All ages, brief sexual reference

By Bernadette

Chapter One

First Tuesday in October

Honey Wheeler walked down to the bus stop with her adopted brother, Jim. It was a beautiful fall day; chilly without being too cold; trees were turning golden brown… a perfect October day.

"So, have you decided what we’re going to give to Brian for his birthday?" asked Jim. Brian Belden was to turn seventeen that month.

Honey smiled "Since when did it become we? I thought each of us were going to get him something separately?"

"Okay, so what are you getting him? I know that if you weren’t so shy that your gift would be given with a hug or kiss," teased Jim

Honey blushed "I’m not telling! Who knows? Maybe your baby sister might surprise all of you!" Honey said with a flip of her hair and hurried on past Jim.

Jim just grinned as he watched her hurry down to the bus stop. Jim knew that his sister had "special feelings" for his best friend. He also knew that she tried to hide those feelings. It was difficult for him because he knew that Brian thought Honey was as perfect as one could get. But since his friend had told him this in secret, he could not tell her, so instead he had to watch them dance around each other.

Of course, he could understand where Brian was coming from, because if he were honest with himself, he would admit that he had been doing his own dancing around a certain strawberry blonde with beautiful blue eyes. He really needed to make a decision on what he was going to do and soon.

As they came up to the bus stop, they saw that Brian, Mart and Diana were there, but Trixie was missing. Not that that was unusual, for she usually was the last one to arrive. Jim noticed that Mart had all of Diana’s attention and that Brian had noticed Honey arriving. Jim grinned, thinking, This morning is the same as every other morning.

"Good morning, everyone. Where’s Dan?" asked Honey.

"Dan decided to go into school early today. He had a lab experiment that needed to be set up by first period," Mart answered.

"Well, Trixie had better hurry or she’s going to miss the bus! Here it comes now," Jim remarked.

Just as the bus was coming down the road, a young woman with strawberry blonde hair came up behind Jim.

"I’m here. I just couldn’t seem to get going this morning," Trixie said. Her face was pale and she started coughing as she tried to catch her breath.

"Hey, are you all right? You look pale to me," said Brian. Brian was going to be a doctor someday, so he always noticed the others’ health.

"I’m fine. Let’s just get going," said Trixie crossly.

As they got on the bus and headed towards the back where they always sat, they noticed a young woman sitting in the front of the bus. This was someone new. The Bob-Whites lived two miles outside of Sleepyside and knew everyone that lived nearby. The girls were fourteen and in ninth grade, Mart was fifteen, the same age as Dan, both in tenth grade, and Brian and Jim both were sixteen and were seniors.

"Did you notice that girl?" whispered Diana to the other Bob-Whites.

"Who could help but notice her?" answered Trixie.

"Goodness, what beautiful hair!" exclaimed Honey.

"What I want to know is where did she come from? The only people who live down that end of the road are elderly. They don’t have any kids living at home," Mart said.

"Well, wonder about this new girl all you want, but what I want to know is who is this guy claiming to be Mart and where is my real brother?" Brian asked.

"What do you mean?" Mart demanded.

"You haven’t used one big or unusual word all morning. That’s the strangest thing going on right now," Brian answered.

"Mart hasn’t used his dictionary today! This is of national importance! Or maybe he’s the one who is sick," teased Jim.

Mart’s face turned red and he turned his attention back to the girl in front, deliberately ignoring Jim’s comments, not wanting to admit that the reason for his condensed vocabulary had dark hair and violet eyes.

Instead he asked, "Did you notice the color of her eyes?"

Diana looked at him sharply and said with a little pout, "What are you doing looking at other girls’ eyes, Mart Belden?"

"Well-----um-----I wasn’t really looking, it’s –um—just—well," Mart stammered.

Jim smothered a laugh and bailed him out with, "It was hard not to notice. She looked right at us as we came on the bus. Let’s face it. You don’t see grayish silver eyes like that very often.

The girl under discussion was sitting in a relaxed position, looking out of the window. She had very long wavy hair. Its color was a mix of brown, blonde and red shades. But the most unusual thing was that her hair had a white streak on the left side. Her face was heart shaped with high cheekbones and a nose that was straight and in perfect proportion for her face. Her eyes were grayish silver with long lashes. She was extremely beautiful, but in an unusual way.

"Trixie, what’s wrong? You have been very quiet today. You still look pale. Are you sure you are feeling all right?" whispered Honey.

"I have a little headache. Nothing to worry about. I’m fine," answered Trixie.

Jim had also noticed that Trixie did not look well, and she was not her usual spunky self. "I think you were right," he whispered to Brian, "I don’t think your sister feels too good. She seems quiet and she didn’t even seem too curious about the new girl which is strange in itself."

"I know. She was awfully hard to wake up this morning. Mart banged on her door three times and I myself had to bang on the door twice before she finally got up. She’s been coughing a lot this morning. She doesn’t normally get sick, but there has been an outbreak of influenza in school this year," Brian said with concern.

"I guess, since she is so stubborn, we will just have to keep an eye on her," Jim replied.

Brian laughed. "So, what’s new about that? You always have an eye on her."

"What’s so funny back there?" inquired Honey.

"Do we really want to know? You know what a warped sense of humor those two have," retorted Trixie.

When the bus arrived at Sleepyside Junior-Senior High, the Bob-Whites started to get off the bus. As they passed the new girl, Diana said, "Hi. My name is Diana Lynch. I’ve noticed that you are new and was wondering if you would like some help in finding your way around? "

This surprised and pleased the other Bob-Whites for Diana was the most shy and quiet one of them. They were happy to see her coming out of her shell. They just hoped that this girl would not spurn Diana and hurt her feelings.

The girl looked up at Diana for a moment, her eyes more silver than gray. Then she smiled at her. "I was here yesterday getting enrolled, but I am not sure where my locker is, so I will be happy to take you up on your offer of assistance."

She had a soft southern accent and as she stood up, they could tell that her hair travel all the way down to her hips. She was shorter than Trixie, but with an hourglass figure. She also had a light golden tan. The girl had on an aquamarine scooped neck shirt with a black straight skirt that went to her knees and low black heels. As she got off the bus and started walking down the walkway into the school, many people stopped and stared at her.

"How does she walk that way? I mean, she seems to glide. This is disgusting! Here she is, shorter than I am, but look how gracefully she walks! Not fair!" moaned Trixie.

"I have to admit, she definitely has a way about her that draws attention. Look at all the guys drooling over her!" Honey replied, while she looked towards Brian to see if he was watching the new girl. She blushed and ducked her head, when her eyes met his, realizing that he was watching her.

Trixie was pleased to feel Jim’s eyes on her instead of the new girl. Both girls walked into the school with their heads high.

The Bob-Whites was unable to discover the new girl’s name until lunch time. As they gathered around their regular table, they noticed her in the serving line. Diana left the table, and walked up to her and asked her if she would like to sit with them.

As they approached the table, a tall, beautiful blonde named Lauren stepped in front of them.

"Sirene, are you sure you want to be seen with these kids? I know you want to choose the right crowd. These Bob-Whites are nothing but a bunch of good doers. I mean how gauche can you be, belonging to a club named after a bird? I bet they all are virgins, including the boys. My group knows how to have fun and party," Lauren sneered.

Diana paled and her lips trembled. She could not believe the hateful things Lauren had said. She knew that she should say something instead of standing there like a baby.

Sirene looked at Lauren, her eyes very silver, very cold, and then smiled. In her smooth, southern drawl, she said, "Sorry. Been there, done that. I’ve discovered that shallow people are boring. So, if you will excuse us, I see that they are holding a seat for me."

"You are going to be sorry that you picked that group. Just wait and see!" stormed Lauren.

"Why do people like that always get temperamental when you don’t do what they want? She is so common!" Sirene said to Diana with a sigh. Diana giggled as Lauren stormed off.

They arrived at the table, and Diana made the introductions.

"Sirene, I would like you to meet Honey Wheeler, her brother, Jim Frayne, Mart Belden and his brother, Brian and his sister, Trixie, and this is Dan Mangan. Everyone, this is Sirene Sinclair-Hartman. She is Mr. and Mrs. Hartman’s granddaughter."

Sirene smiled at everyone and said," Nice to meet you all."

"So, where did you live before coming here?" Dan asked, his brown eyes on her.

Trixie, Honey and Diana glanced over at the their Bob-White men, and each were pleased to see that although they looked interested, they weren’t drooling over her like all of the other males in the cafeteria, including Dan.

"I’m originally from Palm Beach, Florida. I live with my grandparents now," she answered. "I guess since I saw you all on the bus, you must live out on Glen Road."

"I live in the big house on the hill, right after you pass the lake, heading into Sleepyside. Honey and Jim live on the hill before the lake, and the Beldens live in the house with all the crabapples. That’s why they call their house Crabapple Farm," Diana rambled on.

"How do you like Sleepyside?" Honey inquired politely. Honey thought that Sirene was polite enough and seemed friendly, but still seemed a little distant. Honey could not wait to see what Trixie thought. She looked over to her friend and worried, as Trixie still seemed to be out of it.

"It seems like a pretty town. I especially like the grasshopper and the story behind it. Nana told me all about it. I also saw you all out riding last Sunday. I love to ride, but I no longer have a horse. I do a lot of running and this area looks like it could have a lot of challenging runs," Sirene said.

"Dan can probably show you the best places. He runs a lot and is on our track team. He runs in the long distance races," Diana said.

"Sure. Just let me know when you want to run, and I’ll be happy to run with you and show the best places," Dan said. I’d be willing to show you anything else you might want to know.

Sirene looked at Dan with her silver eyes and gave him a little smile. Dan shivered. He’d bet his last dime that she knew what he was thinking.

"Thank you. I’ll let you know when I am ready to take you up on your offers," Sirene answered with a knowing smile.

"Well, I, for one, would like to be able to say something to people like Lauren. Did you see her face? She thinks she is the most popular girl in the school, but she is always so mean to us. We never did anything to her. I don’t know why she has to be so nasty!" complained Diana.

None of the girls noticed the look that passed among the guys. They did not know that Lauren had propositioned both Jim and Brian and had been turned down flat. Dan and Mart had found out about it and often teased them when the girls were not around.

"I can’t understand it either. She is a senior, so why she picks on us is a mystery to me. Speaking of grades, what grade are you in, Sirene?" asked Trixie. Trixie’s head was still pounding. She was tired and achy, and she really did not care about Sirene’s answer, but she did not want Jim and Brian hovering over her, so she thought she should try to get into the conversation.

Sirene laughed. "You honestly don’t know why someone like that would pick on you girls? Well, I may be new here, but a blind man can see that she is jealous of you. That kind of girl does not like competition. You all are pretty and much nicer than she is. What’s more, you respect yourselves and each other. She doesn’t understand that kind of respect. Plus, you have some very handsome guys hanging around you. In answer to your other question I’m a sophomore.

Just then, the bell rang; everyone gathered their things and stood up. Trixie sank back down in her chair, her face pale.

"Trixie, you are sick. Check her, Brian. I think she has a fever," exclaimed Jim, who had been closely watching her, put his hand on her forehead.

Brian checked her forehead, then the back of her neck. She was burning up. "That’s it. I am taking you to the school nurse and have her call Moms. No arguments. Jim, help me get her on her feet. Everyone else, you need to go to class," Brian spoke authoritatively.

The rest of the worried Bob-Whites went on to their classes. Sirene walked along side Dan, after finding out that they had the same history class next period. "Does everyone always do what Jim and Brian say?" she asked in a curious voice.

"Don’t they wish!"Dan answered in a dry voice, "When it comes to our health, however, then yes, we do. Brian plans on being a doctor and knows a lot more about medical stuff than we do. You mentioned that we respected each other. We do. What I would like to know is how did you figure that out in such a short time?"

Sirene laughed "I spent most of my morning with Diana, and every other word seems to be about one of you.

I did notice that she seems to mention Mart more than anyone else. She seems to be an admirer of his."

"You think?" was Dan’s answer as they went into the classroom. Dan found it interesting that Sirene somehow talked the girl that normally sat next to him to move to an empty seat on the other side of the room. The girl that moved was cute too. Dan had been thinking about striking up a conversation and maybe asking her out. Yes, this might be an interesting year after all.

 

 Chapter Two

Diana enjoyed Physical Education; this was one subject that all the Bob-Whites were good at. She, Honey and Trixie were lucky that they had it together and it was their last period. The only two things that Diana did not like were the mile run and the rope climb.

"Oh no, here they come," Diana groaned to Honey as they stretched out

"Why can’t they leave us alone?. Just because we don’t come in with the first group, there’s no reason for them to keep teasing us," moaned Honey.

Just then three girls came up to them, one of them being Lauren. All three were on the track team and were taking Physical Education for their electives.

"So you’re going to run with the losers." laughed Lauren when she saw Sirene stretching out with Honey and Diana.

Sirene just raised her eyebrow and smiled.

The girls lined up and the whistle was blown. Honey and Diana fell behind with the second group early in the run. They both noticed that Sirene was ahead of the others. Both Honey and Diana ran, breathing hard. It seem like they just weren’t getting any closer to the finish line; it seemed like a mile was ten.

Suddenly, Diana felt some one moving from behind her, then beside her. Sirene had finished her mile and had kept going back around the field until she came up on Diana and Honey. She dropped her pace to theirs. Then quietly, she started telling them how to breathe. Diana and Honey started to breathe with Sirene. Sirene increased her pace; Diana and Honey found that they could also increase their pace. As the girls focused on breathing and running with Sirene, they didn’t notice that they had moved ahead of the group they were in. Before they realized it, they had crossed the mile marker!

As they walked around getting their breath back, they realized that, for the first time this year, they had come in at the end of the first group instead of in the second group.

"Actually, you girls could be distance runners. You have the endurance. You just don’t know how to breathe and pace yourself," Sirene commented.

"Goodness, I just realized! You ran two miles in the time it took us to run one!" Diana exclaimed in between breaths.

"She’s not even breathing hard!" cried Honey.

"Well, I usually run eight miles a day. I was working my way up to ten miles, so that I can enter the junior marathon in April," was Sirene’s explanation.

Mrs. Leaks, the Physical Education coach, said, "Sirene, if you’re interested in trying out for the track team, let me know. I think we could use a distance runner like you. Okay, ladies, let’s get our teams for softball. Sirene, you can be on Diana and Honey’s softball team. They did teach softball in Florida, didn’t they?"

"Well, I guess they did teach softball, since she struck a lot of them out and hit three home runs. That was a good game!" Diana said to Honey as they were getting dressed after taking a shower.

Honey giggled. "The fact that you got Lauren out at second base wouldn’t have anything to do with your good mood, would it?"

"You bet! But I couldn’t have done it without you. It was your catch and then toss to me to me that got her out," Diana admitted.

"Great game! I love softball! You girls are good. Honey, you have a great arm. The way you snagged that line drive down third and threw it to first without hesitation was pure poetry," Sirene complimented them as she came up to them. "Do you all play in a league?"

"No, they don’t have one for girls and you have to be seventeen to play in the women’s league," Honey answered. "But sometimes we get a game going at home. It’s a blast, because we usually end up getting everyone around us involved."

Diana had finished putting on her shoes. She looked up and grinned. "The guys don’t like to lose, so those games at home are very competitive."

Honey laughed. "It isn’t just the guys! Remember last month, I though Celia was going to demolish Tom when he tried to steal home." She looked at Sirene and explained, "Celia is about your size and Tom is about Brian’s size, but she wasn’t intimated. She stood her ground and slammed that ball down on him as he came into home. He was out.

"Actually, we girls are just as bad. Don’t get in Trixie’s way when she is running the bases. She’ll run you over and never look back! As Honey said, it’s great fun!" Diana stood up and started to put her things back in her locker.

"I wish I could say the same thing about the rope climb. The only good thing is that once we’re done with that, all the fun stuff starts. I love gymnastics and volleyball. Trixie and Honey are good basketball players," Diana explained to Sirene.

"The rope climb is easy once you know the technique. Too many people try to use just their arm muscle, but by using your legs and feet right, makes it easy."

Honey smiled at Sirene as she picked up her books and the girls started to walk out.

"Well, I hope you know the technique and are willing to share, because I hate the rope climb. Trixie does better than I do. I think that’s because she’s tenacious," Honey admitted.

Sirene looked at Honey for a few minutes; her grayish silver eyes seemed to stare at something beyond them.

Sirene smiled and softly said, "No, it won’t be easy, but with determination, you can accomplish anything."

Honey felt a chill go through her. She had a feeling that Sirene wasn’t talking about the rope climb, but about something else. Something that only Sirene knew or saw.

Honey mentally shook her head as the girls walked out of the building and headed towards the bus. She was beginning to think like Trixie, looking for hidden meanings. But she could not escape the feeling that there was something strange about Sirene.

"So, do you know the proper technique?" Diana inquired.

"What technique might that be and for what?" asked a voice behind them.

Sirene turned around and saw Dan, Mart, Brian and Jim coming up behind them.

"Brian, did Trixie go home? " questioned Honey as she also turned around and saw the guys standing there.

"Yes, the nurse believes she has influenza," Brian answered.

"I got her assignments and will take them over there," Jim said.

Sirene noticed that no one seemed to ask why Brian or Mart couldn’t take the assignments to her. Sirene was fascinated with the non-verbal interaction that seemed to take place among this group.

"Oh, I’m sure that my sister will be very grateful that you are bringing her homework. she’s probably just dying to get right on it," Mart said with some sarcasm.

"Somehow, I don’t think she’s going to be that grateful. Maybe I should tell her Dan got her the homework. Make him the scrape oat," Jim said with his green eyes twinkling.

"Go ahead, Chicken. I’m not afraid of her." laughed Dan "I’ll just hide out in the woods for a while. No problem."

Just then, the bus came along. The Bob-Whites went to the back of the bus, their normal seats. Diana noticed that Sirene had stopped at the front and sat down. Diana looked at the others, then with a smile of encouragement from Honey, she gave her books to Mart to hold for her and headed back up front.

"Do you want to join us?" Diana asked.

Sirene looked at Diana and then back at the others. She gathered up her books and followed Diana.

Sirene noticed that Mart had saved a seat across from Honey and Brian. Dan and Jim were sitting in front of them. Diana hesitated for just a moment, then sat beside Mart. Sirene sat down next to Diana with a sad smile on her face. She really wasn’t surprised that Diana would chose to sit next to Mart. Although these girls had been friendly, they were not about to let her too close to anyone they were interested in.

 

Nothing new in that, she thought.

"So, you never did answer me," Dan said to Sirene.

"Did you ask a question?" Sirene inquired.

"Yes, I asked about the technique you were going to show the girls," Dan answered.

"I was telling them that if you use the proper technique for the rope climb, it should be a cinch," Sirene commented.

"Oh, I thought maybe you were going to teach them some Karate or whatever it is that you do," Dan stated. "I saw you in your backyard yesterday. It looked like you were doing some type of Karate or Judo."

"It’s Karate. I’m a black belt, second degree Master. I usually practice in the morning, but things have been hectic since I arrived Saturday. I would be happy to teach anyone that would like to learn. It’s a great way to learn discipline, patience and it also keeps you in shape."

Jim grinned "I think that is a great idea! Maybe it will teach Trixie to think before acting., Then we won’t have to worry all the time about what she has gotten into."

"But then how can you be her hero and save her?" Honey teased.

"Excuse me Miss Wheeler, but I seem to recall that you were right there with her on most of those incidents. So, maybe this would be something for you to learn. That way, you can have the patience to curb her impetuous nature. If that doesn’t work, you can always flip her and hold her down until she thinks it through," Brian suggested with laughter in his voice.

"I take it Trixie is on the impulsive side?" Sirene inquired.

Of course, that question caused every one to laugh again.

Sirene just smiled knowingly and enjoyed the laughter and friendship that flowed from Bob-White to Bob-White.

Everyone but Sirene got off at the bus stop near the Manor House. Just before Dan got off, he asked Sirene when she wanted to get together for a run. They agreed to meet at the Hartman’s at four-thirty.

Honey and Jim walked down to Crabapple Farm with Mart and Brian, while Diana headed up to her house. She called back to Mart for him to call her with an update on Trixie. Dan headed towards the back of the Manor House. This way, he could check some of the feeding stations on his way home.

 

 

Chapter Three

The next Day

Jim and Honey hurried down to the bus stop the next morning. They both were running a little late. Neither one slept too well, for both were worried about Trixie and Bobby.

Yesterday, they had talked to Mrs. Belden and found out that Trixie and Bobby did have influenza. Both offered to help out while Trixie and Bobby were sick. Mrs. Belden had accepted their help with the condition that they get their parents’ approval. So, after discussing it with their parents, Honey called Mrs. Belden back. They made arrangements for Jim and Honey to come over after school.

"Good morning, everyone. How are Trixie and Bobby? Are you okay, Brian?" asked Honey. "You look tired."

"I’m fine. Trixie and Bobby kept me up because of their coughing. Since I couldn’t get to sleep, I decided to helped Moms out," Brian answered with a yawn.

"Hey, don’t forget I helped! I must have read the same story to Bobby a thousand times last evening. I even got him to eat a little of his soup. I don’t know how Trixie can put up with reading the same story over and over. Drove me crazy!" exclaimed Mart.

"But Mart, you’re already crazy, so how can we tell the difference?" teased Diana. "Anyway, since I have been exposed twice over because Janette and Jacki both have it, my mother said that I could come over after school and sit with Bobby, if it would help."

Janette and Jacki were Diana’s identical twin sisters. She also had twin brothers the same age as Bobby. She knew how difficult seven year olds could be.

"Jim and I are going over after school to help with the garden. I offered to help with some housework, but Mrs. Belden said that Mart was going to do that Jim volunteered us to help out with the chickens!" Honey explained to Diana.

As they were getting on the bus, Diana noticed that Sirene was sitting in the same front seat she had sat in yesterday. Without saying a word to the others, Diana stopped by Sirene for a moment. Sirene looked up, smiled, gathered her books and followed her to the back of the bus. She hesitated for a moment, not sure where to sit. Honey and Brian were sitting together, Jim and Dan were in front of them and Diana and Mart sat behind them. She decided to sit with Diana and Mart. Diana scooted closer to Mart. Of course, Mart had to put his arm back along the seat to make room for Diana.

"So, how is Trixie?" Sirene asked.

"She is very sick with influenza. Our seven-year-old brother, Bobby, also has it," Brian answered.

"Sorry to hear that. Can I do anything to help?" Sirene inquired.

"I don’t think so. We have it pretty much covered. Thank you for offering though," Brian said.

Honey usually sat with Trixie, with Jim and Brian in front of them. She was a little nervous with Brian sitting next to her; this was the second time in two days. She knew that she was being silly. After all, he always would sit next to her at the clubhouse, but this just seemed different, almost like something a boyfriend would do. Get real, Honey, like Brian would think of you in that way. Especially since if he wanted a girlfriend, he could take his pick of any girl in the school.

Dan looked over at Sirene and noticed her watching Brian and Honey very intently. He also noticed that her eyes seemed to be more silver then gray. She smiled at the couple with such warmth; he wondered what was she thinking. As he observed her, he noticed that she didn’t look at Jim much and she had only looked directly at him once yesterday, even while she was talking to him.

"I know something you can do to help if you really are interested," Dan said.

"I’m interested. Just tell me what, when and where," Sirene answered with barely a glance at him.

"You said that you rode. Well, with Trixie being out of service and everyone else needing to help the Beldens out, why don’t you and I take care of exercising the horses? Of course, you’ll have to pass Regan’s test, and he does insist on us brushing down the horses and cleaning the tack," Dan suggested.

Sirene smiled "I love riding! That was the one thing my mother and I did together. My mother is a fantastic rider. So, when and where? I guess what I really should be asking is, who is Regan?"

"Actually, Jim and Honey are the ones that will have to agree. Bill Regan is my uncle and he runs their stables. There are five horses. I have one of my own and Diana has one. But we all take responsibility for the five at the Manor House," Dan replied.

"I think that’s a great idea! Of course as Dan said, Regan will have to approve. Why don’t you and Dan meet after school at the stables and talk to Regan about it? I’m sure that if you are as good on a horse as you are at running and softball, he’ll be thrilled to have one more person exercising the horses," Honey agreed.

"Sounds like a plan." Sirene turned to Diana. "Diana, did you give any more thought to what we talked about last night?"

"Well, I, um--- sorry about that! My mind just drifted!" Actually what had happened was that Mart, at that exact moment, had moved his arm so that he was touching the back of her neck, which caused her pulse to quicken.

"Actually, I did ask my parents and they weren’t too sure. They felt that if I wanted to take Karate lesson, I should take it from a certified pro. We do have someone in town that teaches."

"I guess I didn’t go into enough details yesterday. My grandfather will be the actual teacher. We have a gym set up in the basement. It has mats, a punching bag and a huge mirror that takes up an entire wall. That’s where we work out. He’s two degrees higher than I am. He’s very excited about the prospect of having students," Sirene said.

"I’m glad you cleared that up. I mentioned it to Dad last night and he wasn’t too sure about a teenager teaching us Karate. So I can tell him that it would be Mr. Hartman doing the actual lesson," Mart said. "But, Diana, if you want to check out the dojo in town, I would be willing to go with you."

Diana turned to Mart and looked directly into his blue eyes. For just a moment, the two were transfixed as they stared into each other’s eyes. Jim cleared his throat and Dan coughed, which broke the moment.

"That would be nice. I’ll check with Daddy. Once I tell him that it would be Mr. Hartman teaching us, he might change his mind. I’ll let you know," Diana said, dropping her eyes from his.

"Yesterday, you mentioned that you were a second degree Master. How did you get that high up? I thought that it took years to obtain a Masters in Karate," Jim asked.

"My Dad was a first degree Master. He started me when I was around three years old. After he died, I wanted to keep going, so Mother hired someone to give me private lessons. I have been practicing this every day for twelve years now. Actually, a second degree Master’s is only two steps above the black belt. You can actually get up to a tenth degree Master’s, but to be honest, most people don’t make it that far. It is very complicated and takes a lot of time. Right now, my priorities are to sharpen the skills I have and to make my grandparents proud of me," Sirene answered.

"How did your dad die?" Honey said softly.

"Here we are at school. I’m telling you, if Lauren keeps picking on you girls, I’m going to have to do something about that," Sirene said, ignoring Honey’s question.

"I guess that subject isn’t open for discussion," Brian whispered to Honey as they stood up.

He inhaled the fragrance of her hair. That was one of the many things that attracted him to her. She had a scent that was light and sweet, all her own. He would know her even if he were blind.

"Maybe she didn’t hear me. I really wished Trixie were well enough to talk to. I would like to know what her first impressions of Sirene were," Honey responded, breathing in his scent.

Brian had such a nice scent, different from the other guys. She had a hard time describing it. She knew that it really had little to do with his soap or toothpaste, because Mart probably used the ones and yet Brian just smelled better. She also knew that most the time, he did not use cologne and when he did, it was Old Spice. She would know Brian just by his scent, even if she were blindfolded.

"I’m sure you do, but you have pretty good intuition. Just trust in yourself more," Brian said as they got off the bus.

"My English mastiffs, Merlin William Henry and Samantha Matilda Eleanor. They usually don’t bother with people. But there have been a few times that they have lunged at people they don’t like. They didn’t hurt them, just knocked them down and scared them. They’re too well- trained to actually attack someone without my command," Sirene told them.

"Wow! I heard those kind of dogs can get up to two hundred pounds or more!" Mart exclaimed. "How big are yours?"

"Merlin weighs in about two hundred pounds. Samantha is a little smaller, weighing in about one hundred eighty pounds. We’re going to breed her next year. Wait until you see them. They’ll be the cutest puppies," Sirene explained. "Actually English Mastiffs are very lovable, once you get to know them. They love attention."

"Well, I’m not sure I want to get too close to anything that big with teeth!" Diana exclaimed.

"Don’t worry, Diana. Once I introduce you all to them, it will be all right," Sirene assured her. "After all, they seemed to like Dan. So it goes without saying that they are going to like everyone else."

"Hey, I think I was just insulted!" Dan said, pretending to be outraged.

"You think? Sounds like she has your number, Dan." Jim said laughing.

"We’ll see. I might surprise her yet," Dan said, smiling at Sirene.

"Daddy talked a while with your grandfather last night. He decided that it would be okay for me to learn karate from your grandfather. I’m supposed to get with you and arrange which days would be best. Your grandfather told him that I should have lessons at least twice a week for about an hour," Diana said.

"That’s great! Regan has already given Dan permission, and Mr. Maypenny has said that he could spare him for two hours a week," Sirene smiled. "We were talking about it last night. I think we decided on Tuesdays and Thursdays at six o’clock to seven o’clock. That way, he can get his work done."

"I’ll run it by my parents. We usually eat at that time, but they might be willing to have dinner early those nights. I know that it would work out for me. I can get my homework done and be back in time to help put the twins to bed," Diana said.

"What about the rest of you?" Sirene asked the other Bob-Whites.

"Mart and I decide to wait until Trixie is better before discussing it further with our parents. But I don’t see a reason why we couldn’t join in. Moms and Dad are pretty good at letting us do extra things that interest us," Brian answered for him and Mart.

"I mentioned it to Mother and Dad last night. They were all right with me taking karate lessons, but Mother didn’t see why Honey would want or need to. But I think Dad is going to talk to her some more about it," Jim said.

"I’m hoping that Dad can talk Mother into it. I think if Mr. and Mrs. Belden allow Trixie to take karate, Mother might allow me," Honey said.

"Well, I hope you all can join us. It really is a great way to relieve stress," Sirene said as the bus arrived at the school.

Diana stood up as soon as the bus came to a stop. She moved into the aisle, leaving Mart behind. Sirene was right behind her.

"So, why are you mad at Mart?" Sirene asked as they walked towards the school entrance.

"Because he can’t make up his mind! When he walked me home last night, he held my hand. While we were talking, he talked normal. You know, no big or weird words. It was nice. He even said that he thought it was terrific the way I helped out with Bobby. I always thought that he liked me more than any other girl," Diana explained. "Then this morning, he’s calling another girl beautiful, with me standing there! What the worst thing is he used this big word, hoping that I wouldn’t realize what he meant!"

"Are you sure that he used this big word to try to fool you?" Sirene asked as they walked towards Diana’s locker. "Surely, in the past, when he used big words someone figured out what he said."

"Well, yes, someone usually figures out what he said or asks," Diana admitted.

"So, the real problem is you’re upset because he called a girl beautiful," Sirene stated.

Diana slammed her locker door.

"Maybe, that was part of it. But this seemed different. It was like he didn’t care that it upset me."

"Diana, I’m sure Mart cares for you. I have only been here a few days and I can see it," Sirene said gently. "I bet he was just making a general observation. Remember, he admires you for more than your looks. Didn’t you just say that he praised you for helping with Bobby? Maybe he thought you two have gone far enough in your friendship to be able to make general comments like that."

Diana looked thoughtful as she headed towards her first period. Maybe Sirene was right. He could have meant it in the same way, as if he was looking at art or the sunset. Do I really want him to watch everything he says? Or do I want him to be able to talk and say anything to me? Oh, no! I might have ruined what could have been a start in a closer relationship.

Brian had followed Honey off the bus. They walked together, going to Honey’s locker.

"I hope your mother will let you take karate. I did some reading on it last night. It’s really good for the body and does help relieve stress," he said.

"Mother thinks that if I take karate, then I’ll get the idea that I can defend myself against anything and won’t be as cautious as I normally am. I tried to explain that it also teaches discipline and patience, but she wouldn’t listen. All she kept saying was that a young lady shouldn’t be tossing people around or punching people and that karate was for men," Honey said looking very upset.

‘Well, keep your chin up. I can’t see her holding out against Jim and your dad. Jim is really very interested in this. He thinks this is something we all can do together. You know how stubborn he can be," Brian said, trying to reassure her.

"Thanks, Brian. I’m sure you’re right. Not many people can stand against Jim when he’s determined. Right before I went to bed, he did tell me that the subject wasn’t closed, and he was sure that Mother could be brought around. Did anyone have a chance to say anything to Trixie about this or has she been too ill?"

"She really hasn’t been feeling well enough to talk about anything. I’m hoping that she will feel more up to hearing what’s been going on by tomorrow," Brian said, smiling down at Honey. "I know you are just dying to talk to her."

"I do miss her. It’s funny; this is only the second day that I haven’t seen her. I started thinking about this last night. Do you realize that I’ve seen or talked to Trixie every day since I met her? " Honey said as she shut her locker and started towards her first class.

"I don’t know about that. But I do know that there have been exactly *fifteen days* in the last year and a half that I didn’t see or talk to you," Brian admitted.

Honey looked up at him, completely surprised that he would know that.

Brian smiled down at her as they arrived at her classroom "Surprised you, didn’t I? I do know what is going on around me. I have to get going or I’m going to be late for class. I’ll see you at lunch."

Honey stood in the hallway, ignoring the kids going around her, watching Brian as he walked away. She wondered, What did he mean by that? Maybe he does like me more than other girls. I can’t wait to talk to Trixie and see what she thinks.

 

Later in the cafeteria:

"So, what’s this I hear about you and Brad Whitfield?" Dan asked Sirene as he joined them for lunch.

"Depends on what you heard." Sirene answered casually.

"Rumor has that you have been seen flirting outrageously with him!" Dan explained.

"Sirene, you didn’t!" Diana said, shocked. "I told you what kind of guy he was!"

"Diana’s right. I know he’s really cute, but he does run with a fast crowd," Honey added.

Brian wasn’t too happy to hear Honey call Brad cute. If she liked big, blonde haired guys, where did that leave him?

"He’s someone you want to stay away from," Jim backed up Honey.

Sirene laughed. "Believe me, I know what he’s all about. He and his friends are children compared to the crowd I hung with back home."

"Why do I get the feeling that the only reason you were flirting with him was because he’s Lauren’s boyfriend?" questioned Dan.

"Of course, why else would I bother?" Sirene said, still smiling. "She was furious. She was standing right behind him and he didn’t even notice. I had the feeling this wasn’t the first time she caught him flirting, but I would bet it’s the first time he walked away from her to follow another girl."

"But if you’re not interested in him, why would you flirt with him?" Honey said, puzzled.

"Because Lauren has to learn that if she is going to mess with the Bob-Whites, then she’s going to have to deal with me," Sirene said, no longer smiling, eyes cold. "I was just showing her who she’s dealing with, now she knows. She came up to me and warned me off. I made it very clear that if she wants to keep her boyfriend, then she needs to leave you all alone. She got the message. I doubt if you all will have any problems with her.’

Then Sirene gave a little smile. "I probably would have been doing her a favor taking him off her hands. I have a feeling that she has to work very hard keeping him honest. But I don’t think she sees it that way."

‘What would you have done if she didn’t confront you or agree to leave us alone?" demanded Diana.

"I can answer that for her. My guess is that she would have led Brad on, long enough to destroy their relationship, such as it is, and then dumped him. Am I right?" Dan guessed.

"That about sums it up," Sirene admitted. "My next plan of action would have been to ruin her reputation. I know she thinks she has a bad reputation, but she doesn’t even know the meaning. By time I got done with her, she would have been in pure misery."

The Bob-Whites looked at Sirene in shock and in dismay, except for Dan.

"I don’t know how you did things back home, but we won’t stand for that kind of thing," Diana said. "I know that Lauren is mean and Brad is dreadful, but to purposely use them or go out of your way to hurt them just isn’t our way.

"Don’t you see? If you do those kind of things, then you’re just as bad as they are," Honey added.

Sirene stood up. She looked at each Bob-White, her eyes silver.

"I didn’t mean to upset you all. I was only trying to protect Diana and Honey. They don’t deserve to have such a nasty person saying things about them. Maybe you all can ignore it, but I can’t, not when I can do something about it. I’m sorry you don’t approve of how I handled it, but I can live with that, because I know that Lauren and her group will stay away from you all."

She picked up her tray and left.

"I have a feeling that Sirene has had a tough time. She has obviously learned to fight fire with fire," Dan said quietly. "Don’t judge her too harshly. I don’t agree with her methods, but you can’t fault her for her reasons."

"Well, I hate to admit this, but I can’t be too upset at her for wanting to protect Honey and Diana," Brian admitted.

"Why didn’t you girls tell us that she was being so mean to you? I know that she has been mean once or twice, but Sirene made it sound like she was constantly harassing you." Jim wanted to know.

"What could’ve you done? It didn’t seem like anything to make a fuss about. It seem childish to me, like something that happens in grade school," Honey said.

"Any time your feelings are being hurt is important to us. I don’t think any of us would’ve come up with the same idea as Sirene, but we would’ve come up with something. You should’ve told us and given us a chance to help," Brian said quietly. He was hurt to think that Honey didn’t trust him enough to tell him what had been going on.

Mart hadn’t said a word this whole time.

"I think Sirene handled it nicely. I saw the whole incident. I got the impression that she’s used to handling the male species. You can’t expect her to care about people like Brad and Lauren. I’m amazed that she cared enough about Diana and Honey to go out of her way to help. After all, she just met us and everyone is a stranger to her. She really isn’t as friendly to others as she is to us," was Mart’s observation.

Mart got up saying, as he gathered up his books, "I agree with Dan, since we know so little about her past, we shouldn’t be too hard on her. I think we need to learn more about her before we decide if she is the type of person we want around."

"He seems interested enough for all of us," Diana remarked with a frown as she watched him walk away.

"I sure wish Trixie were here. She seems to have a radar about people. I’d love to hear her opinion on all of this," Jim sighed.

"I hate to admit this, but it will be nice not having Lauren bother us anymore. But I think we need to make it very clear to Sirene, that if this doesn’t work, she can’t go after Lauren’s reputation," Honey said. "Brian was right. We should have told the guys how awful she has been. If this doesn’t solve the problem, then we need to work it out, but we’ll do it our way, as a group."

The rest of the Bob-Whites agreed as they gathered up their trays and books and left the cafeteria.

Mart was waiting for Diana as she and Honey came out of the gym later that day.

"Diana, can I talk to you for a moment?" he asked.

"Okay," Diana said, turning to Honey. "Why don’t you go ahead? We’ll catch up."

They walked out of the building. Mart and Diana stopped underneath a big oak tree, where they could see the bus area and still have a little bit of privacy.

Mart stood by her, looking at something in the distance. Diana noticed that he looked so serious and mature. It was like she was getting a glimpse of the man he would be someday.

"Let me start by saying that I’ve been angry at you all day for a couple of reasons. I’d assumed that our friendship had gone far enough that I didn’t have to worry about stating something as obvious as the fact that Sirene is beautiful, but I guess I was wrong. Then to make matters worse, you’re having trouble with someone at school and you didn’t tell me."

"Mart…" Diana tried to interrupt, but Mart stopped her.

"No, let me finish. Dan mentioned something, and it got me thinking. He pointed out that I never talked to you about our relationship. I realized that he was right. I tease Jim and Brian all the time about Trixie and Honey’ but I’m no better then they are. It was dumb of me to assume that you were thinking the same thing that I was. It seems that Dan is the only real man among us. He saw Sirene and has wasted no time in going after her." Mart then looked down at Diana, his blue eyes looking intently into her violet ones. "I don’t want bad feelings between us, especially over something this dumb. So I’m going to clear a few things up. Yes, I think Sirene is a beauty, and I can admire the way she maneuvers. But she’s not the one that I think about all day and dream about all night. When I look into the future, she’s not the one I see. I know everyone thinks we’re to young but I feel that if we’re honest with each other and become best friends as well as girlfriend and boyfriend, then I think we can build a solid relationship."

"Oh, Mart!’ cried Diana. "At first I thought I was mad, but then I realized that I was scared. I was afraid that maybe you were beginning to like her more. But after talking to Sirene, I realized that I was being childish, and I might have ruined things between us. I’m so happy to hear you say all of this. It’s exactly how I feel and it’s what I want.

"I want us to spend time together, just the two of us. We need to be honest with each other, even if it hurts. If, for whatever reason, one or the other wants to date other people, then we tell the other one, up front, before going out with others. So for now, it’s you and me, agree?"

"Yes, I agree. I think you’re so smart to think of that. I haven’t though about dating anyone else, but I guess there might be a time that we would want to. But if we build our friendship, then nothing can take that away," Diana sighed, happy with the way this had worked out.

Mart took Diana’s hand in his and walked towards the bus, both happy and contented.

 Chapter Six

Friday

Dan arrived at the bus stop a little earlier than usual. Since Diana and Mart were involved in a conversation, he took the opportunity to talk to Brian alone.

"Hi, Brian. I need to talk to you for a moment," Dan said as he came up to him.

"Sure. What’s up?" Brian asked as he turned to Dan.

"I just wanted to ask you if I can bring a date to your birthday party? I know that you only wanted family and Bob-Whites there, but I was hoping that you would make an exception," Dan wondered.

"Sure, you can bring a date. I know that it must be hard on you. We all were matched up when you joined us, so you must have felt like a fifth wheel at times. As far as I’m concerned, you can bring a date to any function of ours, except for the meetings," Brian commented.

"I get your drift. If I bring a date, then you guys don’t have to worry about me horning in on your women." laughed Dan.

"You caught me! I have noticed that Honey and Diana seem to feel sorry for you. So they are always making sure that they have time for you. Maybe if you bring your own woman, they would have more time for the rest of us," Brian said, grinning.

"Hey, can’t blame a guy for taking what he can get!," Dan laughed. "But thanks anyway. I’m going to ask Sirene."

"What are you going to ask Sirene?" Honey asked, as she and Jim came up behind Dan.

"I’m going to see if she wanted to come to Brian’s party," Dan answered.

"Oh, dear! I didn’t even think about that. I hope I didn’t hurt her feelings yesterday," worried Honey.

"What do you mean? You would never intentionally hurt anyone’s feelings," Brian asked.

"It was after Diana and Mart joined us yesterday. I didn’t realize that she was behind me when I said something to Diana about the party. She was in her running gear, and she was bringing her books to Dan. I think she overheard me. She may think that we don’t want her around anymore after the conversation in the cafeteria yesterday.’

Diana and Mart had moved closer to the group and had overheard the conversation.

"I called her last night, and she didn’t mention anything about the party to me. She did say that she was grateful that Dan was willing to take her books home for her. She really didn’t want to have to run with them on her back. She has decided to run home every day, taking a different route. She has agreed to let us take care of Lauren in our own way if her way didn’t work," Diana said.

"I don’t think you have to worry about hurting her feelings. Since she didn’t expect to be invited, she probably hasn’t any feelings about it one way or the other. Remember, I told you that she doesn’t expect friendships to last;, she thinks we are going to turn on her," Dan reminded Honey.

"I think that’s sad," said Honey. "I know that her behavior towards Lauren wasn’t right, but I think underneath she has a good heart."

"I thought you were the one that thought she was mysterious or strange. Have you changed you mind?" Brian asked.

"No, I still think that she is hiding something, but I don’t think she means any harm," Honey answered.

"Honey’s right. She doesn’t mean any harm. She just doesn’t know how to right a wrong without being in the wrong," Diana jumped in.

"Okay, men, I have been hanging out with the girls too long! I actually understood what Diana just said," Jim said, grinning down at Diana to let her know he was just teasing.

Mart laughed. "Hey, you stole my line. But Diana’s right. We just have to show her the right way."

The bus arrived at that moment, and they all got on. They all went to the back. Sirene once again was sitting up front.

"This is ridiculous!" Dan muttered, as he put his books down by Jim. "I’ll go get her."

After a few moments he came back with Sirene following him. Sirene wasn’t too sure where to sit.

"Here, sit with Jim and me, but you sit in between," Dan suggested. "It would ruin my reputation if people see me sitting too close to him."

Sirene smiled as she sat down and scooted close to Jim. "Somehow I doubt that anything you do is going to harm your reputation! Brian, how are Trixie and your brother today?"

"They’re feeling much better, and their fevers finally dropped yesterday afternoon. So they will be well enough for company today."

"Since Honey and Jim are going to go over and help Mrs. Belden out again as well as visit Trixie, do you think you could help with the horses?" Dan asked Sirene.

"Sure, I’ll skip my run today and just come straight home. I rather ride than run any day!" Sirene assured him.

Brian noticed that Honey had been watching Sirene.

"So, noticed anything strange about her?" he whispered, tilting his head down towards her so that only she heard him.

Honey, not realizing his head was so close to her, turned her head to answer him. Her lips brushed his cheek by accident. Both were startled and jerked their heads back. Honey felt a blush coming up on her cheeks. Not sure where to look, she looked straight ahead, hoping no one had noticed what had happened.

Brian was in a turmoil. It wasn’t like he had never kissed a girl or been kissed. But not once had a kiss affected him so strongly. He turned his head to look out the window, forgetting that he asked her a question, trying to make sense of it. It wasn’t even a kiss, just a brush of her lips on his cheeks, an accident, nothing more.

Neither one said anything as the bus arrived at school and they got off. They glanced at each other, trying to read what the other was thinking. Diana caught Honey by the arm, laughing at something Mart had said and pulled her away towards their lockers. Jim hurried Brian along, saying that they were supposed to be in their history class a little early today.

Both Honey and Brian went their separate ways, but their minds were on the kiss that wasn’t a kiss.

After school that day, Honey and Jim hurried down to Crabapple Farm. They both were eager to see Trixie, both for different reasons.

As they entered the kitchen of the farmhouse, they noticed that Brian was wearing an apron!

"Don’t say anything!" he warned them. "Honey and I have kitchen duty. Moms is exhausted and is resting! I told her that, since Honey was coming over, she could help me cook dinner. Which leaves the chickens and garden for Jim. I have Diana keeping Bobby entertained, and Mart is doing the other chores. Trixie is still sleeping. I hope you don’t mind helping?"

"Of course not!" Honey assured him. "I’m not a bit surprised Moms is tired. So, what are we cooking?"

"Since Dad is at a Lodge dinner, we’re going to have it simple. Chicken noodle soup and cheese sandwiches. The noodles are the only things that take a while to make. So, once those are done, the rest won’t take long," Brian said.

"You’re the boss. Just tell me what to do," Honey said, excited to be learning something new. She really did like to cook.

"Well, since I’m not needed here, I guess I’ll go see if some chickens need me," Jim murmured as he left. He was betting that they wouldn’t even notice he was gone.

Honey and Brian worked well together, and the awkwardness that had been between them all day disappeared as they concentrated on cooking.

Mrs. Belden came in later with Mart right behind her. She was impressed on how well they were doing. Just then, Jim came in.

"Hi, Mrs. Belden. Chickens are happy, and the garden looks okay."

"All that is left to do here is to let the soup simmer for the next two hours. So, that leaves the clean up and then we’ll be done," Honey said.

"Why don’t you all take a break and have a drink and a little snack. I’ll go check on Trixie and Bobby. There are some chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies left. I’m sure that Diana is ready for a break," Mrs. Belden said, as she left the kitchen.

Honey reached up to get the glasses, as Brian got the milk out of the refrigerator. Jim reached for the cookie jar, as Mart got out the napkins. They all were sitting around the table, when Diana came in.

"I hope you saved some for me! That Bobby is something else again! I though Larry and Terry were inquisitive, but they have nothing on Bobby," she commented, as she sat down next to Mart.

"Here you go. I already poured your milk and here are your cookies," Mart remarked "But I object to your verbiage young lady, if I can’t use big words, neither can you."

"So, you’re the one responsible for my brother talking like a normal person lately," teased Brian. "On behalf of all the Bob-Whites, I thank you. I do hope, for Trixie’s sake, this will last a little longer. Doesn’t seem fair for her to miss out."

Mrs. Belden came through the door. "Trixie is awake and would love some company. But not all of you at once and keep it short. Honey, when you go up, would you mind taking her some juice? Diana, I can’t thank you enough for sitting with Bobby. He’s sleeping now, which he really needed. I couldn’t get him to sleep all day, and he was up half the night."

"I’ll be happy to take up Trixie some juice. Diana, why don’t you go on up and say hi, while I get her drink?" suggested Honey

Diana finished her milk and cookies and went back upstairs with Mart following her.

Honey collected the glasses, while Brian ran water in the sink to wash up the few dishes and the pots that were used. Jim grabbed a dishtowel.

"Why don’t you go up to see Trixie, while I help Brian clean up? I can go see her after you’re done," Jim suggested.

Honey hesitated; she really wanted to talk to Trixie without being rushed. But, on the other hand, if she waited to be the last one, Trixie might be too tired to talk.

"Okay, I’ll go on ahead and take her juice," she decided.

As Honey was coming up the stairs, Diana, followed by Mart, was coming down.

"How is she feeling?" Honey inquired.

"Better. Go on up. I told her you were going to bring up her juice. She’s looking forward to seeing you," Diana said. "Mart is going to walk me home. I’ll see you tomorrow."

Honey noticed that Trixie still looked pale, her noise was red and she had dark ring under her eyes. But she was sitting up and smiling.

"Okay, catch me up with what’s been going on! All Diana would say was that she really liked Sirene and was going to take karate lessons with her. Mart was hanging in the doorway, so no girl chat. Why is she living with her grandparents? Where are her parents?" questioned Trixie.

Honey laughed. "Trixie, you must be feeling better. I am so glad. Let me get comfortable, and I’ll tell you everything."

Honey climbed on to the foot of the bed, sat Indian style, while Trixie moved her legs to make room for her.

"Number one, I don’t know why she’s living with her grandparents. I do know her dad died, but when I asked her about it she changed the subject. I thought maybe she just didn’t hear me, but Brian seemed to think that she just ignored the question. As for her mother, all we know is that she and her mother used to go riding together. She has P.E. with us, and she is very good at running and softball. She also had no problem with the rope climb."

Trixie interrupted, "Maybe something good did come out of me being ill. Who knows when I’ll be well enough to participate in something as strenuous as a rope climb!"

Honey laughed. "It’s so good to talk to you again. I know that it only has been a few days, but I missed you. I can’t wait for you to spend some time with Sirene. I think there is something strange about her. I can’t put my finger on it. But sometimes she seems to go in a trance and her eyes turn to a real silver color. She’s real friendly with us, but Mart noticed that she keeps her distance from others. She’s taken a real dislike to Lauren and her gang."

"That just goes to show you that she has good taste. Lauren and her gang are easy to dislike. Has she said anything that seem to be on the strange side?" Trixie inquired.

"Well, it wasn’t what she said, but how she said it. She is on our softball team. We’ve had some great games. Anyway, after class, Diana was complaining about the rope climb. Sirene said that it was all in technique. I asked her if she was going to show us the secret. Then she looked at me. Trixie, I’m telling you, her eyes went from gray to silver, and she got a distant look in her eyes. Then she said something like it might be hard, but with determination, I can do anything. I know this sounds weird, but I honestly felt like she was talking about something else. It gave me the shivers. I’ll tell you something else I noticed. She never looks directly at Jim or Dan. One more thing, she told Dan that she didn’t think that we would like her anymore once we found out some things about her," Honey said breathlessly.

"Wow, I don’t know what to say. You’re the most sensible person, besides Jim and Brian, that I know. So if you think that something weird is going on with this girl, I believe it," Trixie said.

"Diana seems to think she’s great. The only thing she didn’t like is what she did to Lauren," Honey said.

"What did she do?"

"She flirted with Brad, her boyfriend, that is Lauren’s boyfriend. When Lauren told her to leave Brad alone, she told her that she, Lauren, that is, had better leave us alone or she, Sirene, that is, would take Brad away from her, Lauren, that is."

"Gleeps! Honey, good thing I can follow you! But I can’t believe I missed all of that!" Trixie groaned. "Nothing has happened for ages and when some thing interesting happens, I get stuck in bed! I bet the rest of the Bob-Whites didn’t like what she did."

"Actually, Diana and I got into more trouble than she did! They were mad at us, because we never told them how much of a pest Lauren was being. Dan and Mart actually defended Sirene. They said we should give Sirene a chance, after all we may not agree with how she handled it, but she did do it for us."

"Well, did it work?" Trixie wanted to know. "How did Diana take Mart defending another girl?"

"So far, Lauren hasn’t said anything to us. Mart and Diana had a small spat, but they seem to have worked it out. They have been sitting together on the bus. Sirene has offered to teach us karate. Actually, it will be Mr. Hartman teaching us. While I was sitting with Brian on the bus Tuesday, I asked him what he really thought of the idea. He thought that it might be a good thing to do."

"You sat with Brian on the bus. Where’s Sirene sitting?" Trixie looked a little worried as she asked.

"That’s another strange thing, She keeps going to the front of the bus. Then Diana or Dan goes to get her and brings her back to us. She keeps changing where she sits. Sometimes she’ll sit with Diana and Mart. You should see those two. Naturally, Diana has to sit really close to Mart, and Mart puts his arm around the back seat. They try to act casual, but you can tell that they’re enjoying it. Once she sat between Dan and Jim. Then another time, she sat next to me, and I had to move closer to Brian," Honey told her. "I have to tell you something that happened between Brian and me, but you have to promise not to tell anyone or tease Brian about it."

"I promise! So tell, what happened?" Trixie promised, eyes wide.

"Well, I was watching Sirene sitting between Jim and Dan. I’ve noticed that she usually sits in a very relaxed way, but at that time, she was sitting very stiffly. I was thinking how strange it was that she never really looks at them, even when she’s talking to them. Then, she seemed uncomfortable sitting next to them. Anyway, Brian said something to me; I don’t even remember what it was. I didn’t realize that he had bent his head down and was so close to me. I turned my head to answer him, and my lips brushed against his cheek!"

"So, what happened then? No, let me guess! Knowing you and my brother, probably nothing happened," Trixie said. "You probably blushed, and I bet he looked away. Now, both of you are thinking about this, but neither one of you will talk about it. Am I right?"

"You’re right. I keep thinking that there really isn’t anything to talk about. I mean, it was an accident, not really a kiss. I don’t know what he was thinking, but I don’t want him to think that I’m so immature that I’m going to make a big deal about this. I just can’t figure him out. Sometimes I think he does like me more than any other girl, then there are times I think he feels about me the same way he does Di."

"Well, I think he does like you the best, but that’s only because he seems more comfortable around you. Believe it or not, Brian has never been very comfortable around girls. Oh, why can’t they just come out and say what they mean? Look at me. Jim gives me a bracelet, tells me I’m his special girl, then that’s it. Every time he says or does something that looks like we are getting closer, he backtracks. Talk about confusing. At least Sirene doesn’t seem to be interested in any of the Bob-White males." Trixie said with a yawn.

"I’m not too sure about that. There seems to be something between her and Dan. I know Dan is interested."

"Maybe that’s why she was uncomfortable sitting next to him on the bus. She might have picked up on the fact that he is interested, and she’s not sure what she wants. After all, they just met a couple days ago!"

"What difference does that make? Look at us! We felt like we knew Jim forever when we first met him."

"True, we’ll just have to keep our eyes open and see what happens."

"Well, I think we need to find out what she’s hiding."

Trixie giggled, then started coughing.

"Don’t let Brian and Jim hear you say that, or they’ll say that you’ve been hanging around me too long," Trixie said, after she had finished coughing.

"Actually, I already told them that we should find out what Sirene is hiding. All this time, they really thought that I was just following your lead. They didn’t realize that I’m just as curious as you are. I think I shocked Brian."

"Good, my brother needs something to shock him once in awhile. He’s way too stuffy, especially considering he is only a teenager like the rest of us."

Honey sighed. "He has to learn that, just because he is the oldest, doesn’t make him our keeper. But I am learning that there is a lot more to your brother than he shows."

"Well, you know what they say about still waters running deep. Maybe that describes Brian. Anyway, I agree we should find out what Sirene is hiding," Trixie said.

 

Meanwhile down in the kitchen:

"So, what’s on your mind?" Jim asked Brian, as they were doing the dishes.

"Sometimes, I wish I was more like Mart. He really doesn’t seem to worry too much about the future or how his actions might affect the future," moaned Brian. "He knows how he feels now and is willing to go for it. But when I’m given a chance to show Honey that I think she is special to me, I never take it," Brian explained, as he let the dishwater out and started wiping down sink. "I think most of my problem is that I’m not sure what is going on in her mind. Sometimes, I think she looks at me differently than the other guys she knows, but there are other times when she treats me the same as everyone else.

"I do know what you mean. I have the same problem. Actually, mine is worse. I made the move by giving her that bracelet, and what does she do? First, she covers it up when someone mentions it, and then she just stops wearing it. How discouraging is that?. So my method of moving along doesn’t work," groaned Jim as he put away the last pot. "But back to Honey, I believe that she has deeper feelings for you than she’s willing to admit to."

"Can I ask you a very personal question?" Brian asked

"Sure. Can’t promise I’ll have an answer. but ask away."

"Have you ever had a girlfriend?"

Jim looked surprised. That hadn’t been the question he had been expecting. "Sure, there was a girl in Albany. Tammy was her name. Her Parents’ property bordered on Jonesy’s place. I think she had the same problem with her parents that I had with Jonesy. We spent a lot of our time together in the fields or in the barn. She never said much about her family, but she knew what was going on with me. I think we became close because of that."

"Are your feelings for my sister different or about the same?"

Jim said thoughtfully, "Totally different. I liked Tammy, and I think our relationship gave each of us a time out from our problems. But my feelings for her weren’t very deep. But your sister is in a category all her own. I’m not sure what my feelings for her are exactly. I do know that I’ve missed her during this week. It was like a part of me was missing. I admire her and more importantly, I trust her completely. The important thing to me is that I have her in my life. I don’t want to do something that would ruin that."

"That is how I feel about Honey. I keep telling myself that we’re too young for everlasting love and if I move too fast now, I’ll lose the future, but today, I realized that my feeling maybe deeper and stronger than I thought. So I guess I’m trying to figure out where I go from here. My original plan was to develop a strong friendship in the next few years and see what develops over the years. Maybe we would have stronger feelings by the time I was done with school, or maybe not, but we would have friendship."

"That sounds like a good plan. So what happened to change things?" Jim asked.

Brian explained to Jim what had happened on the bus, the kiss that wasn’t a kiss.

"I’ve kissed a couple of girls in my time. But none of them affected me as much as that light brush of your sister’s lips against my cheek. To be honest, I’ve never had much interest in girls. They seem to want to more than I could give," Brian admitted.

"I don’t know what to tell you. I do know all relationships need honesty and communication. Maybe instead of talking to each other, we should be talking to Honey and Trixie?"

"You’re probably right. It seems a little bit arrogant to make these decisions without their input. But the question is, can we handle what they might say? What if they want to only be friends and have no other kind of feelings for us?" Brian asked.

"Or maybe even worse, they want to go steady or something like that? I’m not sure I’m ready for that kind of commitment."

"Why not? You did it before," Brian said.

"Not really. Tammy and I weren’t officially a couple. It was a very casual relationship. My relationship with your sister is so different, it’s like comparing apples and oranges. Plus, I’m afraid of losing her friendship if it didn’t work out."

"Now that I can understand. I also have that fear," Brian said. "It’s good to know that I’m not the only one that has doubts about this kind of thing."

Jim chuckled. "Believe me, you’re not alone. It’s funny. I can see my future so clearly, including the steps that I have to take to get there. But I haven’t a clue on how to handle your sister, or even if I should try."

Brian laughed. "Better not let her hear you use the term ‘handle’. Somehow, I don’t think that word would go over too well with her. But I do understand what you’re saying.

"I guess I better go up and get Honey. I’ll say hi to Trixie, and then we need to get going."

"I’ll come up with you," Brian said, as he led Jim out the doors.

Brian and Jim arrived at Trixie’s room in time to hear her say that she agreed with Honey on the importance of finding out what Sirene was hiding. Both groaned mentally, thinking, Here we go again.

Jim coughed. "Trixie, you look like you need to get more rest. We don’t want you to have a relapse. I think we all have been worried enough about you for awhile."

"Yeah, I could tell you were worried. Bringing me homework! Some friend you turned out to be!" complained Trixie.

"Hey, I was only thinking that you would hate to get too far behind. Just think! If you fell behind, you would have to spend hours making it up. Excuse me for thinking of you," Jim said, teasing her.

Trixie smiled at him "Actually, I am glad you did. Dr.Ferris said I’m going to be out until next Wednesday.

Which also means no going outside. So, for once, I’ll be glad to have something to do, even homework."

"You take care, and I’ll try to come by or call you tomorrow," Honey said, as she and Jim left Trixie’s room.

"I want to thank both of you for helping Moms out," Trixie said gratefully.

Mrs. Belden also thanked them for their help as she was saying good-bye to them.

Continue

fifteen days – I just wanted to let the Trixie trivia buffs out there to know that I don’t know if that part is true or not. I did not count them but it worked for this story.

TBH Main