It was a normal day in the Wormwood household, Matilda was sitting away from most of her family reading from a book she had borrowed from the library. She had been going to the library since she had been able to walk there. Zinnia was sitting on the sofa with her husband, watching the 'Million Dollar Sticky' game show. The other children were watching with their parents.
A teenage girl who seemed to be stuck there and a pre-teenage boy who was into the show like his parents were, almost like a mindless zombie. Matilda glanced over at her family and then back to her book, becoming lost in the world the stories created for her. Zinnia let out her annoying laugh as she found the show hilarious. Harry laughed with his wife and only son.
The teenage girl who was named Mackenzie glanced back over to her little sister. Matilda seemed absorbed in her book, but managed to sense her sister's presence and glanced up at her with a small smile. Mackenzie decided to join Matilda and gave a small smile. Harry was not going to be happy about that once he would notice while the others watched the rather trashy TV show. Matilda tried to quietly help her sister, sharing the reading of the book and trying to teach her sister to read.
Zinnia didn't notice, but even if she would, she didn't care really. A knock was heard at the door. Mackenzie let her finger slide across the words like many kids Matilda's age did, but there was an issue for Mackenzie herself: She did not know how to read or write despite being in high school. Matilda quietly continued to help Mackenzie. She didn't seem to mind helping her sister. Mackenzie may have had a six-year-old sister who was very intelligent, but it was probably a good thing since younger sisters often asked their older siblings for help in this sort of thing and Matilda already knew most of this stuff since most of her life.
"Packages at this hour?" Harry wondered as he went to get the door.
When he answered the door, there was a young blonde girl, around Matilda's age, standing on the doorstep in a ballerina dress. "Good evening, Mr. Wormwood, sir... I was wondering if Matilda and Mackenzie were in?" she asked him with a respectful smile. It didn't show any teeth but was a genuine smile.
"Matilda and Mackenzie?" Harry replied which made the girls soon turn over to the front door as they had company.
Matilda looked over.
"Yes, sir, I was wondering if they could come out to play a little while, oh, and Daddy sent this over for you." the girl, or Lydia as she was called, said and held up a package wrapped in brown paper.
"Well... It's TV time... Eh, whatever..." Harry shrugged as he accepted the package.
Mackenzie soon walked over and smiled to see that it was Lydia. Matilda got up, hid her book away carefully, and then joined her sister.
"Thank you, sir," Lydia smiled. She then looked at Matilda and Mackenzie. "Would you both like to come outside to play?" she asked them.
Harry mumbled as he then went off.
Mackenzie smiled. "I'm good with that, how about you, Matilda?" she then asked her younger sister.
"Okay." Matilda nodded with a smile. She preferred to read but she could never say no to Mackenzie and Lydia.
Lydia giggled and smiled, but still wouldn't let her teeth show. "Let's go to the tree-house." she told them.
"Sure!" Mackenzie beamed as she loved to climb.
Matilda nodded too.
"Okay... But we gots to be quiet... Daddy fell asleep a few minutes ago." Lydia told them.
"Oh... Right." Mackenzie soon cupped her mouth.
Matilda nodded.
Lydia took them quietly past her living room window, and then into the backyard. "Okay, follow me." she told them quietly and started to climb up into her tree-house.
Mackenzie and Matilda followed after Lydia. Matilda followed carefully. Lydia gave them both a pillow to sit on comfortably.
Harry sat down with his package while Michael and Zinnia were still into the show.
Zinnia looked at Harry. "Who was that?" she asked.
"I think that was the neighbor kid Lizzie." Harry shrugged as he decided to check out the package.
Mackenzie smiled to Lydia. "Thanks..." She said quietly and gently.
"Thanks, Lyddie." Matilda smiled.
"I thought you guys would need a bit of time away from families." Lydia said, and rubbed her cheek absently.
"Yeah... You have no idea..." Mackenzie admitted.
Matilda smiled. "I borrowed another book from the library today." she said to their friend.
"Cool... Wish my daddy would let me get some books." Lydia smiled.
"You wanna check this one out?" Mackenzie offered. "It's a wonderful fable from what I hear so far... Sometimes I wish I could make up my own stories, but... I can't write... And I'm fourteen-years-old..." she then expected Lydia and Matilda to laugh at her since that was how she was treated by almost anyone else she encountered, but she knew they wouldn't.
"If you want Kenzie, I can help you." Matilda said sweetly.
Lydia smiled at Mackenzie. When she did, she showed some teeth and showed one of her front ones to be missing.
"Oh, you don't have to do that..." Mackenzie told her little sister before gasping slightly at Lydia's teeth as she noticed a dramatic change.
Matilda smiled at Mackenzie. "I want to," she smiled. She then noticed the look and smiled slightly. "You lost your first tooth finally?" she asked.
Lydia gave a small slow nod.
"Oh!" Mackenzie beamed once she saw that was actually a good thing. "Congratulations... You should be getting a visit from the Tooth Fairy!"
Matilda smiled.
"The... Tooth Fairy?" Lydia asked tilting her head.
"You haven't heard?" Mackenzie pouted.
Matilda smiled. "Well, Mackenzie can tell you all about it." she said.
"You'll tell me Kenzie?" Lydia grinned.
"If you would like, I remember when I was your age though, I was kinda scared..." Mackenzie giggled. "But it's a sign you're growing up."
Matilda smiled. Lydia looked like she was hooked on every word Mackenzie was telling her.
"Basically, you put your tooth under your pillow before you go to sleep, then the Tooth Fairy comes and takes your tooth, and leaves you a present with a wave of her magic wand," Mackenzie explained. "Lots of times, money."
"Oh... Maybe she'll come to visit tonight then!" Lydia grinned.
"Just remember to put your tooth under your pillow." Mackenzie smiled back and nodded.
Lydia's smile then went away a little. "What if you don't haves the tooths no more?" she asked then.
"You could get your mommy or daddy to write a note." Matilda suggested.
Mackenzie wasn't sure how to answer this one.
Lydia nodded. "I'll try asking Mommy," she said. She then hugged her friends with a smile. "You guys are the bestest." she told them.
Matilda smiled a little.
"You are the best too, Lyddie." Mackenzie also smiled.
Lydia smiled happily. "So, you boths want a juice boxes?" she asked them.
"Ooh, yes please." Matilda smiled.
"Apple?" Mackenzie asked.
Lydia handed Mackenzie an apple juice box and gave Matilda her favorite too. She herself had an orange juice.
"Oh, yeah..." Mackenzie smiled as she enjoyed the sweet taste of her apple juice.
Matilda enjoyed her orange juice.
"Mmmm... Orange~" Lydia hummed.
"Apple is better." Mackenzie teased.
"Nuh-uh, oranges is." Lydia said, sticking her tongue out.
"Yes, orange is better." Matilda joined in.
"Apples and oranges~" Mackenzie randomly sang.
Lydia giggled quietly.
"I wonder if Daddy will let me go to school." Matilda then said.
"It would be good for you." Mackenzie agreed with Matilda's decision to go to school.
Lydia hummed. "Maybe if you convince your daddy, mine will let me go too." she smiled.
"It has to be boring lying around home all day." Mackenzie said to the younger ones.
"Lying around? Daddy makes sure I pull my weight." Lydia said, sounding shocked.
"Oh, well, Matty tells me she usually just hangs out in the house and reads her books..." Mackenzie shrugged.
"Okay, so you both work on your daddy, I'll work on mine to help us go to school." Lydia smiled.
Matilda nodded, looking excited about that.
"Deal." Mackenzie agreed as she also would like Matilda to go into school, it wasn't fair that she and their brother went while she would be home alone all day, though she liked being away from their parents.
Lydia smiled happily.
"Okay." Matilda smiled, also happier than she usually was.
Mackenzie then finished her juice as she bonded with the little girls. Both Matilda and Lydia adored Mackenzie, and once they got away of subjects about parents Lydia seemed to open up more and cheer up.
"I'd really like to make my own stories, but... It's hard when you don't know how to write..." Mackenzie frowned about her disability.
"I'll help you out, I promised." Matilda said softly to her sister.
"I have many great ideas..." Mackenzie replied. "Also, I would like to walk you to school on your first day if you can make it, Matilda."
"Yeah, that would be great, you, me, and Lyddie walking to school." Matilda smiled.
"I would love to." Mackenzie agreed.