"Hey, Mom, Danielle! Get a load of the yokels!"
I turned my head just in time to see a boy with short hair wearing a hat duck. He sounded like he was about Zac's age or so. Hmm... hope Danielle is an older sister, say around my age.
A couple of minutes later, the screen door opened. The boy made his way towards Zac. He looked tall to be Zac's age, though. They spoke for a minute, the boy scooped up the black cat, and retreated to the house.
"Ike, what are you boys going to do?" asked my father.
I turned to face the video camera. "We're just gonna walk down the street and act casual," I explained.
"Like we're going somewhere," interrupted my brother, Taylor.
As Tay continued to babble, my attention was drawn to the sound of the screen door opening again. The boy emerged and stood on the front steps. "Hey, Aunt Tam! You got a permit to have all this equipment in the middle of my street?"
Tamara Davis, our director, looked up from her clipboard. "Rebecca! What are you doing up so early?"
Rebecca!?! That's a girl!?! Oops!
"Come here, I want you to meet everyone," Tamara said to the girl. They walked over towards us. "Rebecca, this is Taylor and Isaac Hanson and their father, Walker. And Zac is around here somewhere... The boys are in a band, and I'm directing their video. Guys, I'd like you to meet my niece, Rebecca."
We exchanged hellos, nods, and waves, and I couldn't help feeling incredibly stupid. It couldn't be more obvious, now that she was standing in front of me, that Rebecca was indeed a girl. The short hair and hat caught me off guard, and I jumped to the conclusion that the person was a boy.
"So, how long are you in town for?" Rebecca asked.
"Just today and tomorrow. Today we're shooting around LA, and tomorrow we'll finish at the Dust Brothers' house," Tay explained, as if shooting a music video was an everyday activity.
"The Dust Brothers?" Rebecca turned to her aunt. "Need an intern?" she asked hopefully.
Tamara laughed. "Rebecca, you're always more than welcomed to tag along. You know that. Took you to meet Adam Sandler, didn't I?"
"Yes, you did. Thanks. So, what time should I be ready tomorrow?"
"We'll discuss it during lunch. Your mother invited the whole crew over."
Rebecca shook her head and laughed. "So THAT'S why I had to get up at the crack of dawn to clean. Well, I'm gonna go on my run now. See you all later."
"Bye," we said as she turned around and began to jog.
"We're gonna start in five, okay guys?" asked Tamara. Taylor and I nodded our heads, and she went to give the crew some last-minute instructions.
"Zac! We're gonna start soon! Get over here!" shouted Taylor.
Zac bounded towards us. "Did you guys meet Rebecca?"
"Yeah," I answered.
"Dad says we're gonna be having lunch AND dinner with her family," Zac went on.
"Dinner? As in our ENTIRE family dinner?" I asked.
My little brother shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."
I shook my head. This poor family had no idea what was in store for them.