Bullyboy skipped lunch. He accomplished what he wanted. Marcia sat confused with the morning's events. She had no idea who did it. It turned out he had an unwitting accomplice who was also a suspect. He knew Rebecca was Marcia's cousin and the school darling. When Marcia arrived, all that disappeared for Rebecca. The logical person for the perpetrator of the prank was Rebecca.

Marcia sat alone at lunch. Naomi was out sleuthing to discover the prankster. The friends who sat with Marcia talked about the prank, but failed to understand how she felt. The chatter about her made her focus inward on her life. Her thoughts were about how she got to where she was. Why was her life always a struggle? What made her so vulnerable to pranks?

Marcia was angry and hurt inside. Her anger covered her hurt and pushed it away. She hardened her heart and darkened her soul. She would concentrate on her studies and strive to be best in all her classes. If people hated her or wanted to poke fun at her, that was their problem. Marcia would beat them all.

Marcia moved in her seat, straightened her shoulders, raised her sagging head and resolved to move on with fierce determination. A few of her friends noticed and quieted the table. Marcia looked about smiled and joined the chatter around her. A new period began in the long twisty road of her life.

Naomi sat with Rebecca, while they ate lunch. She found Rebecca to be a pleasant companion. What she did not understand is the venomous feelings Rebecca had against Marcia. They were cousins. Cousins are supposed to be friends not rivals. Yet Rebecca was totally the opposite.

Naomi tried to get her to open up. "I saw that you watched the prank on Marcia this morning. Why?"

"I heard a rumor about it before I left school yesterday. I wanted to see it happen. It was cool."

"Didn't you feel you should have warned your cousin?"

"Nah, she can take care of herself. She made out fine."

"Yes, she did, but you should have warned her. It caught her off guard. Whoever did it will feel her wrath. I don't want you to be that person."

"No, no, I was not the one who played the prank. I don't know who it was."

Naomi thought a little and felt Rebecca was not the villain. She would not push her for information. She saw the animosity in Rebecca. It was not so strong to make her harm her cousin. Rebecca wanted to regain what she lost, when Marcia arrived at school. That was not a good reason to play such a prank. Naomi chatted at little more until lunch ended.

Naomi ran back to class and quickly sat next to Marcia. Marcia frowned as she looked at her friend. Naomi caught her breath and put her books neatly on her desk. Marcia's patience was at an end. She wanted to know about her cousin. She tapped her pencil in a quick beat on her desk. A scowl appeared on Marcia's face.

"OK, I had lunch with Rebecca. She watched your locker to see the prank, but did not do it. She heard a rumor about it last night. She thought it was funny, but would never do anything like that to you or anyone."

"That still does not remove her from my suspect list."

Naomi chided Marcia, "You can't keep this bad feeling between you and your cousin."

"She started it. I am not going to let it go either. Too many people have struck out at me. I am not going to take it anymore. I will strike back and do damage if I have to."

Naomi had a shocked look on her face. She never heard talk such as this from Marcia. She wondered what happened at lunch. Marcia was a different person. Coldness radiated off her personality. This was not good.

A sullen mood descended around Marcia. It remained there for the rest of school and the walk home. Naomi and Marcia traipsed home, but it was so slow it seemed to take hours. Gone was the playful nonsense, the games and the chatter of two friends. The day joined the mood of Marcia, as a soft rain fell, which soaked everything.

When the girls arrived home, they dropped their backpacks in Marcia's room and went into the kitchen to get hot chocolate to take off the cold edge. Marcia's mom noticed the mood of the girls and sat with them. She watched as they sipped halfheartedly. Neither girl raised their eyes from their cups. The silence was deafening.

"OK girls, what is going on?" Mom asked.

Marcia maintained her morose silent attitude and continued to stare at her cup. Naomi looked at Marcia, then at Marcia's mom. She spoke, "Marcia had a prank played on her at school. Someone put a confetti bomb in her locker. It went off and we got confetti on us. We saw the principal, but did not get in trouble."

"Is that what happened, Marcia?"

Marcia shook her head yes, but continued to examine her cup with an indifferent attitude.

"Maybe I should go to school and find out what is going on. How does that sound?"

Marcia raised her head quickly and pleaded, "Please don't, mom. I would rather die than have you go to school. I will handle it." Marcia quickly lowered her head and went silent.

"OK, I won't go to school, but I better not hear about any more pranks done to you."

Marcia stood up, carried her cup to the sink and went to her room. Naomi followed shortly thereafter.

Marcia sat quietly at her desk doing homework, when Naomi entered the room. Naomi took her books and sprawled on the bed to do her homework. After a few minutes, Marcia turned to stare at Naomi.

"Why did you tell my mom about what happened today? I wanted to keep it secret. I will handle it in my own way." Marcia said angrily.

"It wasn't that bad. You still got your way. You get to handle it. What will you do?"

"I am not sure, but you will know and be a part of it. I will need your help. You are my closest friend, almost my sister."

Naomi closed her books, put them at the foot of the bed and moved to lie on the pillows. As she closed her eyes, a loud sigh came from her lips. She rolled on her side and looked at Marcia. Her friend changed. There was hardness in her visage, a determined and driven mood reflected from her. She felt as if a different person sat at Marcia's desk. She knew at that point, things had changed.

Marcia saw the way Naomi looked at her. There was curiousness on her face as if she saw someone different from Marcia. Marcia knew that she changed and it felt better. She wanted to steel herself from the bullying and cruelty of her world. She would now be more aggressive and stay ahead of everyone else. She would strive to be the best in everything she attempted. No more just plain Marcia, no one would ever beat her again.

Marcia finished her homework and joined Naomi on the bed. They lay there together looking up at the night sky of stars painted on her ceiling. They played a game of name the constellations and Marcia won easily. Of course, she had an edge. She looked at that ceiling every night. Naomi felt good because Marcia was back.

Marcia woke in the morning refreshed and ready to take on the world. She quickly got ready and left to walk to school. A fierce determination filled her to be the best and find who played the prank. She suspected Ralph the bullyboy, but he had not been around for a while. She felt he avoided her to stay safe. He became her target for reprisal.

"Hey, Marcia, how are you today?" Her cousin asked.

"Fine, Rebecca," she replied coldly.

"Have you figured out who planted the confetti bomb in your locker?"

"I have a prime suspect and he will feel my wrath after I confirm it was him."

"I hope you find him and make an example of him for future pranksters. That was a cruel prank. You could have been hurt by it."

Marcia was not sure if her cousin was sincere or just playing with her emotions. Her cousin remained a suspect but not the main one. She could have been an accomplice in the prank. Ralph was still the prime suspect. Marcia walked away from her cousin, hoping to find Naomi. As she approached her locker, she saw Naomi waiting for her.

Marcia opened her locker and put her books inside. Naomi saw a note taped to the top of the locker door. She reached up, ripped the note down and gave it to Marcia. They missed it in all the excitement the day before. Marcia read it, but its meaning confused her. The note said, "This was only the start. More is coming when you least expect it. I will not give up and you are my target."

Marcia looked at the note. She dismissed it from her mind, but a thought jumped out. Only three words came to mind, "Bring it on!" She was ready and determined to fight back. She wanted to be the victor in this war. She would prevail at whatever the cost. She stuffed the note in the deepest part of her mind and her locker. She slammed the door and walked swiftly to her class. Naomi ran to keep up with her.

At lunch Marcia asked Naomi to talk with Rebecca some more. She wanted to know if the rumor she heard was true and who told it. Naomi came back shortly after lunch started and sat with Marcia.

"Rebecca was with Ralph at lunch. They seemed to be very friendly. That may be where she heard the rumor. Did you know Ralph was Sarah's older brother?"

"No, he is Sarah's older brother? That explains a lot. It is why he torments me. Older brothers protect their younger sisters. I will be careful now. That was great news."

Marcia sat back with a smirk on her face. She got her first big clue. Ralph was her only suspect now. The prank was something Sarah would have tried all flash no real danger. Marcia's mind started planning her revenge. It meant she had to play a prank bigger than what she received. Naomi would help and was a good diversion. She would make Naomi be a diversion to distract Ralph.

She thought, "Oh how good the prank would be. If only she could make it seem like an accident or unfortunate circumstance. Then she would still be the person most harmed."

Lunch and the rest of the school day passed quietly. Marcia made sure she did all her homework. There were no tests. The day was good and she was pleased with her investigation. The walk home with Naomi went quickly and they played while they walked.

It was Friday. Naomi and Marcia planned a sleepover. They had important things to do on Saturday. A month passed since they visited their adopted family of wolves. After breakfast, they dressed warmly and set off for the clearing with the big granite rock table. This was the place they met the wolves and became friends.

The trees in the woods shed their leaves. Wet leaves covered the ground and made for slippery walking. The leaves quieted their footsteps. As they approached the clearing, the yipping of a young wolf playing floated on the slight breeze. A loud fierce growl scared the girls, but turned into a happy greeting from the large male wolf. The mother lay on the big rock basking in the sun. The younger wolves played below the rock.

Naomi and Marcia played with the young wolves for a while. The older wolves watched the play. They knew the girls, but remained protective of the family. When the girls tired of playing, they climbed onto the rock. The mother wolf immediately put her head in Maria's lap. Marcia ruffled her fur and the wolf nudged her for more attention. The large male wolf stood as a silent sentinel and watched the woods.

Marcia and Naomi rubbed the female wolf and felt at home with the family. It was the one pleasure that Marcia immersed herself in doing. The wolves represented her desire to be like them. They were a gentle family and spent time playing. When threatened however, they were fierce fighters and protected the family first. Marcia, as she grew older, adopted the same characteristics, a fierce competitive loving person. Her heart softened for the wolves. They became her family.

The girls spent two hours with the wolves. As they got up to leave, sounds of approaching boys drifted into the clearing. Mother wolf jumped off the rock. She corralled the younger wolves into the cave at the edge of the clearing. They sat in the cave. They looked at the girls. The wolves' expression was one of caution. They wanted the girls to join them in the cave.

The chattering boys moved closer, but walked by without stopping. The male wolf followed the sound ready to defend his territory. He relaxed when the sound died. The rest of the family slowly exited the cave and came to the girls. The girls played a little more. They left the family and walked back to Marcia's house. Lunch was ready for them when they arrived.

As the girls ate lunch, Rebecca came by to visit. She sat with the girls and Marcia's mom made her a lunch too. The girls finished lunch and went to Marcia's room. The girls looked at some magazines Marcia had. They talked about the latest jeans and boots. They saw a few sweatshirts, which would be warm and cozy.

Soon Rebecca spoke, "I came here on an errand to warn you. Ralph was the boy who played the prank on you. He told me he did it for his sister Sarah. It was only the start of a series of attacks on you. He was a friend, but I do not like that he was targeting you. It was not right."

Marcia looked surprised by Rebecca's opinion. She said, "Don't worry. I knew he was the prankster. I understood why he did it. I thought it was for a pool incident this past summer. Now I know it was revenge to protect his sister's image. She deserved what she got. I will fight his actions and will match him prank for prank."

"Why do you have to get revenge?" Rebecca asked.

"All my school life people walked on me. They ignored me. They tricked me. They humiliated me. All of that ended with the prank in my locker. I am not going to let it happen anymore. I want to be retaliatory and get ahead of the pranks."

Naomi piped up, "In other words, Marcia is through being the victim."

Marcia shook her head. "I am tired of being a target for bullies. I want to be better than them. I want to be the best. I want people to look up to me. I want people to want to be me."

Rebecca and Naomi understood their friend's feelings. Marcia was a target. By rising above everyone, she elevated her stature. She would no longer be a target. She knew in her heart that it would not be easy, but she would succeed. That became her goal for all of her school years.

After the discussion ended, the girls went outside. Marcia and Naomi got their bikes from the garage. The girls embarked on a bike ride through the neighborhood. It felt good for Marcia to have her cousin back. They were friends before. Now she was not just a friend, but also an ally. Life turned better for both of them. Naomi was a good friend and was responsible for the turnaround. Marcia smiled.

The girls rode for an hour through the neighborhood and over to Rebecca's house. As they passed Sarah's house, Ralph came down the driveway on his bike. He rode after the girls taunting them. The girls ignored him, but he persisted. Finally, the girls stopped, turned around and chased him. He was fast and retreated into his yard. He hid behind the gate that opened into his yard. He watched as they searched for him. They gave up and rode away laughing.

When the girls rode into Rebecca's yard, they dropped their bikes and entered the house. Rebecca's mom made hot chocolate for the girls. Naomi introduced herself to Rebecca's mom. The hot chocolate and a few cookies made the girls feel better.

After they finished, the girls went to Rebecca's room and fell onto her bed. Naomi scanned the books Rebecca had on her bookshelf. It had many of the same books she enjoyed. No wonder they became friends she thought. They had similar tastes in many things. Naomi felt at home with Rebecca.

The girls spent an hour chatting and playing. Marcia's mom called and asked her to come home. Naomi's mom was there to pick her up. Marcia and Naomi bid farewell and rode back by Sarah's house. Ralph did not chase them. They laughed and continued to Marcia's house. They rode fast because mom waited.

Naomi stuffed her bike in the car, grabbed her school bag and left. Marcia waved to her friend. When she went into the house, her mom told her that Sarah called. Marcia felt a knot in her stomach. What did she want? Many different thoughts went through her mind, none of them good. Marcia reluctantly grabbed the phone and sat in the kitchen to call.

Sarah answered after two rings. "Hello, this is Sarah."

"Sarah, this is Marcia. I understand you called me."

"Yes I did. I wanted to invite you, Naomi and Rebecca to my Halloween Party this year. It will be at my house. I really want you to be here."

"Can I let you know? I need to check with the other girls."

"Sure, take your time. I expect you to come. I have put you, Naomi and Rebecca down as coming."

Marcia hung up. She sat at the table confused by the invitation. Her mind thought of many different scenarios. Could this be revenge for last year? Will Ralph interfere? Could Marcia bring another prank with her? She would have to talk with Naomi and Rebecca before answering.