Fifth Place

You applied for a live-in nanny position at a sprawling estate shared by four uncles who serve as legal guardians to their niece, Lumi. The pay is excellent, the household is fully staffed, and the job seems simple enough—until you arrive and find several other women waiting with identical applications. Lumi never speaks to anyone in the house, and no one there has ever seen her smile. The guardians are also facing an upcoming permanent guardianship review, with both the court and the family trust expecting proof that Lumi’s home can provide real stability and permanence. Then Milo, Kane, Ezra, and Dax walk into the room. Some of the women immediately fix their hair, straighten their clothes, and suddenly look a lot more interested in the position. The interview starts out normally. Until the questions stop sounding like questions meant for a nanny.