1 Chapter One

I stand over the stove with a spatula in hand. May, my little sister, is gonna head out for school soon, so I'm making her favorite breakfast. Blueberry and strawberry pancakes with a side of actual blueberries and strawberries with a glass of orange juice.

I flip the oversized pancake. Instead of making multiple small pancakes for the both of us I always just make two big one's. Our mother is out working at her cafe. I have a job there too, but I'm always home for breakfast and before she gets home from school. Many people say I'm more of a mother than my mother. In a way it's true, but it always gets on my nerves.

I scrape the two pancakes onto separate plates, add the sides and call May down from her room. She runs down almost immediately. Once she's seated at the table I set her plate in front of her and plant a soft kiss on her head. She laughs and starts to gobble her food. I start on getting her orange juice when my phone rings. I'd placed it on the table. May picks it up and tosses it at me. I catch it with a smile and answer.

"Jane?"

I recognize my mother's voice immediately and say, "hey mom. Somethin' up?"

"Actually, yes. I found you a new job opportunity. You've been wanting to save more money, right? And I think this job will be great for you."

"I'm listening," I say leaning against the counter.

"I know a couple that just adopted a boy three months ago. Their worried about him. He doesn't like people, won't let anyone near him, doesn't talk. They have another son that they had on their own but he has the same problems. The first son just seems to be unsociable but they think its something more for the adopted one."

"And how exactly does that prove as a job opportunity?" I ask, puzzled over mom's words.

"Well ... you're great with kids, Jane. I think the boy might warm up to you. You could try to get him to trust people a bit more." Mom says with a sigh.

"What about May? I can't just leave her to go hang around with some kid with social issues." I say looking at my sister. She looks back at me worryingly.

"A friend agreed to run the cafe for a while. If you decide to do it ill take time off and me and May will visit my parents ... it's good pay and the couple are so worried."

I sigh and look at May. She adores our grandparents.

"Would I be helping the one son or both?"

"They would like you to try both but they said if you can only handle one they'll understand."

"And where do they live? What time would I have to be there every day? Would I be driving them to school in the morning or what?"

No reply.

"Mom?"

A sigh, "well ... if you take the job ... you'd be living with them for a while."

This time I'm the one that stays silent. Could you blame me? What could I say to that?

"I've already been to their house," she adds quickly. "They have a big house and they've already set up a room for you. It's in the Rocky Mountains. You'd still be in Canada."

I think about what it'd be like. Living in the Rocky Mountains, where I might be able to hunt and hang out in the woods. Possibly sleep under the night sky.

"Jane?"

I glance at May again, "ill do it. But only if I'm allowed to hunt while I'm there."

"What'd she say?" Asks a nervous voice on the other line.

"She agreed as long as she can go hunting." I hear my mother say and she gets a happy "of course!"

"Mom? Who's that?" I ask just as a knock on the door makes me jump. I run to the door and open it. My mother stands with a woman.

May runs out and wraps her arms around our mother in a tight hug. The woman takes my hand and smiles at me, "thank you so much for agreeing to come to my home. I've heard a lot about how you're good with children. I hope you find yourself comfortable where I live. And you can go hunting any time as long as you don't get blood in the house."

I blink in surprise, "you ... came here without knowing if I'd say yes?"

"Yes," she nods with a sad smile. "I really do hope you can help my boys. I just had to hear your answer in person."

I glance at my mother and she starts to speak, "May, you're not going to school today. Both of you need to go pack. Jane I'd bring most of your cloths. We don't know how long you'll be there."

"Wait. I'm going TODAY?" I stare at my mother in shock. She JUST asked me to do this job and minutes after I say yes I have to pack? What a great way to drop THAT bomb!

"Yes. Mrs. Lanes decided she'd drive you if you said yes. So go pack. You too, May." My mother says and offers to let the woman who must be Mrs. Lanes inside.

. . .

I stare up at the house. It's deep in the woods on the mountain range, surrounded by trees, and totally beautiful. The front wall of the second story is made entirely of glass with a balcony.

"Would you like to get settled or meet the boys first?" Mrs. Lanes asks with a smile.

"Either way is fine with me," I answer and start pulling my suitcase up the driveway to the front door. Mrs. Lanes follows with a nervous smile on her face. I smile at her, "I'm sure ill like it here for the time being ... but I've got one question. Do your boys sneak up on people? You see, I'm a little jumpy sometimes."

Mrs. Lanes thinks for a moment before laughing, "I wouldn't exactly call it sneaking. Nicholas and Tyler can be very quiet though. Sometimes ill be cooking and turn around and one of them is just there, getting a drink or just coming downstairs."

I laugh nervously.

A jumpy girl living with two boys that are quiet enough you don't know their there until you see them? Great. Just great.

"Tyler is probably in his room, and Nicholas likes to hang out by the pond behind the house. Why don't we get all your things inside before you meet them?" Says Mrs. Lanes.

I nod with a smile.

The thought of trying to help kids doesn't bug me, it's the fact that ill be LIVING with them that kinda freaks me out. I sigh as we enter the house and barely notice anything except Mrs. Lanes bouncing curls until we reach a door on the second floor. I gasp when she takes me inside. It's one of the rooms with the glass wall!

"It's beautiful!" I run to the open door that goes onto the balcony and step into the sunlight that filters down through the thick canopy of leaves.

"I thought you'd appreciate a nice room. After all, you're only here because we asked you to come."

I smile at the woman and hold my long red hair down as a breeze swirls past. I walk back into the room, put my suitcase and bow case down at the foot of the bed and turn back to her. "Okay, can I meet them?"

"Of course! Their rooms are on either side of yours. Let's try Tyler first."

I find myself hoping that these kids don't get nightmares and want to scamper into my room at night.

We walk out and turn to the door on my left. Mrs. Lanes knocks and calls, "Tyler?"

The knob turns and I look down when the door opens, expecting to see the small face of a child. Instead I get the naked chest of a teenage boy. I look up quickly and see that he has black hair and blue eyes. His hair and chest are all wet. He stares down at me in surprise then glances at Mrs. Lanes.

She smiles, "did you just get out of the shower?" He nods but says nothing.

"This is Jane. Shell be living with us for a while. Jane, this is the eldest son, Tyler."

What?! He was supposed to be a kid! Well, nightmares or not there will be no scampering into my room. Nope, none.

I force a smile and hold out my hand. He simply stares at me. Well this is awkward.

"It's nice to meet you," I try, pulling my hand back. He still stares at me in surprise. I think to how Mrs lanes had told me that she and her husband would take a vacation while I stayed here taking care of the boys. Trying to get them used to me. She'd said that even Tyler -the son she hadn't adopted- is distant.

"Tyler, dinner will be done in half an hour. Jane, do you want to go meet Nicholas now?" Mrs. Lanes asks.

"Sure," I say as my mind grumbles that he better be a kid. She takes me through the house and out to the back. I see a big pond where a boy sits at the water's edge. A little boy, thank god.

"Nicholas," Mrs. Lanes calls and the boy turns to us. She leads me over but he just glares up at me. Nicholas keeps his eyes on me as I look over the water, "it's really pretty here." I say and sit a few feet from him.

My mother always teases me that if I see I kid that I'm supposed to get to know I always go into a weird "kid mode" as she calls it.

"Nick, this is Jane. She'll be living here for a while," Mrs. Lanes says. Nicholas glares at me for a minute before looking at the water. You can see down into the water to the bottom.

. . .

I stand on the balcony of my room and wave as Mrs. Lanes and her husband drive away from the house, leaving me with Tyler and Nicholas. I sigh. The weirdest part is that Tyler is OLDER than me. My mother sent me some work from school so my grades wouldn't drop to low while I'm gone. And I'm aloud to go back to my house for any more every two weeks. I was surprised when Mrs. Lanes told me that it would probably take at least a month for them to get used to me. The pay is good though, thirty dollars a day and they left money for me to buy groceries if we need them.

They gave me plenty of chances to back out if I wanted to. I didn't, though I sometimes thought about it. To late now.

I sigh again and head back into my room. I open the door and jump. Tyler had been passing by my door. He looks at me before moving on. I stare after him then move to the stairs. My feet make soft sounds as I bound down them and run into the kitchen. I smile as I open the fridge, examining my options for making breakfast. I'd spent my first night here last night. The bed was comfortable and no one bugged me. I woke up early to make breakfast for everyone. I didn't expect Tyler to be up yet though. Don't most teenage boys sleep in?

I grab a carton of eggs, pancake mix, flour, milk and cheese. I shuffle through the kitchen looking for a pan and when I find one I start to heat it over the stove. Next is making the pancake mix. I measure, crack the eggs and stir everything together.

I hear what sounds like someone smelling the air and turn around. Tyler stares back at me and says a simple, "smells good."

I smile, it's the first time I've heard him talk. "Thanks. Oh, um, do you know if we have any bacon?" I ask as I pour some of the mix into the pan. Tyler leaves in the direction of the garage. I sigh and start making some eggs. I'm humming a song my mother made up for me when I was a kid when something pops up over my right shoulder. I yelp and jump away. I let out a long breath when I see Tyler holding out a pack of frozen bacon.

"Sorry," he says handing it to me.

"Don't worry about it. I'm just not used to anyone being so quiet. My sister is pretty loud," I say and flip the pancake. I start to fill the sink with hot water and dunk the bacon into the liquid.

Tyler says nothing and I look over my shoulder at him. He stares at me with the slightest tilt of his head.

"Do you know if Nicholas is up yet?" I stir the eggs before pouring them into another pan. The silence was near deafening. I felt the need to fill it.

"He is," Tyler says staying where he stands. Why is he watching me?

I peek over my shoulder again and see him look away. Desperate to keep from an awkward silence I say the first thing that comes to mind, "have you ever gone hunting?"

He shakes his head. I put the first pancake onto a plate and pause before pouring more of the mix.

"How big of an appetite do you and Nick have. I'm new to cooking for other people."

"Nick doesn't eat much. Ill eat whatever you give me," Tyler says. Okay ... not much of a talker. "How hungry are you?" I try instead, pouring a smaller amount of pancake mix than the first time for Nick.

I see Tyler shrug and barely hold my sigh. "More or less than this?" I point at the first pancake I'd made.

"More."

"Alright," I smile and flip Nick's pancake. "Have you ever wanted to hunt? With how quiet you are I bet you'd be good at it."

"I've never used a gun," is his only replie.

"How about a bow?"

He shakes his head.

"If you want to learn to use a bow I can teach you. Mine's up in my room."

"Sure," he says as I put Nick's pancake on a plate and pour a large amount of mix into the pan. I stir the eggs and add the cheese over top of them. I move to the sink and feel the bacon. Almost thawed.

"Well, after breakfast we can go out and shoot at a tree. I've got a target paper in my bow case," I smile at the fact that at least one of the two boys is actually willing to do something besides glare at me. Maybe I won't be here as long as my mother thought.

"Food's done," I say once I finish preparing everything. I hand Tyler his plate and let him get his eggs and bacon. "Nicholas," I call up the stairs. No answer.

I move to the back door and peer outside. Nick sits at the edge of the pond. "Nick," I call making him look up. "Breakfast is ready. Why don't you come and eat?"

Nick gives me his icy glare but gets up and starts walking over. I sigh, come back inside and set up my plate. Tyler is already eating as I sit down. I start to cut up my pancake and take a bite.

"Good?" I ask. Tyler nods taking another large bite. I smile at Nick when he walks in and point at his plate on the counter. He takes it and moves to his seat at the table. He takes a small bite and his eyes widen slightly. I smile as he takes bigger bites and start to eat my own food. We eat in silence and Nick stands up and leaves once he's done, heading back outside. I sigh. Okay maybe I will be here for as long as my mother thought.

Tyler and I finish about the same time and I rinse off my plate. He does the same.

"So, you wanna head out? Find a tree that's not too close to the house? I'm gonna go grab my stuff. Meet you out there!" I smile and run up the stairs into my room. Grabbing my case I race back down and outside. I walk into the woods and look around for Tyler.

I feel a large hand on my shoulder, yelp and race forward. I turn around to see Tyler. He points at a tall, thick tree. I smile and put my hand over my heart, "you are really good at that."

I pin the paper target to the tree and get out my bow. "Okay, so your shoulders are larger than mine so this bow will be a little small for you but still usable." I quiver an arrow and hold the bow out to Tyler. He takes it and grips where he's supposed to.

Good.

"Alright, take your pointer and middle finger and hook them on the line on either side of the end of the arrow." I instruct and Tyler does as he's told. "Now draw the arrow back to where the line is touching the corner of your lips and is right in the line of sight of your right eye."

Tyler's muscles flex as he draws the arrow back. I stare at his poster, looking him up and down. "Widen your stance," I say and he does. I gently push his elbow up from the way it droops then notice that he's leaning forward to much. I place a hand on his chest and he go's tense but I gently push. His back straightens out.

I tell him how to aim and to shoot when he's ready. The arrow whistles through the air and hits the target with a loud thunk. I smile. He'd hit the blue ring around the bull's eye. I glance up at Tyler's face and see the ghost of a grin there.

"Good job! The first time I shot an arrow let's just say it didn't hit the target. At all." I laugh at the memory.

Tyler looks down at me and chuckles without saying anything.

"I'm gonna go check on Nick. Keep practicing!" I call and take off for the house. Nick jumps when I plop myself down next to him at the edge of the pond. He glares at me but it falters when I give a warm smile. "You like it here huh?"

He doesn't answer, just stares at me in silence. I haven't heard him say anything at all since I came here. Well, he's definitely not gonna make this easy.

"Do you like swimming?" I ask. He hesitates for such a long moment I don't think he'll answer, but then he nods.

"Do you want to swim?"

This time he nods immediately, making me smile, "well, go get a swim suit on!" I laugh and hop up. He looks up at me surprised. "Watcha waiting for?"

He gets up slowly, warily. Watching my every move. I gasp when he jumps into the water, fully dressed. He comes up taking a deep breath of air.

"I told you to go get a swim suit on! You'll be freezing when you get out of there!" I cry. He swims farther away, completely ignoring me.

This kid! Why'd I agree to do this?

But I know the reason why. Kids have always been my weak spot. My friends always say that taking care of May brought the motherly side out in me. All women have one ... but some just keep it buried. I've lived with a woman like that my whole life.