“But this is our first night here.”

     “I’m sorry, Karen. I didn’t mean to shut you out. It’s just that I had a rotten week at school and today was especially rotten, so I wanted to be by myself for awhile.”

     You’re probably wondering why Karen said, “But this is our first night here.” I think now would be a good time to explain my family to you. See, Karen isn’t exactly my sister. She’s my stepsister. Her little brother Andrew is my stepbrother, and her father is my stepfather. Karen and Andrew only live with us part-time. I like when they come over because then my family consists of Mom, Watson (he’s my stepfather), Sam, Charlie, and David Michael (they’re my brothers), and Karen and Andrew. Oh, andShannon and Boo-Boo. They’re our dog and cat, and they’re part of the family, too.

     How did I get this weird family? Well, you can probably imagine. My mom and dad were divorced. They got divorced right after David Michael was born. Then, a couple of years ago, Mom met Watson and started going out with him. Watson was divorced, too. And after awhile, Mom and Watson got married, and then Mom and my brothers and I moved into Watson’s house. That’s how I got my big family. The only unusual thing is that Watson is a millionaire. Honest. That’s why we moved into his house. It’s a lot bigger than our old one. It’s huge. In fact, it’s basically a mansion. Living in a mansion here in Stoneybrook,

Connecticut, is fun, but sometimes I miss my old house. It’s on the other side of town, where all my friends are.

     So now I’m part of a six-kid family. My brother Charlie is the oldest kid. He’s seventeen, a senior in high school, and thinks he’s a big shot. Sam is fifteen. He’s a sophomore in high school. Then there’s me, then David Michael, who’~ seven, and then Karen and Andrew, who are six and four. Usually, Karen and Andrew only live with us every other weekend and for two weeks during the summer. The rest of the time they live with their mother, who’s not too far away — in a different neighborhood in Stoneybrook. But the night Karen bounced into my room with her knockknock joke was the beginning of a much longer stay. Karen and Andrew were going to be with us for several weeks while their mother and stepfather went on a business trip.