If Lizzie didn’t like something, it was competition. Now that she had a perfect daddy, she could only bear sharing Rowan with her mommy. After all, a mommy and a daddy cuddling and hugging were prerequisites for a happy family. For now. In due time, when Grace would be old, like forty, Lizzie could put her into a retirement home and marry Daddy herself.

  But her paradise was beginning to unravel. Lately, Daddy's energy had faded, and his performance was lacking. He dozed every time he was asked to read her a book before going to bed, and even when riding a bicycle together. Straight into a tree, he went.

  Something was fishy. Lizzie decided to pay attention to details and borrowed a deerstalker cap from the school’s Drama Club and a magnifying glass from Dmitri. However, roaming the house holding the lens in hand didn’t achieve the expected results. She was stuck.

  Lizzie was so depressed that she had trouble falling asleep. And that proved a strike of luck. Lizzie heard whispers in the corridor. Opening her door an inch, she peered outside. For whatever reason, Auntie Isla and Mommy talked in front of the guest room. Then, surprisingly, it was not Auntie who entered the guest room but Mommy. Aunt Isla tip-toed her way to the master bedroom.

  A terrible suspicion aroused in Lizzie’s heart. For an hour, she walked back and forth behind her door, waiting, struggling with the sleep assaulting her. And finally, there were whispers again. And this time, Auntie Isla returned to the restroom, and Mommy went to the bedroom.

  Truth stroke like lightning. Auntie was siphoning Rowan's vital energy because Mommy shared the hugging and cuddling with her. He could understand it; after all, her Daddy was a great hugger and, if she’d believe Mommy, a good kisser. But things had limits. A Daddy’s first and foremost duty was to take care of his daughter, not to hug Mommy’s best friend.

  With the resolve to put an end to this folly and speak her mind to Rowan as soon as possible, she went to bed.

  The next morning, she arrived early for breakfast, skipping unimportant things like washing her face or searching for new socks. Or matched socks for what it mattered. Mommy and Auntie Isla were sipping coffee, and Dmitri prepared pancakes. She fretted for half an hour until Rowan appeared, his beard shaved irregularly, wobbling, and eyes half open.

  Lizzie's attempt at speaking first was cut off by Grace, who addressed her.

  “Isla came to say hi before her shift.”

  “Hi, Isla,” Rowan said in a fake tone, like seeing her for the first time that day. Lizzie knew a thing or two about bad acting and could recognize it miles away, her class being Actress, after all.

  The sky fell on Lizzie’s head. Acting meant a play, and a play a director. The one who was obviously in charge of the theater was Grace. Why, oh, why, her own mother has enacted such a betrayrous thing, making Daddy waste his precious hugs? Or was it bitchtairous? Never mind words, it was bad.

  Lizzie’s face reddened. Opening her mouth to scream her disappointment, she was interrupted again when a pancake landed inside, pushed by a fork, and the fork handled by Dmitri.

  “You tell me how you like this new recipe,” he blurted, then leaned and whispered in her ear: “This is an adult thing; don’t poke your little nose in it. It will not be long before they sort it out by themselves.”

  Fuming, she threw back a furious frown, meaning: Did you know about this?

  Dmitri half-shrugged, palms up: I couldn’t help.

  The situation was way worse than she imagined. For the first time in her life, Lizzie couldn’t wait to go to school. It was time to bridge the gap and reach out to the enemy. When the bell rang for the first break, she beelined for Thomas’s class.

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  “We need to talk,” she grabbed him by the hand.

  “Your fiancee’s visiting, Thomas,” a boy joked, but she ignored him. Two minutes later, they reached a secluded spot behind the main building.

  “What’s up?” Thomas asked.

  “Mommy and Isla are sharing Rowan!”

  “Oh, God! How did you find out?” the boy blurted, stepping back.

  “You knew?”

  “Yeah… of course. I figured out when she asked Dad to keep me for another month. And I also eavesdropped and asked my father. He’s everyone’s shrink, but let me tell you, not so strong on doctor-patient confidentiality.”

  “Well, aren’t you going to do something?” Lizzie stomped her right foot on the grass.

  “Absolutely not,” Thomas shook his head.

  “What? No more I’ll kill you in your sleep? They hug, Thomas! Isla and Rowan hug every—”

  “Please, don’t go into details!” he pushed his hands forward in a stopping gesture. “It hurts my soul… but there are greater things in play, and I must be strong… for Cora…” the boy sighed, raising his eyes to the sky and putting his right hand over his heart.

  “For who?”

  “Cora. You’ll pester me with questions anyway, so I’ll give you the full story in one go. Cora pretended to be Cory, the town’s AI, right? She developed a crush on Rowan, being stuck in that ship. Such a sweet and pure intellectual girl… She has an INT build, and that’s supposed to match a WIL well. She asked Grace to share Rowan with her because Grace owes her a favor.

  “Your mother agreed, as long as Cora manages to reach out to Rowan’s heart by herself. But Grace only pretended to agree; she hates Cora. She and Mom are best friends, so Grace thought: instead of sharing with Cora, let’s share him with Isla, making Rowan too busy to care for an alien. Somehow, she talked my mother into it…

  “Poor Cora has been deceived… But here I come in play. I’m an INT build. I’ll be the shoulder on which she’ll cry her sorrow out, and in time, I’ll get her to love me instead. INT plus INT, you know. I plan to propose to her when I’m twelve.”

  “You’re an idiot,” Lizzie stated matter-of-factly. Instead of returning to class, she aimed for the exit. A simple flicker of her fingers made the school’s guard open the door for her without too much questioning.

  “Tell Miss Gwen that Viscountess Lizzie Garcia Larmontel is not in the mood for school today,” she ordered.

  There was always a bodyguard around the school or the house, day or night. That day, it was Bree, smoking a hundred feet farther under a tree. When Lizzie beckoned her, the woman threw the butt, crushing it under her boot, and came forward.

  “Take me home, please.”

  “Sure, hop up,” Bree said, putting the girl on her shoulders. Lizzie had already noticed the Ranger wasn’t the type to ask too many questions.

  “This is so cool!” she yelled, ecstatic, as Bree began running at a tremendous speed, promising herself to train Daddy to be a good play horse too.

  When they got back home, there was no one around. Mommy worked on some music projects, Rowan and Isla chased Cores, and Dmitri… who cared. Bree made sandwiches for both of them and lounged on the couch, and then Lizzie went to her room.

  She felt depressed. ALL the Universe was after her Daddy. The problem was how to stop this idiocy. Crying and screaming were good options, but at some point, Grace could reprimand her and say this was adult stuff, not her business. Using her powers would have worked… at least on Isla and Cora, who had weaker minds than Mommy… but she didn’t want to risk hurting them. Auntie was nice and protected everyone, including Daddy. And Cora had helped them a lot, too.

  If tantrums or manipulations were out, what remained? Niceness, of course. It was the only way, and she’d prove to the adults how wise and considerate she was. Slowly, she compiled some ideas and then wrote them down on a piece of paper as well as she could.

  Providence helped her, and Rowan returned home first. She jumped in his arms.

  “Daddy!”

  “Sweetie!” he hugged her. Oh, how glorious his hugs were. Filling her heart with joy and indescribable happiness.

  “Can I speak to you?” she asked, pulling him to the table.

  “Sure, sweetie, what’s up?”

  “You do know you’re a good Daddy and person, yes?”

  “Err… I try my best, sweetie.” Even when he ruffled her hair, there was so much delight!

  “So good that everyone wants a piece of you. Cora is… what was the word… secretly enamouerd of you. Mommy promised to share you with her if she wins your heart, but then changed her mind and convinced Auntie Isla to sneak into your room at night to hug you when you’re asleep, like a vampire or something, to siphon your energy and not be able to cuddle with Cora. The problem is you’re so tired you can’t care for me properly anymore, and I’m very sad. But don’t worry! Everything will be all right as long you follow this.”

  Beaming with pride, Lizzie placed the schedule she had drawn on the table.

  Mon Tue: Isla Wed Thu: Free Fri Sat Sun: Mommy Mon Tue: Free Wed Thu: Cora Fri Sat Sun: Free