"AHHHHHHHHHH!"
Lulu's scream is better than a doorbell, at least in my opinion.
It was the only thing that got me out of a drawing trance, really.
ESPECIALLY a Batman-related drawing trance.
Hey, no judging my preferences!
"Hey, kids! Get your butts down here and say hello!"
When my mom gets that tone, there are usually two options: follow orders, or rebel.
I choose the former, since mom had enough of the second from Zoe and Seth as it was.
Checking my room for anything out of place or in danger from younger siblings, I slipped on my old sneakers and walked out to meet the new babysitter.
The others were already on the stairs, and I stopped beside Seth while studying the new arrival.
He was definitely big, especially compared to me, with the build of a true soldier.
"'Kay, you've already met Lulu…This is Zoe, my twins Seth and Cece, and Peter." Mom introduced, and the familiar urge to hide sprang up.
Damn it, I don't like people looking at me…
"Kids, this is Lieutenant Wolfe. He's the man that's going to be staying with you while I'm away."
"Hi…" Zoe greeted, showing how awkward this situation was.
Getting a Navy SEAL for a babysitter isn't exactly an everyday occurrence…
I noticed the nanny come in with my littlest brother before mom did, but that's nothing new.
I'm proud of having an eye for detail; it did wonders for my drawing.
"And this is Helga, and Tyler."
"Ma'am. Baby."
Boy, did he have a deep voice…
"That's a pretty dress."
"Thank you. I have date with butcher tonight. I want to look nice-."
Tyler sure could belch it out, for being such a tiny baby...
Poor Helga.
I've never understood why I'm so easy to miss.
Sure, I'm pretty average, brown hair, hazel eyes, small frame, but that's not enough for most people to be completely overlooked.
Dad said it was my special superpower, and called me Ghost…
Sitting at the kitchen table, putting the finishing touches on my sketch of Batman, mid-flight over Gotham, I kept an ear open to mom's conversation with Lieutenant Wolfe as she cleaned up.
"You have a pleasant family."
"Well…For the younger ones, I don't think it's really sunk in yet. It's been hardest on Zoe and the twins…but they don't really like to talk about it."
Her unsaid words rung in my ears no matter how much I tried to block them out, the worry in her tone drilling them into my brain…
'And Cece doesn't talk at all anymore.'
"…It must be hard on all of them."
"Well, Howard wasn't around much. His work took him all over the world. He'd be gone six, seven months at a time."
"Yeah, I can understand that lifestyle…"
…
"…Anyway…About a week ago, someone broke into the house."
The soft words caught my full attention, and I focused fully on the conversation.
"No one was home, I didn't tell the kids because I didn't want to scare them."
"Mrs. Plummer, I've dealt with-."
Even I had missed Gary walked up to Lieutenant Wolfe, nearly choking on a laugh when the duck bit his ear.
Pushing away from my work, I immediately grabbed up my pet when he released, hugging him to my chest in case anyone tried to roast him for dinner.
"Sorry, that's Gary." Mom apologized for me, knowing I wasn't about to open my mouth.
"Howard got him for Cece. He thinks he's a guard dog."
Looking towards me for the first time, I already knew she felt bad for having missed my presence.
She was a mother of six, after all, I couldn't blame her for missing the one child that didn't make a fuss…
"Why don't you take Gary into the other room?"
Nodding, I held Gary under one arm and collected my things with the other, sensing that the conversation would be on hold until I was gone.
Nice to know they didn't trust the girl that refused to talk…
I've always been protective of my family, dad used to say it was in my genes, but I noticed how much stronger the instinct had become since he…left.
Instead of only threatening people that messed with my siblings, I've thrown the first punch.
Instead of only glaring when someone shoots spitballs at Seth, I smack the perpetrator with my textbook.
That's probably why everyone at school gives me such a wide berth…
In the two months since dad…left, I haven't been away from any one family member for more than a handful of hours.
Everything inside of me was telling me to stop mom from going to Switzerland for that stupid box, but I bit my tongue.
Literally.
She had to go, national security and all that.
"I'll be back in forty-eight hours." Mom promised, looking right at me.
Knowing she was trying to soothe my nerves, I nodded and managed a smile for her.
We watched her go down to the black car with Tyler in her arms, followed by Helga and Lieutenant Wolfe.
I thought about what they might be saying, but decided I didn't need to know.
Though the look she sent us made me rethink my decision…
Waving a hand half-heartedly, I turned to go back inside, shooing Gary away from the open door as the others followed.
Halfway up the stairs, watching my siblings go their separate ways, I got the feeling this entire situation was going to go bad VERY quickly…