Tesia McLean walked silently through the terminal that would lead her into the airport. The whole time she walked, she prayed endlessly that her father had sent her to her brother, and not somewhere else. She tightened the straps on her knapsack and kept walking, not daring to say a word to anyone around her – not even a flight attendant who’d gotten off as they were now on vacation.

About halfway through the crowded terminal, she stopped to tie her shoe. While bent down, she was bumped into repeatedly – but she didn’t even think of telling people off for not seeing her to begin with. She knew better than to mouth off to people – well, adults anyway – though her brother didn’t count in her books.

She soon managed to stand back up, and kept on walking – she was walking so slow, that a lonely snail could’ve passed her and managed to stay far ahead. She was dawdling and she knew it – but she was just so scared that she had been tricked into going to someplace where she would be used and abused even more, instead of to live with her beloved brother.

Eventually, she entered the airport after exiting the terminal they’d been walking in to get inside.

“Where is he?” The little one thought, trying not to go into a panic, as they looked about frantically.

The little one moved out of the way, so that other people could exit the terminal.

“Daddy did send me to Cali, didn’t he?”

People still bustled by, all in a hurry to get to wherever it was they wanted to go. No one noticed the small child standing there alone, looking more lost than anything.

The child’s eyes began to well up with tears, now feeling abandoned and scared.

Just then a name was shouted out, to get the child’s attention.

“TESIA!” A voice called out, over all the hustle and bustle of the extremely busy and crowded airport.

Tesia looked about, trying to locate the source than had called her name. After looking and being unable to spot anyone familiar to her, she wrote it off as her imagination playing tricks on her yet again.

“Knew I didn’t hear anybody,” she grumbled to herself. She looked up as she heard the voice again.

“TESIA!” The same voice as before called out again.

Tesia looked around the airport again, this time, her eyes landing on someone who was waving his one arm slightly to get her attention. She took a good look at the man, who stood with a big coloured guy next to him, with a slightly confused look on her face. That couldn’t be her brother, could it?

Just then, the man slid his sunglasses down his nose just a teeny bit, to look at her over them. He grinned widely as he saw a look of recognition come over the young child’s face.

“ALEX!” Tesia shrieked, making a mad dash for the one she loved more then anything – except, maybe, Kevin. Upon reaching him, she was immediately scooped up into his strong arms and spun around.

Once through spinning her about, A.J. set her down so he could get a better look at his little sister – well, his half-sister, but who was getting technical to begin with?

“Wow Baby T, you’ve grown up since I last saw you!” He grinned. “Look at you! You’re getting to be as tall as I am!” He spun her about with his hand, then let her go again.

Tesia giggled at that, as she only stood to about halfway up his chest, or maybe just a bit higher. She had grown since the last time they’d seen each other though.

“You have more bags than just your knapsack, Kiddo?” A.J. asked. “Or did you actually pack light?”

“Got two bags,” Tesia answered. “But I dunno where to go to get ‘em.”

“You go to the luggage claim, Silly,” A.J. chuckled, taking hold of her hand and leading her there. “Jeez, you’d think you hadn’t ever come to visit me before.”

Tesia beamed up at him. “I forgot. I’m just lil’ – I’m allowed to forget.”

A.J. nodded. “Ah. I see…Long as you don’t forget the important stuff, right?”

“Right!” Tesia agreed, as they reached the baggage claim. She pointed out her two, as she took a good look at the big coloured guy who grabbed then for her. “Marcus?”

The bigger man smiled. “Yes?”

Tesia grinned even bigger then, as she had a crush on Marcus as well. “I didn’t know it was you!”

“Well, who else would protect your brother from all those crazed teenyboppers, huh?” Marcus teased.

Tesia giggled, then looked up at her brother. “J? Can I have a piggy back ride? Please?”

“Sure. Hope on,” A.J. said, bending down some so that she could hop onto his back.

Tesia hopped up onto her brother’s back, giggling, before sticking her tongue out at some fans who had recognized her brother and were now watching them.

A.J. noticed the noise from the fans. He turned around to face them, sticking his thumb up to his nose and waving his other four fingers at them. "NAHHHHHHHH! What...You want some?" He said smiling, shaking his butt playfully.

Tesia giggled hysterically as she enjoyed the ride. “HIS BUTT IS MINE! SUCKERS!” She stuck her tongue out at them again, but dared to give one girl the finger.

A.J. held his breath for a second. “Shh.” He opened the door to his Explorer and turned around for her to get off and into the backseat.

Tesia slid off his back, giving the fans the finger one last time, only to have her brother close the door on her.

A.J. gave her a cross look as he shut the door. He walked over to the fans then, to signs some autographs, poses for photos, and apologize for his sister’s behaviour. He then turned, and got into the passenger’s seat of his car. He was letting Marcus drive, so that he could pay more attention to his little sister.

Tesia scowled, as she wound down her window and stuck her hand out – she made sure her middle finger was up for all the world to see. He was supposed to be hers now, not theirs.

A.J. pushed the button to roll up the back windows, and locked them, so she couldn’t go giving people the finger anymore. “Calm down now, please. That’s enough.”

Tesia scowled. "You know Daddy only sent me here 'cause I'm a Brat, right?" She smirked to herself knowing she could get away with everything now that she's with AJ.

"Yeah well you know how Bob can be." AJ said looking out the window again.

“No, you don’t,” Tesia thought quietly. “Only I know how Daddy can be.”

Soon enough, they pulled into A.J.’s front drive. Marcus parked the car, in front of a huge three-story house, the biggest house Tesia had ever seen in her life. She hadn’t known her brother had moved into a new house again. But, then again, how could she have known, when she wasn’t permitted to talk to him all that often.

Tesia got out of the car and ran around to the backyard to check it out. Upon finding a pool, she jumped in excitedly. Once she’d tired of swimming, she climbed out and headed inside to explore her brother’s newest house.

A.J. followed her into the room she had just previously entered. "Now you can't be making messes for the maids to be cleaning up all the time, so get dried off and let’s go up to your room and get you changed." He wraps a towel around her and points towards the stairs. "On the 3rd floor, scoot."

Tesia scowled. "I like being wet." She said stubbornly, as she shook her hair out, causing water to fly everywhere, including on him. She pulled it into a ponytail & wrung it out onto the floor.

"Go up to your room and get dried; there are rules here and you will follow them young lady, if you wanna stay with me. If not I can send you back to Orlando, all I have to do is make a phone call." AJ heard the doorbell ring then. "Now sass, go on now." He shook his head and walked into the front hallway.

Tesia scowled and stomped all the way upstairs and to her room. Once there she changed, then stomped all the way back downstairs. The more she stomped, the less angry she is. She did not want to go home. Ever.