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Oscar added, "We decided it would be better than paper airplane launchers."

"It's bamboo pulp," Morticia said as she unscrewed the machine. Steam blasted. A single striped straw came out.

"We're trying to make it more like plastic to get the aerodynamics right," Billy said.

"I added a little secret chemical to the formula." Parker smirked. "It pays to be the smartest person in the family. I have two PhDs, did you know that?" he bragged.

"I do now."

Morticia made a gagging motion.

"Who’s your favorite older brother?" Parker said to Billy and Oscar.

"You are!" they cheered.

Billy put a paper dart in the straw and blew it. It zoomed past my head to stick in the nearby wall.

"Success!"

"That seems dangerous," I said. "Does Garrett know about this?"

* * *

I didn't havethe energy to chase after Garrett's younger brothers. My mother was slowly destroying my life. Again.

"I think," I said after the Svenssons had left, "maybe I need a tarot reading."

Morticia nodded. "Where is the sage?"

She and Lilith set up in the dining room. Lilith lit candles and poured me a cup of bitter tea.

Morticia had me cut the deck. She laid out death, the tower, and the devil.

"This isn't good," she muttered.

"What's not good?" I practically yelled.

"An enemy will come into your life," she said, tapping the cards.

"Already happened," I said, blowing out a breath and sitting back in my chair. "It's my mother. She's trying to ruin me."

"You're out of balance," Morticia continued. "Catastrophic failure is in your future."

"What should I do?" I wailed.

Morticia handed me a bundle of herbs and sticks. "Take this out and burn it."

74

Garrett

Penny was in a somewhat better mood the next day when she picked me up.

"Recovered from the weekend?" I asked after I kissed her. "I heard my little brothers were at your house."

"They're making a dart gun," she said.

"Honestly. They all want to be entrepreneurs, and they come up with the worst ideas," I said.