her something else."
"Keep an eye on her," said Lizard in an undertone. "She needs a friend."
"That she already has." Caro's eyes held quiet approval. "And she could do a lot worse than Lizard Monroe."
Caro handed out compliments about as often as the Queen Mother handed out Viagra. Lizard blushed. And barely resisted kicking a rock - it would scuff her sexy new boots. "Page me if she needs anything."
Her old landlord chuckled. "I will. Tell Josh I said hello. Learned a new chess move. Gonna beat that man of yours one day soon."
Lizard just snorted and walked off, bemused. Her life got weirder every day.
-o0o-
Lauren knocked on Nell's door, leftover linguine in her hands, and grinned when Aervyn opened the door. "Hey, superboy - you ready to turn six yet?"
"Nope." He eyed the containers in her hands and manfully stood to the side. "I already ate, but I bet Auntie Nat's hungry. She just got here."
Excellent. The gathering of the clan, at least the part of it she wanted to see. "I have enough for you too, munchkin. Have you decided what you want for your present yet?" She was drawing a bit of a blank. Nell was currently vetoing the magic carpet, Jamie and Devin were already on a shiny red two-wheeler, and her crystal ball kept insisting there was something important she was supposed to give him.
Maybe the ball was just out of sorts. It seemed to be going around.
Aervyn swayed side to side, thinking. "You could draw me a picture. Mama says the best kind of presents are the ones you make with your hands."
Nell had never seen any of Lauren's artwork. "I'll think of something, cutie. How about I give you one of these boxes to go share with your sisters, and you tell me where I can find Auntie Nat and your mom."
"Just follow the noise," said Aervyn, porting the top box off the pile, forks already magically in his hand. "Kenna found my drum set."
Lauren winced. The drum set had been Devin's idea of a practical joke back when Aervyn turned two, delivered without nearly enough thought about what a hard-of-hearing toddler might do with such a gift.
And apparently becoming the jokester's wife had conferred guilt by marital decree. In the lore that was Witch Central's lifeblood, the drums were now her fault too. "Maybe Kenna wants some noodles."
Aervyn looked skeptical. "I doubt it. She only wants chocolate cake and strawberries today. Auntie Nat called her a heathen."
Nat was far more convinced of the value of all four food groups than your average witch. And she seemed the least affected by whatever plague of weirdness had hit the Sullivan clan lately. "Thanks, cutie. I'll plug my ears."
He swooped up for a kiss and then ran off down the hall, paging his sisters.
Lauren followed in his wake, taking a left turn through the kitchen and into the back yard. Nat turned in welcome, eyes lighting as she saw the Romano's boxes.
Nell was waving her fingers, focused on some invisible spell. A moment later, she sat back, victorious. "Take that, punk witch baby."
Kenna banged her two sticks on the top of the drum - and giggled as a shiny purple fountain of bubbles spurted up. A very silent fountain.
"Thank you." Nat smiled in relief, already twirling noodles onto a fork.
Lauren wondered if Devin had taken a good look at how tired Nat and Jamie were lately. She wasn't ready for permanent exhaustion.
"It won't hold her long," said Nell dryly. She shook her head at the offered noodles. "Just finished a huge plate of spaghetti, thanks. Little monster's already undone two of my best sound-deflecting spells."
Right on cue, sound erupted again from Kenna's drum, accompanied by more bubbles - in rainbow colors this time.
Three pairs of hands clapped over three sets of ears. Your turn, sent Nell with a grin. Auntie duty.
Oh, sure. Lauren looked over at her delighted noise-terrorist of a niece and wondered if anyone had tried the obvious. KENNA! Too loud, sweetie. That hurts our ears.
Two drumsticks stopped, suspended in the air by astonished toddler hands. And then their mischief-maker tapped the drum, ever so lightly, and looked over at the trio of