PROLOGUE
"Oh no! The sky is falling!"
"Oh no! It is raining so hard! What if it rains for forty days and forty nights?"
"Oh no! If the sky falls and it rains for forty days and forty nights, not only will we be orphans, we'll be drowned orphans, dead with the sky crushing our heads!"
"Oh no—"
Sound like anyone you know?
Of course it does.
And you know a lot of other things too. Really, you know all the basics at this point.
Powers. Gifts.
Annie: power—can think like an adult when necessary; gift—purple ring
Durinda: power—can freeze people, except Zinnia; gift—green earrings
Georgia: power—can become invisible; gift—gold compact
Jackie: power—faster than a speeding train; gift—red cape
Marcia: power-x-ray vision; gift—purple cloak
You also know, because you've been paying good attention, that at the end of Book 4: Jackie's Jokes, a flock of carrier pigeons thundered into the home of the Eights bearing notes that said, Beware the other Eights!
You also know, because you have a pretty decent memory, that at the end of Book 5: Marcia's Madness, an invitation arrived announcing the wedding of Martha Huit and George Smith on Saturday, June 21, 2008, and cordially requesting the presence of the Eights...
In France.
Honestly, you know so much, you don't need me to tell you a great deal more.
But one thing you don't know, can't possibly know, is that a strange event has happened in the world of the Eights. You know that each sister's adventure occurs within the space of a month. Annie's was January; Durinda's, February; Georgia's, March; Jackie's, April; Marcia's, May. So it should be Petal's turn and June now, right? Only the thing you don't know is that it's not. The Eights are still stuck in May, looking at that invitation and wondering what's to be done about it.
This state of affairs is perfectly fine with Petal. Why, as far as Petal is concerned, it could stay May forever, for all of eternity. You see, Petal doesn't want June to come.
But it really doesn't matter what Petal wants, does it? Time can't be stopped. So even if it's not quite June yet, it must inevitably come. And when it does, it will be time for...
Oh no! Petal power!
To which, all I can say is...
Ha!
ONE
"We've been invited to a wedding? " Durinda said.
"In France? " Rebecca said.
"And who, by the way," Georgia said, "are Martha Huit and George Smith?"
"Don't you remember," Annie said, "our relatives Aunt Martha and Uncle George, who used to come visit us occasionally?"
We supposed we'd always known about these people. We dimly remembered that Aunt Martha thought that everything made her look fat, and Uncle George liked to cook but was very bad at it, which meant we had to lie so as not to hurt his feelings. But we didn't know anything about them beyond that, plus we hadn't seen them in so long that, frankly, we'd forgotten all about them. And anyway, we'd learned to be suspicious of relatives. So, we thought as we narrowed our eyes in suspicion, who were these people really?
"Is it just me," Marcia wondered aloud, "or does anyone else feel like it's supposed to be June already..."
"I'm glad it's not June!" Petal cried. "I hope that wretched month never comes! Perhaps time has stopped, or even started running backward? But oh no! What if it is running backward and it keeps on running backward? Eventually, I will be a baby again and then— gulp !—after that I will cease to exist!"
"But I don't understand." Jackie was puzzled. She was also ignoring Marcia and Petal, as were we all. "I always thought Aunt Martha and Uncle George were from the same side of the family—you know, brother and sister."
"Oh," Zinnia said wistfully, ignoring nearly everyone and everything. "I would like to go to a wedding. I'm fairly certain they have lots of presents at those."
"Apparently not." Annie answered Jackie, ignoring Zinnia. "The invitation specifically lists them as Martha Huit and George Smith. " She shrugged. "So I
"Oh no! The sky is falling!"
"Oh no! It is raining so hard! What if it rains for forty days and forty nights?"
"Oh no! If the sky falls and it rains for forty days and forty nights, not only will we be orphans, we'll be drowned orphans, dead with the sky crushing our heads!"
"Oh no—"
Sound like anyone you know?
Of course it does.
And you know a lot of other things too. Really, you know all the basics at this point.
Powers. Gifts.
Annie: power—can think like an adult when necessary; gift—purple ring
Durinda: power—can freeze people, except Zinnia; gift—green earrings
Georgia: power—can become invisible; gift—gold compact
Jackie: power—faster than a speeding train; gift—red cape
Marcia: power-x-ray vision; gift—purple cloak
You also know, because you've been paying good attention, that at the end of Book 4: Jackie's Jokes, a flock of carrier pigeons thundered into the home of the Eights bearing notes that said, Beware the other Eights!
You also know, because you have a pretty decent memory, that at the end of Book 5: Marcia's Madness, an invitation arrived announcing the wedding of Martha Huit and George Smith on Saturday, June 21, 2008, and cordially requesting the presence of the Eights...
In France.
Honestly, you know so much, you don't need me to tell you a great deal more.
But one thing you don't know, can't possibly know, is that a strange event has happened in the world of the Eights. You know that each sister's adventure occurs within the space of a month. Annie's was January; Durinda's, February; Georgia's, March; Jackie's, April; Marcia's, May. So it should be Petal's turn and June now, right? Only the thing you don't know is that it's not. The Eights are still stuck in May, looking at that invitation and wondering what's to be done about it.
This state of affairs is perfectly fine with Petal. Why, as far as Petal is concerned, it could stay May forever, for all of eternity. You see, Petal doesn't want June to come.
But it really doesn't matter what Petal wants, does it? Time can't be stopped. So even if it's not quite June yet, it must inevitably come. And when it does, it will be time for...
Oh no! Petal power!
To which, all I can say is...
Ha!
ONE
"We've been invited to a wedding? " Durinda said.
"In France? " Rebecca said.
"And who, by the way," Georgia said, "are Martha Huit and George Smith?"
"Don't you remember," Annie said, "our relatives Aunt Martha and Uncle George, who used to come visit us occasionally?"
We supposed we'd always known about these people. We dimly remembered that Aunt Martha thought that everything made her look fat, and Uncle George liked to cook but was very bad at it, which meant we had to lie so as not to hurt his feelings. But we didn't know anything about them beyond that, plus we hadn't seen them in so long that, frankly, we'd forgotten all about them. And anyway, we'd learned to be suspicious of relatives. So, we thought as we narrowed our eyes in suspicion, who were these people really?
"Is it just me," Marcia wondered aloud, "or does anyone else feel like it's supposed to be June already..."
"I'm glad it's not June!" Petal cried. "I hope that wretched month never comes! Perhaps time has stopped, or even started running backward? But oh no! What if it is running backward and it keeps on running backward? Eventually, I will be a baby again and then— gulp !—after that I will cease to exist!"
"But I don't understand." Jackie was puzzled. She was also ignoring Marcia and Petal, as were we all. "I always thought Aunt Martha and Uncle George were from the same side of the family—you know, brother and sister."
"Oh," Zinnia said wistfully, ignoring nearly everyone and everything. "I would like to go to a wedding. I'm fairly certain they have lots of presents at those."
"Apparently not." Annie answered Jackie, ignoring Zinnia. "The invitation specifically lists them as Martha Huit and George Smith. " She shrugged. "So I
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