Phoebe frantically flipped through her notes while stirring the brownie batter with one hand and attempting to solve a calculus problem with the other. The kitchen was a mess—flour dusted the counter, chocolate chips were scattered everywhere, and an open textbook sat precariously close to a mixing bowl.

"Whisk briskly. Fold in egg," she muttered under her breath. Then she paused, frowning. "How do you fold an egg?"

Her phone alarm chimed, and she groaned. "Oh no—calculus time!" She grabbed her notebook and started scribbling. "Okay, the integral from zero to pi is... not a bunch of circles."

"Ooh, brownies!" Max strolled in, sniffing the air. "Can I lick the calculator?"

Phoebe shoved him away with her elbow. "Ugh! Max, I am so busy right now! I've got Cherry's bake sale, this impossible homework, volunteering at the library—" She gasped, eyes widening. "Oh, and there was something else—what was it?"

Max leaned against the counter, smirking. "Bore me with all the stuff you have to do today? Check."

Phoebe shot him a glare. "Any chance you'll mature in the next four seconds and actually help me?"

Max grinned and held up a finger. "I'll only answer that if you pull my finger."

Before Phoebe could strangle him, Melanie walked in, looking equally frazzled. She had her hair tied up in a messy bun and was holding a sketchbook in one hand and a phone in the other. "Okay, I'm running on, like, three hours of sleep, and I'm this close to screaming into the void."

Phoebe glanced at her hopefully. "Oh, please tell me you're free to help!"

Melanie snorted. "Nope. I've got two art commissions due tonight, my science project to finish, and my little cousin needs help with a diorama on space exploration, which, fun fact, I know nothing about." She groaned, rubbing her temples. "Oh, and apparently, I also agreed to help Cherry with decorations for the bake sale. Because I love overcommitting myself."

"Ugh, same!" Phoebe groaned. "Sometimes I wish I could just clone myself and do it all."

Max wrinkled his nose. "Two of you? Ugh!"

Melanie crossed her arms. "One of him? Ugh!"

Before Max could fire back, Billy and Nora came bursting into the kitchen, practically vibrating with excitement.

"Phoebe, we need you!" Billy announced.

Nora nodded eagerly. "For our talent show act! We've been practicing all week."

Max smirked. "Oh, so you guys are doing that cabaret gig in Vegas?"

Phoebe blinked. "What? I thought we were just working on your school talent show routine?"

Billy gasped. "Oh no. You forgot, didn't you?"

Nora put her hands on her hips. "You promised to be our piano player and teach us some dance moves!"

Billy clapped his hands together. "Yeah, I need to learn how to shake my moneymaker! Right now, it's just bringing in change."

Phoebe gave a nervous laugh. "Forget? Pfft. No way. Your talent show is my number one priority!" She quickly turned back to her batter. "Just give me a second to finish these brownies."

Melanie leaned over and muttered, "That was the thing you forgot, wasn't it?"

Phoebe groaned and dropped her head onto the counter. "Completely."

Phoebe spun around, grabbing Melanie's hands in desperation. "Melanie, you have to take over for my piano parts at the talent show."

Melanie's eyes widened in horror. "What? No way! I don't even know what I'm doing!"

"I'll show you later!" Phoebe pleaded. "It's just a couple of simple songs. You can fake it if you have to!"

Melanie scoffed. "Fake playing the piano? Sure, no one will notice that."

Billy and Nora looked at each other, then back at Melanie with hopeful eyes.

"Please, Melanie?" Billy asked. "We'll owe you forever."

"Yeah, forever," Nora added. "That's, like, a really long time."

Melanie sighed dramatically, rubbing her temples. "You guys are so lucky I don't have time to argue about this." She jabbed a finger at Phoebe. "But you better give me a crash course before I get up there and embarrass myself in front of the entire school."

Phoebe let out a relieved breath. "Yes! Thank you! I promise, I'll walk you through it later." She turned to Billy and Nora. "Okay, problem solved. Now go practice your routine."

Billy grinned. "This is gonna be awesome."

Nora nodded. "Or a total disaster." She smirked. "Either way, I'm excited."

As Billy and Nora skipped off, Melanie crossed her arms. "Okay, so when exactly is 'later' for this piano lesson?"

Phoebe glanced at the pile of textbooks, the unfinished brownies, and her phone lighting up with a reminder for her library shift. "Uhh... soon?"

Melanie narrowed her eyes. "Oh, this is so going to be a disaster."

Phoebe paced back and forth in the living room, flipping through her planner at super speed. "Okay, I've got Spanish homework, superhero training, a fan club meeting with Cherry, and—oh great—Billy just signed me up to play piano at some charity event. Because apparently, I don't have enough to do already."

Melanie, sitting nearby with her own mountain of work, didn't even look up. "Tell me about it. I've been juggling school, powers training, and keeping Max from doing something stupid for, like, three days straight. I haven't even had time to prank anyone. It's depressing."

Just then, Max burst into the room with a huge grin. "Ladies, put down your so important responsibilities because I've got something that's gonna blow your minds."

Phoebe groaned. "Max, I don't have time for one of your evil science fairs right now."

"Oh, but you'll make time for this." Max gestured dramatically behind him. "Behold—

"Ta-da!"

Phoebe and Melanie stared. Two identical white rabbits sat on the table, twitching their noses.

Melanie squinted. "What am I supposed to be looking at? The fact that you've become a magician now?"

Max rolled his eyes. "Not just rabbits, cloned rabbits! I've been experimenting with cloning, and after several... um, unfortunate accidents involving two-butted bunnies, I finally got it right."

Phoebe folded her arms. "Great. Now I really don't have time for this."

Max smirked. "Oh, but I think you will make time."

With a grand wave of his hand, he revealed his real creation—a second Phoebe.

Melanie nearly dropped her notebook. "Whoa. Okay. That's actually... kinda cool."

Phoebe's jaw dropped. "What did you do?"

"I cloned you," Max said, beaming. "I mean, you're always whining about how busy you are. Now you don't have to be! You can be in two places at once! Problem solved. You're welcome."

Phoebe waved her hands frantically. "No, no, no! This is so wrong!"

Max shrugged. "I don't see how. You get to lighten your workload, and I get something that'll impress Villain University. It's a win-win."

Melanie nodded. "I gotta admit, he's got a point."

The clone beamed. "I could talk all day about those cute shoes!"

Phoebe blinked. "Okay. That's unsettling."

Melanie leaned forward. "No, but seriously, where'd you get those?"

Phoebe shook her head. "Nope. I'm not doing this. I refuse to be dragged into another one of Max's wacky experiments."

Suddenly, her calendar alarm buzzed. "Oh, I know! I know! I've got stuff to do at 2:00, 3:00, 4:00, and—ugh—5:00. Get off my back, calendar!"

Max smirked. "See? If only there were two of you..."

Phoebe glared. "Max, if someone finds out you can clone, they might start wondering why we're not your typical suburban family."

"Oh please," Max scoffed. "No one will 'inkle.' There will be no 'inkling.' She's a perfect copy—same voice, same laugh, same bossy attitude—"

Phoebe crossed her arms. "I get it, Max."

Melanie studied the clone. "Honestly? I think this is genius. If she works, we can all use one. Imagine—another me handling all my work while I take a nap? Dream come true."

Max grinned. "See? Mel gets it."

Phoebe sighed. "Okay, fine. But I don't trust you with this, Max. She stays with me while I shelve books at the library. And if anything goes wrong—"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll fix it." Max waved her off. "Now if you'll excuse me, I should probably return that book on neutrons, or there's gonna be a charge."

Melanie groaned. "I take it back. Clone me so I don't have to listen to this."

As Phoebe grabbed her bag and stormed off with her clone, Melanie turned to Max, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. "Listen, genius, I don't know what kind of villain school stunts you think you're pulling, but you better not mess this up."

Max smirked, leaning back against the couch. "Mess what up? I just made science history. You should be thanking me."

Melanie rolled her eyes. "Right. Because nothing ever goes wrong when you mess with science. Oh wait—remind me again what happened the last time you tried cloning?"

Max winced. "Okay, yes, the double-butted rabbits were a minor setback."

Melanie arched an eyebrow. "Minor? One of them chased me for a week, Max. A rabbit. With two butts. I still have nightmares."

Max waved her off. "Relax. That was then. This is now. And now, I have perfected cloning! Phoebe's life just got easier, and I get extra credit at Villain U. Everybody wins."

Melanie stepped closer, pointing a finger at him. "No, you win. But if this goes south, we all lose. If this clone starts glitching or turns evil or—I don't know—blows up, the whole family's secret is exposed. And guess what? I like my life. I like my powers. And I don't need you ruining it just because you're trying to impress a bunch of villains."

Max rolled his eyes. "So dramatic. Everything is under control."

Melanie scoffed. "You say that every time. Then five minutes later, something's on fire, someone's screaming, and Phoebe's threatening to throw you into space."

Max smirked. "Yeah, but not this time."

Melanie let out an exasperated sigh, throwing her hands in the air. "Fine. But if something does go wrong? Oh, I will say 'I told you so'—and then I'll tell your mom."

Max's eyes widened for half a second before he quickly masked it with confidence. "Pfft. Like I'm scared of Mom."

Melanie gave him a knowing smirk. "Mmm-hmm. Keep telling yourself that."

Just then, a loud crash echoed from the other room.

Max and Melanie froze.

Then, Phoebe's voice rang out: "MAX!"

Melanie groaned, rubbing her temples. "And there it is. The official sound of you screwing up."

Max sighed. "Welp. That lasted a whole ten minutes."

Melanie grabbed him by the collar and started dragging him toward the chaos. "You better hope it's fixable, or you're paying me to fix it."

Max gulped. "Define pay."

☆

Phoebe stood in the center, clapping her hands to get everyone's attention. "All right! I am all yours. We're gonna make this one amazing talent show."

Billy looked nervous, rubbing the back of his head. "Good, 'cause I don't want to be embarrassed in front of the whole school."

Melanie, sitting on the couch with her arms crossed, smirked. "Yeah, 'cause that's never happened before."

Billy shot her a look. "Hey! I have a reputation."

Nora raised an eyebrow. "What reputation?"

Billy sighed. "I'm the kid who's always embarrassing himself in front of the whole school."

Melanie snorted. "At least you're self-aware."

Phoebe clapped her hands again. "Okay, let's focus, people! Five, six, seven, eight!"

The music started, and Billy and Nora attempted their routine. Emphasis on attempted. Billy tripped over his own feet, spiraling into an uncontrolled spin. His arms flailed as he careened toward Nora, who managed to dodge just in time.

"I can't stop!" Billy shrieked, heading straight for the couch.

Melanie lazily held up a pillow. "Here. Land on this."

Before Billy could crash, Hank and Barb walked in, eyes widening at the chaos.

"Hank, do something!" Barb urged.

Hank nodded. "Got it. Phoebe, do something."

Phoebe sighed. "Got it." She lunged forward, catching Billy just before he face-planted into the coffee table. She set him upright, only for him to wobble and fall onto the couch.

Billy groaned. "Jeez, Phoebe. What have you been eating? Cat food?"

Phoebe frowned. "It was in a can. It said 'tuna.' I have a lot on my mind, okay?"

Melanie made a disgusted face. "That's a lot to unpack."

Nora crossed her arms. "This isn't going to work."

Barb stepped forward, beaming. "You know, your father and I could offer you some dance tips too."

Phoebe sighed. "It's okay, Mom. I've got this."

Nora grinned. "Yeah, Phoebe's great at this, and she's..."

Silence.

Nora turned to Billy, nudging him.

Billy shrugged. "Not old?"

Barb gasped, placing a hand on her chest. "I'm going to act like I didn't hear that."

Hank chuckled. "Because you can't?"

Nora giggled. "That's funny, Dad."

Barb pointed at her. "Don't disrespect your father."

Phoebe pinched the bridge of her nose. "Okay, we have a lot of rehearsing to do, so if you guys could—"

"You know, your dad and I—" Barb started.

"And here we go." Phoebe groaned.

Barb ignored her. "We used to dance all the time."

Hank nodded. "Now we just watch shows about people who think they can dance."

Barb grinned and grabbed Hank's hand. "Come on, Hank. Let's bust a move."

Melanie smirked, leaning toward Phoebe. "This is gonna be good."

Barb turned to Phoebe expectantly. "Cue the music!"

Phoebe sighed and pressed play.

[Cheerful music starts.]

Hank took Barb's hand, spun her once, and then immediately tripped over his own feet, sending a shoe flying across the room.

THWACK!

Melanie, watching from the couch, sighed dramatically. "I wish that shoe hit me." Phoebe and Melanie stood off to the side, their arms crossed, expressions caught somewhere between horror and secondhand embarrassment.

Hank and Barb were in the middle of what they believed to be an elegant and well-executed routine. In reality, it was a chaotic mess of flailing limbs, near-collisions, and an occasional "Whoa!" from Hank as he struggled to keep up.

Billy and Nora sat on the couch, watching with wide eyes.

Nora whispered to Billy. "Is this supposed to be dancing or a cry for help?"

Billy shook his head. "I think it's interpretive."

Hank attempted a dip, but Barb, far too enthusiastic, threw herself backward. Hank panicked, scrambling to keep her from hitting the floor. Instead, they both ended up spinning in a tangled mess, knocking into the lamp, which teetered dangerously.

Phoebe grabbed Melanie's arm. "Melanie, we have to stop this before they break something—or themselves."

Melanie shook her head slowly, eyes locked on the spectacle. "No sudden movements. We don't want to startle them. It might make it worse."

Hank, now determined to recover, attempted a dramatic side step but accidentally kicked Barb's foot. She yelped, flailing her arms, smacking Hank in the face.

SMACK!

THUD!

Barb gasped. "Oh, Hank, are you okay?"

Hank, lying flat on his back, groaned. "Yeah... I think I just tangoed with a concussion."

Phoebe and Melanie exchanged a look, both trying not to laugh.

Melanie clapped her hands together. "Okay! I think that's enough dancing for one lifetime."

Barb sat up, frowning. "Well, we were just getting started."

Melanie raised an eyebrow. "I think gravity disagrees."

Billy nudged Nora. "Maybe we should just stick with Phoebe's choreography."

Nora nodded. "Yeah. I'd rather not end up on the floor like them."

Hank gave a thumbs-up from where he was still sprawled out. "Smart choice, kids."

Phoebe exhaled, shaking her head. "Well, at least we learned one thing from this."

Melanie smirked. "That we're never letting them help with choreography again?"

Phoebe nodded. "Exactly."

Melanie stood off to the side, watching as Billy and Nora prepped for their performance. She raised a skeptical eyebrow as Billy dramatically stretched, clearly hyping himself up.

"Any chance you're getting up to go to the bathroom?" she asked dryly, arms crossed. "'Cause I am."

Billy grinned. "Nope! Mom, Dad, we're ready to wow you!"

"We've been practicing," Phoebe added confidently, giving Melanie a quick glance. "And I think they're really gonna nail it."

Hank, standing proudly next to Barb, gave an approving nod. "Like your father nailed the wall?" Barb muttered under her breath, glancing at a very obvious dent in the drywall.

Hank sighed. "A dancer is only as good as his partner. And my partner's awesome."

Phoebe gave a thumbs-up. "Mom, can you give Billy a spot?"

[Fingers snap.]

Suddenly, the dramatic tango music kicked in, and Billy confidently stepped forward, spinning into position.

Then—CRASH!

Billy tumbled backward, arms flailing as Nora dove out of the way.

Melanie winced. "So... no tango?"

Nora sat up, glaring. "No kidding!"

Just then, Phoebe's phone rang, and she pulled it out, looking confused. She frowned when she saw Max's name on the screen.

"Max?" she answered, suspicion laced in her voice.

The background noise on the other end was pure chaos—yelling, objects clattering, and an ominous wheeeeee!

Melanie leaned in, brow furrowing. "What did he do now?"

"Hey, Phoebes," Max said, his tone way too casual. "So... how's it going there?"

Phoebe's eyes narrowed. "What have you done?"

"Oh, good, good." Max ignored the question. "So, hey, little problem here, and I don't want to worry you, but..."

There was a loud thud, followed by more yelling.

"Wheeeeeee!"

Melanie's expression immediately shifted from annoyed to concerned. "That did not sound good."

Phoebe pressed the phone closer to her ear. "Max, what is going on?"

"Turns out your twin isn't as bright as I thought," Max admitted.

"Yeah, I know you're dumb."

"Not me! Your other twin!"

Phoebe groaned, rubbing her temples. "Nora, Billy, I have to run out for a couple minutes! Just keep Mom and Dad here, and whatever you do, don't let them go to the school bake sale."

Billy saluted. "No school bake sale. Got it."

Phoebe turned to Melanie. "Come on, I have a bad feeling about this."

Melanie rolled her eyes. "When do you not have a bad feeling about Max?"

Phoebe ignored her and took off.

Billy turned back to Nora, who was already flipping through her list of schemes.

"Hey, don't worry," Billy said, "I'm in complete control."

Then—BAM! Something crashed in the other room.

Billy paled. "I've lost control!"

Phoebe & Melanie's Debate: The Great Max Dilemma

Phoebe stormed up the stairs two at a time, her phone still clutched in her hand as she made her way to Melanie's room. She didn't even bother knocking before pushing the door open and dramatically flopping onto the bed face-first.

Melanie, who had been lounging in a chair, scrolling through her phone, barely