Wood Sprites

They copied everything. Once they were safely isolated from the original site, they studied the plans.

“We’ll need a very high-end 3D printer,” Louise pointed out. “Our printer can’t build at the nanoscale level that this is going to need.”

“We could buy one.” Jillian pointed out that they now had money.

Louise snorted. “It would eat up a huge chunk of our funds, and how would we hide it? We couldn’t even carry it out of the foyer.”

Jillian sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. Forget about it. There’s one in the technology annex to the art rooms that the high school kids use for Mr. Kessler’s robotics and computer-design classes.” Mr. Kessler taught their computer literacy class.

“We need to be careful to cover our tracks,” Louise stressed.

“We’ll be like ninjas.”

* * *

Their plan started to go wrong two blocks from school. They had intended to arrive early and go straight to the art rooms. As they stepped off the subway train, however, they literally ran into Iggy.

“Hi!” He grinned brightly as he patted Tesla’s head. “Today is the big day!”

They gazed at him, mystified for a full minute.

“The play meeting!” he cried. “Don’t tell me you went to that girly party and Elle sucked your brains out or something.”

They’d totally forgotten about the joint-class play meeting, even with Elle’s party. They’d spent all of Sunday researching magic.

“We have other things going on,” Jillian said.

“Finishing the newest video?” Iggy asked. “I saw the filler you put up on Friday.”

Strange how it was easier to lie to strangers than to people who might remotely be their friend. Could Iggy be considered that? Having gone through the process so few times — say never — Louise wasn’t totally sure of the steps. It seemed for something so important there should be some ritual — a declaration of intent or a solemn vow or at least a handshake. How could people keep track otherwise?

“Yes, another video,” Jillian lied, but added truthfully, “The girls at the party kept asking what the next one was about.”

“We — we had an accident in our studio,” Louise countered to explain why they weren’t going to be producing said video anytime soon.

Jillian made a face but after a moment of thought nodded. “We kind of burned it down.”

“Kind of?”

“Well, we blew it up first, and then it burned down,” Louise said.

Iggy giggled. “Blast it all?”

“Yeah, exactly!” Louise said. It felt good to admit that much of the truth. “So we’re trying to figure out how to finish the project.”

Louise started them toward the school. Jillian could keep Iggy distracted while she went to the art rooms alone. On Mondays, Mr. Kessler had hall duty on the first floor. Mr. Kessler unlocked the art rooms and left them open on the expectation that Miss Gray would arrive shortly. Since Miss Gray didn’t have a class until second period, though, she tended to arrive at school at the last possible moment. It was a habit that the twins were counting heavily on.

They stopped at the corner to wait for a walk light. Iggy seemed focused on petting Tesla, so Louise pulled out her tablet and activated her tracking program for their art teacher. Miss Gray was still at her apartment, running about in frantic circles as if she kept forgetting things in her bedroom as she tried to get out the door on time.

“You know Tesla’s not real.” Jillian kept Iggy’s attention as the walk light turned white and they started to cross.

“Doh!” Iggy laughed and then blushed and glanced around to see if any of the kids from their school were nearby before confessing, “I love stuffed animals.”

“And?” Louise couldn’t see how the two related.

“My parents don’t think boys should play with stuffed animals. They’re too girly because they’re too cute! Boy toys have to be fierce and strong. My parents won’t let me have any stuffed animals, but I can have robotic ones, because they’re robots.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Jillian said.

“Welcome to my life.” Iggy patted Tesla’s head. The robot completely ignored it. “My mom won’t let me have any pets, either. She calls hamsters and guinea pigs ‘livestock,’ which is kind of funny because they got me this really cute ox.”

“Ox?”

“I’m a metal ox.” Iggy patted his chest. “I’m logical, positive, and filled with common sense, with all feet firmly planted on the ground.”

Iggy was several months older than they were, since they were Tigers, which came after Ox. Louise had never considered the accuracy of the Chinese Zodiac before, but it seemed like a good description of Iggy.

Jillian laughed. “All four feet firmly planted?”

Iggy grinned at the jibe. “We consider it being pragmatic. Others see it as obstinate.”

“So your robotic ox.” Louise measured possible ranges of sizes with her outstretched hands. “How — how big is it?”

“Bonk is just a little thing.” He demonstrated with his hands barely a foot apart. “He’s so cute!”

“Bonk?” Jillian said as they hit the door. Louise prepared to slip away as her twin held Iggy’s interest.