So, because everyone (meaning the two of you who reviewed chapter 8) gave me such good reviews, I have to give 50 gold pieces to everyone!

So here they are :::gold piece::: x50.

Smiju- dementedness is always fun.

Iris Knotwise- this is sad isn't it? But I like that, sad stories are so much better than happy ones.

Hope you like this chapter just as much!

Disclaimer: Four Brothers is not mine, but does that really matter considering the fact that this is all after the movie and I've changed the characters?

Evy played with her wallet chain as she sat next to Bobby in the office. They were waiting for the principal of Detroit City High to call them in. Evy hated talking to adults like this. Most of the times that she'd been called to a school office, it had been to be interrogated, either about wounds she had or trouble that they were sure (not without reason) that she had started.

"She's ready for you now," a tall, heavyset black woman said as she came out of the principal's office. She smiled down at them. "Nice to see you in the flesh at last," she said to Evy. "Your cousin Amelia hasn't stopped talking about you all week. I'm Gladys, by the way. Amelia's my aid during fourth period."

"Nice to meet you," Evy said, shaking the woman's hand as she stood up. She cast a leery look at the office door and Gladys laughed.

"Don't worry, kiddo, she doesn't bite." Gladys gave Bobby a sly look. "You'll have to worry more about her attacking Bobby. Lord knows he caused her enough grief when he went here."

Bobby flashed a wicked grin and winked. "I was her favorite and she knows it," he said confidently. Gladys laughed again and waved them into the office.

Principal Myra Golding was an imposing woman. Despite the fact that she was now in her seventies and her hair was whiter than the snow on the windowsill behind her, she still had an air of command. Evy could tell that this was not a woman to cross. Even when Ms. Golding smiled and gestured for them to sit down, Evy felt nervous.

"So nice to see you again, Bobby," she said, her voice filled with mirth. "I must say that I considered retirement when I found out another Mercer would be joining me, but when I found out she wasn't yours I knew I could handle it, even in my old age."

Bobby laughed. "Ms. Golding, you're just like my mother. You could live to be a hundred and never reach old age."

Ms. Golding smiled. "See how he tries to sweet talk me?" she said to Evy, her long-suffering voice making the girl smile. "That's better," she said briskly. Her face grew serious and sympathetic. "I'm very sorry about your father Evy. Jack was quite a charmer and he's been one of my favorite students since the first time I met him."

"Thank you," Evy said, inclining her head slightly. "I hope that I don't disappoint you."

Ms. Golding smiled. "I don't think you will." Sitting back, the principal folded her hands in her lap and surveyed the two people sitting before her. God, the memories this brought back. It was so easy to remember Jack Lansid sitting in the same chair as his daughter, looking everywhere but her, fear evident in his every movement. The first time he'd looked up and smiled shyly at her, Myra had felt her heart soften for the broken little boy in front of her.

"So," she said. "You haven't even begun your junior year yet, is that true?"

"Yes, ma'am," Evy replied. "My last foster father . . . never enrolled me."

Myra fought back a frown. There was a lot more to the story than that, but Bobby's eyes were pleading with her not to question the girl. "Well, we only have about a month and a half left of the first semester, but I think it would be fairly useless to drop you into classes at this point."

Evy nodded. "Is it possible to do independent study, either through this school or another?" she asked.

The principal nodded. "It is, but you have to pass a test to show that it's possible for you to handle teaching yourself." She cocked her head at Evy. "What exactly would you like to have happen as far as school goes?"

Evy looked surprised to be asked, but Ms. Golding was pleased to see that the girl didn't hesitate. "I'd like to do independent study and summer school if necessary so that I can enter senior year when I normally would."

Golding nodded. "That's a good plan," she said. "Are you sure you have the drive to do it though? There's a great deal of work to be done."

Evy grinned shyly and Myra was struck by how much she looked like her father. "I love school," she said quietly. "I like to learn and I always got mostly As and Bs in my classes. This is something I really want to do. I have a future ahead of me that won't be worth anything without a diploma."

Myra was impressed with the girl's thinking. Most of the Mercers she'd had before had only come to school because Evelyn forced them. Jack had barely managed to graduate, Angel had joined the Marines and Bobby had dropped out in his junior year to work. Only Jeremiah had managed to make it the whole way and do well. It was nice to know that someone else was going to try as hard as Jeremiah's kids did.

"That's very true," Ms. Golding said. "I've already had a note from Amelia saying that she'd be more than willing to help you. She's even gone so far as to give me a list of teachers who would be willing to tutor you if you needed it." She smiled at Bobby. "It's stunning how much Mercer children take after their fathers. Jeremiah was the exact same way when he was here."

Bobby nodded, smiling. "He was always a do-gooder. Got it from Mom I think."

Evy nudged her uncle with her elbow. "You got it too, you know," she said. Bobby reached over and tousled her sandy brown hair.

"Don't let that get out," he said seriously. "You'll ruin my reputation."

The three of them laughed and Myra could tell that Evy was going to be every bit as wonderful as Jack. "Well, how about I have you sit for the test now," she told Evy. "You should be able to finish by fourth period. When Amelia gets here, I'll have her take you on a tour of the school."

"I don't mean to be rude," Evy said hesitantly. "But, isn't that a waste of time? If I'm on independent study, I won't be going here."

"That's not how it works here," Ms. Golding explained. "The independent study students come here everyday and they sit in a room supervised by a proctor. That way when you finish your work, you can move right on to the next bit. The proctor isn't really there to help you, only to make sure that you're moving along at a decent pace. This also allows for our independent study students to mingle with the rest of the student body and to participate in sports." She smiled at Evy. "Your father and uncles all played hockey and I know that Amelia does as well. Do you play?"

"She's fantastic," Bobby said as Evy looked embarrassed. "You should see her and Amelia play together. It's like watching two flying blurs."

"I'll make sure that Amelia introduces you to the hockey coach then," Ms. Golding said, standing. "Evy, why don't you go out and get Gladys to set you up with the test?"

Evy nodded and held out her hand to shake the principal's. "Thank you for your time," she said politely.

"My door is always open, dear," Ms. Golding said. She smiled as the girl walked out and shut the door quietly behind her, then dropped back into the chair and gave Bobby a stern look. "Tell me."

Bobby tried to look innocent. "Tell you what, Ms. Golding?"

"Don't bullshit me, Robert Mercer," Ms. Golding snapped. She shoved a file across the desk at him. "Her foster father is recently deceased, his son is being tried for sixteen counts of rape and if that bastard had lived, he'd have twice that many. The girl wears long sleeves to hide the bruises and her eyes are just as broken as Jack's were. Tell me what's in that girl's head that she's bringing into my school."

Bobby told her everything. By the time he was finished, Ms. Golding was feeling very sick and she wished that Kevin Brown was still alive so that she could kill him all over again. "I'm not going to ask you if you had him killed," Myra said. "Because you and I both know it doesn't matter anyway. What I do want to know is if you've told Evy that he's dead."

Bobby shook his head. "Jack would've wanted her to be spared from that kind of violence," he said quietly. "All she knows is that he's not coming after her anymore. I'm sure she suspects that he's dead, but we didn't tell her."

"Alright," Myra said evenly. She leaned forward and rested her hands on her desk. "No matter what her score, I'm putting her on independent study and I don't care if I have to teach her myself, that kid's going to enter senior year with her cousin and graduate without a hitch."

Bobby inclined his head to her. "I want her to have the chance to succeed," he said. "She deserves so much better than what Jack had. He deserved better than any of the rest of us. She's got all of his broken dreams behind her so that she can go out and fulfil every dream she's ever had."

"You love her very much, don't you?" Myra said quietly. Bobby nodded, almost embarrassed to admit it. "I won't let her fail, Bobby. And I know she won't let herself fail."

Bobby looked up at her, his brown eyes every bit as pain-ridden as his niece's. "God forbid failure ever enter her mind."

- - - -

Evy had finished the test in record time. Gladys had graded it and then called everyone in the office together to tell them that a new record had been reach on the test. Evy thought Bobby was going to explode with pride.

By the time Amelia showed up at fourth period, Evy was utterly bored of reading the magazines in the office waiting room. Bobby and Principal Golding had been holed up in her office doing paperwork and calling her caseworker in California to make sure that everything was set so that Evy could stay there with her family.

"Hey, cuz!" Amelia said happily, throwing her arms around Evy as she bounced into the office.

"Hey Mel," Evy laughed, hugging her cousin back. People in the hallway were staring at them and more than one snickered at Evy's appearance.

"What's the matter?" Amelia demanded, whirling around to look at a group of girls outside the door when she saw the stony look on Evy's face. "Haven't you ever seen a black girl hug her white cousin before? Get your asses outta here before she has to throw a Goth flip out."

One of the girls flipped Amelia off, but they hurried on anyway. Amelia turned and smiled at Evy. "Goth isn't a big style here," she laughed. "You're gonna turn a few heads."

"That and the fact that she's every bit as gorgeous as Jack was," Gladys said. "Principal Golding said that you were to give Evy a tour of the school during this period. She starts independent study on Monday."

Amelia squealed happily, throwing her arms around Evy's neck as the bell rang for the next class. "I'm so happy that you're going to go here! It's going to be so great!"

"Will you two get out of my office?" Gladys snapped, a ridiculously stern look on her face. "All this screamin' and a yellin' is giving me a headache. Get on, go!"

Laughing, Evy and Amelia grabbed hall passes and left the office. Amelia slung the orange badge around her neck without a though, but Evy gave it a disgusted look and shoved it into her pocket. "I don't do color," she explained to her cousin. Amelia laughed.

They walked around, Amelia keeping up a constant stream of talk as they walked through the first floor and started up a staircase to the second. As they walked to the library, Evy clapped a hand over Amelia's chattering mouth.

"Mel, I love you, but if you don't find a bathroom, I'll pee all over your leg," she said seriously.

Amelia laughed, the sound echoing in the empty hallway. "Would only be fair," she said quietly as a teacher opened the nearest door and glared out at them. "The first time Uncle Jack held me, I peed all down his stomach."

"Boy, that's just fascinating," an acid voice said from behind them. The two girls whipped around, Evy taking a step back as they saw the group of girls standing there. They were all tall and heavy and wearing the same expression, one that Evy knew all to well. It was the look that a predator gave its prey when he knows there's no escape. Evy fought back panic by summoning up anger at the girls for interrupting them.

"You're a pretty one," the girl in the front said, looking Evy up and down, grinning evilly as she stiffened. "Gee Mercer, finally brought somebody cute into our lives."

"You know these . . . people," Evy said coolly to Amelia.

The girl advanced on them, getting so close that Evy could smell the musky perfume she was wearing. Evy refused to step back, even when the girl was close enough to smell her breath.

"Leave her alone, Karen," Amelia spat.

"Shut up, nig," Karen said smoothly. She sniffed the air between her and Evy. "Mmm," she breathed. "I smell . . . slut."

Evy's muscles knotted and her fists clenched. "I smell shit, so what?" she snapped.

Karen slapped her. "Don't talk to me like that, slut. I might get angry." She looked down, another familiar look lighting her face. Lust. "Girls, I think we should get to know this one," Karen called over her should. "I can think of all sorts of things I'd like to do to this one. You gotta name?"

Evy rubbed her cheek slightly. "Evy Mercer," she said flatly.

Karen laughed, here friends laughing along with her. "Another Mercer, shit yeah. We'll be seeing your ass real soon."

"For your sake, you better hope you don't," Evy replied sweetly. She grabbed Amelia's arm and turned her back to Karen and the others, but she knew what was coming.

"Don't turn your fucking back on me!" Karen shouted. Evy turned around and kicked out just as the girl threw herself forward. Karen flew back and smashed against the lockers with a loud bang. Before Karen or any of her friends could make a move, Evy strode over and pulled a switchblade out of her pocket.

Kneeling down, she pressed the blade to Karen fleshy neck. "Touch me, come near, or fucking breathe in my direction again and I'll slit your motherfucking throat," Evy said smoothly.

One of the classroom doors flew open and Evy slipped the blade up her sleeve before anyone could see.

"She tried to kill me, Mr. Olken!" Karen screamed, pointing a shaking hand at Evy. "She had a knife to my throat!"

The man whirled around to look at Evy and gasped. "Jack . . . ," he breathed quietly. Shaking his head sharply, he glared at her. "What the hell's going on here?" he demanded.

"I'm Evy Mercer," she said, stepping forward. "Amelia was showing me around when these girls jumped us."

"A Mercer, huh?" Olken said. He snickered. "You have to be Jack's kid." Evy nodded curtly. "So, did you threaten her with a knife?"

Evy's face assumed such an innocence that both Olken and Amelia had to choke back laughter. "Mr. Olken, bringing a weapon to school would be breaking a rule. I would never do that."

Oh, she's good, Olken thought, fighting against the smile that twitched his lips. She's better than Bobby. "Well Karen, I think I'm more inclined to believe what Miss Mercer told me," he said to the girl on the floor. "Everyone knows that you and your crew like to start fights. If I was you, I'd find somewhere else to be, class for instance, before Amelia and Evy decide that they want to press charges."

Karen shot a furious look at them. "I'll see your ass real soon," Karen spat.

"I'm sure you're really looking forward to it," Evy replied blithely.

As the girls lumbered away, Mr. Olken turned to Amelia and Evy. He looked them over, sizing them up, and sighed. "I used to run with your fathers when we were kids," he said finally. "All I can say is that school is going to be a lot more interesting with two Mercer kids attending at the same time. Keep on with your tour, Amelia, and tell Jerry I said hi. Pleasure to meet you, Evy. See you both around."

"Bye Mr. Olken," Amelia said merrily.

"Oh," he said, pausing as he pulled his door shut. "I'm sorry about your dad Evy. He was a good man."

Evy smiled. "Thanks."

"And a damn troublemaker. You would've made him proud just now," Olken added. Evy beamed at him. "Get the fuck outta here you two," he said irritably, slamming his classroom door.

Leaning back against it, he took several deep breaths and listened as the two girls continued down the hall. God forbid that Evy ever find out that he, Mick Olken, had been Jack's first boyfriend.

A kid. A fucking kid. He knew that Jack was bi, but somehow it seemed wrong to know that he had gotten someone pregnant. Though, there could be no doubt about it. Evy looked so much like Jack that it was almost scary.

One thing's for sure, he thought bitterly as he sat behind his desk and pulled a stack of homework papers toward him. School won't ever be dull, or safe, again.

Yay, intrigue! Yes, so I have to say that I believe Jack was at least partially gay. I think Olken had a pretty obvious reaction to it. That's how I'd feel if I found out one of my old girlfriends was married and had kids.

Anyhoo, please revoo. (Hehe, rhyme) I'll give you thirty camels, a bolt of silk, and six wineskins in return for a review. Tis a decent dowry for a lord's daughter and god knows we've got hundreds of those running around.

And yes, I'm just a little that side of insane in case you were wondering. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, more coming soon.