" How many Marilyn Manson cd's does this girl have?," Zac groaned as he lugged a heavy suitcase to the basement.
" Zac, what is it with you and this sudden hatred for Marilyn Manson?," Taylor asked.
" I don't know," Zac shrugged," He just grosses me out. Ever see any of his videos?," he shudderd.
" Ugh! Don't remind me!," Isaac exclaimed," I thought I was gonna hurl when I saw the video for ' The Dope Show'!"
" If anyone would know about a dope show, he would," Taylor agreed.
" What cha guys talkin' about?," Mackenzie asked from the doorway.
" Nothing, Mackie. Just a singer we don't like much," Taylor told him.
" Oh. Mommy wants you guys in the kitchen," Mackenzie told them.
They all stood up to leave. Taylor looked back and noticed Mackenzie staring curiously at the suitcases.
" Come on, Mack. I think you'd better come too," Taylor said and took his hand.
***************************************************
To get out of a lecture on ' making Erin feel as comfortable as possible ', Taylor took his brother to the living room to put in a movie for him to watch. But when he got there, he saw that Erin and Fran were already waiting on the couch. Erin was slouched down with her arms crossed, glaring at everything she saw. Taylor looked at her, then his little brother doubtfully. There was something about her that bothered him. Then he shrugged. Fran was in the room anyway.
" Hey Fran," he greeted," Um, hi Erin. I'm Taylor."
" I know!," she snapped, then was silent again.
" Anyway, Fran," Taylor continued," do you mind if I put in a video for Mackie?"
" Go ahead."
" Okay Mack, what do you want to watch?," Taylor asked him.
" 'The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh'," he said. Mackenzie had recently developed an obcession for Winnie-the-Pooh.
Taylor settled him down in front of the t.v.,then sat in an armchair, eyeing Erin out of the corner of his eye. She in turn glanced at him, shot him a nasty look, then looked away.
" I'm so rumbly in my tumbly, dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum, time to munch an early lunch, dum dum dum dum dum," Mackenzie sang with the video.
" Tay, come here!," Isaac called from another room.
" Yeah, what's up?," he ran in.
" Will you tell Fran that mom wants to see her? She wants us to show Erin to her room and ' make her feel at home '," Isaac rolled his eyes.
" Man, why do we always have to be the tour guides," Taylor groaned.
Isaac shrugged. " Yeah, I know, it really bites."
" Be right back," Taylor sighed. He went back to the living room. " Hey, Fran? Ike said my mom wants to talk to you in the kitchen. Come on," he said to Erin, forcing a smile," we'll show your room."
Erin didn't reply. She simply picked up her black leather backpack and grudgingly follwed Taylor.
***************************************************
" Does she always dress in all black?," Diana asked.
" Pretty much. She's also got an attitude problem, a short temper, and listens to no one but herself," Fran answered.
" She wouldn't hurt anyone, would she?," Diana said with a worried glance at the baby in her arms.
" No. I don't think she would hurt your kids. She may say some nasty stuff, though. I'd tell everyone to just ignore her attitude, because it's just her way of picking a fight."
***************************************************
" So what do you think? Nice, huh?," Zac said when leading Erin to the basement.
" Whatever." She tossed her bag on the bed, sat down, and lit a cigerette.
The guys glanced at her, looked at each other uncertaintly, then back at her.
" Could you please not do that?," Zac coughed.
She glared at him. " Listen, little boy. I didn't want to come here in the first place, but since I hafta be here, maybe we should have an understanding: I do what I want, when I want and I don't take orders from no one, particuarly some nine year old. Got that?"
" First of all, I'm thirteen, not nine!," he huffed and would have gone on, but Taylor put a restraining hand on his shoulder.
" Chill, Zac," he murmured. This caused Erin to smirk. Isaac saw her satisfied look and grew irritated. What was her problem?
" Let's put it this way," he said in defense of his brother," One, there was no reason to talk to him that way. I thought he was being very polite. Two, just because you don't care about your health, doesn't mean others don't. There are nine other people in this house, including a baby. We prefere to breath without having to gag first. So we would appreciate it if you would do that outside!"
" I told you I never asked to be here!," she sneered.
" Well, whether we want you here or whether you want to be here, you're going to be here for a while and we do not smoke in this house."
" Fine!," she snapped. She spit on her fingers and pinched out the lighted cigerette.
" Come on, let's go ask mom if she want's help with dinner or something," Taylor quickly said. They all turned and ran up the stairs as fast as they could.
" Goody-goodies," Erin muttered and re-lit her cigerette.
***************************************************
" Well, your father and I will talk to her and tell her not to smoke in the house," Diana assured her sons. She was just as surprised as they were that there had been a disaster so soon.
" Do you think I might have over reacted a bit?," Isaac asked.
" Just a little. Just be a little more subtle next time she acts that way," Diana replied," Something Fran mentioned to me was that she goes by her own free will, so we need to try to ignore her when she gets an attitude. Though you were right to stick up for Zac and the rules."
" She likes to fight, doesn't she?," Zac said," she completely told me off and all I did was ask her not to smoke."
" Yeah, I think so. Fran also mentioned that she basically has a constant attitude."
" Isn't that obvious?,' Taylor snorted
" Well, just be friendly with her and try to stay out of her way. Okay guys?"
Silence.
" Guys?," she prompted.
" Sure mom," Isaac said. They shot each other worried looks. What had their parents gotten them into?
