Chapter One, Part Three.

I went to see Carmen at lunch. She was sitting with some of her friends.
"Lali!" she got up to hug me.
"Hey-a, squirt."
"Lali, I made a new friend! Her name is Delilah." She turned to a girl who looked to be about her age, ten, but unusually willowy for one so young. Maybe she was older. Delilah smiled uncertainly.
"Hi, Delilah. I'm Athaliah, Carmen's big sister." I waved, and the little girl's face broke into a genuine smile, framed by her dark, auburn curls. Her eyes were an almost golden brown. Weird.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," she said politely.
"The pleasure is all mine." I grinned. Guess she was older. "How is everyone treating you?"
"Oh, they've been really nice, mostly."
"Mostly? You want I should, uh, take 'em out back and rough 'em up a little?" I asked her in my cheesiest Brooklyn accent, winking at her like a total dork.
The girls all laughed, except for one of them, Serena, who stared at me in horror, eyes wide behind her glasses.
"You wouldn't actually hurt anyone, would you?" she squeaked.
"No, no, of course not. Well, no one your age." I smiled broadly at the little girl. "I was only kidding."
"Oh..." Her small face reddened.
"It's cool, kiddo. Don't mind my bad sense of humor. So anyway," I turned to Delilah, "who's been bothering you?"
"Um, I don't know his name. He's over there, the one who's being really loud." I looked where she pointed, at a boy with shaggy brown hair and an obnoxious amount of freckles. He looked faintly familiar, but I didn't know why until another girl, Katharine, piped up.
"His name's Bobby Larson. He's so mean to everyone," she said, crossing her small arms.
Ugh! That's why he looked familiar! I can't believe that slimeball's parents popped out a mini-Trent! Fantastic. I groaned.
"What, Lali?" Carmen looked at me, her face wondering.
"Do you remember when I almost broke that kid's jaw?"
"Yeah, what about it?"
Ignoring Delilah's wide-eyed expression, I answered, "That's his brother."
"Ohh."
"Well, darlings," I stood up. "I need to go. Don't be late coming home, Cami. I'm cooking tonight." I bent down to kiss her forehead.
"Okay, Lali. I'll be on time." She smiled. I waved to the girls at the table and walked away.
I wasn't really finished in the elementary cafeteria yet, though.