***Zac’s View***
	When I woke up, Tay & Ike were still asleep. I was feeling
crazy, so I decided it would be ‘practical joke morning’. 
	I went into Mom & Dad’s bathroom downstairs & took out
some ‘Oil of Olay’ cream. I crept back to our room, hoping no one
would see me. 
	The clock was unplugged again, but by the way it looked
outside, I guessed it was before seven. ‘Good,’ I thought. ‘Just enough
time for the lotion to dry.’
	I squeezed some lotion into my hand & rubbed it into Taylor’s
hair. ‘No, not enough,’ I thought. I held the bottle over his head &
squeezed a huge glob of it out, right on his head. I held my breath,
hoping he wouldn’t wake up. He didn’t move. I reached over &
smeared it all over his head. Dad said he wasn’t gonna wake us up
this morning, so I guessed that Tay wouldn’t wake up till 9. I took a
step back & smiled at my work. I sighed & pulled myself up to Ike’s
bunk. 
	I finished giving them identical hairdos & put the lotion back in
the bathroom cupboard. I laid back down in my bed. I wasn’t taking
the chance of going to sleep, so I just stayed there until it was bright
outside, about eight ‘o’clock. 
	I hopped out of bed & hurried downstairs. I didn’t want to miss
the looks on their faces when they saw themselves. But, I could take a
rain check if it meant getting killed by them. 
	“Good morning! You’re awake early this morning!” my mom
greeted me. “Yep! It’s such a beautiful day!” I exclaimed in a high
girlie voice, jumping into the kitchen. “What do you want for
breakfast?” she asked. “Hmm... how bout French toast?” I suggested.
She looked over at a sleepy-eyes Jessie. She shrugged. ‘Okay. Go
wake up your brothers for breakfast.” I nodded & ran back upstairs. 
	I quietly stepped inside our room & looked around. I had three
choices. I could not wake them up, let the lotion dry all the way  &
miss when they woke up. I could just wake them up regularly & let
them see their hair themselves. Or, I could wake them up the fun
way. 
	I snuck back out & into the upstairs bathroom. I grabbed two
paper cups & filled them up with cold water. Carefully, I made my
way down the hall, making sure not to spill a drop. 
	The first thing I did when I got back was find a space where I
could put the cups down. It took a few minutes because the room
was so messy, but I finally managed. Then I went over & checked
how their hair was. Ike’s was getting kinda crusty & Tay’s was really
greasy. I figured it was good enough, so I picked up the cups &
brought them over to the bed. 
	I knew as soon as they woke up I’d hafta make a run for it, Tay
would be up quicker, so I decided Ike would go first. 
	I held the cups in one hand & wrapped the my other arm
around the bar to keep myself up. I very carefully reached over &
dumped the water onto his nose. He started sputtering & I knew he’d
be awake any second. I jumped down & dumped the other cup of
water in Tay’s face. He was sleeping with his mouth wide open
again, giving me an easy target. His eyes immediately snapped open
& he started coughing. I dropped the cups & ran for my life. 
	When I got to the stairs I heard Tay get up, so I knew I had to
hurry. He could run about three times faster than me, but he just
woke up, so we were about even. 
	“Zachary! What are you doing, storming down the stairs like
that! You’ll wake Mackie. Oh well, your French toast is ready,” my
mother said when I got to the kitchen. I nodded, out of breath, & sat
down in front of my plate. 
	After Ike & Tay hadn’t come downstairs for five minutes, it
started getting really loud upstairs. I heard stomping & yelling from
my half-asleep brothers. I wondered if they’d looked in a mirror yet.
Quietly, I chuckled, thinking about what they were doing. 

		***Tay’s View***
	“Holy shit! Isaac, what the hell happened to you?” I asked. I
had been chasing Zac, but I was so tired I gave up. 
	“Got woke up by Zac, that’s what,” he replied, still sitting in his
bed. “No, I mean!” I burst out laughing. Ike’s hair was sticking out
everywhere, sticking to his face & itself. “I dunno. But you seriously
need a shower,” he grumbled, laying back down. “I just did
yesterday.” “Did you use vegetable oil for shampoo? Your hair’s
greasier than shit.” I reached my hand up to the top of my head. Sure
enough, it felt as if someone had dumped grease all over my head.
“What the hell,” I mumbled. My hair didn’t get all that greasy for 5
days. ‘Something’s seriously wrong,’ I thought I knew the water
hadn’t done it, that would’ve washed it out. 
	Curiously, I lifted my fingers up to my nose & smelled them.
The smell was so familiar. It took me a second to finally place it.
Mom’s Oil of Olay. 
	“Ike!” I yelled, looking up at him from the doorway. He
grunted. “Isaac!” “Taylor! Can’t you see I’m trying to get back to
sleep! Go bug somebody else!” Ike yelled at me, pulling his blankets
over his head. I ran over & yanked them off his head. “God dammit! I
said go away!” he complained, shoving me away. I flew onto the
floor, sprawled out on my back, but I didn’t let that stop me. “Ike!
Zac put Mom’s lotion in our hair!” I cried. “And how do you know
that, genius?” he asked sarcastically. “I smelled it!” “I don’t wanna
know what else you’ve been sniffing, but whatever it is, I wouldn’t
let anybody else know, you’ll get arrested,” he grumbled, rolling over
to the wall. “Ike! I’m serious! Just smell your hair!” He grabbed a
pillow & flung it at me, but I ducked. “Go fuck Emily & leave me
alone,” he mumbled. I ignored his first comment. “Fine, but I getta
kill Zac first,” I replied, walking down the hall to the bathroom. 
	“Tayles, your hair looks ucky,” Avie said, walking toward the
stairs. “I know,” I replied. “Don’t you want breakfast? It’s French
toast!” she asked. “Yeah, but I hafta take a shower. Hey,” I said,
kneeling down so I was eye level with her. “When you see Zac down
there, tell him he’s in deeeep dodo, K?” I asked. She nodded,
grinning. “OK, go eat,” I said, standing back up. She ran downstairs.
I looked down the hall & saw Ike stumble down the hall. “I gotta take
a shower,” he grumbled. “No way!” I yelled, running into the
bathroom & locking the door behind me. “Taylor, you get your
measly whiny little ass out here! I hafta be ready, Krissy’s comin
over!” he yelled. “Bite me,” I yelled back. “Get out here!” he howled &
started kicking the door. 
	I ignored him & tried to comb my hair. “Oh, yuck,” I mumbled,
looking at the comb, which was covered in lotion. “God, this is
disgusting. I’m gonna kill the little shit.” I sighed & got into the
shower, with Ike still pounding on the door. 

      (The letter is messed up, I'll fix it soon. I need to have diff. colors.) 
                                   ***Sam’s View***
	“Hey Sam, you got some mail!” Kay called, walking in the front
door. Troy had walked to therapy about a half hour ago, at 10:30.
“Yes,” I whispered, walking over to her. I took the decorated
envelope retreated downstairs to my room to read it. There were
several papers inside, so I unfolded them & read the one on the
inside first. 
		‘Sammy-
	Whassup girl? We been missin ya here, it’s so boring round here.
Guess what! Jared finally asked Felicia out! Yeah, he did yesterday, I don’t
think it’s that big a deal. Course it is! Well, I think I’ll accept tomorrow, or
yesterday when you get this. You better!’
	The letter went on like that for a few pages, them arguing about
everything, until I got to the end. 
	‘So, are you gonna buy us copies of that awesome CD, Bin,
Boomerang oh yeah We’ll send you the money & you send us copies, K? K.
Gotta Jam!
		Luv,
		Amanda
		Stacey
		Felicia'
	I folded the papers back up, put them in the envelope, & hid
them in the bottom drawer of my dresser. I wanted to write them
back, but I knew I didn’t have any stamps. ‘Oh well, I’ll buy some,’ I
thought. 
	I wrote for about a half hour before my hand started aching.
The clock by my bed said it was 11:30. I thought back to when I was
at home, back in Holyrood. When this used to happen, I’d go next
door to Hollie’s house through the backyard. She was a year older
than me & was always just like a sister. We’d grown up together &
her parents got divorced when she was 4. She lived with her dad &
her mom took her younger brother with her. I spent most of my time
there, her father was so nice. They had a lot of money, even a pool in
the backyard. 
	Hollie was rarely home & she said I could come over whenever
I felt like it, even when no one was home, which was usually when I
went. I would stay in her fenced-in backyard & swim. It cleared my
mind & I loved to swim. I thought back to when I learned how to
swim. I was 5 & John had taught me. “No!” I yelled. I refused to
think about him, it hurt too much. 
	I grabbed a bag & threw in some concealer, which I’d already
applied, along with 2 towels, a mirror & a comb. I changed into some
baggy clothes & went up the 2 flights of stairs. I took a few dollars
from the bowl my parents kept their money in & headed back down
to the main floor. 
	I got the Tulsa phone book out of the desk the phone was on.
First, I ripped the map out of the middle of the book. Then I looked
up the address of Justin’s. It took me a few minutes, but I finally
found it. I took a pen out of the desk & marked where I lived &
where Justin’s was. I folded up the map & stuffed it in my pocket. 
	“Kay! I’m gonna be gone for a while, if anyone calls tell them
I’m in the shower & lock the front door if you leave,” I called as I
walked out the side door. I took the map out of my pocket &
examined it. Quickly, I planned the easiest route there & started
walking, making sure no one took much notice of me. 
	It took me about a half hour to get there & I couldn’t wait to
hide in the trees. Making sure no one was watching me, I ran into the
forest. I ran for what seemed like forever until the chirping of a small
bird stopped me. I couldn’t see it, but I knew it was high above me.
Somehow, it seemed to be moving to the left, so I followed the sound. 
	After following it for a few minutes, it suddenly stopped. I was
where I was last time, in front of the low branches. Being cautious of
my stomach, I eased myself under the twigs. There, before me, was
the lake. 
	Quietly, I spread out one towel & sat down on it. I removed my
shoes & just sat for a second, staring at the water. I was unsure of
how deep it was, but the water seemed calm enough for me. 
	Without another thought, I stood up & undressed down to my
bra & underwear. I quickly waded out into the water until my
shoulders were covered. I took a deep breath & emerged my head
into the water. I knew I shouldn’t wear my contacts in the water,
especially lake water, so I reminded myself not to open my eyes
underwater, as hard as it may be. 
	I pushed off the mud-covered bottom & swam, staying low to
the ground. With each stroke, it was more difficult to move, so I
knew the water was getting deeper. I kept swimming. 
	My chest felt like it was going to explode, so I stopped
swimming & started pulling myself up, bringing my arms down
forcefully shoving the water behind me. The ache in my chest spread
up to my head, causing my to slow down. ‘The surface is further than I
thought’ I thought as I struggled. Finally, I burst out of the water. 
	Gasping for breath, I closed my eyes & steadily treaded water.
When my breathing returned to normal, I opened my eyes. I was
nearly in the middle of the lake, about a third of the way in. There
was a large island to the side, about the size of the Hansons’
treehouse. I decided to check it out later, I wanted to swim for a
while first. 

	***Tay’s View***
	“Dad, can we take a break?” Zac asked. We’d only played for
an hour & Zac was already getting impatient. “Dad!” he whined.
“Alright, alright. I’m hungry, how about a lunch break,” Dad
compromised. Everyone agreed, so we headed into the kitchen. 
	“You soud good!” Mackie exclaimed, running toward us with a
pair of shorts & a baseball cap on, covered in syrup. “Great,” Dad
mumbled. “Opps, it’s my fault, I left the syrup out. I’ll clean him up,”
Zac offered. Zac tried, unsuccessfully, to get Mackie into the
bathroom without getting syrup on himself while Dad got out some
hamburger. 
	“Dad? I’m not really hungry, do you think I could go outside &
walk around for a while?” I asked. He sighed & said “Yeah, be back
in about an hour or so. And no complaining later that you’re
hungry.” “I won’t,” I replied, walking out the door. 	
	I wanted to go over to Sam’s, since I hadn’t seen her in a few
days, but the blinds were closed at her house, so I figured everyone
was still asleep. 
	Not knowing where I was going, I kept walking down the
street, turning every now & then. I didn’t have any money on me, so
I couldn’t go play a quick round of lasertag. 
	Soon, I found myself in front of Justin’s. I figured as long as I
was there I might as well go down to the creek & headed back to the
trees. I glanced at my watch, which said it was 12:15. ‘Took me a half
hour to get here, so I can only stay a few minutes,’ I thought & ran into
the forest. 
	Zac, Isaac & I would go down there all the time when we were
younger. In the summer, we’d swim for hours. I desperately wanted
to take a quick swim, since the persistent sun was already giving me
a sunburn, but I didn’t have enough time. Plus, everyone would be
suspicious if I came home soaking wet. 
	I took a different route than I usually did through the trees. It
led to the side the island was closest to. The island was the perfect
place to rest & relax, but I didn’t have a way to get out there without
getting wet. I decided to just sit down at the edge & watch the water. 
	After a few minutes, I noticed something large bobbing around
in the water. I’d never seen any fish in the lake, & if there were, they
weren’t that large. Suddenly, I saw a flash of red. I realized it was a
person with red hair. ‘Sam’ I immediately thought. ‘No, it couldn’t be
Sam, she’s sick. Besides, why would she want to come out here & swim by
herself?’ I asked myself. I watched her for a few minutes, wondering
who she was. She suddenly stopped swimming & stared at me. I was
scared she’d yell, so I spun around & dashed back into the trees. 
		***Sam’s View***
	Suddenly, I got the strange feeling that someone was watching
me. I rushed to the surface, but I accidentally opened my eyes too
early. Water seeped under my contacts, making it impossible to see. I
peered at the person, trying to figure out who they were. All I could
make out was long blonde hair before the person ran away. ‘Weird,’ I
thought. 
	I was getting tired of swimming, so I glided over to the island.
Cautiously, I pulled myself up. It wasn’t that big, so there wasn’t
much to do. It was all rock I could tell it was made by someone a
long time ago. I stood up in the middle of it & just looked at my
surroundings. It was beautiful, the trees secluded the area around the
lake, it was so peaceful. 
	I looked at the bruises on my arms & stomach. The ones on my
arms were barely visible anymore, while the bruises on my stomach
had changed from black & purple to green & yellow. ‘Good, at this
rate they’ll be gone next week,’ I thought. 
	I looked around again & figured I’d better get back. It would
take a while to dry off & apply my concealer. Then I had to find a
Dillons so I could buy a stamp. I remembered seeing one when we
bladed to Wendy’s, so all I had to do was go back that way. 
	I dove back in & quickly swam back. When I was back on
shore, I wrapped a towel around myself & sat down on the other to
comb my hair out. When my hair was combed out & fairly dry, I got
dressed & folded up the towels. I generously applied the concealer to
my face & neck, making sure it was impossible to see the bruises.
‘God, I hope they fade a little before Saturday,’ I thought, putting
everything into the bag. I glanced around & hurried out the way that
I came in.