Dr. Brown walked into Mama Joy's to find a baby carrier on the counter. Young Meredith Feeny sat in it as Nina passed out plates and checks. Dr. Brown walked over to the counter and sat next to a woman who was already there. Nina walked over to him, a smile on her face.
"Hey Andy, what can I get for you?" Nina asked him, taking out her notepad. Andy sighed.
"Egg salad sandwich and coffee," he said. She wrote it down and gave it to the cook. The brunette sitting next to Dr. Brown looked at Meredith.
"You know who she looks like Nina…" the woman said. Nina looked at Meredith and then to the woman.
"Who?" she asked.
"Niki…" the woman told her. Nina looked at the baby again, this time in a different light. Surprised she turned back to the woman.
"You're right…" Nina told her surprised.
"Who's Niki?" Dr. Brown asked Nina.
"My little sister. She's going to school up in Denver," Nina explained. Dr. Brown smiled.
"You have a sister?" he asked her curious. Nina nodded.
"You thought you were the only one?" she asked him. He chuckled.
"Is yours like Star?" he asked her. She shook her head.
"Niki's only twenty. She's studying astronomy. She's going to be great some day," Nina told him, smiling.
"Well, I gotta go, see ya Nina," the woman next to Dr. Brown said getting up and placing some money of the counter.
"Bye Penny," Nina said collecting the money and the dish. Dr. Brown looked at the baby who was numbing on a round piece of plastic.
"So how's it going?" Dr. Brown asked. Nina sighed.
"It's still kind of weird, having a new baby around the house. I forgot how much work they are," Nina said placing his food in front of him.
"Any regrets?" he asked her. She shook her head, smiling.
"No," she reassured him. He nodded.
"Good. You should probably bring her by to see me some time this week, just for a look," he suggested. She nodded.
"Sure, okay. I'll make an appointment," she said.
Ephram sat in his study hall with his feet up on the desk and his head back with eyes closed. He had his earphones wrapped around his head and bobbed his head with the music. He had burned himself a new CD; it was about thirteen songs from Weiß Kruez. He knew it was pretty much a chick anime, but he liked a lot of the songs. There was no harm in that. Except, of course, whenever he told Jig about it and she got that kind of weird look in her eyes and freakish smile on her face. Girls… Ephram felt something poke him in the arm so he turned around and took off his headphones. Wendell was leaning over toward Ephram, obviously with something to say.
"Dude, what were the names of Anastasia's sisters?" Wendell asked him.
"What?" Ephram asked him, confused.
"You know, missing Russian chick-"
"Yea, I know. Why do you need her sisters' names?"
"I'm doing a report."
"On Anastasia?"
"No, on her dad. Nicholas," Wendell explained. Ephram sighed.
"Olga, Tatiana, and Marie," Ephram told him. Wendell smiled.
"Thanks man. Hey, do you happen to know what years they were born?" Wendell asked. Ephram sighed, again.
"They were born in 1895, 1897, and 1899 respectively. Olga had chestnut-brown hair and blue eyes. She was a little shy but clever. She was supposed to make her official debut with Tatiana but that was canceled by WW1 and later the revolution. Tatiana had auburn hair and gray eyes. She was the closest to their mother and the most graceful. She was anxious to take her place in the world. Marie had light brown hair and big blue eyes. She was a little flirtatious and very warm, she loved to paint. Anything else?" Ephram asked him. Wendell fell silent for a few moments, a feat in itself.
"Dude, man, you scare me when you do stuff like that," Wendell told him. Ephram turned back around and placed his headphones over his ears.
"Not nearly as much as I scare myself."
Ephram walked down the school hallway when Desi joined him. Immediately she began talking to him about the whole recasting ordeal. Ephram had no idea so much went into reporting. It was a school newspaper too, but Desi was completely enveloped in it.
"So, what do you think?" she asked him when she had finished. He sighed.
"I'd rather not think about anything now, actually."
"What do you mean?" she asked him out of worry and confusion. Actually, she was worried because she was confused.
"I dunno. I just, I'm really smart, Desi," Ephram told her. She suppressed a grin.
"Well you certainly aren't modest," she said. He shook his head.
"No, no, you don't get it. I don't want to be smart. I want to struggle along just like everyone else. I don't want to just get things. I want to have to think about it and try. I want to be in just Algebra, I want to fail a class, or a test even!"
"You don't want to be like your dad," she simplified. Ephram fell silent, looking at her. He sighed.
"I just want to do something where I don't have to think about anything," he told her. She tilted her head from side, something she occasionally did when she thought.
"Okay…" she said and slammed him against the locker. She grabbed his shirt collar and started kissing him. Jig walked over to them, annoyed.
"Oh come on guys! It's my locker! Could you just-? Just move to the right a little! Out of all the lockers you had to-! Thanks!" she said as Ephram and Desi slid down a few lockers. With an irritated sigh Jig opened her locker and exchanged a few books. She than closed her locker and looked over at the kissing couple. She sighed and shook her head.
"You're going to be late for class you know!" she told them. Neither of them answered her, or even looked at her, actually.
"Do you even care?" she asked. The two continued kissing. She sighed and looked away.
"No, no you don't. See you guys later, unless you swallow each other," she said walking away, shaking her head.
Delia was over at Murasaki's house and the two were up in Murasaki's room dancing to music. Actually, they were jumping up and down on Murasaki's bed, after moving all of her plush toys to the floor. The girls were laughing and trying to sing along with some of the words. Delia was wearing her Yokohama BayStars baseball cap and Murasaki wore the hand-braided bracelet Delia had given her. Neither wore the gifts out of courtesy, they wore them because they were gifts from their friend. They wore them because they were special to them, not because the other girl wanted to see them worn. Suddenly Murasaki's door opened wider than it had been and a little white ball of fluff ran into the room, ran around the room, and ran back out of the room. Delia and Murasaki stopped jumping up and down and Delia looked at Murasaki, kind of scared.
"What was that?" Delia asked her. Murasaki smiled.
"Didn't I tell you? We got a puppy! His name is Yuukou; it means 'companionship.' Let's go see if we can catch him. He likes to run," Murasaki said laughing slightly, letting it show 'likes' had been an understatement. Delia nodded smiling. They got off of Murasaki's bed and left the room after Murasaki turned the music off.
It had taken them awhile to catch the white fluffy dog but once they did Yuukou was more than pleased to play with them. He jumped up on Delia in futile attempts to lick her face. Murasaki would yell at him and tell him not to jump, but the puppy wouldn't listen to her, so Murasaki would have to pull him off of Delia. Then, of course, Yuukou would start licking Murasaki's face. His little knob of a tail moved quickly back and forth as he chased the ball Delia and Murasaki were throwing back and forth to each to each other, laughing at the small animal's fascination with the sphere.
"Why do they make dog toys in such bright colors if dogs are color blind?" Delia asked Murasaki as they threw the ball back and forth, making the poor dog dizzy.
"Dogs are color blind?" she asked, surprised. Delia nodded. Murasaki shrugged.
"I don't know, maybe so the owners can find them easier," she suggested. Delia nodded.
"Maybe. But why do some toys squeak?"
"Well, dogs attack toys because they used to attack animals, for hunting. Usually when they wrapped their teeth around an animal, it makes a noise. Maybe a squeak is just more natural for them," Murasaki said. Delia frowned.
"I don't think I like that idea."
"I don't either, but it's all I got," Murasaki said. The two girls laughed slightly.
Since Jig was no longer a dancer, and the sets were already painted, Brenda Baxworth enlisted her as the only other thing they needed. A cellist. So wile Amy was waltzing and Desi hunting down a fact, Ephram and Jig spent their afternoons in the music room practicing with about six other musicians. They would play a bit, someone would mess up, and Ms. Baxworth would yell at them. If they did well she would applaud, but, characteristically, she would say 'this is the audience applauding, I'm disappointed.' Where the kids would sigh but generally be unaffected by the comment.
After rehearsal Ephram and Jig were walking to Ephram's house accompanied by Ein who had been waiting for Jig. Ein climbed up onto her shoulder, the one farthest from Ephram.
"So, have you ever played in front of anyone before, like this?" Ephram asked her.
"The cello or at all?" she asked to clarify.
"At all."
"Yes, a few times."
"The cello?"
"Nope," she said and they glanced at each other.
"I haven't played in front of an audience since…" Ephram said but stopped himself. Jig frowned worriedly.
"Well at least we'll get a good review, Desi wouldn't dare give her boyfriend a bad review."
"I wouldn't be too sure. Desi takes her reporting seriously. Boyfriend or no boyfriend, if we suck, she'll write it," he told her. She grinned.
"It must be great to have ambition like that," she said. Ephram concurred.
"I admire her sometimes," Ephram admitted. Jig smiled.
"Just don't tell her that. It'll go to her head," Jig warned him. He chuckled slightly.
"Yea no kidding."
