Chapter 3

They reappeared in the forbidden room of the café. Dewey turned around and waited for the triplets to enter. Ace tumbled out first, followed by Axel, who bumped his head on the top of the cupboard, and Ozzy, who calmly walked out.

'Axel? Did you bring the potion?'

Axel took out a small vial filled with amber liquid. He had already taken a sip before entering, so he handed it to the other two. Ace and Oscar made a face after drinking it.

'Blech' Oscar retched. He quickly handed the bottle over to Axel, who stuffed it in his belt.

'Can you not make a potion that tastes like Oreos at least once, baby brother?' Ace asked.

Axel shrugged and looked down at his hands. The triplets could change into human form during daylight hours, but they relied on potions to tame themselves for extra measure. Their claws, teeth and pupils returned to normal human size, their tail vanished, and their ears melted to the sides of their heads.

'Uurgh. I hate changing form' Ace groaned, clutching her stomach. 'How do you survive with a different form along with thoughts of being nice to others?'

He's fluid in shapeshifting. That's why. He doesn't need to use potions to ease everything like we do' Oscar explained, unconsciously trying to find his tail. Dewey shrugged.

'What can I say? I'm a special case'

A special nut case, maybe - one who likes being a goodie two-shoes and doing all his chores, Axel teased.

'Now, you all remember the rules right?' Dewey decided not to comment. He handed them a steel bracelet coated lightly with silver. It prevented them from changing back to their normal form.

'No acting like you're from another dimension' Ace started as she put it on along with her own one.

'If you have questions, ask later' Oscar rolled his eyes.

And try not to go canine, Axel finished.

'Good. Last thing we need is for The Bread to sniff you out' they headed upstairs where Louise was waiting.

'Took you long enough. It's almost dark' Mrs. Cadieux hugged Dewey.

'We got side tracked'

'Uh-huh' she squeezed Ace and Ozzy in one go. Axel, who had been lost in the view outside, noticed the action and frowned.

What about me? He asked, once again proving that he was the baby of the pack. Lou laughed and gestured for him to come over.

'OK. I'm headed for work - just a few moments till we close. I'll be down if you need me. There's food in the cupboard. You all hang out in Dewey's room till I come back, clear?' She gave each of them a one second stare before leaving.

The four dashed towards Dewey's room. Ace took a place on the floor while the boys sat on the bed. Oscar looked out from the window.

'Where is everybody?' he asked.

'Well, it's summer vacation,' Dewey replied.

Summer vacation? Axel tilted his head.

'Yeah. End of the school year, remember? Everyone goes somewhere until it's over'

'Oh' Ozzy looked out. 'No wonder. This place is kinda boring'

'I guess so'

'So, what do you think about the case?' Ace asked.

'Probably the killer is hiding in a pretty old place, far from the kingdom. How he or she travels here, I don't know. Maybe using magic' he glanced at Axel. 'Did you by any chance reach the "travel by magic" chapter?

Only apparating and disapparating. I'll search for other ways tonight, he shrugged.

'What did your dad say?' Oscar asked.

'The villain might be after the entire dark lands. The best thing to do is hope you're not targeted. He's playing a game. That's it. Nothing else'

'Did he tell you who it is or might be?' Ace picked at the floor with her finger.

'No, he has no clue. Don't, by any circumstances, tell your parents' he ordered.

Alrighty, Axel's eyes glittered with mischievousness.

'I told you before, and I'll repeat myself, Axel Adolpha-'

'Oh, we're using full names now' Ace grinned, she enjoyed it when Dewey was mocked by her siblings and her.

'It's just a habit of-' the doorbell rang and he stopped. Who could that be?

'Probably just delivery' he said as he went to get the door. 'Don't move'

'Just give a scream if it's a scary guy and we'll come over to laugh at your dead body' Ace gave a friendly smile.

'Yeah, yeah, yeah' he opened the door to come face to face with Ava.

'Ava? What are you doing here?' Dewey furrowed his eyebrows.

Ava stood by the doorway, wearing a completely new outfit. A pink and black striped t-shirt was tucked under a short white denim skirt, held together with a black belt. She wore rose red laced sandals and had tied her hair to a bun on either side with scrunchies of the same color. The bandage on her arm was now removed, but Dewey could see some faded scars on her skin.

'Is it a problem? Are you busy?' she asked, frowning.

'No. it's just - you know what, come in' he closed the door behind her, catching up to her as she made her way to his room.

'OK, Ava. I invited over some of my other friends' Dewey held her shoulders from behind as he steered her. 'You're fine with that right?'

Ava paused. 'Other friends? I didn't know you had other friends'

'We've been together for a long time' he admitted. 'You're ok, right?'

'As long as they don't do anything that makes me want to kick them out' Ava smiled sweetly.

'Ava…'

'Fine. Best behavior. Got it,' she sighed. This was gonna be a long day.

'Great' Dewey opened the door to his room. The triplets got up from his bed and nodded politely at them.

Ava did a double-take. She had seen these three before.

'Bright blue hair, black jackets, violet eyes. Aren't you three the ones who tried snatching that packet of Oreos from that kid by my street?'

The trio averted their eyes away from each other. Dewey pressed his lips together and smacked his forehead. He gave a glare that said, we'll talk later.

Ava went up to the girl on her left. Dressed in that red flannel, gray jeans, and black sneakers with a black hoodie tied around her waist, she looked lazy. Yet, somehow Ava knew that she wasn't to be underestimated. The way her bat stood at the ready, the way she turned her gaze to her, the way her violet eyes were highly alert, the way her expression was one of disgust, like she didn't seem to know what to do with the small figure before her - Ava disliked her immediately.

She held out her hand, and Ace flinched for a microsecond before shaking it.

'Ace Adolpha' she introduced herself.

'Sounds like a name for an animal' Ava spoke honestly. Ace grinned.

'I like you' she said.

'I wish I could say the same. It's unfortunate, really' there was something Ava didn't trust about the girl.

Ace's smile disappeared, and for a moment, Ava's eyes noticed a slightly hungry look in her face. 'Forget what I said' her voice was ice cold.

'Did you say anything?' Ava met enough people to know not to lose her ground. Ace grit her teeth, holding back a growl, her mind pleading her for one single scratch on the little valentine doll's face. Behind them, Dewey silently hoped that Ace didn't lose her cool, violence, or her looks.

Ava moved to the second triplet. He was scrawnier than the other two - weaker even. His fingers constantly moved around, fidgeting with the buttons of his baggy blue-gray pants. The plain white t-shirt and the nervous energy in his two colored eyes gave away the fact that he was the smarty. Ava wondered if she would get a shock from him if they shook hands.

'You are?' she asked. The kid was quiet.

'Oscar - or Ozzy' he squeaked, his eyes enlarging. Ava felt partially bad for him. He was scared of a tiny girl. Under normal circumstances, she would have taken the shots. This time, maybe because of his big pleading eyes, she decided to be nicer.

'You're smart, aren't you?'

'How did you know?' Oscar seemed relieved to skip the introduction.

'You look clever - backpack, smart outfit, a rubix cube and all' Ava wanted to gag at the sweet flattery. She managed to smile, though. Ace glowered at her from nearby, but she ignored the temptation to glare back.

'And you…' Ava turned to apparently the youngest. Ava lifted her head up and studied the kid, feeling suddenly like a rag doll. He was laid-back in his clothing - a plain black sleeveless sweatshirt with a white wolf's head printed on the front - tattoo style - with black and blue camo cargo pants and obsidian combat boots. He looked ready for the military. Under his charcoal colored bucket hat, his long blue hair covered half of his eyes. Ava couldn't make out what he was thinking. A mask in the color of ebony covered his nose and mouth. He stared down at Ava as if he was fascinated - no doubt by her looks - rubbing his pale and flexed arms. He was probably months younger, but no one would be able to tell so.

'You're the youngest?' she asked. He nodded.

'What's your name?' The guy remained silent.

'You can talk, you know' the kid glanced at Dewey.

'Ava, meet Axel. He can't really talk,' Dewey explained. He had forgotten about Axel's magic.

'Really?' Ava looked at Axel, who shrugged in answer.

'Is that why you wear a mask?'

Does she know? Axel signed at Dewey, who shrugged.

'Ava, you know sign language?'

'Not too much. Could you maybe write it down?' she asked.

Axel went over to Dewey's nightstand. He grabbed a notebook and a pen and wrote down, Not exactly.

'Then why?' Ava couldn't help but notice that he had good handwriting. He must have had practice.

An accident, Axel wrote down and glared at her, daring her to ask any more questions. Really, they were like a pack of wolves - angry and vicious, territorial even. Was that the reason why Dewey acted so strange at school? The reason why he bit Kedge? Even after a few hours of intense processing, Ava still couldn't get over that. Were these thugs the reason? Maybe they were the influence. That younger one looked like he could lift three Clydes at once.

'Oh…' Ava couldn't take her eyes off that mask. She had to take the thing off before they left. Rude but crazy - and she defined crazy.

'So, Ava, why did you decide to come over?' Dewey started.

'I felt bored at home. I thought we were planning for the summer'

'Poor baby' Ace muttered. 'Can I get something to eat?'

'There's some stuff down by the kitchen' Ace nodded her head towards the stairs, beckoning Axel and Oscar to follow her. They disappeared from view. Dewey looked uncomfortably at her, scratching the back of his neck. His amber eyes refused to meet her face. After one bad day, Ava couldn't help but notice how much he changed. It was like she had never really known him properly, and that all of the clever personality was just a cloth covering his real side - a cloth that was now draped off to reveal someone else entirely.

'Guess the planning's off then' Ava rolled her eyes.

'Hey, we can still plan another day. This summer will be insane, I promise'

'Cool friends' she said. 'How long have you known them?'

'I guess you can say I've been with them for almost all my life, ever since I was born. My dad's a friend of their parents, so-'

'I thought your dad died' Ava noticed a slight jerking movement in his face.

'Uh, yeah' he said slowly. 'I meant before he died. They were close. Ace, Oscar, and Axel are, well, you can say they're new to a lot of things. They weren't raised like average kids'

'Were their parents barn animals? 'Cause the girl seems like one' Ava was still frowning on Dewey's reaction.

'More or less animals. But they're awesome. Give them a chance for me. Ace is a sweet person. She is just territorial and overprotective' Dwayne Cadieux seemed to know a lot about those three - maybe more than he knew about her.

'Hmph' she looked over to the doorway. Axel had arrived. Leaning by the doorway, he looked pretty epic - like a Hollywood actor. He pointed towards the stairs like, you, down here, now.

'Better go see what they want - they are a little unpredictable' Dewey took her downstairs.

Little unpredictable - that was exactly what he labeled her. She felt like the fifth wheel in a well-made car, useless and out of order. Blood boiling red-hot, she let him pull her to the kitchen.

Oscar had managed to get his hand stuck in a jar, trying to reach the last chocolate chip cookie. Ace pulled the jar, trying to free her brother's hand. Axel stood by the counter, a glint of interest in his eyes shined as he observed the sticky situation his siblings had gotten themselves into. Ava sat down on the smooth stone surface next to him and watched the other two.

'How in the entire universe and beyond did you eat all the cookies in a minute?' Dewey exclaimed.

'Actually, you two spent three minutes up there' Oscar corrected, grunting with effort.

'And we were hungry. If you play wolf tag for more than half an hour, walk from one neighborhood and back, you'd be too' Ace chimed in. Ava found her voice annoying to hear.

'Well, I did those too' Dewey retaliated. They had already gone somewhere today?

'Just help me over here' Oscar pouted. Sighing, Dewey held one hand on Oscar's arm and the other on the jar, and pulled.

'Aren't you the stronger one?' Ava asked Axel, scooting closer to him. He moved a centimeter away and glanced down at her. He wrote in the notebook he carried, yes, but I would rather watch and enjoy the show. He shrugged and gave it to her to read.

'Is it boring to stay silent all the time? I would die if I had to be quiet all the time'

It's upsetting not being able to have long conversations. But I'm used to it. My siblings and Dewey pay attention to me, and that's enough. And it is kinda hard to keep writing since no one really understands ASL. Wow. Ava considered herself lucky.

'Well, you seem better than your sister,' she admitted. Axel's eyes hardened.

Why is Ace so bad for you? PS. she can hear you - radar ears, Axel raised an eyebrow.

Ava took out his pen and wrote in hideous handwriting, just not used to her. Maybe I'll get over it soon. She bit back details with worries that he might actually go tell her.

'So yeah, that's why I-' Ava was cut off by a loud WHOOP! Dewey had pried the jar out, and was now helping himself to a cookie. Oscar rubbed his hand and glared at Axel.

'You know that you could have helped us. You don't train - workout - for nothing' Axel shrugged, casually tearing off the bottom of the page and throwing it to the trashcan next to him. It was an honor watching you fail, Oscar Adolpha, he signed. Ozzy scowled as his cheeks grew red hot. Ace stared at Ava with more intensity than she herself could muster. Leave my brother alone, her voice whispered in her ear.

Axel leaned over the counter and put his head by Dewey's shoulders. You'll give me some, right?

'In your dreams. Go talk to Ava while I eat, the way you did while I worked my hands off trying to get that jar. This is hard work' he waved the half eaten biscuit in front of an upset Axel. 'Hard. Work. Got it?'

Axel nudged him, but he paid no attention and continued to eat. When he finished, Dewey was shoved to the other side of the kitchen. Cruel much? He signed.

'Look who's talking' Oscar went over to Axel, smiling even though he meant it as a backlash. He looked at Ava. 'You weren't any better, you know'

'I know' Ava enjoyed the expression plastered on Ace's face. Dewey noticed the tension between the two. How could two girls be so resentful to one another? He thought all girls were full of pink and happiness, like in kindergarten - you know, unicorns and friendship junk. He learnt that the first one was not true quick enough, but the second one was surprising. Apparently, boys weren't the only ones with major glow-ups.

'Do you guys wanna disrupt Paan?' He regretted even saying it, but he got good results. Ace's eyes danced with malevolence and Ava smirked.

'Do these guys know about-?'

'Yeah, I told them'

'Dewey talks a lot about you' Ace's lips curved into a wicked grin.

'Friends since sixth grade' Oscar chimed in.

Tough girl who punched him in the nose back in seventh grade, Axel wrote down. Ava's face burned as she glanced at Dewey, who gave a nervous laugh.

'Can we just go up already?' he asked, ready to die of embarrassment and shame. He needed someone to talk to, and the triplets were great listeners.

'But aren't we not allowed to go anywhere till Mrs. Cadieux comes back?' Oscar asked, knowing he would be soon told how he was such a bore and that he cared about the rules way too much. Eventually, he would be obliged to go.

'Urgh, Ozzy. You are such a bore' Ace complained.

'Why do you care about the rules so much? Lighten up' Ava decided that she could spare one thousandth of future arguments and quarrels and agree with the girl.

'Fine' Ozzy led himself into his own guillotine. They ran outside and snuck up the thin, rickety stairs built at the side of the house, standing out like those unnecessarily long and bold feathers you can find on a hat.

They waited by the front door. Dewey looked at his friends. 'Alrighty, what do we do now?'

'Should've thought about it before we came here' Ozzy whispered.

'Well, we could scare the stuffing out of him. It's his snack time now. He's helping himself to a doughnut with an overload of jelly' Ava reported as she checked her watch.

'How do you know all that? Even I don't know that - and I live with him' Dewey narrowed his eyes at her.

'With a good pair of binoculars and the right angle, you'd be amazed to know what you can learn, my friend' she replied. His eyes grew as wide as saucers.

'Relax, I don't spy on you' Dewey exhaled.

'I trust you on that, Ava. Now, how do we "scare the stuffing" out of The Bread?' he asked.

'Can't Axel do it?' Ace wondered out loud. Axel flinched and turned his head in her direction.

Ava stifled a rude laugh. 'Uh, no offense, but how exactly is he going to scare him? You know, him being the silent one and all'

'Actually, Axel has a pretty impressive mimicry of a wolf' Dewey caught up to what Ace was saying. 'He could do it. We'll wait by the door and Axel can go to the nearest window, give him a heart attack-'

'And seriously high blood pressure' Ava added.

'Yeah, that too. When Paan screams, that's our cue to run'

But I don't wanna be bait, Axel flashed his book. Can't Ace do it?

'No. your voice is more amplified. Plus, you growl better,' Oscar stated. 'Also, you didn't help with the cookie jar'

Axel rolled his eyes in exasperation. Fine, get ready to run.

'Oh, don't forget this' Ava gave him her phone with the camera opened and ready to record.

Axel trudged off to the other side by the window. He peered inside through the open curtains. A man entered the room in an awkward dance-walk in a gray vest and olive shorts. No doubt it was Lofie Paan. Axel wondered how much he ate. He looked like an ogre, and was three times bigger than the sizes of all the meals he ate in one day put together. He felt sick looking at him. Dewey had told him about human foodies. There were people who couldn't help but gain weight, and those who added fat as an everyday need. His stomach rumbled at the sight of the doughnut - layered so much in thick, oozy strawberry jelly that the pastry wasn't even seen.

'Hey' Ava poked her head from the corner. 'Any day now. Stop staring at him like he's a work of art'

Axel nodded and cleared his throat. Hiding by the wall with phone in hand, he thought about something that got him worked up as he removed his bracelet. Nothing. The potion must have worked better than he thought. Dewey came up to him.

'You do know your job, right?' he whispered. Axel nodded. Making sure the coast was clear, he conjured blue letters. I can't growl.

'Think of something that make you angry'

Tried. No dice.

'Pain?'

Like what?

'Let me help' Axel didn't like the smile Dewey made.

He turned around, ready to bark, when a sharp pain went up his left tricep, as if the pair of pliers Kitty used had torn off a piece of skin. Axel's eyes widened as he let out a deep, deafening roar, snatching his arm back. Paan let out a high-pitch squeal as he turned around, making him feel a little better. The doughnut in his hand was glued onto his face. Their eyes locked unmistakably before Axel managed to hide again. With his eyes bloodshot, Paan charged towards the door like an angry troll.

'Run!' Dewey dragged Axel downstairs. The others noticed them and hustled down the stairs.

'I thought your brother was silent' Ava was open mouthed at the sound that came from the other side. 'Is he possessed?' she asked Ace.

'No, he's just talented' she beamed like a proud mom.

They sprinted inside Dewey's room, falling on his bed. Dewey gave Axel a cup of water, disappointed when he waved it off. I'm fine, he wrote. Also, that hurt, he rubbed his sore arm. How did you do that?

'It's called pinching - an art you still have yet to master'

'Dewey pinched you?' Ava pitied the boy in front of her. 'No one likes it when he does'

'That was amazing, Axel. You're getting better' Ace punched his good arm affectionately. He gave the phone to Ava, who in turn, played the recording.

'His face!' Oscar grinned.

'You have to teach me how to bark like that' Ava glanced at Axel. Maybe one day. It takes a lot of time.

'Disappointing. I would have killed him by now'

A knock on the front door made them turn. BANG BANG BANG. Dewey sighed. 'We're dead'

He opened the door to come face to face with The Bread. 'You little-'

'Hey there, Mr. Paan. My mom isn't here at the moment. Do you want me to leave a message?' he played dumb. Ava, Ace, Oscar, and Axel came up behind him.

'Don't think I'm senseless, Cadieux. I know it was you who made that ridiculous beast's sound. I saw - you' he pointed at Axel.

'I saw you from my window, you little brat' to his surprise and confusion, Paan made his way, pushing past the other kids and bringing him down by the collar of his hoodie, forcing him to be the same height as the stuffed man.

'I saw you run down the stairs, mask and all. Who do you think you are, trying to kill me? Huh? Do you think I am a joke? Answer me' Seething with fury, he reached for Axel's most valued possession, and tried to literally find out who he was. Axel's hand shot up as he held it in place.

'Sir-' Dewey tried to help.

Lofie shook Axel back and forth. 'I said answer me'

Axel laid eyes on Dewey, his heart beating. When it came to the enchanted world, he knew how to live. He knew about all the regulations, prohibitions, everything. He knew how to survive. But in the human world, everything was so bizarre to him. Everything was so similar, but so different.

'Mr. Paan?'

'What?' the old man snapped.

'Axel can't speak' Dewey hated using those words, making it look like his friend was disabled. 'Like, at all'

'Don't lie to me, young man. This friend of yours is the same person I saw through my window' Axel put a hand on his neck.

'I'm not lying, it's true. He uses that notebook to talk' Dewey hated unreasonable people even more.

'How can I be sure, Dwayne Cadieux?'

'Uh…'

'Are you willing to do whatever it takes to prove it?' he taunted.

'Yes' Dewey was annoyed. Ace stepped forward, but he gestured for her to wait.

An evil smile stretched unevenly on his broad face. 'If he really can't speak, can I remove the kid's mask?'

Dewey felt disgusted. Making a good negotiation was one thing, but using that privilege to invade someone's privacy was just not cool, even out of curiosity. Axel's eyes quivered. He shook his head, and glared at Dewey.

'No, you can't. That's his'

'I knew it. I knew it. You are a terrible liar. When your mother comes home, I will let her know. No, this will not go passed. For too long I have waited, waved off you and Miss Ava's pranks. And now, you bring more to your crew. This is unacceptable. This will not go unpassed. This will-'

'What is going on here?' Lou had come from her café with thoughts of relaxation and leisure time, only to find Mr. Paan in the middle of four frozen kids and one petrified Axel.

Lofie made it his priority to speak first. 'This young man has convinced his friends to make a complete clown out of me' he pointed dramatically at Dewey.

'He used this boy to scare my snack out of me' he held out Axel, whose eyes pleaded for rescue. He tried standing straight, but Paan tugged him back down.

Lou took a minute to process the information. 'You are saying that Dewey and his friends decided to prank you - by that I mean scare you, of course. And to do that, Axel was the one who executed the plan. Out of all the five, Oscar and Ace included, it was Axel?'

'Yes' the house owner confirmed.

'Mr. Paan, with all respect, there is one thing that may mess up your explanation'

'And what is that?'

'Axel can't speak,' she said slowly, watching Dewey glance smugly at a pale-faced Paan like, now I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so.

'This boy can't-'

'Yes'

'So, he can't possibly have-'

'Yes'

'And what I saw was-'

'Completely your hallucination from that over excessive jelly you eat? Also, yes' Ava smiled from the back of the room, silenced by Lou's harsh glare.

Paan let go of Axel, who walked over to Ace and Oscar, rubbing his neck. 'Well then, I must have been mistaken. I'll be off then' he dusted his jam covered outfit, and disappeared into the night.

'I hope you all learnt something from this experience, you especially, Dwayne Cadieux' Oh boy. Full names were never a good sign. Dewey tried for a smile.

'It won't happen again' he promised. Bad enough one thing went wrong today, but two was more than Lou could handle.

'And you, Ava Hart, you know you aren't supposed to come here at night unless it's an emergency. You-'

'Will be on my way' Ava finished. 'Call me when you're free - summer doesn't plan itself'

'Sure' Dewey nodded as she left the house.

'Finally, the Adolphas' Lou scanned the trio. Ace looked ready to take the responsibility, Oscar pouted, and Axel looked shaken. She found it hard to be mad at them, especially since they still had so much to learn.

'Are you alright?' she smiled. Dewey protested. 'That isn't fair'

'You aren't one to talk about fairness' she retorted. 'Now, I'm sure you all are tired. Take a seat and we'll catch up. I know you did something to come here late'

'Quite a murderer last night' Lou worried about the kids finding themselves in a situation they couldn't handle. Dewey picked up her agitation.

'It's alright, Dad and the whole team are on search. He said hi back to you' Lou smiled.

'What about your parents?'

'They're doing great' Ace replied. Lou looked at the empty jar of snacks.

'Who ate it all?' she asked. Ace's finger went at Ozzy, Oscar's at Axel, and Axel's at Ace.

'He did it'

'No, he did'

She did it.

Lou laughed. 'It doesn't matter, really. I can't believe you guys are fourteen'

'Here we go' Dewey teased.

'Feels like only yesterday you all were three' she sighed. The triplets tried to keep a straight face as Dewey mouthed all the words behind his mother.

'Running around the house, making all sorts of adventures, and-' Lou took Ace's bat and poked Dewey, who sat back down.

'At least they were neater than you,' she scolded him. Dewey's cheeks had a splash of red.

'That was one time I dropped my cake - one time'

'Once?' Ace asked. 'Really?

'Ok, maybe three. But you guys were pretty untidy yourselves'

We don't have human genes, Axel reasoned.

'Who told you that humans were organized? That's just a myth, like perfection and beautifying makeup - you know, things that make people feel better inside' he exclaimed.

'Dewey, what's truth or dare?' Oscar wondered. He had heard the word once at the café.

'It's a game. Someone asks you to choose truth or dare, and whatever you choose you have to do it' Dewey explained. 'Well, it's not that great'

'Oh…'

An awkward tension hung in the air. Axel folded his arms on the counter and buried his head. Ace nudged him. 'You can't seriously be tired'

I'm not tired, just bored.

'Poor baby' Ace shoved him off his seat. Axel slid on to the floor, glowering at his sister.

'You awake now?' Oscar asked.

Go stick your hand in a jar again, Ozzy, he growled back.

'Wait what?' Lou's eyes widened.

'Oh yeah, Oscar here thought it was a good idea to eat the last cookie. Only, he forgot that he could've just turned over the jar and caught the biscuit. No, he had to shove his entire hand in there - who knows how - and get it stuck' Dewey explained.

It was hilarious to watch, Axel offered details.

'And it hurt to be the victim' Ozzy rubbed his wrist.

'We almost had to smash the container' Ace told her.

'You three - what am I going to do?' Lou shook her head. Oscar felt his pockets vibrate. He took out two objects - a phone gifted by Dewey, and a shard of mirror, rimmed with blood red ruby. He put back the phone and pressed the glass mirror. Instead of his own reflection, it was Alice.

'Do you three plan on staying there?' she asked.

Can we? Axel seemed hopeful.

'We're on our way' Ace assured. Oscar returned the mirror and shrugged.

'Well, time's up. See you tomorrow' he took his siblings down to the closet.

'Something's bothering you' Lou pressed him when the trio was gone. He nodded.

'Dad. He's keeping something from the royals - something about the newcomer. I keep trying to make him tell me. So far I have no information, whatsoever' he flopped on his bed. 'If he just reveals what it is, we could finish this case, keep people safe, and ensure that the enchanted world doesn't…'

'Doesn't what?'

'Die' he replied softly. 'I really don't want that. I really, really don't'

'And it won't' Lou pecked him on the forehead. 'Now try to get some sleep, alright?'

'Hmm' the lights went out. Dewey's phone buzzed. He grabbed it from his nightstand and read the message - from Ava.

Ava: After school party tomorrow at Gayle's house. Real fancy. Celebrating the strawberry moon at night. Gonna be epic. You coming?

What on Earth was the Strawberry moon? Dewey thought about it. He remembered seeing the stumped expression on Ava's face. It was the least he could do to make it right.

Dewey: Sure. I'll be there.

Ava: Great. See ya! @7:25. Don't you forget :)

Dewey: U knw I hate parties. But I wouldn't miss it.

Ava: Remember to look good for once. I am not taking you with me otherwise.

Dewey: Yeah yeah whtvr.

Another buzz. This time it was Oscar. Axel had enchanted his phone to have unlimited wi-fi - lucky.

Ozzy: Are you coming tomorrow at night?

How could he be in two places at once? Ava had asked first, right? So it was fair, to say the least. Sighing, Dewey texted back.

Dewey: Busy at night. Can't come. Sorry. Your house in the evening, K? We start investigation then.

A long pause later, he answered.

Ozzy: Uh, sure.

Dewey half-closed his eyes and opened them again, repeating the practice over and over again. Lou had joked that he looked like an actor in a movie pretending to pass out, but it helped him sleep, especially at times like this. As expected, Dewey's mind got the hint, finally starting the snoring phase of his dozing process.