Witch in Hiding (#1 in the Witches Trilogy) (EDITING)

Nineteen: Vamanos!

"SURPRISE!" The lights explode in my face. I yelp and squint.

Streamers and balloons are everywhere. A colourful cake is laid out on the table with seven candles on top, surrounded by cookies and ice cream and eclairs and fruit punch. Vera runs up to me. She trips over the carpet and I catch her, laughing. She gazes up at me, big eyes adoring. "Happy birthday!"

"Wow, this is great!" Dad comes in behind me, grinning at the party. He kisses Mom on the cheek. "You guys must have worked really hard to get this all up, huh?" He swings Vera onto his shoulders and she squeals, giggling as he runs round the room with her.

Mom pulls me in. "How was your day at the park?"

"It was fun," I say breathlessly, eyes on the cake. "The annoying boy wasn't there."

She laughs. "C'mon, come say hi to your friends."

Natalie and Christy and Rehna and Pei are there—I run to them. "Okay!" Mom claps. "Who wants to hit the pinata first?"

I do, and I get a whole bagful of sweets. "After the cake!" Mom tells me, whisking it away.

"Cake!" Vera yells. "I wanna blow candles!"

"It's my cake!" I tell her, holding her back. "I'm blowing the candles!"

"Mommy!"

"It's Vinni's birthday, sweetheart." Mom scoops Vera up, but looks hopefully at me. "Maybe you two can blow them together!"

I look grumpily at Vera. "Okay, okay. But I'm cutting the cake!"

Mom lights the candles and turns down the lights. We sing the song first—shouting, holding hands and hopping around. "Okay, girls, candles!" Mom brings us back firmly. "Everyone look at the camera!" Dad poses in front of us with the camera as we stand in front of the cake. He grins at us.

"Say cheese!"

"Cheese!"

Vera huffs at the candles.

"MOM!"

My sudden yell makes Vera start crying. "Okay, sweetheart! Okay!" Mom smooths her hair. "Vinni!"

"She blew my candles!"

"I'll relight it, all right?"

"No—it's not the same!"

Vera points at me. "She shouted at me!" She bawls.

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did—"

Boom. The candles flare to life, and then, after the split second with everyone staring at it, they burst into fireworks. Vera lets out a delighted laugh. "Sparkly!" She waves her hands in the air, trying to catch the glitter. Nat and Christy and Rehna and Pei and I jump around too.

"You got the special candles?" I ask Mom, hurtling at her and throwing my arms around her.

"I, uh..." Mom looks at Dad. "Yes! You said you wanted them, right?"

"They're awesome!" I squeeze her tightly and then go back to my friends. "It's so pretty!"

"I want to dance too!" Vera complains, reaching out for me.

Suddenly the Dora the Explorer music starts playing from the cake. "Come on, vamanos, everybody, let's go—"

"COME ON LET'S GET TO IT," we yell, "I KNOW THAT WE CAN DO IT!"

The fireworks start to stick together, forming letters. "F." Vera stops dancing. She loves reading; she'll read anything. "U—"

"Okay!" Mom pulls us aside. "Hans, will you please—"

Dad whisks away the cake. A moment later the fireworks stop. "Awwwww," we all complain.

Dad looks at Mom. Then he smiles broadly at us. "Time to cut the cake!"