The second installment is up! Yay. Special thanks to my four lovely reviews (and reviewers)! To the questions of who I'm doing next, if you didn't get it from this chapter, I'm doing them in order of appearance in the chaos 101 trilogy. So here comes Atlanta, enjoy :) Disclaimer: I do not own Class of the Titans.

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The Seven Keys

Atlanta

Beep beep beep! Atlanta groaned and reached out a hand from beneath the covers, groping the air until she landed on the snooze button and quieted her piercing alarm.

Leaving her hand where it was she sat up, eyes stuck in a tired lop-sided wink, and groaned again.

"Mornings…" she grumbled with contempt. Heaving a huge sigh she pushed her covers off but slumped where she was with early-morning exhaustion from the effort.

"Atlanta! You're awake! Come, come you need to get dressed," a wrist-grabbing, out-of-bed-yanking flurry of wavy brown hair jolted Atlanta.

Stumbling to right herself, Atlanta rubbed an eye with her free hand. "Mom… sleep…"

"I'd let you if I could Atlanta, but I've already gotten a call from your Aunt Bev saying she's almost here," her mother replied quickly, interpreting Atlanta's sleepy grumbles. "I know you hate this but it's only once a year," she continued, releasing Atlanta's wrist and habitually picking up the clothes littering the floor. "So get dressed quickly, honey, and come downstairs," her mother finished, heading out the door laden with laundry.

Atlanta sighed and took out a t-shirt. She never understood why her birthday had to be the day the whole family got together. She was the youngest of three children and the only girl, true, but there were plenty of other significant days that would be so much more suitable for the cheek-pinching, noisy group that was her relatives. The day wasn't even made better by the fact that Atlanta might actually see her brothers.

Their arrival was always uncertain, they having moved south and east for university and being too busy to visit ever. Atlanta always made sure they knew when the family was getting together, however, and lived on the childish glee she got from the idea they might show up and surprise her, which they never did.

Atlanta's memory of her older brothers, 5 and 7 years older than she, were still ones of when they were young, she too transporting back to the age of 5 any time she thought of them. It would surely be a shock to her if they ever did show up in their adult forms, the tall city fellows they had become.

Atlanta slipped on a pair of capris, passing over the lone skirt in her closet given to her by a sadly misinformed but well-intended relative a year ago. That was another problem with relatives on her birthday: they seemed under the impression that she was a girly fourteen-, make that fifteen-, year-old, which couldn't be more opposite than the present case.

Blame another thing on her brothers, but growing up with their influence and hand-me-downs inevitably turned her into a tomboy. Not that she would be any different with sisters, but one could say they sped up the process.

"Atlanta! Are you almost ready?" a yell from downstairs interrupted her reminiscing.

"Yeah mom I'm coming!" Atlanta replied, hurrying to pin back her fiery red bangs and tumbling down the stairs.

"Ah, there's my big fifteen-year-old," her father said, standing to meet her as she came down. "You know, for the 'fastest girl in school' you take an awfully long time to get ready," he teased fondly, squeezing her shoulders in a one-armed hug. "At least now I trust you're prepped for your big day?"

"I guess," Atlanta said apprehensively. Her birthday really wasn't that special. She had stopped planning parties when her youngest brother Brian started high school. With both her brothers gone, it became an awkward time for Atlanta and planning parties didn't strike her as important.

She had always been raised to know she was just as good at anything as the next person, so when the boys she tried to befriend – after concluding that the playing with dolls done by the girls in her class was not for her – shunned her and insulted her, Atlanta was indignant and friendless without her brothers. She had bested those same boys at every sport and footrace but the ego of a 9-year-old boy is an impenetrable thing and their ridicule continued.

Instead of wallowing in self-pity, Atlanta built a thick skin but a sharp temper and a mean punch in retaliation – something that got her into much more trouble than her parents ever wished. She still held those qualities and was quick to challenge anyone who demeaned her, or in fact disagreed with her at all.

"Oh and there's someone special coming today," Atlanta's mother said with a smile from the stove, flipping a pancake. "Your bubbie! She's coming with Mike and Carol."

Atlanta brightened. Her bubbie was one of the few other relatives who actually understood Atlanta's moods and was never short on ageless wisdom. Atlanta adored her as much as her brothers and relished in the half-dozen times she saw her bubbie every decade.

Atlanta sat down, still grinning, and poised her fork to lift up a piece of pancake. Just as she was about to jab her fluffy prey the doorbell rang and she slumped in her chair and sighed. She had almost forgotten the other relatives arriving today.

A whirlwind of children, greetings, crying, fussing, tugging, hugging, colour, presents, shouting and confusion hit Atlanta as she shrunk further into her chair with a slightly forced smile until people finally settled.

Indistinct chatter filled the room as over the next hour countless more people poured in until the whole group relocated to the living room for more space. A pale green room stuffed with colourful, off-beat sofas and paintings, it was the friendliest setting in the house for catching up and the opening of presents.

Atlanta, a little stubbornly, sat cross-legged on the floor after mild protest and was handed the first present, a bag filled with tissue paper that underneath contained a book of lined pages, 'to fill with her thoughts'. Atlanta appreciated the book, with its cover of pleasant nature scenes and its "100 percent recycled paper" notice on the back, but after about five more and countless other, less admirable, presents she was growing weary.

Finally it was time for the flat oblong rectangle from her parents, her last gift. This she unwrapped carefully with muted anticipation, because despite their teasing and normal parental nagging, they were two of Atlanta's best friends and their birthday presents never disappointed.

Peeling off the final coat of colourful paper and opening the box, Atlanta found a wooden bow inside and quiver filled with arrows. Looking up to her parents she squealed and jumped to her feet to give them a huge combined hug. Sympathetic lofty smiles were on every face as Atlanta sat back down with a happy 'thank you' and inspected her gift further, a grin on her face.

"So that's all then?" she asked with a hint of relief. But her question was answered when her bubbie, who had been sitting quietly in a large recliner, leaned forward and presented a small box wrapped in tissue to Atlanta.

Atlanta looked up curiously but took the box with a smile, startled slightly by its heavy weight but interested as to what it was, since her bubbie always gave her the most uniquely suitable gifts.

Ripping off the paper and opening the box, the curve of a golden disc caught Atlanta's eye first. Squinting, she tipped the box over and let its contents slide into her palm. The delicate clink of metal on metal sounded as a round golden pendant on a chain rested in her hand.

"It's a family heirloom, it has been in this line longer than I can remember," her bubbie explained in her thin voice as Atlanta turned it around and around in her hands, taking in the strange necklace's appearance. She was flattered that her bubbie would want to give her something like this, but Atlanta was at a bit of a loss with what to do with it. It was very pretty, with a thin arrow on the raised side pointing to a symbol she recognized as pi from math class, and the other side with a curly A carved into the surface, but her bubbie usually knew that if Atlanta were to ever wear a necklace it would not be one like this.

"I would have liked to give it to you on your sixteenth birthday but I feel it would have been too late." Atlanta looked at her bubbie again when she said this, an unreadable twinkle in her eye as she finished: "It's for good luck in whatever you do." Her papery features creased into a familiar smile and Atlanta slipped on the pendant, mostly out of courtesy, but returned the smile wholeheartedly.

"Now I say you go out and try your new bow!" her bubbie said to the space, waiting for agreement from the masses. Atlanta's mother perked up.

"Oh that's a great idea! We still need to catch up," she glanced around the room, referencing its occupants, "and you can take your cousins! It would be fun."

At the mention of her cousins Atlanta's face discretely fell. The obnoxious brothers Bill and Charles were around her age but infinitely more annoying than anyone she knew and reminded her of the boys in her 4th grade class who had made fun of her. However, Atlanta did want to try out her new bow and knew they would keep their pestering distance if she wanted to take things seriously.

She stood up with her parents' gift in hand and smiled to the mass of relatives. Giving a gruff "c'mon" to her cousins, they got up despite the slapping fight going on between them. Mounting the quiver of arrows on her back she put on a cap and waved to everyone with another smile. "Happy birthday darlin'!" came some voices.

"Thanks everyone," Atlanta said, genuinely pleased at how the day had gone so far.

"Don't stay gone too long," her bubbie said, the strange twinkle back in her eye. Atlanta forrowed her brow and turned to the hall, wondering why what her bubbie had just said struck her as strange. Shrugging it off, she stepped out the door with her cousins in tow. She was ready for some hunting.

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So this one was longer, and I think the layout was a little more confusing... hopefully still entertaining! I don't know why I used bubbie instead of grandmother, I just felt like Atlanta would have a bubbie. And I know family gatherings barely ever get settled that smoothly but for the sake of space it's a perfect party world. Once again reviews are encouraged, keep checking back for the chapter on Herry :)