"And the monster is hungry!" The ten-year-old boy shouts, stomping around the living room. A muffled giggle can be heard behind the couch, and the boy grins.

"Now... where could she be?" He asked himself aloud, his Sokovain accent thick with laughter. A second giggle came from behind the couch. The boy creeps over quietly. He looks behind it to meet a set of green eyes looking back at him.

"Got you!" The boy yelled, picking up the laughing child. He began to tickle her recklessly. "No- no, stop! Stop!" The child roared with laughter. She tried to crawl away, but the boys grip was to strong.

"Pietro! Okay! Okay, I'm done!" The younger child gasped for breath. "I won, Nadia!" Pietro grinned, letting go of his little sister.

"No fair! You always win!" The young Nadia pretended to pout. She stuck her bottom lip out and crossed her arms. The brown haired boy chuckled, hugging her tightly. "You love me anyway!"

His ten-year-old twin sister chuckled looking up from her book. "You two are so noisy." She laughed, setting it down.

"You're no fun, Wanda!" The young five-year-old whined. Pietro chuckled. "Yeah, Wanda. You're no fun!"

"I am plenty of fun!" Wanda protested, closing her book and getting up. "Like when I do this!" She tackled her siblings on the couch, tickling both of them.

"Oh no! The Wanda-Monster has gotten up Nadia! What will we do?" Pietro laughed, using Nadia as a shield.

"Super speed away!" She shouted, Pietro, got her on his back and ran away from Wanda, who chased them around the house. They hid beneath the table, Pietro gestured her to be quiet.

"You can't escape from me! Because I can read your mind!" Wanda giggled, pretending to stop and read their minds.

"You're under the table!" She yelled, reaching to grab them. "No way! Because it's not really us!" Pietro shouted. "Nadia! Cast a fake us! An illusion!"

"No! My plan!" Wanda howled. "I have been fooled!" All three siblings began laughing.

"Pietro! Wanda! Nadia! Help us set up dinner!" Their mother called. "Coming!" They all called back.

"Not if we get there first!" Pietro yelled to his twin. He got Nadia back on his back and ran towards the kitchen, which wasn't a far run.

"Now, careful Pietro, don't drop your sister." His mother reminded. "I won't Mama!" The boy grinned up towards her and took a bowl of soup.

The siblings quickly finished setting the table and sat down to eat. "Where's Papa?" Nadia asked, being put in an old stool so she could reach the table.

The click of keys what the answer to her question as their father opened the door. "Who's hungry?" He asked.

The siblings grinned she they saw the box he was holding, knowing it was full of sweet treats. It was very rare their father would bring treats from the bakery since business wasn't always the best. But when he did, it was like Halloween.

Their father kissed his wife and went around the table, kissing each of his kid's heads. "How are you Naughty Naddy?" He teased Nadia with a silly little nickname.

Their father loved all his children equally, no question. But being the youngest, Nadia had a special spot in his heart.

The family sat down and began chatting. Nadia giggled at the faces her brother made, Wanda burned her tongue, and their father talked about business in the bakery.

Suddenly, the building shook. The laughter died down as the apartment shook once more. A silent hush filled the room.

There was a loud boom, and unexpectedly a big hole broke in the ground. Pietro tackled both his sisters, getting them away from the table and rolling under the bed nearby.

Pietro managed to cover Wanda's face with his arm, and tried to cover Nadia's. His arm hid her mouth but her eyes stuck out. Her eyes widen as she watched her parents fall in the hole.

"It's okay. It's okay." Pietro whispered into Wanda's hair. "Momma! Papa!" Nadia wailed.

Pietro squeezed Nadia close to him, tears flew down the young girl's face as she shut her eyes tightly and listened to her brother's heart beat until she fell asleep.

Hey everyone!
First of all, I want to definitely say thank you for reading this story! And if you're a returning reader, hey! What's up?
Please don't spoil anything!

I hope you enjoy Nadia's story!
Happy reading!
💜