Levi's Secret

CHAPTER 10

Sunday flew by in a blur, with Paula getting a new season for her show "Baking Hacks", Axky barely being home, swamped with covert assignments and Vicky simply trying to cope with everything.

The highlight of the weekend, however, was the twins's homecoming from their friend Kyle's house.

"Well?" demanded Brielle, hands on her hips, as soon as Jason and Gary stepped in through the door. "What possessed you to fill all the light bulbs with hydrogen sulphide?"

Gary looked terrified and tried to hide behind the slightly taller Jason who sighed and spoke up before Brielle could start yelling again.

"Well we dappled with quite a few alternatives. Among the running were ammonia, mercaptan and methanthiol." he said seriously.

Brielle looked so angry, she might have popped a couple of veins in her forehead.

"You completely rowdy, insensitive boys. You know I bought the lampshades at a very competitive auction. The tubelight covers were antique! The whole house smells of, smells of---"

"Shit?" suggested Gary from behind Jason who face palmed at his words.

"That's right." said Brielle a wicked smile forming on her face. "Since not only have you used questionable vocabulary, you have also vandalized the house, you are both grounded for a month."

"But Mom!" whined Gary. "I have my football championships coming up!"

"And I have an after school art class!" protested Jason.

"Should have thought about that before you bought all those disgusting pellets, now shouldn't you?" she said smugly handing them both what looked like a bathroom kit. "Here take these masks, gloves, room fresheners and disinfectant. Find the ladder in the backyard and start cleaning up the mess you made."

"Mom! We're sorry!" said Gary, pouting and coming as close as he could to looking pathetic. "We'll clean up our mess. Just please don't make us smell like flowers. All your room fresheners smell like roses and tulips and other gross stuff."

Brielle grinned. "Oh I can assure you this room freshener smells pretty different."

When Vicky and her mother trotted over for dinner to the Dixon household, they found themselves surrounded by the overwhelmingly sweet smell of candy.

"I feel like Charlie in the chocolate factory." groaned Gary as he sat down at the table.  "Which sane person buys room fresheners that smell like candy canes?"

"It's loads better than the smell you guys put." said Vicky with a laugh. "It's not that bad, this candy smell I mean."

"Of course you'll like it." said Jason shaking his head wearily. "You're a girl. Can't wait for uncle Axky and dad to get home."

They hadn't had any desert that night, because as it seemed the olfactory senses were enough to satisfy them.

Vicky recalled as she drifted off to sleep that night that dinner was delicious, the boys were back, Brielle had a slightly cruel sense of humour...

And just like that Sunday was over.

***

Vicky awoke before her alarm clock, suddenly nervous and skin breaking out in cold sweat.

Today was the day she'd been waiting for. Almost mechanically, she got out of her bed and set about getting ready for her first day in school.

Wearing a simple orange and white top and a pair of snug fit jeans, she eventually trotted down to breakfast.