During the night, Harper found herself in the cozy living room of the Davenport mansion, comfortably nestled on the couch. The soft glow from the television illuminated the room as she focused on the movie playing, a bowl of popcorn in hand. She was flanked by Tasha, who held the bowl, with Leo curled up on the armrest and Mr. Davenport seated beside his wife.

The room was quiet, except for the occasional crunch of popcorn and the low hum of the film's soundtrack.

The peaceful atmosphere was suddenly disrupted by a familiar sound - a soft ding from the elevator. Harper's attention shifted to the noise as she saw the bionic teenagers burst into the kitchen, all loud laughter and chaos. Adam and Chase were clearly enjoying some kind of inside joke, while Bree tried to dodge their antics.

"Mr. Davenport, I cannot stand them anymore." Bree grumbled, shoving her brother's back as they passed through the kitchen. "Can they please go live in your warehouse?"

Mr. Davenport let out a soft chuckle. "Bree, the warehouse is where I keep my explosive chemicals."

"Like I said, can they please go live in your warehouse?"

"Well, Donald, she is getting older. She needs privacy. Why don't you get her one of your extra rooms? You have like fourteen." Tasha suggested to her husband.

Mr. Davenport blinked and stood up from the couch, shaking his head. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. I do not have any extra rooms."

Harper scoffed. "Come on, Mr. Davenport. You have a pool table room, bumper car room, arcade room, surf simulator room, not to mention a room full of mirrors."

"Yeah, or as I like to call it, a room full of me." Mr. Davenport said, grinning mischievously.

Tasha, looking amused, glanced at her husband and then at Bree. "Okay, Bree, you can have my sewing room."

"Yes!" Bree cheered, throwing a mocking wave at her brothers. "So long, bozos!"

"Fine. Without you, we will make the lab totally awesome for ourselves." Chase said simply.

"That's right." Adam agreed, grinning. "No more hair scrunchies or rainbow-colored toe socks or pretty, pinky, shiny junk!" He paused, then looked at Bree with a mischievous grin. "Ooh, but I'm a little chapped. Could I borrow some of your Bubble Berry Pucker Bomb?" He snatched the Chapstick from Bree's neck chain and slathered it on his lips. "Man, it's always so hard not to eat."

Bree shot him a pointed look, glaring at him as she swiftly grabbed the Chapstick back

••••

The next morning, Harper made her way down to the Lab, the elevator descending smoothly with a quiet hum. She leaned against the wall, arms crossed, as she waited for it to reach its destination. The soft ding signaled its arrival and as the doors opened, she stepped out and into the familiar lab.

As her eyes scanned the room, she spotted Chase in the far corner, sitting cross-legged in a meditative pose. A small water fountain bubbled softly beside him and a gong stood nearby. It looked like a scene straight out of a relaxation retreat.

"So, this is the 'totally awesome' lab you mentioned?" Harper asked, raising an eyebrow as she walked over to the second control panel,

Chase opened his eyes, grinning widely. "Yep. Isn't this relaxing, Harper?"

"Meh." Harper shrugged, not exactly impressed with the tranquil setup.

Before the conversation could continue, Adam stormed into the Lab, carrying a dilapidated chair in black and white stripes. It looked like it had seen better days - maybe a few decades ago. He proudly approached Chase, using the chair to push the gong aside, causing a loud clang that startled both Chase and Harper.

"Whoo! So, I was looking for stuff to spruce up our new pad, and I found this awesome chair. Someone just left it on the curb with a 'take me, I'm free' sign on it. Sukas!" Adam announced excitedly, banging the chair with his hands. Dust flew off it in clouds and Chase immediately erupted into a fit of coughing.

Harper covered her nose, scrunching her face in disgust. "What the heck is that smell?"

"Oh, look, and it comes with a free chihuahua." Adam added, lifting the cushion to reveal a small, furry surprise - a rat. The rodent scurried around under the cushion, causing both Harper and Chase to jump back in shock.

"Adam! That's a rat!" Chase exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Oh, good, then it won't keep me up with its barking." Adam said with a relieved grin, staring down at the rat as if it were a treasure.

"Adam, get that chair out of here right now."

"Well, if I do that, then where's the rat supposed to live?"

Chase smirked. "How 'bout we check with the neighbor's cat?"

Adam gasped dramatically, his eyes widening as he noticed the small water fountain next to Chase. "Hey, if you don't like my rat, why'd you buy him such a fancy little hot tub?"

"No!" Chase exclaimed, jumping up and rushing over to protect his zen setup. "You keep that disease-ridden thing out of my zen fountain."

"And if he can't swim in it, then I don't want it in here." Adam said firmly, standing his ground.

"The fountain stays."

"The rat stays."

"Okay, there is only one solution for this. We'll have to split the room down the middle." Chase said, looking like he was making a grand decision.

"Fine. Me and my pet will be happy right over here." Adam declared, sidestepping to claim the right side of the Lab.

"Great. Then this will be my half." Chase claimed, gesturing to the left side, as if he were marking his territory.

Harper watched the back-and-forth with amusement, shaking her head. "And they say girls are the complicated ones."

••••

Later that day, Harper was comfortably perched atop the cyber desk in the Lab, completely immersed in The Fault in Our Stars. She turned each page with focused intent, her mind lost in the heart-wrenching story of Hazel Grace, a teenage girl battling cancer. The novel followed her journey as she met Augustus Waters, a boy who shifted her perspective on life, love and loss.

It was one of Harper's favorite books - an emotional yet beautiful read that never failed to capture her attention.

Meanwhile, the Lab was distinctly divided by a bright yellow tape, marking the clear boundary between Adam's chaotic side and Chase's immaculate side. Adam's area was an eclectic mess, littered with stolen items he had collected - everything from random tools to odd gadgets, while Chase's half of the Lab looked like a model of efficiency with everything in its place.

The contrast between the two sides could not have been more pronounced.

Chase, in the middle of his daily routine, kicked the training dummy before jumping on its neck and resumed his meditation without skipping a beat.

"Nice cow." Leo commented dryly as he walked through the Lab, pointing to the life size plastic cow. "Is Davenport down here?"

"Nope." Chase replied, his voice calm as he continued to sit perfectly still.

"Good. I'm mad at him, but I need one of his gadgets so I can be flashy for Janelle." Leo said, walking towards the wall filled with various gadgets.

Harper, still engrossed in her book, glanced up at Leo. "Leo, what are you talking about?"

"I'd love to tell you more, but I've lost my ability to trust." Leo replied cryptically, not offering more of an explanation.

Just then, Adam walked into the Lab, casually carrying a Daily Times newspaper box over his shoulder. He looked ridiculously pleased with himself.

"Check it out: Another thing left for us on the street." He announced with a wide grin.

"Adam, that was bolted to the sidewalk! You just stole private property." Chase scolded as he jumped down from the training dummy, his voice sharp as he shot a disapproving look at his older brother.

"Did you walk around town with that?" Harper asked, raising an eyebrow and gesturing to the large, conspicuous object Adam had brought in.

"Oh, no, don't worry, I left the newspapers on the ground. I just wanted the box." Adam assured. He looked around at the cluttered Lab. "I'm running out of space." He then began to step over the yellow tape that separated the Lab. "I think I might put it over here."

"Oh, no, no, no, you don't." Chase said quickly, stepping forward to push Adam back behind the yellow line. "This is my side."

"Try and stop me." Adam challenged, placing the newspaper box down.

"I will." Chase said as he walked over to the second console and began typing furiously. Adam made his way back toward his brother, but was instantly met with a sharp jolt of electricity, causing him to yelp in pain and stumble back. Chase couldn't hold back his laughter. "I set up an invisible electric fence. You went righ-"

But before Chase could say anything else, his own cry of pain cut him off. As he tried to recreate Adam's movement, he inadvertently touched the electric fence, too. He stumbled back, grabbing hold of the training dummy for support.

Harper chuckled softly, amused by the chaotic scene unfolding before her. She jumped down from the cyber desk and moved to help Chase back to his feet.

Adam laughed. "Oh, no way! You were laughing so hard, you bent over like this-" He mimicked Chase's movement, then hit the invisible electric fence with an exaggerated gesture, instantly yelping in pain himself. "Okay, that's starting to hurt!"

As the laughter died down, Mr. Davenport entered the Lab, casually strolling past Adam's pile of discarded items.

"Nice cow." Mr. Davenport remarked. He glanced at Leo, who was standing at the boundary of the yellow tape. "Um, look, Leo, I'm really sorry I betrayed your trust. I just got really excited cause we had this nice father-son moment."

"It's fine. I got it. Let's hug it out." Leo suggested, extending his arms. Mr. Davenport smiled and leaned forward, causing the electric fence activated again, zapping him. He screamed and fell to the ground in a heap. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I really thought that was off!"

••••

Later that evening, Harper found herself in Bree's new room, which, despite being tucked away from the chaos of the lab, still carried a sense of disarray. The sewing room - once a sanctuary for Tasha - had become a battleground of sorts for Bree, who had barely settled in before it started to feel stifling.

Harper sat on a small, plush couch in the corner, her attention divided between Bree's pacing and the quiet hum of the house. Bree was clearly frustrated, walking back and forth as she vented.

"You have no idea how much she smothers me, Harper!" Bree groaned, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "I mean, I appreciate her giving me the sewing room, but it's just too much."

Harper nodded sympathetically. "Yeah.... that's Tasha for you."

Bree stopped pacing, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. "Has she ever been this overbearing with you?"

"Oh, definitely." Harper replied, remembering the times when Tasha's over-enthusiasm had driven her to the brink. "She used to have 'girl time' with me all the time. When I was eleven, she took me to the mall every day for three months."

"How did you manage to deal with it?"

"I haven't. But I appreciate that she wants to be involved in my life. Since my parents passed away, she's been the only mother figure I have. I couldn't ask for more or less."

Bree's expression softened, though the frustration still lingered in her eyes. "Yeah, I appreciate her too, but all I want is some alone time. I just want to sleep in my capsule without any interruptions."

Harper's eyes widened in disbelief. "She went into your capsule?"

Before Bree could respond, there was a knock on the door, breaking the conversation. The two girls exchanged a glance, both wondering who it could be. Bree, clearly not in the mood for a normal greeting, walked over to the door.

"Um, sorry Tasha. Bree's not here. Thanks for stopping by." Bree said, her voice dropping into a deep, exaggerated tone.

Harper raised her eyebrows. "Really? The deep tone?"

"Bree, it's Chase, and your lame 'man voice' doesn't fool me." Chase responded from the other side of the door.

Bree opened the door to let him in, shaking her head at her brother's persistence.

Chase let out a long, frustrated sigh as he walked in. "I cannot deal with Adam anymore. Without you, we've turned on each other. I need you to come back to the lab and be the brunt of our pranks."

"Really? Hmm. Here's the thing: I can't leave this place. I mean, I just love it up here so much." Bree said.

"Please, I'm begging you." Chase pleaded, desperation creeping into his voice.

"Well, I guess maybe I could, but as long as you promise me full privacy whenever I ask for it." Bree bargained, giving him a pointed look.

Chase scoffed. "Yeah! Like that's gonna happen."

Harper watched as Bree and Chase exchanged annoyed glances, each crossing their arms in frustration. She rolled her eyes, a small smile creeping up. "Come on, you two need each other!"

Chase turned around and opened the door, starting to walk out of the sewing room.

"Wait!" Bree yelled, rushing forward and closing the door in his face. She grabbed him by the shoulders. "I have to move back! I have less privacy now than I did before. Tasha is a smothering lunatic! She stepped inside of my capsule!" Chase gasped, horrified. "I know! Boundaries!"

Before they could continue their argument, Adam barged into the room, slamming the door behind him and leaning against it dramatically. "That horse just ate my plastic giant chili cheese dog and I'm afraid to see what happens next."

"See what I have to deal with?" Chase asked Bree, gesturing to their eccentric older brother.

Adam, completely ignoring the conversation, quickly moved over to the other side of the room and plopped down on a bright blue bouncy ball next to Harper, who shot him a bemused look.

"If you give me what I want, I can take care of that for you." Bree reassured Chase, indicting Adam.

"Okay. Fine. Privacy whenever you want it." Chase agreed.

Bree approached Adam with a determined look. "Adam, we're all moving back down to the lab. You're gonna get rid of the horse, and things are gonna go back to the way they were."

"What?" Adam asked in shock, standing up and walked toward Chase. "Can you believe how bossy she is?"

"I know. She's the worst." Chase agreed, nodding. "We should probably just stick together and do what she says."

"Oh, yeah! That'll show her!" Adam exclaimed and ran out of the room.

Harper chuckled softly, pushing herself off the couch and followed Chase out of the room.

______________
PUBLISHED: 6.05.22
DEDICATIONS: Peters_suit_lady omgthatssocrazy