Megan baby sits for Princess Morbucks for the first time. She sees what the Power Puff Girls mean when they said she was a real brat. Also, Megan comes with Richard on his date with Ima, and as it turns out, Ima isn't really a Goodlady either.
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Author's note: I DO NOT OWN THE POWER PUFF GIRLS! CRAIG MCCRACKEN AND WARNER BROTHERS DO!
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Little Nightmare/Part of the Family
Chapter 8
"This is so exciting!" Richard exclaimed as he drove into the city that Monday. We were going to the Morbuck's home. Today was my first day I would baby sit there. "We're actually going to the Morbuck's house, Megan! I bet it's gonna be the biggest house in Townsville!"
"Yeah, it's gonna be huge," I said nodding.
He looked at his map. "I just hope we can get there," he said. He was holding it upside down. "Dumb map," he said. "I'll try the GPS."
"Hello, Richard," it said in a robotic voice.
"Hey, GP," he said (obviously trying to be cool again). "Can you help me find the Morbuck's home?"
"Make a right," it replied robotically.
"Thanks," Richard said.
He was about to make a right but then another car ran a red light. He screamed like a little girl. Then a bunch of police cars went after the speeding car. Then I saw three flashes of light fly by. It was Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup.
"Good ole Power Puff Girls," Richard sighed happily. "They're gonna catch that crook."
I lowered my head. I hoped the girls wouldn't see me and figure out that I was going to the Morbuck's home to baby sit Princess.
We kept driving for a little while.
"Okay, now I'm worried," Richard groaned. "I'm just not finding this place. Yo, GP, how am I supposed to find this place?"
"Make a right," it repeated robotically.
So that's what Richard did.
And then the GPS told him to do it again.
"Okay, okay, enough already!" Richard begged. "I've made enough rights to last a lifetime! Is this thing broken?"
He punched the GPS twice to see if it was actually still working.
"You're here," it said robotically.
"Yeah, right," Richard scoffed.
"Dad?" I said.
"Yeah?"
"Look."
He looked up. I looked too.
In front of us was the biggest house either of us had either seen. Well, the biggest house in Townsville, anyway.
It had a pink roof and purple walls. There was a water fountain in the front, and I could see a long pool and a picket fence behind the house. There were also a bunch of little buildings surrounding the house that said things like "Morbucks Petting Zoo" and "Morbucks Pizza Parlor".
"Megan?" Richard said in a faint whisper.
"Uh, yeah, Dad?" I said.
"Here's my camera," Richard said, handing me a camera. "It takes pictures and video. Take lots of both. And pet a llama for me, please?"
"Yeah, sure thing, Dad," I chuckled.
"Tell me all about it in the morning when you come home," Richard said.
Apparently Mr. Morbucks was gonna be at work all night.
"Dad, aren't you coming to the door with me?" I asked, when I noticed he wasn't getting out of the car with me.
"Um, no, I don't think so, Megan," he replied.
He was obviously either scared of Mr. Morbucks or Princess- or both.
"Fine, Dad," I said rolling my eyes.
"Give me a call tonight," Richard said. Then he gave me one last wave and drove off.
I climbed the numerous stairs to the front door.
One could get a good workout from climbing those stairs.
Finally I reached the door and was about to knock on it but then Mr. Morbucks opened it. He was a tall, chubby, bald, and wore slippers and a robe.
"Hello, sir," I said smiling politely. "I'm Megan. I'm gonna be baby sitting your daughter, so I-"
He turned around and walked back into the house.
I was guessing that he was doing that to let me know he wanted me to come inside, so I slowly followed him inside. I looked around the living room.
"Wow," I whispered.
There was a huge sculpture of Princess in the middle of the room and tons of old ancient Roman-styled columns and tons of hallways full of gift shops, rest rooms, elevators, and murals.
"Was it really expensive to get this place to look like this?" I asked Mr. Morbucks, trying to make conversation.
He didn't respond. He was obviously a very silent person. That worked for me. I wasn't very talkative either. We'd get along just fine.
He entered a room and then came out five minutes later in a different outfit. Now he was wearing a suit; probably what he wears to work.
Then he started toward the front door.
Before he left for work he handed me TWO HUNDRED DOLLAR BILLS!
I was liking this job.
"Thank you so much!" I said gratefully.
But he was gone.
"Wow, this is great," I said, spinning in a circle. I was enjoying my few moments of success and wealth and peace and quiet.
I heard footsteps nearby.
I turned around.
"BABY SITTER! IT'S ABOUT TIME YOU GOT HERE!"
Princess entered the room angrily. She was wearing a long purple dress, ballerina slippers, and a necklace that looked like it was made of real pearls.
"Hey there, Princess," I said smiling as brightly as I possibly could. I wanted those bucks, so I needed to be very, very friendly.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," she said, rolling her eyes. "Why did it take so long for you to get here, anyway?"
"Well, my dad got lost," I explained. "It took him a while to actually find this house-"
"Has he ever heard of a GPS?" Princess asked.
"Yes, that's what he used to get here, actually," I pointed out.
"Then you're just making excuses," Princess declared. "When my daddy uses a GPS he gets everywhere he needs to: TEN MINUTES EARLY!"
"Well, my dad just got the GPS," I pointed out. "He's still learning how to use it."
"My daddy learned how it worked the first time he used it!" Princess bragged. "And he doesn't sound like a dork when he talks on the phone."
I got angry.
But I had to pretend I didn't.
"So what do you want to do?" I asked her in a sugary sweet baby-sitter voice.
"Ride on my rollercoaster," she replied, heading toward the back door.
My jaw dropped. "You have a rollercoaster in your house?" I asked in shock.
"Duh, it's just in the back yard," she said. "Along with my carousel, racecar track, football field, public swimming pool, and TV studio set."
"So you want me to come?" I asked.
She made a face. "Uh, yeah, you're my baby sitter, aren't you? You can do anything you want when you're here."
"Wow, that's really cool," I said.
"Cool?" she repeated with a scoff. "Not really. Daddy hasn't bought me my log flume yet. Now come on. You don't want the line to get too long."
So we got outside. I was excited to see this rollercoaster.
"Oh no," I groaned when I saw it.
It was the biggest rollercoaster I'd ever seen. I watched as other people rode on it. There were tons of hairpin turns, twists, drops, and times when the coaster went upside down. It shouldn't have been a problem for me since I've gone on rollercoaster's before. But all the rollercoaster's I'd ever been on were small, baby-like coasters.
"What's the matter?" Princess wanted to know, folding her arms over her chest and tapping her foot impatiently. "Come on! Let's go!"
"That's okay. You can go," I told her. "I just ate something and I'll be sick if I go on it. Have fun. I'm just gonna sit this one out."
"Wait a minute," she said. "Are you scared?"
"No, I'm not scared!" I snapped.
"Then why aren't you gonna go on the rollercoaster?" she asked.
"I told you why!" I pointed out. "I don't feel good. I had a big lunch."
"Well, that isn't gonna do," she said smugly. "My chefs are preparing a large banquet for you for dinner, so you need to eat the whole thing, or else you'll be rude."
Look who was calling who rude.
"Fine," I sighed, rolling my eyes. "I'll go on the rollercoaster with you. How bad can it be?"
"Great!" she said triumphantly. "The main drop is ninety five feet tall, by the way."
"Goodie, sounds like fun," I said sarcastically.
"Come on!" she insisted, grabbing me by my arm. We ran up to the line where there were only four people in front of us. "Yay!" she said. "Short line!"
"Yippee," I muttered.
My heart beat fast when I got into the coaster and buckled my seatbelt. I'd never been on a rollercoaster this big before. I looked down and saw miles and miles of sky below me. We were almost above the clouds now.
"Relax," I told myself. "These things are usually very fast and short. It'll be over before I know it."
"I don't know what you're so worried about," Princess said with a scoff. "I've been on this thing a billion times. The only thing that ever bothers me on it is the terrified, screaming people."
Then the ride gave a jolt and started!
Everyone was screaming except for me who suffered in silence, and Princess who wasn't scared at all. I closed my eyes through the whole thing, so it was over soon.
After the rollercoaster we went over to the TV studio. "They're filming a sitcom," Princess explained. "They're never that funny though."
We sat inside, and watched a bunch of comedians performing live. The people in the audience around us laughed constantly, but Princess told me not to laugh at their corny jokes.
Then we went to the race car track, but luckily we weren't driving the cars. We just sat in the stands. Princess was busy explaining all the different drivers' backgrounds to me. Actually she was yelling because she wanted to be heard over all the noise. One of the cars went up in flames!
"Oh my gosh!" I gasped.
"What?" Princess asked.
"That guy's car just blew up," I replied.
The driver came safely running out of the car.
"Thank God he's okay," I sighed in relief.
"Who cares?" Princess said rolling her eyes. "If he wasn't, we could just buy a replacement."
I gave her a dirty look. She didn't notice though because she was too focused on how long it took for the firemen to put out the fire.
A few hours later I had dinner in her dining room. There were a bunch of chefs, maids, waiters, and waitresses everywhere. A chef with a French accent brought a plate over.
"It's something different," he told Princess.
"Thank you," she told him.
On the plate was something I couldn't even look at, let alone eat.
Princess could tell I didn't like it. "What are you waiting for?" she asked. "Dig in."
"You want me to eat a sheep?" I asked.
She started laughing. "It's not a sheep. It's lamb."
"Isn't that the same thing?" I asked.
"I don't know," she said. "Who cares?"
I didn't want to be rude so I just told the chef I wasn't feeling too well.
After dinner she told me to come to her room.
"You need to read me a bedtime story," she demanded.
"What story?" I asked.
"One about a princess," she replied.
"You're gonna have to give me a little more information than that," I pointed out. "There's a billion stories about princesses out there."
"Shush! Shush!" she snapped.
The maid walked out of the room and smiled at us. Princess smiled back sarcastically and then locked the door behind the maid. Then Princess quickly got dressed into her long purple nightgown and put curlers in her hair. She got under her covers.
"You have to tell me about the Power Puff Girls," she whispered.
"Excuse me?" I said.
"Come here," she demanded, waving me over.
I sat by the side of her bed.
"What do you want me to do?" I asked.
"Tell me about the Power Puff Girls," she repeated.
"Uh, I'm afraid I can't do that," I said.
"Why not?" she snapped.
"Because it's really not any of your business," I pointed out.
"Everything's my business!" she argued.
"What makes you think that's your business?" I wanted to know.
"Because I want to be a Power Puff Girl!" she shouted.
I scoffed. "You're never gonna be a Power Puff Girl," I told her. "Deal with it. Move on."
"Not if I can help it," she muttered, crossing her arms.
I let out an annoyed sigh. "How are you gonna be a Power Puff Girl by me telling you things about them?"
"That isn't why I want you to tell me about them," she said. "I think they're interesting and I want to know what it's like being their friend. They must be fascinating people."
I sighed. "What do you want to know?"
What could she do anyway?
"Well, just tell me about them," she said.
"Blossom's very smart," I explained. "Bubbles is really sweet and Buttercup's very tough."
"Boring!" she shouted. "I already knew that!"
"I'm not gonna tell you anymore than that," I snapped.
"Just tell me about what they like and that sorta thing," she begged.
"Why?" I asked. "Why is that of any interest to you?"
"They're the most famous girls in Townsville," she pointed out. "It must be really cool to hang out with them. I was in their kindergarten class, but they never hung out with me too much. They didn't like me. They were very mean."
Not really. I could see why they wouldn't like her.
"Well, if that's the case, then I don't want to tell you anything about them," I said. "If they don't like you then they probably don't want you to know anything about them."
"But they're really mean!" she insisted. "They hate me for no reason at all! Maybe if you told me a little bit about them I might know what makes them so tense and why they don't like me."
"There's nothing mean about them," I argued.
"That's cause they like you," Princess pointed out.
"Maybe my personality just clicks with them better than yours does," I suggested. "Clashing personalities often is the cause of what makes people not like other people."
"What do you mean by that?" she asked angrily.
"Uh, well…" I said. "You know, they're so friendly, and you're…"
"I'm what?" she wanted to know.
Spoiled, annoying, and unlikable.
"You're very headstrong."
To put it nicely.
"But that's a bad thing," she pointed out.
I could have said spoiled, annoying, and unlikable.
"Did you ever get into a fight with the girls or something?" I asked curiously. "Cause most of the time they like everyone."
"Are you trying to insult me?" she asked.
"No," I said shaking my head. "I'm just trying to get down to the bottom of things."
"Oh, so now you're a baby sitter and a shrink?" she asked.
"No," I said. "I was just trying to help."
"Well, it's not working," she scoffed.
"What would help?" I wanted to know.
"If you made me a Power Puff Girl!" she replied.
Ah ha, that was why the girls didn't like her. She probably always nagged on them about how she wanted to join them, and they wouldn't let her.
"How am I supposed to make you a Power Puff Girl?" I asked. "I can't just give you super powers."
"Well, you can give me a little information about how they got their super powers," she pointed out.
"They never told me that," I said.
"Then ask them!" she said.
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"Cause that's really none of my business."
I really knew how they got their powers. It was Chemical X, but I couldn't tell her that.
"Well, it will be your business," she declared.
"What makes you think that?" I asked.
"Because if you don't tell me, I'll fire you," she said.
"You can't do that," I argued.
"Yes I can," she said. "I'm Princess Morbucks. My daddy gets me anything I want, so I can do whatever I want."
I glared at her as she slept. At this point I thought it would actually be a miracle if she fired me.
The next night I was sitting in my room. Richard knocked on my door and came inside. "Hey Megan," he said. He had a big smile on his face.
"Hey," I replied. I noticed he was wearing a suit. "What's the occasion?"
"Dinner," he replied.
I gave him a look. "Am I coming too?"
"Yes," he said. "That's what I was about to tell you. And you don't even have to wear a dress. Just jeans, a shirt, and a jacket. You don't have to look fancy."
"And, uh, you do?" I asked.
"Well, we're gonna be eating with someone," he said blushing.
"Gee, wonder who that might be," I said.
"You'll find out soon enough!" he said excitedly.
He obviously didn't understand sarcasm.
He left the room so I could get changed. Yeah, I only wore jeans and a jacket over a shirt. He didn't care whether or not I looked casual for his big date with Ima, and I didn't either.
"You look great," he told me.
He didn't know the definition of looking great.
"Well, thanks," I said smiling.
"Let's get to the car," he said.
So we got into the car. Richard was checking himself out in the mirror during the whole job.
I groaned. "Dad, if you're gonna keep doing that I'm gonna have to take over the wheel and start driving."
"Doing what?" he asked innocently.
I rolled my eyes and shook my head.
Then we got out of the car in front of a large, luxurious building. For a moment I thought it might have been a hotel, but it was just a fancy restaurant.
"Here we are," Richard said, tightening his tie.
Then we started toward the door. We walked inside and I noticed that everyone there was dressed so fancy. I felt like an outcast.
"Richard!" a woman squealed.
It was Ima. She came running up to Richard. She gave him a big hug and kiss. I studied what she was wearing. She was wearing a short, tight, sleeveless white sparkly dress, a pearl necklace, and high heels. She was the total opposite of who would like my dad.
I stood back so they could forget I was there.
"Oh, Megan," Richard said.
"Yeah?" I said turning around.
Richard had his arm around Ima's shoulder and Ima was giving me this smile I'd only seen on clowns before. "I know the two of you have seen each other a few times, but you've never actually been introduced formally. Megan, this is Ima," Richard said. "And, Ima, this is my daughter Megan."
"Hello Megan!" Ima said sweetly.
"Uh, hey," I replied.
"Your father has told me so much about you," Ima explained. "And let me just say, you are beautiful! Look at you! You're adorable!"
"Thanks," I said.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" she asked.
That was getting personal.
"No," I said shaking my head.
"That's insane!" she shouted. "You're too pretty not to have a boyfriend."
"Uh, thanks," I said in response.
"How about we all take a seat?" Richard asked, motioning for us to sit down.
Ima giggled hysterically when she sat down.
Now I knew why she was interested in Richard. She was a total ditz.
They sat down on one side of the booth and I sat down on the other. I stuck my nose inside the menu; even though I knew I wasn't gonna get anything here. Here they had nothing but elegant meat and vegetables. There was nothing edible like pizza.
"So, Megan, how do you like Townsville?" Ima asked curiously.
"I like it a lot," I replied. But then I wanted to say something else; something that would sneakily turn her off so she might consider leaving the city. "But there's so much crime! Every day there's a robbery here and a kidnap there! It's chaos!"
She frowned. "Yes, that's true," she said seriously. She seemed to know what I was trying to do. Maybe she was smarter than I thought.
"But at least we have the Power Puff Girls to save the day," I pointed out.
She half-frowned, half-smiled. "Yes."
"Oh, that's right!" Richard said. "Megan actually baby sits the girls for the Professor. They get along very well."
"They're like the little sisters I've never had," I said.
"Well, that's nice," Ima said, smiling widely again. I hoped her face would stick like that. "It must be cool to hang out with the famous Power Puff's."
"It is," I said in agreement.
"And have you met any more friends in Townsville?" she asked. "Like, older friends?"
"Uh, I don't remember," I said embarrassedly.
Ima turned to Richard and said, "I hope she makes some older friends. The Power Puff Girls are only just starting first grade, and Megan's going to be starting ninth. It's unhealthy for her to only know little children. I want her to expand her relationships."
"You're absolutely right!" Richard agreed.
"She is?" I asked.
"Yes," Richard said. "Megan, we're gonna work on having you make some older friends."
"Uh, okay," I said confusedly. Richard normally wouldn't care whether I had friends my age or not. He was obviously bending over backwards to suit Ima's wishes. Pathetic.
"Hey, Megan, isn't Bud about your age? Bud Smith?" Richard asked.
"He's, like, a few years younger than me," I replied. "He's probably eleven or twelve or something."
"That's good enough," Ima said.
"Yes, definitely," Richard agreed.
"So… you're saying you don't want me to hang out with the Power Puff Girls anymore?" I asked, trying to figure out what they were trying to say.
"No, no, not at all," Richard said. "I still want you to hang out with them."
"Maybe just a little bit less," Ima suggested.
"Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking," Richard said.
I rolled my eyes. Just because they told me not to hang out with the girls as much didn't mean I was actually going to listen to them. I just met this lady. What did her rules mean to me?
"What are you going to order, Megan?" Richard asked me.
"I don't know," I replied, shaking my head. "Probably just a loaf of bread or something."
"Okay," Richard said nodding.
"Oh no, Richie!" Ima protested dramatically.
"What? What is it?" Richard wanted to know.
"Nothing but a loaf of bread is very unhealthy for Megan!" Ima explained. "She can't live off of bread! She needs to make more healthy choices with her dieting! You need to be tougher! More strict! You have to give her what helps her body."
"Relax, Ima," I chuckled. "I'll have spaghetti when I get home, or something."
"You're a growing girl, Megan," Ima pointed out. "And growing girls need to eat healthy foods."
Growing girl. Where did I hear that expression before?
"But I do eat healthy foods," I argued.
"Richie, help me out," Ima begged Richard. She sounded like she was whimpering.
"Megan, we might need to change your diet," Richard told me.
"Dad, what's wrong with you?" I wanted to know. "You're the one that gives me popcorn and cold pizza every night, and now you're talking about eating healthy?"
"Richie, popcorn and cold pizza?!" Ima gasped.
"You're right! You're right!" Richard surrendered. "I must admit; I've fed poorly. But that's all gonna change after tonight. After tonight it'll only be vegetable soup for supper."
"Sounds good," Ima said, sounding satisfied.
"You've gotta be kidding me," I said angrily.
"No I'm not, Megan," Richard argued.
"Listen, Megan," Ima said, smiling. "I know that vegetable soup may not be your favorite choice, but it is healthier, and one day your body will thank you-"
"No, I don't mind the vegetable soup," I interrupted. "I always ate it when I lived with my mom. I just mind it how Dad's so different out of nowhere. Now if you excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom."
I stood up and slammed my chair under the table.
Then I marched off to the bathroom.
While I was still nearby I heard Ima telling Richard, "Give her time."
Give her time? Who did she think she was? She wasn't my mother! She had no right to tell my father to "give me time". I was sick of her already.
I didn't actually have to use the bathroom.
I just stood in front of the mirror, pacing the room, staring at the clock, waiting until fifteen minutes passed, just so I could have fifteen minutes less of this horrible nightmare.
Finally Ima came in the room.
"Megan, thank goodness you're alright!" she said dramatically. "I thought something terribly wrong must have happened to you!"
"Did you think I got sucked into the toilet?" I asked curiously. Gee, I was just in the bathroom.
"I was so worried about you," she continued, ignoring my sarcastic question.
Yeah, and, um, was Richard worried too? He was my dad, not you.
"Sorry I scared you so much."
That was all I could come up with to say.
She came running up to me and gave me a big hug. Some other lady opened the door and came in. She stared for a minute. How embarrassing. I grimaced and pat Ima on the back politely.
She finally let me go.
"Don't you ever, ever do anything like that to me ever again!" she demanded. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"
"Fine, fine, I get it!" I snapped. "Now let's go to my dad and let him know everything's alright before he gets a heart attack."
"That sounds like a perfect idea," she said, sniffing proudly for effect. Gee, she was such a drama queen.
I ran over toward the door and opened it.
She followed me back to Richard's table.
"Is everybody alright?" Richard asked.
"Yes, thankfully," Ima said, sitting down beside him. "I'm not sure if I can eat anymore. Megan gave me such a scare."
I clenched my fists. If she did this anymore I was going to throw something at her.
"Megan, why were you gone so long?" Richard wanted to know. He looked annoyed. Ima had one of her hands on her forehead and her other on Richard's shoulder. She was also outstretched on her chair.
"Dad, why do you care?" I wanted to know.
"You frightened Ima," he pointed out.
"I knew you didn't care," I muttered.
"No, Megan, I do care," he argued. "But I thought I could trust you to just run to the restroom and back. Something terrible might have happened to you."
"I was just in the bathroom," I reminded him.
"But you may have gotten sick or in trouble," Richard said. "And we didn't know whether you were hurt or not. And you may have… even… gotten… kidnapped. You know how Townsville is."
"Dad, I can take care of myself," I assured him.
Then I remembered what happened when I went to the dump to confront the Gangreen Gang. No, Megan, you cannot take care of yourself.
"I'm no longer hungry, Richie, darling," Ima said. Her voice sounded like she was about to hyperventilate.
"Me neither," Richard agreed. "Megan's never been like this before. She's always been a very sweet girl. She never spoke back to me like that before. I don't know what's wrong. It must be female hormones running wild or something."
"It's nothing, Dad," I said angrily. "I'm just really tired from baby sitting Princess all night. I'm exhausted. I'll be better in the morning."
"I hope so," Richard said. "Cause tomorrow you need your strength for baby sitting the Power Puff Girls. So just get a good sleep."
"I will, Dad," I assured him.
"Can you ask the waiter for the check, Richie?" Ima asked.
"Sure thing, babe," Richard replied.
Babe? No, this couldn't be good.
The waiter came over.
"Check, please," Richard said.
The waiter nodded politely and brought it over immediately. Richard filled it out and handed it back to the waiter.
Then he motioned for me to come to the car with him. I noticed Ima was following us too. "Where's she going?" I whispered to Richard.
"Home with us," he replied.
"What?!"
"She's gonna spend the night with us."
We got into the car. I was told to sit in the backseat so Ima could sit in the front. I sat with my arms crossed the whole ride home as they flirted and giggled together about their plans together.
Then we got into the house.
"This is our house," Richard told Ima.
"It's lovely!" Ima said with a bright smile.
Lovely? This house? She must have loved Richard a lot to actually be able to say that this house was lovely.
You know what? Who cared whether or not Ima stayed over night? She was gonna sleep in Richard's room and I wouldn't be bothered because I would be across the hall in my own bedroom. I could just tell myself in my mind that she wasn't there over and over again until I finally started believing it.
"I'm gonna go upstairs and fluff the pillows," Richard said to Ima. He was about to turn around until the phone started ringing. "Hello?"
After a few minutes of discussion he turned to Ima and groaned. "Professor Utonium just called me," he explained. "Apparently there was a robbery at the bank again and he was wondering if I would come over there to help the injured."
"Go help him, Richie," Ima insisted. "Be my hero."
"Well, can you stay here with Megan?" Richard asked.
"No, Dad," I begged, shaking my head.
"Sure thing, Richie," Ima said.
"Thanks, babe," Richard said. "I'll be back in a few hours or so."
"That's fine," Ima assured him, practically shoving him at the door. "Go do what you do."
Then she practically slammed the door once he was out of the house.
"So, I'm gonna go up to bed," I told her.
"No you're not!" she snapped, turning around. She looked incredibly furiously angry. I'd never seen her like that before.
"But it's past my bedtime," I pointed out.
"You're not going to bed until you're done tidying up every last inch of this trashy little shack!" she demanded. "Don't waste my time! Clean this henhouse! You can start by dusting the shelves!"
"Excuse me," I said. "I've never dusted a shelf in my lifetime."
"Your father spoiled you rotten when you were a child and never taught you any responsibility!" she said. "And now you're a disobedient little brat! This is what happens if you don't punish them!"
Wow. No one's ever spoken to me that way before. And I never thought my father's girlfriend would, of all people, since I could just turn around and tell him everything she did and said.
"I'm not your maid," I said toughly.
"But I'm your father's girlfriend!" she pointed out. "I can tell you to do whatever I want! Growing girls are supposed to obey their elders!"
"Elder," I laughed.
"Very funny!" she said sarcastically. She threw a rag in my face. "Now take this and clean!"
I angrily took the rag and started dusting the shelves. She grinned triumphantly. Then she sat down on the couch and started watching TV.
"Once she's out of the house I'm gonna tell Richard everything," I said to myself. "She'll no longer be number one in his life when I do."
Then I finished with the shelves. "Done."
"Now you have to mop the floors," she pointed out.
"You have gotta be kidding me," I told her.
She handed me the mop. I snatched it from her and mopped the floors. "Done," I told her when I was finished.
"Vacuum the house," she demanded.
I groaned and started vacuuming.
"No whining!" she snapped. "I want this house completely spotless if I'm gonna be coming over every night!"
Every night?! Not if I could help it.
"Hey, Ima," I said to her when I was finished. "That's all I'm gonna do. Nothing else. If you want something else done, do it yourself."
"How dare you talk to me that way!" she said in outrage. "You'll have more privileges taken away from you if you keep up with this attitude."
"You don't have any authority," I reminded her. "You're not my mother."
She grinned. "Those things can be changed."
"Not if I have a say in it," I said, anger boiling up inside of me. "I'm his daughter. I'll just tell him that you aren't who he thought he was, Goodlady."
"How are you going to convince him of that?" Ima was curious to know. "If you say anything he's not gonna believe you and will think you're jealous of me because he likes me better."
"How can he like you better?" I wanted to know. "He just met you. And again, I'm his daughter."
"He's crazy about me," Ima cackled. "There's nothing you can say that'll make him want to get rid of me. Just get over it."
"Well, you know what? Who cares?" I asked. "Who cares whether you marry him or not? If you do, I'm just gonna go back to New York to continue to live with my mom and step dad (who, by the way, never treated me the way you are)."
"Then I'd have won," Ima pointed out.
I glared at her.
"Listen!" I told her. "You aren't gonna get away with this! The Power Puff Girls are my friends! They promised they would kick your butt if I didn't like you."
"Oh, I'm so scared," Ima said sarcastically. "I've faced the Power Puff Girls. Not even they found the strength to stand up to me."
"When did you face them?" I wanted to know.
She didn't answer.
"You can go up to bed now," she told me.
"Thank God," I said loudly. I started toward the stairs up to my room. I brushed my teeth, used the bathroom, and took a shower. Then I got dressed into my night shirt and shorts. I turned my lamp on and got into bed. Yeah, sometimes I was still kinda afraid of the dark. It was something I never got over.
Then Ima stormed into the room and turned the lamp off. I glared at her. She glared right back.
"Growing girls aren't afraid of a little dark!" she pointed out. Then she slammed the door shut.
I sat there, staring around my darkened room.
I couldn't see a thing, yet I was hearing things.
Things outside, things inside, things nearby, things all around me, thoughts in my head. I didn't want to start crying but I did. I cried myself to sleep.
That morning I woke up and ran downstairs. I was about to punch Ima out if she was still in the house. But she wasn't. Only Richard was there. He was standing in the kitchen, making pancakes.
"Hey, Megan," he said in that happy-go-lucky tone he usually used.
"Hi," I said in response.
"How was Ima last night?" he asked.
This was my chance to tell him exactly what his precious Ima Goodlady was like. But then I remembered what Ima had said.
"If you say anything he's not gonna believe you and will think you're jealous of me because he likes me better."
"She was okay," I said. I hated the taste of those words; they were a big fat lie.
"Good. I'm glad," Richard said.
"How was the robbery?" I asked curiously.
He took a deep breath and sighed. "Megan, I knew they would crack," he said.
"Who?" I asked curiously.
"That Gangreen Gang," he replied.
I'd seen them crack.
"What happened?" I asked.
"They robbed the bank, which you know, of course," Richard said. "And they knocked out a few of the bankers."
I frowned angrily. "How dare them."
"Yeah, that's why I'm glad they haven't been coming back to work on Friday's," he said. "They're bad kids, Megan. Sometimes I thought they actually had a chance of turning around, but I was wrong. I'm just glad you never confronted them or anything."
I stared down at the ground guiltily.
"Were they arrested?" I asked.
"No," Richard sighed. "They ran off with the money and I suggested that the police go after them to the dump. But then one of the officers, Mike Brickowski, said we'll give them one more chance."
"They've had all their chances," I growled.
"Wow, Megan," Richard said. "I know they're an unlikable bunch, but what's caused you to resent them so much?"
"I have my reasons," I replied.
I also had my reasons for disliking Ima.
