CHAPTER 5: "MUMMY! MONSTER!"

He stared at me.

I stared right back.

Our eyes fixed on each other.

The world did not end, though it felt like it should have.

His mouth opened.

"What the hell?" he screamed. "Adene? Is this a joke? Are you stalking me now?"

"Jaxson." Maria appeared behind him, but her eyes moved straight to me, then to her watch.

"You are two minutes late, Miss Adene."

"I was here at six," I said. "I rang the bell at exactly—"

"Late for what?" Jaxson turned to Maria, looking totally confused.

Maria straightened. "Miss Adene is the new nanny, Master Jaxson. Mrs. Gabe's recommendation. Your mother approved her last night."

Jaxson looked at Maria. "You're serious? Wait, you're really serious?"

"Yes, sir."

He looked back at me.

I watched him process it. The suspicion. The thousand questions lined up behind his eyes.

"Do you know each other?" Maria asked.

"No," I said before Jaxson could open his mouth.

I kept my voice even and looked at Maria directly.

"We don't. Can I see the girl? I'd like to get started."

Maria studied me for half a second longer.

Jaxson stood stunned and silent.

"Alright," Maria continued. "Come in. The nursery is that way."

"I'll take her up," he said.

Maria turned to him. "That isn't necessary. I can show Miss Adene to the—"

"I said I'll take her."

His tone was quiet but final.

Maria looked at him, then at me, then nodded once and stepped back.

Jaxson pulled the door open wider, and I walked in.

---

The house was even bigger on the inside. All high ceilings and clean lines.

Jaxson walked two steps ahead of me. Once we were out of earshot of Maria, he spun around so fast I almost tripped.

"What the hell are you doing here, Clara? Is this some kind of sick joke? Did you see the address and think you could get close to me?"

"I didn't know, Jaxson," I whispered. I was terrified, but I couldn't let him see me shake. "Mrs. Gabe didn't say the name. She only said a family needed a nanny."

"You're lying."

"I'm not! I wouldn't have come if I knew it was your house."

"Then quit," he hissed, his face inches from mine. "Walk out that door right now and don't look back."

I took a breath and felt a sudden, sharp spark of anger.

"It's too late. The paperwork has already been filed."

"Have you ever even been a nanny before?" he sneered.

"I... I babysit. Often."

"You're a fraud."

"I am your sister's nanny!" I snapped, the boldness coming from a place of pure desperation. "And I need to start my job, so please take me to the nursery."

Jaxson's eyes darkened. For a second, I thought he might actually scream.

Instead, he turned and started walking fast down the hall. I scrambled to keep up with his long strides.

---

We reached the nursery wing, a section of the house that looked like it had been designed by a high-end toy store.

"This is it," he said as he threw the double white doors open with a bang.

A toy truck flew straight toward my head.

I ducked as fast as I could.

"GO AWAY!" a tiny voice screamed.

Lily King stood in the middle of a pile of shredded paper. Her face was bright red, and her curls were wild.

She was a smaller, louder, more terrifying version of her brother.

She grabbed a glass snow globe and raised it over her head.

"Lily, stop!" Jaxson's voice came out high and panicked. He actually looked scared.

"Lily, you'll hurt yourself!" I stepped forward.

"NO!" she screamed, turning purple with rage. "I don't need a nanny! I'm a big girl! GO AWAY!"

She threw the snow globe.

It shattered at my feet.

"See? She is a lot," Jaxson said. "You won't last a week."

He shut the door and left me there.

I stood in the wreckage and looked at the tiny, furious child who was already winding up for the next round.

Lily didn't stop.

As I walked toward her, she screamed louder and threw herself flat on the floor.

It was a full-blown meltdown.

Ten minutes went by, then twenty. My head started to throb.

I wanted to walk away, to leave this nagging child and go back to my normal life.

But I thought about my mother behind those ICU doors. I thought about the rent, the loan.

I needed this job.

I stood my ground and used all the tricks I learned from babysitting last summer.

Finally, Lily fell asleep.

I called a cleaner for the broken glass and felt a small spark of victory.

Then the door creaked open.

Jaxson walked in.

"Hey, nanny. Your room is through there." He pointed to a door inside the hall. "It connects to my wing. My room is the second door on the left. If I hear her screaming at night, you are out."

"She won't scream," I said in exhaustion. "I'll do my best."

"Your best better be enough, Adene."

He paused.

"And since you work here now, you won't be at the regional games tomorrow."

My heart sank.

"But it's the biggest—"

"You're not supposed to have school activities anymore. After school, you come straight home."

"But I resume by six, and the games wouldn't take that long."

"You are not allowed."

"I'll ask them myself."

"The answer is no. Take it from me."

I said nothing.

"Good."

He moved toward the door.

"One more thing. This never happened. When you see me at school, you don't say a word. Nobody finds out about this, or I will make whatever's left of your time at Sterling Heights a living hell."

He shut the door.

My thoughts were heavy as I walked slowly into my new room.

I had been thrown out of the squad, and now I can't attend the games.

I dropped my little bag and looked around.

It was beautiful. Nicer than any room I'd ever slept in.

I fell onto the cold mattress and took a deep breath, deep in thought, trying to get some sleep.

Suddenly, a sharp voice tore through the dark.

"MUMMY! MONSTER!!!"