going back ( a kotlc story )

chapter 7 slurps and burps

Sophie and Amy made their way downstairs at around 8:30 since Sophie remembered to shut the blinds, but Marty stll ended up waking them up. "How about some breakfast?" Edaline asked when she saw them. They both nodded in unison and Edaline snapped her fingers, conjuring two bowls of orange glop.

"If y'all are ready to go, we should get those medicines Elwin prescribed." Grady nodded. "Say hi to Kesler for me." Edaline groaned. "This is going to be interesting." Edaline took Amy's hand and Sophie took Amy's other hand as Edaline lept them away.

The door belched as they entered. Edaline led them straight to the back. "I'll be with you in two minutes." Kesler promised as he added a blob of orange slime to one of the rest tubes. "Get ready to add the amarallitine, Dex." "Ready?" Dex asked. "Not yet." He slipped on a pair of thick black glasses. "Okay. Now!"

He jumped nack as the boy poured in the contents of a vial. Kesler pounded Dex's back and removed his glasses. "Edaline! Is that really you?" He exclaimed, looking up.

"Hello Kesler." Edaline said. "Hello Kesler." He repeated. "That's all you have to say? Get over here and give me a hug!"

Edaline moved across the room, and he wrapped her in a big bear hug. "You look good, Eda-but what are you doing here? You never come to town." " I know." She handed him a crumpled scrap of paper. "Elwin said I need to get these for Amy and Sophie."

Kesler scanned the sheet for half a second before his head snapped up. "Sophie and Amy?" His eyes found where they were standing. "Did I. . . miss something?"

"Yes." Edaline took a deep breath. "They live with us now." "Since when?" "Since yesterday-it's a long story." She gestured for Sophie and Amy to join them. "Guys, this is my brother-in-law, Kesler, and my nephew Dex.
"Hi" Sophie and Amy said in unison.

"Sophie will be starting Foxfire on Monday." Edaline explained. Dex smiled. "Hi." They sat in awkward silence until the door burped. "You!" Al tall woman stalked through the staore, pushing past Sophie, Amy, and Edaline. A girl in a pink hood cloak dragged behind.

"What's wrong now Vika?" Kesler asked with obvious annoyance. "Ask your son. This has his handiwork written all over it." She whipped the hood down from the girl's head, revealing a shiny bald scalp underneath. Edaline, Amy, and Kesler gasped at the same time. Dex and Sophie, meanwhile, seemed to be trying hard not to smile. "Hey, Stina. Did you change something? 'Cause you look different today. Wait, don't tell me. . . ." "Mom!" Stina growled. Kesler's cheeks twitched, like he was battling a laugh. "We don't sell any balding solutions here, Vika."

"Just because you don't sell them doesn't mean you don't make them." She insisted. Kesler glared at Dex. Dex rolled his eyes and pointed to a spot behind her ear. "Did you know you have a dent in your skull right there?" Sophie bit back a laugh as Stina lunged for him in a flurry of bony appendages.

"That's enough!" Kesler shouted, pulling them apart. "Control your daughter, Vika." "Why should I? It's not like you control your children." Kesler looked like he wanted to throttle her, but instead he gritted his teeth and said, "We have Hairoids in stock. take some on the house, and she'll have her hair back in a week." "A week?" Stina wailed.

"I can't go to school looking like . . . like . . ." "Like an ogre?" Dex suggested with a wicked grin. Stina screamed. "If my daughter misses any days of school because of your son, I will make sure he is held responsible." Vika yelled.

"You can't prove anything." Dex grumbled. "I won't need to. They'd expect nothing less from a bad match!" Kesler's features twisted into rage.

"Ok, heres what were going to do," Kesler practically spat. "You two are going to get out of my sight, and when I finish helping these customers, I'll see if I can make the Hairoids more potent. If I can't, wear a hat.

Vika stared him down, but he didn't flinch. "I guess we have no choice. It's not like anyone else would waste their lives making ridiculous medicines in a useless shop."

"If it's so useless, why does everyone buy from me?" Kesler countered. Vika couldn't seem to find a retort, so she threw the hood back over Stina's head and dragged her toward the door.

"I'll get you for this." Stina promised Dex. "Oooh, I'm really scared." Stina's bitter eyes focused on Sophie. "What're you looking at?" Sophie looked away. "Nothing." The door burped again, then slammed.

Kesler pounded his first against the table, making everyone jump. "Do I want to know what that was all about, Dex?"
"Probably not."
Kesler sighed. "You need to be more careful, Dex. You know how some people feel about it family-especially Vika and Timkin Heks." "Well," Edaline said quietly, "this store hardly helps the situation. Perhaps if you made it more traditional-"

"Absolutely not," Kesler interrupted. "Nothing brings me more joy than watching all the stuffy nobles squirm in here." "Just like nothing makes me happier than a shiny bald Stina." Dex added, grinning.

Kesler couldn't help laughing. "Well, Dex, since you made the mess, you get to tweak the Hairoids. I need to help Edaline with Elwin's list."

Dex scowled and started off to collect supplies from the back. He returned a few seconds later with an armful of vials and spread them on the worktable with a sneaky smile. "This'll make her hair grow faster," he whispered to Amy and Sophie. "But it'll also give her a beard."

Sophie and Amy giggled. "What did that girl do to you?" Amy asked. "She's just evil,"he said as he ground black leaves with a mortar and pestle. "Trust me."

Edaline disappeared to her room when they got home and Grady tried teaching Sophie and Amy how to light leap. Sophie got it first try, but it took Amy nearly a hundred tries to keep from one side of the property to another.

He pointed to Amy's nexus, which displayed only a sliver of blue. "That means your concentration is at 5 percent. Everyone at your age is at least at fifteen percent by now." "I'm trying as hard as I can." Amy said.

"I know." Grady said. A flash of light interrupted them and two people appeared a few feet up the path. It was Dex and Juline.
"Had to come see for yourself, Juline?" Grady asked. "I'm allowed to visit my sister, aren't I?" she asked, her eyes riveted to Sophie and Amy. Grady laughed. "Where's the rest of the family?"
"Home with Kesler. I didn't want to overwhelm you." "And maybe you wanted to gossip without interruption?" Grady teased. "Sophie, Amy, why didn't you show Dex your room? I have a feeling the girls have a lot of talking to do."

Dex sat down on the floor. "So, Sophie, do you remember...anything?"Dex looked slightly uncomfortable in her room. "Possibly, it depends on what you mean." Sophie said carefully. Maybe he was acting differently because Amy was here.

Dex sighed. "Do you remember anything... before? Have strange things been happening?" He remembers. Sophie nodded. Biana does too, do you have any idea what's going on?"

"Nope, but I see you changed a few things." He looked at Amy and Marty. "Yeah, I thought I'd do it right the second time around. Plus i got to knock Fitz out." Dex smiled at that.

"So, Amy, I thought you were human. Are you an elf?" Dex asked. "Oh, yeah. I'm mostly human, but I'm an elf to so I get to live here." "That's cool, if you want, you can always come over to my house while I'm at Foxfire and make chaos with the triplets."

"Alright." Amy said with a mischievous smile. "Oh hey Dex, can you fix my iPod?" Sophie asked. "No problem." Dex said with a smile. See you tomorrow morning Dex." Sophie said.