The house was unusually quiet—too quiet. Mom glanced around, suspicious. When it came to Minea and Mako, silence usually meant trouble.
Sure enough, a loud squeal shattered the calm. Mom rushed into the living room to find baby monkey Mako clutching his head, tears streaming down his tiny face. Nearby, Minea sat perfectly still, her tail swaying innocently as if nothing had happened.
“Minea, what’s going on?” Mom demanded, her arms crossed.
Minea blinked up at her mom with wide, innocent eyes, clutching her favorite stuffed banana toy. “Ee-ee,” she squeaked softly, pointing to Mako as if to say, I have no idea what he’s upset about!
But the evidence told a different story. Mako’s fur was ruffled, and there was a small bite mark on his ear. He pointed at Minea, his little voice rising in protest, “Ee-ee-ee!”
“Minea,” Mom said sternly, crouching down to her level. “Did you bite Mako?”
Minea shook her head dramatically, hugging her stuffed toy tightly to her chest. Her expression was the picture of innocence, but the mischievous glint in her eyes gave her away.
Mom sighed, picking up Mako and soothing his cries. “I know what happened, Minea. You need to apologize to your brother.”
Minea pouted, her tail twitching. She shuffled over to Mako, giving him the tiniest pat on his back as if that counted as an apology. Mako sniffled but seemed satisfied, holding out his hand for a truce.
As soon as Mom turned her back, though, Minea shot Mako a cheeky grin and stuck out her tongue. It seemed the little troublemaker wasn’t quite done with her antics yet.
