Chapter Four!!! Hope you all enjoy this next chapter. I forgot to put this in the first few, so here it is:

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, places, or things, except for Mrs. Kingston, and Dan's picture.

I used to really like Trixie Belden, but now I cant really stand them. Trixie (and everyone else) just gets on my nerves. I do not like Trixie's aditud at all...anyways. I just found this out recently when I was reading The Black Jacket for the first time. But I like Dan so I decided to re-write the story in his words, I dont like his aditud either very much, but I can understand why a teenager who has lost his parents, was in a gang, and is being treated like a experiment would have some problems. I can't understand how a teenaged girl (even if just barely) could act like Trixie did. End of Rant.

Chapter Four: A Quiet Evening

Later that day, when Dan came back to Mr. Maypenny's house after doing his work, the old man was at the door, waiting for him. Dan made his face a mask of indifference, inwardly bracing himself against the tirade he was sure to get for trying to ride the horse. To Dan's surprise, Mr. Maypenny just motioned him in, and went to the kition filling a mug with hot chocolate. Dan looked at him curiously, and the old man smiled,

"It gets mighty cold out there doing the rounds. And you weren't wearing proper clothing." He handed the mug to Dan and reached out to take the school books and set them on the table. Dan relaxed, dropping his mask. Dan moved towards the roaring fire, watching as Mr. Maypenny moved about, preparing supper. The older man looked at Dan, and the boy could see that he was concerned.

"What happened to your head?"

Dan shrugged reaching up to feel the bruise, "I fell." He rotated his shoulder, and winced at the stiffness. Mr. Maypenny jumped on the look.

"Did you hurt yourself elsewhere?" He moved forward towards Dan.

Dan bit his lip and sighed, "My shoulder, and ribs. Nothing is broken though." He stepped away as the old man reached out, and moved towards the stove, mixing the stew that was bubbling. He turned back to Mr. Maypenny, "I think the stew is ready. Where are the bolls?"

The old man took out two, and put them by the stove, watching the boy, concern on his face. Dan spooned the stew into the boles, and handed them to the the old man, taking out spoons, before following him to the table.

They ate in silence, the only sound the clinking of the spoons against the boles. Dan sighed, looking up, "Sorry. I guess it's just habit, jerking away like that." He watched as Mr. Maypenny smiled sadly.

"Well, I guess living a kind of life you have, anyone would be jumpy."

Dan looked at his stew, moving his spoon around in it.

Mr. Maypenny watched him for a moment, "You don't have to worry about something happening to you now." He took a bite of stew and raised a eyebrow at Dan, "Now eat. You're entirely to skinny."

Together they cleaned up after supper, then they settled by the fire, Mr. Maypenny with a book, and Dan with his homework. After about a hour, Dan growled,

"Why do I need to do math?It doesn't make any sense. I don't want to do anything big in my life." he slapped the paper. Mr. Maypenny reached over, grabbing the paper. After looking it over for a minuet, he lay it down with a rufel smile

"I never was much good at math my self. I can ask Brian to come over soon to help you." He became serous, and Dan stiffened, waiting for what he was going to say next.

"Dan. Were you that...tough acting all day, like you were in the principal's office?"

Dan lowered his eyes, nodding.

"Why?"

"You and Mrs. Trasck are the only ones who excepted me, even with out knowing if I was like that. No one else was going to do that, so I decided to make it easy for them to stay away."

Mr. Maypenny sighed, nodding. "I can see that. But...you might want to want to give them a chance. The kids are truly nice, they just don't know you."

"If they don't want to know me the way I'm portraying, they don't get to know the real me. If they only want to be friends with the goody goodys then I don't want to be friends with them." Dan stared into the dyeing fire.

Mr. Maypenny nodded again, and reached over, taking the rest of the school books from Dan's hands "Why don't you try and get some sleep. I'll make sure you are up in time to finish your school in the morning after chores."

As a note of interest I think that the character Fonzarelli in Happy Days whould make a good Dan. He has a leather jacket, he has this 'cool' vibe, and he intimidates a lot of people by just putting up a front. He rides a modercycle which I could see Dan using before he fixed himself up and became perfectly acted.

To God Be The Glory. All my writing is for Him to use.