"Mike!" Millie Maverick shouts as she storms down the stairs of the Maverick residence. She appears to have just woken up, her eyes still heavy, but at the same time looking very, very, annoyed and covered in water. Mikael Maverick squeals in fear at the sound of his sister yelling his name. He darts behind the couch and crouches down.

      Millie marches into the living room. "Where is he?" She growls to her younger siblings Mackenzie and Maxwell Maverick: Twins. The two of them are peacefully looking at a 'Where's Waldo' book. The two of them point behind the couch they are sitting on.

      Millie runs behind it and finds Mike staring at her, wide eyed. "I'm going to throttle you!" Mike darts onto his feet and runs away from his angry sister. Millie chases after him into the kitchen where he uses the granite island as an obstacle between them. Mason Maverick raises his eyebrows at the two of them as he lets his yogurt spoon hang from his mouth.

      Mike is trapped. Millie is faster than him and there is nowhere for him to run. "What did he do this time?" Maddie Maverick asks as she walks tiredly into the kitchen and pulls the milk out of the fridge. She sniffs it and scowls, putting it back and grabbing the (hopefully) fresh orange juice.

      "The little twit put a bucket of water on the top of my door!" Millie seeths. "When I opened it all the way, it dumped on me!" Mason laughs and Millie glares at him. Mike takes her spit second of distraction and bolts out of the kitchen. Millie takes off after him, both of them darting up the stairs.

      "Whoah!" Milo Maverick shouts as the two of them dart past him, nearly making him spill his coffee. "Slow down!" He shouts after them. Neither of them listen. Milo sighs and shakes his head, walking down the stairs and into the kitchen. "Millie is going to kill him." Milo says with a sigh.

      Maddie shrugs her shoulders as she drinks the orange juice straight from the carton. "He has it coming." Milo raises an eyebrow at Madde. "Classic water bucket door prank." Maddie supplies. Milo nods and opens the cabinet hoping to find a box of cereal, but finds none.

      "I mean, what was she expecting." Mason starts as he takes the orange juice carton from Maddie and takes a sip. She kicks him and takes it back. "He only does this on everyone's birthday." Kayden Maverick walks into the kitchen, the only Maverick already fresh as a daisy and in her clothes.

      "He could at least give Millie a break," Bounding footsteps bound on the upper floors and Mason laughs. "She is turning 16 afterall." Maddie snorts at her mother's words. "Yeah, like you two have ever given any of us a sweet 16." Kayden gives her daughter a look, then takes the juice carton away from her. "Use a glass." She scolds.

      In the upper floors of the Maverick residence, a loud screech can be heard. It appears Millie finally caught Mike. Milo sighs and sets his coffee down. "I'll go stop her." A baby's cries can be heard from down the hall. Kayden 'tsks'. "Margot is finally up." She leaves the room to go get the youngest Maverick child, Margot, from her crib.

☁

      Mike leaves the study after Milo had lectured him on pranking Millie. The 12 year old didn't listen to him. He never does, and Millie was still steaming with anger. Being greeted with a big bucket of ice water on your birthday is not the best gift.

      "Shit face." Millie mutters as her father closes the door. "Hey!" He scolds. Millie rolls her eyes. Bad language is prohibited in the Maverick house and, if spoken in front of one of the littles, counts as a major 'sin'. Millie is getting away with it because of what day it is.

      "Millie," Milo warns as he glances at his daughter's hands. Millie sighs heavily. "I know." She says annoyed. She shakes her hands and the grey misty clouds dissipate from her hands. Her mutation. Unfortunately she hasn't gotten to enjoy it. Being different is like an instant death sentence these days.

      Millie isn't even sure what she can do. Whenever she gets emotional her hands will be surrounded with- clouds- she supposed. No one knows what else to call it. Mike made an argument to call it fog, but no one listened to him (no one ever does).

      "I just-" Millie starts with an exasperated groan. She points at the door. "He's just so-" She growls and sits back in the chair. Milo sighs and nods. He walks over and sits in the seat next to her. "I know. He's difficult-"

      "Understatement of the freaking century."

      Milo gives Millie a look and she sulks. "Sorry." She mutters. Milo places a hand on Millie's back. "Mil, I know today is hard," Millie looks down. "But you gotta keep it together." Millie doesn't reach his eyes and Milo looks at her sadly. Her birthdays have never been easy for one particular reason. The very same reason that keeps the Maverick so tightly knit and (Thought it may not seem like it *cough cough* Mike *cough cough*), protect each other at all costs.

      Millie being... 'different'. It's all to protect her.

      She's always felt like a freak. Even before her mutation came to the surface. Being the middle child means you are the least thought of and you feel as though everything is always because of you. She's older, so she gets the blame when Mike, Mackenzie, Max, or Margot get hurt or into trouble (again, read: Mike Maverick) and she's younger so she gets treated like a child.

      Like, seriously, do you want her to be a child, or an adult? Make up your damn mind.

      But when her mutation surfaced a few years ago, on her birthday, everything changed. The secrecy, the having no friends, the having to hide... It all just sucks and it's all because of Millie.

      "Listen," Milo starts again. Millie looks at him. "I think I managed to convince Molly to visit today-" Millie's face instantly lights up. She loves her big sister and because of her job at Stark Industries, she never seems to see her anymore. She even missed Christmas last year.

      "But-" Milo starts and Millie pouts. There's always a 'but'. "You need to at least seem like you are having a good time. Mackenzie and Max worked really hard on the presents they made you and Maddie made you a cake." Millie snorts at the absence of her brother, Mason, in the equation. He's lazy. And arrogant. And don't get Mollie started on his 'one with the universe' stage.

      Millie had nightmares for weeks.

      Millie sighs heavily. "Okay, fine." Milo smiles at her and pats her back. "That's my girl." Milo stands and leaves the office. Millie stays back for a moment, staring at her hands, then stands and leaves the room. She's got to wash Mike's gross hose water out of her hair.

- author's notes -

I love Millie