Dawn and the Impossible Three by Ann M. Martin

They really like you. It’s almost as if you have — what do you call it? — some kind of chemistry with them. I don’t think we have any chemistry at all.”
    â€œThey do like me,” I admitted. Lately Buddy had come over to our house more and more often, and since Suzi had learned how to use the phone, she had started calling me, although she never had much to say. “What did they do today?” I asked Mary Anne.
    â€œWhat
didn’t
they do?” she replied. She began to describe the afternoon. The first part of it sounded very familiar. When Mary Anne rang the bell, Buddy, Suzi, and Pow had answered the door. Buddy was wearing the cowboy hat and swimming flippers and was aiming his ray gun at Mary Anne.
    He greeted her with a, “Fshoo, fshoo. Bzzzzt,” followed by a gleeful, “I got you! You’re dead! You’re completely dead!”
    Although Mary Anne didn’t mention anything about not using guns, she did say, “Well, I’m not dead for long, because I’m coming into your house. Stand aside, Martian man.”
    â€œ
Mar
tian man?! I’m not a Martian man. I’m a cowboy from Venus. And this is my Venus weapon.” Buddy jumped into a position ofoffense, legs spread, arms extended, holding the ray gun stiffly. He aimed it first at Mary Anne, then at Pow. But suddenly he dropped the gun and gave Suzi the Bizzer Sign instead.
    Suzi burst into tears.
    Marnie, sitting alone in her high chair in the kitchen (wearing only a diaper), burst into tears, too. (Sometimes tears are contagious.)
    â€œHi, Mary Anne!” called Mrs. Barrett as she rushed downstairs. She ignored the crying children, frantically threw on her raincoat, and as usual, ran out the door without giving the babysitter any instructions. Mary Anne did, however, hear her call, “Don’t forget that Marnie’s allergic to chocolate!” as she got into her car.
    â€œGreat,” muttered Mary Anne, closing the front door.
    Mrs. Barrett wasn’t going on an interview that afternoon. She was just running errands and wanted to do them by herself. Mary Anne could see why.
    In order to get the kids under control, Mary Anne sent Buddy outside to walk Pow. He asked if he could wear the flippers, and Mary Anne said yes, since she thought the walk would take longer that way.
    Then she gave Suzi a cracker and told her togo try to find
Sesame Street
on TV. Suzi stopped crying right away. With Suzi and Buddy occupied, Mary Anne turned her attention to Marnie.
    â€œOkay, Marnie-o,” she said, lifting her out of the high chair. “First we’ll get you cleaned up, then we’ll get you a fresh diaper, and then we’ll get you dressed.”
    â€œNo-no,” said Marnie.
    â€œYes-yes,” said Mary Anne.
    Marnie screamed while Mary Anne wiped her face, changed her diaper, and dressed her. Then suddenly she stopped crying. Mary Anne held her up to a mirror and said, “Pretty!”
    Marnie made the ham face. She was back to her usual sunny self.
    Mary Anne was just carrying Marnie downstairs when Buddy returned with Pow. He took Pow’s leash off, hung it in the kitchen, patted the dog affectionately, ran into the playroom, and gave Suzi the Bizzer Sign.
    Suzi burst into tears.
    Marnie burst into tears.
    Mary Anne was back where she started. “Buddy,” she said, “you give one more Bizzer Sign to anyone today —
anyone
— and you’ll have to stay in your room until your mother comes home.”
    â€œNo, I won’t.”
    â€œYes, you will. I’m in charge here and what I say goes.”
    â€œWill you tell my mom if I’m bad?”
    â€œI might.”
    â€œTattletale.”
    Mary Anne shrugged her shoulders. “That’s the way it is.” She turned to Suzi and Marnie. “Okay, you guys, quiet down. You know what we’re going to do today?”
    â€œNot read,” said Buddy.
    â€œNot