CHAPTER 8

I manage to get a bit more sleep despite Molly’s banging on about the Ecens coming back. Seriously, I feel like I should be running around screaming, ‘The Ecens are coming! The Ecens are coming!’

When I next open my eyes, I do so slowly. And, amazingly, everything seems … normal. There is no one else in my room. It’s light outside. I can hear normal Saturday-morning-type noises outside my bedroom door.

I get up and the normal continues. I touch the lucky crack as I head down the hallway. When I get to the kitchen, I discover Dad has gone to open up the pool for the day and will pick up the hotdog stuff and make-your-own-mucus ingredients on the way home. Mum is starting in on the pond slime. ‘Where’s Molly?’ I ask, cautiously, as I grab some cereal from the pantry.

‘Oh, outside. Somewhere. She’s been outside all morning,’ Mum answers.

This makes me pause slightly as my hand reaches for a bowl. Molly isn’t generally a fan of the great outdoors. It’s not like she’s actually scared of going outside. More like she finds it kind of distasteful. She tends to wrinkle her nose as she gets dirt on her shoes and so on. Like nature is all a big inconvenience to her. So, yeah, Molly being outside all morning is again kind of odd. Still, better outside than inside and anywhere near me, I think, starting to shake some cereal into my bowl.

I can see Molly outside the kitchen window. I watch as she waves one hand in a large arc in the air in front of her, and then the other. She does this a couple of times, then takes a step to the left and does the same thing again. Another step, and again. Step, wave, wave, step, wave, wave … she continues around the backyard, dodging Mum’s Zen garden with its beautifully raked gravel, her little rock garden and her treasured cherry tree.

That’s it. I’m over this freak show.

I stomp outside, down the back steps and across the yard towards my sister. She doesn’t turn around, even though she can surely hear me. When I’m a few steps away from her, I start in on my rant. ‘Can you just quit with the …’ but I soon trail off. Because now I’m close, I can see more of what’s going on. And what’s going on is that something is actually coming out of the palms of Molly’s hands as she waves them. Something clear and shiny that is shooting upwards towards … who knows what?

Before I can ask, Molly speaks, still not turning around. ‘It’s a sort of reflective insulation. For the protective dome. Oh, wait. I haven’t told you about that yet, have I?’

Behind me, Jack barks, making me jump. I didn’t even know he was there.

Molly does turn around now. ‘Yes, Jack, okay. Soon! It’s just … everything all at once would be a bit much.’

‘Cooper!’ Mum yells, from inside.

I stand still for a moment, not knowing what to think, or do. My eyes dart from Molly to Jack, back to Molly again. My mouth opens and shuts involuntarily.

‘Cooper!’ Mum yells again.

I turn and race back towards the house and am back inside in a flash. ‘What?’ I look over at her in the kitchen.

‘Your breakfast! Come on, we need to get moving this morning.’ I follow her gaze and see my untouched cereal on the kitchen bench. ‘Come on,’ she adds the milk and passes it to me, ‘eat up.’

I shake my head as I go over to her. I sigh. ‘When is this thing going to end?’ I ask.

‘What thing?’ Mum asks, not understanding.

‘This … thing,’ I wave a hand at the window where we can see Molly, still circling her arms like a crazy person. ‘This whole thing.’

‘I have no idea what you’re talking about,’ Mum goes back to her pond slime recipe.

‘Sure you don’t,’ I mutter, starting my cereal clean up. ‘Sure you don’t.’

Apart from discovering my sister is Spidergirl and can spurt web out of her palms (that show must have some serious cash to spend), the rest of my day runs pretty smoothly. Dad comes back with all the stuff on his list, we do a bit more setting up and the party kicks off with a bang. Everyone loves the disgustingly named food and the ‘make your own mucus’ is a huge hit. Still, throughout the party, I kind of find myself keeping an eye out and hoping those cameras will appear soon, in the standard ‘big reveal’, and then all this weird stuff that’s been happening will be over. Molly almost had me believing her for a moment there – crazy. I guess it was because it was all so elaborate – I mean, there were even extras involved. And a goldfish died.

I think.

‘Hey, great party,’ Ethan tells me through a huge mouthful of hot dog. He gives me a shove with his shoulder, then takes a big swig of pond slime. ‘The toilet-paper-throwing contest was supreme.’

‘You’re just saying that because you won.’

‘Yeah, probably. Twelve rolls of toilet paper – score! My mum is going to be happy with me tonight!’

From our spot on the deck, I take a look around the party. Pretty much the whole school is here, which isn’t saying much – there are only twelve of us. Everyone seems to be having a great time. Well, everyone except for Molly, who is still waving her arms around at the side of the yard. So weird. I turn back to Ethan with a shake of my head. ‘So, how’s Goldie going? Has he mastered playing dead yet?’

Ethan gives me a strange look. ‘What?’

‘Goldie,’ I say. ‘You know, he was “playing dead” yesterday. According to Molly,’ I snigger.

Another strange look.

‘When we were at your house, remember?’

‘You weren’t at my house yesterday.’

I laugh, it sounds kind of nervous even to me. ‘Seriously, Ethan. Try using both brain cells at once.’

‘Um, I am. All three even. But you weren’t at my house yesterday. Maybe you should lay off the pond slime.’ He inspects his cup. ‘It’s kind of got a kick to it.’

I think about what he’s telling me for a moment, but then Mum distracts me, passing by with the kitty-litter cake. Ethan inspects it as she walks past us. ‘Awesome cake, Mrs B,’ he says. ‘You’ve totally outdone yourself this year!’

‘Well, thank you, Ethan. It does look rather …’ she struggles to find the right word.

‘Putrid?’ Ethan offers.

‘I think that covers it nicely.’ Mum continues on her way. ‘Come on, Cooper,’ she calls over her shoulder. ‘Follow me. It’s time to blow out the candles. Now, where’s Molly?’

And that’s when I spot her. Or, them, to be more precise. Because there, in the corner of the yard, is Molly, with Jack beside her.

And there, right in front of them both, are the Ecens.