Unexpected Family

I Don't Know What I'm Doing

Billie's POV

They woke me up at 6:12 a.m.

Not one after the other. Not gently. Not with a soft knock or a quiet little voice.

Nope.

They stormed my room.

Skylar was holding her dinosaur in one hand and a hairbrush in the other like she was about to tame a lion.

Mackenzie had somehow gotten into my hoodie drawer and was wearing one that nearly touched the floor.

And both of them were yelling.

"BILLIEEEEEEEE!"

I shot up in bed, heart pounding, convinced the house was on fire.

Skylar jumped onto the mattress like it was a trampoline. "We're HUNGRY."

Mackenzie flopped down beside me. "And we made your bed ugly so now you gotta wake up."

I blinked. "What... time is it?"

Skylar grinned like she'd just won something. "It's wake-up o'clock!"

Oh my god.

This is worse than jet lag.

I dragged myself to the kitchen, still half-asleep, and tried to figure out how to make breakfast for two tiny humans who had the energy of a stadium tour and zero patience.

"Do you want waffles?" I asked, opening the freezer.

"No," Skylar said. "Yes," Mackenzie said at the exact same time.

I turned around. "Okay... do you want pancakes?"

"No," they both said together.

I squinted. "Then what do you want?"

Skylar held up her dino. "She wants eggs."

I looked at the dinosaur, then at her. "Cool. And do you want eggs too?"

Skylar nodded solemnly. "If you make them smiley."

What.

I ended up cracking five eggs, burning two, and shaping one into something that kind of looked like a smiley face if you squinted and tilted your head.

They were thrilled.

I was not.

After breakfast, things only got weirder.

Skylar started calling my dog Shark "Grandpa." Mackenzie accidentally flushed a sock.

They found my Grammy in the guest bathroom and used it as a pretend microphone to perform their own version of Bad Guy ("I'm a snack guy... I eat snacks, guy...").

And I just stood there, arms crossed, wondering what the hell I'd signed up for.

I wasn't mad. I wasn't even annoyed.

I was... overwhelmed.

I didn't know how to do this. I didn't know how to entertain them, or comfort them, or even get them to sit still for two minutes.

Every time I looked away, someone was climbing something or spilling something or asking me a question I didn't know how to answer.

But the weirdest part?

I didn't hate it.

Not yet, anyway.