My name is Rowan, but you can call me Row. I am a completely normal teenager, if there is such a thing. I have an older perfect sister who is the families shining star. I have a little brother, the most annoying pest there is; he seems to have never heard about the word privacy. My parents are happily married, and have no clue about what's going on in my life, or any one else's.

And then there's me, I am nothing out of the ordinary. I'm not a punk, not a prep. I hate boxes in which everyone is placed. I have blonde, now red hair, and blue/green eyes. I wear what I want, which is hard since every store has the same thing as the next, and since I have no sowing ability I have to come up with my own way to dress. Which turns out to be just like everybody else. I don't play sports, I don't watch sports. I am me, nothing special nothing spectacular, I am who I am.

So where do I start? How about when everything got weird.

The day was just a dull and boring as any other. My brother, Dylan, was running around outside screaming at the mosquitoes buzzing by his ear. My parents were at their respective jobs and I was, well, sitting in my room trying to make the time pass. When the pest stopped his shouts and started to laugh I knew something was up. Heading upstairs to the main floor I see my sister swinging him around in the living room.

"Hey watch it." I yell as she nearly misses a lamp. "Can't you do that some place where there aren't valuable objects?"

"Hey if it isn't Rowan the warrior comes to defend the helpless lamp." I just glare at her; it's like this every time she comes to visit.

"Can't you two get along just once?" I small voice chirped in.

"Why don't you ask Rowan to respect her elders?"

"And while your at it ask Arina to stay away once she leaves?" with that we both part and go our separate ways, leaving Dylan with tears in his eyes. I know he hates it when we fight, but if he could only understand what it's like.

That night mom and dad throw a welcome home dinner for the long lost daughter. It was, of course, her favorite meal of pizza and pop. I'm not the healthiest person but we had just had that the night before, and all last week was take-out. Needless to say I skipped dinner, not that I would have wanted to miss my parents doting over the perfect daughter's every need.

I got up later that night for a small bite. After all I missed dinner so I'm bound to be a little hungry. Taking a bite from the juicy apple in my hand I hear sobs coming from the bathroom. Peeking through the door I see Arina, hunched over the toilet and tears in her eyes. She looks up and I don't feel the normal boiling I get when looking into her face. Instead I feel kinda sorry for her.

"Don't tell mom or dad." She pleads before coughing up more already digested food.

I laws lying in my bed listening to my burned CD I downloaded from the Internet, illegally, of course, I have no money. I don't even notice her in the doorway until she unplugs my stereo.

"Hey I was listening to that." I yell at her.

"We need to talk." She whispers sitting next to me on my bed. I don't think we've been so close in my life.

"You can't tell anyone what you saw or what I'm going to tell you. Promise?" this could be the perfect time for me to get her out of the spotlight, I can have her under my control, I could be the favored child with this possible information.

"I promise." Suddenly feeling like a little girl at a slumber party, sharing who our crushes are at the moment and then giggling wildly.

"I…I made a mistake." I couldn't believe my ears miss perfect made a mistake. "I fell in love with a guy named Tom, he said he loved me too." it was hard to make out most of it since she started to sob once again.

"We went drinking and he…he, Rowan, I'm pregnant." She cried hugging me close. My mind was going wild, my sister isn't perfect, and she is hugging me, and I can't breathe.

I just let her hold me for a while until she ran out of tears and snot to wipe onto my shirt. Soon she cried herself to sleep, not wanting to meet her wrath, I went and slept on the couch.

"Hey whatcha doing out here Row?" Dylan asks sitting on my head.

"Just so you can sit on my face." I grumble sitting up. He jumps on me and bounces around on the couch while watching some child show like Barney or Sesame Street. Taking a deep breath I try to calm myself from lashing out, it's too early to kill the little twerp. You need a nutritious breakfast before doing anything like that.

"Hey kiddo." My dad says picking up my brother and swinging him off the couch.

"Morning Sweetie." My mom kisses the top of my head, and kisses my father. "Morning Arina, how'd you sleep?" she asks my sister, as she emerges from her own room perky as always. She didn't look any different; in fact she looked a little too perky for her abnormally perky self.

Yes it was going to be another normal day in the Tempest residence.

So what do you think? Please tell me. I need criticism. Thanks

A.C.