"Skyler, I'm trying to pick up here. Bobby and his mom are on their way over here, and I don't have super speed like some people."

"You want me to super speed for you?"

"It'll set your asthma off, and what I want is for you to go hang out in your room until he gets here."

"But, Mom, it's really important. What if there's a fire? We have to plan an escape route. Ron the fireman said so."

"First of all, I'm probably the only flammable person in the house, and second of all, there's not that many options. The door or the fire escape, but your dad would have the fire out before an escape was necessary. You have nothing to worry about. Now will you please let me clean?" She sighed as she took her arm full of toys to the toy box. "There's something I never would've thought I'd hear myself say. If I'm not careful, I'm going to turn into some boring housewife."

Skyler laughed. Boring and his mom didn't go together. She gave him a sharp look, and he started off to his room, but decided to go to Noel's room instead. "Hey, Noel. What are you doing?" he asked.

She was supposed to be taking a nap, but she was on the floor with her toys spread everywhere. She held up her doll, whose head she was tugging on. Skyler hoped Noel never became a mother. Of course, she was only two. Maybe she'd get less violent. He sat down with her and pretended he was talking on one of her toy cell phones to somebody. She thought he was talking to a real person and kept pulling his arm down to listen only to be disappointed.

A little bit later, Bobby arrived.

"How much trouble did you get into?" Skyler asked when he came through the door.

"I can't go to school for a week, and I have to talk to the guidance counselor."

"That's a punishment?" Skyler asked. Taking a week off from school sounded like a nice vacation to him.

Bobby shrugged. "That's only the school's punishment. Mom took away my video games and TV for a month. I'm lucky she let me come over here to play with you. She probably just doesn't want me out of her sight while she visits with your mom."

"I bet you'll be more careful now."

Bobby shrugged and joined Skyler and Noel on the floor. Noel brought him one of her favorite toys, a stuffed pig that made oinking sounds when you squeezed it.

Bobby smiled weakly. "Thanks, Noel."

She grinned. Even at her tender age, she knew he needed some cheering up. She said something unintelligible, her attempt at a your welcome.

"So you can't watch TV or play video games. What do you want to do?" Skyler asked.

Bobby shrugged and squeezed the pig.

They were all startled when something came in through the open window. Someone outside must have thrown a ball in. He went to pick up the round object when it started spraying something out. Before he could grasp what was going on, he got very sleepy and felt himself crashing to the floor.

He opened his eyes, and he wasn't in his room anymore. He was with Bobby and Noel, but they were still asleep. There was a crib in the room too. He went over and peeked in. It was his cousin, Martha, or Martie as everyone had taken to calling her. She appeared to be aright. She blinked her big, brown eyes at him. She obviously hadn't been expecting to see him, and she was in a strange environment. She started to cry. He tried opening the locked door, but his strength was gone somehow. He didn't feel sick. He jumped up as high as he could, which wasn't very high and tried to get a look out the tiny window on the door, but he couldn't see anybody or anything.