Danielle laughed softly shaking her head. "Yeah. I lied. I also told our boss that it was my sister's birthday who had a major crush on you. So you were her birthday gift. So..." She shrugged giggling softly before staightening up as Martha walked back in with plates and silverware. "So how big of a peice do you want my dears?" She asked as she began cutting the cake. "Oh, I almost forgot...how is your mother doing Danielle? Has she gotten better yet?" she asked focusing on her.

"She's better. It was a small cold. Father got his job back so all is well in the family department" she smiled softly her words not even seeming like she was lying to the old woman. "Good good. I'm glad to hear your family is doing well. How are your grades in school? Are you pas$ing your clas$es?" She asked slidding a peice of cake towards Andrew and offering a fork before doin hte same to Danielle. "Grades are good. You know the usual A, B thing. I have a C in math but i'm working on pulling it up." Danielle sighed her tail dropping slightly. She hated to lie to Martha but she couldn't just come out and tell her she was a run away and never really had a family. "What about you Andrew? How is school and the family?" Martha asked cutting a very tiny peice of cake for herself. "You look like a very intelegent boy so i'm sure things are going exelent for you too?"

=======

"I would have never guessed that" Eric said refuring to the whole ADHD thing. Then again he wasn't around Seth all that much to understand him at all. His ears perked forward a little though when he had explained the grades. It wasn't a shock but he was still disapointed in his students. "Yes well, they don't seem to connect to the work. They think they can breeze threw this clas$ without having to work or read. I am slightly disapointed in them myself" he answered seeming to close his laptop.

Andrew understood the lying thing, but he had never had to deal with lying to someone that he cared about. Simply... because there was really no one that cared about him. And those that he cared about he didn't lie to. Like Aiden and Danielle. He didn't lye to them. 

He put on one of his best smiles, the one he used at the bar. "School's going great." He responded, "The family's good too, thank you for asking." He responded politely. 

--

"Most people don't unless I tell them or they're good at detecting that." He responded, making a few marks on another paper and moving to another one. What was this? Everything seems so... disorganized. The papers were all looking like they were beginning Edgar Allen Poe and then its... Shakespeare. He personally like Shakespeare but Po was cool too.

"Lit.'s easy." Seth responded. His mind just... got literature. Math was troubling. When he looked at numbers it was like... they tried to turn into things. It was only his imagination playing tricks on himself. Plus, if it wasn't something he likes or was interested in... the he wouldn't remember it. 

Danielle smiled warmly taking a bite of the chocolate cake. She settled down in a seat at the bar watching Andrew. Her tail swished behind her happily. She tilted her head a little bit before sighing and placing her fork down. "Martha...I've only ever seen you here alone. Do you have any family?" Danielle asked curiously her ears perking forward to listen to the old woman explain. "No dear. I've never had any children. It's not that I didnt' want them, just....I never found anyone worth my tastes" she smiled politly placing her hand on Danille's head ruffling her hair.

"Although i'm sure if I had you two, i'd be a very proud mother. You two seem like you have your heads on straight. Not many kids now a days do" Martha spoke turning and exiting the kitchen. "I would hate to let you down" she whispered to herself before turning to Andrew. "How's the cake?" She asked curiously seeming to play with her peice. She felt weird for being here and celebrating, in fact she didn't even feel like celebrating. Another year older was nothing special to her. Especially when it meant being another year older, alone.

=====

"You think so?" Eric seemed to ask a little shocked. "Literature is hard to a lot of people because they were never taught how to read therefore I have to work around that. Then some unfortunate events lead to a change of teachers only to make the work harder" he breathed flopping his ears forward. "Are those the papers from a few weeks ago?" He asked grabbing one of them. "Oh. Damn Nakata" He muttered to himself handing hte paper back to Seth. "That's when we were going over Poe's literature then she came into my clas$ switching it to shakespear while I was out for a few days" He breathed obviously offended just at the thought.

Andrew felt kinda sad for the old lady, like he knew what she was talking about and then... he didn't. He's never been the perfect son of the little boy your mother talks about because he loves baking cookies with his mommy. Mommies cookies usually had dope in them.

He looked down at his cake quickly, he'd forgotten about it. He didn't really like sweet things, but he took a bite anyway. "It's good." He repleied, he wasn't lying. It was, but he wouldn't eat too much of it. 

--

"Yeah, I just get Literature." Seth replied, grading another paper and starting on another one.  He looked up when Eric took that paper. Didn't make sense, a sub teacher changing the subject the students were learning. But ok. Now it made sense why the students were making bad grades. 

{ I want to do something but I don't know what. >.< }

Danielle smiled warmly flickering her tail back and fourth. "Glad it's good" she spoke sighing lightly. She focused down on her cake before glancing over at the clock. It was still early but she wondered if they should bail now and head to work early or possibly just hang out for a while. She messed with her cake some more before glancing at Andrew. "Just...tell me when you want to go. We don't have to stay here the whole time. Martha insisted I stop by and...I didn't want to let her down" she spoke before straightening up.

Martha walked back into the room carrying a small box with a bright red bow on it. She placed it in front of Danielle before pulling out another one and slipping it infront of Andrew. "Presents...I know it's only Danielle's birthday but...I thought since you were her closest friend that you disurved something to" Martha smiled warmly. Danielle was a little taken back but unwrapped the present to pull out a chain necklace with a heart locket on the end and a bird pendant hanging next to it. "Oh my" She muttered pulling her ears back focusing on Martha before she lept forward hugging her. "Thank you" she whispered causing hte old woman to smile. "It's an antique. My mother pas$ed it down from generation to generation. Seeing I had no children...I thought I would give it to you. Take care of it for me" Martha smiled warmly before turnin to Andrew. "That was also p*censored*ed down in my family. It was supposed to go to any sons, but seeing I never had any...I wnat to give it to you" she smiled warmly releasing Danielle.

=======

Eric listened to Seth before smirking. "Do you know?" He asked a little skeptically. "So you excel in the subject Andrew seems to grasp?" He asked coughing slightly. "Interesting...do you write or is your focus more on poetry?" He asked curiously ears twitching slightly.

{ Andrew's present:

http://store.halloweentownstore.com/miva/graphics/00000001/POEWATCH.gif  }

Andrew smiled, "It's your birthday. You call the shots." He took another bite of cake as the woman reentered the room with Daniel's birthday presents. Except she gave one to him too. He perked his ears curiously down at the small package in front of him.

Why would she give him something? He didn't even know her an hour's time and she had already accepted him into her home and started to give him things. This was too much!He looked up to watch Danielle pull out a golden heart shaped locket. "It's pretty." He told Danielle. 

He didn't want to take this woman's family heirloom. He didn't feel like that was right but he began to open the package. He pulled out the silver colored watch and looked at it, wide eyed. His ears laid down as he took it in. "Why do you want to give this to me?" He asked Martha.

[[ that is one of the prettiest watches I've ever seen O.O ]]

==

"I write." Seth replied simply, he had already gotten the feeling that Andrew was good in this subject seeing his papers first hand. "I leave all of the poetry to those who are good at it." He said, still trying to concentrate on the papers he was grading. Talking and doing papers seemed to be working for him at the moment though. He could understand poetry but he could write it. Not well anyway. Sure, roses are red and violets are blue, but nothing like Poe or Shakespeare. 

{ Isn't it? lol. It's part of a poe collection. hehe }

Martha focused on Andrew before smiling softly. "Why not give it to you?" she asked curiously before sighing lightly. "I can't let it go to waste in my attic now can I? Plus your a level headed boy. You seem to know where your head is and honestly. You seem like you need some love. I don't know. There's something about you, Andrew" Martha spoke before turning to Danielle who was studying the locket. "It's for your wishes. You wish upon the locket and it's said to come true in time" she sighed before sitting down and watching the two of them.

Danielle's ears pulled back before sghing. "I'm sorry but...Martha. I do enjoy it but I couldn't accept this" She frowned watching hte old woman straighten up. "No darling. You can and you will. Don't think of it as you have to take it, it's a gift from someone who cares about you. Your a good child, so much better than the ones that live in this comunity. You know about the hardships of life and how to make the best out of it...these children around here know money and things being handed to them. They don't know hard work and dedication. You do. You come to work every day and don't miss a day even when your sick or exausted. You will grow up to be the boss of all these spoiled brats. You and Andrew" Martha said with a warm smile crosing her hands in her lap.

----------

"You write" Eric repeated straightening up in his chair. "What exactly do you write? I know it's not poems because you just said it wasn't. So short stories? People's life experiences? What? If you don't mind me asking that is" he coughed slightly. "Maybe you too should enter the writting contest comming up. Andrew was thinking about entering as well along with a few more of my students."

[[ I wants XD ]] 

He looked like he needed love? "I... don't know what to say... Thank you Martha." He said quietly. He knew that he didn't deserve something like this. Especially if he had just lied to the woman and hadn't even known her for that long at all. 

He chuckled at her mentioning that he was going to be the boss someday. "I'm actually going into the Army when I get out of High School." He admitted, "But Danielle will definitely be boss." He grinned at her, his tail flipping playfully behind him.

--

"I write short stories and life experiences." He responded, not really seeing why it was so interesting. Not many people cared what he wrote about, and some just asked to be nice about it. Andrew was going to enter a writing contest "Do I have to write about something specific?" He asked, grading another paper. 

"Well Mr. Andrew. Doesn't the Army have bosses too?" Martha asked smirking over at him. "Your type of boss is a general who gets to boss around recruites. You'll make it there my dear" she said letting out a very light sigh before focusing on Danielle. "What are you doing after school?" She asked curiously watchin as the female neko curled her tail behind her thoughtfully.

"Well...When I was younger I always wanted to be a dancer although now, I'm not sure what I want to be" Danielle admitted honestly her ears folding back as she watched her peice of cake. Martha chuckled softly as she shook her head. "You'll find your calling dear. I have faith in you" she smiled reaching forward brushing a lone strand of hair out of Danielle's face.

------

"No...You choose the topic. All you have to do is submit it to me and I'll enter it into the contest at the board of education" He explained  observing Seth. "It can be on anything. What ever your heart desires. Grand prize is cash though and the honerable mentions also receive money but not as much as the winner" he explained clearing his throat once more. For some reason today was a bad day for him, phyisically and mentally.

{ I hate it how I always come in on the movie Titianic when people are falling off the sinking ship. >.< 

Oh and do you know what yesterday's advent calender prize was? I missed it. lol. Opps. I got the hat, missed yesterdays and got the train thing for today }

[[ Im trying to figure that out xD lol I'm getting braindead! haha~ 

Maybe Eric could just ask Seth about the kiss? xD  no... let me think of something >.< ]]

[[ Ah... Maybe its bugging Eric that he saw Andrew and Seth kiss? And he's noticing Seth paying more attention to Andy's papers? And he mentions Andrew and Seth starts talking about the stuff that he's learned already XD

or... or... DX I can't think o.o ]] 

{ Hmm. He could ask about the kiss. Watch Seth's reaction then maybe ask what his thoughts on Andrew are or how things are going with being his friend? lol.

As for Danielle I got nothing really. And when/how is Aiden gonna go? }

[[ :D That works! But only if you want to XD I can make a post out of anything lol 

And I was planning on car crash =| Random drunk driver comes ripping through the school parking lot off of the highway and Aiden just happens to be pulling out right then ._. ]]