''She's going to be HOW old?!'' Paige Turner exclaimed. Next to her, Pearl Diver hushed her.
''Don't let it get around!' she said. ''Carmen would kill us if her real age got out. Anyway, we don't
have to worry, some of Carmen's other associates are taking care of the party, they're on their way
here now.''
''Who are they, other crooks?'' Paige asked. Pearl shook her head.
''They didn't invite any Acme agents, did they?''
''Don't be stupid,'' Pearl replied. ''No, these are just people she's run into from time to time. Friends,
business associates, you know.''
Paige shrugged. ''Well, I hope that that weird guy she's doing the technical exchange with doesn't
show. He gives me the creeps.''
Not being able to resist an entrance cue like that, a huge blue hole in reality opens up before them,
disgorging a young man in his early twenties with glasses, dishevled brown hair and a leather jacket. He
pushes a cart filled with party decorations, baloons and a couple of tanks of helium.
''I'm here! Hey, Laurie, Kara, Anie?'' he looks around, perplexed.
''Damn, I hate it when I'm early. Oh, well.'' He notices Paige and Pearl standing there open mouthed.
''Paige! Pearl!'' he says coming over to greet them. ''So nice to see you two again.''
''Nice to see you too, Erin,'' Pearl mumbles. Paige merely nods.
''Well, I'd love to stay and chat ladies,'' Erin said, ''But, gotta get the decorations up. Which way to the
ballroom?''
The two women point the way. Erin gets behind his cart and starts wheeling it away. As he passes, the
two women hear him singing.
''I am the very model of a modern loco scientist...''
Erin quickly puts up the party decorations as Paige and Pearl were left staring after him in total
disbelief.
Suddenly, in runs Anie. She cries out, ''I'm here, I'm here. Oh dang, my pager. Gotta go!''
Pearl and Paige look puzzled as Anie runs in, shakes their hands and runs out, leaving a gift behind.
Paige and Pearl shake their heads and continue their conversation about Erin.
''That guy is really crazy!'' said Paige.
''Well, hopefully not all of Carmen's friends are like him,'' said Pearl.
''Oh, no,'' said Paige. ''In fact, there's one young woman who's not half as crazy as he is. I've met her.
She loves to read books.''
''I think I know who you're talking about,'' said Pearl. ''She has an unusual first name. And loves to
study.''
At that moment, a knock on the door alerts them. Minutes later, a tall young woman enters. She is in
her mid-twenties, has short red hair and dark brown eyes, wears glasses, and is dressed in a neat
outfit. She is carrying a gift.
''Hello there. Is anybody else here?'' she asks, then she notices Paige and Pearl.
''Hi, Paige. Hi, Pearl,'' she says coming over to greet them. ''It's good to see you two again. Anybody
else here?''
''Just a loco scientist who's putting up the decorations, Jaci,'' said Paige.
''Is it Sara Bellum?'' asked Jaci.
''No, it's Erin Mills,'' said Pearl.
''Oh, okay. I'll say hi to him, then drop off my present, and come back later. Where is he?'' asked Jaci.
''In the ballroom,'' said Paige, who promptly pointed the way to the ballroom. Jaci said, ''Thanks,'' and
then went off toward the ballroom. When Jaci entered the ballroom, she saw Erin putting the finishing
touches on the party decorations.
''Hi, Erin!'' she said. ''I hear you're putting up the party decorations. I'm Jaci, the one who's in charge
of the DDS Ward.''
''Hi, Jaci,'' Erin replied. ''So you're the one who's been giving out doughnut demerits.''
''Well, I've got to go now. I'll just drop off my present, and then return later. See you, Erin.''
''See you, Jaci,'' Erin said, and Jaci, noticing a table where presents were to be put, quickly put her gift
down, and left.
She then went back to see Paige and Pearl, said goodbye, and quickly left.
Again, Anie enters the room. ''Okay Okay I'm back but I don't know how long,'' Anie says. Paige and
Pearl stare at her. ''Where have you been? Sara has been looking everywhere for you!'' says Paige.
''Ummmm, I have no idea',' answers Anie, aka agent 200309. She spots her forum buddies. ''Hey
Erin!'
''Hey Anie,'' says Erin.
Anie has been ready to burst all week. Carmen is going to get a kick out of this, thinks she.And I will
get cake.
Paige throws up her hands in annoyance. ''Carmen did not hire you to eat cake, 2double0309.''
Anie sighs and escapes down the hall and up on the roof. Paige is always bugging her. But never mind
that, two of Anie's favorite agents is here, Sara Bellum and her sidekick Chin.
Sara was yelling at someone. ''Oh gee, its me!'' ''Get off the rrrroof, you nutcase!'' but she is smiling.
''Sara and I go way back,'' Anie says to herself. ''Lars has called and says he's on his way, late
because they locked their keys in their car..again. My unit has come in and has been mingeling with a
woman with short red hair and glasses and Erin Mills. Sara wants me to do stuff and I'll probably be
coming in and out to serve stuff and clean the kitchen out. But Sara did promise cake. She also
promised that I could meet Carmen, which is soooo cooool!''
The doorbell rang again, and Paige trotted quickly to the door. She opened it, and was greeted by a
brown-haired college student wearing a emerald green African dress. The dress had exquisite white
embroidery on the chest and collar, and some of the girl's hair had been done up in beaded braids.
''Donnekahshaie!'' the girl exclaimed, eyes sparkling.
''Uh...you're welcome?'' Paige said, thinking she was speaking German.
The college girl threw back her head and laughed, a heartfelt wild laugh. ''No, I mean hello. Am I
early?''
''Not really, there are a few people here.'' Paige replied.
''Perfectamente!'' The girl exclaimed. ''Allow me to introduce myself. They call me Seldavia.''
Pearl and Sara came up next to Paige and nodded. ''Yes, we've heard of you.''
''Where do the presents go?'' Seldavia asked. ''And where's everybody else?''
''The presents go over there,'' Pearl said, pointing, ''and the others are in the ballroom. I think maybe
Erin might want help with the decorations.''
''All righty!'' Seldavia told them, setting down her brightly-wrapped gift with the others. ''Let's get this
party jumpin'!'' she exclaimed as she disappeared into the ballroom with a wild laugh.
Staring at the hole in the wall in annoyance Pearl said, ''It's a good thing Carmen has home owner's
insurance, but somehow I doubt 'hole in the wall due to rip in the threads of reality by a loco scientist'
is covered in her policy.''
''I cerrrtainly hope zee othzer guestz use morrrrre practical methods of getting zere,'' spoke Sara
Bellum as she entered the room. Just then, the doorbell rang. ''Go see whooo it is,'' Sara ordered.
''Oh, it's that theater girl,'' Pearl said cheerfully. Pearl liked Kara, she was very energetic and always
livened things up. ''You know her, the one that knows more showtunes than Rosie O'Donnell? Kinda
wacky.''
''Yes, I remember,'' Sara grumbled. ''Last time she was herrrre she made me sinnnng the entire score
of ''The Ssssound of Mussic' with herrrr.''
''Well, you do have a lovely singing voice Sara, I mean if it wasn't for that peculiar accent of yours,''
said a tall girl in her midteens with long curly brown hair with a sly smile as Pearl opened the door for
her.
''Hello, Kara,'' Sara groaned.
''Hello to you, too, Sara. I see you're still your usually sunny self.'' Kara spoke sarcasticly as Pearl
muffled a laugh. ''Here, just so you wouldn't feel left out, I brought you some peanuts from the plane.
Airline travel can be such a pain ya know?'' Looking around, Kara noticed a large blue hole in the wall.
''I see Erin has arrived.'' Sara and Pearl both nodded.
''Jaci and Anie have arrived as well,'' Pearl commented. ''They're in the ballroom putting up
decorations.''
''Oh good, I had better go help set up.'' Kara then turned around and yelled at the top of her lungs,
''Okay fellas, follow me!'' One by one about 10 young men in tuxedos filed in carring music stands,
trumpets, drums, saxophones, trombones, and finally an electric piano.
Sara and Pearl stood with their mouths open as Kara's entourage passed. Just then Kara ran back and
said ''Those are my boys. I mean a DJ's great, but my jazz band is sooo much better! Oy, I always get
lost in this place, you wanna give me some directions,'' she asked.
''Down the hall, take a left, then go past the conservatory, take a right at the grand staircase, go up to
the second floor, then another left.......,'' Pearl began.
Then Jaci sees Anie, Kara, and Seldavia. ''Hi, Anie! Hi, Kara! Hi, Seldavia!''
Anie says, ''Hi, Jaci! You remember Sara Bellum, don't you?''
Jaci says, ''How could I forget? I remember her so well! Hi, Sara! And who's this?'' she asked, turning
to another woman standing beside her.
''This is Chin, my sidekick. It's a pleasure to see you again, Jaci,'' said Sara.
''Hi, Chin,'' said Jaci. Then she looks around and sees a blue hole appear out of nowhere, and two
people step out of it. It was Zack and Ivy! Then she saw the Chief appear right beside them!
''Zack! Ivy! The Chief! Great to see you! Good thing you decided to come to Carmen's birthday
party. I'm Jaci Harris, one of Carmen's more legitamate associates.''
Ivy asked, ''How did you ever get into an association with Carmen?''
Jaci said, ''Well, three years ago, I was a page at Ursinus College Library. I went to Ursinus for four
years, you see. One day, I was going about my duties when Carmen came up and asked me where the
books on Shakespeare were located. I asked her if she was going to steal them, and she said she just
wanted to borrow a book. She promised to return it in time. I got her promise in writing, and then
showed her where the books were. I mentioned that I loved Shakespeare's works, and that started a
friendship which still lasts today. BTW, the book was returned in time.''
Then Jaci returned to help Erin, leaving one very intrigued Zack, and one very confused Ivy.
Since Jaci was free now to talk more to some of her friends from the forum, Jaci came back to talk to
Kara. And she found Kara practicing with her band, singing 'Happy Birthday' at the top of her lungs.
''Hi, Kara, still acting like your usual self, huh?'' Jaci said.
''Hi, Jaci,'' said Kara. ''I hope you don't give me doughnut demerits tonight.''
Jaci laughed and said, ''Since this is Carmen's birthday, you're off the hook.''
''That's a relief,'' said Kara. ''What did you give Carmen for her birthday?''
Jaci said, ''A book with all of Shakespeare's plays in it. She loves Shakespeare. What did you give
her? Some kind of musical tape or CD?''
''Yes, I gave her a CD of music from one of my favorite musicals,'' Kara said.
Kara then had to be called away to help practice with her band.
Jaci found Seldavia taking a break from working on the decorations.
''Donnekahshaie, Jaci!'' Seldavia said to Jaci. ''That means hello.''
''Well, donnekahshie to you, too, Seldavia,'' Jaci said. ''It's finally good to meet you in person.''
''You too,'' said Seldavia.
Then Jaci saw two other people enter the ballroom. It looked like Lars and Moe.
''How could you let this happen?'' asked Moe to Lars.
Jaci and Seldavia then said, ''Hi, Lars! Hi, Moe!''
Lars and Moe turned and said, 'Hi there. Do we know you?' ''I'm Seldavia,'' said Seldavia. ''This is
Jaci.''
''Oh, yes, now we remember you two.''
''I heard what happened to you,'' said Jaci. ''You two always seem to get into a real mess.''
''It's his fault!'' said Moe. Lars disagreed, and they would have gotten into a real fight if Jaci hadn't
stopped them, saying, ''Calm down, you two. Let's just have some fun.''
''Oh, all right,'' said Lars and Moe together, rather sullenly.
Then Jaci and Seldavia went back to help with the decorations.
* * *
At 5:30 AM, EST, at Kevin's house, Laurie and Kevin were ironing out the final details of the plan.
''So, are you going to stall Carmen long enough to give everyone time to decorate?'' Laurie asked.
''Of course,'' said Kevin. ''I'm going to take her to the Muesum of Fine Arts in Boston.''
Laurie looked confused. ''How did you arrange that?''
Kevin replied, ''Simple. I talked to her on e-mail and she had asked why she hadn't heard from he in
awhile. So, I told her about how my e-mail system crashed-''
''Which is true,'' Laurie interupted.
''Yeah, and she asked if I wanted to go somewhere for awhile and talk and stuff.''
''And the oh great Carmen admirer-''
''She asked if you wanted to come to,'' Kevin interupted and added, ''but I had to lie and say you had
midterms this week. Uh, you didn't tell her this is your Spring Break, did you?''
''No, I don't remember saying when it was to her.''
''Good, so she won't know- until you're at the party.''
''Right. So, did Derek let you borrow his cel phone for the day so I can call you when we're ready?''
''Yeah, it took him awhile to hand it over, but yeah, he did. I know the plan- you'll call me and I'll let
you know how we're doing and how long it'll take us to get the airport and stuff. So what about you?''
Laurie checked her watch. ''Actually, I gotta run and take the train into Boston. I'm flying out of Logan
in 2 hours to Paris to meet the others at headquarters. One of Carmen's henchpeople are supposed to
meet me at the airport and drive me to headquarters.''
''Ok then. You better get out of here then.''
''All righty. See ya at the party then!'' Laurie exclaimed as she dashed off to the local train station.
An hour and a half later, she was at the airport catching her plane to Paris. She only hoped Kevin
could complete the plan.
* * *
Meanwhile Back at the ranch....er....Manor:
''Boy, the Forum's clan can be a pretty rowdy group!'' Pearl Diver told Sarah as they were taking a
break by the door from the massive redecorations.
''You know Pearrrl, it may be for a good cause but having all of Carrrmen's trrrrusted adviors in one
place can rrrrreek havoc on yourrr blood prrrresure,'' Sarah confided.
Suddenly the doorbell rang.
''I'll get it,'' Pearl told Sarah.
She opened the door to a sixteen year old girl dressed in a gold colored formal gown. Her long
red-gold hair was placed neatly in plaits pinned to her head and she was clutching a dirty piece of
paper in one gloved hand and a brightly wrapped package in the other a well worn piece of paper.
''I'm sorry but I seem to be lost. Could you give me directions to 124...''
A loud metallic crash sounded in the direction of the ballroom, followed by Kara's unmistakeable shout
of: ''People, work with me! Look guys I'm sure we can figure out an arangement that everyone can live
with...''
The girl did a double take, then smiled. ''Judging by that and the large glowing blue hole in the wall, I
think I've come to the right place! Um... where do I put my coat and present and what can I do to help
with decorations?''
''Go down the hall, take a left, then go past the conservatory, take a right at the grand staircase, go up
to the second floor, then another left.......and that should place you in the line of fire. They can explain
things from there,'' Pearl told her.
''Thanks,'' the girl told her as she disapeared around the corner.
''You call that a crescendo!!! Hit that note!'' Kara picked up her baton and flung it at her lead trumpet
player. ''Sorry, Mark. Okay guys, lets take five. And remember this has to be perfection tonight!''
Kara turned around to find Lio, Jaci, Erin, and Seldavia blowing up balloons.
''Having trouble?'' Lio asked in a voice so filled with helium that it would put Alvin and the Chipmunks
to shame.
''Not really. They'll get it eventually. Are you guys almost finished.''
''Yup,'' said Erin his voice also squeaky and high.
''Laurie just called a minute ago from Logan airport. She says Kevin is going to stall Carmen by taking
her to a museum,'' Jaci said normally. Jaci, of course being the only sane one in the group.
''That's a good idea.'' Seldavia said.
''Hey, when are Zack and Ivy and the Chief going to get here?'' Kara asked as she eyed the
refreshment table.
''Well, we kinda have to sneak them in,'' Lio said. ''VILE doesn't know they're coming. I talked to the
Chief, and he's going to C-5 Zack and Ivy over after we get set up. He's really excited.''
''Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, what if Sara Bellum freaks out and starts something with
them? I don't care if she's been to therapy or not, she's still not operating on a full tank.....'' Kara
started.
''Don't worry, I talked to Al Loy and Dara Riska about it. They seemed pretty okay with it. And Dara
promised to keep an eye on Sara in case she started any trouble,'' Erin stated matter of factly.
''The look on Sara's face when she sees them walk in will be priceless!'' Jaci exclaimed.
''A REAL Kodak moment!'' Seldavia seconded.
''Well, I had better go and change out of my street clothes now, '' Kara said looking down at the jeans
and 'I Luv New York' T-shirt she was wearing. ''Too bad Meg isn't here yet because I have absolutely
NO idea where the bathroom is!''
''Follow me,'' Lio said. ''When navigating the home of the greatest thief of all time, it's appropriate to
use the buddy system. If we don't come back in twenty minutes, call Search and Rescue.''
''Okay,'' But, maybe you girls should leave a trail of breadcrumbs just in case!'' Erin yelled as Kara &
Lio exited the ballroom.
* * *
Back on the East Coast...
Scott raced down to the Bradford Depot at 5:45 AM. He pants from the 1 mile run to the train station.
Laurie beckons him to come aboard. He quickly purchases a ticket at the booth and gets on with one
minute to spare. He said to his sister, ''Hey, were you gonna leave without your brother? You know
that I wouldn't miss this for the world. I've been waiting for this social gala for months. Everyone who
is anyone is going to be there and you took the car and forgot about me. Thanks a lot!''
''Okay, okay. I'll admit I probably should have taken you to Kevin's too. My head is not on straight
this morning. It's 5:45 in the morning. What do you want from me? Even on a school day, I am only up
at 8 AM. The wonders of an 11 o'clock class,'' Laurie adds with a grin.
''Well, let's find a seat and get ready for the long ride into the great city known as Boston,'' Scott says
sarcastically.
''Well, at least we'll be in Paris for 6PM- their time. That'll be an hour before the party,'' Laurie replies,
dismissing Scott's sarcasm.
''You wouldn't leave without me...you may have the car, but I have the cellular phone,'' Scott grins,
''without this, you're nothing!''
''Shut up,'' Laurie replies. ''I was going to go get you- I didn't think you'd actually RUN all the way
here! I was about to leave too- seriously. Well, you're here at least. And I thank you for remembering
the cell phone- otherwise, we'd have problems contacting Kevin.''
''And how is the master thief in training?'' Scott asks.
''Just fine- Kevin seeing his mentor anytime is a thrill for him.''
After an hour or so of sibling gossip, the commuter rail finally arrives in North Station, Boston. Laurie
and Scott find a bus to Logan Airport in order to make their 7:15 AM flight to Paris. As they reached
Terminal C, Scott approached the ticket center.
Scott talked to the receptionist, ''Yes, we have tickets for the 7:15 flight to Paris...''
The receptionist replied, ''Yes, Mr. LeBlanc. Thank you for flying first class this morning. Your flight is
scheduled on time and is boarding right now.''
Scott looked at his sister, puzzled. They did not have first class tickets, but, well, the receptionist said
they did. Both tickets said coach class; they couldn't afford first class. So, they eagerly boarded the
plane. The flight attendant escorted them to their seats...in first class.
After they sat down, Laurie looked at her brother. ''How did we get these tickets? Why do we have
such good seats?''
''Wait, who again are we meeting in Paris?'' Scott asked.
Laurie thought and suddenly realized, ''I have no clue. I hope not Dara Riska or somebody like that.''
''She'd stick out in a crowd, like a sore thumb. Come to think of it, she kinda looks like a ugly
annoying prune,'' Scott laughed.
''So, who could sorta blend in, then? Not Sara, that's for sure.''
''Well, if I wanted somebody who would blend in, I'd go with Touriste Classe. Granted he's odd
looking, but in France, who knows? He'd be the ideal person for the contact.''
''Well, it may be somebody who looks like a normal person- not necessarily French. Somebody like
Archie Ology or someone like that.''
Just as Laurie finished her statement, the captain of the plane came over the loudspeaker: ''Attention!
This is the captain speaking. The captain has turned on the non-smoking signs because I feel like it.
Smoke bothers me. Please keep all hands and arms inside the vehicle at all times. Ready your
Dramamine pills and chewing gum. We may experience some turbulence. By the way, if I mention at
any time an 'Airpocket' I screwed up and accidently forgot the Colombian coffee. If the cabin loses
pressure, we are all going to die...''
''Oh, that's really comforting to know,'' Scott snidely remarked.
The captain continued his ominous message: ''The gas masks are located in the upper compartments.
No, you can't use them to get high. I've tried. The flight attendants will be happy to assist you at all
times and wave bye-bye to you all in such a pleasant manner. Your lifejackets, are located
somewhere...but I forgot where. Don't worry, you have a 50-50 shot of not needing them. Thank you
and have a nice day!''
The plane took off without incident. That was certainly a relief to the passengers. The food arrived
shortly. In first class, Laurie and Scott were treated to wonderful selections of food not dreamed of in
coach class. Scott was pleasantly surprised to find ''Dedos de Pollo'' in English, Chicken Fingers. A
tad spicy, but really good. Laurie ate quite well also. The plane was swiftly flying over the Atlantic, en
route to Paris, and the party of a lifetime.
''Did you remember to call Jaci? I wouldn't want to get there and nobody's there and we got the wrong
day and-'' Scott began.
''I called Jaci, ok?'' Laurie interupted. ''They're still decorating over there.''
''Still? I mean, they've been there a long time. I know it's the VILE headquarters and a super large
building, but...come on. They have to be done before we and especially Kevin gets there. They're
probably just chatting and talking and what not...'' Scott rambled.
''You're rambling, Scott,'' Laurie replied. ''Anyway, you can bet they're goofing off a bit too. And I'll
bet Jaci is giving out a zillion donut demerits.''
''And crepe and crouissant demerits too. You know how into the DDS Syndrome she isn't -- she's
immune to its effects,'' Scott stated.
* * *
At least twenty V.I.L.E. members whipped around and stared as a teenage girl burst into the front
doors of V.I.L.E. Headquarters in Paris, France. She was dressed in a dark green dress with velvet
trim and a Manderine collar, with dark green streaks of color in her brown hair and emerald lipstick to
match.
''Bonjour, everyone!!!'' she exlaimed as she carefully handed a red wrapped package to Moe Skeeter.
Moe looked at it quizically, ''What's dis and why does it have holes in it?''
''It's Carmen's birthday present, and make absolutely sure it isn't harmed, got it?!'' she replied, poking
him in the chest with one finger.
Moe nodded.
''C'est magnifique!'' she said and trotted over to a group of men holding musical intruments.
She gave them a once over and smiled, ''You guys must be the jazz band Kara hired! Oui, oui! She did
a wondeful job!''
Meg turned to see Kara walking over to her.
''Oh! Bonjour, Kara!'' Meg shouted a bit too loud as she threw her arms around Kara neck in
greeting.
Kara simply cocked one eyebrow, ''Um...hi? I did think you'd be this...um...er...''
Meg threw her head back and laughed, ''Oh, that's okay! By the way, there's a bathroom up the grand
staircase and down the hall on the right. Bye!'' she piped, and skipped away.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the room, Seldavia was holding a one-sided conversation with Jaci.
''...and there really was a Dorothy-like contraption, but they called it Toto, and it didn't work well 'cuz
they couldn't put it in the line of fire. Which brings me to my next point, core-punching...''
''Seldavia,'' Lio asked, coming back from leading Kara to the bathroom, ''what on Earth are you
talking about?''
''I'm pointing out all the meteorlogical innacuracies in 'Twister' to Jaci here,'' Seldavia explained. ''I
warned her, but she hasn't given me any...what do you call...donut demerits yet.''
Lio laughed.
''Where is Carli?'' Seldavia asked suddenly. ''She said she'd be here.'' She thought better of it. ''Ah,
she's probably just waiting for the right moment.'' She laughed, in spite of the fact that Erin kept
comparing it to Sara's.
Seldavia finished her 'Twister' explanation, then contented herself with watching everyone around her.
All of this was new to her, and she couldn't seem to get enough of it. However, when Anie walked by,
she heard Seldavia sigh wistfully and say something like 'Cuchulain.'
''What?'' Anie asked.
''Hmm?'' Seldavia said, unaware that she had been listening. ''Oh, I was just comparing my situation to
something I read in a book.''
''What is it?''
''I read a story about a boy whose father in America told him about an Irish hero, Cuchulain. The boy
didn't have anyone to look up to, so Cuchulain became his hero and he decided that Cuchulain
belonged to him. But when he moved to Ireland, he found out that Cuchulain belonged to everyone.''
Anie looked stumped. ''What's that got to do with you?''
Seldavia laughed. ''My hero belongs to everyone. Which is fine with me, I'm glad she's got so many
friends, and I'm glad I've met them all. But it's still hard for me to share something that was never really
mine in the first place.''
Anie nodded. ''I see where you're coming from.''
''That reminds me,'' Seldavia said suddenly. ''Did I ever tell you the Exploding Science Experiment
story?''
Anie shook her head.
''Huh, I thought I told everybody that. Well, it was in seventh grade, and we were studying continental
drift. To this day I have a fear of molasses, because...''
* * *
Back on the plane, Scott looked out the window to see the beautiful left wing. Down below, the
endless Atlantic Ocean went pass them at very rapid speeds. Scott was slowly becoming extremely
bored. He asked his sister, ''Well, what are we gonna do now? We already sang the 99 bottles of beer
on the wall, and we can't sleep even though we got a total of 2 hours of rest last night...''
''Check this out, chico,'' his sister said, ''press that button right there.''
All of a sudden a screen appeared. A video game ''Revenge of the Terror of the Hidden Depths of
Destruction on a Serious Rampage to End all of Humanity, Part VII'' was displayed on the monitor.
''It's even better than Quake II,'' Scott's face brightened. He picked up the console and began to
destroy several alien menaces for the next few hours.
Soon, the captain came on the radio again: ''This is the captain speaking. Of course, it's me. I'm the
only one with the loudspeaker. We will be landing in Paris momentarily, if I remember how to turn off
the autopilot system. Oops, we hit an ''Airpocket'' and we will be all right. Don't worry. Fasten your
safety belts. There should be only minor discomfort during the landing, hopefully. Thank you for flying
our airlines. We hope you have a pleasant stay in Paris.''
The plane began its descension into the airport. As the plane gradually approached the runway, the
view of Paris became much more prominent. It was a truly wonderful sight. The Eiffel Tower was
visible in the distance. After its descent, the plane landed on the runway and taxied to the gate. The
doors were then opened and Scott and Laurie proceeded to exit the plane.
Scott stepped into the terminal in the Parisian airport. He looked around for a sign for someone to
meet them. Sure enough, he saw a big sign in block letters reading ''LeBlanc''. Turning around, he saw
another sign reading their last name. And another, and another.
He told Laurie, ''If we weren't in France, this would be easy.''
Just then, Manny approached the two sibling associates. Manny smiled as he showed them his large
''LeBlanc'' sign. He said to them, ''Well, I'm sure that you two enjoyed your first class flight. That was a
little computer tampering on my part. Pretty easy, actually. By the way, I arranged for your baggage to
be at the headquarters, so don't bother picking it up. You can thank me later.''
Scott said, ''Thanks Manny! I enjoyed the ''Dedos de Pollo'' and the lovely video games. I've never
flown first class before, and I really loved it.''
Manny escorted the two out to the street, and the VILE limo was awaiting them. The three of them
entered the vehicle and headed for the party.
* * *
It was 10 o'clock Eastern Standard time when Carmen pulled up in front of Kevin's house. She
opened the door to her red sports car and exited the vechile. She then closed the door and walked up
his front porch and knocked on the front door.
A moment later, Kevin was there to greet her with open arms. ''Carmen!'' he exclaimed happily,
''you're here!''
He then let her go, and glanced at her. She was not wearing her standard outfit- except for the hat,
which of course, was tilted to its usual angle. She was dressed in a red turtleneck, and black dress
pants.
''Is something the matter?'' Carmen asked him, as she noticed his puzzled expression.
''No, I just have never seen you without your trenchcoat before,'' Kevin replied.
''I figured I'd dress a little differently today- to sort of blend in while we were at the muesum.''
Kevin nodded and then said, ''Well then, are you ready to go?''
Carmen nodded and Kevin took her into the driveway. He glanced at his 1989 brown stationwagon
and then back at Carmen's 1998 red sports car. ''Um,'' he began.
''Do you wish to take my car instead?'' Carmen asked him.
''Well...uh...I was going to drive you, but, uh if you insist-''
''I don't mind, I'll even drive. In fact I better, seeing you probably don't know what everything in my
car does.''
Without further debate, the two drove off for Boston. An hour later, they arrived at the muesum. After
using the 'automatic parallel parking' device, (one of Sara's great inventions), the two exited the vechile.
Kevin looked in astonishment at how perfect the car was parked.
''Exactly one foot away from the curb,'' Carmen remarked with a smile.
The two then entered the museum and began to look around. The place is a near maze of art work,
and it does take a person hours to fully enjoy the place.
''If we get separated, just go to the Egypt room,'' Kevin said to Carmen. ''It's in the middle of
everything!''
Carmen replied, ''Of course, I have been here before.''
With that, the two began to look around the museum.
* * *
Scott stared out in amazement from the sights of Paris. Manny was giving them the grand tour of Paris
before heading for the main event. Scott could barely contain his nerves. It had been a long time since
VILE had a party of this grandeur. He could only imagine the strange and beautiful costumes to be
worn by the associates. He said, ''I hope I packed the tuxedo. I brought the cel phone, change of
clothes, etc.''
Manny said, ''We did a luggage check. You're all set, Scott.''
Before Scott had time to reply to Manny's rather odd statement, suddenly the limo stopped outside the
front gates to the VILE headquarters. It was a converted Antartican embassy which closed down after
the penguins refused to send a delegation to France. Still, it was a beautiful building that served as the
official VILE center for functions like this.
Manny rolled down his window and spoke into the speaker, ''Yes. Scott LeBlanc, Laurie LeBlanc,
and I have arrived. Inform the committee of our presence immediately. Correction. We want to make
this a surprise to remember. Let us in please.''
The large black gate with the engraved S (apparently standing for Sandiego) yielded to the limo. The
luxury mobile drove up to the front door and Manny stepped out to open the door for the younger
associates.
''Well,'' Manny concluded, ''you may want to change before making your grand entrance. You
wouldn't want to appear dressed like a slob now would you?''
So, Scott and Manny dragged 15 pieces of luggage to a secret entrance on the side of the building.
Scott growled, ''I had one piece of luggage, one. Everything else is hers. This is the last time I go
anywhere with her.''
''Shut up, don't be so melodramatic,'' Laurie replied, ''I only have 4 suitcases.''
After everything was resolved, finally Scott emerged in his Armani suit with full tuxedo and the
infamous cumberbun. He told his sister, ''I was going with the top hat, but it made me look like
Scrooge McDuck.''
''Ducktales, ooh ooh,'' Laurie smiled.
Then, Laurie looked around. She wondered why we had to change in the secret store room just by the
gate. Still, she supposed everyone else came dressed for the party. She had been in her Tigger
sweatshirt and jeans, and figured it was time to dress a bit more formally.
She changed into her black gown with white trim at the collar. It had a little white train in the back.
People had told her it was a sort of dress people wear to the Oscars or something.
She put her hair in a braid and emereged from the changing room. ''Ok, we're all set,'' she said.
''Took you long enough,'' Scott commented.
''Whatever,'' Laurie said with a growl. ''Are we ready to go inside now?''
''Yes,'' Manny said. He then led them to the door. He rang the doorbell and a moment later, Paige
opened it.
''Finally, you all made it,'' she commented.
''Carmen isn't here yet, is she?'' Manny asked sarcastically.
''Of course not,'' Paige said, ''Now c'mon in. They've been expecting you.''
Scott adjusted his bowtie. ''Then let's go,'' he said.
They entered the room to see that a few others had already arrived. Scott went up to the big blue hole
and said, ''Could anyone possibly explain this...um...Erin?''
Erin remarked, ''Does everybody have to point out that hole?''
''It's just that it's so obvious! I mean, transdimensional transport doesn't happen every day,'' Scott
replied.
Laurie didn't care about the hole anymore than that. She went off to see who arrived and spotted Kara
trying to get the band to play on key.
''Hey maestro,'' Laurie greeted Kara.
Jaci had just finished her part of the decorations when she spotted Laurie approaching Kara.
Jaci got over just in time to hear Kara say, ''Hi, Laurie! Oh, here comes Jaci.''
Jaci said ''Hi, Laurie. Glad to see you and Scott finally got here. Is Kevin stalling Carmen?''
''He is, Jaci,'' Laurie replied. ''By the way, nice outfit you've got on there, Jaci.''
''Thanks,'' said Jaci. ''You've got a lovely dress on yourself. I'm finished with the decorations, so I
might as well talk to some of the others while waiting for Carmen and Kevin to arrive.''
''Go right ahead,'' said Laurie.
''I think I'll go over and tell Seldavia her conversation about Twister means she lost two doughnuts,''
said Jaci, referring to her favorite hobby on the forum -- giving out doughnut demerits.
''Oh boy, Seldavia is in trouble now,'' said Kara.
''See you later,'' said Jaci as she went off to find Seldavia.
Scott stood in the lobby of the VILE headquarters admiring the artistry adorning the walls. As he
checked his watch, he guessed that Kevin and Carmen should be arriving some time soon. The party
had been a let-down of sorts to this point; he found most of the ladies gossiping with each other and
the best he could do was discuss the big blue hole with Erin at length. Erin obviously had much more a
technical knwoedge of the transdimensional transport than he did. Scott tried to sound intelligent by
making references to Star Wars and Star Trek and other science fiction explanations. After conversing
with the scientist for quite a while, he excused himself from Erin's presence and left for the main lobby.
He just started to pace around the hall like he often did when he was bored. Just when he had settled
into pacing across the room, the distinctive tone of the C-5 Corridor suddenly resonated in the hall.
Scott stopped in his tracks and turned around.
The figures of Zack and Ivy materialized in the hall. Zack and Ivy were dressed in their usual clothes.
Zack went up to the associate and said, ''Hello, Scott.''
''Zack, it is good as always to see one of the most brilliant minds of this generation. How many
languages do you say you know? 22 was the last figure you gave me,'' Scott smiled at the younger
detective, ''Good day, Ivy. You'll find the guests mostly in the ballroom preparing for the ceremony.
You guys got here just in time.''
Scott left for the main hall to inform the ladies of the detectives' presence.
Kara whirled around and said, ''Hi! You two finally made it, huh? Ooooh, nice dress, Laurie. I like, I
like.''
''Thanks, you look great, too.'' After FINALLY finding the bathroom with Meg's directions, Kara had
changed into a floor length indigo gown made of satin. She wore a long crepe scarf tied around her
neck and had put her hair up elaborately with a silver barette.
''Thanks, I try to look elegant,'' Kara said.
''Is that your band?'' Scott asked gesturing towards the group of tuxedo clad guys who were yelling
voraciously for their conductor's attention. Music was strewn about and about 5 conductor's batons
had been thrown at the trumpet section. Mark was pretty close to having a concussion by now.
''Yes, that they are. Will you just excuse me for a second.'' With that Kara turned back around and
yelled, '' A FIVE, SIX, A FIVE SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT!!!'' Immediately they all jumped to attention
and struck up a bright rendition of ''In the Mood'', in tune and with crescendos.
''Whoa, they're good!'' Laurie said amazed.
''You should have seen them this morning. Kara's been cracking the whip all afternoon with them. You
don't even wanna know,'' Lio said between sips of punch.
''Thank God Cora and Claire E. Net couldn't make it, Kara would have had a fit with their lack of
talent!'' Scott exclaimed as they listened to the music.
''Okay, fellas, that's a rap. Play that well when the party starts and we'll have it made. Go mix and
mingle,'' Kara said to a group of very relieved musicians.
''What are you guys playing tonight?'' Jaci asked.
''Well, the song you just heard, a touch of New Orleans jazz as well, a few Broadway kickers, threw
in the James Bond theme, too, and if Meg is willing....'' Kara began.
''If Meg is willing to do what?'' Meg asked suspiciously.
'''All That Jazz'. As a duet. Before you say no, I just want to say that...'' Kara started.
''Do you want me to fall off the piano again! I get pains in my back just THINKING about that song!
Have you finally gone a million and a half glazed doughnuts short of a dozen?!?'' Meg exclaimed, her
face red.
''Please Meg. Do it for Carmen, please. And I made sure that the piano is completely safe. I had Lars
Vegas test it and he didn't even fall off! And you know he's not exactly the sharpest knife in the
drawer!'' Kara begged on her hands and knees. Meg's cold expression began to change.
Finally she said, ''Well okay. But only because it's Carmen's birthday and, '' Meg winked at the tall and
handsome piano player. He winked back. ''because you've got a cute pianist.''
''Meg,'' Kara began, ''I don't want to burst your bubble but he's.....''
''Don't even say it,'' Laurie whispered. ''I guess what you said was true.''
''Uh-huh, all the good ones are, girlfriend,'' Kara stated whistfully.
''Helllloooo, Earth to sibling and friend!'' Scott said as he waved a hand in front of Kara and Laurie's
eyes. ''Since you too have been...uh..otherwise engaged, I just thought I'd point out to you that Zack,
Ivy, and the Chief have arrived.''
''Thanks, Scott. You're a pal, even if you can be extremely verbose sometimes,'' Kara smiled as the
trio went to greet the Acme arrivals.
''I forgot the plan, but wasn't one detective supposed to C-5 Carmen and Kevin here when we were
all set? That way, we won't have to wait hours before the guest of honor arrives,'' Laurie said, not
exactly to anyone in particular.
''Ask Zack,'' Scott suggested. ''He doesn't seem to have anything better to do right now.''
Zack turned and asked Scott, ''What? What do you mean?''
''First of all, you're not exactly dressed for the party yet,'' Scott said.
Zack looked around and noticed he and Ivy weren't dressed for the occassion. Everyone around them
was in formal attire.
''Hmm, I guess we could C-5 home for a minute and change-'' he began.
''Speaking of C-5s, we were wondering- do you think you could C-5 the guest of honor and Kevin
here too?'' Laurie asked.
Zack thought for a moment.
''Of course Zack could!'' a merry voice boomed from behind. All of them jumped back in surprise.
''Oh, it's just you, Chief,'' Ivy said turning around.
''Who did you expect? Superman?'' the Chief said as he projected his head on a computer generated
body dressed as the famous 'Man of Steel'. Just then, the Chief's eyes spotted Kara and using his best
Joan Crawford impression yelled, ''Kara, Dahhhhhling! Oh you look simply mahhhhhvelous!!!!''
''You, too, Chief. Kiss kiss, hug hug,'' Kara laughed as she blew him a kiss. ''It's been forever! Your
people never called my people!''
''Well, that's showbiz kid. You know Zack and Ivy right?'' the Chief asked.
''Yes, after we finished that case in New York, Kara met us for lunch in the Russian Tea Room. Then
we went to see ''Cats'' together. You remember, little bro, don't you?'' Ivy asked.
''How could I forget. I was almost hit by a taxi...FIVE TIMES!'' Zack said remembering as his life
flashed before his eyes.
''I guess some people aren't meant for really big city life,'' Scott said.
''Anyway,'' Laurie began,'' you're going to go home to change into something more formal and then
you're going to C-5 Kevin and Carmen here, right?''
''Sure,'' Ivy said, ''sounds good to me. Let's go little bro. Chief, C-5 us to.....''
''Hold it just a gosh darn minute thar missy,'' The Chief said with the accent of an old country bumpkin,
''I want to stay at the party! They're playing my favorite disco song, ''Stayin' Alive'' and I want to stay
here and boogie!'' He pouted at the detectives.
''Chief, you know that you can't stay here without us....'' Zack said.
''I think I can fix that!'' Erin said enthusiastically. Being the modern loco scientist that he was, he always
carried a portable laptop database mainframe cybertechnilogical transdimentional flame retardant
whoosiwhatsit with him. He took Ivy's communicator and created a link between the Acme mainframe
and his device. Then he plugged it into the wall socket. ''That should do the trick.''
''Thanks Erin.'' The Chief then began to sing the rest of ''Stayin' Alive''. Ivy and Zack rolled their eyes.
''So, are you two going to be on your way now?'' Laurie asked the detectives.
''Yup,'' Zack replied, ''We'll be back in more formal threads.'' ''Wait a sec,'' Laurie said, ''Before you
are ready to pick up Carmen and Kevin, could you call me so I can call him and let him know you'll be
there?''
''Sure thing,'' Ivy replied. ''Ok then, we'll see you in a little bit,'' Laurie replied. As soon as they C-5ed
back to San Francisco, Laurie turned to Scott. ''I need the cel phone,'' she said to him.
Scott looked at the cel phone for a second and asked, ''Why?''
''Because I need it, chico'' Laurie replied.
''Yeah, sure you do. Don't you have 8 million ladies to talk to right now? I have a...pizza to order. That
is, if I can order a pizza in France,'' Scott said.
''Shut up and give me the phone,'' Laurie demanded.
''All right, here you go,'' Scott reluctantly handed the cell phone to his sister and frowned despondently.
''Now what?'' he said to himself.
* * *
Meanwhile, back in Boston, Carmen and Kevin were looking at the art work of the American
Revolutionary War period. After looking at one of Paul Revere's silver pieces, Kevin asked Carmen,
''You're not thinking of going back in time and changing history are you?''
''Of course not, I'm not exactly sure why I even tried to that,'' Carmen replied.
''That's a relief,'' Kevin replied.
Just then, the cel phone he had rang.
Kevin answered it. ''Hello?''
Laurie said, ''Hey Kevin, listen be on the look out for Zack and Ivy. They're on their way to C-5 you
two to the party.''
''Oh I see, studying must be tough, huh?''
''What?'' Laurie asked confused. Then she realized, Carmen must be very close by and he didn't want
to give anything away.
''Oh yeah, real tough,'' Laurie replied.
''So, when are you coming home?'' Kevin asked.
''You'll see me shortly. I'll call you the moment I hear from the detectives, ok?''
''Hey that's cool,'' Kevin replied, ''Well, you better get back to studying then, huh?''
''Oh yeah, sure. See ya later.''
''Take care, bye Laurie,'' Kevin replied as he hung up the phone.
Carmen looked at Kevin. ''So, how are her studies going?''
''Oh quite well,'' Kevin replied. ''So, do you want look at the Monet exhibit next?
''Love to,'' Carmen replied as the two strolled down the hallway.
* * *
Jaci came back to find Seldavia still regaling Anie with her story about the Exploding Science
Experiment story.
Jaci waited until Anie walked away, then went up to Seldavia. ''Got some bad news for you, Seldavia.
Not only did you lose two doughnuts for your Twister story, you just lost two more with your
Exploding Science Experiment story? Now how many did you have before coming here?'' Jaci asked.
'Eleven,' said Seldavia.
''So now you have seven,'' said Jaci.
''Oh no,'' said Seldavia. ''I should have known.''
''Well, maybe by the time Carmen gets here, you'll gain a doughnut or two back,'' Jaci said
reassuringly.
''I hope so,'' said Seldavia.
''Well, I'll just go over and talk to some more of my friends from the forum and wait for Carmen to be
here. This is so fun!'' Jaci said. With that, Jaci turned and walked away, leaving one somewhat
unhappy Seldavia behind, though the fun of the party soon brightened up Seldavia's spirits.
As Meg walked up to Jaci, she could see the profound look of shock that so many other people had
given her at her unique choice of makeup.
''I think you lost a doughnut just for that lipstick, Meg,''she said.
''Oh, you like it?''Meg answered cheerfully, despite the fact she had just gone down a notch on her
sanity level, ''By the way, that's a fabulous dress you have on.''
''Thank you,'' Jaci said. Meg looked around and saw Professor Sara Bellum talking to Archie Ology.
''Gotta go!'' she told Jaci and walked off to meet Sara.
Sara's eyes widened as she saw the young lady walking towards her.
''Oh no!''she said to Archie, ''It's Meg! Hide me!''
''Isn't she the one who booked the bands for the Halloween Masquerade?'' he asked, he cocked his
head as he saw her, ''Interesting choice of colour.''
''Interrresting indeed!''
Sara tried to duck behind a laughing Archie Ology but Meg had already seen her.
''Sara, darling!'' she called out, ''Long time, no see!''
Sara sighed and came out from hiding, ''Meg!'' she smiled fakely, ''You haven't changed a beat.''
Meg shook her hand vigorously as she chattered on, ''I read your new publications in this month's
Scientific American! Your thoery on psychological dysfuntion is wonderful, but personally I think...''
''God help me,'' Sara said as she rolled her eyes.
At that moment, the door bell rang.
''I'll get it!'' Sara declared, wanting a chance to break away from Meg, and she rushed to answer the
door.
''Yess!'' she said upon opening the door.
''Hi,'' said Megan from the other side of the door. She was carrying a present, definitely to big for her
to carry.
''Glad to zee its just youu, Megan,'' Sara said. ''Sorry, but I have to run. Meg is aftor mee!''
''Sara,'' Meg called ''now that you've let Megan in, let's finish talking.''
'Pleazee, let me find a placee to hide!'
With that, Sara bolts from the room, with Meg following close behind. Megan gigs and heads for the
table where the presents are. Jaci comes over.
''Would you like some help?'' she asks.
''No, I'm fine!'' Megan says setting the large gift down. When she does, a loud screech comes from the
box.
''It makes noise!'' Jaci states with surprize.
''It's fast too!'' Megan adds with a laugh. ''Am I late?''
''No we're still waiting for Carmen and Kevin. Zack and Ivy left to get them. But Laurie, Kara, Scott,
Anie, and the Chief are here. So are Seldavia and Erin. I know you already saw Meg.'' ''That I did,''
Megan replies. ''I guessed Erin was here when I saw the hole in the wall there.''
''Yeh! Well, come on, everyone's in the ballroom.''
Megan and Jaci go in to the ballroom, where Laurie and the others are. ''Hi Ladies!'' Megan calls.
They all turn.
''Hi Megan,'' says Laurie. ''Glad to see you made it.''
''Me too,' Megan tells them. ''I would have been here sooner, but my, uh, gift got lose and decided to
explore the luggage compartment on the plane. I spent the last hour trying to catch it. Then I had to
wrap it up on the way, something I'd wanted to do at the airport. I'm exhausted and the party hasn't
even started yet.''
''Well, everything's about ready anyway, so you can take a breather before things get rolling.'' Kara
said.
''Thanks,'' Megan said. ''Where are Zack and Ivy?''
''They went back to San Francisco to change and to make arrangements to C-5 our guest of honor
here. They'll be back soon.''
'' Oh yes, Jaci had said that. Oh well, I'll catch 'em later,'' Megan said. Could you tell me where the
bathroom is?''
Everyone looked at one another. ''Here we go again...''
As soon as Seldavia saw Laurie, she ran up to her in a frenzy. ''Hi Laurie! Love the dress. Hi Scott.
Laurie, help me out here.'' >{? Laurie couldn't help smiling. Seldavia was frequently confused about
Forum matters.
''Okay, lemme get this straight,'' Seldavia began. ''Meg and Megan are two separate people. Zack and
Ivy were here but they left. Kevin's bringing Carmen--is somebody going to signal him or something, or
his he coming when he feels it's time?''
''Right,'' Laurie replied. ''There's Meg Clark, and Megan Thompson. As for Zack and Ivy, they left to
get Kevin and Carmen, so they should be here soon, I hope.''
Meanwhille, ''Pssst! Hey! Come here!'' Dara Riska turned an about face to see no one. She was
starting to turn back to staring at the proceedings below from her position on the second floor when
the sound came again with a tone of insistance,
''Hellllooo? Is any one up there?!'' It was then that Dara realized the noise was coming from outside the
second story window and peered outside. It was then that her gaze briefly met a set of sky blue eyes
peeking momentarily from behind a pair of emerald green Oakleys. Her jaw dropped wide open and
the voice came again.
''Hey, are you going to help me up or are you going to stand there catching flies? This isn't really where
I want to spend the rest of the night.'' Dara nodded and reached down and helped to pull the
mysterious woman inside. She stood back a moment once the woman was inside and seemed to forget
whatever question it was she was about to ask. The woman sat on the window ledge for a moment,
before standing up and brushing debris from her shoulders. In VILE, Dara had seen a few strange
people but this newcomer was a step beyond that, standing there in a short black and white checkered
mini dress, a black leather trenchcoat and combat boots.
The woman looked up and said, ''Yeah, okay, I know, what was I doing out on the trellis? It's a long
story, I don't have much time and I'm not certain you'd understand if I explained it to you. Am I late?
Oh, drat! I knew it. Always one of the last ones to straggle in. I'm sorry, I always forget. I'm
Carmelena, Carli for short. Most people have such a hard time with four syllables. You must be Dara
Riska. Al has told me so much about you!'' Carli grabbed Dara's hand and shook it firmly.
Dara gave a half smile and replied, ''Oh, right. I've heard of you. No, don't worry. Not everyone is
here. Carmen isn't here yet, and it's her party. So, what exactly did Mr. Loy tell you?...''
Carli turned back to the window and exclaimed, ''I almost forgot! The gift!'' She reached outside the
window a moment and turned back around with a red box neatly trimmed and tied with gold ribbon.
She blew a couple of strands of black hair out from her face that had came loose from the ponytail on
top of her head as she started for the stairs...
In another part of the headquarters, Meg came walking out from a nearby hallway looking a bit
befuddled.
''Hmmmm, guess she didn't want to talk,''she muttered.
As she passed a wall she did a double take at the sight of a large glowing hole in the wall.
She turned to face the room, ''Erin's here isn't he?''
She looked around and saw Moe Skeeter and Lars Vegas hanging out at a table in the corner of the
room.
''You didn't peek at my present did you?'' she asked Moe as she walked up to him.
''No, but now we have two presents dat make noise,'' he replied, quite confused.
''Good. And make sure it doesn't get smooshed or something, kay?''
Moe nodded. Meg looked over at the piano player Kara had hired. She winked. He winked back.
Meg sighed, ''Tsk, tsk, tsk. That's a cryin' shame.''
Megan returned from the bathroom and walked back over to Laurie and Kara.
''So Megan,'' Kara said. ''You said you're present got lose in the baggage compartment on the plane.
What did you get Carmen?''
''Well, you said we should get soomething that reflects who we are, so I brought her an animal,''
Megan told her.
''You're not giving her your bird, are you?'' Laurie asked in a shocked voice.
''Of course not,'' Megan laughed. 'I' got her her own bird. But you'll have to wait to know what kind. I
just hope she likes it. I know she's more of a cat person, but she's already got a cat, so I thought I'd
get her something different.''
''Sure she'll like it,'' Erin said, who'd been standing nearby, listening. ''Carmen loves nature, and
animals. I just hope she likes my gift enough to not be mad about that hole I made in the wall.''
''It'd take something really special to make me not be angry about fifteen foot diameter hole in my
wall,'' Megan laughed.
Lio sat in a chair away from most of the glorious confusion, nursing a glass of punch. She smiled softly.
This had to be without a doubt the weirdest party she had ever been to. Between the living presents
thrown batons, interdimentional holes punched in walls, and the usual party chaos Jaci should be
demoted dozens of doughtnuts for tonight alone. And the guest of honor hadn't even arrived!
Lio glanced at her watch and sighed.
Where were Kevin and Carmen?
Seldavia was sitting next to Lio, just as confused by the general chaos as she was. As soon as Carli
walked in, Seldavia stood up to greet her.
''I was wondering where you were!'' she exclaimed with one of her trademark laughs. Then she
stopped short. ''Goodness, you're a fright. You look like you got in a fight with a bush and lost.''
''Something like that,'' Carli answered. ''I'll explain later. What's happened so far?''
''Nothing major,'' Seldavia replied, ''though it's been absolutely nuts around here. Kara brought in her
own jazz band, Zack and Ivy came and left, and there's been some story floating around about an
escaped present. And I'm afraid to say I've been contributing to the chaos; Jaci already took four
donuts from me.''
''Looks like I've missed a lot.''
''Maybe. But it seems that things are going to get wilder.''
Carli's gaze fell upon the glowing blue hole in the wall and she smiled nonchalantly and said, ''Love
what you guys have done to the place! It seems I have missed a lot! I wonder when the guest of honor
is going to arrive?''
Seldavia shrugged and replied, ''Your guess is as good as mine. You know, Jaci gave Meg a demerit
for her choice of lipstick. If she catches sight of you there's no telling how many you'll get!''
Carli pulled up her sunglasses long enough to wink and set down the red box she was holding and
reached into the trenchcoat. It was then that she pulled out a can of silly string. ''I got a couple more
cans of this stuff, plus a few things to make any party interesting! I had to climb up the rose trellis to the
second floor. There's no way they would let me in through the front door with this stuff! I've got to go
drop this present off and exact my revenge on Moe and Lars for what they did to me last year...'' She
shook up the can and retrieved the gift from the floor and added with a hint of mischief, ''Care to join
me?''
At that point, Jaci came up to Seldavia and Carli. She took one look at Carli, said, ''What in the world
happened to you?''
Carli said, ''It's a long story, I'll tell you later.''
Jaci said, ''You just got a doughnut demerit for that. I'd say five doughnuts would be appropriate.''
Carli said, ''You would do such a thing to me. I just asked Seldavia to join me in exacting a little
revenge for what Lars and Moe did to me last year. Care to join me as well?''
Jaci said, ''I'm not that nutty. Make that six doughnuts lost.''
Seldavia said, ''You really got it this time. I'll join you, however.' Jaci said, 'You lost another doughnut
for that one, Seldavia. But I won't stand in your way otherwise.''
Carli asked, ''Say when is the guest of honor going to arrive?''
Jaci said, ''I don't know, but I do know there are plans to C-5 her and Kevin here. It will be a real
surprise! Anyway, I'll let you go and have your fun.''
With that, Jaci left the mischevous twosome and went back to find more sane people, though she knew
sanity was in short order at this party. At least it amused her.
Jaci walked up and said, ''Hi. I was just busy giving doughnut demerits to Carli and Seldavia. You
ought to see Carli.''
''We were just discussing what gifts we planned to give Carmen. I told the others that I'm giving her a
bird. Her own bird. She loves nature, and animals, as Erin said. What gift are you planning to give her,
Jaci?''
Jaci said unhesitatingly, ''A book of all of Shakespeare's plays. She loves books, also. Besides, it
feflects my personality. I'm a bookworm, and a confirmed Shakespeare nut.''
Erin said, ''Interesting. Do you think Carmen will like my gift enough not to be mad about the hole I
made in the wall?''
Jaci laughed and said, ';Well, it depends on the gift. I'd probably be really upset if the hole was in the
wall of my bedroom, but a really special gift might do the trick.''
''At least neither of your gifts probably got loose in the baggage compartment of the plane,'' Megan
said.
Jaci said, ''That's for certain. A Shakespeare book couldn't get loose anywhere.''
Megan came over to the three of them with a bored look on her face.
''You okay?'' Jaci asked her.
''Yeh, just a bit bored. I don't understand what's taking so long? I can't keep that present wrapped up
much longer. It'll sufficate!''
''Yeh! I know what you mean. Hope Kevin didn't decide to take Carmen to dinner for her birthday.''
''That would wrong of him,' said Megan. ''Ruin her appetite before the party even starts!''
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