Miriam Denkley's Story

Miriam sat in the back of the expensive black car that her parents owned her father driving and her mother in the passenger seat humming along to the church hymns playing through the car speakers. Miriam internally groaned, and rolled her eyes, she hated it this it was something that they always done on long car rides since she was a child and all it did was make her want to plug her ears and fall asleep for the four hour trip to the country.

It was then that the familiar churning started in, "Ooooh no not now... why now isn't it bad enough that I puked this morning and Mum got all worried." She thought to herself has she felt the acid start to build up in the back of her throat.

"Dad.... pull over please.", she muttered to her father.

Miriam's father raised an eyebrow and looked at her through the rear view mirror.

"Can't it wait Miriam, we're almost there." He said back with a hint of disbelief.

Miriam's mother on that note turned and looked at her daughter. "I don't know Arthur dear, I think you should pull over Miri looks a little green under the gills love."

"Unless you want me to puke all over the bloody back seat I would pull over!" Miriam's voice rose finally.

Her mother gasped at her daughter's language and disrespectful way of speaking to her father and her father stifled his aggravation and displeasure pulling over with the tires screeching to a halt on the side of the country road. As soon as the car had stopped enough Miriam bolted out of the back door to a ditch bent over at her waist and proceeded to get sick on the side of the road. Her mother unbuckled herself, got out of the car behind her daughter. Gently rubbing her back Mrs. Denkley cooed until Miriam was finished.

"Perhaps we should wait and take you to the doctor dear before you go to Fickleberry, I'd hate for you to be there a few days only to find out that you're sick and we have to make the trip out here to get you again. Then you have to deal with the drive being ill all over again." Her mother was obviously not as happy about sending her away as her father was.

Miriam shook her head, "No... I'm fine, I think I'm just nervous is all. It's not everyday you're sent away from home."

Mrs. Denkley sighed, "Well dear you know why we're sending you... it's for your own good love. Your father and I just don't want you to go down the path you were heading with that boy." She tried to hug Miriam who forcefully shrugged of her mothers arms and headed back to the car.

She sat down in the backseat again without a word, and her mother took her seat again in the car giving a sigh and then an almost pleading look at her husband.

"Now, can we move on I don't want to delay this any longer I have to be back in home in time to prepare for my sermon for Sunday. Don't have any more time for foolish rot... am I understood." His voice was authoritative, and Miriam just sighed.

"Yeah, fine Dad lets just go." She mumbled.

There were no other words just a nod from her father and the click of the gear shift moving from park to drive once again. It wasn't long till Miriam and her parents pulled up in front of Fickleberry Manor. It was a large farm house as far as she could tell as her mother chit chatted with owner of the place and her father took her suitcases from the trunk of the car.

He handed the two wheeled cases to Miriam, with a stern look on his face. "Stand up straight, keep your nose clean, remember who's daughter you are and don't make a fool of your mother and I. Say your prayers, read your bible everyday, now I know there's going to be boys here but we can only be sure their a bunch of ruffians no better than that boy you got involved with. Stay away from them, do as your told, don't disrespect or talk back. If I have to come back and get you because of behavior you know the consequences." With that he turned on his heal and headed back to the car.

This wasn't anything new for Rev. Denkley, he was a strict man that only expected the best from his children... unfortunately none of them ever lived up to his expectations and Miriam was the only one he still had any contact with. Miriam just looked down at her feet trying not to cry, as her mother came up and forcibly hugged her. Miriam just stood there not taking her eyes off the wooden planks of the manors front porch.

"We love you dear, be good and this will all be over before you know it." Mrs. Denkley kissed Miriam on the forehead and headed to the car as well. She stopped for a moment, with a look like she almost might have a second thought, but then she looked at her husband who gave her an aggravated look. Miriam's mother sighed sat down in the car, closed the door and the pair drove away.

Miriam began to feel the sting of tears in her eyes, but she wiped the quickly away so no one would see them. After she was told where to go, she made her way upstairs with her suitcases. As she was going up she heard a door slam and a girl come from the upstairs hallway. Miriam sensed she was upset and tried her best to stay out of her way as she passed, if there was one thing she learned living with her father it was best not to get in someone's way when they were upset. With a quiet knock she wrapped on the bedrooms wooden door, turned the knob and stepped inside.

"Excuse me hello?" Her voice carried through the room as she looked around, she didn't want to walk in on someone changing or something like that.

She saw another girl in the room, sitting on the edge of her bed. "Oh so there is someone else in here." Miriam glanced around the room.

There were a couple of bunk bed, one of the top bunks on the left was obviously taken. The girl who was sitting was sitting on a single bed. Miriam assumed that she must have got there first since she was lucky enough to score the single bed. She decided on the bottom bunk of the the bunk bed on the right side of the room. Miriam had never been a fan of bunk beds, and certainly not the top bunk so she was happy to be on the bottom.

Miriam looked at the dressers in the room chose chose one and next to her bed ad began to unpack her suitcases. It was almost like she was on autopilot she tried not think of the fact that her parents had forced her to come here. That her father was never going to let her come back home after this. It wouldn't be long till the truth would come out and Miriam would be abandoned by her parents forever. She felt the sting of tears in her eyes again as she slipped the now empty cases under her bed. Miriam couldn't take it anymore, the only thing she could do was try to be quiet so the other girl in the room didn't hear her. She crawled into her bed grabbed her stuffed bunny that she had, had since she was little and buried herself face first into her pillow, hoping it would muffle her crying.

Lainey


The floor boards creaked as she crept around the corner into the narrow hallway. Step by step, the floor groaned giving away her position. As if one wrong move would cause an onslaught of dark marauders, Lainey tiptoed down the stairs. Through the door, she quickly made her way to the kitchen. It was empty and completely silent. She couldn't help to be proud of her stealth, having accomplished that little victory.

She looked around to see one last time to see if anyone was around, before putting in her headphones and shutting out the world. She slowly turned up the music as she sat on the bar stool at the counter. She watched small dust particles slowly flutter into the overhead light. Once they were illuminated, they were easy to watch until they nestled into their final resting place. This made Lainey think of how when police cars go after speeders, the person speeding is being watched by everyone on the road until they finally pull over. Then it’s nothing interesting. She followed a single dust particle fly into the light and land on the banana that was among all the other fake fruits assembled in the center of the cobblestone counter.

Dust bunnies. Thats what Calista used to call them.

“Thinking about your sister just isn’t healthy Lainey.” Her mothers voice startled her and she turned to the direction it came from with a quick question of reality. Lainey took out her headphones to hear correctly.

“I asked if you are hungry. I’m sure i can find something healthy.” Mrs. Fickleberry walked in front of her. Lainey sat there numbly, trying to comprehend what had just happened. She watched Mrs. Fickleberry fiddle through the cupboards looking for something she clearly wasn’t finding. Lainey studied as she looked through the cereal cupboard and then looked where the spoons and forks were, not seeing the connection.

“Where is the bloody soap!?” She was getting very frustrated. She was looking above the stove and below the kettle, around the knives, and inside the cups.

“I think I saw it behind the cornflakes.” Lainey said as she vanished back across the room and up the stairs. Mrs. Fickleberry turned around angrily to find that she was alone. Lainey smiled slyly and put her headphones back in. She jumped up the stairs and slid silently down the hall, taking the same steps she had on her departure. She opened the door to the dorm room quickly without any warning.

“And then there was three.” She muttered barely audible as she jumped up to her bunk and pulled her journal from under her mattress, paying no attention to the stares from the other girls.

~Alisha Kettle~

Alisha sat silently on her bed, studying the room around her as she heard the floorboards creaking and assumed it was the girl who stormed out. But, to Alisha's surprise, it was someone new. A plain looking girl with straight, mousey brown hair and a somewhat vacant expression. Alisha stared and studied the new girl unpack her things and expertly put them all in place before retreating the the bottom bunk she had claimed.

It was silent again and Alisha let out a little sigh, but then, amongst the stillness of the room, Alisha picked up the faint sound of a muffled cry, and shifted her position on her bed to see where she heard it come from. It was the girl, the new girl. Immediately Alisha's head filled with possibilities of what the girl may have done in order to be sent to such a programme as Fickleberry, and became increasing curious as she examined the girl. She looked so plain, so ordinary, so prude - nothing like a 'troubled teen' at all.

Alisha fished through her side drawer for a notepad and pencil, then quickly scribbled out a note in her naturally cursive handwriting, and then carefully tore the page from the notepad, making sure not to let it rip - though she had done this before, many times, so she was confident it wouldn't rip, but was careful all the same.

With note in hand, Alisha stood and quietly made her way over to the girl who was crying into her pillow, and with slow and careful movements, she extended her hand and placed the note down by the girl's pillow. The note which read in three simple words on neat lined paper: Are you okay?

Alisha stood by the girl's bunk as she waited for a reaction, then turned her head towards the source of another sound with she familiarised as the door opening. She saw the other girl from before and lifted her hand to give her a small wave before then dropping her attention back to the crying girl, waiting eagerly for her response to the note, so she could get her head straight as to what the new girls reason for being here was.

Miriam jumped up from her bed when she heard the door open, expertly wiped her eyes, and watched as the girl she had seen in the hallway before, mutter something then climb up on the top bunk. It was then she noticed the girl who had been sitting, get up, reach into her dresser drawer, pulled out what looked like a note pad and began to write. Needless to say this movement peeked Miriam's interest more so than the girl on her top bunk with head phones in and reading obviously avoiding as much contact as possible with the others in the room. The girl soon ripped the note she was writing from the pad, and walked cautiously over to Miriam's bed, carefully placing then note on her pillow. Miriam looked up at the girl, no tears were on her face, but the redness of her eyes was enough proof of her crying. Obviously the measures she took to not be heard had failed.

Are you okay?

Was written on the paper, now Miriam through common sense could deduce that the girl could hear. She had to have heard her crying to write down such a question. So Miriam could only assume that the girl could not speak.... or she was just more comfortable writing notes than actually talking. She looked up at the girl she couldn't have been much older than she was, she didn't look like anyone that really deserved to be in a place like this. Her parents would be shocked by the piercings and her hair appeared dyed, two things her parents abhorred and would never in a million years let Miriam do. But then again her parents didn't let her do just about anything that other girls her age did. Turning her attentions from examining the girls outer appearance she decided to dwell on the note, and ultimately the question.

"Well, I suppose I'm sad and upset because I'm here. Sorry if I bothered you with my crying, I do try to keep that sort of thing to myself... it's just been a really tough go today. I normally don't get this emotionally, I apologize for my outburst. May I inquire.... what is your name? Mine is Miriam."

Lainey


"Tick.. tock..tick.. COME ON!.. tock."She sat awkwardly in the dead silent room. She took out one of her headphones and glanced over at the two girls in the room. She studied them carefully. The girl in the lone bed sat up against the far wall, studying the third girl that Lainey hadn't paid any attention to. Lainey turned off her music and noticed how messy her bed seemed.

"I'm sorry." She stood up on her bed, the entire bunk bed shaking under her foot. She ducked from the ceiling and shuffled as carefully as possible. She grabbed her bag and looked in it quickly, not for anything specific. She studied the neat bags of the other girls and suddenly felt very self-conscious of her worn out bag and clothes. She felt gross all over. She looked down at her shoes, still on her feet. They were dusty and grimy, just like everything else she owned. Her shorts were short. The bottom of her front pockets went further then the length of the shorts themselves. She felt so gross. "Please stop staring at me, I know my legs are scarred. I know my bag has holes. I know I hardly have any clothes. I know just stop staring, please stop staring!" She seemed to talk more to herself then out loud. When she finally snapped back to reality, she was trembling. Angrily scrambling through her things, folding them into neat piles and carrying them one by one down her latter and to the nearest empty drawer, she felt all eyes on her. She hated it. She hated having their eyes glued to her, questioning if she is actually as strange as she seemed to be. Thinking she was crazy, some poor girl who never learned how to behave around people.

"Isn't that what we are all here for? We are the people that society gave up on. We are the young screw ups. The ones that ruin family reputations and the government fixer-uppers." Lainey turned around and stared at the newest new-girl. Her face was red and splotchy.

"Abuse?" Before she even knew she thought it, it was said. "I uh.. I mean.. My name is Lainey.. I.. uh.. I'm sorry." Her words fought each other in her mouth, each trying to manage their way out to try and justify the strange thing she had previously said, but all she did was stare at the girl with terror in her eyes.

"Oh, you were crying. I am such an idiot. I'm sorry. I just. It's just.. well.. I'm trying to figure out why a girl like you should be here, and.. wait! No. That came out wrong. See, it's obvious that Alisha here has trust issues, considering her fear of bunking with other trouble-some kids. No wait. Ugh. I um. I'm just going to go." She fumbled a little, staring back and forth from girl to girl. She felt like the biggest idiot known to man. She ran out the door as quickly as she could, and didn't stop running until she got to the front door of the house. She just wanted to leave; to take a break. She needed air, and she wouldn't stop until she felt she could breathe. She was drowning in her own embarrassment.

A guy stood at the open door with bags in hand. "Ask to help with his bags. Do it. No, don't. You don't want to look like a dumbass again." Lainey stopped dead where she stood, staring at the guy in the door. She fumbled and tried to catch her breath. She flipped her head head forward, hunching over putting her hair up in a pony tail. To her surprise, she didn't have a hair bow. She stopped, looking through her legs at the upside down world. "And you managed to do it anyway, wow. He probably thinks you have some mental disorder." She straightened up slowly, face blushed with the sudden blood to her head. Awkward. She walked past him outside. Then she started to run. The dust kicked up behind her as she sprinted along the old dirt road.

Worst day ever.

~Alisha Kettle~

"Well, I suppose I'm sad and upset because I'm here. Sorry if I bothered you with my crying, I do try to keep that sort of thing to myself... it's just been a really tough go today. I normally don't get this emotionally, I apologize for my outburst. May I inquire.... what is your name? Mine is Miriam." Alisha heard from the other girl, curling her lip to chew at it softly as she listened, wonder whya girl so..well manner was in a place like this. "Abuse?" she heard from the other girl, as she now stood by them. Alisha turned to glace at the girl and furrowed her brow a bit in confusion - she didn't think Miriam was a victim of abuse, but she could be..Alisha found herself glancing at any part of Miriam's skin she could fid to check for any bruises or cuts, but she found none. "I uh.. I mean.. My name is Lainey.. I.. uh.. I'm sorry." the other girl, Alisha now knew as Lainey, continued, "Oh, you were crying. I am such an idiot. I'm sorry. I just. It's just.. well.. I'm trying to figure out why a girl like you should be here, and.. wait! No. That came out wrong. See, it's obvious that Alisha here has trust issues, considering her fear of bunking with other trouble-some kids. No wait. Ugh. I um. I'm just going to go." as Lainey spoke of 'trust issues' Alisha frowned - that wasn't it at all. It wasn't that she didn't trust being in a bunk, she just preferred a single bed. It reminded her of home. Home Alisha thought, sighing at the memories. But then Alisha remember the Miriam was still upset, and Alisha was still curious to know what she had done to be enlisted in this programme - she didn't know what was up with Lainey either, but from her hasty exit, she gesseed it was something to do with nerves.

Alisha took the piece of paper from before and crossed out her previous writing in the same pen, and then wrote below it:

Are you okay?
Why ARE you here?

She was also about to write her name too, but Lainey had already mentioned it, so Alisha assumed Miriram picked up on it too, plus, she was running out of room on this piece of paper anyway. Alisha passed the note to Miriram and stood for a moment, watching here read before then walking back over to her drawer and takig out her notepad agai incease she needed to write more. As she stood by her bed, Alisha glanced out the window and saw a car, then a boy, and bit at her lip softly. The boy looked like he belonged here, atleast someone does she thought to herself, hanging around byt the window a bit longer than she should. She watched the boy walk to the front porch, then say Lainey begin to run ddown the dirt road and frowned a bit, definitely seems nervous , she say to herself in her head, confirming her thoughts from earlier.

Miriam couldn't keep up with the words coming out of.... Lainey she had said her name was. It was all a mish-mash of jumbles that really didn't make any sense. When Lainey got embarrassed however she gave up and left the room. Miriam shook her head, not really sure of what to think, then the girl who had been writing the notes and Lainey had announced that her name was Alisha wrote again on the paper.

Why ARE you here?

Now, Miriam didn't want to go into too much detail about this. She had just met this girl, so she decided to keep it short and sweet.

"My parents paid to send me here, they think I'm an unruly child and that this place will whip me back into shape. I don't think I was that unruly, just think I was given way too many rules to follow is all. Does that make any sense?" She asked the girl back.

It was then there was a knock on the bedroom door, making Miriam pop up in curiosity. She looked over at Alisha wondering if she knew who it was.

"Um.... who is it?" Miriam called to the bedroom door waiting for a response from the person that knocked.

---

---

Collin sat in the passenger seat across from his Probation Officer, Marnie Evans was a strict woman but kind at the same time.

"Collin we're almost there, I hope for your mum's sake you'll do as your told. I know you're a decent kid, but there's liable to be other kids here that are well.... allot worse off than yourself. So don't muck yourself up even more, you know who can get you in more trouble and who cant. Just stick to the ones that cant and you'll do just fine. I've had others go into this program before that came out just fine in the end, turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to them. Whats this now?" There was a pause and Collin looked up from the dash board that he had been staring at trying to not talk to Marnie.

"A patrol car Ehh, wonder who's in charge of this one?" Marnie wondered allowed.

Collin could see two people in the back, that was never a good sign. "Bloody hell Marnie, what sort of prison are you taking me to?" Collin said.

He knew he had messed up, but if they had to take kids in the back of patrol cars in handcuffs what was the place really like.

"Now, now don't get your knickers in a bunch, like I said some kids have done more than you have. But that doesn't make them bad. Just stick with the ones that don't come in handcuffs." Marnie said with a smile.

"Well that's just fucking reassuring Marnie." Collin sighed again as they followed behind the squad car that was obviously going to the same place that he was.

He just hopped that this wasn't going to make things worse for him.

"Uhh, who is it?", One of the girls in there had said at a barely audible decibel.

"The names Kensworth, James, Kentworth. Followed by James, in his ever classic manor, bursting in the door, hand guns ready and pointed at Miriam and Alisha.
"Blam, blam ba blam blam blam" James said through small chuckles, pretending to shoot Miriam and Alisha. Miriam let out a nervous chuckle, and Alisha said nothing. He sat next to Alisha on the bed, and made several attempts to make conversation with the Miriam and Alisha.

"Where you guys from?!" James asked. No response.

"Oooh, I get it, hard crowd, okay. I can play the quiet game too." James spoke in somewhat of a dissapointed tone. He thought they would've been somewhat willing to talk. It was at this exact moment when he received something in his pocket from Alisha. It was a note, that simply read "I dont talk"

James tucked the note back in his pocket, winked at Alisha, and left the two of them to whatever they were doing before he went in. He was headed outside, to go have a smoke, and ponder his thoughts. "Fuck, they didn't seem to be too happy about being here, but then again, would anybody, other than me?" James wondered aloud.

"Trust me son, it's not really that bad" Mr Fickleberry had appeared out of nowhere.

"It doesn't seem that bad at all, Reminds me of my Uncle".

"Where's his farm around?"

"He's all the way over in Nova Scotia, in Amherst. Lot of cows, apples, and corn. It's nice up there, everyone's drunk or stoned, way too polite, and the RCMP don't do much unless your being a moron."

Mr Fickleberry let out a small chuckle, and agreed with James, before leaving him to his smoke.

"Seeya later King George!" James said, knowing he wouldn't be able to come up with a clever comeback.

A small chuckle from the now somewhat distant Mr. Fickleberry.

James took another drag, and was about to flick his filter, the front door of the main farmhouse moved. In the back of his mind, he was hoping it was one of the girls, but he figured it was just the wind.

Alisha flinched as he guy burst through the door, pointing imaginary guns at them, shooting them both in turn as he madde childish, "Blam, blam ba blam blam blam" sounds, chuckling as he did. Alisha smiled apathetically, then glanced to Miriam, who seemed to be responding with a small, nervous laugh. The guy named himself James, then as Alisha moved back to her bed to sit, he too followed her.

Both Alisha and James sat on her bed, breathing in the awkward air as James attempted to start a conversation. Eventually Alisha decided she should spare him of any more awkward silences and quickly wrote out a note, then slipped it into his pocket when she got the chance. James read the note, winked, then left.

With a furrowed brow, Alisha watched James leave, wondering what he meant with that wink, but was distracted when she heard a car pull into the path. Alisha stood and resumed her place at the window. Looking out she saw a cop car, and now a new car, pulled into the drive. The cop car sparked her interest, wondering who was responsible for it. She looked down to the guy who she assumed came from the cop car and studied him, trying to figure out why he would need to be handcuffed and escorted. She hoped Fickleberry wouldn't turn into a pool of drama that she would have to wallow in, because dealing with drama was hard when all you could do was write notes.

Lainey

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!" Calista walked slowly around the worn down kitchen table in their old kitchen, and slid the bowl of corn flakes to Lainey and handed her a spoon. "You okay LayLay?" She would ask, leaning on the table and looking up at Lainey with big puppy dog eyes.

"If it's the most important, why don't you eat it sissy?" Lainey would ask her, and she would watch as her sister would stand up and turn around, trying to avoid the scenario.

"Because I make sure you get fed Laineybug." She would laugh and mess up Laineys hair, blowing into her cheek with a "zerbert" she would call it. Lainey would squeal and hug her sister carefully.

"When is daddy coming home?" Lainey would ask, her mother saying day after day hopelessly that her father would return. This made Calista pause, and hold Lainey's four year old face in her hands.

"It doesn't matter Laineybug, I'm here and I will always take care of you." Lainey stared at the full bowl of corn flakes in front of her. The memory of her sister brought tears to her eyes, as she picked up the bowl and threw it into the sink. The glass shattered and cereal went everywhere.

Before having anyone come to find her and the mess she had made, she quickly started picking up the broken pieces of glass, ignoring the cutting of her hands it was causing. She was shaking as she gathered the pieces, and quickly took the shards to the trashcan. She dumped them, and went about turning on the water in the sink. She wet a washcloth, and for the first time noticed her hands bleeding. She took the washcloth to the walls, cleaning off the milk and cereal that had been spilt. When it was clean, she rinsed out the washcloth and used it to clean off her bleeding hands, staining it. Upon noticing this, she threw it away and sped out of the kitchen and down the hall. She jumped up the stairs and slammed on the girls bedroom door, not even attempting to open the door with her sore hands.

"It's Lainey! Open the door hurry!" She sounded desperate, but wanted to be out of the open hallway where anyone could see her vulnerability. "Please!"

They were everywhere, doing what they wanted. In his home.

A glance to his wife was her only warning that he was now preparing to go on the offensive in straightening out the chaos that these... teens were causing. Rolling up the sleeves of his shirt, he began the trek through his house in search of each teenager that had arrived. His eyes were cold and steeled against anything he may see. There had been screaming of bloody murder in this house, and that would not be continuing unless someone was on fire or looking for himself or wife. And if the latter is the option, the reason for yelling had better we damn good.

He scaled up to the second floor and paused at the congregation gathered around the girls' bedroom. "Mr. Laudati, Mr. Kentworth," he stated as he walked up to the boys hovering at the girls' room. His hands were placed behind his back and clenched to help in keeping his calm composure. "This is not a playground. You do not shout without cause in this house. A reason for shouting; if someone is dying, and if you are shouting, you are shouting because you are trying to get help from myself or Mrs. Fickleberry and can not leave said dying person. That is just a common courtesy. Now, go down to the den so we can all become...better acquainted and your tasks can be assigned."

Respect, it was huge to the elder man and these children were already beginning to show lack of it. He knew that it would be hard to get respect from this group, but if they wanted to stay, they would at least respect his property and family. It was why he referred to them by their last names. First names were far too familiar a thing to address them by, and he would prefer to be addressed in a like fashion.

Standing in the doorway now and looking at the girls that were still staring dumbfounded as if someone left in a tiff, the salt and pepper man made way to allow them to pass by. "Ms. Kettle, Ms. Denkley. To the den. You will have time enough to unpack and familiarize yourselves later." Once they had passed by, he made his way down the hallway, noticing that someone left the balcony door ever slightly ajar. He didn't already want a suicide attempt on the grounds. The ladder he had left for the work on the roof was shifted just slightly. Climbing up, he saw one of the kids lounging on the roof as if it were a place of safety. His grip on the ladder tightened as he called out. "Ms. Carter. The roof is not for laying about. If you wish to work on replacing it, then that can be arranged. But for now, you will climb down from here and come in to the den. There are some ground rules that must be gone over."

Being sure he was heard and acknowledged, he climbed back down the ladder and to the boys room where one final boy remained, staring blankly out at the scenery. "Mr. Paradonas," he called, only knowing he was acknowledged by the turn of a head. "Meet in the den, we will be going over all rules and introductions in this house." Something about this boy didn't sit well with the elder and he turned to go back to the den to await their arrival.

Mr. Fickleberry was not a man to waste any time and a list of general house rules could be found in the den. He stood by his wife and daughter while the group would file in. The rules were pinned up and very clear to read:

*No vandalism
*Beyond tasks assigned, you are allowed to be within the house or the barn unless permission is otherwise given
*No swearing in the presence of an elder
*Address any of the Fickleberry family with respect and courtesy
*When in doubt, always ask permission
*If you are assigned a task, you are to complete it unless otherwise stated
*Eat what is served for your meals
*Curfew of those 16 and below are 10:00PM, 11:00PM for all others
*Work starts no later than 8:00AM, following Breakfast served at 7:00AM
*Sleeping quarters are assigned a boys room and girls room and will not be changed
*No smoking in the house, and only done by those of age
*No drinking
*No law-breaking in general
*Rules of the home are subject to change or be modified

Alisha waited for the others to enter before she herself then stepped into the room. She looked around, everybody seemed to be sitting, watching chatting amongst themselves or passing notes. Alisha distracted herself by turning her attention to the rules which she saw had been pinned up clear for all to see. As she read through them, Alisha picked out a few in particular and read over them again in her mind, 'No swearing in the presence of an elder' - well that would be easy enough for her, but she wondered about a few of the housemates who had a particular mean look to them. No law-breaking in general' again, she thought that would be fine by her, but she had already gather by the cop car that that rule had already been broken.

Alisha nodded to herself and let out an in-audible sigh before she turned back to the others and would see James wink at her, an empty space beside him on one of the chairs. Alisha fidgetted on the spot, looking around the room for anywhere else she would be able to sit - one sofa was taken by Lainey and Eric, a single chair in the corner of the room was occupied by a boy whom she didn't even notice arrive.

There was only one sofa left, three spaces, one for each Miriam, the new girl who she had noticed as she walked in and the boy who she had seen outside in a car. She sighed, and gave up. It wasn't as if she didn't want to sit near James, it was just that he gave her a bad vibe, he seemed the type who had gotten into a lot of trouble to get here. Slowly making her way over to the seat beside James and sitting down, Alisha clutched at her notepad tightly, and turned her attention toward Mr.Fickleberry and his family, awaiting him to speak.

He watched all of them slowly filing into the room, some coming at his summons and others taking their sweet time and making stops elsewhere first. He noticed Clara lingering by the door and motioned her inside as well so that she may take a seat. "Welcome, Ms. Wayden. Please put your cigarette away and take a seat. You are just in time." Looking over the group, the older man noticed that there were still some that had not arrived and he would need to repeat himself. A slight frown appeared on his otherwise expressionless face. He hated repeating himself.

Focusing instead on the present, his expression reverted to an even demeanor looked at each child as he spoke. "Welcome to Fickleberry Manor. I am Mr. Fickleberry and behind me is my wife, Mrs. Fickleberry, and daughter, Hailey Fickleberry. Each of you know why you are here, and if you are of the minority who does not know, I can describe exactly the circumstances leading up to your attendance. House rules are posted here in the den. You will also find a chore board with assignments for each one of you. Check it before beginning work. Now, we come to assignments."

Here he paused as he pulled out a cork board and set it next to the house rules. There were chores upon the board ranging from grooming the horses and cleaning the stalls to repairing the fences and painting the barn. In his left hand were a number of index cards and in his right were a container holding several thumb tacks. Already, he knew what tasks he would be assigning to each child, based on what he had seen so far, as well as the reports he had received. Everything was taken with a grain of salt, however, and he based most of his judgements on his own personal impressions of each person.

"Before we share the tasks, let us first have introductions. A name is all that is needed, but if you wish to put anything else forth, feel free to." Again, his eyes traveled the group, boring into each of them before moving on to the next. His expression said he could see right into their souls. He had not mentioned the jabs at himself, nor the note he saw being passed between two of the children. Demeaning them further wouldn't straighten some of them out, but true hard work and respect might. For the others, well, not everyone was meant to be saved.

Nero tried and had apparently failed to seem disinterested in everything. He blamed his curiosity, but wouldn't take out his own self-loathing on this girl who seemed to just try to be nice. As he watched her fold up and write on her note, his face scrunched up in disgust. There was something crusted all along the girl's arm and it looked a lot like blood. To himself, he shook his head. Shit happened, he didn't judge, but that was no excuse for being an idiot and leaving the cuts unclean to get infection. He knew first hand that any open wound needed to be cleaned and covered or it could have some seriously shit side effects.

What surprised him, however, was that she was passing her note to him. Hesitantly, he took it, refusing to meet her eye as he sat back in his spot and placed it in his hoodie pocket. The boy was shy. He'd deny it up and down, blame his anti-social behavior for his lack of contact; and while that was true, partially, he was also an inherently shy kid. Still, his curiosity got the better of him again and he looked over at the note, rolling his eyes at the front message. This was far from his personal hell, an entire country and ocean away. Still, unfolding the note, he read its contents, a small quirk of a smile crossing his face at the image. It was pretty good, better than anything he could do, and she caught the look of cold steel in his eyes perfectly. He looked up and caught her eye, giving a nod and sticking it in his pocket again.

His face once more resembled a frown as Mr. Fickleberry began to speak. He imagined that there would be chores along with the rules. Why else send them to a farm? He just wanted to know what they were doing for work, he didn't care about introductions, but he may as well get it over with. With an audible sigh, he stood, his eyes flitting around the room quickly, assessing the biggest threats before speaking.

"Nero."

That was it, his name and nothing more. He sat back down and stared at the floor visibly, but keeping his peripheral vision his main focus to be sure nothing and no one would approach unwanted. He shifted slightly, but otherwise made no motion. He had said his piece.

James sat and stared into space, doing his best to catch some of what Mr. Fickleberry was saying. He came back into himself as the boy in the corner chair announced his name.

"Nero" he said boringly, as though there was nothing else to him but his name.

All eyes were on James, and, of course, he took this opportunity to crack a joke.

"The names Kirk, and I'm the captain of the Starship Enterprise." He said jokingly. Mr. Fickleberry didn't seem to find it funny, as he sent him a glare that would've cut through diamonds.

"all right, all right. My name's James. I'm here because I got hammered in public." He said, sounding somewhat defeated.

All eyes passed to Alisha. He felt bad for her, and whispered to her. "Do you want me to introduce you?" He asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

"Breaking and entering, criminal trespassing, criminal mischief , evading the law, possession of weapons , underaged drinking, and jaywalking. " Eric said looking at the group, Mr fickleberry in particular to let him understand what he was dealing with. He spoke it in a report like manner trying to show not brag. " Least that's by my count, Officially I am just Eric Laudati. Thank you for opening your home to us sir." He looked around at the other faces to guess what there were thinking.


(ooc: short post is short, forgive me)