Chapter 1



"Parker, don't forget your lunch," Renee reminded her son at the door.

"I got it, Mommy, don't worry."

"I always will," she replied, kissing him good-bye. Gabriel herded the five kids out to the car and waved to his wife. He dropped Amie, Aidan, Allanah, and Parker at the large elementary school. Then, he drove Amie to the smaller middle school.

When he arrived home, he saw Renee sitting by the window. He chuckled to himself as he walked into the house. "Renee, he's going to be fine. You can't worry all day."

She smiled at him. "I won't, Gabe. Not all day. He'll be home in the afternoon." She sighed. "It's his first day of school. My baby is growing up too fast."

"Isn't that what your mom always said about you?" Gabriel grinned at her.

"Yeah," Renee returned his smile. "She did." She stood up and walked over to him, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Since the kids are at school now," she let the suggestion hang in the air.

He grinned again and began backing her to the stairs. Her hands slid under his jacket, removing it and letting it fall to the stairs as they climbed them. Gabriel kissed her neck, making his way up to her ear. They finally reached the top of the stairs and their bedroom. They fell to the bed, and Renee pulled Gabriel's shirt away from his body while he pulled hers over her head. His hands traveled down her sides, caressing the soft feel of her skin. Their lips met as his fingers blindly fumbled with the button on her jeans. Inch by inch, he pulled them down her legs.

*******

Jake looked up from his desk as his boss approached. He let out a groan when he saw the pile of papers in the older man's hands. "Not more paperwork," he grumbled.

"Sorry, McCarty," his boss apologized.

"My job," Jake said. "Was just hoping to get a chance to have lunch with my wife."

"Take a break at noon then. You've worked harder in the last three months since you were transferred here then some of our agents have in the last three years. Paperwork will still be here when you get back."

"Thank you, sir."

"No problem, McCarty. glad you left the beaches to return to the city. Too bad about your bum knee."

"I agree, sir."

"Well, keep working."

Jake sighed then opened one of the files on his desk.

*******

"Amie Bowman," the teacher called, checking attendance.

Amie glanced up from the book she was reading. "Here."

The teacher nodded at her new student then continued down the list. They went over the classroom rules and consequences for breaking them. Then, Mrs. Silvers handed out math books to each of the students. After teaching a short lesson, she turned them loose for a half hour of sustained silent reading.

When only ten minutes remained, Mrs. Silvers glanced around at the room. Amie just sat at her desk, her book closed. The teacher walked over to her and bent beside the desk. "Miss Bowman, this is sustained silent reading. Why are you not reading?"

"I finished the book," Amie whispered in reply.

The teacher looked shocked. She had seen Amie reading the first page of that book first thing in the morning, and it didn't appear to be a short book for an eight-year-old. "How can you be finished?"

Amie shrugged. "It was a simple book."

'She must be a very bright child,' Mrs. Silvers thought to herself as she returned to her desk.

*******

Mrs. Asur looked over her class of new first graders. She began taking role, but stopped when she came to two names. 'Oh no,' she thought to herself. 'Not twins.'

"Aidan Bowman," she called hesitantly.

He glanced up at her. "Here."

'Well, he doesn't seem too bad.' "Allanah Bowman."

"Here."

'At least they're not identical.' Once she finished taking role, she pointed to a list above the chalkboard. "Those are the classroom rules. "Can someone read the first one?"

"Don't talk unless called on," Aidan read.

"Thank you, Aidan. Now will you please follow that one."

Aidan looked down at his desk as his cheeks grew red. The teacher called on some other students to finish reading the rules. When they finished, Mrs. Asur wrote five words on the chalkboard then handed each of the students a small notebook.

"These are your spelling words for the week. Write them down in the notebook and memorize them."

She let the students talk for a while. Aidan turned around to face Allanah. After a few minutes, their conversation was broken up by a young blond haired boy. "I'm better than you," he told Aidan.

"At what?" The young boy asked quietly.

"Everything."

"Not everything."

"Name one thing."

"Being me."

It took the boy a moment to understand what Aidan meant. Then, he scowled. "You're not funny."

"I wasn't trying to be," Aidan replied, his face serious.

Frustrated at not getting the reaction he wanted, the boy returned to his seat. Aidan giggled, and Allanah smiled at her brother. "I was gonna hit him for you."

Mrs. Asur watched the twins. 'I think I'd better ask the kindergarten teacher about them.'

*******

"Parker Bowman?"

"H-here," Parker stuttered. Only in comfortable situations could hide the stutter.

"Rebecca McBride?"

"Here."

The teacher paused before calling the next name. Did she always have to have the kids from these families. Well, maybe he wouldn't be like his sister.

"Ian Nottingham?"

"Here."

Mrs. Eron finished taking role then gave each of her students a piece of paper and a pencil. "Everyone, please print your name on the top of the paper."

Parker wrapped his fingers around the pencil and started writing. The teacher came over to his desk to correct him. "Parker, that is not how you hold a pencil. Hold it with these fingers, not in your fist."

Parker tried holding it the right way, but it fell out of his fingers. "I-I c-c-can't," he stuttered.

"Yes, you can. Just try. You can't give up after the first try."

Parker concentrated on the pencil, but it wouldn't stay in his fingers. When Mrs. Eron walked away, he held it in his fist again. She returned a few minutes later and shook her head. "Parker, I thought I told you not to hold it like that."

"Y-y-you d-did."

"Then why aren't you holding it the correct way?"

Parker didn't answer this time. He just shrugged. Realizing she wasn't going to get through to him, she moved on to another student.

An hour later, Mrs. Eron let them outside for recess. Parker walked to the corner of the fenced-in playground and sat down. Ian and Rebecca followed him. They weren't alone for long. A ball came flying at them, and only Ian's quick reactions kept it from hitting Parker. A boy ran over to them to get the ball.

Once Ian had handed it back, the boy asked, "Wanna play with us?"

Parker hesitated for a moment then shrugged. "Sh-sure."

He ran toward the field where the boy had been playing. Halfway there, his right foot caught on his left ankle, and he sprawled to the ground. The other boy laughed. "Never mind. You're too clumsy. Can't even run," he muttered as he walked away.

Parker sat on the ground and hung his head. He didn't even hear his friends walk up behind him. "Parker," Rebecca said, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Don't pay attention to him. He's stupid."

Rebecca and Ian helped him to his feet and they walked back to where they had been.

*******

Mrs. Cinyan looked over the attendance sheet for her first graders. 'Josiah McBride and Carina Nottingham.' She had been warned about them. Mrs. Eron, the kindergarten teacher had told her, "Those two aren't bad, if they are isolated together. They're cousins, and I would not even try to separate them. The McBride boy is very smart and friendly, but he is also incredibly stubborn. And that's not always a good thing. If he even thinks someone's being mean to his cousin, you will have a fight on your hands. He's very protective. Just be glad you don't have the twins as well. You'd really have your hands full then."

"What about Carina Nottingham? She can't be too bad."

"She's quiet, but like her cousin's stubbornness, that's not always good. She doesn't seem to get along with the other kids very well. Except for Josiah, and the Bowman twins."

Mrs. Cinyan thought over that conversation as she looked at the young boy with short red hair and the little girl with curly black hair hanging below her shoulders. 'They don't seem too bad. Maybe she was wrong.'

A boy, about twice the size of J.J.'s small frame, started yanking on Carina's hair. "Leave her alone," J.J. told him. The boy ignored him. J.J. grabbed the boy's wrist and pulled his arm away from his cousin. "I said to leave her alone. Listen next time."

"I could have done that myself," Carina said, smiling at her cousin.

"Well, I did it for you."

'Okay," Mrs. Cinyan thought. 'Maybe I was wrong.'

When the kids were let out for recess, she went to talk to the other first grade teacher. She wasn't in her room. Mrs. Cinyan walked to the kindergarten room. Mrs. Asur was there talking to Mrs. Eron.

"You had Aidan and Allanah Bowman in class last year, right?"

"Yeah."

"What can you tell me about them?"

"Where to start? Where to start? Well, Aidan has a temper. Doesn't always act on it, but it's there. He smart. Sometimes too smart for a kid. Doesn't really play with the other kids, mainly just his sister and the McBride and Nottingham kids. And he's stubborn. So is his sister. She's the one who will ask all the questions. She has a temper too, and she will act on it. I have their younger brother this year."

"What's he like?"

"Haven't decided yet. Seems like a nice kid, but withdrawn. Can't seem to listen either. Don't know if he's just nervous or stupid."

Both of the first grade teachers gasped at her last statement. "What? Some are. They don't seem to learn no matter how many times you try to get something through their thick skulls."

A small voice interrupted them. "Mrs. Er-eron."

She spun around. "What is it, Parker?"

"M-my m-m-mommy t-told me t-to t-t-tell y-you b-b-before I leave. M-my A-aunt D-d-dakota i-is h-h-here." He looked at the floor, embarrassed it took him so long to say two sentences.

"Okay, Parker."

Once he left the room, she turned back to the other teachers. "See what I mean. He can't even talk."

The other teachers were appalled at her callousness. "He has a speech impediment," Mrs. Asur stuck up for him. "Some kids do." She turned and walked out of the room. Mrs. Cinyan followed her.

*******

Niamh ran over to the picnic tables when she saw Amie sitting there. "How was your morning?" She asked, sliding onto the bench.

Amie shrugged. "All right. Teacher couldn't believe I'd finished a book. How about you?"

"It was good. Different from my old school. This is a lot bigger. There's two empty swings over there. Let's go!"

They ran over to the swings and jumped on two. After a while, Niamh asked, "Do you want to come to my house tonight?"

"If I can. I have to practice with Uncle Ian tonight.

"What do you do?"

"Learn."

"What though?"

"Meditation, balance, fighting."

"Why?"

"They think I need to know it." Amie shrugged.

They played on the swings until one of the teachers blew a whistle for them to come inside.