Melinda entered the dark room and opened the curtains. A groan sounded under the duvet, which the black-haired woman ruthlessly tore off, revealing a mass of messy blonde girl.

"Stand up Bobbi!"

"Speak not so loud", the teenager grumbled, curling up to try to keep some heat.

Melinda crossed her arms.

"You have ten seconds to wake up before I go get the bucket of water."

Bobbi opened a sleepy eye.

"You wouldn't dare?"

"We bet?" Melinda answered.

Bobbi sighed deeply… but didn't move.

"Ten, nine, eight…", Melinda started.

"Ok, ok, it's fine!" the young blonde girl capitulated.

She sat slowly yawning.

"A little tenderness from my mom on my waking, it would be too much asked?" she groused.

"We've already tried the gentle way and I remain you it's not really effective", Melinda retorted.

Bobbi glared at her but said nothing and stretched slowly.

"Well, I know someone who should have returned earlier last night", Melinda teased, airing the room.

"Hey, we respected the curfew, I remind you!" Bobbi pointed out to her, finally deciding to get up.

"Still, since you have trouble waking up the morning, you should avoid evenings in the weekday, girl".

"I have to put some action into my dull and monotonous life", sighed Bobbi dramatically.

Melinda laughed, shaking her head.

"Dull and monotonous, just that?" she said.

"Yep", the teenager confirmed.

"Well, you have five minutes to prepare before dragging your monotony down, if you don't want to go to class with an empty stomach", Melinda concluded leaving the room with a light step.

She smiled as a second ill-licked bear growl echoed her sentence. A morning like any other, she thought as she walked down the stairs.

Having taking the threat seriously, Bobbi joined the kitchen barely three minutes later for fear of missing the most important meal of the day, and by the way the most fun. Their father, dressed in his old Lion King apron, was finishing preparing blueberry pancakes, humming a song by Supertramp. The table was full of food, as it was every morning: several bowls wit cut fruit, toasted toasts, jam, honey, butter, bacon and eggs, as well as several bottles of juice, since none of the children ate the same thing overnight. The teenager sat down next to Trip and across from Melinda. She detailed her family: Trip and Natasha, seated next on each other, bickered over the "limits" that Tash spent her time to cross, "encroaching on personal space" of Trip. To be honest, Trip was grumbling, spreading his strawberry jam toast and Nat barely listened to him, busy playing with her scrambled eggs. Melinda was smirking at them, and Phil joined the table, a plate full of pancakes in his hand. He sat down next to his wife and put the plate down. Bobbi took three pancakes, which she sprinkled generously with maple syrup, as well as a glass of milk, and sighed with ease in the familiar atmosphere of their family mornings. Even with sometimes different schedules, they tried to eat most of the meals together, and Bobbi loved those times when the kitchen was filled with the scent of grilled bacon and heated discussions all over the table.

Precisely, Trip, who had finally capitulated to the blatant disinterest of his sister, turned his attention to their parents, who were discussing the next teachers' meeting, and interrupted them shamelessly:

"Okay. When are you going to get my new little brother? Because having only sisters, it sucks."

He yelped and tucked his head in his shoulders when Bobbi patted him on the head. Melinda looked her son.

"Manners, Trip. You can't interrupt a conversation like that."

"Sorry", he apologized, not thinking a word about it. "Okay, then? When are you going to get him?"

Phil opened his mouth but Natasha cut the grass off under his foot:

"He got the wrong word. He wanted to say: when are you going to get our new little sister?"

"Absolutely not!" Trip choked.

Melinda sighed as they resumed loud bickering, and whistled to bring order. Phil clapped his hand over his ears, smiling, tense.

"Can we please speak without raising the voice out?" Melinda asked, unable to help but a smile slightly. "It's only seven a.m., it's too early for a headache."

"I agree with Natasha", Bobbi said, finishing her drink. "A little sister is better than a little brother".

Trip nudged her, but she ignored him, smiling. Phil shook his head.

"Nothing has been decided yet, I remind you. We have a meeting this evening at the orphanage to meet the director and find out about adoption. Eventually we will start to fill some paperwork. But it will be done slowly, so we will not bring any child back for a few weeks, even a few months. We don't know if it will be a boy or a girl, we'll see when the times come."

Natasha sighed loudly.

"A few weeks or months? It's too long!"

Her brother and her sister nodded, totally agree.

"You have to be patient, children", Melinda smiled, bringing her cup of hot tea to her lips.

"Patience sucks", Bobbi said.

"Yeah," Trip grumbled. "It sucks".

Skye closed her locker and jumped when she discovered Ward, who was leaning against the next row. He smiled at her mischievously.

"Did I scare you?" he asked, slyly.

"You made me jump", the teenager nuanced, shaking her head. "It's not the same thing."

"You're the only one to see any difference".

Skye stuck out her tongue and they started walking down the hall towards their first period, the French class with a certain Mrs Price.

"How are you this morning?" her friend asked giving her a little push.

"I'm fine", she replied laconically. "And you? How's your hangover?"

He glared at her, his dark circles clearly visible under his eyes, as much as his whitish - and greenish at the same time – complexion.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Ah, I see that we prefer to avoid the subject", she teased him. "No problem. Your face speaks for you, old man".

"Old man?" he breathed, affecting to be shocked.

She shrugged.

"I'm twelve years old, you're fifteen: for me you're like my grandfather."

"Hey!" he laughed, pushing her. "Your grandfather, seriously?"

"Yep, she confirmed with a little smile.

The teenager ran a hand through his hair and assumed a false air of anger.

"Be careful, the grandfather may suddenly want to throw you out the window."

Skye pretended to shiver and replied:

"Ouh, I'm so scared! I fear that my unfortunate fall from the top of the ground floor will be fatal!"

They laughed and continued on to their room. Skye spotted Leo, Jemma and Lincoln near the door. Ward greeted her and left her to join his group of friends. Skye shook her head, still the smile on her lips, and joined her own friends.

"Hi!" she exclaimed.

They greeted her in return.

"You seem in a good mood", Jemma commented.

"It's because I am", Skye replied. "It's a beautiful day, isn't it?"

"If you say so", Fitz mumbled, his nose plunged into a science book with an obscure name.

Jemma rolled her eyes and nudged the blonde.

"What?" he grumbled without looking up.

Lincoln laughed and Jemma shook her head before turning her attention back on her friend.

"What were you talking about with Ward?" she asked innocently.

Not fool, Skye gave her a knowing smile.

"We were talking about yesterday's… party."

"A party?" Lincoln repeated.

"Yeah. Ward invited me to a little party with some of his friends. It was cool."

"Yes", Fitz said still without looking up, Ward's parties are known for being… cool."

The tone Fitz used surprised Skye. She frowned.

"What does it mean?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Don't listen to him", Jemma said, making big eyes to the blonde, "he's in bad shape."

Unconvinced, the teenager simply raised her eyebrows, uncomfortable with Fitz's attitude. The more time she spent with them, the more she felt that they didn't support Ward, for reasons that she didn't know, and which didn't concern her. But she couldn't help thinking that if they really knew who she was, and what she could have done in the past (and things she kept doing in the present), they would put her in the same basket at the brown one, and maybe they would speak from her with that same hostility to a new friend. She didn't have time to torture herself any longer because the teacher arrived and brought them in.

After this class (Skye found the teacher a little harsh but not particularly unpleasant), they had art class with Mrs. Nadeer, who the teenager immediately found haughty and unpleasant. Too bad, it was one of the classes she had always enjoyed, but she felt it would not be the case this year. She pouted as she walked out of the room, but regained her smile as she listened with a distracted ear to yet another scientific conversation between the twins, which she didn't pick up on, but distracted her from her thoughts.

They had history in third period, which also cheered her up. Mr Coulson was really nice. As she entered the room, she saw that he was talking to Trip. She thought he must have been one of his students. She took out the jacket he had loaned her the day before and walked shyly to wait for the end of their conversation. But Trip stopped when he saw her.

"Skye!" he exclaimed in a playful tone. "How are you?"

She hesitated, not wishing to impose herself. Fortunately, Coulson, surprised, spoke in her place:

"You know each other?"

"Yeah", Skye replied softly. "I'm fine, and you?"

He nodded happily.

"Same. I didn't know you had my father as a teacher."

She coughed.

"Your father?" she repeated.

Coulson smiled.

"Yes", he said, "it doesn't look like, but I'm actually..."

"My father", Trip finished. "Technically he is my adoptive father, which explains the slight difference in complexion."

A little lost, she just nodded while fiddling with the jacket, and then she frowned.

"But then, your mother, the one who says you're too nice, is..."

"Melinda May, yes", he interrupted. "Let me guess, she's one of your teachers too?"

She nodded smiling slightly, embarrassed, then handed him his jacket under the interested eyes of her teacher.

"Thank you for lending it to me."

"You're welcome, that's normal," he declared, recovering it.

She gave a small smile to Coulson before waving her hand at Trip. She went to sit down. The teenager looked after her, then a sudden illumination crossed his mind and he turned to his father.

"Wait, I didn't make the link when we met ... is she the one you were talking about the day before yesterday, your new anorexic student?"

"Maybe anorexic", Coulson said, watching the last students come in to settle down. "Yes it's her. How do you know her?"

"Yesterday evening. Ward invited her."

Phil's eyes widened, but Trip continued before he could open his mouth:

"Don't worry, Bobbi didn't let her drink and we kept an eye on her."

The teenager made a face, realizing the blunder he had just committed, and that his father notified:

"Because there was alcohol at your little party?"

"Maybe ... But you know that we are responsible, masts and we didn't drink masses."

His attempt of minimization was unsuccessful, presumably because of the dark circles that ran before his eyes, and because his father was not born the last rain.

"Yes of course. We'll talk about it tonight, you can be sure."

Trip sighed, holding back his smile, no more worried about his father's attitude, and left his classroom.

Skye had nervously followed their exchange with her eyes, burning with eagerness to know if Trip had spoken to his... father, which she feared. What if he told him about the vandalized cars last night? But she reasoned on this last point. Since he had participated in the game, it was not in his interest to cook at Coulson, at least she hoped very much. She watched Trip leave the room, then noticed that her teacher was staring at her casually. Embarrassed, she turned her head. She spent three-quarters of an hour watching the birds flying from tree to tree and the wind that stirred the leaves. At one point it started to rain: she hoped it wouldn't last because her sweatshirt was not waterproof.

Phil did not know what to think. What his son had taught him disturbed him. The teenager was far too young to hang out in the kind of parties that Grant Ward trained her to, especially since the teenager was what you could call a "bad boy." Even if he didn't want to be too protective (Melinda kept teasing him about this), he promised himself to be careful that Ward was correct towards his young pupil, who touched him in a curious way, as much by her big fearful but daring brown eyes as by her small body which seemed to be able to break under the slightest gust of wind. She had been there for less than a week, but had previously felt unwell and needed an ice pack. Honestly, Coulson had no idea how he should approach the problem. Skye wasn't eating enough, and he knew that a frontal attack would make her stick up. Maybe he should make an appointment with her parents, but this would risk making her suspicious, and in this case he could no longer try any approach without her paying him back, he knew well how adolescents worked. After all he had raised three.

He sighed. He should discuss it with his wife, and then he would see. But it was out of the question to let the girl's condition deteriorate further. It was their responsibility to make sure she went well.

Skye sighed deeply as she changed into the bathroom. It was 1:35 pm and they had Sport. She thought it was stupid, four hours a week, especially since she hated basketball. Besides, she hadn't eaten masses at noon and wanted everything except to run after a ball like a dog. She groaned - just like a dog, she teased - and left the room to join Jemma and Fitz in the gymnasium. Lincoln was talking to a red-haired girl and Ward… well, Ward was cutting. He had offered her to cut the class with him, but she didn't want her absence to go back to the Sisters, at least not when she had just arrived at her new school. Even if, to be honest, the idea of missing Sport had tickled her mind. Anyway, it was too late to regret. She made a high ponytail so that her long untamed hair didn't bother her.

"You're okay?" she asked the scientific twins, who were pulling the face.

"No", Fitz replied. "Basketball sucks."

"Sport sucks", Jemma corrected.

Fitz nodded energetically and Skye laughed. They were even worse than her.

"Okay, Mrs May's voice said. "Warm-up for everyone, four laps. Skye, come see me for two seconds, please."

The teenager obeyed, suppressing a sigh as her classmates started to run.

"Your wrist is healed? Are you sure you can do basketball?" her teacher asked.

Skye nodded.

"Yes, I am fine."

"Okay. Don't hesitate if you're in pain, let me know."

Skye nodded and joined her friends. After the warm-up, they resumed the same teams as Tuesday, and May gave Skye the option of joining the team she wanted. She choosed to go to Jemma's, the blue one, even if Raina and her brown friend Heida were among them. Heida gave her an evil look, which she ignored superbly to go and post with her friend.

"Thank you", Jemma said. "You save me from the debility of this group."

Skye laughed before turning her attention to the teacher, who announced the first match, between the blue team and the yellow team. She groaned, not very delighted, and gained the ground. Raina, who led the team, put them both on the defence, which wasn't bad. So Skye hoped that she would have less to run ... which turned out to be far from true. The yellow team, of which Lincoln was a part, was very talented, much more than the blue, and even if Skye had to run a lot, it appeared that she was very bad at basketball and could not repel them, just like Jemma. The yellow team scored three baskets, and she and Jemma caught the glare of part of their team. They lost 1 to 4. Joining the stands to make room for the next game, Heida shook Skye.

"You're a plague, the new!"

"Yeah, go back to where you come from!" Raina added.

They passed her, laughing. Skye, stomach knotted, watched them complain about her to the rest of the team.

"Don't listen to them", Lincoln said, who had heard everything. "Come sit with us girls."

She and Jemma happily accepted his proposal and sat down with the yellow team. Despite everything, Skye only paid a relative attention to the match that was taking place before their eyes. Lorelei's group wasn't enough at the orphanage, now there was Raina's. Great.

They lost their next two games. Raina and Heida had succeeded in putting the team against Jemma and Skye, who had endure several remarks in a low voice, as well as a few shoulders shots, all that when their teacher had their back turned, of course. At the end of the last match, Jemma, who was trying to do her job as a defender (on her side, Skye had given up and didn't want to make any effort or run), found herself in spite of herself in front of Heida. Because of her, the tall brunette girl missed a pass; the ball went out of bounds. Unhappy, Heida pushed Jemma violently.

"Get the hell out of here, nerd!"

Jemma fell to the ground and Raina sneered, contemptuously. Ms. May, who managed the ball a little further (because the two teams were arguing over who had thrown the ball), had seen nothing. Heida approached Jemma.

"You have nothing to do there, the nerd", she added. "Why don't you go back to your cave to do your weirdo stuff, rather than spoil the air here with your presence? No one wants you, do you understand that, or is it hard to get into your stupid head?!"

Jemma let out a wounded tear.

"Oh, look, the baby is crying!" Raina laughed.

Raina, Heida and a boy from their team laughed. Skye intervened and stood before Jemma. She pushed Heida.

"Stay away from her", she threatened.

"Or what?"

Skye took a step forward.

"Or I make you swallow your little white teeth. Is it enough clear?"

Skye looked behind her and noticed that Fitz was helping her friend to get up. She looked towards the stands and saw that the other teams were watching the exchange without saying anything. Lincoln and two other boys had approached, presumably to try to defuse the conflict. Raina chuckled and crossed her arms.

"Look at this, Heida, it's the small guard dog of the nerd. It's a good dog, huh? Do you want a little bone to eat?"

"Repeat that!" Skye got angry as she stepped forward, ready to hit the stupid doll.

But Lincoln interposed, interrupting her movement by barring his body.

"Forget it, Skye. They aren't worth it."

"What is happening here?" the strong voice of the professor intervened.

With a look, Melinda observed the scene. On the one hand, Skye seething with anger and Lincoln in front of her who prevented her from advancing despite her feeble attempts, as well as Jemma, who was crying, and Fitz; on the other, Raina and Heida and two other boys, who seemed half-edgy, half-contemptuous. She felt a very strong tension emanating from the crowd. No one answered her. She crossed her arms and her natural authority forced some of the teens to pay attention to her, except Skye, who had her eyes on Raina, and Lincoln, who was focused on Skye to keep her from getting into trouble.

"I'm waiting for an answer", their teacher said.

"It's Skye", Heida replied. "She's completely loony, that's what's going on."

Skye saw red and pushed Lincoln to pounce on Haida, but he caught her by the waist at the last moment.

"Let me go!" She screamed.

"You see!" Heida yelled. "It's a wild animal, she should be locked up!"

Skye struggled.

"That's enough!" May intervened. "Everyone joins the locker room, except Raina, Heida, Skye, Lincoln, Leo and Jemma. Execution!"

The teenagers complied.

"Let me go", Skye growled, writhing in Lincoln's arms, her eyes clouded with rage.

"Calm down, Skye, right away", May said firmly.

"It's not possible, it's an animal", Raina said.

Skye struggled with more force.

"Enough, Raina!" May exclaimed.

She could see that the two girls were doing everything to make the situation worse.

"Lincoln, take Skye to the stands, I'll join you in two minutes."

The teenager obeyed, taking Skye with difficulty, because she didn't give in.

"I want an explanation now", May said, looking stormy.

"We don't know what happened", Raina said. "Skye pounced on us all of a sudden. She is dangerous."

"It's not what happened, you're lying!" Fitz retorted. "Lincoln and I saw it all."

"You're the one who lie!" Heida yelled.

May sighed, rubbing her eyes, feeling a migraine headache.

"Heida and Raina, join the locker room."

"But…"

"Right now!"

The two girls obeyed after having glared at the scientific twins.

"What did you see Leo? Mrs. May asked.

"Lincoln and I were in the stands, and we saw Heida pushing Jemma, who fell. I don't know what she said, but Jemma cried and Skye intervened. We left the stands to try to calm the situation down, but Raina insulted Skye and Skye got angry."

May nodded, pensive, and looked at Jemma, whose arms were crossed and her eyes were full of tears.

"Jemma, that's what happened?"

Jemma said nothing, staring at the floor, then nodded.

"Since earlier", she murmured, crying, "they've kept insulting us and making fun of Skye and me because we suck in basketball. They said that I was a nerd ... and a weirdo.

May softened and approached the teenager.

"Don't listen to them. They're bad players, that's all. I hate that kind of sportsmanship. If I teach this discipline it is above all because it emphasizes the team, good team spirit, and on cooperation, mutual aid, good understanding. It annoys me when I find myself facing students who tarnish these values ... Don't listen to them, ok? Not everyone is good at sports, but the important thing is that you give your best. The only one you have to satisfy is yourself, telling yourself that you've done your best, no matter what others may think. And above all do not listen to their jealousy. I often hear about you Jemma, from the other teachers. You are an extremely brilliant student and you surpass all the others in many subjects. If they insult your intelligence, it is because they are far from being at your level. Don't listen to these vipers, okay? And if this kind of behaviour happens again in the next sessions, I want you to let me know, is that clear? It is valid for both."

Jemma smiled weakly.

"Yes. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Don't be discouraged, you have made a lot of progress since the first basketball lesson. They don't see it, neither do you, but I do. Go change yourself, now, or you'll be late to your next class."

They nodded and walked away, Fitz supporting Jemma. May sighed and walked to the stands. Skye and Lincoln were seated. Skye stared at the floor, arms folded.

"Are you calm?" May inquired.

Skye sniffed to hide her nervousness.

"Yeah", she said.

"Well."

Skye got up, ready to go, but May stopped her gesture.

"One second."

Skye groaned and sat back down.

"Leo and Jemma explained the situation to me. I know you were only defending your friend and defending yourself, but that kind of behaviour, I don't want it in my gym. Is that clear?"

"Like rock water", she quipped. "I can go?"

"Skye", May said as a warning. "Can we discuss what happened for a minute?"

"There is nothing to say. They insulted us, and I wanted to hit them, nothing more, and nothing less. Maybe they are right after all, maybe I'm an animal."

She got up to leave. May tried to hold her by the arm, but Skye broke free of her grip.

"Skye..."

"Don't touch me!"

She ran away. She picked up her things in the changing room and went out, despite Jemma trying to talk to her. She quickly changed into the toilet and left the building. Not fast enough, since Jemma and Fitz were waiting for her outside. Skye sighed and got ready to go around them, but Jemma hugged her.

"Thanks Skye."

Surprised, Skye returned her embrace, feeling the tears rising. She held them back. Jemma broke away, eyes clouded.

"Thank you for standing up for me."

"Always", Skye promised.

The two girls broke away under Fitz's smile.

"We can say that you don't lack courage", he complimented her. "Or you're suicidal."

Skye laughed, even if her heart was in pain.

"Probably a bit of both", she supposed.

They went to the English room. Mrs. Hill had not yet arrived. But she saw Raina and Heida, in the background and busy pouring out their venom to their friends, probably saying bad things about her, since the group sneered when they saw her. She tensed, feeling her blood boiling in her veins.

"Skye?" Fitz said.

"No. I can't. I'm going to break their hyena mouths if I stay in the same room for more than a second."

She turned around and saw Ward, who had just entered. She felt great relief and rushed towards him, not letting him settle.

"Do you want to cut English class?"

Surprised, he smiled, but his smile faded when he saw her face filled with anger and on the verge of tears.

"What's wrong, Skye?"

"Do you want yes or no?"

He hesitated for a second and then made up his mind.

"Come with me, I have a cool place to show you."

Skye huffed, glad he agreed, and followed him, slipping her hand into his ... under the green jealous gaze of Raina who watched them leave the classroom.