

As I was filling my plate with all kinds of eggs, meats, and other assorted breakfast items, I accidentally brushed someone's arm. Looking up, I watched Lena as her face went from showing joy, to confusion, to anger, then hopelessness. Looking down, I saw her arm covered in goose bumps.

How can one guy have such an affect on me? Came her voice in my mind. Startled, I nearly dropped my plate. I hadn't heard anyone's thoughts since we changed that first time.

"Did you say something?" Kelvin asked her.

"N—No," she replied

"You heard it too?" I asked him.

"Heard what?" he asked, shoving a mini-muffin into his mouth.

"Her thoughts!"

"Now why would I be able to hear her thoughts?" he gave me a look that made me think he deduced me as crazy.

"You heard her say 'How can one guy have such an affect on me' didn't you!" Lena kept looking at us back and forth, like she was watching a ping-pong match.

"Well, yeah. But she says she didn't say it! What is wrong with you?" he shook his head and walked away.

Lena put her plate down on top of the sausages, and glared at me in a scary way. "How did you know what I was thinking?" she whispered fiercely.

"I don't know! When Brendan and I were in the foster home together, I could read his thoughts too, and then that first day, before we changed, I read yours. But then when we changed, I stopped hearing them. I don't know how it happens, I just pick it up!" I hissed at her.

We were receiving stares from the rest of our 'family' so Lena picked up her plate, obviously not satisfied, and slammed it down onto the breakfast table. Eggs went flying everywhere, giving Tricky a nice filling job for the morning.

"Uh, what's wrong?" asked Tara. I still couldn't believe that she was so talkative in reality, that her tough girl persona was just an act.

"Rafi read my mind." She glared at me and I sighed, I guess we've taken a step backward in our relationship… I thought to myself.

"Of course we've gone backward! You invaded my mind!" I stared at her stunned. "What now? Do you know how bad the language is that I'm speaking to you in my mind?" she said crossly, waving her arms about.

"No, but you knew what I was thinking! I never said a thing out loud!"

"But I heard you too!" said everyone around the table at once. Looking at one another, they shrugged and said, "That was weird."

Lena and I stared at them open mouthed.

There was a sudden silence in the room, and then my mind completely exploded with thoughts from everyone around the room.

Everyone here is crazy; I wish this had never happened, I'm pretty sure that that was Lena.

What is it with people? Reading each other's minds is crazy! Although, this whole experience has been insane…I think those thoughts were the twins, I guess since they are twins they have the same brainwaves, or thoughts?

Various other complaints and remarks burst through my skull to embed themselves in my brain.

"Stop thinking!" I finally yelled in desperation.

Immediately complete silence enveloped me. Now, if you can hear this, I want you to raise your hand. I mouthed along with what I was thinking so no one freaked out.

Everyone raised their hands, Now, I want you to raise your hands if you thought I was speaking, I quit mouthing along halfway through what I was thinking.

Eyes became wide, and mouths formed round 'O's. Sound exploded into my mind again, and this time I cringed in pain.

YOU HAVE TO QUIT THAT! I thought-yelled as loudly and strongly as I could.

Everything quieted down again, as people started to whisper-think. Great, now I'm always going to have them in my mind! No privacy! How stupid!

I thought, receiving a glare from everyone. Suddenly Tara's mind was cut off for a second.

"How'd you do that?" Lena demanded, still in a bad mood from finding out people were in her mind.

"I just felt around a bit up there," she pointed to her head, "and figured out that there were tube-like things coming from each of your minds into mine… I so I imagined that they were blocked at my end. Kind of like pipes with a whole bunch of gunk stuck in them."

"Cool! It does work!" Brendan said excitedly.

Every eye turned to him with raised eyebrows.

"Of course it works, you dummy! Otherwise Tara's mind wouldn't have disappeared!" Naomi retorted.

Everyone laughed, and Brendan hung his head in apparent shame.

"Naomi, there is no need to be rude." Tara crossed her arms across her chest, resuming her tough-girl face.

"It's not my fault that your boyfriend is incredibly dimwitted."

Tara scowled at her and Naomi didn't even flinch. "It's not scary anymore, Tara."

"And you trying to be queen bee has never worked before," she retorted.

Naomi's mouth opened in shock, and closed again, she stood suddenly and stalked from the room. I flinched as the door to the girls' shared bedroom slammed shut, shaking the walls with the force.

"I better go calm her down," Kiki sheepishly rose and quickly walked out of the kitchen.

"Tara, why did you have to go and pick a fight?" Lena demanded, her scowl much more frightening than any of Tara's past ones.

"She's the one who was insulting innocent people," Tara said, but the look in her eyes said that Lena was getting scarier by the second.

"She's always done that! So there was no need for you to antagonize her further." Lena's voice made it clear that the conversation was over.

Everyone dispersed after that, leaving me alone with Lena again.

"You've really taken over," I teased.

She gave me a look, "Someone has to! These"—she struggled to find the right word—"Kids, don't know how to act, they don't understand that we have to work together as a team flawlessly, without distractions or fights. Everything we do from the moment we are sent to Solaris will be important to our lives and the ones around us. There is no room for any kind of mistake."

"Then I think you should start letting me in on your plans, you're going to need my help. The rest of our 'family' wont listen to just one of us."

Lena put her head in her hands, and gave a distressed sound—something between a hiss and a growl. Tricky looked up, alarmed, and quietly jumped onto the table, gave a soft mew and licked her hand.

I sighed, wondering when my animal would show up. A loud bang erupted from the glass door, Tricky jumped four feet off of the table and landed about two feet away, her hair standing on end. Lena let out a muffled shout, and raised her head at the same time, catching my wildly frantic eyes.

"What was that?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"I don't know, but we better find out."

I slowly and carefully made my way around the counter, towards the glass door, and sighed with relief when I saw it was a very, very large puppy. The only reason I knew it wasn't a full grown dog was the fact that it's skin was all droopy around his frame, like he hadn't yet grown into it.

"It's okay! It's only a puppy!" I shouted to the rest of the house. I'd noticed some mangled shouts and curses as the rest of us filed into the kitchen again.

"A puppy?" asked Landan.

"It felt more like an elephant just rammed the side of the house!" Brendan over exaggerated.

I rolled my eyes, and opened the door to see if the puppy was all right. I honestly couldn't tell which end I was looking at, because of the hair. It was so long, and so dark, I couldn't really tell whether or not it was a baby wooly mammoth.

A squeak sounded from the end closest to me, and then the little guy shook, his hair parted around his face, and I could tell that he looked more like a bear cub than a pup. The tail was short and stubby, but wagged so hard his whole body shook.

The girls behind me suddenly all 'awwwwed!' as it barked again.

"What are you going to name him?" Manda asked.

"Reliable." I replied instantly, "Where did that come from?" I asked aloud.

"That's the way I named Tricky too! It just seemed to come out of my mouth before I could think."

"Is it hurt?" asked Kelvin, tentatively reaching over my shoulder to pat it's head.

"I don't think so. Dang! He's so heavy! Feels more like a fully grown, and fully fat Golden Retriever!" I barely had enough air in me to say that, because the puppy had suddenly knocked me over and stood on my stomach, trying to lick my face.

"Aw, he likes you!" Kiki cooed.

I rolled my eyes, "Get him off!"

It took Kelvin, Adam, and Tara to lift him off of my stomach.

"We're home!" came a singsong voice from the front door.

"Great," I said, as Reliable and Tricky both bounded to greet Gregory and Lilly, "Now they'll get knocked down and be in a horrible mood."

A crash resounded from the entryway, and I swear Lilly's and Gregory's shouts could be hear halfway around the world.

I thought that was a good place to stop. I'm so sorry It's been so long since I've updated, I've been going through some stuff lately. Plus I can't sleep. I swear I have insomnia or something. Aw! this chapter seems short... anyway, it's all in Rafi's POV. Hmmmm. Never dont that before. Oh well! I'm tired, so I might update again tomorrow, not sure...