School Reds and Blues by CE Dalton

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CHAPTER EIGHT

Catherine walked in her front door and stopped when she saw her parents standing in the entryway, staring at her. "What? I paid the cab." She put down her bags and hugged them both. "Was I late or something?"

"No, just making sure you didn't get any ideas from that school," her father said dryly, hugging her harder. He looked over her shoulder and noticed the two other people. "We're having guests?"

"I told mother months ago," she offered. "Mom, dad, this is Tyler and Sascha. Their mother's in hiding to stay away from someone mental so they're sleeping in our library over the holidays. Or did Mom forget?"

"Oh, I did," her mother admitted. "That's fine though. I'm sure we can work out something."

"They're brother and sister, mom, they can share a room," Catherine told her. Her mother's expression said clearly that wasn't happening. "Or I can share my room and Tyler can take my lounging couch in the library."

"My room," her sister said. "Good, you're home. Now you can clean up that room so I can use it," she said smugly.

Catherine looked at her. "Unless someone's fixed the floor while I've been gone, it won't hold you. The places where there's furniture are the *only* solid places on that floor. Or don't you remember the leak you moaned about for months because it got into your closet of things you don't wear?"

"Catherine," her mother warned. "Very well. Crystal, after the holidays, you can have that spare guest room as a closet for your pageant gowns. Nothing further. You have a room and too many clothes."

"But Mom!"

"It'd be different if you wore some of them over," she said firmly. "You could wear the same outfit at a regional one and then a bigger one."

"The other girls don't have to," she pouted.

"Then have a seamstress change them so they're a bit different," Sasha offered. "In the old days, women made due with five outfits, but they accessorized and changed subtle things to make things different. Even when styles changed, they took skirts apart to pare them down or to add more material."

"Because they had so little of it," Catherine snorted. "Last formal, big, huge blue and silver ball gown. I looked good but I couldn't see my feet in it," she said, smirking at Tyler. "So he had to keep me from tripping all night." She dug in her bags, handing over the pictures. "Here, as requested."

Someone tapped on the door and Tyler glanced outside, then took the other bags they had forgotten, paying the cabbie for being so patient. Tyler handed Catherine her bags. "You forgot your clothes."

"I told you I cared more about my books than my clothes," she noted. She looked at her mother. "We have a foot of snow and I'm going to school in a drafty former castle."

"Then we'll have to make you some cocoa, honey," her mother soothed, leading them all into the kitchen. "How is school?"

"Forget every movie you've ever seen about the war zones of the past. Real war zones are boarding schools," she said sarcastically. "I walk in the door and the kids start picking on me."

"If you'd have normal hair, they might not," Crystal pointed out.

"I could have supermodel hair and they'd still pick on me. I'm not going to whichever part of Switzerland is 'in' this year for the holidays, that makes me an outcast. Fortunately, Tyler likes to read and Sascha and I are buddies."

"Fortunately," Tyler agreed. "She also lets my brother William cajole her into clothes, lets Robbie argue with her over stocks and bonds, and lets Alexi help her with her computer problems."

"My, you have a big family," her father noted. "I have heard some things from one of your classmates," he said, looking at his step-daughter. It wasn't a pleasant look. "She said you've been taking on airs. Said you've been acting like royalty."

Sascha snorted, shaking her head. "Sounds like Marna's found a common contact."

Tyler accepted his mug of instant cocoa. "Her father has something to do with that small, they-build-each-car-by-hand place in Great Britain. You sell high end cars, yes?" He nodded. "Lord Coving?"

"Yes, him, he did tell me those rumors," he admitted.

"His daughter's the one who took one look at yours upon entering the school and decided not to like her. Her sister got expelled for pranking her repeatedly."

"And for ripping up a few of my books," Catherine added. "Served her and her sister right."

"Yeah, because you couldn't have them replaced," Crystal said dryly.

"Crystal, that would be like someone ripping up one of your gowns," her mother said patiently.

"Fine. I'll butt out now and take my cocoa upstairs. I've got a beauty treatment I need to do." She carried her mug upstairs, going back to her room.

"You'll have to excuse her, she's at that odd age," her father said politely.

"Oh, don't worry, we have girls like her all around us," Sascha told him. "Girls who aren't quite sure what's going on, but they want to help anyway." She grinned. "Then we put them into uniforms, classes, and make them study." The mother laughed at that. "Seriously."

Tyler nodded. "It's unfortunately true. Alumni have lower standards for entrance." He sipped his cocoa. "Swiss Miss?" The mother nodded, smiling at him. "I haven't had this in years."

"I bet you kids get the good chocolates, being so close to Switzerland," her father noted.

"Not really. Not unless some kid brings it in. Our mother refuses to pay shipping for it. Locally you can get Cadbury's but that's about it."

"The chocolate shop in the village doesn't like students," Catherine added.

"Them and a few others," Sascha agreed. "It's an old argument. "

"One bad apple can ruin the whole barrel," her father agreed lightly. "So, what did you two want to do while you're here?"

"Sleep," they said in unison.

"Me too," Catherine admitted. "We just got done with a week of tests, family. So I'm going to go to bed. I'll show Tyler my library couch and Sascha can take the lower level?" she suggested. Her mother nodded. "Thanks." She blew a kiss. "I'll probably see you both tomorrow."

"I was making dinner," her mother offered.

"Then you can wake me up," she said with a smile. "Mom, what was that with dad's stuff?"

"They did find a single piece of microfilm, but it was on a vase that I know didn't hold it before. I relocked it and I remembered to pay for the space for another year."

"Thanks, mom." She blew a kiss. "I and my cocoa are going to go take a nap. The flight was noisy."

"There's a yodeling competition in the City," Sasha agreed, yawning. "Bed?"

"Follow me." She led the way to her library, opening the door with the key in her pocket. "Only mom and I have one," she shared. "Certain children threw a fit in there two years ago while she had the flu and tossed most of my library onto the floor." She let them into the small tower space. "Sasha, you can have this area. There's a special path through the upper levels. It's not quite as bad as I said, but you have to be careful. We had a leaking roof last summer and it was horrible. I almost became a carpenter to fix it." She led Tyler up the stairs, pointing at the floor. "See the worn spots?" He nodded. "Follow it. There's a few of them around the room. If you're going to step anyway, do it gently until you learn. Creaking isn't bad, moaning like a zombie is." He nodded, walking carefully inside. "Sorry, it should have been fixed."

"That's okay. It's one of those things that's not quite a priority," he agreed. "Besides, it keeps it your space."

"It used to be my first stepfather's, but then he died and I inherited it and his book collection." She waved at the wall of mysteries and crime thrillers. "Feel free to browse. We don't have much philosophy, but you never know." She grinned and retreated down the stairs, covering the young woman since she was already asleep. Then she walked out into her father's body. "Sorry." She closed the door. "Sasha's already asleep."

"Who are they?"

"The Headmistress' kids. I'm basically a mascot for them. The school's got a lot of the family in it. My floor monitor is their older brother and the new headmaster is another brother. There's a few sisters around somewhere too."

"She's prolific."

"Yeah, but they're happy," she admitted. "Right now there's five in the school attending, her youngest kids. There's one younger than Sasha, William, and he's just started this year."

"Well, at least you're making friends who aren't paper thin," he said grudgingly. "That girl was jealous?"

"No, she's spoiled. Her sister started off by sending me a fake placement letter. They culminated by stealing mom's last package and replacing it with trashy lingerie." He coughed and blushed. "Exactly. It made me blush. Especially since the girl they got it off of said her mother sent it with her to hopefully entice her boyfriend to marry her." She shuddered. "A good half the school is there to be married. The rest of us actually do our homework and study."

"You could try for a boyfriend. That Tyler looks very protective."

"Dad, I'm like a little sister to him. He's dating my roommate."

"Oh. Well, I tried," he sighed. "You know we want you to be happy."

"And I will be, I'll just be happy being a CEO some day," she said happily. "I impressed a guest lecturer who came in to explain international monetary transfers. He told me to keep my surly attitude about being female, so therefore in charge, that way I can be a CEO."

"How were your grades?" her mother asked as she joined them.

"I passed physics. The last two sections this semester were really hard for me. So I averaged a 'C'."

"That's much less than we expected, young lady," her father said sternly. "With the money we pay, you should be doing better."

"I got an 'A' on the first two sections but power flows stumped me for the greatest time and I'm still not good at mechanicals. We tried everything, even battle robots." She shrugged. "Next semester is planetary and celestial. More theory oriented. I won't have another math after Calc. that isn't business related but I will have one more science class. I averaged a 'B' and a half this semester, not bad for a first one. I made what goes for Honor Roll."

"Then I'm proud enough of you," her mother assured her. "I put your bags into your room. Your Aunt Jemma and her boys are coming in tomorrow and you'll want to be rested."

"I'm not babysitting."

"That's fine, Crystal's old enough," her father assured her. "She got you a holiday dress too."

"That's fine. If that doesn't work, I had a special occasion at the first of the year and I brought that home since it's scarlet." She led the way to her room, sneezing at the dust. "I'll deal with that tomorrow." She opened her closet, pulling out the dress. She looked at it, then at her mother, holding it against her. Her mother's eyes bugged at how short it was. "Let me guess, she made herself a cape from the rest?" Even her father laughed at that and he was usually sensitive about her sister's shopping habits. "Okay. Let me show you the one I brought home." She pulled it out, looking it over. "It's got a small stain but it shouldn't show," she admitted, showing off the one in her lap, but it looked like it was part of the fabric. "Good enough?"

"Quite nice, dear. Do you need shoes?"

"No, I got some to go with it when it showed up in my closet. They're good about that. The blue one showed up too." Someone knocked. "What?" Her sister walked in. "Did you try that dress on?"

"I know it's a bit short, but you can pull it off." She handed over the pictures from the ball. "You looked like an old painting in that."

"I enjoyed it. I felt like I was going to fall out of the top, but I did like it. I could sit down in it," she said cattily.

"Enough," her father sighed. "I like that one. You look good in some of the more ancient styles I guess." He shrugged, he didn't know fashion, only what his daughter told him. "Pictures are in two days. Then you kids can go to the mall or whatever."

"At Christmas? Are you insane?" Catherine asked. "Do you want me on drugs? The only thing worse than the mall four days before Christmas is taking kids to the mall four days before Christmas. Even the theater will be noisy."

"They put in a new bookstore," Crystal said.

"We might visit that then, but I refuse to go to the normal mall this time of year. I did all my shopping online and had it shipped back."

"They're in your other closet, dear," her mother said patiently. "I'm sure you'll figure out what to wrap them in and all that."

"Gift bags," she said slowly and clearly, then smiled. "No tape and reusable."

"Good enough. We'll let you get some sleep." He looked at her. "You are doing better next semester?"

"Considering I'm in the top two percent of the school right now?" she suggested. He grimaced. "The one 'C' I got and the one 'B' I got, interestingly enough in Orientation, were what dragged the rest down."

"You got a 'C'?" Crystal asked. "In what?"

"Multi-field physics," her mother said. "Her first term's grades were excellent. She's simply not a mechanical person and it lowered her grade."

"That and power flows. I kept getting capacitors and resistors mixed up," Catherine admitted. "That built onto mechanics though so I was pretty messed up for the first few weeks. Then we learned it through battle robots from anime. It worked much better."

"That was the teacher's idea?"

"No, his was power dams. The robots were Sasha's idea."

"Oh." He nodded. "See that you do better next year."

"Father, I'm over there on scholarship. I got the highest grades in my year and the next year. All the higher grades were the last two years. Besides, you're not paying for more than my travel and my allowance, and I can get that out of my trust if necessary. I thought I was but mother said I wasn't."

"No, we're paying for that."

"Which is less expensive than the local one is," she pointed out. "Like I said, I can and will pay for my allowance and travel out of my trust from my grandmother."

"That was for college," her mother reminded her.

"Mother, the beauty of this sort of preparatory academy is that I can get some of my college out of the way. My physics and my calculus classes both count toward that." She looked impressed. "That's why we get out sooner. Some kids even nearly graduate by the time we're done. They've got a lot of reciprocal agreements with colleges. Any *good* college will take most of my credits and put it toward their degree. I may have two years to go. Besides, I can do all that off the interest if I have to. I'll simply have to cut back on my allowance."

"No, it's fine, dear," she promised, smiling at her. "Top two percent?"

"Top in my year and the next year. All the top kids get the higher marks, most of their classes are research oriented. Writing papers instead of tests."

"That would be easier," she agreed.

"Give me a test any day," Crystal said sarcastically. "Essays?"

"No, honey, research papers. Fully annotated, footnoted, bibliographied research papers. Besides, our tests are mostly essay tests." Crystal shuddered and gripped her father's arm. "That's why the entrance for non-alumni is so stiff. I was told that the test I took to get in was harder than the GRE's, that test to take to get into graduate school. Plus, in my class are two Ladies, a Lord, a Countess, and a Princess if World War Two hadn't taken her title. Even if all I wanted to do was to run a bookstore, I could make it multi-national within three years of good profits from my contacts. And for this honor, I do homework, I share a suite with a higher year girl, I have cable, a decent enough bathroom, and have to survive gym class."

"Better you than me," Crystal said dryly. "I'd hate that." She left them there.

"No papers?"

"Next year, mom. This year is the beginnings and getting most everyone on the same level. There's a hint I might have one near the end of the year, but nothing's been officially set yet. I was thinking about pulling out some of dad's works and seeing if there's anything in there for a topic that I can build off of."

"They're still in storage," she offered. "Remember to quote him properly." She patted her on the cheek. "Now you rest. I'll make dinner a bit later than usual. It won't hurt your sister to eat after seven."

"Is she on a diet again?" Her mother nodded. "Then I'll spring for pizza some night after Aunt Gemma leaves," she promised. Her mother laughed as she walked her father out. Catherine pushed everything off her bed and laid down with a sigh of relief. Her cold cocoa could be warmed later.

***

Tyler looked over his shoulder as their chosen walked into the kitchen. "Taste this." He let her sip off the spoon. "I helped with dinner."

"Couldn't sleep? It's salty."

"Hmm." He found a potato and added it, then stirred it for a few minutes before pulling it out and letting her taste it again. "Better?" She nodded. "Good." He smiled. "I did nap. Sasha's still asleep, but I woke up when your sister squealed." He patted her on the back as he moved around her, putting the potato in the microwave to bake. "There, you could use it anyway." He smiled at Catherine's mother. "She pumped me for information about how naughty you've been. I told her all about how good and polite you've been and how all of your teachers like you so far." Catherine snorted. "Well, they like you enough because you're a good student and you try. That's more than most girls can say." He grinned. "Other than that, I told her that we've been watching out for each other since that security stuff came up. She seems pretty nice."

"She is. My father isn't bad, but he doesn't really ever seem to *get* me. Most of the time he lets mom do it." Her father walked in nodding, smirking at her. "Anything come in the mail?"

"Your grades." He handed them over, watching as she opened them. She gasped. "Worse than you thought?"

"No, next semester's schedule. They put me in equestrics."

"Which would be...?" he asked.

"Horsemanship," Tyler noted. "It's the most popular gym class because it gets people outside." He looked at her. "I'll call Nick for you," he offered.

"Please. I don't want to upset the poor beasts any more than I already do." He chuckled and patted her on the back again. "Otherwise, exactly as posted." She handed it over. "Plus I'll need to do a bit of shopping for new uniforms. Mine are for warmer weather and the castle's kind of drafty."

"That's fine. Your sister can help."

"For uniforms?" He gave her a look. "She can come if she wants, but I don't get much choice in what I wear. Scarlet jacket. Black pants or skirt. Black shirt. Shoes." He grimaced. "It's nice enough. I don't have a tie."

"I never understood that putting girls in ties thing," he said, shaking his head and heading out. "Anything nearly ready?"

"She made me swear to only make the soup," Tyler offered. "It's done and there's a potato in the microwave." The father smiled and grabbed it, taking it back to his office to eat before dinner. "He's pretty nice."

"Yeah, but he's used to people who want to be society wives," she said, shrugging at his look. "People like Marna are the ones he's used to. Or more usually people like Georgina. That blue in the third year." He nodded, he knew her. "That's who he grew up with. I got a different upbringing because of my father. Plus, he adores my older sister so I'm obligated to be the one he doesn't understand." He chuckled, giving her a short hug, which her mother and sister came in during. "Sorry, explaining why dad looked rather confused earlier. He's got my grades and schedule for next semester."

"That's fine, dear." She smiled at her. "Soup ready?" He nodded, getting out of her way. "Then the rest of it won't take more than ten minutes." She pulled out a clean spoon and tasted it, then smirked at him. "You do that very well."

"I learned that one on a family camping trip. Mother insisted so I learned how to make that over the campfire."

"That's primitive. Did you at least have toilet paper?" Crystal asked. He shook his head. "Eww. I'm so sorry for you."

"Mother considered it necessary in case something horrible happened and we had to survive an encounter with the people against us."

"Why are people against you?" Crystal asked. "She runs a school and she makes that many enemies?"

"The school has a lot of rich kids," Catherine reminded her.

"That and one of my sisters runs an intelligence firm out of England," Tyler added. "More research than anything but it's sometimes delicate information." Her sister looked impressed. "So we can't be too careful. Mother's in hiding right now from some psychotic mess of a human being. The rest of us are being very careful and our security arrangements naturally started to include your sister since people seem to think that her father imported information along with artifacts."

"He did?" Crystal asked. "Is that why those nasty men in suits came to the house, mom?" She nodded. "Wow. Was he?"

"No," Catherine told her. "That was my first stepfather." She grinned. "He was a minor diplomatic courier assigned to bring papers to be signed to the various embassies. He got blown up in one."

"I thought there was a car crash," Tyler said, looking down at her.

"The insurance company said it was a car crash," her mother admitted quietly. "The government said to." She looked at him. "I'm sure you can understand that?" He nodded. "So she's very well trained."

"Now if only I could drive."

"That's next year's courses," he promised. "You and Sascha both." He grinned at her mother. "Anything else I can do to help, other than waking Sasha up?"

"No, we're good," she promised with a smile. "I'm sure you're used to much better than we're fixing." He shook his head. "No?"

"No, the last few years have had some of the worst cooks in the history of the school. The current one's all right, but she makes everything spicy. She said it's to keep us warm."

"She's Peruvian," Catherine added. "A mountain clan. She's a good cook, but she puts this spicy sausage in nearly everything. Remind me to buy the *big* box of tums, all right?" Her mother smiled and chuckled, shaking her head. "Seriously. I thought I was going to breathe fire during my Calc. final."

Tyler nodded. "She had to excuse herself twice to belch in the hall. I had class down the way and heard it," he said with a serious expression. "My teacher wanted to know so we reminded him that lunch was her special sausage chili." Crystal moaned. "What's wrong?"

"I can't have that," she said bitterly.

"Of course you can," Catherine snapped. "You're not underweight. No matter what the little tiny people in the magazines say, you're at your correct weight and your body is filling out presently. You need the extra weight at the moment. If all they want are air-brushed little things with no life, then you should quit." Her sister gave her a dirty look. "Seriously. Real women aren't ashamed to look like real women. No woman is that thin without the aid of a computer to correct any flaws. Don't believe me, go to the fashion shows." She leveled a hard stare at her younger sister. "There is no reason to starve yourself."

"I'm not, I'm doing a vegan diet."

"Uh-huh, and the protein that you'll need to grow strong bones and muscles to support you the rest of your life?"

"Broccoli and tofu."

"It takes four cups of broccoli to equal one glass of milk," Tyler told her. "Do you actually eat sixteen cups of broccoli a day?" She frowned and shook her head.

"Plus, tofu is not a cure all, Crystal. It's pressed beans. People have serious allergies to it. One girl in my year came in with one. She has to eat like you do when you're on a diet, only without the chips." Crystal whimpered. "Only things that are all natural, things she can read the ingredients on the back of, and the cook has to make sure all her ingredients won't kill her. Tofu may be wonderful for you, but some of us would rather not even risk developing an allergy to it."

"Fine, I'll eat real food," Crystal said miserably. "I'll look like a cow at the upcoming County Fair, but I'll do it."

"Honey, you're fourteen. The judges expect your body to be changing and a bit odd right now," Tyler pointed out. "If they don't, they have no business judging beauty."

"Pageants are about more than being pretty," she defended. "We have to be talented, smart, and educated."

"Then why do they have bathing suit competitions?" Catherine asked. "With bikinis I might add. That doesn't prove brains, education, or your desire to serve the people. It proves that you're pretty."

"Yes, but the modern woman should be well-rounded," Crystal retorted.

"Yes, but beauty is something that many women aren't blessed with. Not that they're not beautiful but they're not model beautiful. We should be celebrating women's spirits and capabilities, not the way they fill in a bathing suit and sing. Beauty is for dating, not for education or work. If you're relying on your beauty to get ahead, then you're stuck at a certain level and after a certain age. My temporary business professor made that point quite well. Beauty may get you an 'in' but it won't prove that you know your stuff and ugly women only have to work a bit harder. All women are lower class in most businesses. Beauty makes it harder for the rest of us to get ahead."

"You're pretty," her mother assured her.

"Mother, I could care less how I look," she pointed out. "I care more about my skills and my knowledge. If my sole purpose in life is to be pretty, then I'm going to be suicidal when I'm in my late thirties and wrinkles start to appear."

"They make stuff for those nasty things," Crystal pointed out.

"Yes, but they only soften them, they can't keep you from aging," Tyler agreed. "Our whole school is about promoting strong women into business and other fields. Catherine is a lot like our best students. Eventually they'll be teaching her how to dress to her best effect for any situation, but otherwise we want them to be smart, strong, and capable. That's how you get ahead of the others, you're better than them and you play the office politics better."

Their mother nodded. "Definitely and it's no different in academics."

"No, Nick said it's worse in some ways," he shared. "You're fighting for recognition in a broad field, fighting for funds, and fighting your students at times. He had his Chair turn on him last year because he refused to pass a student whose parents gave a lot of money to the department. They wanted their son to be a historian and he wasn't cut out for it. Now he's in engineering where he belonged and he's happier."

"Did his department lose the funds?"

"Oh, yeah," Tyler agreed quickly. "All of it. They got a minor amount back but nothing like what they had gotten."

"He could have passed him," Crystal suggested.

"If he had, then he would have entered the field without a clue and been a liability, then his parents would have been upset anyway," their mother noted. "That's only part of the politics on campus, kids. They're just as bad as finding your path and place in an exclusive school, or moving into a new pageant field."

"Only without the mothers who are willing to kill over it," Catherine offered. "When that girl got expelled for pranking so bad, her mother's screaming was heard up and down the hall the full two hours."

"I was in the library so I heard it when she went to bribe Nick into readmitting her. He suggested that she finish this year at home then go to one of the more marriage oriented finishing schools since her strong suit was not academics. Her mother screamed again for a good long while," Tyler shared. "You were in physics then."

"Thankfully. All my business classes are on the main hallway. We didn't get anything done. The teacher said he couldn't talk above the screeching."

"Some parents can be like that," their mother agreed.

"One of my rival's mothers tried to bribe a judge," Crystal offered. "Then she tried to run him over with her SUV."

"Yeah, Marna and Estinia's mother is about that way," Catherine agreed, looking at Tyler. "Right?"

"Oh, definitely. There are worse but they work behind the scenes to get you expelled. Lady Hortense's mother is that way. She tried to get one of my sisters thrown out in her last year for being better than her daughter. Started a rumor campaign with another girl. She said some really nasty things too. Fortunately she's in jail right now for trying to subvert a judge. She actually ran over the person who wouldn't marry her daughter." Crystal looked horrified. "Think of the business world as a bigger pageant, with specialities and awards for each category instead of overall. Lady Hortense's mother was brilliant in public relations. She hyped her daughter all the way to the altar last year. It was a brilliant advertising campaign since she had a flat nose, no chin, and very weak and watery eyes."

"I feel so sorry for girls like that," Crystal said softly. "Didn't anyone help her? Get her contacts? Some plastic surgery?"

"Lady Hortense was quite happy with how she was. She didn't want plastic surgery and she didn't want to change herself. Now her husband and she share a house. She's got her suite and their heir is born and more than cute enough for the father's tastes. She gets to do whatever she wants, including playing with her baby and her cats. She breeds them. Abyssinians I think."

Crystal nodded, turning to look at her mother. "If I ever become that way, I want to be shot. Please make it painless and quick. Don't put me on life support." She walked away shuddering to comfort herself with her father and her catalog of dresses.

"Well, you may have gotten the point across that she needs to do more than pageants," her mother offered, "but now she's horrified."

"Then make her watch the Miss America thing this year," Catherine offered. "Have her see how many of those young women have real careers waiting on them. Last year's was full of pre-med people and communications majors."

Tyler shuddered. "Did she have to tie you down to make you watch it?"

"It's become a family thing to go see her compete," Catherine told him. "We're used to it by now." She patted him on the arm and grinned. "She's got a minor one at the mall this holiday. Want to attend?"

"She's backed out. The other girls aren't taking this one seriously and she doesn't need it for a third year in a row," their mother told them. "The new bookstore is pretty nice though. You might go up and check it out."

"I'm for a good book or six," Tyler agreed.

"Catherine, would you please set the table?" Her daughter nodded and went to do that. The dishes were already in there. "Are you two dating?"

Tyler raised an eyebrow. "No. I like her, but she's stated repeatedly that she's not ready to date. I think she's neat but I'd never date her while she's in the school. A few of my younger brothers and I think she's neat. She thinks of herself as our mascot." Catherine's mother pursed her lips. "I won't say it won't happen when she's graduated, I can't predict that far in the future, but I like her as a friend. She understands me and she takes books away from me at the table."

Her mother nodded. "Fine. I'm sure you'll treat her well enough. No books at our table either, Tyler."

"Yes, ma'am," he agreed with a grin. "I'm working my way through hers since I'm bored with philosophy for now."

"You study philosophy?"

"Now and then. I mostly do it for fun reading." She looked impressed. "I'm not a scholar but I like to know what other people are thinking."

"That's fine," she said, smiling brighter now. He had apparently passed muster. "Go get your sister up, Tyler. It's nearly time for dinner."

"Sure." He walked out of the kitchen, heading up to wake Sasha. He stopped at Catherine's room, finding her sister in there putting up her clothes. "Couldn't stand it?"

"It'll wrinkle and mother will demand to iron, even though she hates it. This red dress is pretty, but the fabric's really weak." He walked in and she showed it to him. "She might want to find something more suitable tomorrow if she doesn't like my choice."

"I think she objected to not being able to sit in it," he shared. "She said it was a bit short."

"The cure to that is to add some lace to the bottom," she said cheerfully, taking the dress with her. "I'll check with her of course." She trotted out and he went to wake up his sister. It was only polite.

***

Catherine looked around the quiet of the bookstore and sighed in relief. They had crossed the mall to get here, and it was hard pushing through everyone in the town, but they had finally made it. She smiled at the salesboy showing them where the science fiction section was. "Thank you. I missed the library." She headed for her section while Tyler headed for his. Sascha was looking for clothes. They were all escaping her bratty nephews, and she had made sure that the library was firmly locked against them this time. Not that her library held any children's books but her nephews would destroy it anyway. You'd expect better from a five and a six-year-old, but not her nephews. She found a few books she had been wanting and sat down to read the back covers, no one else did more than smile for her sitting in the middle of the aisle. Apparently they knew what avid readers were like.

"We have chairs if you wanted one," a salesclerk offered quietly.

"I'm picking out my selections. I'll use one later," she said absently, holding up the one in her hand. "This one said it's the second book, do you have the first? I don't see it."

"Let me look," she offered, going to do that. She and the manager shared a look. "She's picking out her selections."

"She's an avid buyer. I remember her from the old bookstore. She got a gift card each holiday for three hundred dollars and spent it right afterwards." The salesclerk looked stunned, but she did check for the book in question. He walked over and patted her on the head. "Having difficulties?"

"I'm looking to complete the usual series," she said, smiling up at him. "Good, you know your stuff. No new series?"

"Not this week. Last week we had a few young adult series that are terrific. Very well written and not at all what you'd expect for that age range."

"I'll browse over there next. It's the rest of my allowance," she said happily. "I'll be back in another week or so." He laughed and pulled down three she probably hadn't seen yet, handing them over. "Thanks, I've been looking for this one too." She went back to her browsing, pulling down books to read the back or inside covers.

He walked away, smiling and still shaking his head. He found the person she had come in with, noticing he was doing the same thing. "Your friend is still in the science fiction but she'll be moving to young adults after this," he said quietly. Tyler looked up and smiled. "Do you need any help?"

"I'm looking for the complete Philosopher's collection. Do you have it?"

"We might." He scanned the shelves, then pulled out his palm pilot to check it. "We carry all but book nine, but we only carry one copy and they're in special collections." He led the young man over there, showing it to him. Tyler hugged the case. "Shall I get the keys?"

"Yes, please," he agreed happily. "I'll ship them home to wait on me." He noticed the occult and alternative religions area was behind him and turned to look, pulling down a few on religions he only knew a bit about. Then he pulled down about half of the philosophy section and a good portion of the other humanities.

Catherine came over to help him. "You want to read Himmel? Why?"

"Because I like to give each theory it's time and then figure out why I don't agree. It makes me smarter," he said happily. "You get everything?"

"I only came in with two hundred dollars." She pointed at the stack she had laid on the table. "Plus I got another DVD for Crystal. She was pouting that one of hers was destroyed by the nephews from Tartarus."

"I heard that," he agreed, finding two more books and pulling them down. The manager helped them carry it up to the register. "My credit card was free earlier," he said, handing it over. "And if it declines, I've got cash." He smiled at the stunned clerk. "I like to be prepared when I come to the bookstore."

"Are you bringing all that on the plane? We'll max out our weight allowance."

"No, I'll ship it after the holidays," he promised. He patted her on the back. "You're sure you only want that many?"

She leaned closer. "Mom always buys me a gift card to the bookstores," she shared with a grin. "Usually a big one."

"Good on her," the manager agreed, tearing off the credit card slip so he could sign it. Then he checked her out. "Do you have our special card to save extra?" She shook her head, eyes wide. "That saves you ten percent."

"Done," she agreed. "Now, please." He chuckled as he pulled one out for her, filing it out. She saved more than it cost so it was all good. "Hey, I have enough left for lunch," she said happily. "Can you please double-bag. Books and bags tend to not get along." He nodded, doing so, handing them their bags. "Thanks. See you after the holidays." She and Tyler walked back into the mall, heading for the food court. "If you want, we could head home now and pick up fast food."

"I'd rather have Chinese," he offered. "Are we going Dutch?"

"Doesn't matter. I've got ten bucks left."

"I'm proud," Sasha said as she joined them. She looked at the bags, then at Tyler. "Mother said if she caught another bill for a thousand dollars from a bookstore she was going to scream, Tyler."

"This is my private card and I didn't spend over six hundred," he defended. "Besides, that was first editions." They picked their seat and let Sasha save it for them while they went to grab food. Then she went to get her food while they dug into their books. It was a happy lunch.

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