Kids from One Alpha

Chapter 31: Housemates

Staying with Logan had been interesting from the start. Serena should have suspected that much! The

kids had taken it upon thernselves to terrorize Holly. Serena couldn’t exactly be upset about that, but

she scolded them when she found

1. of.

It wasn’t that hard to tell, shrill screams through the old house were always a good indication that Holly

was being scared or tricked by the twins. The house was comfortable enough. Serena had her own

room down the hall from Logan and Holly. The twins had the bedroom on the far side of the house, next

to Flo. She liked having them around, always doting on them and making excuses for them.

Holly was not pleased with the new arrangement, but Serena had trusted Logan when he said that he

would handle Holly. She had yet to have any altercations of her own with Holly, other than a few snide

remarks about keeping her kids under control. Serena was folding her kids’ laundry in their room. She

heard them giggling in the closet. They loved finding new hiding spaces to get sneak up on people in.

“You two better not be causing trouble in there,” she called to them. More giggles came out of the

closet. “No trouble, mommy,” Olivia said back. Serena wasn’t going to believe them. She put the last

stack of Oliver’s clothes into the dresser and went over to the closet. She pulled the door open only to

find a secret tunnel in the walls that the kids had disappeared down. “Great,” Serena humphed, putting

her hands on her hips. Serena went in search of Floor Logan to see if she could find out where the kids

vanished to.

“Logan?” she called through the house. “Flo?” No one answered her. Serena ran down the stairs. If she

didn’t find out where the kids had gone, they’d get lost somewhere and start screaming for help.

Serena ended up in the first floor living room. She pressed her hear to the wall to see if she could hear

where the kids went. “What are you doing?” Logan asked from behind her. Serena gasped, turning

around quickly. She smiled nervously. “The twins found a secret passage in their closet. I’m not sure

where it goes,” she told him. Logan smirked. “Ahh, yes. They have found a lot of the good hiding

place,” he said with a nod. Serena

shook her head. “They’ve also gotten themselves lost and stuck,” she reminded him. “Come with me, I

know where that passage goes,” Logan said. Serena followed him

back upstairs into the room Serena was staying in. He motioned for her to go in first. Serena watched

as Logan entered the room she was staying in. It felt invasive, him being in her personal space. It was

his house! Still, she couldn’t help feeling like he was too close. He was still standing across the room

from her, though. “Open the closet,” he told her. Serena did as she was told, finding the twins playing

together on her closet floor. She giggled and shook her head. “You two,” she said. “Getting into so

much trouble.”, “They seem to have adjusted well enough,” Logan observed. Serena nodded. “They

can make a playground anywhere,” she said. She turned back to the twins. “Come downstairs in twenty

minutes and I’ll make you a snack.” They nodded and waved at her. Serena shut the closet door.

Logan went down to the kitchen with her. Serena pretended he wasn’t following her while she started

fixing a snack for the kids.

“The tree removal has begun on your house,” Logan told her. “It is a big tree, so it is a pretty big

project. Hands are short, so it is still going to take a while to cut it up and remove all the pieces of the

trunk.”

“Thank you for the update,” she said, spreading peanut butter over slices of bread for peanut butter and

jelly sandwiches. “Can you get me the milk out of the fridge?” Since he was going to stand there, she’d

rather have him be useful than just watch her. Logan complied, getting plastic cups for the milk. Serena

set the plates for the kids sandwiches on the table and Logan put the cups down. A chill ran down her

spine when she heard Holly shrieking upstairs. “Oh no!” she cried, running out of the kitchen. Logan

ran with her. They raced back up the stairs and found Holly in the hallway, the twins halfway out of her

closet. Serena rolled her eyes. “Olivia! Oliver!” she snapped. “Get out here right now and apologize!”

“But mommy, she’s mean!” Olivia protested. Serena put her hands on her hips. “Do not make me

repeat myself!” she snapped, tapping her foot and pointing to the floor in front of her. Holly was

hyperventilating, leaning against the wall and clutching her chest. Serena had a feeling she was putting

on a bit of a show, but she was more interested in getting her kids to behave. “Holly, are you alright?”

Logan asked, standing beside her and touching her shoulder. “Those little monsters need to get the hell

out of this house!” Holly snapped, pointing at the kids. Oliva and Oliver had just started to come out of

the closet and bedroom, but they shrank away from Holly’s sharp voice and accusing fingers. “Holly,

you‘re over reacting,” Logan argued. “They are just kids having a bit of fun.” “Olivia, Oliver, I want you

to come out here and apologize to Holly,” Serena said again. Olivia sighed, but she stood up. She

grabbed Oliver’s hand and they walked out of the

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Chapter 31: Housemates

bedroom together. “We’re sorry, Miss Holly,” Olivia said, looking down at the floor. Holly glared at them,

crossing her arms over her chest. She turned her nose up. Serena shook her head, thinking Holly was

acting like a scorned child rather than an adult. “Fine, whatever,” she said, walking away from them.

“Sorry about that,” Logan said, going after Holly. Serena shook her head. “You two have got to stop

scaring her,” Serena admonished as she took her kids’ hands and led them to the kitchen.

“But mommy, Holly isn’t nice to us, or to you,” Olivia said.

“Well, we are guests in her home,” Serena reminded them. “She has every right to be mad when the

two of you sneak up on her and scare her.” “But she was mean before that,” Oliver said, coming to his

sister’s defense. Serena put the two of them in their chairs. “Eat,” she said. “And stop scaring Holly.

You can crawl around in the hiding spaces and have fun, but stop trying to scare her.” “Whatever,”

Olivia said, rolling her eyes. Serena didn’t like the language the kids were picking up from Holly. She

reminded herself that it was temporary, and once they were back in their own house, she could change

their vocabulary when they’d no longer be influenced by someone else. “I know, this is an adjustment

for all of us,” Serena said. “I’m sorry we had to move so soon after moving into our new house.” “We

like being here,” Olivia told her. “Logan reads to us.” “And Flo gives us treats,” Oliver said. Serena

chuckled. “Well, that’s good to know,” she said. “But remember, this isn’t our home. Not forever. So

please, be nice to Holly. She is letting us stay here, and that is a lot.” “Why is it a lot?” Olivia asked.

Serena thought of how to phrase it so they would understand. “Alright, well, what if one of your friends

from daycare came to stay in our house?” she asked. “We don’t have friends at daycare,” Olivia said

smartly. Serena rolled her eyes. “Then pick someone you don’t like, and now try to imagine them

staying in our house,” she said. Olivia made a face and Oliver shook his head. “I wouldn’t like that,”

Oliver admitted. “Exactly.” Serena said. “Holly doesn’t know you, and if you keep scaring her, she isn’t

going to have many reasons to be nice to you.” Olivia sighed before reaching for her milk.

I’ll be nice” she said. Serena didn’t trust her tone.

“Let’s just start with you not scaring her anymore, okay?” she asked. Olivia nodded. Oliver mimicked

the nod. It was better than nothing. Serena could work on the other complications of cohabitation as

they arose.

Vas

Logan came down into the kitchen just as the kids ran off to play again. Serena was washing their

dishes. “The kids won’t be scaring Holly anymore,” she said. Logan sighed. “That’s not really my

concern,” he said. “I’m glad that they are comfortable here.”

“You say that like you wish you had kids running around the house all the time,” she said, a testing

question. Logan shrugged.

“Someday,” he said, smirking. Serena smiled and nodded. “Until then, you can help me wrangle my

unruly children,” she said. Logan laughed. “I hope you don’t think I’m a horrible mother.”

“Not at all,” Logan assured. The twins were laughing in the living room when suddenly Serena heard

the sound of breaking glass. She closed her eyes and sighed heavily.