"Gertrude! Billy's stuck in the closet again!" Papa hollers to his wife, struggling to open the closet door.

"Again?! Why don't we just take the door off?" Gertrude replies back, as she struggles to get Sally off her leg. She smelt the waffles Mama was making.

"What?! I paid good money for that door! We ain't taking it off! Just use yer' crowbar!" Papa hisses.

"Papa! There's a rat in here!" Billy chirps happily. "Aww-- OW! It bit me! Papa it bit me!" Billy cried.

"Calm down, honey. Mama's got her crowbar." Gertrude pries open the door with her tool.

"Mama! The waffles are burning!" Sally screeches.

"Oh no!" Gertrude rushes back to the kitchen with a yelp. "The oven is on fire again!"

"Keep it down up here you nerds! I can't hear myself think with all this racket!" Spencer yells from the basement in a lisp.

"Don't tell me what to do, Spencer! Get back in the basement!" Papa hollers.

Chaos. That's the only word to describe the household. It was loud, it was out of order.

It was the Acachalla's.

Sally, Billy, and Spencer were only in elementary school when she showed up at their doorstep.

"Why does this always happen to us?!" Sally whines.

"I don't know!" Billy exclaims. "Just our luck!"

DING-DONG

Everything seemed to freeze.

Nobody made a sound.

"... I'll get it." Mama says slowly. 

She walks hesitantly to the front door and takes a deep breath. "... Nobody ever comes to our house these days... Who would.....?"

Gertrude slowly opens the door. She looks down and gasps softly, covering her mouth. "... Oh my goodness."

"Who's there? One of 'em military folk?" Papa asks quietly.

"No... No Papa look!" Gertrude gestures her husband over. The kids follow.

On the doorstep, standing there was a little girl with long jet black hair. She wore a big purple sweater and had soft brown eyes.

"Aw! She's cute!" Billy chirps. The girl blushes softly from embarrassment.

"Hey there... Are you lost?" Mama asks, kneeling down to the little girl's level.

The girl shakes her head no.

".. Are you homeless?" Mama asks, her voice softening.

The girl looks down and nods slowly, and she lets out a soft sniffle.

"Oh my... Papa, we need to take this little girl to an orphanage or something!" Gertrude exclaims, standing up to face her husband.

Papa stares at her. ".. You can't trust her! She must be one of 'em Girl scout agents.. Tryin' to make us feel guilty an' make us give our money! Well it won't work!" Papa laughs strongly.

Sally hisses at him. "Papa!"

The girl looks at her hands and slowly spawns a fresh chocolate chip cookie shaped like a heart. She waddles up to Papa Acachalla and slowly rises the cookie up and offers it to him.

Papa looks at it in surprise. He takes the cookie from the girl and cautiously takes a bite from it. His eyes widen as he stares at the girl. "This.. This tastes just like the cookies mah Mama used to make..." He mutters.

The girl, still refusing to speak, looks up at Papa with her soft brown eyes.

Something sparks in the Acachalla and he smiles warmly. "... Sally, Billy, Spencer? Show your new sister to your room. She can have the bunk under Spencer's." He says.

Billy and Sally squeal- leaving Spencer generally confused.

"Yay! C'mon! Let's show you to our room!" Billy cheers and takes the girl's hand, and runs upstairs.

"B-Bu.. Papa! Are you sure?!" Mama asks nervously.

Papa chuckles. "I knew you wanted to keep her, Gertrude. And what's the problem in having one more little rascal running around?"

Gertrude stares in shock, then smiles. ".. You just changed that little girl's life, Papa Acachalla." She kisses his cheek and rushes back to the kitchen to finish preparing dinner.

Papa blushes faintly, but smiles. ".. She was too cute to resist, anyways." He mutters and chuckles again, going to the kitchen to help Gertrude prepare dinner.

For the first time in years.

--- --- ---

"This'll be your bunk!" Sally chirps.

The room had 2 bunk beds. Sally got bottom, Billy got top. And now, Spencer was sharing his bunk bed with his new sister.

"... This isn't right." Spencer grumbles from his top bunk.

"What isn't?" Billy asks curiously.

"This!" Spencer gestures to the girl. "Mama and Papa just adopted some.. Strange kid from our front door! And now I'm forced to share my bunk bed with her?! It's unfair!" He hisses, his lisp strong.

"Don't be mean! She's not strange!" Sally scolds her ginger brother.

"Anybody else notice she hasn't said a word since she showed up?" Spencer snaps.

"She's shy!" Billy retaliates. "You're just being a jerk because you're jealous!"

"I am NOT! The mighty Spence refuses to be in the same living quarters as this.. Thing!" Spencer hops down from his bunk and scowls.

"Uh.." Sally looks around Spencer, noticing the girl holding a pacman ghost plushie of 'Blinkie'.

Spencer's plushie.

"Hey!" Spencer yelps and snatches it away from the girl. "Don't touch my stuff! This is mine!" He hisses.

The girl looks at him, not in fear or sadness- but curiosity.

"Don't take it personally. He won't let ANYONE touch Blinkie." Sally rolls her eyes.

"We should go see if dinner's ready..." Billy laughs nervously and drags Sally out of the room, not wanting to get involved with a brawl. 

Spencer turns his back to his new sister and holds the ghost toy in his hands. The girl waddles to the door to follow the other two kids- but turns back and sees her ginger brother and frowns.

She slowly walks up to him and reaches to touch his shoulder-

"... Nobody understands me..." He mumbles.

The girl blinks. She gently tilts her head, trying to see Spencer's face.

"... I'm the nerd of the family. I don't fit in. Compared to the others... I'm an outcast..." He continues, dropping the plushie to the floor.

"... A-And the last thing I need... Is another kid to remind me how out of place I am!" Spencer snaps coldly, tears streaming down his cheeks.

The girl looks down sadly at her brother, and sits down next to him. He sobs quietly, not moving.

The girl carefully places her hand on top of Spencer's, making him look at her with a mixed expression of anger and brokenness.

She looks at him with sorrow filled eyes. She points to herself, signifying her to be an outcast as well.

Spencer wipes his tears with his free hand and looks at her with confusion. ".. You're normal.. Aren't you?"

The girl shakes her head no. She covers mouth with her hands.

The ginger's eyes widen. ".. Oh.. I.. I get it."

The girl nods slowly and looks at the toy ghost.

"... I guess we're both kinda outcasted... Not like we can do anything about it." Spencer sniffles, fixing his glasses onto his nose.

The girl grabs Spencer's free hand and puts it on the toy. He picks it up and hugs it tightly to his chest.

She holds his hand tightly and helps him up, leading him downstairs- where they could already hear the arguments of the kids and parents.

"I said dinner will ready in 10 minutes! I can't speed up time!" Mama exclaims in annoyance to her daughter.

"Poop!" Sally screeches.

Billy and Papa tried to stay out of the argument.

Spencer hesitates to step forward when the girl tugs him forward. They approach the small group of 4 and fighting stops instantly.

Mama and Papa turn to the two children.

".. Is something wrong?" Mama asks worriedly.

"Uh.. I.." Spencer bites his lip, looking to the girl for assurance. But he sees her tearing up. She let's out a soft sniffle and looks at him through her hair. Giving me a look that says 'let it out'.

Tears sting Spencer's eyes as they trail down his cheeks. He sniffles and tightens his grip on his new sister's hand, still having the Blinkie plushie in his other hand.

Everyone's hearts shatter when they see the two children crying. Mama instantly understands and rushes over to them and pulls them into a tight hug.

Papa hesitates, but then sees Billy and Sally look sad for their siblings and walk over to comfort them too.

He sighs and slowly walks over to Spencer, hugging him and his new daughter. ".. We're here for ya..." Papa mutters, a small smile on his face.

Spencer smiles weakly and looks at his new sister, who's curled up happily in the embrace of Mama. She opens one eye and sees her ginger brother and slightly smiles.

'I got your back'

That's what Spencer read in her eyes.

He smiles wider. 'Me too.' He mouths back and sighs quietly.

The hug ends after awhile and everyone sits in a comfortable silence in the kitchen. "... Mama? Papa?" Spencer pipes up.

"Yes?" The two ask softly.

"... Can I pick out a name for my new sister?" He asks sheepishly, hugging the Blinkie.

The two parents exchange smiles. "Of course. We were thinking of naming her something like Violet or Jessica. What do you suggest?" Mama asks softly.

"... Hope." Spencer smiles as he looks at his sister. "Hope Acachalla."

"It's perfect!" Sally chirps.

"It suits her!" Billy laughs happily and hugs his new sister. "I like it!"

Papa looks at his wife. ".. She DOES look like a Hope." He replies with a shrug. Mama smiles brightly. ".. Then Hope it is!"

The girl, now named Hope Acachalla, smiles widely and hugs her three siblings. They all laugh happily.

"Let's go watch tv until dinner!" Billy suggests.

"Yeah!" Sally cheers.

"Hope?" Spencer looks to the newest member of the family. 

Hope smiles and nods as they walk to the living room.

--- --- ---

"Kids! Dinner's ready!" Mama calls out.

Unlike usual, there's no thudding down stairs, stomping, or rushing of any kind. No kids show up to the table.

".. Kids?" Mama calls again.

"Where are they?" Papa asks curiously, placing a fresh plate of waffles on the table.

"I don't know.. Check the living room for me, hun." Gertrude replies.

Papa nods and peeks into the living room. His Acachalla heart melts at what he sees. ".. Gertrude. Come see this."

Mama quickly peeks in and coos. "... Spencer never let's anyone hold Blinkie..." She says in astonishment.

"Hope sure is somethin' special." Papa smiles warmly.

"She really is." Mama smiles brightly and sighs. "Our family's Hope."

In the living room, what they saw, was Spencer and Hope curled up together on the couch, with Billy and Sally on each of their lap's. Hope and Spencer were both holding Blinkie.

The toy that Spencer never let anyone else touch.