19Nico and Frances were enjoying a rare day off, deciding ahead of time to dedicate the entire day to doing absolutely nothing they were supposed to. No chores, no work, nothing but whatever struck their fancy at the moment, in keeping with Franny’s intention to concentrate on fun for the rest of the summer.
The first bump in the road appeared early, when it became clear that Nico and Frances fancied different things. But they sailed over that by taking turns. They did a round of rock-paper-scissors to see who went first, which Nico won, and were ensconced in armchairs playing a video game when the doorbell rang.
“You answer it,” said Nico, unwilling to let his wizard quit the battle being waged to save the world from destruction.
“Happily,” she said, putting down the controls. She open
