Let's see if this lives as long as a butterfly, eh?

Lou watched them leave sadly, groaning and banging his head on the table. "Fuck."

Damien gave her a soft smile, "Thanks.."

Persephone frowned as they made their way out of the school "Why are we leaving? There are lessons. We shouldn't be leaving. No."
Adalaeia laughed, skipping ahead "Leaving is fun. You're going to drive me and Cass to the lake."
Cass nudged her older sister with her hip "It'll be fun. Fun is good. It outweighs missing lessons."
They reached the car and Persephone protectively lay a hand on the bonnet "We're not taking Baby to the lake. She stays at home. Protect the Baby."
The two younger sisters scrambled into the car and Persephone groaned "This is a 1991 Nissan Figaro. It equates to my university money. Please."

Lou quickly dragged Damien to the car, then grimaced and made him sit on garbage bags. They drove home and Damien snuck inside to change clothes. Lou rolled his eyes, pulling his paint splattered shirt off and grabbing a dark red hoody. Damien hurried back, pulling his grey shirt on. "Where are we going?!" Lou snorted "Gonna met Leo to get high at the lake."Damien grinned as Lou speed off. They parked and darted off to the small wooden hut and lit up, ignoring the passed out Leo on the floor.

Persephone gave up on begging and got into the car, grinning slightly as the engine purred into life. She took the long route to the lake, occasionally having to separate her two squabbling sisters in the back seat.
When they pulled up by the lake, the three girls fanned out and each went to their own spot: Persephone remained sprawled on the bonnet of her car, iPod in and finishing some homework, Adalaeia finding a bench with a good view of the lake, and Cassiopeia climbing up a tree and straddling a branch, pulling a small book from her coat and starting to read.

Lou wandered off, stretching out on a rock in the sunlight as Damien skipped rocks across the lake. "Much better than chemistry.." Lou sighed, closing his eyes. Damien rolled his eyes and grinned, splashing Lou with cold water. Lou yelped and moved away. "Fuck! Damien don't do that!"

Persephone whistled through her teeth as she hastily scrawled an essay, her hair's substantial shadow keeping the sun off her work.
Adalaeia tried to coax a family of ducks to come over, using half a sandwich from her bag.
Cassiopeia gathered a lapful of acorns and was trying to hit various rocks and squirrels.

Lou wandered back to the car, unzipping the hoody and grinning when he spotted Persephone. Slowly walking up to her he leaned against the car, "Hello beautiful." He quickly stroked the back of her hand with a soft smile. "You truly are gorgeous you know.."

Damien frowned as he found a small duckling in a hole. Picking it up he saw Adalaeia and brought it over to her. "Here, found it in a rabbit hole.." He offered her the duck.

Persephone pulled out her earphone and wilted when she saw who it was "Oh my stars, it's you again. I am very busy. Come back later. And by later, I mean never. Because I don't like you." She returned to her essay, hmm-ing and crossing out a line.

Adalaeia carefully took the duckling from him "Come on, baby duck. Go back to your mama." she gently set the duck by the lake. It plopped into the water and paddled frantically towards the other ducks. The mother duck hissed and snapped at the duckling. "Oops. I don't think that's his mama."

Cassiopeia saw movement and threw an acorn at her idiot little sister. She missed and hit her dorky boyfriend instead "Ah, balls."

Lou pouted, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Why don't you like me? C'mon beautiful, I can be a nice guy, gimme a chance!" He begged, kissing her cheek gently.

Damien yelped, rubbing his head where the acorn hit him. "Fuck!" He reached out and scooped the duckling up. "Aww, poor little guy.." The duckling shivered in his hands.

Persephone peeled his arm off, looking disconcerted "Did I meet you before and completely forget? Because you don't just... No. Stop."

Cassiopeia grinned and threw two more acorns, one for each of them.

Adalaeia clicked her tongue in irritation when an acorn lodged in her hair. She teased it out and dropped it.

Lou scowled, tucking an errant curl behind her ear. "I'm sorry about all that. Just give me a chance, please Persephone." His dark brown eyes were wide and honest as he bit his lip.

Damien dodged the acorn, sighing. "You okay?"

Persephone looked at him disbelievingly "You just- I don't even know you. You just came up to me at lunch and you were rude and harassed my little sisters and I and now you want to go on a date?"

Adalaeia ran over to the tree and scrambled up it, perching next to her sister "I'll tell Sephy."
Cassiopeia rolled her eyes "Oh, hush, Little Bird."

Lou sighed "I'm in half your classes. I've been in half your classes for 2 years. And no, I'd like to get to know you before I ask you out." He winced and rubbed his leg, quickly taking the prosthetic off and reattaching it.

Damien raised an eyebrow, still holding the duckling

Persephone groaned, putting her notepad down when she realised this would take a while, tucking the pen into the depths of her hair, "I don't want to date you. I'll let Addy see what she thinks of your little sidekick but, as far as I'm concerned, the pair of you are trouble."

Adalaeia gave an outraged squeal "Little Bird?! You will pay for this... Kookaburra."
Cassiopeia just laughed.

Lou took a deep breath. "Fine. Just... Don't kill me.." He cupped her face staring into her eyes before kissing her pulling away and stroking her cheek. "You're so beautiful." He whispered softly, walking off.

Damien tossed an acorn at Adalaeia. "Hey! What do I do with the duck?! I can't just leave it to starve!"

Persephone whipped the pen out and threw it at him, aiming for the back of his head as she yelled "You troglodyte!"

Adalaeia batted the acorn away and shrugged "I have no idea. I am not a duck."
Cassiopeia grinned "How sure are you about that?"

Lou turned around and caught the pen. "Yeah yeah, you know you want me." He ran off laughing.

Damien groaned "Come take the duck! Please!"

Persephone pulled a new pen from her hoodie pocket and started writing again, imagining all the ways in which she could kill him.

Cassiopeia laughed and made quacking noises as Adalaeia huffed and climbed down.

Lou watched her silently, wishing he could kiss her again. He darted over and snatched the paper up. "Whatcha writing?" He grinned, stepping back so she couldn't get the paper back.

Damien handed her the duck, smiling. "You want to go somewhere else? Away from your sister?"

Persephone looked unimpressed "When I was three, a boy who liked me did a similar thing. I stabbed him in the throat with a pair of compasses."

Cassiopeia jumped straight from the tree, striding over to her sister and the dork "Afraid not, sonny boy. I'll be her chaperone since we don't like you and your sallow friend."
Adalaeia nodded, "He's sinister. We don't like him."

Lou grinned, unzipping the hoody to show several deep scars crossing his chest and stomach. "I can handle pain, my dad tried to cut the 'demons' out of me. You can't do anything to hurt me." He read the paper and frowned, folding it up and putting it in his pocket. "Do you really hate me that much?"

Damien sighed "I'm not like Lou. I won't hurt her."

Persephone stood up and moved past him, walking briskly across to where she could see the dark and ginger of her sisters, "Girls! We're going now!"
Cassiopeia groaned, sagging slightly "Augh, but I like annoying Addy."
Adalaeia stuck her tongue out at Cass.
Persephone turned to Damien, "Get that essay back from your pet imbecile." Turning away, she walked off and Cassiopeia and Adalaeia followed.

Lou huffed, and tossed the essay at her. "Fine take it back then." He walked off and seconds later the sound of screaming tires could be heard. Damien swore and tried calling him "Lou! Don't leave me here! Well fuck you too! If you'd stop being a creep maybe she wouldn't hate you!" Damien groaned, starting to walk home "Bye Adalaeia.."

Adalaeia tugged on her older sister's arm, eyes pleading.
Persephone hesitated, muttered "You'll be the death of me." and called "I'll give you a ride! But only if I don't have to see your obnoxious friend!"
Cass kicked a pebble and scowled "I never get what I want."

Damien smiled, walking back to them "Thanks.. You shouldn't see him.. I think he's given up. He's liked for a while." He trailed off, blushing as he met Adalaeia's eyes.

Lou groaned as his dad punched him in the stomach.
Stumbling upstairs he passed out, a half empty bottle of pills next to him.