To Be a Hero | MLB

5: The Vase

The triplets heard about Paris' superheroes at school, and now they're stuck between wanting to be heroes themselves and thinking they are heroes themselves.

"Look, Tori! Look, I can fly!" Ian shouts from his spot on the kitchen counter.

Jakob runs in from the family room and lifts Ian off the counter, then sets him down on the floor. Ian just climbs back up, and I hurry back into the family room at the sound of a thud.

Isaac is trying to run up the wall while Isaiah cheers him on, kicking at him when he falls.

"Get up," Isaiah shouts. "Superheroes don't fall!"

Isaac pulls himself to his feet and shoves Isaiah hard to the ground. "Looks like you're not a superhero, then."

The two start chasing each other, and I hear Jakob yelling at Ian to get off the counter. And, sitting calmly in the middle of it all, is Jaxon. He's on the couch, drawing, as usual. I march over to him and yank out one of his earbuds—one that he's had in since our disastrous walk home.

"Are you even going to help?" I ask him, and he doesn't even look at me.

"I'm eleven months older than you, you know," he reminds me, and I roll my eyes.

"So?"

"So stop trying to boss me around." I'm about to throw his earbud at him when he adds, "Tori, you need to chill. They're kids—they'll tire themselves out eventually."

Jakob steps into the family room with a flailing Ian thrown over his shoulder. "Why don't I throw you out of the window?" he asks Ian. "That'll test whether or not you can fly." Ian immediately stops struggling and starts sobbing. "Oh, for God's sake." He starts to carry him toward the triplets' bedroom, but Isaac and Isaiah run around the couch and run smack into him. Jakob manages to stay on his feet, but Isaac and Isaiah aren't so lucky.

The two crash into an unpacked cardboard box, and everyone in the room freezes as a loud shattering noise erupts from inside.

We all watch in silence as Jakob walks over to the box and opens it. He sucks in a breath and pulls out a shard of the beautiful vase my dad bought for my mom on their tenth wedding anniversary ten years ago. Her favorite vase.

"Oh no," Jaxon mutters.

"We need to get this cleaned—" Jakob starts but is cut off by the sound of our apartment's door opening.

"I'm home!" my mom calls, and we all scramble to shove the box containing the broken vase behind the couch.

Jakob goes to meet her, and I run after him, intending to stop him before he can tell our mom what happened. He's never been one to lie—something I've admired... up until now.

"Mom, please don't get upset—"

I grab Jakob's arm. "Don't," I hiss into his ear.

He shakes me off. "Mom, something happened."

She sets her bag on the kitchen table and turns to us. "Something bad?"

Reluctantly, Jakob and I nod.

"Your vase" is all he whispers, and my mom instantly runs into the family room. She nudges my brothers, who have formed a human shield in front of the couch, aside and peeks inside the box.

Her eyes widen, then fill with tears. "Out," she says quietly. "Out. All of you. I'll spend the evening unpacking, since you all clearly don't know how to."

Ian steps toward her. "Mommy—"

"Out," she says again, louder this time. "Just leave, and don't come home until I call you."

So, Jaxon, Jakob, and I usher the triplets out of the apartment and down into the lobby of our building.

"Should we each take a triplet?" Jakob asks, already trying to assert a sense of authority. "Or maybe we should all stay together."

"Do what you want," I snap. "I'm leaving." It's not my fault the vase is broken, so I shouldn't have to be punished, right? I should be able to spend my evening in peace, not chasing after the people who caused this mess to begin with.

Despite Jakob's protests, I push out of the apartment building and into the fresh spring air, vowing to take some much-deserved time for myself, and only myself.