prevarication

noun

1. to deviate from the truth

2. a false or deliberate misstatement, partial truth

I'm up and rolling to breakfast on my own, first thing in the morning. I make it along the hallway in time to hear Eyva arguing with Wallace about leaving the house last night. She was trying to convince him that she was in the house but had no argument when he told her about the app on his phone that could track her phone.

Wrong move! She'll start leaving her phone at home from now on. It wasn't something I dare say out loud, but I somehow got called up in the argument when Eyva declared that I saw her last night just after dinner. That was her claim to being home all night. With music playing in her room. And the light. She might as well have place pillows under her bed blankets in a person outline to convince him more.

"You leave your step sister out of this, she's still recovering."

"But she saw me last night, just ask her. Lily, you saw me didn't you?" She called out to me. I turned the chair carefully to the side so I could look over my shoulder.

"I saw her going down the stairs on my way back from dinner. No more, no less. Sorry." Then I ignored the rest of the argument. Well, I looked like I did, but rolling slower and keeping an ear out shouldn't have been too noticeable.

"She has had it out for me since the first moment she joined out family. What would she know? Daddy, you can't listen to her, she's lying."

"Like how she lied about her phone been taken by you? Like how she lied about those broken bracelets? Or the trashed breakfast?"

"It wasn't meeee!" Crocodile tears are falling, I swear. I can hear the splashes from here, along with the rainbow sparkles highlighting her poor innocence.

"Enough. You're now grounded and your allowance is being cut off. You will come into my office this afternoon straight after school and you will work for my assistant to gain your allowance back."

"No, I wont. You can't do that!"

"I can and I will. You dug yourself into this, you can dig yourself out. Two hours of homework on my office couch, two hours of work all before dinner time here at the mansion. If you deviate from this schedule, I will revoke you club membership, your acting lessons, and your spring break trip to the islands."

"No, no no no. Dadddddeeee, I wont let you do that. You caaaan't." Those tears just turned into a real fountain of water works. And I know I shouldn't be smiling, but damn, payback is a bitch. My wallowing in her misfortune made me miss the rest of what Wallace said to her but I was at the breakfast room anyway and needed to enter.

"I'm not hungry." Was the last thing I heard as she stomped down the stairs.

His sigh was loud enough to follow me into the sun room where mum and Jack were eating breakfast. By the looks of it, they both heard the argument in the hallway just as well as I did.

"Morning, mum. Good morning my little snuggle bunny." I moved myself into the placement that was left open for me again, like the night before.

"Not nuggle bunny. Jac-jac."

"Oh, so no cuddles and snuggles any more? I'm so sad."

"Nope, I give you nuggles and cuddles and kisses. Don't be sad." He was upset that he came over and tried to climb into my lap, using my busted knee as a pull up handle.

"Hang on there, buddy. Being careful with Big Sis Lily, OK?" He caught Jack up in his arms, let him give me a neck cuddle and sloppy kiss. Everyone was happy.

"I Nuggle Bunny." He declared as Wallace settled him into his high chair next to our mum.

"OK, got it, my little Angel." The look of confusion that crossed his face was to die for.

I was left to my own devices for most of the day. Mum went to work while dropping Jack off at his kindergarten on the way. Wallace went to his various appointments and his office before school finished to await his daughter and I spent the day in either the garden out back under the pagoda, or in the entertainment room watching movies with Grant.

When Mum arrived home at 7pm, tired from a long day from work. I'd spend nearly three hours baby sitting Jack after he was picked up from kindy by Mr Hepburn, Mrs H's husband. We were in the kitchen eating cookies that had just come out of the oven.

"Hey, no spoiling your dinner." Mum complained our eating habits as she entered the kitchen.

"Its OK. I eat cookies for dinner." Jack spoke logic like a pro.

"No more, or you wont be able to eat everything for dinner."

"Yes, mummy." He's such a good kid.

"How are you, my dear? Has physio started yet?" A look of concern flashed across her face. "We did remember to schedule a physio therapist for you didn't we?"

"Yes we did, and no, its too soon to begin physio. Stitches aren't even out yet." Mum came around the kitchen island and helped herself to a cookie while Jack wasn't looking.

"How are you holding up?" She asked.

"I'm doing better today. My leg still hurts, but it isn't as bad as yesterday. I'm on the mend but slowly."

"You'll do fine."

"You know mum, I was thinking about taking up swimming now, since I can't do full contact sports for a while nor anything to do with running."

"That's a great idea. Do you think you'd allow me to pay for a professional coach to come here to teach you?"

"There's a pool here?" I feign the surprise as remember the pool perfectly well from my first timeline. And the 'accident' that Ayva set me with with.

"Yes, and I know an elder lady whose daughter is a swim coach for kids at the local pools. She has only a few trainees under her. I could ask if she has a placement available with her."

"A female coach would be great. I think I'd feel much more comfortable with that. Thank you mum."

Now you may be asking yourself, why does Lily let her mum pay for things for her, but not Wallace? It all goes back to whose daughter I am and how much perceived 'charity' is being given or rather taken advantage of. Home board and meals I will take for free while I'm living under this roof. It is a given if my mother is living here, I will live here too. But if anyone starts to talk about what other 'charities' I will be given, I can honestly say that either my mother is paying for it, or I am.

I wont let Eyva spread rumours that I am mooching off her father, nor stealing anything from the estate. Everything I buy or spend money on, will be my own. No one else's.