The next morning, I roll out of bed. Literally. I fall onto the floor face first and groan. Despite the rough start, I am determined to try to make the best of today.

It's a new life I am starting today. Logan really helped me figure out some tough things last night and I'm going to try my best to put things in the past and work through them rather than to let them fester and ruin what is left of my life.

I am going to reclaim my life as my own and stop letting others control my actions and thoughts. Today, I start living for me.

Upon standing up, I can see that Kara is not in her bed. It is made up nicely. She must do that every morning because she seems to be very good at it. The bed looks as if it has never been slept in.

I exit the room and make my way downstairs.

"Oh good! You're up!" Hillary laughs as Kara leaps from the table and clings on to my legs. "If she had it her way, you would have been up hours ago. But I told her to let you sleep."

"Where's my dad?" I ask, ignoring everything she just said.

"Oh, him and Logan went out shooting this morning. They should be back in a few hours." Hillary replies and digs in her purse for something.

That's weird. I didn't even know my father liked to shoot. I didn't even know that he had ever been in a gun range before, much less to hold and shoot a gun at something for the fun of it. That just doesn't seem like my father at all.

It seems like I just keep learning new things about my father...

"Sweetie, do me a favor please and take the kids to the grocery store. I need to run some errands and this would really help me out a ton." Hillary asks me, looking up from her purse.

"Why do I have to do it?" I ask simply. She's not my mother. My mother is dead.

"Because you are the oldest here and we can't go alone!" Kara beans as she grabs tighter onto my legs.

I sigh and look down at the little girl clinging onto my legs, holding them so tight that they begin to go numb. Kara has this way of making me melt to bits when she looks at me with those cute little puppy dog eyes of hers.

"Fine." I look back up at Hillary. "But you've got to give me money for it. There's no way I'm paying."

Hillary digs in her purse some more and pulls out a few bills. I grab it quickly from her hand and yell for everyone to come with. They bound down the stairs eagerly.

So much for not letting anyone else control me...

I wait for everyone by the front door as they slide their shoes and socks on in a hurry. "Be careful guys. And make sure you show Avery the way!" Hillary waves at us as we exit the house in a line. I hold the door open and wait for everyone before letting it slam shut. "Oh!" Hillary yells after us. "And please get Tilly a costume for Halloween while you are there. She's the only one without one yet! Thank you dear!" She waves and blows us kisses as we walk down the lawn.

She disgusts me.

We set off on foot to the store. That is an odd thing for me. I am used to taking the car to the store if we needed something. My father obviously took his car with him this morning but there is still a car in the driveway so I don't see why we can't take it.

"Do you guys always walk to the store?" I ask the group, trying to gather some information about the way they live their lives.

Summer nods adamantly. "Momma doesn't like to pay for gas too much. She says it's too much money."

This revelation is odd to me. Back home, I could literally have anything I wanted because we were swimming in money. We had so much extra money that we didn't know each to do with it. When I turned 16, my parents bought me two different cars because they couldn't decide which one I should have.

My parents spoiled me to death.

And here we are, still sitting on money we don't really need, and yet he doesn't seem to be doing the same for any of these kids.

I pull the money evil Hillary gave to me for groceries and I count it. It comes to about seventy dollars. How could that possibly be enough to buy groceries for all of these kids? Why doesn't my dad just give them some money?

We all file into the store and stand in a huddle, trying to figure out a game plan. Mason pulls the wrinkled list out of his pocket and hands it to me.

"Okay, so does anyone know where any of this stuff is?" I ask, looking up from the list as I try to figure out how this place is set up. I don't want to run around like a chicken with my head cut off.

"I do I do!" Mason jumps up and down and rips the lost from my fingers. "Let's go this way!" He points to a random aisle of the store.

Peter scoffs and grabs the list back from his little brother, causing the young boy to pout and throw himself on the floor. "He just wants to take you to the candy aisle. You have to start on this end with the fruits and then end with the dairy on the other end. It's easy. You just have to follow the store." He explains to me.

I nod, trying to take it all in.

"Why don't I take them and get the stuff from the list and you help Tilly pick out a costume?" Peter suggests.

"That's a great idea."

"You should convince her to go as a monster. She won't even have to dress up for that one." Peter smirks as he grabs a cart and puts Mason in the top of it.

I lift Tilly off the floor as she sticks her tongue out at her older brother. Peter laughs in response and drags the kids to the fruit section.

"Well meet up with you guys when you are done." I shout to get their attention.

"I wouldn't count on it. That girl can't make up her mind on anything." Peter yells back.

I hold Tilly's hand and walk with her to find the costume aisle. She skips the entire time.

I show Tilly the wonderful array of costumes her size and yet ten minutes later, she still can not seem to find one she wants to be for Halloween. We have gotten it narrowed down to a total of six very different choices.

"Come on Tilly. Halloween is tomorrow. You have to pick one!" I try to reason with the four-year-old but she won't budge. Peter wasn't wrong about her not being able to make decisions.

"I don't wanna!" Tilly folds her arms over her chest and pouts, staring at the costumes laid out on the floor in front of her. "I want to be a witch!"

"Well here's a witch costume right here!" I pick one up off the floor and show it to her. I place the hat on her head and watch her eyes light up. "You are the cutest little witch I have ever seen!"

Tilly rips the hat off and throws it on the ground. I sigh and pick it up. I am not used to having little siblings so I have no idea how to fix this situation. I don't know how to convince a four-year-old that she just took off the costume she said she wanted.

I scream as a stampede of children runs at me with scary masks on. They scared me enough to make me stumble backwards and land on my butt.

The six of us laugh as they rip their masks off.

"We got you!" Mason points and jumps.  "We totally scared you!"

Authors note: did you happen to catch what time of year it is in this story?

Hint: 👻🕸🎃🕷🖤

Do you know what that means?

I hope you all enjoyed the extra long chapter!!