The title of this chapter belongs to my favorite band-Evanescence.

Chapter 10: The Change

Rookie walked in. She had obviously heard what the newsman said, because she said to me and Skipper "Uh... You don't...know if it's him..."

"Yeah..." Marlene agreed awkwardly. "It could be...well...anyone..."

I looked up at Skipper, hoping that he would tell me that it was someone else. My heart broke when I saw his eyes filled with tears. "You all don't have to pretend," he said, a tear sliding down his scar. He looked at his feet. "We...we all know who it is."

I dropped to my knees and sobbed into my hands. I felt someone pat my back and looked up, expecting to see Skipper kneeling down next to me. Instead, I saw Rookie looking at me, her lips curled into a sad smile.

She helped me back up. "It'll be okay," she assured.

"Okay? Okay!?" I snapped. "HOW CAN IT BE OKAY, WHEN I HAVE NO PARENTS!?"

"Private, calm down," Skipper soothed, kneeling down beside me. "Getting worked up won't bring him or Mom back."

Marlene knelt down as well. "Maybe I can ask my parents about letting you guys live here, until you figure something out."

Rookie smiled mischievously at her sister. "When you take off your clothes-"

"ROOKIE!" Skipper and Marlene shouted simultaneously.

I laughed again, and Rookie smiled and continued. "When you take off your clothes, you sleep together. When you sleep together, you realize he wasn't using protection." Skipper and Marlene glared at her. They looked ready to say something, but then they saw me laughing and smiled a little as the story continued. Rookie started laughing with me. "When-when you realize he-wasn't using p-protection, you-you-hahaha!" She was cut-off by her own laughter.

When I stopped laughing, I realized that Sonya was being strangely quiet. I noticed a guilty look in her amber eyes. "Sonya," I said, a bit worried, "are you alright?"

Sonya glared at me, and I gulped. Then she sighed. "I'm going home. You boys made me realize...I should be glad to have a family." She shrugged. "Even if they are a bunch of freaks."

We stood up. Marlene put an arm around her. "Very true, Sonya."

"Besides," Sonya continued, smiling, "who else is gonna make sure Julien takes his ADHD-medicine-stuff? My parents? They're a little forgetful." She walked to the door and opened it. "See you all in school," she said before walking out and slamming the door shut.

I swallowed the lump that was returning to my throat. "At least she has a family..." I said sadly. Tears formed in my eyes as I looked up at my brother. "He was probably looking for us."

"You still have your brother," Marlene reminded me. I think I was the only one who saw Skipper flinch at the word "brother."

I ignored it and responded with a slight smile. "That's true." I wrapped my arms around Skipper. "Not everyone has a brotha like mine."

"Uh, Private," he said nervously, "can I...can I talk to you...in private?"

I let go of him, confused. "Okay...?"

We walked into Marlene's bedroom, and Skipper closed the door, looking nervous. I tilted my head in confusion. What's the matta? I thought. Skippa's had private talks with me before. What makes this different?

He took a deep breath. "Bruno..."

I gulped. Skipper never called me by my real name unless he was being absolutely serious with me. "Y-yes?"

He took another deep breath. "Um... I-I...I wasn't really...planning on s-saying this, but, um..."

"Skippa, if it's hard to say, then say it fast."

"Okay, um..." He cleared his throat. He spoke too quickly for me to understand. "YouandIarentreallyrelated."

I blinked. "Could you say that a bit slowa?"

"You... And... I-"

"Skippa!"

"Alright, fine. Private," he gently put his hand on my shoulder, looking a bit somber, "you and I aren't really related."

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