Snippet #920018

"I don't see them."

Though Jordan often struggled with the concept, there were some things about Sylvia that could be considered 'useful.' Her attention to detail rivaled that of any practicing mentalist, and she pulled it off with a damning certainty. No fleck of dust, no crooked hanger, no unsorted drawer was safe with her around. Jordan suspected that the talent had something to do with all the I-Spy books that had systematically vanished from his room during their childhood ..

So if Sylvia didn't see something, then it usually wasn't there to be seen. As Jordan coasted past the gate and into Wedgewood, she unglued herself from the window and tapped her brother on the shoulder.

"Jord, what if they're .. gone?"

"Nah. They're here, they gotta be." Jordan said it more for his benefit than anything.

Fingers crossed even as he nudged the steering wheel, Jordan followed the path west to a thicker alcove of trees, near the under-twelve playground -- the only place he could remember a payphone being. So there they sat, a cherry-red Ford F-250 out in the open -- three humans may not have been visible from the road, but their truck sure was.

Come on guys ..

Mr. Chuckles chose that moment to emit a low moan -- a more coherent-sounding moan than the other ones before. The excitement faded from Sylvia's face, and she turned slowly back to the Wizard, eyes filled with a sudden fire. Mr. Chuckles swallowed.

"Jordan -- "

"No, Sylvie."

" -- can't we just -- "

"I said no."

"But there's so many nice places to bury him around here .. " Sylvia clucked her tongue in disappointment, and Mr. Chuckles decided to go back to not saying or doing anything. "Jordan -- THERE THEY ARE!"

This time, a shriek from Sylvia yielded good tidings. Jordan raked the treeline with his gaze, and there was a flash of cyan -- Logan being the first to step out of the clearing --

"Still in his Smoothie Shack uniform, minus the hat and apron, thank God!" They were alive, they were alive! Jordan was out the door and bounding away, the engine still running before the truck could know what was going on.

Sylvia was just a second behind.

"Up." Lovingly as ever, she shouldered the Wizard, cutting board once again in her fist. "Out."

________________

"Hey."

"Hi."

Jordan and Logan met up, breathless.

"Good to see you."

"Same. Stayin' alive, bro?"

"Workin' on it."

"Where's your sister?"

Instead of answering, Jordan simply jerked his thumb over his shoulder to the truck. As though on cue, there was a ding! ding! as Sylvia opened the door, a sharp crack, a low moan, and then a cheerful -- "Oh hey Logan!"

Judging from Logan's expression, Jordan bet he didn't want to turn around.

"Yeah." The elder Renar scratched the back of his neck. "That's our friend. He made a great first impression, destroying our home and trying to kill us, like"

"Good Lord, I think she knocked him out .. "

"We call him Mr. Chuckles. Real conversationalist, he is -- "

"You brought him with you? You didn't mention that on the phone .. "

"There are a few things I didn't mention on the phone. Anyways, I figured if we're gonna be sharing the world with the Wizards, we might as well get to know them."

"Your sister is a raging psycho."

"I know."

Jordan stepped to the side, finally seeing Sheri and Dawn. They had been hiding near the creek. He lifted a hand to them in greeting, and it turned into a gesture, pointing to the truck. His message was clear -- there would be time for group hugs and singing later.

"Pack it in, Sylvie." Jordan returned to the truck with Logan in tow. Sylvia was trying her hardest to lug a newly-unconscious adult male back up into the back seat. "Logan -- give her a hand or something."

"Why do I have to -- "

"You think Dawn is touching that guy?"

Within about fifteen seconds, Logan was wedged uncomfortably in the backseat between a sleeping Wizard and a smirking Sylvia. Sheri fit herself in there somewhere, too, and Jordan had politely offered Dawn shotgun.

"Why does it smell like smoke in here?" Logan sniffed, and Jordan frowned.

"Never mind that." He threw the truck into gear, and they crawled back out towards the main gate. "Someone figure out where the heck we're going, because I think my house is busy burning to the ground."