• I stared down at the water, seeing it ripple with the wind. I loved this house, from the cosy inside, to the big tree out front, and most of all the pool in the back.
    I had loved swimming scince i was young. I always felt so safe being around the pool.
    Thinking about this I put my arms up leanded on the balls of my feet and dived.
    I'm always around the pool, its like an old friend. This was the first place I had come when my parents had died.
    It had already been weeks but i rufused to leave from sitting beside the pool. I watched the water to misirable to do anything normal. Being there helped me, it kept me calm, as if someone was comferting me.
    I could hear the muffled sounds of someone calling my name, and knew that my aunt was looking for me.
    I sighed inwardly, I didn't feel like getting out yet.
    "Marla," This voice sounded so close to me, as if they were right next to me in the pool.
    I looked around for the souce of the voice. It brought back memories i seemed to have forgotten.
    After my parents died and I laied by the pool I had heard this voice. It told me that it would always stay by my side and that when ever needed I could come here for peace and quiet.
    I just expected it as my imagination. That my mind had came up with something to calm me.
    "It's time for you to go to your aunts." It said calmly.
    "Yes, probly." I said back knowing very well it was my imagination. I didn't care that voice saved me in my darkness, it was my light.
    "It's what I'm here for." It said calmly. "Now time to go." I felt the water sweril around me, guessing that it was probly my imaginatoin again, I got out of the pool.
    Dripping and holding the towel to me I went inside.
    "How many time do I have to tell you not to come into the house wet?" Said my aunt Mary with her uaual look of irritaion. I knew that what ever she wanted to say had to do with her sister, or my other aunt Lola.
    "what did she do this time?" I said with a sigh. My aunt Lola was, as she prefered, a free soul. Which actually ment she didn't want to grow up and wanted to play jokes all the time.
    "She thought you needed a new companian." My aunt Mary said. She's usually a nice person, but once aunt Lola decides she wants to do something, usually irrisposible, Mary became the older responsible sister.
    "Hey don't ruin my surprise!" And here she came with a pout on her face.
    "What is it?" I sighed.
    "Oh, I know you'll love him!" She anounced cheerfully.
    Then I heard it and my smile automatically turned into a frown of shock, she did not get me a ....
    My thoughts were cut off due to a huge force knocking me to the floor.
    "A DOG?!" I said in shock. I personally prefered cats. They're so clam and quiet.
    "Aw,but he's quiet and clam." She pleded after I had gotten him off and taken a shower.
    As if knowing exactly what was being said the dog stopped wandering the house and sat next to my chair. As I looked at him I could feel my resolve fade, I loved huskies they were butiful dogs.
    "What's his name?" I asked giving up.
    I saw my aunts smilez get bigger and gleaful,but not only Lola,aunt Mary was smiling too.
    "He is Nanuk." Lola anounced with a matter-of-fact tone.
    I turned to him and said, " While its nice to meet you Nanuk, I love your name." With a smile. As if happy to hear it he jumped on me.
    "Woah, okay okay." I said as I recovered, "How old is he?"
    "Well i figured you wouldn't want a puppy, since their so playful, so he's around your age in dog years, in human he's around two or something."
    "Okay." I said yawning, "Time for bed." As I started to walk down the hall I stoped and looked back, "coming Nanuk?"
    It was almost as if he smiled as he ran to catch up with me. I've got one crazy imagination, I told myself.
    As we go to my room I opened the glass door to the back, "If you gotta go to the bathroom, you go outside." He ran out the door.
    It's like he understands, I thought to myself as heard him start barking.
    I looked out the back door, "Shhh, it's time for bed, not so loud." He was standing by the pool glareing.
    "What is it something in the pool?!" I said as I rushed over to the pool and looked in.
    As I stared into the water and I swore I saw the water move.
    Then something hit me, pushing me over. "Ow," I looked up and it was a boy crouching beside me, "Where did you come from?" I asked as I looked at the boy in disbelif. He had sholder length hair, the top was black and the tips white. It looked as if someone had rubbed his hair, making it messy. His eyes were a dark black, like charcole and he was glaring at the pool with a frown set on his face.
    "He's Nanuk," Said a voice from my left. I knew this voice it was the one I heard around the pool.
    I turned my head and there he was, standing there as if he had always had been. His dark blue hair spilling over his eyes, which were focesed on me, they were three diffrent blue colors that seemed to swirl together.
    "My dog?" I asked absentally, my mind seemed to have halted in all thought processing. Like 'Why does he sound like the voice in my imagination', or 'how did these people get in my backyard'.
    "Yes your dog." Said a voice from my upper right, "The one your aunts just got you," The voice contiued in a board voice as if he explaned this everyday. I looked over for the source of the voice. "The very loud and hyperactive one."
    I couldn't pinpoint the source as I looked around. Then I saw a movment out of the corner of my eye. As I looked up, a little boy looked over from the roof and stared down at us.
    His hair was a pale white color and was floped around his head as if it were light as a feather. His eyes were half closed like he'd just woken up.
    He disaperaed real quick and I heard him yell across to someone.
    "Hey, little Tanal," He yelled and I was afraid he would wake someone but, no lights turned on, no yelling nighbores telling you to shut up or quiet down. "Guess what brother did?"
    I then heard the sound of someone landing on the roof as if someone had jumped from the tree that was close to the house. Then I heard another voice that sounded like a 14 year old voice.
    "What now?" The voice sounded irritated. I looked back to the first two boys, the blue haired boy looked annoyed with the two new addition to this little party, and the black haired boy looked on edge and ready to fight. When I hadn't been looking he had stood up and was protectivly standing in front of me, while I was still on the floor.
    "Why do you cause so much trouble?" I looked up again and now the newest edition was on the roof with the pale haired boy.
    Okay that was it I needed to know their names I don't know where they came from or what for, but I'm someone who likes to know peoples names. Because I'm not gonna keep calling them by blue, black, white, or green, the new edition had green hair with a dark brown streak on one side with brown eyes, he also looked very young.
    "Okay wait as I catch up." I said as I went to finally stand up. Both the blue and black haired boys went to hwlp me up. As they relized they each had one of my hands they stoped and glared at each other.
    "Woah, no fights." I was to tired to deal with a fight right now.
    Both boys looked at me. "Okay," and "Sorry," came from both of them.
    When I was finally on my feet again I asked, "Okay so what's all your names?" If I was asleep and dreaming already, oh well I might as well know what to call them. "You first." I said indicating to the blue haired boy. I was most curious of him.
    "Oh um I'm Atumn." He said as he bowed, wow I had never seen anyone do that other than in movies.
    "Acting the gentelman again?" I heard from the roof and I knew it was the white haired boy.
    For the momment I turned away from Atumn to the two on the roof, "And you two?"
    "I'm Wishin." The light haired boy said with a hand at his chest. "And this is our 'older' brother, Tanal," He contnuied as he moved his hand to point to the boy with green hair next to him.
    "Hello." He said, then he turned to Wishin, "Is it nessisary to always make fun of me?"
    "Oh but it's so fun." Whisin said back.
    "Tanal is Whisin and my older brother, but he looks younger than us so we often pick on him." He told me. "I guess you could call it brotherly love." He finished with a smile.
    I smiled, "That's nice, to have siblings."
    He seemed sad to hear this, "Yeah."
    I looked away, I had a feeling he knew exactally what I had meant, like he knew a good deal about my life. I remembered I had one more name to learn and looked up to find him.
    He looked very uncomfortable but it seemed he refused to leave.
    "So your Nanuk huh?" I said as I stroled closer to him by the pool.
    "Yeah." He said through cleanched teeth, watching the three brothers carfully. He seemed like he just wanted to get away from them.
    "Oh, don't worry dog, We're not going to suddnaly attack you." I knew this was Wishin.
    I went to look up at him, I saw he was in midair like he had jumped from the roof. He looked like he was going to land right on us and I lost my balance from the surprise.
    He landed right next to us, but as he landed a gust of wind went over us. It wouldn't have done anything if I hadn't lost my balance a few seconds before, but since I had been it pushed me farther back and I landed in the pool.
    It took me a while to register that I can't breath under water. Before I could close my mouth, though I had already taken in some water. I heard the muffled voices as they started to talk all at once, as I looked up through the water.
    I could see the figures by the pool, apperentally Tanal had joined them off the roof. But something caught my eye on the roof I looked a little farther up and saw a red color that reminded me of a flame, it was next to the cheminy. Then something obstructed my veiw.
    I saw Atunm in the water with me. I hadn't even heard a splash. I seemed so familiar, he looked like he was a part of the water and he didn't seem to be holding his breath, there also seemed there were no bubbles around his indicating that he had just jumped in or had come from the surface. He moved closer to me.
    As he got to me he put one arm around my waist and one hand in mine.
    "It's okay." He said. "Take a breath."
    As I breathed in there wasn't any water but air. Even though I was still submerged.
    Suddnally the water around us dissapeared and it was like we in the middele of a little tornado.
    "Okay, okay, out of the water now we have a lot to talk about." A voice, I reconised as Tanal, said above us. We both looked up to see the three boys beside the pool looking down at us.
    I remembered how close I was to Atumn, I felt my face go red as I tried to pull away, forgetting I was still in the pool.
    Atumn tightened his hold on me, refusing to let go. He stared up angrily at Wishin. "Fine." He said as the water beneath us started to move into a little wave and we landed on the side of the pool with everyone else.
    Atumn let go of my waist but kept a tight hold on my hand.
    Then it finally hit me how late it was.
    "Okay what ever you guys have to tell me it will wait till tomarrow." I said. I started to walk to the glass door that led to my room. As I got into my room, I was thinking of taking another shower to get the clorine off, I moved to my drawers to find new pajamas.
    As I got there I went to open the drawer and noticed I still had a hold of Atumns hand. I looked up to find him wathcing me curiosly. I blushed and let go of his hand. I noticed then that they had all folowed me into my room.
    Tanal and Wishin were wandering around my room looking at things like my room was a museum. Nanuk was watching them carfully, like a guard dog.
    Then something finally clicked, what if they didn't have somewere to stay for the night? I dicided I might as well offer even if there might not be enough room, I could tink of something, I didn't want them to sleep outside.
    "Yoe guys can stay here if you like." I said as I gathered clothes to take another shower. "I'll think of something to fit you all."
    Nanuk looked at me in disbelif, but before he could protest Wishin smiled and said "That would be nice, thank you."
    "Don't worry we will each find our own place to sleep." Tanal said going along with Wishin. Atumn didn't seem to like the idea as he glared at wishin and Tanal.
    They looked back at him and he said,"Fine."
    "So that's that I'm going to take a shower." As I moved to my bathroom door, I said "Watch tv or something for a while if you want." as I went into the bathroom and looked the door.
    I sighed as I put my clothes down and started to peel off my wet clothes. I turned the water on as hot as I could get it without burning myself, I loved hot showers. I could hear them talking in the next room, more like fighting, but oh well.
    I let my mind wander as I went through washing my hair and body.
    As I got out I noticed I couldn't hear them anymore. I dressed and left my hair down so it could dry easily. I hung my wet clothes and opened the door.
    As I walked into the room I could hear the low hum of the tv.
    I looked through the room but I couldn't find one colorful haired boy. My sight went from my closet, to my bed, my dresser, the sliding door, the plant in the corner, and back to the tv.
    The door was closed and locked and Nanuk was asleep on my bed, not as a boy though.
    I cursed my over active imagination as I got into bed and turned off the tv.
    I felt someone by my bed and a hand on the side of my face. It sliped from my face and as I opened my eyes a little I saw a blueish color disapear into the bathroom.
    I was to tired to get up and check so I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.