CHAPTERONE

"Sarah, Jake… SLOW DOWN!" Mike yelled frantically to his older siblings, who had skated off in front of him, leaving him to try and maintain his balance, whilst attempting to catch up with them, being the youngest and smallest really did suck at times like these.

"Sorry little dude, didn't realise you weren't with us" an eight year old Jake Baker said slowing to a halt, Sarah stopping inches behind him. They had a habit of forgetting the four year olds legs weren't as big as their own.

"When will I be able to skate as fast as you two?" Mike asked a curious look crossing his face. He'd always looked up to Jake and Sarah as his role-models – what they did, he did and not being able to keep up was not a happy concept in Mike's mind. He was doing considerably well though the little daredevil was rollerblading by age three, and at four he'd already repelled from the shed roof. The house roof was out of the question or for the time being he figured it was worth giving his mother time to recover from her first near heart attack before giving her the second.

"Soon with practise" Jake replied adjusting his helmet, Mike knew he hated the thing but mums rule was law – at least while Jake's skates were on the table. She'd been promising him a new pair for weeks and finally agreed on the exception of a helmet – no helmet, no skates. Mike had been given Jake's old pair which for him was as good as a new pair if not better.

"KIDS DINNER" Tom Bakers voice echoed through the nearby gardens, grabbing a hand each Sarah and Jake wheeled the youngest member of the baker family home.

"SARAH, JAKE, MIKE" Tom Baker yelled up the stairs frustration raising his brow line and clearly evident in his voice. The sound of footsteps were heard and seconds later the three Baker siblings were in line of height at the top of the stairs, clad from head to toe in hockey gear.

"Whatsup dad?" Jake asked in his typical mellow voice, half hanging off the stair rail hockey stick in one hand, put in the other.

"What have I told you about repelling from the roof, and I clearly remember telling you not to skateboard in the kitchen while we're at it too" Tom said searching his children's faces for any form of recognition or guilt, but as per usual non was found.

"Dad, I was repelling from the ceiling… so that's technically not the roof" Mike replied pointing to the loft hatch where a red climbing rope hung, Jake nodding in agreement.

"And I was only skateboarding in the kitchen to collect the first aid kit, so it was for a good cause" Jake added on cue causing his father to bring his hand to his face, exhaling heavily.

Sarah meanwhile just smiled innocently, it was in her father's best interest not to know what she'd been plotting.

"SARAH, JAKE, MIKE!!" The three siblings couldn't help but giggle at the commotion they heard downstairs, it had been fun but now it was time to go downstairs and face the music .Jogging down the stairs they entered the living room to find a very livid mom, following by a very livid dad, followed by a very livid Nora, and finally followed by Hank with a face that could've put the child catcher out of business.

"Did you three set Hank's pants of fire?" Kate Baker asked in a demanding tone, despite already knowing the answer, she'd come to expect this off the three little trouble makers as they'd been dubbed by both their schools and their soon to be brother-in-law.

"We were merely showing the hazards of leaving a candle lighter in reach of children" Sarah explained in a rather too serious voice for the teenage prankster.

"Yeah, just imagine what could have happened if it had been Kyle and Nigel and not us who had gotten a hold of it" Jake added, Mike nodding in agreement.

"A likely story, all three of you are on kitchen duty for the rest of the month" Tom announced getting up from his chair, a triumphant smile on his face.

"But the month only started two days ago" Mike exclaimed in utter outrage, only causing Tom to smile harder, "Oh yes, and it sucks" he said to himself as he met Sarah's face of stone.

"You soaked his underwear in meat. That is so wrong. Funny, but wrong" Tom announced as he walked up and down the line of his children, in what was his attempt to excerpt what little authority he had left.

"Now, who was the mastermind... in the meat-soaking plot against Hank?" He asked, the line remained silent as Nigel and Kyle stepped forwards, each Baker sibling holding in their giggles.

"You were the masterminds?" he said not believing them for a second, he knew exactly who had come up with the scheme he just wanted her to admit it, but that didn't seem to be what she had in mind. So time for plan B. "Step back, please."

Walking behind his children he raised his right hand about their heads and began to walk along the line.

"BEEP" he walked past Mark.

"BEEP" he walked past Kim

"BEEP" he walked past Jessica

"BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP" he increased as his hand floated atop of Sarah's head, Sarah chewing on her lip a smile playing in her eyes, it was inevitably he'd fine out, and even if he didn't she'd tell him she wasn't letting one of the others take credit for the best prank pulled of in the history of the Baker family.

"BEEP" he moved his hand across to Jake, he'd only been the accomplice.

"BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP" and his hand was back above her head, she was the mastermind here and she intended to take full credit.

"You have a dark gift Sarah Baker" he said quietly but loud enough for the others to here, "And its going to cost everyone a month's allowance" okay she took it back she was admitting to it or at least not to him, she was about to say something but the younger Baker siblings were already yelling it outrage at his comment.

"Do you want to make it two?" Tom asked and immediately the room was silent again, "Now, when your mother leaves tomorrow I'm gonna need everyone to pull their own weight, now go upstairs to your rooms" Tom finished pointing to the stairs at which point the children swiftly made their exit.

It was times like these that brought a smile to Sarah Baker's face, a secret smile but a smile nevertheless. The so called inseparable trio began to drift further and further apart, looking back she wondered why they hadn't stopped it but it had happened relatively fast and before she knew it Mike and Jake weren't even on speaking terms. Jake had begun to hang out with Mark dubbing him "Cool" while insisting that he was too old to hang around with his "Baby" brother – that hadn't settled well with Mike. It hadn't settled well at all, a hockey stick to Jake's face and Mike had been grounded and put on garbage duty for a month.

Meanwhile Sarah despite how much a year ago if you told her she'd be hanging out with Lorraine she'd either a) laugh at you, b) smack you, c) call you insane or all of the above. But after Lorraine had helped Sarah get ready for her date with Elliot they'd grown a lot closer, understanding each other a little better. It still saddened her form time to time through, it now seemed as if the inseparable trio had never existing in the first place and yet things were about to go to boiling point…

Ahh its been a while well that's an understatement its been ages, but I finally got around to re writing the first three chapters – as I was a very poor grammar bearing fifteen year old when I first wrote this story – the three other chapter plus more shall be coming very soon(: Sorry for anybody who's been waiting around since I last updated in September last year something? After two years of not updating! I'm sorry _ but to reassure you the next 8 chapters are complete on my laptop so they shall be up soon (:

xox