guess they're not from the same side of the family, not brother and sister at all. If Aunt Martha is a Huit, she must be Daddy's sister, and if Uncle George is a Smith, he must be Mommy's brother."
"Who knew?" Jackie looked stunned.
"Apparently not us." Annie shrugged again. "Anyway, now it looks like Daddy's sister is marrying Mommy's brother."
"My, we do come from an odd family," Rebecca said, a dark gleam entering her eye. Some of us found that disturbing, how rather pleased Rebecca appeared at the thought.
"So what are we going to do about the invitation?" Durinda asked Annie.
Since Mommy and Daddy's disappearance back on New Year's Eve, Annie had taken over as head of our household. It fell to her to make all the important decisions, like what to wear to Will's birthday party or when would be the best time to change the oil in the Hummer. But some of us thought that in this particular instance—this particular instance being what to do about an invitation to a wedding in France—it shouldn't be left up to just Annie. Some of us thought it would even be a good idea, the best idea, to put it to a vote.
Too bad for some of us then.
"We have to say no, of course," Annie said simply.
"But why?" some of us shouted.
In this instance, some of us equaled Georgia, Rebecca, and Zinnia. The first two were always up for an adventure, and the third loved the idea of going anyplace where there might be presents, even if those presents weren't for her.
As for the rest of us...
Annie had already made up her mind.
Durinda was content to let Annie decide.
Jackie wasn't the shouting type.
Petal was too grateful it was still May to be bothered with anything else.
And as for Marcia...
"But it is supposed to be June, right?" she said, perplexed for once. "Honestly, am I the only one to notice that there's something wrong here?"
"But I want to go to the wedding," Zinnia said, a tear threatening to spill over the edge of her eyelid. "Even if it's in France, I want to go."
"Don't you see, though?" Annie said gently. "That's part of the problem. It is in France."
"Annie's right," Petal said, finding something fresh to worry about, even though she'd just been told it was never going to happen because, according to Annie, we were not going to the wedding. "We can't go to France! We'd have to swim there! And if we tried to swim all that way—wherever France is—we would drown!"
"Well, no," Annie said, "we won't drown."
"Of course we'd drown!" Petal barreled on. "How could we not drown? We will—"
"We won't drown," Annie said, beginning to lose patience, "because we won't be swimming."
That stopped Petal in midpanic. She was stumped. "But if we don't swim, then how would we get there? I'm fairly certain France is not right next door ... is it?"
"Of course it's not." Rebecca sneered at Petal, then turned to Annie. "Is it?"
"Well, it could be," Annie said. "But whether it's just a country away or a continent away, we wouldn't swim to get there. We'd fly."
"Oh no!" Petal clutched her head as she began running in circles. "This is even worse than swimming! We can't fly like birds!"
"That's funny," Rebecca said, studying Petal as she ran faster and faster. "You're doing a pretty good job of it. Any second now, you might really take off."
"We won't swim to France." Annie was getting more exasperated by the minute. "And we won't fly like birds either. We'll take a plane."
" Aiyeeee! " Petal cried. "That's the worst idea you've come up with yet!"
Zinnia crossed one arm over the other and then swept them apart, like an umpire making a call at home plate. "Can we all just ignore Petal for a moment?"
"Gladly," Georgia said.
"Do you have something to say, Zinnia?" Durinda asked.
"Yes," Zinnia said, extreme if cautious happiness entering her eyes. "Did anyone else hear what I just heard?"
"You mean Petal losing what's left of her tiny little mind?" Rebecca said.
"But that's nothing new," Georgia said. "She loses what's left
"Who knew?" Jackie looked stunned.
"Apparently not us." Annie shrugged again. "Anyway, now it looks like Daddy's sister is marrying Mommy's brother."
"My, we do come from an odd family," Rebecca said, a dark gleam entering her eye. Some of us found that disturbing, how rather pleased Rebecca appeared at the thought.
"So what are we going to do about the invitation?" Durinda asked Annie.
Since Mommy and Daddy's disappearance back on New Year's Eve, Annie had taken over as head of our household. It fell to her to make all the important decisions, like what to wear to Will's birthday party or when would be the best time to change the oil in the Hummer. But some of us thought that in this particular instance—this particular instance being what to do about an invitation to a wedding in France—it shouldn't be left up to just Annie. Some of us thought it would even be a good idea, the best idea, to put it to a vote.
Too bad for some of us then.
"We have to say no, of course," Annie said simply.
"But why?" some of us shouted.
In this instance, some of us equaled Georgia, Rebecca, and Zinnia. The first two were always up for an adventure, and the third loved the idea of going anyplace where there might be presents, even if those presents weren't for her.
As for the rest of us...
Annie had already made up her mind.
Durinda was content to let Annie decide.
Jackie wasn't the shouting type.
Petal was too grateful it was still May to be bothered with anything else.
And as for Marcia...
"But it is supposed to be June, right?" she said, perplexed for once. "Honestly, am I the only one to notice that there's something wrong here?"
"But I want to go to the wedding," Zinnia said, a tear threatening to spill over the edge of her eyelid. "Even if it's in France, I want to go."
"Don't you see, though?" Annie said gently. "That's part of the problem. It is in France."
"Annie's right," Petal said, finding something fresh to worry about, even though she'd just been told it was never going to happen because, according to Annie, we were not going to the wedding. "We can't go to France! We'd have to swim there! And if we tried to swim all that way—wherever France is—we would drown!"
"Well, no," Annie said, "we won't drown."
"Of course we'd drown!" Petal barreled on. "How could we not drown? We will—"
"We won't drown," Annie said, beginning to lose patience, "because we won't be swimming."
That stopped Petal in midpanic. She was stumped. "But if we don't swim, then how would we get there? I'm fairly certain France is not right next door ... is it?"
"Of course it's not." Rebecca sneered at Petal, then turned to Annie. "Is it?"
"Well, it could be," Annie said. "But whether it's just a country away or a continent away, we wouldn't swim to get there. We'd fly."
"Oh no!" Petal clutched her head as she began running in circles. "This is even worse than swimming! We can't fly like birds!"
"That's funny," Rebecca said, studying Petal as she ran faster and faster. "You're doing a pretty good job of it. Any second now, you might really take off."
"We won't swim to France." Annie was getting more exasperated by the minute. "And we won't fly like birds either. We'll take a plane."
" Aiyeeee! " Petal cried. "That's the worst idea you've come up with yet!"
Zinnia crossed one arm over the other and then swept them apart, like an umpire making a call at home plate. "Can we all just ignore Petal for a moment?"
"Gladly," Georgia said.
"Do you have something to say, Zinnia?" Durinda asked.
"Yes," Zinnia said, extreme if cautious happiness entering her eyes. "Did anyone else hear what I just heard?"
"You mean Petal losing what's left of her tiny little mind?" Rebecca said.
"But that's nothing new," Georgia said. "She loses what's left
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