Chapter 2

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**Alex’s POV**

On the morning of September the first I wake at dawn. I sit up in my bunk bed and look around the room, realising that this is the last time I will sleep in this room for weeks, months. I look at the bunk beds opposite me that hold Nick and Noah who are both sleeping on their sides, one hand tucked under their head, one hand flopping over the side of the bed. Down the end of the room is another set of bunk beds holding Oliver and Samuel. Oliver is lying flat on his back, his head turned to the side while Samuel is curled on his side, both hands under his cheek. On the bed beneath me is Lucas. I can hear his soft snoring and listen to it carefully, finding it reassuring.

After a few minutes I climb down and open the window. I find some old jeans that once belonged to Samuel and a shirt that was Nick’s and sneak out to the bathroom. I shower quickly and get dressed. My trunk is already in the kitchen, so I pop some bread in the toaster and dig around for a pair of sneakers. I pull them on and my toast pops. I butter it and carry it out to the garden. The air is fresh and warm. I sit down on one of our tire swings and eat my breakfast. As I eat Archibald swoops down and lands on my knee, holding a dead mouse in his beak.

“Gross,” I cringe as he swallows it down. I give him the rest of my breakfast, unable to rid my mind of the image of that mouse disappearing down his throat. For a while I sit petting Archibald until I hear some people moving in the house. I walk up and open the back door.

“Morning darling,” Mum says, kissing me on the forehead, “could you wake your brothers please?”

“Sure,” I say. Archibald hops off my shoulder onto the back of a kitchen chair, tucking his head under his wing for a snooze. I walk upstairs and into my bedroom.

“Time to get up!” I yell. Lucas sits straight up and hits his head on the bottom of the bunk. Groaning, he swings his legs out of bed and stretches. Noah blinks his black eyes up at me and pouts.

“I don’t want to get up,” he says. I grin and pull his arm.

“Get up!” I cry, giggling. He rolls out of bed and onto the floor. Nick is watching, his blue eyes twinkling. I back out of our room and into the room shared by James, Jason, Jacob, Tristan and Jayden. I swallow hard and close my eyes for a moment.

“Wake up!” I call loudly.

“ALEX!” James roars. I run out of the room and downstairs to the other boy’s bedroom as fast as I can.

“Time to get up,” I call.

“’K Alex,” Tyler mumbles. Michael slides out of bed and ruffles my hair.

“I’ve got something for you,” he says, walking to his cupboard. He pulls out his favourite cap, a black one with a small diamond stud at the front. He puts it on my head and kneels down to my level.

“Good luck, witch girl,” he grins, chucking me under the chin.

“Thanks Mike,” I grin, scampering to the bathroom. I lock the door and carefully pile my hair on my head so the ends poke out from under the cap, giving the illusion that I have short hair. I do look a bit like a boy, even though I have quite long, dark eye lashes.

“Alex?”

I run downstairs into the kitchen.

“Have you eaten?” Mum asks.

“I had toast,” I reply. Michael, Noah and Lucas amble into the kitchen.

“Right, let me feed these boys then,” Mum says, handing out toast, bacon and eggs as Oliver, Samuel, Jason and Nick join us.

“Everything packed, kiddo?” Dad asks.

“Yep, all set.”

“Everyone coming to the station?” he asks Mum.

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