"Stop yelling," Nycto's father grumbled from the lounge room as he watched Leeds vs. Manchester United.

Nycto then proceeded to sing even louder and re-enter the lounge room. She gave her father a cheeky grin and then became silence and went back to her room. She didn't need to hear him to know he was cursing her insolence.

She heard that familiar feeble knock on the door as her mother entered. Nycto barely held in an irrtated sigh. "Sweetie, you really shouldn't speak to your father like that."

"Sorry, Mum."

"I don't know why you want to fight all the time..."

"I was just teasing..."

"I mean, we love you and..."

At this point Nycto fell into her routine smiling and nodding as her mother delivered the same old spiel. Her mother would always give her this speech before the big lecture would come... that would be in a few days when her parents would snap. Then they'd argue, come to some stupid agreement that would never be kept and it would start again. Unless...

"I'm sorry, Mum. I don't what's wrong with me. I guess I'm just tired." Nycto said, trying to appear sincere. She didn't lie often, but sometimes it saved pain. "And I know I shouldn't take it out on you... it wont happen again..."

Her mother continued her implorings a little longer, then decided she'd done her duty as a parent and went to join her husband. Nycto groaned softly and pulled out her lyrics book.

After a while of sitting and thinking, Nycto selected some Cd's and started thinking up lyrics. Just as an idea began to form the phone rang. Nycto cursed the caller, but then laughed when it was Atlantica, her best friend.

"I just wished you to the Bermuda Triangle." Nycto smirked, as she heard Attie's friendly hello.

"Nice..." Attie laughed, and Nycto couldn't help laughing too.

"Yeah well, not feeling exactly peachy after the lecture I just got. But I guess I'm used to it now." Nycto shrugged, and closed her lyrics book.

"Dude, that sucks." Attie replied sympathetically.

"Ah, it's all good." Nycto assured her in a cheery voice. "So, what'd ya do today?"

*~*~*~*