Rena: Yes! Someone reviewed this and thought it was good. Thank you so
much. And I'll keep up the good work. I finally managed to calm Kai down.
Ok. Dranzer is not a pigeon, but Falborg is. *Points to a pigeon in the
street* Falborg! *Sniggers* is that better Kai?
Kai: *nods with a smirk*
Rena: *sighs* brothers are so hard to please
Kt: your telling me
Ray: look, can we please just get on with the story? And why did you make me seem like a frightened little kid?
Rena: because I felt like it *gives him an innocent look*
Ray: oh ok
~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 2: Hillfoot House
Ray had had scarlet fever the term before, and measles immediately afterwards, so that he had missed most of his school work. His headmaster had written to his aunt and uncle, whom he lived with, suggesting that he should go and stay at the home of one of the teachers for a few weeks, to make up a little of what he had missed. And, much to Ray's disgust, his uncle had at once agreed - so there was Ray, in the summer holidays, having to work at algebra and geography and history, instead of having a good time with his sister Kt at their home, Craggy Tops, by the sea.
He liked the master, Mr Phillips, but he was bored with the other two boys there, who, also owing to illness, were being crammed or coached by Mr Phillips. One was much older than Ray, and the other was a poor whining creature who was simply terrified of the various insects and animals that Ray always seemed to be collecting or rescuing. The boy was intensely fond of all creatures and had an amazing knack of making them trust him.
Now he hurried down the hillside, eager to see if another pupil had joined the little holiday collection of boys to be coached. If the new boy owned the parrot, he would be somebody interesting - more interesting than that big lout of a Sam, and better fun than poor whining Jack.
He opened the garden gate and then stared in surprise. A girl was in the garden, not a very big girl, almost as tall as himself but slender - perhaps about fourteen. She had dark blue hair, thick and long, and mahogany brown eyes, and silky white skin. She stared at Ray.
'Hello,' said Ray, liking the look of the girl, who was dressed in denim shorts and a white tank top. 'Have you come here?'
'Looks like it,' said the girl, with a grin. 'But I haven't come to work. Only to be with Kai.'
'Who's Kai?' asked Ray.
'My brother,' said the girl. 'He's got to be coached. You should have seen his report last term. He was bottom in everything. He's very clever, really, but he just doesn't bother. He's says he going to be the world champion beyblader, so what's the good of learning dates and capes and poems and things? He's also a bit of an ornithologist.'
'What's an - an - whatever it was you said?' said Ray, wondering how anyone could have such white skin as this girl had.
'Ornithologist? Oh, it's someone who loves and studies birds,' said the girl. 'Didn't you know that? Kai likes birds.'
'He ought to come and live where I live then,' said Ray at once. 'I live on a very wild, lonely part of the sea coast and there are heaps of rare sea birds there. Does that parrot belong to Kai?'
'Yes,' said the girl. 'He's had her for four years. Her name is Dranzer.'
'Did he teach it to say all those things?' said Ray, thinking that though Kai might be bottom in all school subjects he would certainly get top marks for teaching parrots to talk!
'Oh no,' said the girl, smiling, so that her mahogany eyes twinkled and crinkled. 'Dranzer just picked up those sayings of hers - picked them up from our old grandfather, who is the crossest old man in the world, I should think. Our mother and father are dead, so Grandfather has us in the holidays, and doesn't he just hate it! His housekeeper hates us too, so we don't have much of a time, but so long as I have Kai, and so long as Kai has his beloved Dranzer and his beyblade, we are happy enough.'
'I suppose Kai got sent here to learn a few things, like me,' said Ray. 'You'll be lucky - you'll be able to play, go for walks, do what you like, whilst we are stewing in lessons.'
'No I won't,' said the girl. 'I shall be with Kai. I don't get to see him during the school term so I'm going to see him in the holidays. I like Kai even though he don't like me as much.'
'Well, that's more than my sister, Kt, thinks of me,' said Ray. 'We're always fighting. Hello - is this Kai?'
A boy came up the path towards Ray. On his left shoulder shoulder sat the parrot, Dranzer, rubbing her beak softly against Kai's ear, and saying something in a low voice. The boy scratched the parrot's head and gazed at Ray with the same mahogany eyes as his sister, but colder.
'Hello, triangles,' said Ray, and grinned.
'Hello, Spike,' said Kai, and smirked. Ray put up his hand and felt his hair. No amount of water or brushing would make it lie down for long.
'Wipe your feet,' said Dranzer severely.
'I'm glad you found Dranzer all right,' said the girl. 'She didn't like coming to a strange place, and that's why she flew off, I bet.'
'She wasn't far away, Rena,' said Kai. 'I bet old Spike here got a fright if he heard her up on the hillside.'
'I did,' said Ray, and began telling the two what had happened. They laughed loudly, and Dranzer joined in, cackling in a most human manner.
'I'm glad you and Rena have come here,' said Ray, feeling much happier than he had felt for some days. He liked the look of the blue haired, mahogany-eyed brother and sister very much. They would be friends. He would show them the animals he had as pets. They could go for walks together. Kai was the same age as Rena, fourteen, them being twins. Ray thought, just a little older than himself. It was a pity that Kt wasn't there too, then there would be four of them. Kt was Ray's twin. She would fit in nicely - only, perhaps, with her quick impatience and quarrelsome nature, it might not be peaceful.
'How different Rena and Kai are from me and Kt,' thought Ray. It was quite plain that Rena like her brother Kai, and Ray could not imagine Kt hanging onto his words, eager to help him out with things, fetching some things when needed like Rena did for Kai.
'Oh, well - people are different,' thought the boy. 'Kt's a good sport, even if we do fight. She must be having a pretty awful time at Craggy Tops without me. I bet Aunt Polly is working her hard.'
It was pleasant at tea time that day to sit and watch Kai's parrot on his shoulder, making remarks from time to time. It was good to see the glint in Rena's mahogany eyes as she teased the big, slow Sam and ticked off the smaller, peevish Jack. Things would liven up a bit now.
They certainly did. Holiday coaching was much more fun with Kai and Rena there too.
Kai: hey! I don't make friends! You know that!
Rena: well tough, I'm writing this story and you suddenly got a personality transplant.
*Ray and Kt just snigger at Rena's comment*
Kai: sisters
Rena: brothers
Kt: pops up with a sign saying,' please review!'
Kai: *nods with a smirk*
Rena: *sighs* brothers are so hard to please
Kt: your telling me
Ray: look, can we please just get on with the story? And why did you make me seem like a frightened little kid?
Rena: because I felt like it *gives him an innocent look*
Ray: oh ok
~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 2: Hillfoot House
Ray had had scarlet fever the term before, and measles immediately afterwards, so that he had missed most of his school work. His headmaster had written to his aunt and uncle, whom he lived with, suggesting that he should go and stay at the home of one of the teachers for a few weeks, to make up a little of what he had missed. And, much to Ray's disgust, his uncle had at once agreed - so there was Ray, in the summer holidays, having to work at algebra and geography and history, instead of having a good time with his sister Kt at their home, Craggy Tops, by the sea.
He liked the master, Mr Phillips, but he was bored with the other two boys there, who, also owing to illness, were being crammed or coached by Mr Phillips. One was much older than Ray, and the other was a poor whining creature who was simply terrified of the various insects and animals that Ray always seemed to be collecting or rescuing. The boy was intensely fond of all creatures and had an amazing knack of making them trust him.
Now he hurried down the hillside, eager to see if another pupil had joined the little holiday collection of boys to be coached. If the new boy owned the parrot, he would be somebody interesting - more interesting than that big lout of a Sam, and better fun than poor whining Jack.
He opened the garden gate and then stared in surprise. A girl was in the garden, not a very big girl, almost as tall as himself but slender - perhaps about fourteen. She had dark blue hair, thick and long, and mahogany brown eyes, and silky white skin. She stared at Ray.
'Hello,' said Ray, liking the look of the girl, who was dressed in denim shorts and a white tank top. 'Have you come here?'
'Looks like it,' said the girl, with a grin. 'But I haven't come to work. Only to be with Kai.'
'Who's Kai?' asked Ray.
'My brother,' said the girl. 'He's got to be coached. You should have seen his report last term. He was bottom in everything. He's very clever, really, but he just doesn't bother. He's says he going to be the world champion beyblader, so what's the good of learning dates and capes and poems and things? He's also a bit of an ornithologist.'
'What's an - an - whatever it was you said?' said Ray, wondering how anyone could have such white skin as this girl had.
'Ornithologist? Oh, it's someone who loves and studies birds,' said the girl. 'Didn't you know that? Kai likes birds.'
'He ought to come and live where I live then,' said Ray at once. 'I live on a very wild, lonely part of the sea coast and there are heaps of rare sea birds there. Does that parrot belong to Kai?'
'Yes,' said the girl. 'He's had her for four years. Her name is Dranzer.'
'Did he teach it to say all those things?' said Ray, thinking that though Kai might be bottom in all school subjects he would certainly get top marks for teaching parrots to talk!
'Oh no,' said the girl, smiling, so that her mahogany eyes twinkled and crinkled. 'Dranzer just picked up those sayings of hers - picked them up from our old grandfather, who is the crossest old man in the world, I should think. Our mother and father are dead, so Grandfather has us in the holidays, and doesn't he just hate it! His housekeeper hates us too, so we don't have much of a time, but so long as I have Kai, and so long as Kai has his beloved Dranzer and his beyblade, we are happy enough.'
'I suppose Kai got sent here to learn a few things, like me,' said Ray. 'You'll be lucky - you'll be able to play, go for walks, do what you like, whilst we are stewing in lessons.'
'No I won't,' said the girl. 'I shall be with Kai. I don't get to see him during the school term so I'm going to see him in the holidays. I like Kai even though he don't like me as much.'
'Well, that's more than my sister, Kt, thinks of me,' said Ray. 'We're always fighting. Hello - is this Kai?'
A boy came up the path towards Ray. On his left shoulder shoulder sat the parrot, Dranzer, rubbing her beak softly against Kai's ear, and saying something in a low voice. The boy scratched the parrot's head and gazed at Ray with the same mahogany eyes as his sister, but colder.
'Hello, triangles,' said Ray, and grinned.
'Hello, Spike,' said Kai, and smirked. Ray put up his hand and felt his hair. No amount of water or brushing would make it lie down for long.
'Wipe your feet,' said Dranzer severely.
'I'm glad you found Dranzer all right,' said the girl. 'She didn't like coming to a strange place, and that's why she flew off, I bet.'
'She wasn't far away, Rena,' said Kai. 'I bet old Spike here got a fright if he heard her up on the hillside.'
'I did,' said Ray, and began telling the two what had happened. They laughed loudly, and Dranzer joined in, cackling in a most human manner.
'I'm glad you and Rena have come here,' said Ray, feeling much happier than he had felt for some days. He liked the look of the blue haired, mahogany-eyed brother and sister very much. They would be friends. He would show them the animals he had as pets. They could go for walks together. Kai was the same age as Rena, fourteen, them being twins. Ray thought, just a little older than himself. It was a pity that Kt wasn't there too, then there would be four of them. Kt was Ray's twin. She would fit in nicely - only, perhaps, with her quick impatience and quarrelsome nature, it might not be peaceful.
'How different Rena and Kai are from me and Kt,' thought Ray. It was quite plain that Rena like her brother Kai, and Ray could not imagine Kt hanging onto his words, eager to help him out with things, fetching some things when needed like Rena did for Kai.
'Oh, well - people are different,' thought the boy. 'Kt's a good sport, even if we do fight. She must be having a pretty awful time at Craggy Tops without me. I bet Aunt Polly is working her hard.'
It was pleasant at tea time that day to sit and watch Kai's parrot on his shoulder, making remarks from time to time. It was good to see the glint in Rena's mahogany eyes as she teased the big, slow Sam and ticked off the smaller, peevish Jack. Things would liven up a bit now.
They certainly did. Holiday coaching was much more fun with Kai and Rena there too.
Kai: hey! I don't make friends! You know that!
Rena: well tough, I'm writing this story and you suddenly got a personality transplant.
*Ray and Kt just snigger at Rena's comment*
Kai: sisters
Rena: brothers
Kt: pops up with a sign saying,' please review!'