*jumps* i'm alive!!!! hahah, i know it took a while, but as you saw around ff.net, i have another ff! dont' worry, i'm not putting this ff down! ^^ this was just too much fun to write... anyways, here's the next chap! ^^

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POV: Emu

Day: December 24, 1900

Time: 8:39

~*~

"Hey, Boots you got any good shooters?! I lost some of mine!" shouted Striker, walking down the staircase and approaching Boots who was sitting on the couch, his legs propped up, talking up half the space.

"Again?! Striker!" answered Boots.

What? Its only the afternoon and the lodging house's already in an uproar. I can't deny you that there's never peace here anyway. What'd you expect?

"Hey, Emu, have you seen my shooters?" asked Striker, walking up to me. "I have this gray-blue one and another just plain white then…"

"Sorry, Striker, can't help you there. I ain't exactly the looking type of person."

I really ain't. Either I tend to leave things lying around or take forever to get my butt up and running when I actually need to look for it.

"But are you--."

"Look, maybe they're upstairs. That's where I'm going, anyway."

"Alrighty."

Damn. It's been a long day – considering that I'm trying my best to keep up with the money I have, especially since you need to make sure that you have enough for that night. It's either paying up or sleeping on the alleyway in the cold. Which one do you think I'd like better? Yup, that one.

So then you'd think that I'd be grateful when I finally get to the lodging house and just collapse in my bed. Of course, I'd be! Goodness, nothing will stand between me and rest.

"You girls feel like singin' Christmas carols tonight?" asked Snooza, suddenly coming out of the girls' bunkroom.

Ack. I love caroling and all, especially with the lodgers, but today's just not… working for me.

"Sure!" piped Striker. "Who's going?"

"Duck, Brownie, Race, Mush, Boots, and Blink."

"Oh, but I have to look for my shooters…" said Striker sadly, suddenly switching emotions.

"Blink, eh?" I love to tease people. Ooh, I even added more effect by arching my eyebrow. Yup, good one, Emu.

But Snooza simply shrugged and answered, "We'll be outside if you want to come!"

Got out of that one. Now if I could just make it towards my bed…

"Hey Emu!"

Ack.

"Yeah?" I said, sitting up on my bed and looking about the bunkroom.

"Give us our gifts! We know you have 'em!" taunted Ershey from across the room.

"Hey, has anybody seen my--."

"I ain't telling! And besides, its only the 24th! It ain't Christmas yet!"

"Can you guys just take a second to--."

"But actually, it IS in other countries!" said Sage, taking a moment to consider us while busily brushing her hair.

"Do you guys--."

"Ah, but this is New York! It ain't Africa!" shouted Sapphy.

"CAN'T ALL OF YOU JUST STOP SHOUTING AND LET ME TALK FOR A SECOND?!" shouted a voice louder than anybody else's, causing the whole room to quiet down.

Eh? Who was that? Striker? Oh, right. Her missing shooters. But am I missing something? She's really mad… haven't seen her like this before. It's actually kind of… unusual. Striker's always the happy and energetic bunch of the crowd. If not, then she's always wearing a smile or laughing. This is… interesting.

"Erm, go ahead…" mumbled Ershey.

"Has anybody seen my shooters?" said Striker slowly, taking her time to pause between words.

"Nope."

"Not me."

"Haven't seen 'em."

"Nuh-uh."

"Now, that wasn't so hard was it?" said Striker. Geez, somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.

"Back to what I was sayin'!" shouted Sapphy, once again. "We live in New York, not some place that already has Christmas!"

"Right, Sapphy, you're just saying that just 'cause you don't like Christmas!" said Ershey.

"Ah, but did you see her this morning?" said Sage, smiling mischievously. "The girl was actually singing Christmas carols!"

"Sapphy! You! Singing Christmas carols?! You didn't eat anything… weird, did you?!"

It's been a known fact that Sapphy's not exactly a Christmas lover. Let's put it this way – Christmas is just another holiday for her. Goodness, the girl acts like it could even be Groundhog Day.

"I had nothin' else to sing!"

"I'm sure you didn't… Ah, I know! You were probably happy about something to make you sing Christmas carols!" Right? Right? Right? I know I'm right.

A small gasp escaped Ershey's lips as her eyes widened, put her hand over her mouth, and pointed accusingly at Sapphy.

"I know! I know why!" shouted Ershey, as she hopped her way over to Sapphy with excitement.

It took me a while to realize what she was talking about. It was only a few days ago when Sapphy found bugs in her bed and ran into her fate…

"'Cause she's been with Raaacccceeeetraaaaaccckkk!" I shouted, making oogly faces at Sapphy. This was too much fun. "Where DID the two of you go anyway?"

"Ooh! Love's in the air!" said Sage from her bunk.

"What? I…!" mumbled Sapphy, turning into a deep shade of red. "Yeah, well, at least…"

"At least she's getting somewhere with her guy," came a voice from the rows of bunkbeds.

"Striker? That you?"

"Ah, now you guys see that I'm still here." She's not being sarcastic. That's not good.

"We knew you were here…" muttered Ershey.

"But you just chose not to talk to me, is that it?"

"I…"

"All of you are so caught up in your worlds that you won't even take the time to notice one of your best friends! Your cousin, even!"

"We don't get THAT caught up… besides, we're always there for you, Striker," said Sapphy.

"Oh, yeah, sure, just after you interrupted me THREE TIMES!"

"Sorry, Striker…" What else was I supposed to say? I had no idea.

"NO! Sorry doesn't cut it. I've been with you guys for so long and I'm treated just like any other bug you guys push around. No one here helps me, no one here listens to me, I even wonder if you guys see me!"

"Of course we see you, Striker!"

"Yeah? Do you see how I feel?" shouted Striker, her body tense and rigid. "I feel freakin' invisible!"

"But… Striker, why would you?"

"You guys don't get it, do you? It's just too hard for you to understand - to get it through your thick skulls. Stupid, that's what you all are!"

"Look, Striker," said Sage, "why don't we talk about this calmly…"

"We're FAR from calm! And you Sage, YOU, you're too busy worrying over Jack to see what's right under your nose!"

"Excuse me? Striker, what…"

"Then, Sapphy! Goodness, you're the happiest and most energetic person I know, but you just get so ahead of yourself at times! Loud, that's what you are! You know how annoying it is to have somebody SHOUT CONSTANTLY in your--."

"Striker, you're going too FAR with this," said Sapphy slowly, "You don't want me to get…"

"And Ershey!"

"No, I haven't done anything wrong!"

"You're so gaga over Mush down there, that you won't even consider Ears' feelings! You're so INFATUATED that you become BLIND!"

"I…"

Oh man, I think I'm next.

"Then, Emu!"

Ack.

"You're such a childish person you know that? When are you EVER going to stop playing pranks on the lodgers? That, and how you treat Swifty! Goodness, the boy's crazy over you and you just step over him like dirt! Hae you ever THOUGHT of what he could've felt? Honestly, You're eighteen!"

"Yes, eighteen, I know that," I answered calmly, letting the words process into my head. I couldn't help it if I acted that way around Swifty, geez, the boy was a nuisance. Well, it was to me. Have you ever felt like someone's always following you around? That's Swifty for me. If he's not following me around, he's either staring me down or constantly trying to be near me. A girl needs space, y'know!

"And you're only sixteen who's supposedly preaching us about how we're supposed to act?!" said Sapphy.

"That's NOT what I'm doing!"

"Then what ARE you doing?!," shouted Ershey. "'Cause you sure have the rest of us confused!"

"Nothing! I've done nothing! That's it!" answered Striker, standing up from her bunk bed and running out of the room, closing the door with a bang.

"Stupid girl doesn't have any idea…" muttered Ershey as she made her way towards the fire exit and up to the rooftop.

I heard Sapphy's muffled scream as she pushed her head into the pillow and let her emotions out.

Suddenly, the door opened, Snooza, her face all flushed and red.

"Caroling, anyone?"

"Maybe another time…" said Sage.

"Really? We need some help here…"

"DECK THE BOUGHS WITH BOUGHS OF HOLLY!!!" came the shouts of the boys from outside.

Call me crazy, but I don't feel like caroling anymore.

~*~

Shout-outs

Sapphy: the face works on me... lol. damn, i hate it. one of my friends pushed one of those SUPER CUTE stuffed animals in my face at the toy store and i couldn't help from going, "AWWW!!!!" now she knows what to do when i'm mad at my boyfriend... lmao, IF i had a boyfriend. hmm, i'm not exactly church choir, but i'm in glee club - we hate singing in church every first week of the month tho. lol.

FrenchyGoil: *nod* he's just TOO cute. lol. hahah! ooh, i wish i could drive already - well, in a few years... i'm getting my learner's permit this summer! yay! hahaha. ooh, and the next chapters will be on christmas day already, so - that's when the fun actually begins. ^^

JustDuck: lmao! *glomps* i thought you disappeared into thin air! hahah, but i still love you! i was so shocked when i saw all those reviews! and of course i forgive you! ^^

Kit Blink: you're welcome! the other chapters are going to take a while tho... :P but i WILL be still updatin'!

Relic: hahah, thanks so much! that squirrel thing wasn't actually planned - i was lookin' through what i wrote then it came outta nowhere that i just had to write it down! lol. *nod* the next chapters will be actually on christmas day, so dun dun dun....

Emu: aw, thankies! you know, your reviews never fail to make me smile! hahah! ^^ but you know, i actually like school - erm, except for the tests, exams, homework, note taking, studying - now, that wouldn't be school, would it?