Part 7 (1/2)
Mary Anne nodded. ”The kids must be hiding.”
She was answered by a flurry of giggles from the living room.
”I was wondering where everybody was,” Dawn said, tiptoeing out of the hall. Then she sang in a high, mysterious voice, ”Come out, come out, wherever you are.”
More giggles answered Dawn, who pointed toward the couch. Mary Anne nodded, then pointed to the closet. ”Gee. I wonder if they all ran away from home.”
”Maybe they were kidnapped,” Dawn said loudly.
”I hope not,” Mary Anne replied, putting her hand on the closet door. ”Then we'd be all alone and have to eat that pizza by ourselves.”
She pulled open the closet door just as Dawn looked behind the couch. Both girls shouted, ”Gotcha!”
They were answered by shrill war whoops from the triplets, who sprang out of the closet, wearing feathered headbands. Nicky and Margo leaped from behind the couch, waving cowboy hats.
”Aieeee!” Adam bellowed. ”You're our prisoners!”
”No, they're our prisoners,” Nicky said, wrapping his arms around Mary Anne's knees.
”But we were here first,” Byron said, grabbing Dawn's wrist.
”Were not,” Nicky shouted.
”Were too!” Jordan grabbed Dawn by the other wrist.
Mary Anne clapped her hands above her head. ”You were both here at the exact same moment.”
Margo looped an imaginary rope around Dawn and Mary Anne. ”Then you're all of our prisoners.”
”Yeah!” the boys cried, patting their hands on their mouths and hopping around in a circle like cartoon Indians. Vanessa wandered in during their war dance and settled into an armchair with a book.
”Let's throw them in the dungeon!” Jordan said, folding his arms across his chest.
”Oh, no!” Mary Anne cried, playing along with their game. ”Please don't do that. It would hurt.”
Nicky scratched his head. ”Then let's freeze 'em.”
”Freeze 'em?” Vanessa commented from her chair in the corner. ”n.o.body freezes prisoners.”
”Do, too.” Nicky put his hand on his hips and glared at his sister.
Ill ”They do not,” Vanessa answered stubbornly.
”Wanna bet?”
”Sure, I'll bet you a million dollars.”
”Hold it,” Mary Anne ordered. ”I think we have a small problem.”
The kids stopped arguing and turned their attention to Mary Anne, who asked Dawn, ”How many Pikes do you count?”
Dawn spun slowly in a circle as she counted. ”Six.”
”And how many are we supposed to be watching today?” Mary Anne asked.
”Seven.” Dawn's blue eyes widened. ”Oh, no! We've lost -” She glanced quickly around the room. ”Claire.”
This was especially upsetting since Claire is the youngest of all my sisters and brothers and needs looking after the most.
”Okay, everyone,” Mary Anne ordered. ”Spread out and find Claire. The second you do, bring her back to the kitchen.”
”Do we get a reward?” Nicky asked.
Dawn and Mary Anne exchanged looks. Finally Dawn said, ”Yes. Pizza.”
”Oh, boy!” Byron whooped. ”Let's go.” He ran out of the room with the other triplets following him.
”I'll look in the bedrooms,” Margo said, racing for the stairs.
”Fine,” Dawn said. ”But keep out of your mother's makeup, okay?”
Margo hesitated, then puffed out her lower lip. ”Okay.”
Vanessa put down her book and got up from her chair. ”I'll check out back.”
”I'll look out front,” Mary Anne said, ”and Dawn, you wait here in case one of the other kids finds her.”
”I'll go with you,” Nicky said, tucking his hand in Mary Anne's.
Dawn kept telling herself not to get nervous. The kids had been playing a game of hide-and-seek; maybe Claire was still hiding. Then again, maybe she wasn't. Dawn peered into the kitchen. No sign of Claire. She was just about to go upstairs when she heard a piping sound, like singing. She stopped and listened. The sound was coming from the stairs leading down to the rec room.
”Playmates, come out and play with me, and bring your dollies three, dee dee dee dee dee dee,” a high, little voice sang, slightly off-key.
Dawn peered around the corner. Sitting on the top step was Claire, holding two clothespins in her hand. She danced them on her leg as if they were dolls.
”h.e.l.lo, there,” Dawn said gently. ”Who are your playmates?”
Claire held up the clothespins. ”This is Tilly and this is Milly.”
”What are their last names?” Dawn asked.
”Silly-billy-goo-goo.”
”Would you like to invite Tilly and Milly for a snack? We're having pizza.”
”That's their favorite,” Claire declared with a grin. She got up and followed Dawn into the kitchen.