Chaos reigned at the Singleton house. One college student was watching six children. Violet, Kaleb, and Noah watched boredly as the babysitter struggled to control the younger three, who were playing with Play-Doh.

"This is so lame," Violet yawned.

"Play-Doh is for babies," Kaleb agreed.

"Wanna go to my room? I have a new Lego set we could try," Noah offered. They readily accepted. Anything was better than watching the babysitter flounder.

"Hey, where are you guys going?" she called frantically as they headed upstairs.

"To my room," they replied.

"I'm supposed to watch all of you! Come back!"

They ignored her pleas. She was boring, and they had better things to do. They settled on the floor of Noah's room as he produced a Lego set—a dragon, knight, and castle set his cousin had given him after outgrowing it. His cousin had assured him all the pieces were there.

"Why do our dads have to work at the same place?" Kaleb grumbled. "This would be more fun if Aunt Jen were here."

"Don't be stupid; we wouldn't even know each other if Dad hadn't hired Uncle Cameron," Violet said, sorting Lego pieces by shape and color. "He and Uncle Aiden have worked for him since before we were born. Dad has known them almost as long as he's known Mom."

Noah looked confused. "How long have your parents known each other? My dad says he met your dad in college."

"High school," she replied without looking up.

"Wow, that's a long time. But I'll know you longer when we grow up because we've known each other since we were babies."

"That's not how that works—oh, never mind. Anyway, I'll always know Kaleb the longest since we were in Mom's tummy together."

Noah scowled at the instructions. "Unfair."

"Life isn't fair, Noah," Violet said simply.

Kaleb rolled his eyes, starting to assemble pieces randomly. He was used to their bickering, and to his sister's know-it-all attitude. He loved her dearly, though; he wouldn't trade his twin for anything.

However, she sometimes had a knack for making others feel stupid, probably because she was so smart. At least he was better at sports. She tended to get hit in the face with whatever ball she used, much to his amusement (after ensuring she was okay). This usually angered her.

They worked in relative silence for a while, speaking only to request specific Lego pieces. Kaleb preferred it this way. He felt like a third wheel when Noah was around, even though others said they felt like a third wheel around Violet and Kaleb. He was a little jealous of Violet's central position.

He knew he had more friends than she did, though. She was polite to classmates and his friends, but only truly liked him and Noah. As they got older and had different classes, they grew apart somewhat. Kaleb had secretly requested different classes in third grade.

It wasn't that he didn't love his sister; he just wanted to go to school without worrying about her. She got sulky when he played with others. He still saw her constantly at home. Only his mom knew about his desire for separate classes.

His mom probably told his dad. There were no secrets between them, as evidenced by Dad's tattling about the last cookie. Mom said that's how marriage worked.

Violet's world was small, and Kaleb didn't want to be a perpetual third wheel, so he made many friends. He liked Noah, but knew he was second to his sister in Noah's affections. Wasn't it better to play with people who prioritized him, while Violet and Noah had their own world?

"Kal, I need the piece you're holding," his sister said, extending her hand.

He gave it to her silently. Her bright smile—like their mother's—warmed him. She smiled at him more than anyone else because she saw him the most, even more than Noah.

When they were younger, he'd wished Noah would go away so he could have her smiles to himself. That was silly. With Noah around, he could play with new friends at the park without worrying about Violet.

As they grew older, he noticed Noah was even more protective of his sister than he was. He wondered why. He understood his own protectiveness—Violet was his twin. But Noah wasn't her twin or even her brother. Why did he care so much? He clung to her like Velcro. If he were Violet, he'd be annoyed.

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