There's no place like home.

My day started badly and went steadily downhill from there.

I woke up twenty minutes late to the relaxing sound of my brother screaming from the landing. 'Arwen!' He screeched. 'Your socks are in the dishwasher!'

I groaned and rolled over. 'What? Emrys, for God's sake, it's 7am!'

'Your socks are in the dishwasher, next to my cereal bowl, and Mom says if you aren't downstairs in ten minutes you'll be late to school and fail all your exams and end living in a cardboard box!' He screamed. 'And I'll watch you and laugh!'

I hit my head against my pillow. Repeatedly. Then I rolled over and promptly fell out of bed.

'I think there are Lucky Charms in your socks, by the way!' My brother added.

****

I arrived at school only two minutes late, but with my hair sticking up wildly all over my head and the unpleasant sensation of a soggy marshmallow wedged between two toes.

Dropping into a random seat in my English class, I sighed heavily and started to desperately text my best friend, Kara.

SOS. Marshmallow in sock.

Then I rested my head on the desk and tried in vain to think of any good thing that had happened today.

I came up with nothing.

It was an old habit of mine. Whenever I complained, my dad always used to tell me to think of one positive thing that came out of the thing I was complaining about.

I was never very good at it.

The English teacher strode in, looking way more cheerful than any human being had any right to be this early in the morning, and started to talk energetically about metaphors and the use of them.

I dropped my head on the desk again and tried not to fall asleep.

****

Lunch was no better. Kara had apparently decided today was the day to pull a sickie, and so I sat alone on a table, trying to ignore the pricking feeling that someone was watching me.

There's nobody there, I told myself. Well, actually, it's the school cafeteria. Of course there are people there. But nobody's watching you.

But it felt like someone's eyes were on me, and I couldn't shake the feeling.

I turned around, my eyes narrowing, and a flash of motion caught my eye.

Scott and Stiles.

Former nerds who'd become incredible at lacrosse seemingly overnight (or, at least, Scott had- Stiles remained embarrassingly awful) they ducked down in a very subtle way as I looked at them.

Stiles raised his head slightly, and gave me a embarrassed, awkward wave.

I turned around, rolling my eyes. On an ordinary day, I would go up to them and ask exactly why they were staring at me, but today... today I just didn't have the energy.,

Freaks.

****

Getting home was the best part of my day, although that wasn't saying much.

For a solid four hours, I slept, only waking to go downstairs and have dinner in a remarkably good mood.

Naturally, it couldn't last.

'So, Arwen, what have you been doing?' My mom asked, reaching across the dark wooden table to get some potatoes. She spooned them onto her plate, her eyes never leaving mine.

Uncomfortably, I chewed on a piece of broccoli. 'Well, I got home, and I untied my shoelaces, and then I took off my coat-'

'Less of the sarcasm, please,' my mother snapped irritably. 'I'm not in the mood, Arwen.'

There was an uncomfortable silence.

'Did you get your test results back today, honey?' My dad said, obviously trying to diffuse the tension around the table.

My mom's fork made a screeching sound on her plate, and I chewed on my lip as I tried to think of a suitable way to answer my dad's question.

Flat out lying seemed the best option.

'Um, no. Not yet. But I think I did well.' I mumbled, taking a large piece of broccoli and chewing loudly.

Another pause.

'Good,' my dad said finally.

'Arwen,' my mom snapped. 'For Heaven's same, don't chew so loudly.'

I swallowed my broccoli uncomfortably.

My brother tapped his foot on the floor.

'How was your day at school, Emrys?' My Dad asked, in another completely transparent attempt to make conversation.

'Shit,' Emrys replied, then glanced up as my mother opened her mouth to start shouting. 'I mean, shiny. Slip of the tongue. Shiny.'

'Emrys,' my mother said tightly. 'I have never, ever, heard you describe anything as 'shiny' before. Don't you dare lie to me, young man.'

Emrys gulped.

I gulped.

Dad gulped.

My mother glared.

'All of you,' she snapped. 'I'm sick of all of you! Owen, you're just sitting there glaring at me like this is my fault!'

My dad flinched. My mom was scary when she wanted to be.

'Arwen, you're smirking like you didn't just spend the past four hours asleep- and don't even lie to me, young lady, we both know you got your test results back and they were God-awful!' She almost growled the last two words.

I flinched. 'Mom, are you okay? What happened at work?'

My mom worked as a doctor at the hospital, which meant she regularly had long hours and came back home cranky.

My mom chewed on a piece of bread and didn't answer. I felt like throwing something at her.

For God's sake, can't a girl be happy for once?

'I didn't do too badly in my test,' I said finally. 'I just got a D.'

My mom's head shot up, and I instantly regretted saying anything. 'A D?'

'Well,' I began, trying to think of a way I could spin this that made me look smart. 'A D is better than a F.'

That's when my mom lost it. 'A D, Arwen?' She yelled, standing up. My brother and dad both looked up, alarmed.

'For heaven's sake, you can do better than that! What were you doing in your lessons that meant you weren't learning?'

Somehow, I was on my feet too. 'Oh, I'm sorry that I don't live up to the great Ruth Johnson,' I cried, waving my hands around. 'I'm fucking sorry I won't become the best doctor in this shitty town like you! I'm sorry that I don't fucking like Science like you, I'm sorry that I'm not as damn clever as you!'

My dad, ever the peacemaker, stood up too and waved his arms around, trying to calm us down.

'Why the hell are we here, anyway?' I snorted. 'I mean, if you're all that, why aren't we in New York, with you making ten times the amount you do here? Oh, right, I know. It's because you're not all that!'

My brother squeaked.

I looked down, and then gasped.

The candles on the table... They were on fire.

Well, even more on fire than normal.

The flames were as high as the ceiling, and burning white hot. I could feel the warmth from where I was standing, so hot that I could barely stand it. The flames danced, smoke pouring off them.

My brother started to cough uncontrollably, and panic flared through me.

Make them stop, I thought wildly. Stop!

Instantly, the flames died, like I'd flicked a switch.

I could see scorch marks on the painted ceiling.

'What the hell?' I whispered, turning to face my mom.

The expression on her face said it all. Horror, shock, guilt...

I turned and ran.