That night, for once, I openly accepted the bed's offer to tuck me in as its hands slowly cradle me. If the morning wasn't hard enough, learning all of Loran's daily tasks and the specific request I needed to fulfill, hell might as well have broken loose when they all got home.

It all started so simply. The first two who came home were Luana and Lavender. Luana was the least of my troubles. Only cracked some jokes that she deemed funny while motioning up the stairs to do her own thing within her and Luna's shared room.

Conversely, Loran requested that I help with her math homework and help prepare her sports gear for baseball. Safe to say, I and Lavender weren't too keen on the idea. If the constant looks of crossed-eyed annoyance every time I corrected her for a problem showed for it.

Though I made a promise to Loran, I sucked up any voluntary combat in my throat and swallowed it. Still, teaching her how to do math was like trying to teach a foundling to wield a pistol. Painful and sluggish. At least they have the excuse that they're below the age of ten.

After what felt like hours of glaring combat with the eyes, I then helped pack some of her gear and watched her ride off an hour later with a fellow teammate. Not forgetting to give me one last round of a snake hissing through her eyes before she did.

The real hard part however was when the whole bunch came back all at once. Lisa, Lincoln, Lana, and Lola. Once I told them that I'd be filling in for Loran for the evening, the twins took no time rushing towards me, pulling my pants each in opposite directions, begging me to help them first over the other.

Lincoln threw me a bone and offered to be the subject for something Loran or should I say, I should have been. Lisa nodded, seeming to accept the proposal to leave me with the twins. Eventually, after maybe ten minutes of them bickering with one another still in earshot, Lola gives in and lets Lana have me while she finishes preparations. Lana then hugs Lola bringing out one of those rare warm smiles from her and then rushes me by the pants into the dining room.

All I needed to do was simply help her glue on some planets for a solar system project her class was doing. Though whatever she was using for the planets must have been brittle and rare because my hands worked double to not crush them into pebbles. Sadly, even working double couldn't stop my metal one from cutting Pluto down to the tips of my middle finger.

I thought she would have been mad, but she just laughed it off claiming that Pluto was already too big. For the next few hours, we continued letting our laughter echo throughout the house until she took her diorama out of the dining room and into the garage for safe storage. All that was left was to deal with Lola to see what she had in store for me.

I went and knocked on her door and she happily let me in and told me to take a seat at a children's pink table with stuffed animals in chairs circling it. She then explained that I would need to play the part of the guest, the butler, and a character she called Mrs. Puffol who would talk with a wacky British undertone. I did my best, but clearly, I wasn't a good actor as Lola stated multiple times throughout the session.

Lana ended up joining for a little bit to my relief, but she got kicked out just as quickly for burping open mouth all while drinking tea. That left only me to see that cold nightmarish grin every time she poured me a cup. The tea granted was pretty good being peach sweet but yet smooth going down the throat. However, thanks to that grin, I would get the sense she laced it with something that could drop me convoking at any moment.

Her open-toothed smile, especially, gave me a tap of shivers the more she did so. My saving grace, to my surprise, was Luna finally arriving back from where she came. She took my place, which Lola accepted almost immediately. Not going to lie, the coldness of her abandonment after all I endured for her, kept me a bit livid walking towards the door.

"Did you survive their soldier," Luna jokingly asked.

"Yes," I simply whimper.

"Well, you better head to bed then. Because this is only light work." Ending her warning with a little wink.

I don't want to ponder on how her words left me. I already got the day recapping itself cycling through the folds of my sleepy mind. At least this time, I can safely say I want to sleep and get a huge start in the morning. Maybe this time, my dreams will come pleasantly. Hopefully this time, that isn't asking too much.

As the morning shine whisks past my covers, my eyes open to see it bright with birds outside my windows slowly tuning their beaks for the morning song. Bright and early. As it should be. 7:00, a tad earlier than I would have to be up back at base most of the time. Still, for what I plan to do, I can use the extra time.

At 7:30 sharp, Loran comes slowly dripping down the stairs with a hand rubbing the side of her back. She springs up a little seeing me with two coffees that I have prepared for us both. A specialty that Cliff would call his Revolvers.

Consisting of two shots of espresso, a mixture of mostly grounded coffee beans and salt, thinned by boiling then garnished with a hint of salt on top. They always seemed to do the trick for the squad, especially for Joltxs who would fly around like a newly fired bullet around the bunks. With a seemingly happy frown from Loran, I'm able to honor Cliff's Revolvers well.

By 7:45, Loran had already started placing different types of eggs all over the countertop. I happily take notes from the sidelines seeing her masterfully get everything looking good and proper.

And at 7:55, our ears are bombarded by the many sounds of clanking hooves coming down the stairs. Six different plates of eggs, some with an assortment of small fruits or toast lined with a thin sheet of butter. All of them seemed to be ready by the time the last pair of feet hit that last stair. It's only a matter of who gets what.

Almost like a scene ripped straight back at base, they all line up as if their troopers back inside the mess hall. Loran chooses to assist Lincoln, Luana, and Lisa when handling their plates. That leaves me to handle the rest.

The twins are the first two in my line at the same time eagerly asking me for scrambled. I happily hand them a plate, and they both say thank you in the same cheery way they asked. Even Lola surprised me with a smile that felt warm.

Lavender is the second if you can even call it that. She does everything in her ability not to speak or even give me eye contact. She only bobs and weaves until she finds her hard-boiled egg rolling from side to side on a plate. Before she walked off into the dining room, I called out her name and tossed her two small protein drinks that Loran insisted she needed.

"Thank you," she says keeping it as mellow tuned and under her breath as she could muster.

Only if she knew that I was trained to hear and sniff for stuff like that. And by her brother no less. He would tell me words that smell, can tell you all you need to know without even hearing it. That is why I could smell the faint mintiness of appreciation for the words that she said.

Then third comes Luna, who admittedly, I was hoping would come in my line. When she asks for fried over easy, I'm not disappointed. Even though a luxury food back at base, I always manage to get mine completely fried over. Beats the usual stuff we get which makes the taste easy to glorify.

It helps that it's hard not to stare at her light purple blouse that rises a bit above the ends of her stomach. My eyes start to sink when she starts to crack open a fluid grin.

"Like what you see there Joseph?" Her lips curl up for sure knowing I'm caught red-handed. That doesn't stop me from being a little weasel.

"Oh yeah, you bet I do. Those eggs are looking quite gorgeous."

She giggles, "Is that so? Don't tell me you whipped these up for us yourself?"

"Not this time I'm afraid. I just made the coffee."

"Now that's too bad. I was hoping to see what a soldier boy like you would make. I guess I'll have to wait till next time."

"I guess you will," I say finally sporting a flirty grin of my own. A bit sideways to be sure. Yet she still exchanges another glance before going into the dining room with the others. Giving me one last note taken on how her blouse highlights the curves of her upper hip and back.

At 8:15, all the clanking hooves beside me and Loran leap their way out the front door and into their mother's minivan. As I wave and watch, Lisa steps aside making sure she's the last one out. She then hands me a green child-sized walkie-talkie with bright orange buttons that fit perfectly in the palm of my hands and explains she'll ring me up later for materials she'll need for my projects.

I wanted to laugh seeing that this thing looks like a child's toy. Though seeing the stone-cooked look on Lisa's face keeps it close for another day as she runs her tiny little legs to catch up to everyone.

At 8:25, I convinced Loran that she could head to school, claiming that I could handle everything. After nudging her back and forth for two minutes, and her taking another ten to further explain today's task for me, she drives herself to school thanking me as she heads towards her car door. She'll be missing a period, but it's better than not going at all.

The clock then speaks; it's 8:42. Now, I have the place all to myself. By 3:00 in the afternoon, everything is as good as I can hope for. The kitchen goes without a speck of grime, and the furniture starves without a single taste of dust. The bathroom is easy enough when I'm not looking into that mirror for too long. And even better, I got thirty minutes to work on Lisa's machine in peace.

Luckily, once everyone got home, most had their own things to do. Gave me another fifteen extra minutes to fix some loose wiring. Only fifteen. There's something I need to do first. Loran requested I take Lana to the park at 3:30. Right on cue at 3:28, Lana came running for my pant leg. Then at 3:29, she's already dragging me down the street.