giving it a gentle massage, as though trying to ease his troubled mind. “The weight is his only flaw in the health department, but other than that, he’s quite healthy. He just needs to put on a bit of weight and then he’ll be perfectly healthy.  Now, don’t force him to eat more when he says he’s full, his stomach is smaller than average right now, he won’t be able to eat as much as you and Jeffery do, and it won’t do to overfeed him. It will make him sick.”

“Well, he did fairly well with breakfast this morning, so I’m not worried.” Kit said, he turned and was about to leave the room to join his brother with his snack.

“Oh, and Kit?” Melissa called after him. “Tell the boys to meet me in the rehearsal studio in ten minutes. Today I’m just going to see how many tricks you already know and can do before I teach you anything new, okay?”

“Okay, Aunt Melissa.” Kit strode back to his aunt and gave her a hug. “Thank you for teaching me, I really appreciate it.”

“Oh, you’re welcome, sweetie!” Melissa exclaimed happily and she kissed Kit on top of the head before he took off to find his brother and cousin.

Kit went downstairs to the living area and walked into the kitchen and saw Jeffery, who was now out of his nurse’s outfit and was wearing his chef’s outfit, cooking a pizza for Chris. He was setting a pizza into the oven while Chris sat at the bar, munching happily on an apple. Jeffery, knowing how well Kit likes pizza, started fixing another one for them to share in case there weren’t any leftovers from the other pizza he was cooking for Chris.

 Melissa walked in on them, (this is becoming a bad habit of hers…) took one look and a sniff around the kitchen and then she started telling Jeffery off.

“Jeffery Lee Cunningham, how many times have I told you not to cook in my kitchen without me! I want some of the fun too, you know!"

“Oops, sorry.” Jeffery said sheepishly. “I didn’t mean to leave you out on the fun, Mom; you know I love cooking, right?”  he gave his Mom a wink.

“Sorry son, but you’re not winking your way out of this one,” Melissa said, sounding stern. “You’re doing the dishes tonight, Mr. Chef.”

 

“Oh no…” Jeffery groaned. “Not that, anything but that…”

 

“Okay then, you can massage my feet tonight.” Melissa said, smiling slyly at her son.

 

“Eww! No thank you!” exclaimed Jeffery, looking revolted. “I’d rather do the dishes!”

 “Oh, come now, Jeffery, my feet are not that bad....”

 

“Speak for yourself,” Jeffery muttered. “You have this crooked toe that creeps me out!” He gave a shudder at the very thought of his Mom’s creepy toe .

“Jeffery,” Chris said, interrupting them. “I really don’t need that picture in my head while I’m eating!”

“Oh, sorry Chris,” Jeffery said, wishing he hasn’t said anything about his Mom’s creepy toe.

 

“Aunt Melissa, do you still want me to deliver your message?” Kit asked from the bar, sitting next to Chris. “Or are you gonna tell them, since you’re already here.”

 

“Oh, I supposed I can tell them myself, Kit dear.” Melissa said kindly. “Meet me in the rehearsal studio in…” she consulted her watch. “five minutes for magic practice.”

 

“But Mom,” Jeffery protested. “My pizza’s not going to be ready in five minutes, the timer’s on twelve minutes right now and then we’ll need time to eat it.”

  “Oh, alright,” Melissa sighed but smiling at the same time, she knew that feeding an underweight Chris was more important right now. “Meet me for practice after you’ve finished eating.” And with that, she turned her heels and walked out of the kitchen, calling to Jeffery from the hallway. “And save a slice for me!”

 Jeffery grinned slyly as he called back. “Okay Mom, we’ll try, but I make no promises, we’re all growing boys, you know.”

 

They heard Melissa laughing from the hallway, but more distance this time. 

 

“Alright, I’ll remember that when I’m fixing your favorite for dinner tonight, we’re having lasagna.” She called back.

 

That wiped the sly smile off of Jeffery’s face, and when the pizza was ready twelve minutes later, the first thing he did was cut out a slice and shoved it in the refrigerator.’

“What?” he said defensively as he turned to see his cousins watching him. “I want that lasagna.”

 

Kit and Chris smirked but said nothing as they started eating their pizza.

 

Jeffery took off his chef outfit and they ate quickly, wanting to get to Melissa’s magic lessons as soon as possible. And then when they were finished and the pizza was gone, they walked upstairs to the rehearsal studio, where Melissa was waiting….

 

 

Chapter Five

Doctor Baggie and Angry Lion

 

Melissa stood in the middle of her rehearsal studio, waiting for her magicians-in-training to show up. She was out of her nurse’s outfit, but not in costume for rehearsal either. Instead, she was wearing something similar to Rebecca’s outfit, except her sweater was aqua blue instead of purple like her sister’s.

 

“Oh good,” she said brightly when her three students walked in. “And about time too. Okay, first thing first, Jeffery, why don’t you show them to the dressing room and help them into their costumes, so that we can begin.”

 

“How come we’re doing a dress rehearsal, Mom?” Jeffery asked “It’s only a lesson session, isn't it?”

 

“Oh, no, Jeffery dear,” Melissa said, smiling and pinching Jeffery’s cheek. “This isn’t a dress rehearsal; we’re just fitting them into their costumes and making sure they're comfortable while they’re performing tricks."

 

“Oh!”Jeffery exclaimed. “That makes sense. I guess it would be fun to do it in costumes. I really like wearing mine.”

 

“Oh, I know you do, honey. Tell you what,” Melissa said, getting excited. “Why don’t you go ahead and put yours on while these two are trying on theirs?”

“Do you mean it, Mom, do you really mean it?” Jeffery asked excitedly, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

 

“Why, yes, of course dear.” Melissa said with a smile.

 

Jeffery let out a joyous squeal and hugged his Mom around the middle. He couldn’t help himself; any excuse to wear his costume was a treat for him. 

 

“Thank you, Mom!” Jeffery said, and then he turned to his cousins. “C’mon you two.” And he led them away to the dressing room and to help them into their costumes.

 

Chris and Jeffery talked a bit about the show from the pervious night while Jeffery helped Chris with the zipper on the back on his costume, one thing led to another, until Melissa’s sawing-Kit-in-half trick was brought up, which gave Kit a flashback of his terror and shock.

 

“Um, Jeffery?” Kit said, trying to sound casual, but there was a small trace of nervousness in his voice. “This doesn’t mean I’m getting sliced again, does it?”

 

“Yeah, of course Kit!” Jeffery said, smirking at Kit’s look of horror but then he took pity on his cousin and decided to ease his worries. “Hey…Don’t worry, Mom’s gonna be teaching you the trick first this time. Look at me, I’ve been sliced a hundred times and I’m half the bear I used to be… Good luck cuz…” he winked, grinning slyly.

 

“Jeffery, will you stop teasing my brother?” Chris asked, frowning at Jeffery. “He’s really worried and you’re just making him feel worse with your jokes.”

 

“Oh!” gasped Jeffery, noticing Kit’s expression for the first time. “Oh, Kit, I’m so sorry… Look, there’s nothing to worry about. You see, in a trick, nothing is real, they only look real. You were never really sawed in half; my Mom’s going to show you the trick behind it as soon as we get ready.” 

 

Within minutes, they were ready, all dressed in their costumes and then they went out to meet Melissa, who was standing in front of a chalk board with a diagram of a magic trick drawn on it.

 

Melissa noticed Kit’s expression at once, which still looked anxious and nervous.

 

“Kit dear, come up here a minute.” Melissa said, beckoning Kit to her side. She bent down and whispered in his ear. “Are you alright, Kit? You look worried I’m going to stick a needle into you or something,”

 

“Um…” Kit said hesitantly, and then he leaned forward and whispered in her ear. Whatever he said, it was not heard by Jeffery and Chris.

 

Melissa smiled in understanding and hugged Kit consolingly.   

    

“Oh not to worry, Kit dear,” she said, gently stroking his furry cheek. “It’s not as bad as you think it was. Here, I’ll show you. Come over here a moment.”

 

She led him over to the box, in which he had been sawed in half the night before. Chris followed Kit and stood next to him in front of the

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