Chapter 5

Sarah continued down a path. She then came down a split path. "Uh oh." She looked around for a way to figure out which way to go, but both paths looked the same. "Oh, there's gotta be a spell or something I can use! The improv! OK, gotta be careful how I word this, they take me literally."

* Flashback *

Daniella was leading a magic lesson in the living room. "One of the most important skills for a Witch—or Warlock—to master is the art of spell improv."

"Or, as I like to call them, make-'em-ups," said Wendy.

"It's the ability to create a spell off the top of one's head in the moment of urgent need."

"For example, Jack, what do you urgently need right now?"

"Bagpipes!" Jack cried. They all looked at him. "I wasn't listening."

Daniella turned to Kelly. "Kelly! Let's give it a try. Alright, say you haven't eaten in days and you're in desperate need of a sandwich, but both your wrists are broken. What do you do?"

Kelly thought about that. "I walk into the kitchen and have Sarah make me a sandwich."

Daniella realized that that was right. "Oh. But say Sarah isn't here."

"Where am I?" Sarah asked.

Daniella sighed. "It doesn't matter where you are! …You're gone, you left the country."

"'Left the country'? What's wrong? Am I OK?"

"Yes, you're fine!"

"Well, if she's fine, I don't see why she can't make me a sandwich!" Kelly jumped in.

Daniella groaned.

Wendy sighed and wrote something down. "Here, let's cut to the chase." She gave it to Jack. "Just say that and concentrate."

Jack looked at the paper. "Satisfy my empty belly, make me a peanut butter and jelly." In a flash of light, he turned into a PB&J sandwich.

Wendy smiled. "See that? I just illustrated the dangers of spell improv."

Ryan picked up the sandwich and started to eat it—

Wendy noticed this. "HA-JA-GA-GA!"

Ryan stopped.

Sophie stepped in. "See, in the magic world, they take you literally."

Ryan opened the sandwich and his eyes widened. He quickly put the bread slices back together.

"So when Jack said 'make me a peanut butter and jelly,' it turned him into a peanut butter and jelly."

Ryan tossed the sandwich back on the sofa.

Wendy noticed this. "HOI!"

Kelly sighed. "I get it. Let me handle this. Although I like this tasty snack, I'd rather by cousin Jack."

The sandwich turned back into Jack…upside-down.

"Hello!" Ryan said, jumping back.

Jack straightened himself up. "Thanks for not eating me."

Sophie smiled at her daughter. "Wow, Kelly, you're a natural."

"Thanks, that wasn't even true."

* End Flashback *

Sarah smiled at that memory. Sometimes she wished that Ryan had eaten him or that Kelly hadn't turned him back, though. She shrugged. "OK, there's gotta be some spell…uh…" She snapped her fingers. "Gotta find my cousin to save the day, so give me the knowledge of knowing which way…to go." The left path lit up. She smiled and walked along it. Eventually, she came to a giant sand dune. "Guess this is the Mountain of Sand." She started crawling up it, but fell back down. "Oh, there's gotta be an easy way to solve this one…that's it! To find what's lost, I must cross this land, so keep me above the sinking sand." She waved her finger to ensure that the spell came out right and started walking onto the sand dune. She placed one foot on it and it didn't sink. She smiled and put the other forward. "Perfect. Guess Kelly's not the only one with the spell skills." She walked along the mountain, ready to face the Castle of Mirrors and the Warlock and save Jack if it killed her. Which she really hoped it wouldn't.

In the shuttle…

Kelly leaned out the window. "Gabby!"

Michael leaned out the one opposite. "Abby!"

"Gabby!"

"Abby!"

"Marco!" Robert called.

"Polo!" Captain Stretchy added.

Kelly sighed and sat back down while Ryan kept driving. "Not helping. Stretchy, does any of this look familiar?"

"Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't."

"You're not getting anymore money!"

"No, I have night blindness. All I'm seeing is shapes."

Kelly groaned. "You could've mentioned that earlier!"

"I needed a ride home." He saw lights. "Stop here." Ryan did. Captain Stretchy examined the house closer. "Oh, great. Mom's up. Maybe I'll just stay here with you kids."

"Captain Stretchy away!" Nadine snapped, opening the door and letting him out.

"Now what?" asked Lucy, sighing.

"We didn't hit the streets on the north end of the park," said Michael.

"Mikey, we can't just keep driving around all night," said Kelly, "It's over. We have to tell Mom and Dad. They'll know what to do, they always do."

Michael sighed. "How am I gonna tell them I lost our baby sister?"

Kelly gave him a sympathetic look.

"You're supposed to be the screw-up in our part of the family."

Kelly gave him a different look. "Thanks!"

Michael half-smiled. "Why do we keep messing up like this? We have superpowers! It's supposed to be easier for us."

"You're right. I mean, this could've happened to any of us. I guess the main problem is…we're not used to being responsible. The majority of us are used to be siblings, but…this is new territory for us. We're not ready for this."

"Should've thought of that before you left Mom and Dad have the day off."

Kelly smiled. "Look on the bright side: we still have at least 3 more years to get used to this kind of thing before we're old enough to be parents."

Michael smiled.

"Hey, look," said Robert, picking up a card, "Captain Stretchy dropped his driver's license. 175 pounds my foot!"

In the Mexican restaurant…

A mariachi band was playing at the gang's table.

The kids walked in with the baby in his stroller.

"There they are," said Nadine, seeing their parents at the table with Slam and Preston.

"Do you think it'd be better or worse if we had the mariachi band deliver the news?" asked Benny.

Nadine considered that. "Well, if it's in Spanish, probably better."

Michael then saw Abby and her family at their table. "Wait, that's Abby!"

Kelly noticed the stroller. "So that must be Gabby! Yes! We're saved!"

"Not quite!" said Robert, gesturing at their parents.

"Hey, kids!" Wendy said, waving as the others parents noticed them.

The kids waved back.

"What now?" Ryan asked through a smile.

"I'll let you know when I think of it," said Kelly before racing off to her parents' table. "Mom! Dad! Hi!"

"What are you doing here?" asked Tech.

"Well, we realized you must be missing the kids, so we brought them."

"Oh, Kelly," said Sophie, "You're not fooling me."

"I'm not?"

"No. You've spent a little too much time with a little too many babies and you're ready to hand them over."

"Well, I wouldn't say too much time."

"Well…I'm ready, too. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme—"

"Mom! Mom, it's your night off, remember? Let me bring them to you." She raced back over to the others.

Sophie looked at the others and shrugged.

Kelly whispered something in Robert's ear.

"Here? Now? Alright…" Robert walked over to the others. "Hey, guys."

"Hey, honey," said Daniella.

"Something I wanna show you."

"What is it?"

Robert pulled on the tablecloth.

Kelly seized the opportunity and took the baby out of his stroller.

Abby took Gabby out of her stroller.

Kelly raced over there and put the baby in his stroller and then took Gabby and put her in her own stroller.

Robert saw all this and then turned back to his parents. "And now for my next trick, I'm gonna make a boy disappear." He ran off.

Michael walked over to Abby. "You know, you should be ashamed of yourself. You lead a guy on, make him think you have a connection and then you give him a fake phone number?" He took out his phone and showed her the number as proof.

Abby looked at it. "You put it in wrong. That 3 is supposed to be a 2."

Michael noticed this. "Oops."

Abby glared at him.

"So…wanna get a table?"

Abby scoffed and walked off.

Ryan came up to his brother. "Let's face it. You had a better chance with Madelyn."

Michael looked at his brother. "You noticed that."

"Everyone noticed that!"

Sophie picked up Gabby. "My little baby. Did you miss mommy and daddy?" She then looked in the stroller… "Kelly, this isn't Gabby's binky. Where'd you get it?"

Kelly noticed this. "Oh! That's actually a very funny story. See, what had happened…" She waved at the mariachi band. "…was…" The mariachi started playing so loud that they drowned out her voice. "TOO LOUD! TELL YOU LATER!"