All of the usual disclaimers. Not my charters but definitely my story I make no money writing these.

Chapter 1- Two years old

At two years old your mind works faster than your mouth. My parents love to tell everyone all about my terrible twos. I will be three years old in two months, and I didn't think I was so terrible. I just get angry when I can't tell them exactly what I am thinking, what I want or what I need. I have a hard time expressing myself. Right now I am currently rolling around on the front lawn of my home. I am also screaming and crying and pounding my fists against the soft ground. I had been drawing on our driveway making beautiful pictures with chalk. My sister Valerie decided she had no room for her hop scotch board. As a solution my mother had just used the hose to clean off the drive way.

Maybe she didn't see my pictures. She said something about scribbles when she was spraying the water all over my drawings. I knew what my pictures were. The black and yellow chalk pieces had made Batman, and the red and blue chalk helped me make Wonder Woman. She just didn't get me. She didn't understand why I woke up early with Daddy to watch cartoons on Saturday mornings. Well the joke was on her because she never found my drawing of the invisible jet.

"After dinner it will be dry enough for you to make you game dear." My mother told Valerie as she picked her up into a loving hug.

I stopped rolling around and looked up at my mother and sister. I reached out my hands to be picked up, but my mother just shook her head.

"My hands are full." she explained.

I went back to my crying and screaming fit and fell back to the ground.

"Stop crying!" My mother yelled at me. "You're embarrassing me."

Just then Mrs. Costanza was passing by our house. Her son Carl was riding on his tricycle. He had the best bike. I climbed up onto my feet and went charging towards the boy with the cool bike. It was blue and white with red and blue streamers hanging from each handlebar. He had a light attached between the handlebars. The light was red and had duct tape holding it down.

"Stephanie Michelle Plum! Get back here right now!" My mother shrieked.

Carl stopped when he saw me and rang the bell that was attached to one handlebar. Then he started making more noises.

"Whoo whoo." he sounded like a police siren "whoo whoo"

Carl's mom beamed at him and clapped her hands together. "My little police officer."

"You're under arrest." he told me as he moved one leg over and slowly slid off of the bicycle seat.

I opened and closed both hands as I reached out for his bike. "I want to ride the bike."

"No. You are going to jail. I saw you throwing a fit. My mom says good kids don't throw fits." Carl told me.

"I am so sorry Stephanie got in the way." my mom told Mrs. Costanza.

"Don't even worry about it Helen." Carl's mom smiled at me. "She's not in the way."

My mother grabbed my shoulder and I whined when I felt her fingers digging into my skin. She never gave me real hugs or held me like she did with Valerie. Only my Grandpa Harry and Grandma Mazur gave me good bear hugs. But my grandparents were not around. They had taken a vacation. They were driving to Niagara Falls and would be gone for weeks.

"Little Carl's birthday is coming up." she told my mother.

Carl pulled my hands behind my back and used a rubber band to hold them together.

"You have the right to be quiet and not talk," he told me, "You have been a bad girl."

"I want to ride the bike." I reached for it again.

"No. You're going to jail." he shook his head.

"I am thinking about inviting that little boy around the corner." Mrs. Costanza told my mother.

"The black one?" my mother asked.

"They are Spanish or Latin. Something like that. He is visiting his grandmother for the summer. She seems like a nice woman. I forget the kid's name." Mrs. Costanza said.

"They're not from around here." My mother had a disgusted look on her face.

"They're from Newark." Mrs. Costanza explained.

My mother set Valerie down and kissed her on top of her head. She laughed when she saw the rubber band around my wrists. When I looked at Valerie she stuck out her tongue. Valerie looked perfect. She was wearing a green dress with matching bows in her hair. I looked down at my yellow dress and saw I was covered in dirt and grass stains. I had lost my bows sometime this morning. I hated wearing bows in my hair but my mother said that's what all proper little girls in the Burg wear.

"Newark?" My mother turned up her nose.

"He just seems like a sweet boy. He doesn't talk very much and he could definitely use a hair cut." Mrs Costanza smiled.

"He looks like a girl." my mother interrupted.

"He follows his grandmother around everywhere. Helping her work in the garden and using his little mower to mow the grass." Mrs. Costanza ignored my mother's comment.

"Well, you do what you want. Just remember they are not from the Burg." My mother told her.

Mrs. Costanza shrugged. "Can you watch Carl for a couple of hours tomorrow so I can pick up the decorations for his party?"

Then Mrs. Costanza leaned close and whispered "And his present."

"Of course." my mother smiled, "Valerie would love to play with him."

"I can't believe he is turning three. When does Stephanie turn three?" the woman asked.

"October. Valerie will be five in September. She is starting kindergarten this fall. I don't know what I will do with myself all day. It will be pretty lonely." my mother sighed.

"You have Stephanie." Mrs. Costanza reminded her.

"Yeah" My mother rolled her eyes.

"Carl, come on." she called out before looking back at my mom. "We have errands to run today after finishing our walk."

"Okay then. What time tomorrow? After church I assume." my mother told her.

"Yes, I'll drop him off about one o'clock if that's okay." Mrs. Costanza told her as Carl pulled the rubber band off of my wrists.

"I'll let you go with a warning this time." he told me.

I reached out my hands towards his bike and open and closed my fingers. "I want to ride."

He thought for a second. "Maybe next time."

Sunday morning we dressed for church. I was in a tan dress with a braid in the back of my hair. My mother said it was the only way to make my hair look good enough to show in public. She cautioned me to make sure it stayed in so I didn't embarrass the family. Valerie was perfect. She was wearing a pink dress with matching shoes and bows in her hair. She was carrying a little purse with her and when she walked by me she held her head up high not bothering to look my way.

The best part about Sundays was stopping at Tasty Pastry after mass to get donuts or sometimes a danish roll. I was only allowed one piece, but when my Grandma was around she would always sneak me an extra piece. I missed my grandparents terribly. I could always escape to their house when my mom got to be too much. Today we got donuts, but there was only one Boston creme in our assorted dozen.

"Creme." I held out my hands as we all sat down at the dining room table.

"May I please have the Boston one?" Valerie asked.

"Of course sweetheart." my mother smiled as she handed it to Valerie. "Oh Frank, doesn't she have the most perfect manners."

Of course I started crying because Valerie was getting the donut I wanted.

"I can't wait until these terrible twos are over." my mom rolled her eyes towards my father. "We should have stuck with one child, but no, you wanted to try for a boy."

"Helen!" he chastised her.

She smirked at him "She can't really understand."

I sighed and pointed to the donuts. My mom started pulling out the only plain one, but my father beat her to it. When he took that one she had no choice but to give me one of the frosted ones. I smiled as I took it and did a little dance in my seat as I ate it. My mom talked to Valerie about shopping for new school clothes next weekend. My dad ate his donuts quietly and I wiggled in my seat. I started to get up and then my mother stopped me.

"You need to ask to be excused from the table." she told me

"Can I be excused from the table?" I asked

"Fine. Go change out of your good clothes." she waved me away with her hand.

I went upstairs and found shorts and a t-shirt out on my bed. The shorts were lime green with a matching shirt that had a picture of a cupcake on it. I changed and stopped at the bathroom. I have been potty trained for eight whole months, but sometimes still had accidents at night. I tried to hide my sheets when it happened so I wouldn't get a spanking. I washed my hands and slid on my butt down the stairs.

"You had better not be sliding down the stairs again. It ruins your clothes." yelled my mother.

I pushed through the screen door and went to play in the front yard. I found a piece of chalk and went back to my drawing. I made a picture of myself with a cape. I wanted to fly. I knew deep down I was a super hero. I guess I have to wait until I get older to see my powers. I drew for a long time and then I heard the siren and the bell from Carl as he rode up on his bike. My mother came out of the house to greet Mrs. Costanza.

"Thanks again for watching Carl. I won't be that long and he's already had lunch." she told my mother.

"It's no problem at all." My mother smiled as Valerie came out and stood at her side.

"Carl is so excited for his party next weekend." the woman gushed.

"I am sure it will be a great party." my mother forced a smile.

"Now Carl you be good and try not to arrest anyone." she warned him before planting a kiss on the top of his head.

"Miss you." Carl told her as he slid off of his bike and extended his arms to her.

She gave her son a hug and gave us all a wave before she started her walk back to their house. Carl came over and asked what I was doing. He didn't understand my pictures. My mother brought out some bubbles and handed them to Carl.

"You two can play with these while I help Valerie clean her closet out." my mother smiled at Carl.

"Thank you Mrs. Helen." Carl told her before she disappeared.

Carl began blowing bubbles and I chased them around trying to clap them with my hands. I fell onto the grass in giggles a couple of times when bubbles landed on my nose. Carl handed me the bottle so we can take turns. I like Carl because he is a good sharer. Valerie is not very good at sharing. I blew bubbles for him and he chased them around. We were having a great time when we heard voices coming towards us. We looked up to see two Morelli boys. Now my mother had always warned me about the house around the corner. She had warned me to stay away from the Morelli boys because they cause trouble.

"Oh look Anthony, two little babies playing with bubbles." one of the boys smiled.

"We're not babies. We are going to pre-school this year." Carl put his hands on his hips.

"Oh yeah? I'm going into first grade and my brother Joe starts Kindergarten." Anthony told us.

"We're still not babies." I glared at them and blew bubbles their way.

"We don't want to play with your baby bubbles." Anthony glared as both boys stepped towards us.

Joe took the bubbles out of my hand. I tried to reach for them but he held them above my head. My eyes welled with tears and I sniffled trying to hold them back. I jumped and jumped but couldn't reach the bubbles. Carl ran over to his bike and pedaled towards us. He rang his bell and turned on his light.

"Whoo" he called "Whoo."

"What the?" Anthony laughed at Carl.

"He thinks he is a cop." Joe laughed.

I gave up on the bubbles and moved to stand by Carl. Joe lowered the bubble bottle and poured them out onto the lawn.

"You are under arrest for being naughty." Carl told them as he hopped off his bike.

Rubber bands in his hands at the ready, he approached Anthony first and reached for his hand. Anthony slapped Carl's hand away and laughed. Carl turned and tried to go after Joe. Joe simply pushed Carl down onto the grass. He laid there and started to sniffle.

"I am police officer." Carl tried to glare as he looked up at Joe.

Anthony and Joe laughed as I tried to help Carl up. Joe went over and hopped on Carl's bike. He pedaled on the sidewalk back and forth in front of our driveway.

"Whoo. Whoo. I'm the cop now." Joe taunted Carl.

When Carl went to stand up Anthony pushed him back down. I walked over to Joe and moved to stand in front of the bike. Joe stopped and rang the bell. I stayed still in front of him with my hands on my hips. He rang the bell again but I wasn't moving.

"Get out of the way Cupcake." Joe ordered.

"I'm not Cupcake. I am Stephanie Michelle Plum." I corrected.

"You have a cupcake on your shirt. Only babies have cupcakes on their shirts." he laughed.

"I am not a baby." I stomped my foot.

"How old are you? One" Joe asked as he got off of the bike.

"I am almost this many." I told him as I held up three fingers.

"My birthday is Saturday and I will be three." Carl growled as he moved behind me.

"Babies." Anthony laughed.

Joe gave me a hard shove and I landed on the sidewalk. I pushed out my lower lip as a tear fell down my face. Carl helped me up and we both moved back onto the lawn. I was going to call for my mom, but I knew I couldn't. She would yell at me for interrupting and then she would yell at me for playing with the Morelli boys.

"Go home stupid heads." Carl ordered.

"Stupid head?" Anthony glared and moved towards Carl.

Joe laughed as he pushed Carl's bike away. The bike rolled down the driveway and onto the sidewalk. When it came to the slant for the driveway it kept going and rolled out into the street. Carl and I looked at each other with wide eyes. Neither one of us were allowed in the street. We didn't know how we would get the bike back. Both boys stalked towards us and I grabbed Carl's hand.

"Aww look at the babies. They must be boyfriend girlfriend." Anthony laughed. " Copboy and Cupcake sitting in a tree k-i-s-s-i-n-g."

"Hey! That's not nice." I growled at him.

Joe moved to stand in front of me and Anthony was in front of Carl. Joe stepped closer and I stayed in my place glaring.

"Let's see if she still wears diapers." Joe laughed

"I do not wear diapers." I stomped a foot.

"Show us your panties." Anthony ordered.

"NO!" I yelled.

"Leave her alone." Carl ordered.

Suddenly Joe jumped at me and grabbed the bottom of my shorts. He pulled them down to my feet and my jaw dropped.

"Stop that!" I reached down and grabbed my shorts before I quickly pulled them up.

"Polka dots." Joe sneered.

"She's got pretty panties." Anthony laughed as tears fell down my face.

I always hated my polka dot panties. I wanted superhero ones, with Wonder Woman or Supergirl or Batgirl, but mom never bought them for me. She said polka dots were what good little girls wore. That only made me hate them even more.

"You leave her alone." Carl poked Anthony in the chest.

Anthony punched Carl, knocking him to the ground. Carl grabbed his cheek as tears quietly fell down his face. He was biting his lip as he tried not to cry out loud.

"Let's see those polka dots again." Joe snarled as he took s step towards me.

"NO!" I hollered and took a step back.

"Don't touch her!" Carl whined before he shouted. "Mrs. Plum!"

"Shut up." Anthony ordered as he jumped on top of Carl.

Anthony punched Carl again and then held his arms down while he sat on him. I moved to help and Joe grabbed my arm. I tried to pull away from him but he squeezed harder. I slapped him hard and pushed Anthony off of Carl. Anthony laughed at me and immediately jumped on Carl again. We all turned when we heard a car coming. I whipped my head to look at the bike in the street.

I ran away from both boys and went charging towards the bike. I ran into the street without looking and moved behind the bike. I tried to push it but the front wheel was turned and it wouldn't move. I jumped into the seat and tried to turn the handlebars. I got it straight but it didn't move. I could hear Anthony and Joe laughing. I couldn't figure out how Carl had made it move. I didn't have a bike and Carl never let me try his.

"The pedals." Carl yelled from under Anthony.

I put my feet on the pedals and tried to push them. They wouldn't move. Tears were running down my face and I grunted as I tried harder. The bike moved a forward a little and I heard a car coming closer. I looked up and saw it. It was getting closer and closer to me.

"Stephanie!" Carl yelled out to me as Joe and Anthony continued to laugh.

I felt a sudden push as the bike careened towards the sidewalk. I was moving so fast the bike went right up onto the sidewalk. The car flew by and honked.

"Stay out of the road." an old man yelled.

I turned to look behind me and saw a boy with his hands still on the bike.

"Turn the wheel." he ordered.

I looked at his serious face. His skin was darker than mine. His skin was the color of vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate and caramel. I turned the wheel and he pushed me some more until the bike was away from the driveway. Joe and Anthony had stopped laughing. The boy helped me off of the bike. He still had his hands under my arms as he looked me up and down.

"Are you okay?" he asked

I nodded and sniffled. He reached out and wiped some tears off of my cheeks. I noticed some motion behind him. I looked to see Anthony and Joe coming our way. The boy noticed my eyes and turned to look at both boys. He turned around and kept me behind him.

"What do you think you're doing?" Anthony asked him.

"You need to mind your own business." Joe glared at him.

The boy took a step towards both of them and growled. Both Joe and Anthony stumbled back. The boy crossed his arms over his chest and continued to stare at both boys. Carl was on his feet and moved over to stand next to me. He grabbed my hand and squeezed it.

"What is going on?" My mother shrieked as she came out onto the porch.

Anthony and Joe both stuck out their tongues at the same time before turning to walk away. My mother came towards us and I saw her lips tighten when she noticed the boy. She glanced down at him with a disgusted look on her face. She grabbed my arm and tugged me towards the lawn. She whipped me around and swatted my butt. I cried out and Carl moved towards me.

"I did it." Carl told her.

"It's okay Carl. I know you're a good boy. Stephanie makes bad choices." she told him.

I fell onto the grass when she released me. I sat there unmoving. I sniffled and my body shook every time I took a breath. the boy studied my face and then looked at my mother. I couldn't tell what he was thinking. He didn't amile or frown. He didn't scream or cry. Then I saw it. I was surprised when he aimed a glare at my mother.

"Carlos." I heard the voice of a lady.

I looked over to see an elderly woman walking towards us. When she saw the boy a smile slowly spread across her face. She leaned down and gave him a hug.

"Carlos." she closed her eyes when she pulled him to her.

"Sorry Abuela." he told her.

"I was worried about you." she kept her hands on his shoulders after he pulled away from her hug.

"I was helping." he told her.

"Of course you were." she smiled at him.

"What is going on out here?" my mother asked.

"The Morelli boys." Carl told her.

"Morelli boys?" She turned her glare to me. "Stephanie Michelle Plum, haven't I told you to stay away from those Morelli boys? They are nothing but trouble. That's it. You are grounded. Go to your room for the rest of the day."

"But mom..." I sniffled.

"You won't argue with me young lady or you won't get dessert." she wagged her finger at me.

I turned to the boy and whispered "thank you" and he nodded.

I marched to the house and stomped up the stairs. I stomped all the way to my room and slammed my door. I threw myself onto the bed and buried my face in the pillow. The tears came hard and fast and I sobbed into the pillow so no one would hear me. I heard my door open and tried to control my sobs before I moved the pillow. I looked over to see Valerie in the doorway.

"You are such a baby." She had a disgusted look on her face as she shook her head at me.

"Go away." I screamed at her.

She laughed at me before she shut the door. I buried my head back into the pillow. I thought about the Morelli boys and how much I wanted to punch them both until they cried. I thought about Carl and was glad his bike was okay. Carl is one of my very best friends. Then I thought of that boy. He had brown hair that was a little long for a boy. His eyes were...well his eyes were beautiful. When he spoke to the Morelli boys they were dark and focused almost black. When he looked at me they were soft and amber. His name was Carlos and he saved my life.