Sophie sighed, rubbing her temples.
Yet another cognate training session. Yet another time she had accidently blocked Fitz.
She was about to retreat to the safety of her room, when she heard a commotion coming from the boys' treehouse.
"NO, NO, NO!" Keefe's voice carried through the walls. "FITZ NO!"
Sophie giggled. She had to see this. As she dashed to the boys' side, Biana joined her. "Sophie, have you heard what they're screaming about?" she asked, smothering her giggles. Sophie shook her head, fighting the smile on her face. Biana had to pause and lean against the wall to catch her breath. "Keefe and Dex tried to dye Fitz's hair again, but Fitz caught them putting the elixir in his shampoo earlier, now they're having a legendary wrestling match," she giggled. Sophie doubled over, caught in a gasping fit of the giggles.
She and Biana managed to recover enough to stumble to Fitz's room, where the cacophony of screaming and crashing emanated from. They cracked the door open, right in time to see Keefe and Dex tackle Fitz onto his bed. Sophie howled with laughter, but it was drowned out by the sound of Fitz's screeches.
"GIVE HIM BACK, KEEFE SENCEN!" he screamed. It was then when Sophie noticed Mr. Snuggles, tucked safely away under Keefe's arm. Keefe backed away, leaving Dex to wrestle with Fitz. It wasn't a very fair fight, and Fitz was free in a matter of seconds, chasing Keefe around the room. Sophie grew dizzy from watching them run around the room, jumping over things and knocking other things in front of the other one. Keefe was roaring with laughter, shaking so hard, he fell over and curled into a ball, convulsing.
"Sophie, CATCH!" Keefe managed to choke, tossing Mr. Snuggles in Sophie's direction. The girls jumped, but Biana caught the sparkly dragon, squealing in terror when she saw the look on Fitz's face.
"Ooookay." she put out one hand, as if trying to calm a frightened animal. "Dex, here!" she tossed Mr. Snuggles to Dex, who was still trying to regain his breath after the brief match with Fitz. He caught the stuffed animal, then shrieked as Fitz tackled him. They rolled on the floor for a while, screaming things that didn't make any sense, even to Sophie, and she was a Polygot.
Keefe had recovered from his laughing fit, and was now beating Fitz and Dex with an over-stuffed pillow. "Oh, it issoon, Mr. Vacker!" he laughed. Fitz yelped and curled into a ball, covering his head with his hands. Keefe clutched his stomach, laughing. "Whoa, that's some serious fear I feel from you, Wonderboy!"
"Hey, its a good nickname," Dex said, giving Keefe a low-five.
Biana turned and dashed off in the direction of Dex's room, and returned carrying another pillow. She ran past Sophie, screaming an extremely high note, holding the pillow above her head. "VENGANCE IS MINE!" she cried, joining Keefe in pelting her older brother. Sounds like sobbing came from Fitz, and Sophie dashed into the fray, holding her hands in a 'T' to signal a time-out.
Keefe seemed to notice the same thing, pausing mid-swing. Sophie knelt next to Fitz, prying his hands back from his face. "Are you okay?" she asked. But Fitz rolled over, tears streaming down his cheeks, and the biggest grin she'd ever seen on his face. He was laughing so hard, he started to hyperventilate. His eyes shot wide open and he dashed to the window, clutching his stomach.
Keefe grimaced. "Oof. I think you laughed a bit too hard there, Fitzy." He strode over to Fitz, patting his back as his friend threw up out the window. Sophie fought back her laughter as Keefe said, "Even Wonderboy has limits, right Mr. Snuggles?"
That set Fitz laughing again. He coughed and choked, collapsing backward on the floor. His face was turning a concerning shade of blue. Then he said, "IT'S STILL ON, KEEFEX!"
Before he could jump on Keefe, Sophie leapt between them, getting herself swallowed in a massive Fitz-Keefe hug. They both leapt back. "Sorry!" Fitz said.
Sophie shrugged, still trying not to laugh. "So, what is this all about?" She asked. Fitz was about to answer, but a pillow slammed into his head. Keefe erupted in unquenchable laughter, and Dex was rolling on the floor. Biana stood smugly by the door, arm outstretched. Sophie glared at her. "Biana Amberly Vacker!" she scolded, trying not to laugh.
Even Fitz was laughing again. "Oh, we areso revisiting this," he mumbled. Sophie shook her head and waited for the explanation. Fitz sighed. "Okay, fine. I caught Dex and Keefe in the bathroom, laughing, and-"
"We were just having a friendly conversation!" Dex interrupted.
Fitz's eyeroll was epic. "...Anyway, I found them in there, and they were holdingmyshampoo!"
"Maybe it was mine, or Dex's," Keefe suggested.
Another epic eye-roll. "And then I found this after they ran, screaming, out of the bathroom." He held up a vile of purple liquid, offering it to Sophie. She took it and popped the lid off, gagging at the smell.
"Ewww!" Biana moaned. "It smells like-"
"Iggy breath," Sophie finished for her, corking the bottle. Fitz nodded, then glared at Dex.
"And who would have thought that my shampoo would be PURPLE!" He seized the pillow off the floor and threw it at Dex, clocking him square in the face. Everyone, including Dex himself, exploded with laughter as Dex fell backward, sending Mr. Snuggles flying through the air. Fitz reached for him, but Keefe got there first and grabbed the little dragon from the air.
"Uh-uh-uh, you're not done with the story yet, are ya?" he asked, waggling a finger under Fitz's nose. Fitz glared and reached around Keefe for Mr. Snuggles, but Keefe was faster and danced away, grinning and whispering, "No, no, no, not the Keefester!"
It was then when the most insulting of insults to poor Keefe was put into action. Fitzroy Avery Vacker marched up to Keefe, took the defenseless little stuffed dragon, and reached up, ruffling Keefe'shair.Everyone's jaws, including Mr. Snuggles's, dropped. Biana covered her mouth with her hands, and Dex even squeaked. Sophie's eyes bugged, and she braced herself for Keefe's shout. Even Fitz was stunned into silence. He was staring at his hands as if he had just committed some unspeakable crime.
He backed away, muttering apologies under his breath. "Oh, Keefe, I didn't mean to-"
"Did you just touch thehair?" Keefe asked, his tone low and threatening. Fitz stammered nonsensical sounds for about a minute straight. Keefe stepped forward. "Thehair?" He picked up a pillow, and growled in a low tone, grinning from ear to ear, "It is ON!" He screamed as he pelted Fitz with pillows, books, and all manner of household items. He even tried to throw Dex, all the while yelling, "JUSTICE WILL BE SERVED! WE MUST AVENGE THE HAIR!"
Fitz was laughing again, and also screaming, but mostly laughing. Dex was doing more of the screaming, since Keefe was attempting to pick him up and throw him at Fitz. Keefe paused and grinned, bringing the carnage to a halt. "Hey, Dex, Dex, Dex, I'm sure Fitz will catch you, so you can stop worrying, 'cause its giving me a stomachache," he said, scooping Dex up like a baby. Dex hesitated a second before resuming his screaming, and everyone started laughing again. Except Fitz and Dex, because Keefe had finally succeeded in hurling DEx onto Fitz, so Fitz was groaning and Dex was breathing hard and mumbling, "I'm alive, okay, arms, check, legs, check, head, WAIT WHERE'S MY HEAD! I CAN'T SEE IT!"
Even Keefe had to pause and laugh at that. "Duuuuuude, its on your neck!"
Before Keefe could find something more to throw at Fitz, Sophie stepped in. "Um, guys, shouldn't you just call a truce?"
Biana shook her head frantically and smiled. "But this is too funny!"
That put the boys over the edge. "Oh, so you think this is funny, huh?" Keefe asked, gesturing to his still very mussed hair. "Well, let's see how you like it!" He and DEx rounded on Biana, hurling pillows at her. Biana shrieked and dropped to the ground.
"TRUCE!" Sophie, Fitz, who was still on the ground, and Biana all yelled in unison. Keefe and Dex flopped down, wheezing.
Dex nodded. "Truce," he agreed.
"Awwww, where's the let's-make-Fitz-angry Dex? I like that one better-" he stopped when Dex raised a pillow to thwack him with. "Okay, okay, truce! Sheesh, what a buncha wimps!"
Sophie flexed her fingers. "Need I remind you that I'mstillwearing the Sucker Punch?" She asked. Keefe paled.
"N-no! Truce! Truce!" he stammered.
*an hour later at bedtime*
"Where's Fitz?" Sophie asked, sitting down for dinner.
Keefe jerked a thumb back at the boys' treehouse. "Showering. He gotsupersweaty after our..." he paused, seeing the way Della eyed him. "...little game."
Just then, Fitz's voice rose above every other sound in Alluveterre. "WHO PUT PINK DYE IN MY SHAMPOO?"