(54) Gran

G- heard about grandpa. Everyone okay?

M- yeah. Quiet around the house. Carolynn always sleeping. Boys always hiding

G- mr. Sinclair keeping everyone together? Miss you

M- yeah he's trying. Miss you too Grace. Sorry I couldn't come to school

G- no one is surprised. We're all here for you. I tried to get most of your hw for you

M- how much is there?

G- not much. Most teachers aren't giving out hw since it's thanksgiving break tomorrow

M- wow I totally forgot it was thanksgiving. That makes all of this even worse

G- are you guys gonna do anything?

M- I dont think so. Calling hours tomorrow, funeral Wednesday

G- do you want us to come?

M- no I'm cool. I never met him. I'm just trying to be there for everyone else

G- that's so sweet, Mack. They're lucky to have you

M- can I tell you a secret?

Makennah chewed on her bottom lip and contemplated making something up instead of telling Grace the actual truth. The news she carried didn't seem so much like a burden anymore. Now, it just pressed on her mind day and night. It might be unfair to discuss this with Grace but she had to tell someone.

G- duh

M- lips sealed?

G- scouts honor

M- isn't that a Boy Scouts thing?

G- my brother was a Boy Scout

M- ...

G- just tell me!

M- okay the other day after work I found some papers on the counter. I think the Sinclair's are trying to petition the state to become my permanent legal guardian. I read through the papers and my mom would sign over all legal guardianship and she can never get me back

G- WHAT. So like...unofficial adoption?!?!?!

M- I think so!! That's what it seems like to me!! I've been googling it and that's what it sounds like. I talked to Matt after I found the papers and he said they all sat down and had a talk about keeping me forever

G- okay don't say it like that. You're not a dog Mack lol you're a person. A daughter!! And they want to love you forever!!

M- that's maybe a bit dramatic

G- you're taking this too lightly. This family that you just moved in with like two or three months ago wants to unofficially adopt you as their child forever. Your mom can never have you back. They'll probably like...send you to college. Buy you a car. Get you a puppy for Christmas

M- a puppy?

G- if you wanted it

M- I'm good with a bath bomb

G- such low expectations you have

M- it's what I want

G- they're six whole dollars

M- piss off

G- happily, Makennah Sinclair

"MAKENNAHHH!!!!"

At the sound of a blood curdling scream, Makennah shot out of her desk chair where she was "studying" (aka texting her friends to avoid studying) and leaped down the stairs. At the base of the stairs, little Jonah was clutching his chest and breathing rapidly.

"Oh my god what what?!?! What's wrong?!" Makennah seized Jonah by the shoulders and shook him violently, expecting answers to fall out of him.

"Something terrible!" Jonah shrieked, pretending to pass out.

"Oh my God!" She caught him in her arms and sank to the floor.

"It's....it's...." He gasped faintly as if he had no energy or life left in him.

Her heart beat rapidly as her eyes and hands raked over his body, searching for a source of pain or bleeding or something! Anything!

"It's great grandma Rothair," Josh explained as he poked his head into the room while munching on a handful of honey roasted peanuts.

"What? Who is that?!" Makennah yelled angrily. She didnt understand what was going on.

"The devil!" Jonah cried, almost producing actual tears.

Josh rolled his eyes. "She's senile and can barley walk."

"She doesn't need to walk! She can terrorize you from miles away!" Jonah countered dramatically.

Makennah forcefully shoved Jonah out of her lap into the floor. "You nearly gave me a heart attack! For what?! An old woman!"

Just then, the front door unlocked and swung wide open. Will's tall athletic body shadowed the entrance, and sunlight filtered onto the floor and into the house.

"Alright everyone, smiling faces!!!"

Before Makennah could move or dart back up to her bedroom to hide from Great Grandma Rothair, the devil that terrified Jonah, a frail, barely five foot, striking blue eyes, fluffy white hair, dentures grandma slapped her hands on Makennah's cheeks and wiggled her face back and forth.

Makennah gasped but couldn't move a muscle.

"Gran, that's not..." Will started.

"Gran! Whoa now!" Josh jumped in and put his arm around Makennah's shoulders.

"Ugh!" Jonah cried out and threw himself onto the stairs.

"Carolynn! Sweet child! I'm sorry such terrible circumstances bring us together again!" The old woman yelled straight in Makennah's face.

"Uh..." Makennah mumbled, searching for words.

Will placed his hand on Gran's shoulder. "Gran, that's not Carolynn," he corrected quietly.

"Well of course it is!" Gran kept her wrinkly warm hands plastered to Makennah's cheeks. "I've got eyeballs, son!"

Silently, Will pleaded with Makennah not to freak out.

"As I was saying," Gran continued after shooting Will a glare. "I am sorry, sweetheart. But ya know...maybe he's better off dead!" Gran said loudly. "That dirty bastard always was a son of a bitch!"

Behind her, Josh tried to cover his laughter by coughing.

Makennah just stood there, unsure of what to do. Gran thought she was Carolynn clearly. Although the resemblance that Gran assumed, Makennah didn't quite understand.

"Well...." Makennah said, guessing what to do in a completely awkward and unfamiliar situation. "We will miss him." That's all she could come up with.

Gran stared into her soul and shook her head sadly. "So young he was. And so young you are! You look about 20, sweetheart! What skin care products are ya using?"

Will tried to pry Gran off of her. "Gran, maybe you should let her go?" He suggested.

Gran shot him another angry look like he was intruding. "I haven't seen my grandchild in..." Gran paused and slurped some spit back into her mouth. Makennah cringed. "...in...in ten years! Give me a damn minute!"

Again, Josh stifled laughter. Jonah groaned.

"Has it been that long?" Makennah asked eyeing both Gran and Will who was grimacing so hard she feared his face might stay like that permanently.

"You don't remember? I'm the old one, sweetheart!"

Yes. That was blatantly obvious. Especially with the way she yelled because she couldn't hear herself.

Suddenly, Gran Rothair turned back to Makennah and pinched her cheeks. "Such elasticity!"

"Um...thank you." Was that a compliment?

"Yes, Mom, such elasticity!" Josh commented, nodding his head along with Gran.

"Joshua," Makennah bit out between clenched teeth.

"Gran," Will cleared his throat to capture her attention and gently tried to pry her away from Makennah. "Maybe you should sit down and we can carry in your things."

"Gran is staying here?" Makennah whispered through clenched teeth and a tight smile.

Jonah sighed. "That's exactly my point. She always has to stay in my room!"

Will turned a Grinch-y smile on Makennah. "Surprise, Jonah. This time, Gran can stay in Makennah's room."

"Makennah?!" Gran yipped. "Who is Makennah?"

"Gran, remember, we have a new daughter," Will reminded.

Makennah smacked her forehead and surged away to go clean her room. "Do I have a choice in this?" Makennah asked.

"No."

Josh crossed his arms over his shoulder. "She can't even climb the stairs," Josh pointed out.

"This isn't a democracy. What I say goes. There's no point in arguing."

"Is this a punishment? Did I do something wrong?" Makennah asked, leaning over the banister halfway up the stairs while watching Will lead Gran over to the couch and sat her down in front of the tv.

Will raised his gaze briefly. "I don't know. Did you do something wrong that deserves punishing?"

"I ate the last brownie when you told me not to," Jonah admitted in a sad remorseful tone.

"He wasn't even talking to you," Josh said, rolling his eyes. "Bud, you can get away with stuff if you don't tell on yourself." Josh cracked up laughing.

"Jonah, I specifically said Mom wants that brownie!" Will yelled, pointing a finger at Jonah.

"Dad, there's no food in the house!"

"I don't care!" Will said back.

Makennah interjected herself into the conversation again. "So I'm not being punished? I don't understand. Why my room?"

Will continued without paying any attention to her. "She hasn't eaten anything in days! She only wanted that brownie!"

"What?!" Gran screeched, assuming someone was talking to her.

"Gran, no one is talking to you!" Josh yelled over the entire room.

"Joshua," Will commanded sternly. "Watch it. Or she's staying in your room."

"I'm getting out of here," Josh grumbled, heading for the basement to hide away from Gran and Will who was clearly on edge.

"What did you say?! Is someone talking to me?!" Gran yelled louder.

"Im sorry, okay?!" Jonah cried, pushing his glasses up onto his nose and bending his neck down so he didn't have to look at Will.

"We'll talk about that later, young man. Final decision, Gran is staying in Makennah's room as a nice little initiation. You're welcome to sleep at Grace's. But Grace's house and no one else's." Over the top of his glasses, Will shot her a glare. "By that, I specifically mean you may not sleep at any boy's house. A boy whose name rhymes with Leo."

"I don't know any boys named Neo," Makennah commented sarcastically.

"I'll make a whole new batch of brownies, okay?!" Jonah screeched.

"Brownies?!" Gran shouted. "Well sure I'll take one."

Will hung his head back and sighed from deep inside his chest. "You're testing me. You're all testing me." Instead of chastising the two of them in front of Gran, Will stalked over to the side of the stairs and looked up at the both of them hanging over the banister. "Makennah, your options have been laid out for you. Gran will stay in your room because she's never stayed in your room before and this is a family of fairness. Everyone takes turns. Jonah, yes you will make new brownies for your mother and you will make the best dang brownies you've ever made in your life. Do you understand?"

Jonah nodded. "The best brownies ever. I'll do it. I swear!" Jonah promised in all seriousness.

"Makennah?" Will prompted, expecting a promise from her as well.

She sighed. She didn't even know Gran. Her entire being told her to fight this and fight it hard. Will claimed it was fair but it wasn't at all. She was the newbie after all.

In that moment, Makennah wanted to blurt out as loud as possible that she knew about the papers and the almost-real adoption and use that as her ploy to get out of this.

But instead, the fire alarm went off because Gran lit up a cigarette in the living room while she sat on the couch.

"Gran!" Will yelled, rushing over to her and grabbing the cigarette. He consequently dashed into the kitchen to run the lit cigarette under tap water and put the flame out while Gran griped and complained. Also she attempted to stand up many times but failed.

"Jonah! Help me!"

"Gotta go!" He yelled over the sound of the alarm, while he ran up the stairs and slammed his bedroom door after him.

Makennah covered her ears with her hands and ducked her head, waiting for the alarm to stop.

The faint smell of cigarettes wafted towards Makennah. Her nose itched from the smell. Many many memories of lit cigarettes cluttered her mind.

"What the heck?" Matt emerged from his room and turned to Makennah for answers for the sound of the fire alarm.

"Gran lit a cigarette in the living room," she explained, keeping her ears covered.

Matt smirked. "Yeah I'm avoiding that."

"Everything okay?" Nick came out of his room too.

"Gran is here," Matt said. "Probably for the funeral."

"Still smoking I see." Nick laughed and retreated back to his room.

"Sensitive alarm," Makennah commented.

"Most are in these neighborhoods. Precious mansions need saving," Matt said and rolled his eyes.

Her eyes lit up. Makennah started to smile and uncovered her ears. "I have an idea."

Matt quirked an eyebrow. "An idea for what?"

She climbed the stairs slowly and stood in front of Matt. "We're gonna catch Cassandra."

Matt crossed his arms over his chest. "Catch her...what? Cheating?"

She smiled brighter. "Exactly. But first things first...we're gonna need Theo."

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Exciting chapter coming next!!

Stay tuned

Xoxo

W. Carolina