56 Big Mess

"Hey", Desiree called out as she suddenly remembered something.

"Yeah?", Matt asked, stopping himself from exiting the room and turning to look at her.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?", Desiree questioned.

"For what?", Matt muttered, unsure as to what Desiree was referring to.

"Brunch", Desiree answered, rolling her eyes.

"Since when are we brunch people?", Matt queried, unsure of when the development occurred.

"Since Gloria invited us", Desiree explained, "Now, Are you prepared for tomorrow?"

"When is it?", Matt asked, "I have to go and check talk with Zephyr's secretary to see how his company's going".

"It's in the evening at 6", Desiree replied, "I'm sure you can make it in time, so no excuses".

"Fine", Matt grumbled, agreeing with Desiree's terms.

Desiree nodded, but then suddenly remembered something, "How's Zephyr's company doing? He doesn't really speak about it much so I'm curious".

"Genesis Galaxy Gaming is, as of winter 2011, worth $27 million", Matt announced, "Within a year, the company has released 5 games in rapid succession, each one rapidly rising in popularity. Of the 5, the first two releases, Subway Surfers and Candy Crush, are both ranked as being in the Top 10 most popular games right now".

"Woah", Desiree muttered, "He's doing really well and it's only been a year".

"Yep", Matt agreed, proud of his son, "As long as he keeps this up, his company has a chance of doing really well".

"I'm so proud of him", Desiree squealed, "I just hope he doesn't overwork himself and end up burning out".

"He'll be fine", Matt waved off her concerns, "He's a smart lad. He knows when to take a rest and relax".

"I wonder what he's doing right now", Desiree mumbled.

[With Zephyr]

"Whoa", Phil muttered as he walked into the kitchen and was met with the sight of Zephyr, Alex and Haley cleaning the kitchen, "What's all this?".

"Mom heard us say we were bored", Haley answered.

"She grabbed us like we were nothing and threw us inside here", Zephyr added.

"She even had everything ready", Alex finished, gesturing to the neat stack of books, cereal and the like.

"Suckers", Phil gloated as he looked at their pitiful forms.

"She heard us from outside", Alex defended.

"While she was up in Alex's room", Zephyr continued, "I think she was snooping around or something".

"She has super hearing, like a Seeing Eye Dog", Haley added, "They have overdeveloped hearing to make up for the fact that ... Wait a second. The dogs aren't blind. Wait, are they? No, that wouldn't make sense".

"You're right Dad", Alex muttered, nodding her head, "If I wait long enough, she'll eventually get there herself".

Just as Phil was about to mutter something, his phone began ringing. "Quick guys. Famous Danny from Moonstruck", he asked, giving them a second, before answering. "Aiello", Phil greeted as he answered the call.

"Hey Phil, I'm glad I caught ya", Mitchell greeted from the other side of the phone.

"What's up?", Phil questioned.

"Uh. It's about Steven and Stefan", Mitchell explained, "They want to see that house on Briar again".

"Really? I've shown it to them like 5 times", Phil muttered, "The last time we were there, I think they got mail".

"Yeah. That's why I'm calling", Mitchell remarked, "They hate upsetting people. Unless it's me. In which case they don't mind waking me up at 7 o'clock to call you to ask for you to arrange another viewing for them".

"It's not a problem. I'm just hanging around", Phil murmured, "Kinda bored actually". As soon as he said that, Zephyr, Alex and Haley simultaneously gasped and pointed at Phil. "What?", Phil asked as he ended the call before realising what they meant and gasped in return. Warily looking around, he let out a sigh of relief when he heard no movement from upstairs.

"You are so lucky", Zephyr enviously complained.

"Yeah", Alex agreed, "How come Mom hasn't come down and given you chores to do?".

"She's probably too busy with whatever she's doing in Alex's room", Haley muttered.

"I think she's in yours now", Alex countered, "Or maybe she's in Luke's room".

"While you losers continue cleaning up, I'm going to go show a house", Phil said, grabbing his car keys, "But first. What was Elton John's sexual orientation in the 70s?".

"Bi", Zephyr, Alex, Haley, and Luke, who was done with cleaning the coffee table, answered at the same time.

"You've said that one before", Zephyr remarked.

"And it never gets old. Like the good old Captain Fantastic himself", Phil argued as he exited the room. "Hey Claire, guess what?", Phil asked as he saw Claire rushing down the stairs.

Claire stopped him from continuing by raising her hand, "I'm sorry honey, I can't talk right now. I was too busy snooping through Alex's and Haley's room that I forgot that I told Bethany that I would drive her to the airport and now I'm late and she might miss her flight". Grabbing her bag, she quickly looked through it, muttering, "Where are my keys?", before she noticed the old chair in the hallway. "Why is that thing still here?", she asked, "I thought you and Luke were going to put it out on the sidewalk?".

"So you can't talk unless it's about my chores?", Phil questioned.

"Why don't you do it now? Then you won't be so bored", Claire argued.

"You heard that?", Phil asked in awe and shock.

"Of course", Claire replied, "I hear and see everything that goes on in this house". As she continued looking through the contents of her handbag, a loud clattering sound from the kitchen caught her attention and caused her to Irish there and see what happened. "Oh no! No! No no no no no", Claire exclaimed when she saw a bunch of marbles on the floor with Alex right in the middle, "Oh, God. Alex, don't move an inch. Haley, Zephyr, you two clean this up, or at the very least make a path for Alex".

"Who fills a vase with marbles?", Haley asked.

"Who's blind enough not to see a vase filled with marbles?", Zephyr countered before turning to look at Alex, "Alex, try to move as little as possible. I'll get you out of there as soon as possible".

"I think you mean 'we'", Haley argued.

"I mean ... Let's be honest", Zephyr muttered, "You're the type of person who makes a mess, not cleans one".

"Stop arguing!", Alex shouted, "Just hurry up. I don't think I can hold this for long".

"Phil! Phil! Honey! The girls need you!", Claire yelled as she rushed out of the room.

"Thanks for the hat Leon", Luke said to his friend, posing like some rapper, "It kinda tickles though", he added as he walked up the stairs.

Hearing this, Claire screamed, "Phil!".

"How much electricity do you think we need to bring this back?", Luke asked.

"It's not rocket science", Leon said, "We're only reanimating a squirrel".

"Phil! Now!", Claire shouted in panic.

[Time Skip]

Claire rushed out of her car in a panic. As soon as she parked her car, she ran inside her house. Not even bothering to close the front door, she headed to the kitchen, yelling, "Kids! I called Phil but apparently, he's talking to someone called Luke and Leon! Are you alright?!". Entering the kitchen, she was met with the sight of Luke playing a game, Alex and Zephyr reading a book while Haley was texting someone on her phone. "Thank God", Claire muttered, releasing a sigh of relief, "Nobody's dead".

"Or we're all dead and this is the life after", Luke argued, trying to act mysterious.

"Isn't it meant to be the afterlife?", Zephyr questioned.

"That's what I said", Luke countered, before returning his attention to the game he was playing.

"How many plates did we lose?", Claire anxiously asked, drearing the answer.

"None", Alex answered proudly.

"I used a bunch of cookie sheets to clear a path through the marbles", Zephyr smugly answered.

"Where are the marbles?", Claire inquired.

"Right here", Haley said, pulling a vase filled with marbles from under the table and tipping them over, "Bam!".

"Zephyr suggested I glue them to the vase so this never happens again", Haley explained.

"The chair?", Zephyr asked, interrupting Claire, and then turned to look at Luke.

"Leon and I rolled it outside with some skateboards", Luke added.

"Oh", Claire sighed, "The squirrel".

"Do you really think I was going to let them try that?", Alex asked.

"I suggested they try to clone the squirrel but I got shot down real fast", Zephyr complained.

"I'm not letting you create a monster just to satisfy your ego", Alex argued.

"But it would've been great", Zephyr muttered, "They might've made a movie about me in the future".

"It'd be better if you were alive to see the said movie in the future", Alex mumbled, rolling her eyes at his antics.

[Commentary]

Claire

"These kids are going to survive", Claire began, "They might have to rely a little on Zephyr, but they've inherited the best of me and Phil. Luke using the skateboards, Haley glueing the marbles together, that's something Phil would suggest. And Alex keeping everyone in line? Pure me? I used to worry sometimes that no one would like Alex, but seeing what Zephyr is like, I'm happy that Alex found someone like him. You know, I wonder what their children would be like?". Claire sat there for a few seconds, before realising what she said, "No! No no no no no. What did I just say?! Alex and Zephyr are too young to have children. Maybe eventually after they get married, but-Argh! What am I saying?! What's wrong with me!".

[Commentary ends]