She sat in the yard all by herself. She was a bad girl, a very bad girl. Oh, Mommy had not called her that but she knew it. She could tell by Mommy's face and the tone in her voice. She looked around but she could not find the other kids. Actually, she was not surprised because they had been ignoring her all morning. No one would play with her now all because she wanted to make friends with someone new. Isn't that what Mommy had told them when she first came? They were all family and they were to be accepting of others who may be different.

She did not understand everything that Mommy said because this was not her real Mommy. This Mommy spoke a different language. She remembered the first day she came to this house. She was so scared when she came here. She did not understand why she had to leave her first home, and this was her third family. Sometimes she would dream about her real Mommy, the warmth and love, and all her brothers and sisters. Now she had a new Mommy she hoped this Mommy would let her stay, she loved her because this Mommy told her all the time how special and sweet she was. This Mommy had made sure that the other kids loved her, too.

Harley was not always nice to her. In fact, it took Harley a long time before she would stop being mean to her. Harley was always stealing her dolly. Mommy bought that dolly just for her but Harley would take it on purpose and sleep with it. Leon and Mary-Clare were her favorites because they always liked to play. Some mornings Mary-Clare left the house and did not come back until the afternoon. However, Leon would stay and they would play together all day. Yes, she loved this home, this Mommy and, up until this morning, Mommy loved her. Now, she was just a bad girl, a very bad girl. She sighed. Would she have to leave this home, too?

She heard the screen door open and Mommy called her name. She wanted to ignore that voice, wanted to crawl under the house and hide. Forever. However, centuries of breeding made it impossible for her not to come when called. She stopped suddenly as she rounded the corner. Oh, no, not that! Oh, please, please not that. She tried to look so sweet, made pretty eyes at Mommy. Mommy always loved it when she made pretty eyes.

"I'll be good, Mommy," she pleaded as she ducked her head and tried to slip away.

"No, ma'am, you come back here this instant. You got yourself into this mess." Mommy continued to run water into the big tub.

"Mary-Clare, bring me the other can of tomato juice, please."

Her Mommy walked over to her. She was saying sweet words. Oh, she loved it when Mommy used the sweet words but Mommy's face was wrinkling again.

"Oh, Mishka, why a skunk? Forty acres of land and you find the only skunk! Come on, sweetie, we have to wash the smell off."

Mishka, ducked her head as she was led (dragged) to the tub.