Little seven-year-old Virgil looked up excitedly as he heard a carriage come trundling along the drive.

"Papa! Papa!" He called, leaping up and grabbing his drawing. "Papa!" He ran out of the house and waved at the carriage, grinning.

As soon as his dad stepped out of the carriage, Virgil ran over to him and tackled him in a hug. "Papa, papa, you're home!" He crowed in delight. His dad laughed and reached down to pat Virgil on the head.

"You've gotten a lot stronger, son." He said. Virgil stepped back and nodded, grinning. "Is that a new drawing?" His dad asked, crouching down to Virgil's level. Virgil nodded again.

"It's you on your journeys." Virgil explained, holding the drawing up. "There's you fighting pirates who tried to get your cargo, see?"

His dad laughed and stood up. "That's very good, Virgil. Maybe you can show your new mother?"

Virgil knitted his brows in confusion. "New mama?" He asked. His dad nodded and reached up to the carriage to help a woman out. Her dark ginger hair was piled up on top of her head in a bun and while her dark eyes looked kind, Virgil still hid behind his dad's legs. He didn't like meeting new people.

Virgil's dad laughed. "Come on, Virgil. Don't be so shy."

The woman smiled at Virgil kindly. "Surely I'm not that scary?" She asked. Then, she did something Virgil never saw a stately woman do. She kneeled down on the dusty drive to get onto Virgil's level. "I'm Darla. What's your name?"

Virgil looked down at his feet, twisting his hands into knots. "You'll get your pretty dress dirty like that." He mumbled. Darla laughed.

"You're sweet. But dirt can easily be washed out." She said carelessly. "Now, are you going to tell me your name or do I have to guess?"

Virgil's dad nudged him. "Come on, Virgil."

"Jason." Darla said. "Let the boy do things in his own time."

"I'm Virgil." Virgil almost whispered.

"Virgil?" Virgil nodded. "That's a lovely name." Darla stood up and dusted down her dress. "Edin! Thalia! Come and meet your new brother."

A boy with dirty ginger hair, like Darla's, came tumbling out of the carriage.

"Hello, Virgil!" He didn't exactly yell but he said it loud and suddenly enough to startle Virgil. "I'm Edin."

A girl with brown hair but eyes like her mother's jumped down next to Edin, careful not to get any dirt on her pink dress. "I'm Thalia. Ignore my brother," Thalia whispered to Virgil, "he's a beast."

Virgil laughed nervously. "Virgil?" His dad asked. "Why don't you show Edin and Thalia to their new room?"

"Room?" Virgil repeated. "Oh, the room! Oh, okay." He looked at his new step-siblings and some of his excitement was washed away by fear. They were looking at him with such poison... "Come on, I'll show you your room."

"I didn't know what you two liked," Virgil rambled as he led Thalia and Edin up the huge main staircase, "so I just went off the basics. You've both got yellow and blue in your rooms but if you want to change it out for a different colour, you can. I won't take it personally."

Virgil turned around and saw Edin fiddling with one of the buttons on his olive green waistcoat. "Oh, let me help you with that." Virgil said, eager to make friends with his step-siblings. Edin pushed Virgil and he fell back onto the stairs, surprised and scared.

"Don't touch me." Edin snapped. "I don't want your common dirt all over my clothes."

"But-" Virgil tried to scramble up but Thalia stepped on the sleeve of his jacket, bringing him down on the stairs again with a crack that echoed all the way through his skull.

"We don't like you, Virgil." She said, mocking his name with her tone. "So you'd be best to stay out of our way."

*giggles in I created two beastly characters just for this story* The angst is restoring my power. Soon, I shall be at full power once again.
Bye,
Blaize