OS: Day Fourteen < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Sixteen

Bad Decisions

It was a Tuesday. And poor Bennie had been called into the living room where Marnie and one of the twins (Brett, but Bennie sure didn’t remember his name) were watching TV. “What do you want, woman?” asked Bennie, mostly good-naturedly. He had been about to go clean the grill outside. It was a nice day, and he was planning to grill some steaks for dinner later. That was pretty much all that was on his mind.

“I have some.. interesting … news, Bennie, honey.” Marnie started, a little hesitantly.

The tone of her voice got Bennie’s attention more than the words. “WHAT?” he bit out, wishing she would just get to the point. She never called him honey.

“I took a test this morning. I’m pregnant.” Marnie smiled at him, completely missing the shock turning to anger on Bennie’s face. “We’re going to have another baby!”

“We’re … WHAT??!??” yelled Bennie, nearly choking on his BLT. “This isn’t possible! You said the new birth control was practically foolproof!” In a rage, he flung his sandwich across the room, and the plate shattered against the wall. Brett, wisely, decided watching TV wasn’t what he wanted to do and he crawled off the couch quietly and headed downstairs.

“Accidents happen!” Marnie exclaimed defensively, suddenly worried she may have gone a bit too far.

She stood up to go clean up the mess of the shattered plate, refusing to say anything else.

After she cleaned it up, Bennie confronted her again, grabbing her arm. “And you’re sure about this??” he growled. “You’re not just pulling my leg, or jumping to conclusions with a false positive, are you?”

“Bennie, I wouldn’t do that to you. I waited until I was sure to tell you. I’ve been feeling really run down lately, and I wasn’t sure why, so I got a couple tests and I tried both. Both came back positive. It’s a good thing we have this new, big, house, right?” She said, trying to appear cheerful and like the thunderous look on Bennie’s face wasn’t actually there.

Saying nothing, Bennie turned on his heel and stomped away from Marnie. He really just had nothing else to say at the moment. Not anything that could be printed, at least.

---

Later, having not seen Bennie again, Marnie pulled out her winter gear, and told Jaz to do the same. Newcrest, after all, was colder than Oasis Springs. Excitedly, Jaz got ready for the long bus ride across towns again.

After arriving, Marnie sat down on the couch, thinking quietly to herself. Dr. Gemma came out of her office almost right away, and Jaz followed her inside, shutting the door behind them.

Gemma and Jaz discussed the week, asking if anything had happened.. and then Gemma apologized for not calling her this week.

Jaz looked at her, startled, having mostly forgotten that Gemma was supposed to talk to the school and get back to her. “So, what happened?” Jaz asked, curiously.

“I’ve been arguing with the school system all week. They keep saying they can’t allow you to use a private bathroom anytime you need to go without the parent’s knowledge and permission. So, we’re basically back at square one until you want to tell your parents that you’re non-binary.” Gemma explained. “That doesn’t mean you have to come out right away. Just that you’re going to have to keep finding times when other kids aren’t around to use the bathroom for a while more.”

---

Out in the hallway, Marnie’s thoughts were far, far away. A secret smile stole across her face and she felt her still-flat (ish) abdomen. Accident, indeed. Benji’s life success had impressed her so much that she had figured maybe she was a better parent than she had thought. Myles was a great kid, and all three of her children had managed to get A’s this quarter. She missed the baby stage. The twins were too independent now to really scratch the itch for cuddling a baby. Plus, Bella just had a new baby, and maybe the two could grow up together. It would be so much fun to set up play dates with Bella and the two babies as they grew up….

---

.. Back in the office, clueless to Marnie’s thoughts, Jaz and Gemma were talking conspiratorially, trying to figure out what to do.

“You know what?” Jaz finally said. “I just have to get my parents to sign the paperwork, right? I mean, coming out can’t be all that bad. It’s not like it’s going to change who I am, it only changes the pronouns I use and how I see myself. But I’ve already been seeing myself like that, so I guess it’s time other people did, too.” She smiled at Gemma, who was looking at her with a concerned impression.

“It’s not always quite that easy, sweetie.” Gemma started, then glanced at her watch. This was her last appointment of the day, and she knew Marnie and Jaz had to catch the last bus before it got much later. She couldn’t extend the session any farther. “But if that’s what you want to do…?”

“Definitely.” Jaz said, grinning. “I’ll be fine, Gemma, don’t worry. I’ll get everyone in the living room and tell them tonight. Then I’ll just get them to sign the papers. If anything goes wrong, I have your card.”

“That’s true enough.” Gemma said, smiling, and stood up to walk with Jaz and Marnie down the stairs.

As they left the Center’s front door, Gemma impulsively gathered Jaz into a hug, whispering so Marnie couldn’t hear, “I will be thinking of you. I wish you the very best, sweetie.”

Jaz hugged Gemma back, surprised. She .. no.. THEY… (they thought to themselves) couldn’t remember the last hug they’d gotten from an adult. Riding on a real high, Jaz couldn’t imagine anything going wrong, and couldn’t wait to get home and tell their whole family. The twins, of course, wouldn’t understand yet, but families are about supporting each other, right?

---

After the bus ride home, Marnie wearily sat down on the couch, too tired to put her winter gear away yet, and waited for the storm that was likely to occur when Bennie got home from his Tuesday night gig.

Bennie came home in a great mood. He was one gig closer to a promotion. He could just SENSE that his “big break” was coming soon. (He had forgotten, probably purposely, that conversation this morning. Startled, he noticed the entire family except for the twins seemed to be waiting for him.

“What’s going on?” he said, suspicious, and then remembered what Marnie had told him this morning. Surely she wasn’t planning on telling the kids already?!

“Jaz has something she wants to tell us, apparently.” Marnie said, smiling wearily and looking over at Jaz.

“Okay. This might sound a little weird, but I really want to tell you guys what I’ve found out through Gemma’s help. I’m NOT a girl.” Jaz started, grinning from ear to ear.

Marnie and Bennie were looking at Jaz with bewildered looks, while Myles and Phoenix had turned to their parents for support with confused looks on their faces.

“Now, that’s not what it sounds like. I’m not a boy either. I’m actually non-binary. I’m somewhere in between. That’s why I have so many problems going to the bathroom with people around. It’s not just a privacy issue.”

“So, from now on, if you could just use the pronouns “they” and “them” for me, that would be great. Oh – and I have a couple papers for you guys to sign so I can use the teachers lounge bathroom. Not a big deal, really.” Jaz concluded THEIR “explanation”, and grinned happily at THEIR family. In their mind, this was an easy to solve situation. There shouldn’t be any problem getting them to sign papers that would help Jaz every day in school, right?

The LAST thing she expected… was that their entire family would break out in loud laughter, clearly at their expense. Expressions of disbelief and hilarity crossed every single one of their faces, and the longer it continued, the more Jaz felt embarrassed.

“It’s not funny. I’m being serious.” Jaz said, looking down. The laughter didn’t stop, and in fact they were all laughing even harder. Sighing, and turning red all the way to their hairline, Jaz told them, “Fine. Forget I said anything. It’s not a big deal. And it’s certainly not this funny.”

Jaz sat there, feeling their heart sink into their chest in a big, tight, lump. Crazily, they felt like crying. Well, if their family reacted this way, perhaps this wasn’t a good time to tell their friends, either. They felt hot tears rising, and started to get up from the couch, but Marnie stopped them.

“Well, while we’re all here, I might as well tell you. Bennie and I are expecting again. You’re going to have another brother or sister in about 8 months!” Marnie said, grinning from ear to ear, trying to ignore the daggers Bennie was glaring into her back. She looked at the startled looks on her now-quiet family’s faces… and decided discretion was definitely the better part of valor. Marnie stood up and left the room to put her winter gear away, already having forgot what Jaz had brought up just minutes ago.

The boys also stood up to leave the room, and Bennie, exhausted from a long night at work, turned on the TV to wind down for bed. All were silent, reeling over the information of a new Malone entering the world soon. Jaz’s announcement was all but forgotten. For now.

Trying to look at the bright side of things, Jaz walked into the upstairs hall bathroom and tried to give themselves a pep talk. “I’m strong. I’m a fighter. And I am not a GIRL or a BOY. I don’t HAVE to be. I can be what I want to be. Whether they like it or not.” Jaz muttered to the mirror.

Feeling better, Jaz decided it was WAY too late to call Gemma with the bad news, and that they were DEFINITELY not telling any of their friends about this whole thing tomorrow. Being laughed at by their family was enough for one week. It stung, it really did. Jaz truly didn’t understand what could possibly have been funny about what they said, and pushed the feelings down and away. Tomorrow was a new day, after all.

OS: Day Fourteen < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Sixteen

OS: Day Thirteen < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Fifteen

Myles’ Monday

After the kids left for school, Marnie found herself sitting across from Bennie, blithely eating breakfast. The twins had been fed, and had gone back downstairs. Who knew what they were up to, but at this point, Marnie was hungry, and didn’t really care. The meal passed in a sort-of awkward silence. Bennie apparently had other things on his mind than her, and never even bothered to notice she was even sitting there. Annoyed, she got up and went to clean.

Bennie was worrying about the bills. Sure, the note had said they’d be paid this week, but could he really believe that? Hearing the mail man outside, Bennie finished his plate of omelet, and rushed out the door to check for the bills. To his relief, there it was. A “paid” notice. Good thing, too, because there was no way he could have paid the total due. Maybe with work and finding a profitable dumpster somewhere he could pay the bills next week, but clearly this house was not going to work. The bills were just too high, and he wasn’t making enough money. Two weeks of not having to pay the bills, and there was still no way what was in the bank would actually pay next week’s bills. He briefly wondered if he should mention this to Marnie, but forgot the thought as soon as it occurred. This was the man of the house’s burden, not anyone else’s.

When the kids got home from school, all three were in poor moods. It had been a rough monday at school, and all were extremely tense. To have some fun before even thinking about homework, the kids TV network was turned on (because for a change, Bennie wasn’t on the couch monopolizing the TV.) and all three sat down to watch. Still bored, Phoenix regarded the cartoons as stuff for younger kids, and he decided to entertain himself by teasing his little sister. Myles, of course, didn’t care. Despite the fact that he was the oldest, he was still perfectly happy with cartoons.

Before long, the twins showed up, as well, and all five kids sat around chatting and watching TV. Myles finally decided, however, to go work on his aspiration. His Mental skill was at 9, and getting very close to 10… and he really just wanted to get it done. He’d already gotten his last scout badge, and yesterday had been promoted to the top level of scouts. The only thing left was his aspiration.

By the time it was bedtime, he had finally gotten that last little bit of Mental skill. Things couldn’t go any better for him, and he couldn’t wait to brag about all this stuff to his friends on Thursday at the club meeting.

Upstairs, however, there was a casualty. Poor Marnie hadn’t been really feeling like herself all day, and getting the very last bit of the cleaning done had been the last straw. Even walking around the corner to get to bed was way too much, and she just passed out right where she had stood. Hitting the floor eventually woke her up and she managed to wearily crawl into bed beside a snoring Bennie, but it was a close call between getting to bed and hitting the bedroom carpet, as well. Her last thought was wondering exactly why she was so darn tired lately.

OS: Day Thirteen < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Fifteen

OS: Day Twelve < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Fourteen

The Future

It was another non-school day, and in the middle of cleaning, Marnie took some time out to play with Brett. Brett, of course, was thrilled. Marnie couldn’t stop thinking of all the things that needed cleaning. The kids tried to help (or at least stay out from underfoot), but it wasn’t easy to do.

Upstairs, Bennie was practicing his comedy skill with all his concentration (which, let’s be honest, isn’t much..), trying to ignore the kids who kept interrupting him.

Jaz finished her New Year’s Resolution to raise a skill, and then went to find out what might be in the fridge. Luckily, she did find milk for her cereal, since there weren’t any left-overs. Before long, Marnie joined her at the table, having just finished cooking some food for the family (of course, right after Jaz got her cereal…)

Jaz had taken note of the Future Cube on the mantelpiece. She didn’t really believe in those things, but she was really bored. So she asked it about her future. Reminding herself that it was just a toy, she shook it, and looked down at the words. Apparently her future looked bleak. For a moment she wondered what could go wrong, and whether that was a short term future.. or long-term. I mean, she had an actual home now, a therapist who actually cared, friends, a club she was happily a part of, an A in all her classes, and her parents were even fighting less. Then again, one could say things were going TOO well. Shaking her head, she reminded herself this was a TOY!.. and put it back on the shelf. The misgivings remained, though, and made it hard to fall asleep that night. By the time she fell asleep, she’d decided one thing for sure. No more Future Cube questions for her.

OS: Day Twelve < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Fourteen

OS: Day Eleven < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Thirteen

The Year Ends

Jaz and Phoenix got ready, and headed down the road to the park as soon as they could in the morning. It might be raining a little bit, but at least it wasn’t actually cold, so playing in the rain didn’t seem like too bad of an idea. Jaz managed to make a couple of teenaged acquaintances, and was gratified to see that they didn’t seem as judgmental as her same-age peers. She wondered if that was because they were older, or just because she was a little kid, and they just didn’t care about her one way or the other. Her nerves were definitely acting up, though, because the park was simply packed with people, and her loner trait was making her extremely tense.

Max was showing off his umbrella skills, while Lucas obviously got bored and found some stuff to throw on the playground floor.

Trying to escape, Jaz climbed up on top of the Monkey bars (now that she was a master on the bars, she could do that…) and looked out over the crowd. Before long, Elsa joined her, commenting on the fact that at least the rain had stopped. The two chatted for a while, and slowly, Jaz’s nerves were calming down.

Phoenix joined them, and all three decided to do homework. (Phoenix wasn’t really doing it, of course, just pretending to.. because – well, he already was an A student, and they never really had to do homework, right?) Jaz and Elsa finished their homework, and were happy to see that Lucas Munch’s older brother, Wolfgang, had made dinner for all the kids. Phoenix, on the other hand, had gotten bored of the homework gig and wandered off.

While Jaz was eating her hamburger, some kid came over to make fun of her ratty clothes and messy hair. Jaz tried to ignore it, but it still hurt. She made a couple of nasty comments back to the boy (who she’d never seen before), and was glad when he got bored and went to pick on some other poor soul.

Phoenix, on the other hand, was riding high. When he had thanked Wolfgang for making dinner, Wolfgang had actually started a conversation with him…. and hadn’t walked away when Phoenix started asking questions. Wolfgang certainly looked cool in his black jacket and mean look, and Phoenix couldn’t think of anything better than being just like him when he grew up, so making friends with him was a BIG DEAL.

The other BIG DEAL.. was that Phoenix had finished two things by talking to Wolfgang. He had raised his Social skill to 10, completing that and his aspiration, and also finishing his resolution for a skill gain… that he had only resolved a little bit before they went to the park!

Wolfgang finally noticed how late it was getting, though, and as the “adult” at the club meeting, he shuffled all the kids off towards home, and made sure Jaz and Phoenix got home safely before taking his little brother back to Windenburg.

At home, Phoenix and Jaz weren’t yelled at for being late, which they’d been worried about. In fact, Marnie was so busy cleaning, and Bennie was cooking some meats on the grill… that nobody seemed to even notice they’d been gone at all. A little disappointed, the two decided not to push it by trying to watch the ball drop on TV, and cleaned up, ate, and headed to bed instead.

OS: Day Eleven < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Thirteen

Challenge Home Page | > Oasis Springs Recap

Week 1:

Poor Jaz accidentally goes in the wrong bathroom on the first day of school. And Thus starts the bullying from Billie Jang and her group of bullies. We get to know some about Myles and his relationship with Marnie – she spends most of her afternoons helping Myles with schoolwork when she’s not trying to keep the store and home clean. Bennie, on the other hand, ignore the kids unless he’s yelling at them. Phoenix spends a lot of time on the keyboard in the living room, which only annoys Bennie more. Benji cries in the bathroom over saying something dumb to his crush, Shaylee, while at school that day.

Vlad shows up on day two, and doesn’t want to leave. (I end up cheating to get rid of him a day or more later) Jaz tries to stay home from school, only to have her father drag her to school in his PJ’s, embarrassing her further in front of her peers. Jay (Benji’s best friend) comes over and they spend some time playing video games. After school, Bennie forces Jaz to finish the beginning of her aspiration by listening to him read to her for hours, and then he makes her do her homework.

Bennie finally decides to open the store, but makes very little money from it, and he gets more and more frustrated, until finally just closing the store. Jaz comes home from school waddling, and doesn’t make it to the bathroom. It comes out that she’s afraid to use the bathroom with anyone else around after the horror of the first day of school. As punishment for making a mess, she is forced to get Benji back from the teen hang-out in her filthy clothes. Benji takes pity on Jaz and tells her about the wonderful thing called Hall Passes. (But doesn’t bother to warn her about not using them in the same class every day..)

Marnie spends the next day cleaning house, while Bennie spends the day yelling at the twins. Myles starts serious work on his scouts badges. Bennie actually goes to his entertainer career job.

Marnie takes all of the kids to the park in Oasis Springs. Phoenix calls his club to order, and Myles works on his badges. Jaz meets Colin, and, during a chess game, he makes fun of her, only to have her actually stand up for herself. Colin is intrigued, and apologizes. Phoenix tries to take over the club, only succeeding in making Elsa angry with him. Jaz and Myles get in a fight over Marnie’s favoritism.

The next day, Bennie is nice to everyone – and we find out the only reason he is is because he’s sick. Jaz works on her aspiration, Benji and Jay go out to a bar, with the end result of Benji getting drunk and blurting out about his crush to his best friend. The night ends with Bennie dragging his inebriated son home and grounding him.

The week ends with an angry Bennie taking out being woken up early by a twin on everyone in sight. Bennie is still sick, and calls off work. When he tries to go to bed, however, he nearly gets crushed by the Murphy bed.

Week 2:

Bennie discovers he’s short on bills for the week. Hoping it’ll help, he opens the store for the day. We finally meet the villain to Jaz’s school life: Billie Jang. She gets into a fight in the store, and Bennie disciplines her. We also discover that Jay has let Benji’s secret crush out of the bag – it’s not exactly secret anymore. Marnie gets struck by lightning, Bennie gets mad at the mice. Both Jaz and Phoenix have nightmares.

Bennie is able to pay bills, but had forgotten until the lights were actually turned off, getting him in trouble with Marnie. He manages to talk his way out of it, claiming it was just a slip of the mind. Marnie remains oblivious to the financial crisis. Bennie, hoping to get enough to pay for next week’s bills, starts opening the store more often. Marnie goes on a fixing spree.

The kids are noticing a lack of food in the house, and get stuck with cereal with water instead of milk. Jaz meets up with Colin in the store, and he, to her surprise, seems to actually be friendly towards her. Benji finally is ungrounded courtesy of Marnie, so he goes to meet up with Cade in the countryside of Windenburg, far away from prying eyes. Cade explodes at him for having “eyes” on his girlfriend, and they get into a big fight… which Benji wins. Cade is kicked out of the Klepto club. The mice are still a problem, and still annoying.

Benji finds out he’s about to fail out of high school, when he’s so close to actually graduating. Colin calls Jaz, and confesses his rotten home life. Apparently, he’s struggling with his parents getting a divorce. Benji gets in trouble due to his grades, and Bennie gets a promotion.

Elsa shows up the next day, and offers Jazmyn a position in the club, stating that Phoenix has even approved her joining League of Adventurers. Jaz is flattered, and accepts. She learns that the next club meeting is at Oasis Springs park on Saturday (the next day).

Jaz visits Colin at his house, and even Jaz notices the tension at home. She gets a hot shower for once, however, and then they head to the park. Jaz meets everyone else in the club, and Miki seems the most friendly (other than Colin, of course). They have a great day, and end the night by all playing a round of basketball.

Jaz spends most of the next day working on her aspiration, and Marnie helps Myles with his reading task. Benji inducts Londyn (a new teen in his class) into the Klepto club, and they have a club meeting at the Teen Hangout. Jay tries to face the music about having told everyone Benji’s secret, only to push the blame off to his girlfriend. Benji confronts Shaylee, his crush, and they actually start flirting (despite her assurances to her friends that she didn’t like Benji in “that way”. By the end of the night, Shaylee is Benji’s girlfriend.

Week 3:

Mice in the home are still posing a major problem, waking people up in the middle of the night, and generally being pests. Bennie, again, cannot pay the bills… and goes dumpster diving in the hopes of getting extra funds. Ultimately, he is finally able to pay the bills – this time before the power gets shut off.

In the middle of the week, Jazmyn is sent home early from school, having been given an ultimatum from the school: either she gets checked to find out what is physically wrong with her that she keeps using hall passes to go to the bathroom, or she faces a suspension. Marnie, furious, takes it out on Jaz, accusing her of skipping class. Jaz tries to insist she’s not skipping on purpose, but her parents simply aren’t listening. The matter of money finally comes up, and Marnie is forced to try to find a way to pay for the impending doctor visit. Benji, when he finds out about the suspension, laughs at Jaz for not knowing any better about always using a hall pass in the same class, at the same time – when he’s clearly at fault for never warning her. Elsa stops by to check on Jaz, and ends up consoling her new friend that things will work out in the end.

Marnie gets a major electrical shock while trying to fix the TV. Winter finally starts to set in, and everyone is cold. Jaz continues working on her aspiration.

Jaz comes home the next day as a straight – A student, proving that the “skipping class” was truly not affecting her grades. Benji, on the other hand, comes home with a failing grade, and finally realizes it’s way past time he tried to actually get them up so he can really graduate. Food is low, again, or Marnie just isn’t filling the fridge well enough. We find her playing chess with Myles instead.

Jaz and Phoenix have another club meeting at the park. All is well, and everyone is getting along – until a storm rolls in and causes Jaz to hurry everyone under cover in the main park building. Benji takes Shaylee on a date to the Romance Festival.

Max Villareal and Phoenix become best of friends, helping Phoenix’s aspiration. Bennie yells at Marnie for not cleaning the house enough. Benji shows up with a school project that he couldn’t possibly have afforded, and spends most the night working on it, hoping to get some extra credit. Colin and Jaz play chess in the evening, with Colin being depressed about his family issues (divorce), and Elsa stopping by to say “hi”. Bennie, like his eldest son, shows up with a guitar he shouldn’t actually own, and starts working towards a promotion.

Week 4:

Bennie, again out of money on bills day, tries dumpster diving again. He does manage to pay them before it’s time for work, but he is starting to realize he can’t continue riding the “bubble” like this. Something is going to have to change. Marnie gets some unwanted gifts of frogs from Myles, and horrifies him when she simply gets rid of them. Jaz finishes her Mental aspiration. Bennie comes home with a promotion, and actually is in the Comedian branch now. Max and Phoenix plan trouble at school, and solidify their friendship even further. We find out that the next day is Jazmyn’s appointment at Willow Creek Hospital.

The day of the doctor appointment dawns with Jaz being terrified, and Marnie being angry about having her routine messed up. Bennie is furious that he is left in charge of the twins by himself. On the way to the hospital, Marnie meets Bella Goth, and Myles and Marnie are invited to join a “geek” club at the library. Afraid and not knowing what to expect with a doctor appointment, Jaz is called back to meet Dr. Lee Winn, a resident at the hospital. She has worked herself up into a fever After being examined, it becomes clear the doctor is NOT listening to what Jaz is saying, and he ends up giving her a tranquillizer (which was completely un-necessary), and going out to talk to Marnie. He confirms that there is nothing physically wrong with Jaz at all, and refers her to a therapist to find out what’s “wrong with her head”, much to Marnie’s dismay. Once they are back home, Myles finds out about his new club happily, and welcomes Marnie home. Jaz, however, is miserable until Colin normalizes therapy by saying he goes to therapy to help him deal with his parent’s divorce.

The next day, Bennie goes to get groceries in the morning, and doesn’t return until after everyone is already asleep without a word of explanation. Marnie confronts Bennie the next day, but he refuses to explain. Harvest fest wreaks havoc on the family as the gnomes break everything in sight.

Later, Marnie and Myles head for the Willow Creek Library, and he gets to meet his new friends. This gives him his first opening into stopping being a “mama’s boy” .. and he seems to welcome the chance. Marnie, however, disappears during the club meeting, and we discover she seems to have a secret computer that she is practicing writing on! Marnie, afraid of being caught, heads back to the library to collect Myles, and runs into Nancy Landgraab. They meet, say hello, and Marnie goes to get Myles and heads home. Both Marnie and Myles had a great day, but for different reasons.

Bennie calls everyone in to a family meeting the next afternoon, and shocks everyone by announcing he has bought a cheap house at auction. Reactions vary, but the vibe is definitely positive. Marnie then apologizes for being mad at him, which Bennie eats up. We also see the first real repercussions of Benji’s Klepto trait, as he starts scoping out his father’s store as a larceny target. The mice have also gotten on Marnie and Bennie’s last nerves.

The next day, Jaz heads to her saturday park club meeting, and Benji is in charge of the rest of the kids while Bennie and Marnie go to take a look at the property Bennie bought sight-unseen. Shockingly, the new house is in worse shape than their current apartment. Under closer inspection, however, Marnie and Bennie discover that there’s a decent house under the disaster, and they plan to return with the kids tomorrow to clean it up. At the club meeting, however, Billie and her crew of bullies show up at the park, causing problems for the entire club. It offers a chance for Jaz and Colin to catch up, though. We see that they have finally become BFFs.

That night, Benji graduates. Somehow, he brought his grades up. We also hear talk of Malcolm Landgraab’s father having died, leaving Nancy alone with the baby and Malcolm. By the end of the night, Shaylee has agreed to move in / out with Benji, and, unfortunately. the rest of the club invites themselves, putting a huge monkey wrench into the works.

Week 5:

We start the week out with the whole family (except for the twins and Benji, who are left behind for safety reasons) cleaning up their new home. Strangely, the whole family is getting along, and even Bennie is putting 100% effort into the cleanup. Bennie also arranges for pest control and junk cleanup for the yard for the next day. Back in Magnolia Promenade, Benji and the twins have a great time in the snow, and Benji discovers Shaylee’s love of kids when she comes over to visit. He also shows her the result of his first major heist – the disappearance of a valuable armor suit from the store. (A disappearance nobody else seems to notice.) Benji also discovers that his cooking is not to be desired… but at least, he seems to be good at babysitting.

After a day of waiting for the house to finally be ready, the store is officially sold, the house purchase is finalized, and the Malone family moves into their new “digs”. We see the final “move-in” screenshots of the house, including some purchases the family has made (bathtubs, showers, couch, etc.)

… The week will continue in next month’s summary.

Challenge Home Page | > Oasis Springs Recap

OS: Day Ten < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Twelve

Friday

Bennie was up with the sun. He needed Comedy skill for a promotion, and so he was doing some “research” by watching the Comedy channel. Clearly, the TV was occupied for the day.

The twins decided that – since Dad was watching TV – they could, too… and joined in on watching (although they had no idea what they were watching). They chattered at Bennie until he finally started joining their conversation. (Instead of just yelling at them as usual.)

(Gosh, does it show that I just love these two?? They are SO adorable!)

As for the rest of the family, after school they all did their homework (except for Phoenix, who had an A and decided that meant that he didn’t need to do homework anymore..) then went off to do their own things. Jaz was making crafts and trying to help her mom clean… Myles worked on his Mental skill, and Phoenix.. was making messes and laughing when someone else showed up to clean without knowing who made the mess. Bennie, finished watching TV and went to work. Just another day as a Jokesmith – with no chance at a promotion.

OS: Day Ten < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Twelve

OS: Day Nine < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Eleven

Bella and the Weird Day

The knock at the door while the kids were at school startled Marnie while she was in the middle of cleaning the house. Dropping the vacuum, she wearily went to see who it was.

“Yoo-hoo, Marnie?” she heard.

Confused, she opened the door to find the one, the only, Bella Goth. At the MALONE’S house?! Before Marnie could figure out what to say, Bella waltzed in, dressed to kill in that tight red dress of hers, and Marnie inwardly cringed.

“I was .. uh.. cleaning.” Marnie stammered, indicating the vacuum next to a half-cleaned up dust pile.

“With all these kids of yours, I’m very sure you have to clean all the time! How about I help for a change. I’ll get the dishes, if you want to finish vacuuming?” Bella didn’t wait for a response, but simply started in on the mountain of dishes from the day before. Waspishly, Marnie wondered if she would chip a nail, but then decided to just buckle down and finish cleaning.

Once the kids got home from school (making more dishes), and Marnie had made some fruit salad for the kids, Bella apparently decided to join them for lunch.

Once Marnie actually sat down, Bella began slyly, “You and Myles are still coming to club today, right? I missed you last week.”

“Oh! I was so busy cleaning, I sent Myles on his own. But with your help this morning, I should be able to get some time to myself for the evening.”

“Great!” said Bella, “I have my car, I can drive us all back to Willow Creek, if you wouldn’t mind riding the bus home after?”

“Actually – ” Marnie began…. paused, then continued, “We can’t leave until Bennie gets home from work. Someone has to watch the twins, you know.”

Bella looked around, surprised, “Where’s your oldest?” she asked.

“Benji? Oh, he moved out this past weekend. He and his friends moved to the city.”

“Oh dear. You poor thing. How are you holding up without his help? I don’t know what I’d do without Cassandra.” Bella said, conspiratorially.

“I’m doing fine.” Marnie said , looking out the window at the kids playing on the monkey bars. “Bennie even got a promotion lately.”

Outside, Jaz was working off her lunch on the monkey bars, and trying to get all the way across them three times.

Success!! Jaz finished her aspiration, and just hung out on the bars, wondering why Bella Goth was at their house talking to Marnie, of all people. It seemed an unlikely match.

Once Bennie arrived home, Marnie brushed past him, ignoring his bluster about there being some fancy car in his parking spot (as if there weren’t other spots in front of their house…) – and called Myles.

The ride to Willow Creek was completed in a lovely heated car, and Marnie and Bella talked about World Peace, discovering they shared the “Good” trait.

Once arriving at the library, they played a couple rounds of chess, while all the kids did their homework without being asked, and played in the kid’s room at the library. Marnie felt like pinching herself to find out if she was still real.

Myles managed to get another point of Mental skill, but, more importantly, became good friends with Alexander. They practiced with their void critters for a while, finished their homework together, and obediently went to get their winter gear as soon as their mothers called them. It was late by the time the bus stopped near home, but the meeting had been so much fun. Myles didn’t bother to ask if it was bed time, and simply went in to clean up for bed.

Shaking her head, Marnie went in to find all the other kids in bed, and Bennie sound asleep. The table was filled with dishes again, but at least the floor was still clean.. mostly. Shrugging in bemusement, she went and got her night clothes and crawled into bed. ‘What a weird day,’ she thought to herself, and quickly drifted off to sleep.

OS: Day Nine < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Eleven

OS: Day Eight < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Ten

The Winterfest Heist

It was a sad morning at the Malones. Despite the fact that everyone knew why they were off of school and work for the day, there were no decorations up, and nobody had any illusions that any would suddenly appear. The recent move had left very little in the way of extra funds, and the family wasn’t exactly the best at remembering to celebrate holidays, anyway. Neither Bennie nor Marnie had said anything about it being Winterfest, and the kids didn’t really expect anything, especially this year.

Bennie, for one, was worried the bills had arrived on Monday, and it was now Wednesday. There was still no way he was going to be affording them. And he didn’t know how to tell Marnie. Winterfest was the farthest thing from his mind.

Everyone had gotten up and taken care of the morning needs, helped out with the cleaning, and paid some attention to the twins, who really didn’t know what they were missing out on.

Then – at about 10 AM, the doorbell rang. Phoenix answered it.. only to find Benji and his girlfriend standing on the doorstep with a huge pine tree, and a large, lumpy trash bag. Benji swiped up his little brother in a big hug, and laughed. “Merry Winterfest, Phoenix!!” he said loudly, and the whole family was slowly trickling into the living room, completely agog at the spectacle.

Before you knew it, the tree had been drug inside, leaving a trail of pine needles and sap behind, and everyone was excitedly decorating.

The other bag proved to be full of wrapped presents with carefully printed gift tags, and nobody knew quite what to make of it. They certainly weren’t written in Benji’s handwriting, so Shaylee was clearly in on this surprise, too.

As soon as the tree was up, Benji announced that he couldn’t wait to give the gifts out …

… and promptly handed the first gift to little Brett. With a wonder only a toddler is quite capable of, he opened the box and found a new talking llama toy – which he put to use almost immediately. It even had working batteries!!

The present opening continued, with everyone exclaiming lavishly over each gift, and thinking in the back of their mind for ideas for something they could possibly repurpose to give to Benji in return.

Benji, who was clearly thinking ahead, told everyone that presents for him were NOT allowed, that he had certainly already gotten all he ever needed from his “new job’s sign-on bonus”, but Myles insisted.

They watched Benji open the poorly wrapped gift (that was clearly wrapped in paper that had come from one of the gifts they had just opened).. and everyone burst into laughter as one of Myles’ precious frogs leapt out of the box and hopped in terror towards the kitchen.

There was a minor rodeo as the frog was corralled, and Benji insisted Myles take it back and put it back with it’s froggy friends. The gift, however, was a roaring success, because it cheered even Bennie up.

Playtime began, and nobody noticed that Shaylee and Marnie had disappeared together until there was a ringing bell from the direction of the kitchen.

With shock, they realized they were getting a full holiday meal courtesy of Shaylee and Marnie, with ingredients Benji and Shaylee had thoughtfully brought in a small cooler that nobody had noticed.

The large family gathered around the flimsy table, and Bennie was seen helping the one of the twins into their high chair (although it’s anyone’s guess whether or not he actually knew which one he was holding..)

The happy twins were eventually shuffled off to bed, and Benji, Marnie, and Shaylee helped tuck in all the rest of the youngsters, then meticulously take down the tree. Marnie insisted that she would take care of the dishes in the morning, and sent Benji and Shaylee home with thanks and hugs. Nobody paid any attention to the two of them after they left the front door with assurances that they could take care of the tree and the cooler on their own.

It wasn’t until the next morning that Bennie found a notice in the mail… the bills had been paid. For two weeks….!

---

On the way back to the city, Shaylee and Benji giggled and whispered to each other the whole way, clearly riding on a high from the day. The proceeds from last night’s heist at the Landgraab’s vacant home had paid off handsomely. They knew they were in the clear because of club member Londyn’s surprising contact at the alarm company, that had made sure everything went smoothly. The Landgraabs would certainly be in for a surprise when they got home from their holiday vacation, but with no evidence other than missing things, there was little they could go on. It seemed almost too good to be true.. but Benji’s new “job” was a huge success. They arrived home, rode the elevator to their apartment, and climbed the stairs contentedly. Everyone else seemed to already be in bed, so they climbed into their bed contentedly and were fast asleep in moments. It had, after all, been a long 24 hours for them.

---

Bonus Image:

(Jaz did finally get to meet Father Winter, but only because she had gotten up to go pee in the middle of the night. Of course, I let her ask for a gift before he disappeared.. but I decided to not include the image in the chapter because – after all – the real Santa was Benji.)

OS: Day Eight < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Ten

OS: Day Seven < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Nine

Relief

After the kids had all gone off to school, Bennie brought out a new toy of his – a microphone. Apparently he felt getting in some mic practice at home was important enough to buy a mic for at home. Braydon, as you can see, is more interested in dancing to the music from the stereo under the TV than listening to his Dad, however.

Marnie, as usual, was spending the day cleaning. There was always something to clean in this house, and today the basement desperately needed cleaning, so she was busy with her vacuum.

The twins, as usual, were mostly left to their own devices, and were playing on the Murphy bed. (These guys are so cute, I can’t even resist taking pictures of them!)

---

Later, after the kids got home from school, Marnie grabbed her coat, and told Jaz to grab hers, and they undertook the monster bus ride to Newcrest again. It would probably be dark before they got home, and Marnie was in a rotten mood about having to continually do this for Jazmyn.

Gemma seemed thrilled to see Jaz again, and came out to get Jaz for their appointment shortly after Marnie and Jaz arrived. Nervously, Jaz had been pacing over by the upstairs fountains.. partially because sitting next to a grumpy Marnie simply didn’t sound like something she’d like to do.

Jaz followed Dr. Gemma into the office, glad to get away from Marnie’s grouchiness.

“Well, hello, Jaz.” Dr. Gemma said pleasantly as they both sat down.

“Hi!” Jaz replied cheerfully, still working up the courage to say what she wanted to say.

“So, how was your week? Did anything special happen? Did you do anything fun?” Dr. Gemma asked.

“Well, my older brother, Benji, had his birthday party at our house, and then he moved out with his girlfriend. The house is definitely quieter now.” Jaz started.

“Oh, really? Do you know where he moved to?” Gemma asked.

“The big city. I think his friends are moving with them, too.” Jaz replied, “Oh, and I went to the Willow Creek Library by myself on Sunday.”

“Oh? All that way by yourself? Are you sure that was that safe?” Gemma asked, concerned.

“Oh, I’ve done a lot of riding the bus lines by myself. We used to come from Magnolia Promenade to Oasis Springs for Saturday club meetings – Phoenix and I, I mean.” Jaz said, dismissing the question. “I knew which buses to take because Myles has a club that meets at the library. But that’s not important.”

“Oh? What’s the important part, then?” Gemma asked, interested.

“I did some research. I’m pretty sure nobody saw me. I remembered what you said about that gender thing. So I looked it up.” Jaz said, a little hesitantly.

“What did you find?” Gemma asked with a smile.

“I think I’m actually non-binary.” Jaz said softly, as if afraid Marnie might hear through the door.

“She can’t hear us, sweetie, so don’t worry.” Gemma assured, “What did you find out about being non-binary?”

“It basically means you’re not a girl or a boy, that you’re somewhere in between, or just not either of the choices.” Jaz said, still softly.

“And you feel this describes you?” Gemma asked.

“Yeah. I mean – I know people say I’m a girl. But I don’t feel like one. And I’m not a boy, like my brothers, either. I don’t know what I am, but I know what I’m not.” Jaz replied, almost defensively, then offered a smile.

“I think knowing what you’re not is a great place to start from. Is this why you have trouble going to the bathroom with other people around?” Gemma asked perceptively.

“Probably.” Jaz replied, but didn’t elaborate.

“You know, with what you and I have learned today, I could probably talk to your school and get permission so you could use a private bathroom. Would that help?” Gemma asked.

“Really?” Jaz asked.

“How about I give them a call and see what I can do. I’ll let you know how it goes tomorrow, okay?” Gemma replied. “Meanwhile, our time is pretty much up for the day. I’ll call you tomorrow after school, alright? And I’ll see you next week for our appointment, we can talk about this more then if you’d like.”

“Wait.” Jaz said, suddenly worried.

“What’s wrong, Jaz?” Gemma asked, clearly concerned.

“My parents won’t have to know about this, right? I don’t want them to. Not yet.”

“No, sweetie. This stays between us. I will have to tell the school about your dysphoria, but they won’t be able to tell your parents without my – and your – permission.” Gemma reassured.

“Oh. Good. So, talk to you tomorrow, then?” Jaz asked, smiling again.

“Definitely.” Gemma replied, going to the door to open it. “Have a good trip home, Jaz.”

“Okay!” Jaz replied, suddenly wondering to herself what Colin felt about going to the bathroom at school It had never occurred to her before that someone else might have a problem like she did. However, she wasn’t about to forget her promise. She wouldn’t tell anyone about Colin. Ever. Not even Gemma. Waving goodbye to Gemma, she followed a still-grouchy Marnie down the stairs and to the bus stop… all the while her mind lost with questions she couldn’t ask and thoughts she couldn’t share.

OS: Day Seven < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Nine

OS: Day Six < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Eight

The Chat

Marnie was up early, cleaning and minding the toddlers. After the kids all got off to school, the morning was filled with fixing the washer and dryer, as well as picking up dishes left all over the house by the kids.

Benji also called, and talked excitedly about his new apartment and the fast pace life of the city. It put Marnie in a great mood, and she whistled while she vacuumed the house, getting rid of hidden dust bunnies as she went.

Later, after all the kids got home from school with their school projects and the twins had gotten bored with behaving, Jaz decided to call Colin over to chat and help her with her volcano project.

The worked in silence for a short while, then both started talking at the same time. After a quick laugh about it, Colin indicated that Jaz should go first.

“So, you know I talked to the therapist last week? I went to Willow Creek Library yesterday and did some research on something Dr. Gemma talked to me about. Something I didn’t mention to you. And it explains so much to me. But you have to keep it a secret. I’m not ready for everyone to know, okay?” Jaz started, hesitantly.

Colin readily agreed, very curious about something Jaz was hesitant to talk about, since she was usually an open book when it came to her life.

“There’s a thing called ‘gender dysphoria’ – it means that you don’t feel like you’re the gender everyone assumes you are. After reading more about it, I think I’m non-binary. I am not a girl. But I’m not a boy, either. I think I’m somewhere in between. It’s weird and I don’t know how I feel about it, yet.” Jaz continued, quietly, like she was afraid someone might hear if they were eavesdropping at the door.

Colin looked at Jaz in shock for a moment. Jaz started to say something, but Colin stopped her. “I won’t tell your secret if you don’t tell mine. My therapist and I have been talking about it for weeks now – I am not a boy. Or, at least, I don’t think I am. My therapist calls it transgender – that I’d rather be a girl. So, I know what you mean about the dysphoria. I feel it every day. But I’m too afraid to tell anyone. So, other than my therapist, you’re the only one who knows, now.”

Jaz looked at Colin in wonder, and the pieces started falling into place. “Oh. Oh, gee, Colin. I felt so much better finding that other people feel like I do, and here my best friend in the whole world is the person who could understand everything I’m saying – and I never knew. I was only telling you because I didn’t know if I should talk about it to Gemma some more.”

“Seriously, though, you have to keep this a secret. I’m so afraid of what the other kids might think if they found out.” Colin fiddled with a test tube from the project, then glanced at Jaz with a worried expression.

“I wouldn’t tell anyone. Telling would only mean my secret might come out, too. So should I talk to Gemma? Or not. I promise I won’t mention you to her.” Jaz assured Colin.

“I think you should. Talking to my therapist has really helped me. The more honest you are with them, the more they can help you. At least, that’s how it feels to me.” Colin replied, then stopped whispering and said with a laugh, “You think we’re ever going to finish this volcano?”

“Of course we are!” Jaz giggled, and both got down to work. They chatted about school, and the club, but the secrets seemed banished from conversation for now, as if both were a little overwhelmed by the feeling that someone else KNEW now.

Once the volcano was done, they tested it, cheering happily when it worked perfectly. They then decided to go upstairs and swing while they waited for Colin’s Dad to come pick him up.

On the way upstairs, they passed by Myles and Marnie in the hallway working on his castle diorama.

The new porch lights that had been installed made it so much more fun to play outside when it was dark, and they had a good time.

Then, it was time for Colin to leave. He waved goodbye, giving Jaz a little wink as he walked away. Jaz smiled back and pantomimed her mouth being zipped shut. Shortly after, Marnie called her inside to go to bed, and she obeyed quickly, feeling pretty tired.

OS: Day Six < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Eight