Link for Docs: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DrRnsF1iycSqEf1zByHCSiZuSnqTczpcssqF2OfpyvY/edit?tab=t.0 copy and paste it She raced through the woods, padding after her friends. She was chasing a rabbit; a young doe, while one of her friends headed it off. There was a sudden noise, a loud bang, but she kept running. She ran faster and faster until she felt her jaws meet flesh. . . * * * Iris awoke to the light of dawn filtering through the misty veil of sleep that still enveloped her. There was a slightly salty taste in her mouth, but she ignored it. She yawned, stretched her arms over her head, but her mind gave a small jolt, remembering her dream. What was that? Iris hopped out of bed, heading down the stairs, into her family’s living room. Her little sister, Hazel, was sitting at the coffee table at the center of the room, near the blazing fire in the hearth. Iris walked over to Hazel, peering over her shoulder. “What are you working on?” She asked questioningly. Hazel shrugged. “My game.” Game? Iris cocked her head. “What game?” Hazel glanced at her. “My game on that coding platform. Remember?” The older girl remembered suddenly. “Oh! That game. Okay.” Hazel rolled her eyes. Just then, River walked into the living room. “Hey, little sis. . . es? What is the plural of sis?” Hazel rolled her eyes again. “Sis doesn’t have a plural, because it is an abbreviation of sister. Just say sisters, you dummy.” River laughed. “Dummy? I’m in the algebra class, and you only know multiplication!” Both Hazel and Iris raised an eyebrow. “And how well do you do in algebra class? I think you are the one who only knows multiplication.” River tried to cut in, “I–,” but Hazel raised a finger. “I wasn’t done. I’m going to test you. Let’s start with an easy one: what is 4x-5x=18?” River started, “Um. . .” While Iris burst out laughing. “River, stop! You know you can’t even do algebra, and Mrs. von Derver was talking about moving you into the 8th grade class!” River started to protest again, but Iris continued, “Even though x obviously equals 2 in that equation.” River finally got a word in. “How do you know that?! You’re only in 6th grade, and we’re only supposed to start algebra in 7th.” He paused. “You are in sixth grade, right?” Iris shook her head, but the childrens’ mother walked into the room as she was about to begin a short speech about how she is in the accelerated 6th grade class, which meant she was in a different class than all her other classmates and stuff. . . “Hey kids. You need to get ready for school. You don’t want to be late!” she said quickly, packing the things she would need for work. “Your dad is at work already, so I’ll drop you off on the way to the store.” Iris nodded. “Okay. I’ll go wake up Violet.” She walked back up the stairs, stopping a few doors down the hallway. She hesitated, but knocked softly. “Violet? It’s time to wake up and get ready for school.” “Get out of my room!” Iris leaped back as she heard a yowl from inside. Violet stormed out of her room, throwing open the door and letting the family dogs pad down the stairs after her. “Mum! Iris went in my room!” Violet complained as she stomped down the stairs. Mother called, “No, she didn’t! I know you, Violet.” Violet hissed under her breath, patting Fin on the head. “At least you know. . .” she said, her voice fading away. Iris turned back into her room, plopping herself down on her bed beside her kitten, Autumn. “Hi, kitten. I’m leaving again today, so make sure you stay in my room so the dogs don’t get you. Fin would eat you.” Autumn widened her eyes, as if she understood. Iris looked up at the ceiling, at the faintly glowing moon and stars. She sighed. Well, I’d better get ready for school. Iris sat up, walking over to her bookshelf and grabbing her binder, folders, and pencils, picking up her backpack and shoving them in her backpack. “Iris! We need to leave in ten minutes!” Iris sighed again as she heard Mother call up the stairs. She changed her clothes, putting on her coat and favorite hat, a hood-like thing with ears and a built-in scarf. The hat was made of fake gray fur, while the coat was an uncomfortable blue fuzz. Iris slung her backpack over her shoulder, walking down the stairs. River leaped at her, yelling, “NOOGIE!” and rubbing her head wildly. “Hazel! Attack!!!” Iris called, her little sister barging into the room and leaping onto River’s back. She beat him several times on the head, then pinched him. The girls’ brother flopped onto his back, squishing Hazel underneath him. She flapped her arm, trying to hit him, but it was trapped. “Kids! We’re leaving in three minutes!” Iris and the two of her siblings froze as they heard another call from the office. “Okay!” River called back. Iris grabbed her backpack off of the floor where it had fallen, when she saw her school computer was missing. She facepalmed. Ugh. Where is it?
“Violet! Did you steal my school computer?” Iris walked up the stairs, barging into her sister’s room but not stepping inside. Violet glared at her. “No. Maybe. Yes. Why do you care?” Iris glared back angrily. “It’s mine. If you have it, give it back.” “No.” “No what?” “No, I don’t have it,” Violet said as she rolled her eyes. “Then who does?” Iris responded sceptically. “I saw someone with it. . . but what’s in it for me?” Iris rolled her eyes. “It’s mine. Nothing should be in it for you.” “Fine. River had a cromebook in his arms when he left for school yesterday.” Violet picked up one of her LARPing knives, fiddling with it. “Okay. Since you seem so violent right now, why don’t you come wrestle him?” Iris replied smartly. Violet’s eyes brightened, “Beat him up?” but then she went back to her usual state. “Why?” “Because even Mum says she should have named you Violent,” Iris said, leaving the doorway and walking near River’s room, stopping outside the doorway. She turned back to see Violet following. Iris nodded to her older sister, whispering, “You use jui jitsu to distract him while I sneak past him and grab the cromebook. . . and maybe his LARPing bow. . .” Violet nodded, “Okay,” and sneaked into their brother’s room. “YAHHHHH!!!” she yelled, leaping onto his back just as Hazel had done before. River was distracted, so Iris, being the sneakiest of the two, slunk behind the fighting children. Violet wrapped herself around River’s arm, pulling him sideways and planting her foot behind his. She had used this move on Iris before, but not River, so her brother did not know how to counter it. Iris crouched near the bare wall, crawling behind River’s desk. This was where he kept his most important things, but Iris had never snuck inside while River was there. She shuffled through his papers, finding one with a drawing of a triangle entwined with a circle and a line inside. Huh, I wonder what this is? Where is my cromebook? Did Violet lie? Well, of course she did, Iris thought. She shuffled through more of the papers and other things. There it was! Her cromebook was sticking out of a pile of drawings. Iris grabbed the computer and River’s bow and arrows for LARPing. I can pay Violet for helping me with these. “Violent! I got what we came for!” Iris called to her sister, running out of the room, past her siblings. “Okay! Just let me finish beating him up!” Violet was now using Kimura to put River into submission. Iris walked into Violet’s room, setting the bow and quiver down on her desk. Just another boring day in theWilder family, Iris thought calmly. Oh, no! We have to leave for school! “Hazel! Iris! Violet! We have to leave! River, go do your schoolwork.” Iris heard Mother call again from the office. River was homeschooled, so Iris wouldn’t have to face him for the whole day until she got home. Well, let’s go! Iris got ready and sprinted outside to the car.
