Magic in the Mix by Annie Barrows

Author:Annie Barrows
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2014-10-15T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

Cookie stepped daintily into the kitchen and froze, aghast at the sight of Miri and Molly lying like fallen plums in the middle of the floor. After a worried moment, the kitten padded to Miri’s side and placed a soft paw on her face.

“Yaah!” Miri shot upward in fright.

Molly lifted her head. “What happened?” she croaked.

“Oh. It’s just Cookie.” Miri exhaled in relief and lay down once more, setting the kitten on her stomach. “Hi, sweetie-kitty.” After a moment, an uncontrollable purr spilled from Cookie as she snuggled into Miri’s hand.

Molly edged closer, and her hand joined Miri’s in stroking the kitten’s soft fur. Eyes—both kitten and girl—closed. For a while, the only sound in the kitchen was purring.

“Whatsamatter with you guys?”

Miri opened an eye. Four incredibly dirty sneakers, covered with inky words and pictures, stood inches from her face. She looked up. “Hi.”

Ray and Robbie exchanged frowns. “You’re on the floor,” said Ray. “You’re sleeping on the floor.”

“Brilliant observation,” yawned Molly.

They’d landed in the front hallway on their hands and knees, sick and frightened. When they’d stopped shaking, they crawled to the kitchen and collapsed in a dazed heap. After the mayhem of war, the tense wait inside the barn, the fight with Carter, running for their lives, and breaking through time, the girls felt like the wooden floor was the most comfortable surface ever invented.

“That’s lame,” concluded Ray.

“Listen, Mir.” Robbie dropped his backpack next to her head with a floor-shaking thump. “We got you an excused absence, okay?”

Miri blinked at him. “You did? How?”

Identical grins flickered across her brothers’ faces. “Never mind.”

“No, really,” she insisted. “How? Are you going to get in trouble?”

They snickered and shook their heads. “There’s this girl—” began Robbie.

“Robbie,” warned Ray. “She’ll kill us, bro.”

Robbie hesitated and decided against it. “So anyway, Mom won’t know you cut.” He bent to unzip his backpack. “And I got your guys’s homework, too. You got some in Lang Arts and”—he stirred the dark bowels of his backpack—“you both got math.”

“Gosh, Robbie.” Miri was touched. “You checked all our classes? That was really nice.” Actually, since Robbie rarely managed to bring home all his own homework, it was beyond nice; it was amazing.

Ray snorted. “He didn’t. Some dumb girl, Abby something, she gave it to him. She said she was your-guys’ best friend.”

Miri and Molly looked at each other doubtfully. Abby who?

“Oooh, Robbie,” squealed Ray, “tell your sisters to text me! We were going to hang out together at your house this Saturday!”

Robbie turned a little red, but he shrugged. “Whatever. We’re not going to be here anyway.”

“Oooh, Robbie, you just have to be there, I’m going to hate you if you aren’t,” sang Ray. He made a long, smacking kissy sound.

Just as he had intended, the kissy sound pushed Robbie over the edge. “Shut up!” he cried, slapping the back of his brother’s head.

Ray ducked. “Oooh, Robbie,” he cackled, “you’re so cute when you’re mad! You look just like Justin Bieber, except ugly!”

“Least I don’t look like a butt,” grumped Robbie.

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