{ALICE'S POV }
My name is Alice Adair. I'm thirteen and in seventh grade.

I was born here in Edinburgh. My parents say I came into the world with a "scream that shattered the windows." They say it like it's the funniest thing in the world.
"Irony," my dad calls it. I call it "unrealistic expectations."

So yeah, if you haven't guessed, I'm pretty quiet. Been this way since I can remember. That newborn thing must've been a fluke. But then, I have much older, louder siblings. My mum says I was chattier when I was little, so my theories are:

(a) I got tired of trying to be heard over my siblings and kept my mouth
shut, or . . .
(b) once they got older and busier, I didn't have anyone to talk to except grown-ups. And who wants to talk to grown-ups?

By the way, having siblings so much older than me makes me something called an "oops baby." I try not to think about that.

Anyway, now Alexander and Adamina are in college and out of the house. My parents work, so I'm by myself even more.

It wasn't always like this. When my brother and sister were young, my mum stayed home to raise them. They always had friends over, and the house got pretty loud. I think by the time I came along, my parents were ready for a permanent getaway. That meant my mum getting a new job at the fitness centre and my dad putting in thirty-five hours a week as an IT manager (whatever that is). Anyway, now the house is pretty quiet.

Before you start feeling sorry for me, let me set things straight. My parents don't neglect me. They're just busy people. When we're together, they pay attention to me. They even make eye contact and stuff.

I guess because I'm the last kid left in the house, my parents want some time away. Still, when they are home, they kind of linger.

Sometimes I think I need something in between talkative and quiet parents.

My mum is a health nut and decided to turn that into her "resolution." That's why she has the fitness center job. She's a part-time receptionist and part-time fitness instructor. She has more muscles in her shoulders than I do in my entire body.
Along with fitness, she makes meals with things like "quinoa" and "wheat berries" . . . not to mention the latest fruit or vegetable in our salad (I truly never know).

Let's just say our bathroom gets a workout, too.

My dad and I are more alike. We're both quiet, but he's better with maths and numbers. We can sit together for hours without talking. You'd think that would be awkward.

Okay, it is.

But it can also be nice.

As far as friends go, I do have a best one. Her name's Agnes. We've been friends since she moved here from Stornoway when we were in Nursery. Agnes lives exactly nine minutes away by car and about a HUNDRED minutes away by walking (or twelve minutes away by bike, if you want to get really technical). More on Ag later.

When I'm by myself, my favourite thing to do is draw. I like it better than watching TV. Probably because there's nothing that I'm really interested in.

I'm also really good at it. I'm not great at other things (like sports), but art makes me feel like there's something I can do that not a lot of others can.

Anyway, I'm pretty bad at the usual things that get people's attention:
- joke telling
- gossiping
- acting like an idiot

That's pretty much my background in a nutshell. It isn't very interesting. But I like to think that someday it will be.

It just has to be.

{MARIA'S POV}

My name is Maria. I'm in 7th grade at Broughton High School. I live in the center house of the central suburb of town. My parents run a candy business out of our house. Sometimes I'm the taste tester. They're pretty cool, as far as parents go. And so far, they've never embarrassed me. I have lots of hobbies. I like fashion 👗, music 🎧, and organizing small social events. I also play sports, like volleyball. My friends say I'm good, but sometimes they exaggerate. On weekends, my friends and I have sleepovers. For some reason, they prefer my house. Sometimes we go to the mall and I meet new people. Some call me lucky, but I work hard for everything I have. Basically, I'm just your average teen girl. (Okay...maybe I'm a little lucky.)