"Get your asses up, shrimps! Time to get to work!"

Scarlett leapt up, hitting her head on the top bunk for the second time. She ducked back with an angry hiss and rubbed her forehead before turning to see who had woken her up. Russ stood at the door, her back against the frame and her arms crossed over her chest. Amber eyes narrowed dangerously as she looked at Scarlett. "That means you, squirt."

Stan yawned and sat up slowly, yawning. He was on the top bunk, Craig below him, as it seemed the black-haired boy had a terrible fear of heights. Stan blinked blearily, staring at Scarlett below. "What's going on...?"

Scarlett didn't reply, just threw her pillow at Craig, who jumped and whipped over in the bed to glare at her. "Wasn't me." She defended, raising her arms in mock surrender.

"Don't start fighting again, you two." Faith chided gently as she walked into the room, slipping by Russ. She seemed to have woken up quite a bit earlier, because her river-blue eyes were bright and her silver hair neatly brushed. She wore an old pair of torn jeans and a simple white T-shirt, as well as a pair of brown boots. "We've got work to do."

Craig shot one last glare at Scarlett before her stood, stretching his long, atheltic limbs in the bleary sunlight that filtered in through the window. Lean and strong, Scarlett really doubted he'd have any trouble with farm work of any kind.

Stan, on the other hand, seemed meek in comparison. Though he was taller than the black-haired boy, he was paler and not as lithe. It took some more coaxing from Faith for him to even get out of bed.

Brian peeked in once. Scarlett couldn't help but notice the dark circles underneath his bloodshot eyes. He frowned at their slow progress, and told Scarlett she could use the bathroom to change, as Faith had. She didn't even brush him as she passed, as though the slightest touch would give them away to the others.

Several minutes latter, Scarlett stepped out of the bathroom, her curly hair tied back in a ponytail and dressed in torn jeans and an old sweatshirt. Stopping by the room on her way downstairs, she saw both Stan and Craig were already dressed and just leaving themselves. Together, the three descended the stairs and entered the living room, where they were met by a sour-looking Ashton, who was clothed in farm gear that seemed several sizes too large.

Seeing their expressions of confusion and amusement, the History teacher rolled his eyes. "They're Brian's old ones." He muttered, fastening the belt on his sagging jeans. "That guy is huge, I swear. He looks skinny, but god, their must be a ton of muscle under that."

Scarlett blushed and resisted the temptation to confirm Ashton's theory.

"Are the children ready?" Gracia opened the front door and peered in, smiling broadly when she spotted the three teenagers. "Ah, yeah! Faith is already out here, children, so we shall begin!"

"So, how do we get across?" Stan asked, peering over the steep ledge that led down into a creek far below. The far bank appeared much too distant to reach without any sort of propulsion or bridge.

Ashton frowned and looked down into the ravine. He, Stan, and Scarlett had been sent down to tend to the cattle in the east meadow while the others separated accordingly and went off on their own tasks. "I'm not sure. There used to be a bridge, but I suppose it's gone now. Jeez, they could have warned us..."

"I've got an idea!" A blur of red suddenly whizzed across the teacher's vision, and suddenly Scarlett was sailing across the rift. Her curly hair whipped out behind her, catching the light of the sun and glimmering like fire. She landed nimbly on the other side, crouched in a cat-like position. She turned back to look at the two young men, blowing a stray stand of hair out of her face. "Come on. It's easy."

Stan stared slack-jawed, his amber eyes wide. "H...how did you do that?"

Ashton laughed and shook his head. "You're really something, Scarlett."

Scarlett rolled her eyes, then grinned when she saw two small shapes slinking up behind the two men. Brian had suggested they brought both Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight with them, since Tam and Rowan had cats of their own that they always brought.

Stan reached out one hand, laughing when Squirrelflight tackled it immediately. The kitten appeared to lose interest very quickly and suddenly straightened up, her ears angling as she looked across the creek to where Scarlett stood. Without a second thought, the ginger kitten's legs coiled beneath her, and she sprang. Landing lightly on the other side, she waved her tail in greeting to Scarlett.

Brambleclaw glared silently at the men for a moment, his tail flicking in impatience.

"Jeez, he's just as bossy as Brian." Ashton muttered, to which Scarlett gave a small laugh.

Stan stood up and, with some hesitation, finally gathered up the courage to jump the ravine. At the last minute, his foot slipped on the other edge, and Scarlett yanked him by the arm onto solid ground. Together they tumbled in the grass, and when they finally became untangled, she glared furiously at him. "Seriously? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"You were the one who jumped first!" Stan retorted, his brows furrowing in confusion. "What if you didn't make it? Shouldn't I be yelling at you?"

Scarlett rolled her eyes and stood up. She reached out one hand and helped Stan to his feet as well. In all honesty, the only reason she was angry was because he'd been so close to her. She told herself it was ridiculous that she should still be afraid after four years, and especially of Stan, who was possibly one of the most innocent boys she knew.

"Are you okay?" The gray-haired teen asked, tilting his head to the side curiously. "Hey, I'm really sorry about that."

"Idiot!" Scarlett muttered, flustered now. His clumsiness was contagious, it seemed. "I'm fine, seriously." Squirrelflight didn't appear to be satisfied by her answer, as the little kitten pranced up to her and sniffed her leg in concern.

"Don't worry, Squirrelflight." She smiled, glad for the distraction. Brambleclaw leapt the gap swiftly and padded over to Squirrelflight, giving her a cuff over the ear as if annoyed that she'd gone first.

Last was Ashton, who slipped ungracefully and had to be dragged by both teenagers away from the ledge. "Well," he muttered as he straightened up, brushing dirt off his knees. "That was fun."

The three were suddenly distracted by the high-pitched mewl of Squirrelflight as she sniffed at a bush. Scarlett approached, kneeling down beside her. "What's up with you?" Eyes narrowing, she saw that the bush was trembling in one place. Brambleclaw sat beside the ginger kitten, looking uninterested albeit his ears, which were angled forward.

Scarlett lifted up the foliage with one hand, and was met with the massive amber eyes of a little gray cat that seemed to be a little bit younger than Brambleclaw. The young cat flinched back, shielding a smaller silver shape behind him.

Without a second thought, Scarlett reached out and lifted the tom up. He looked at her nervously, his whiskers twitching. The silver queen he'd been with mewled in distress, and Scarlett noticed for the first time the likeness of their faces. "I think they're siblings."

"Hm?" Stan peered over her shoulder. He reached out one hand to scratch the gray cat behind the ear. Squirrelflight was sniffing at the silver cat, her tail straight up in excitement.

"They seem pretty tame. But they don't have any collars." Ashton mused, kneeling down as well. "And there's nobody else around here, so they couldn't beling to anyone. Maybe we should take them back to the house..."

"I want to name that one Stormfur." Stan said suddenly, ignoring the confused looks of his companions as he lifted the gray tom onto his lap. Scarlett noticed the coinciding colors of the cat's fur and the boy's hair.

"What about that one?" Ashton gestured to the silvery tabby, who was grooming her long, sweeping tail.

"Feathertail." Stan answered. "Faith can keep her."

"You've got this whole thing planned out, don't you?"

"Well, I've always wanted a cat, and Faith has to."

"Yeah, but would your parents mind?"

"No, my dad's really cool. He'd let us keep them."

Scarlett wasn't listening. She exchanged uneasy looks with first Squirrelflight, then Brambleclaw. These strange cats that kept popping up out of nowhere and ending up with owners of their same precise hair and eye color... well, it was a bit unusual.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. The three brought the kittens back to the house, where they were bathed and cooed over by the rest of the family. As Stan had suspected, Faith was entralled with Feathertail and the affection seemed to be returned. Still Scarlett couldn't shake the uneasy feeling in her gut, and when she finally met Brian's gaze after his return, she could see the same feelings mirrored there.

The teens were awoken the next morning by the sound of angry yelling from downstairs. Craig was the first to wake up (Scarlett was sure it was because of his giant ears), and he quickly awoke Faith. Together, the two roused the others and all four crept down the hallway to the stairs.

Peering around the corner of the wall, Scarlett's eyes widened at what she saw. Brian and Ben stood in the living room, several meters apart from eachother. Gracia, Ashton, and Tam were all crowded in the entrance to the kitchen, their eyes wide as they watched the two men.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Ben yelled, jabbing his finger in the direction of the kitched. "Tell me, Brian, who the hell do you think you are to them? Do you have any idea what you're doing?"

"You don't know anything about it!" Brian retorted, his voice rising. "Who do you think you are? We were fine without you here! What the hell do you think you're doing, butting your way into my family?"

"Your family?" Ben snorted ruefully. "Are you really that stupid? The way you act, anyone would think you didn't have a family."

"You have no idea what I'm facing." Brian growled, low in his throat. "You call me irresponsible when I'm doing what I'm doing to keep my family safe, like any sensible adult would."

"You're no adult."

"Excuse me?"

"You're just an overgrown child! Throwing tantrums when things don't go the way you plan, refusing to look at anything sensibly. You're always blaming others for things you cause. Tell me, does that sound like an adult to you?"

"You act like you know me. You don't. You only ever knew my father."

"Your father." Ben's voice dropped to a whisper, suddenly much more sinister than his yelling before. "Let's talk about your father, Brian."

"Ben!" Gracia protested. "Stop it!" But she was quickly silenced by Tam, who began trying to calm her down.

"Don't you dare bring him into this." Brian whispered, the faintest hint of fear in his voice.

"Who are you talking about now? Not your father, I expect. Who is it? That brother of yours?"

"Ben!" Tam exclaimed, letting go of Gracia. "What do you think you're doing?"

"You know it's him that's causing all this." Ben continued, smirking at the stricken expression on his stepson's face as the young man stepped backward, as though trying to escape his words. "You know he's what it's all about."

"Stop." Brian muttered, his voice weak and trembling.

"But you know what, Brian?"

"Shut up!"

"Hawk is dead!"

Silence descended on the room. Gracia's hand flew to cover her mouth as she stared, shocked, at her husband. Tam's eyes narrowed to cold slits as she looked at Brian, then back at her stepfather. "Brian..." She whispered.

"If you need to go, go." Ben's voice was icy. "It's none of my business what a stupid kid like you does."

For a moment, nobody moved. Brian's face was stuck somewhere between unfathomable fury, fear, and pain. Scarlett watched as he reached behind him, his trembling hand groping for the doorknob. When he finally found it, he was gone so quickly she missed it when she blinked.

Activity in the household took a long while to start up again. Nobody moved from their positions, watching wide-eyed the place where the young teacher had stood just a moment before.

"Tch." Ben muttered finally, turning away. He glared momentarily at Tam. "Quit trying to protect him." He ordered her harshly. "You're on a good path with your life. No need to get meddled up with the likes of him."

"Ben." Gracia murmured, her voice soft and pleading. "He's doing the best he can. He's lost his father, his brother... he just wants to protect the rest of us. You can't honestly look down upon him for that."

"I look down upon him because he doesn't realize that in saving himself, he'd be saving the rest of us." Suddenly, the man appeared exhausted, and he ran one hand through his short white hair. "Tell him when he gets back that I'm sorry. I went too far this time." Without another word, he brushed past the students and ascended the stairs.

While Tam and Gracia began to work, Ashton made his way over to the huddled students. "Are you guys okay?" He asked softly, placing one hand on Scarlett's head and ruffling her already frizzy hair.

"Yeah." Craig muttered, smirking at Scarlett's annoyed expression. "But what was that about, Mr. Woode?"

The gray-haired young teacher sighed heavily and sat on the stairs, folding his hands in his lap in front of him. "Eight years ago today, Brian's father died."

"What happened?" Scarlett asked.

"He wouldn't want me to tell you." The History teacher answered. "Then, just four years ago, his half-brother Hawk disapeared."

"Was he Gracia and Ben's son?" Faithg asked.

"No." Ashton frowned, staring up at the ceiling. "Both Hawk and Maria are the children of Brian's father with another woman."

"I thought she didn't really look like either Gracia or Ben." Stan mused.

"But I still don't understand," Scarlett spoke up. "What does that have to do with Brian and Ben? Why were they fighting?"

They were silent, looking at Ashton expectantly. Finally, the man sighed and shrugged. "I can't tell you, sorry."

"Why not?" Scarlett growled, somewhat frustrated. Here she was, so close to knowing the truth about him, but not able to reach it.

"Because it would take all week to explain it." He answered simply, standing up. "Get to work, guys. Just forget that ever happened."

Slowly, the students stood and began preparing to go outside again. Just as Scarlett entered the kitchen, Tam pulled her aside and said softly, "come with me."

Blinking, Scarlett followed the tawny-haired women up the stairs and into a drably-colored room. Tam sat at the bed and patted a place beside her. "I don't bite, you know."

Scarlett sat down and twiddled her fingers awkwardly. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I know about you and Brian, Scarlett."

Before Scarlett could open her mouth to deny it, Tam shoke her head. "He already told me."

"Oh." She frowned, unsure of where that left them.

"You know..." Brian's sister leaned back against the headboard, her arms crossed over her chest. "Brian has never once cried for our father. Or Hawk."

"Never?" She knew he was strong. But to never cry, not even after having lost his father and brother? That couldn't be good. "Why not?"

"He didn't want to worry the rest of us." She laughed ruefully. "He was always so sulky after dad died, like he was in a dream. Whenever somebody asked what was wrong, he brushed them off. I never understood why he was so cold when all we wanted to do was help him."

"Did... did he get along with his father?"

"He loved our dad. He was the world to him." A melancholy expression spread over her tanned face. "Everybody always told him how he looked just like him. That made him happy. He really looked up to him..."

"That must've been awful." Scarlett frowned. The deaths of two family members was more than anyone, even Brian, could handle on their own. "What about Hawk?"

"Those two were so close, it was like they were glued together. Brian would protect Hawk at all costs. He was his world after our dad died, I think. But then he disapeared one day..."

"Can you tell me anything about what happened to your dad, or Hawk? Why do all of you look at Brian so strangely?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" She suggested, smirking. "I'm telling you this for a reason, Scarlett. I'm counting on you to save him."

I am SSOOOOO sorry for the crazy-late update. DX

Ugh. I'll try harder from now on.

ANYWAY. So, what do you guys think? What's the secret behind Brian's past? Was Ben being too hard on Brian? And who exactly is/was Hawk?

Interesting stuff.

ALRIGHT GUYS, YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS?

Probably not. XD *is shot*

It's fanart contest time!

That's right! Draw a picture of your favorite scene or character or whatever in this story, and send it to me by email. I am ayla505 on GMX.

Everybody who enters will have a special OC appearance! They'll be able to tell me about their character and I will put them in my story for the whole fandom to see. X3

Review? Draw? Whatever. JUST DO SOMETHING.