Walking into the Montague home, Leah had a sudden and horrifying realization: all the other children were 'older' than her. This was the home of children, not babies. Toys littered the ground, but they were action figures and Legos. Leah was under the assumption that some of her children were in diapers, but it seemed she forgot Rita's bizarro world view; the children weren't too young for school. The youngest must've been Lizzy, the first person Leah meets as she walks in. She gives a little wave with a wide smile, and instantly Leah can tell that this girl isn't in diapers; she doesn't even seem to be in pull-ups. The only other toddler seemed to be potty trained.
Leah gulped as the situation sinks in, Lizzy running forward to greet her.
"Hi, I'm Lizzy!" The girl greeted, not so much as a lisp in her delivery. Leah gave an uneasy wave back.
"Hi there Lizzy! This is Hailey. Can you say hi?" Rita voiced behind her, making Leah grit her teeth.
"H-Hi." She answered, pacifier already in her mouth so she can't just stop using it.
Mrs. Montague finally entered, looking equal parts stern, kind, and tired.
"Ah, there's little Hailey. Lizzy, do you want to go play with Hailey while mommy talks?"
Lizzy nodded enthusiastically, grabbing Leah's hand and pulling her forward.
"Come on, come on!" She shouted, still very much a toddler, yet so much more mature than Leah currently was. Leah gave a pleading look towards Rita, who simply shrugs.
"Go on Hailey, I'm certain you'll have fun. I'll be back to pick you up at 6, okay?" And continued to converse with the older woman as Leah was dragged to her doom. The three other kids were vastly varied in age: a boy around 5-6, a girl around 8 or 10, and a teenage boy in the middle of his awkward years. How? How could Rita get this so confused? Leah went all in on dressing as a toddler because she thought she'd blend in, and now...?
The other kids briefly look at her as Lizzy pulls her past, dread filling Leah's stomach with every step.
"Is that the baby?" The little boy asked bluntly, getting Lizzy to stop and stomp her foot.
"She's not a baby!"
"You're both babies!"
"No we're not!"
The two were already bickering, and Leah started to feel nauseous.
"Hey, no fighting!" The 8 year-old girl shouted, "We don't want to upset Hailey. She's just sticking around for the next few days."
The little 4-5th grader was clearly on the mature side, much to Leah's fortune. But she was also incredibly young compared to Leah, which makes her feel very small.
"No! I don't want anymore stinky babies around!" The boy shouted, starting another little fight. Leah just wanted to not be there, her stomach starting to feel worse. Wait, that wasn't nausea...that was-!