“I’m the most animal of the bunch of you.”

“But there’s three of me, so I’m twice and one more more animal than you.”

Emily rolled her eyes. There was no avoiding dumb arguments, it seemed.

Epilogue

Arriving home was meant to be relaxing; she was supposed to open the door and just . . . be free.

To some degree it was like that still. She shoved open her little dorm room’s door and then stepped aside to let her sisters in. Five heads passed by, Emily counting them absently before she stumbled into the room after them and shut the door behind her.

Safe.

She was, for the most part, safe. It was a nice feeling to have.

Now she only had to deal with three brats who would be set on making her life more complicated. Also, she had homework to do. “All right, what are you girls planning on doing?” Emily asked.

“I could use a nap,” Teddy said, the first to speak up.

“Can I read?” Athena asked. She gestured to some of the books on Emily’s desk.

“I’m gonna make toast,” Trinity said. One of her bodies ran into the bathroom and returned with Mister Toas— the toaster.

“Okay,” Emily said. “Right, those all sound like great ideas. Teddy, please use the mattress. Athena, you can have the chair if you want, and remind me to go to the library with you—we can pick up books that are more fun. Trinity . . . don’t make too much toast? Where did you even get the bread from?”

“Downstairs,” Trinity said.

“And what are you going to put on it?” Emily asked.

“Nothing?” Trinity replied. “It’s crunchy.”

Emily nodded slowly. “Okay. I’m going to do my homework, and de-stress a little.” The dollar-sign-covered bag, the one with all those secrets within, was right next to the door, waiting for her to pore over it. But that could wait.

The dorm room filled with chaotic noise as sisters bumped into one another, argued, then resolved those arguments in the time it took Emily to huff. Then everything just . . . settled down.

Emily sat on her bed, laptop on her lap, back against the wall. She opened the file for her homework and read the instructions without understanding any of them.

Instead, her mind wandered.

Teddy snored, a low rumble that was already growing familiar. She was the dependable one. A little strange, a little goofy at times, but Emily found the little bear girl actually cared. She wanted to be the one the others relied on, and it showed in the way she always put herself second . . . most of the time.

She couldn’t exactly call Teddy lazy—the girl was merely very enthusiastic about her sleep and her hobbies.

Teddy was nice. Emily found herself smiling as she thought of her. A brat, certainly, but a good little sister.