The teenaged girl that burst into the room was 13 but looked 9. She was tiny, 4' 6" and eighty pounds with shoulder length black hair that was very straight and fine. Her dark, almost black, eyes had a tilt to them as befits the daughter of Japanese parents. Dressed in a Chinese red silk blouse painted with bamboo in green and silver and white silk pantaloons she was a blaze of color in the otherwise somber wood and leather room. She ignored the room's other two occupants she raced around the desk and slid into the kneehole, pulling the desk chair in to cover her.
     Kyle Longstreet, dressed in his favorite cream colored cable knit sweater and black jeans, raised an eyebrow at this and turned to face the library door. The slap on bare feet heralded the approach of another denizen of the manor. Thirteen year old Mark stopped himself by grabbing the door jam.
     Everith also raised an eyebrow, actually both eyebrows, at all this activity. Her angelic face had a look of serious confusion. The boy, tall for his age, and slender, bore the attributes of his ancestors. Like the girl his hair was black but wavy. He eyes were green and the points on his ears revealed his elvish parents. He was wearing a U Dub T-shirt and jeans and was slightly breathless.
     "Joyce come in here, Mr. Longstreet?" the boy inquired.
     "I haven't seen her." The lie came easy for one trained as a lawyer. "Are you sure she came this way?"
     The boy looked nonplussed. "Yeah," he said.
     "All right," Eve said. "Since when has this place become teeny bopper central?"
     Her smile was teasing and belied her almost accusatory tone. Kyle grinned.
     "The school has students," he said. "I guess they decided to play tag.
     "Ah . . . point," Everith admitted. "I still don't except them to be running about loose."
     Mark looked indignant. "Not tag," he scowled then whispered. "She said she'd play doctor with me."
     "Oh, gracious, do I ever feel old . . . " Eve's brow furrowed.
     "Never played doctor with a boy, Eve?" Kyle asked with a soft chuckle.
     Mark interrupted, "You see her, give me a yell, okay?"
     "I cannot say that I have had the pleasure," she said quietly, looking at the boy. Her response could be taken in two ways.
     Suddenly Mark was very adult and proper. Holding out a hand, he approached Eve, "I am Mark Fireoak, Miss Everith."
     "'Miss'?" Kyle squeaked.
     "I was told to respect my elders, Mr. Longstreet," the boy said.
     Eve took Mark's hand and shook it firmly, "Hello, Mark."
     "Hello," the boy said solemnly. "I am looking forward to your music class."
     She glanced past Mark, Kyle was hiding a grin behind his hand.
     "Yes, Longstreet," she said sweetly. "Respect and all. What were you expecting, Misses?"
     Something white caught the boy's eye and he frowned. After a second he grinned and held a finger to his lips. Aloud he said, "I'll just go look for Joyce someplace else . . . "
     Instead of heading for the door, he moved silently toward the desk and the two small feet just peaking from beneath it.
     Kyle grinned evilly. "You know . . . if I were Joyce . . . I'd use my powers.
     The feet disappeared, literally.
     "HEY!" The act caught Mark of guard. "No fair!"
     Everith smiled and crossed her arms, quite amused. Mark moved quickly around the desk and dragged the chair out and made a grab for whatever might be hiding there. He came up empty handed.
     Mark scowled at Kyle, "You ALWAYS take the girls' side."
     "Ah . . . true," it was hard to deny. Kyle smiled. "Now you are going to have to hunt her all over again."
     Everith smiled. "He's a smart man. Knows that if he doesn't take the girls side, he'd be beaten for sure."
     Joyce 's voice come out of thin air, "Mark . . . I am naked!"
     "I guess she is showing you hers, Mark," Kyle grinned. "Invisible as it may be . . . "
     "I'll bet she isn't even naked!" Mark muttered.
     "Am too!" Joyce's voice came from near the door and they heard the faint sound of running feet.
     "I heard you!" the boy said as his dignity vanished. He raced off after her.
     Kyle and Eve exchanged looks.
     " I think we might have to get used to that," he said with a smile. "We have ten students now, all between 13 and 17. In fact, Joyce has an older sister, Sharon."
     "Oh, the hormones . . . " Eve sighed. "You'd better watch out Mr. Longstreet."
     "For what, Miss Everith?" There was an honest blank look on his face.
     "That cute girl in your class that is sure to develop a crush on adorable you," she said, teasing.
     "Whatever do you mean?" Kyle was puzzled. "What girl?"
     Everith laughed, "Remind me later that teasing you is dangerous . . . "
     With a forefinger, Kyle pushed his glasses back up his nose.
     "Dangerous?" He frowned. "How?"
     "You get all nervous like this," she said, grinning. "It's kind of cute, actually."
     Kyle blushed slightly, "She's only 13, Eve."
     "Yes, and?" Eve refolded her arms. "Besides, what about all the ones who are say, 16?"
     He shrugged, " I don't think it is a problem." Kyle paused, considering then frowned. " Is it?  I never thought of myself as 'the get a crush on' kind."
     "I'm just saying . . . " Eve said. "There are bound to be some lasses who are going to have daydreams of you, most likely in some very fun clothing. And trust me. You are."
     Again Kyle blushed, "Funny clothing?" He smiled. "Clown costumes?"
     "No, just fun."
     "Fun? Like what?"
     "Nome, probably closer to those lace up shirts . . . Ones like Prince Charming wore."
     The second petite Japanese girl poked her head in, Sharon. Three years older the her tiny sister, Sharon was everything Joyce was not. Quiet, demure, soft spoken and very traditionally Japanese. Unlike her sister, her silk black hair was long, down past the curve of her bottom. She was classically Japanese beautiful with small oval glasses similar to Kyle's. Today she was dressed in a typically school girl fashion, thigh length plaid skirt, white blouse, blue tie and jacket.
     "Excuse me, Mr. Longstreet," she said, her accent marked. "Have you seen my sister?"
     "Hello, Sharon," Kyle said with a smile. "We have . . . sort of."
     Everith gave the girl a long appraising and smiled. Turning back to Kyle she gave him a very different reaction, a wicked grin.
     The girl stepped through the door and bowed, at her heels, Everith's own tiger.
     "Everith, this is Sharon Kitibiashi."
     Sharon bowed again paying no heed to the 900 pound feline that rubbed his face against her leg..
     "Well now. That's interesting . . . " Eve regarded her cat friend then spoke to the girl. "Hello Sharon."
     Again Sharon bowed, her hand coming to rest between the cat's eyes. She scratched him and a low tumble shook the floorboards.
     "Miss Everith," she said as she knelt beside the tiger. "Your friend has told me much about you." She hugged the big cat's neck.
     "Oh, Tiger is the talkative type," Everith said, giving the cat a speculative look. "Not too much I hope. Ruins my mysterious air."
     The two exchanged smiles and Sharon said, "I shall never tell."
     "Sharon . . . " Kyle's voice was laced with a mock conspiratorial tone. "Perhaps we can have a cup of tea later?" He smiled innocently at Eve, she in turn ruffled his hair with a grin.
     "No matter what he says Sharon, don't tell him a thing. No matter how cute he smiles, or how badly he gives you puppy dog eyes."
     Kyle blushed, "Eve . . . "
     "Yes, Kyle?"
     "Ruffling my hair . . . ?"
     She ignore him, "It's nice to see Tiger has someone again. He was feeling lonely."
     "I think it is cute," Sharon said softly.
     "See?" Everith almost crowed. "She thinks it's cute."
     "Cute?" Kyle choked on the word.
     "Yes, cute," Eve said with finality.
     Sharon's frank stare made him color again.
     "I will seek my sister elsewhere," she said finally.
     "It was nice meeting you, Sharon," Everith said with a smile.
     "I am pleased to meet you, as well, Miss," the girl bowed as he spoke.
     Tugging on Tiger's ear, Sharon turn and resumed her search for her wayward sister, Tiger trailing sedately along in her wake. Kyle joined the parade and closed the door behind Sharon, tempted to lock it.
     "Three out of ten," he said, once he had returned to Eve.
     She stunned him, "I think I could like kids," she said then hastily added, "Like this I mean . . . in a normal situation.
     "Mark is the one you will have to watch," Kyle warned.
     Everith raised an eyebrow.
     "The boy is a walking hormone."
     "Oh, I have more than enough experience with raging hormones, thanks," she smiled.
     Kyle 's eyes widened, "Meaning me?"
     Everith paused, considering, "No . . ." she said. "But I guess you fall under than category too, don't you?"