In the distance, I could see a house at the top of a hill, but just barely. Was all of this land really theirs? When we got to the top, I realized that it wasn’t a single house; it looked more like three homes put together. I guess you need a lot of space for twelve boys. The grass desperately needed to be mowed, and the wooden front porch could have used a paint job. The lawn was covered in toys, probably the younger boys’ handiwork. George hit one of those small clicker-thingies that was clipped onto the visor, and the garage door started to open. A bike fell over, followed by a few more toys, which blocked the truck’s way into the parking spot. “How many times do we need to tell them to clean up after themselves?” George grumbled to himself. “Don’t worry, dear. I’m on it,” Katherine said as she unbuckled her seat belt and slid out of the car. I watched as she moved the mess so her husband could pull in. When the car was finally parked, George let the engine die, and we sat in the dim silence. Then, he turned around in the front seat to face me. “You ready, Jackie?” he asked. He looked me over and frowned. “You’re looking kind of pale.” Of course I looked pale! I had just flown halfway across the country with a woman I didn’t know because my family was gone. On top of that, I was going to have to live with twelve kids, all of whom were boys! This wasn’t exactly a top-ten day for me. “I’m fine,” I said, muttering my automatic response. “Just a little nervous, I guess.” “Well, the best piece of advice I can give you ’bout my boys”—he began while unbuckling his seat belt—“is their bark’s worse than their bite. Don’t let ’em scare you.” How was that supposed to be reassuring? George was watching me, so I nodded my head. “Um, thanks,” I said. He gave me a small nod and then got out of the car, leaving me alone to compose myself. As I stared out the windshield, quick images started to flash before my eyes like the pages of flipbook: my parents in the front seat of our