Desiree Williams - Illusionary

ISBN-10: 0-9985352-0-6

ISBN-13: 978-0-9985352-0-3

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means: electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or stored in a database or retrieval system without prior written permission of the author. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

S hes a bird. Shes a plane. Shes super Kam!

Kamryn lifted her chin to the left and struck a fierce hands-on-your-hips pose. The fan on her right oscillated with a series of clicks. The cape she wore settled past her hips, her special effects falling flat. Her nephews giggling added to the spoiled moment.

Her lips twitched, and she breathed in to hold a straight face. What could be better than dress-up Thursdays? Whod ever want to give this up for adulthood?

Kam dropped the superwoman pose and jumped off the couch. The two little balls of energy dashed around the recliner with a squeal, and she chased after them. Snatching up four-year-old Mikey, she tickled his belly. His peal of laughter brightened the room more than the sun-yellow walls.

The eldest boy brandished his plastic sword. Unhand my brother, you stinky fiend.

A chuckle bubbled out of Kam. Did you just call me a fiend, John? Since when did a seven-year-old know a word like that?

He waved two fingers at her, beckoning her forward.

Kams eyes bulged. Oh, its on.

She tossed her youngest nephew onto the couch behind her and yanked the second plastic sword off the coffee table.

With a yell worthy of the big screen, she and John charged one another. Plastic struck. The epic mouth sound effects deserved an award. Mikey cheered from the couch, his little fists pumping into the air.

The scent of scorched food whiffed past her nose.

She stumbled to a halt, taking a hard whack to the back. Raising her fake sword, she fended off another of Johns attacks.

Freedom!

Spinning on her heels, she turned in time to catch Mikey as he dove off the couch. She staggered back and reached for Johns hand. A wayward cushion impeded her steps.

She and the boys crashed to the floor. A sharp pain shot up her tailbone. Ow!

The stench weaved its way further into the room.

Mikey wrinkled up his little nose. Whats that smell?

Then it hit her. The brownies!

Oh, snap! Kam disentangled herself from her nephews to make a mad dash down the hall and into the large kitchen. No smoke bellowed from the oven to trigger the fire detectors. Heaven smiled upon her.

Mikey, quick. Open the back door. She shoved her hand into an oven mitt while spouting off orders over her shoulder. John, bring the fan in and grab the air freshener.

Moms gonna kill you. Her nephews sing-song tone had her palm itching to smack him upside the head.

Not if she doesnt catch me. Now go on. Kam carried the pan of crusted, charred chocolate out to the patio by way of the back door. Ruined browniesa crime in itself. Mentally, she crossed her fingers and prayed another box existed in the pantry. Today had been a blast. She didnt want to end it with her older sister giving yet another lecture about responsibilities.

Did you set the timer? Mikeys big, green eyes trailed after the lost dessert. Poor guy had his heart set on the gooey treat with a dollop of ice cream.

Uh, yeah. Of course I set the timer. She bit her lip. Had she? Or had she imagined winding up the chicken timer? Man, if another box of mix wasnt in the pantry, Liv really was going to kill her. The brownies were supposed to be a surprise for Derrie. Apparently her brother-in-laws birthday was a big deal or something. Seriously, who wanted to admit they were turning forty?

She and Mikey waved their capes to help fan out the lingering smell of burnt brownies while John sprinted from the kitchen to the living room and back down the hall again, spreading as much imitation tropical-floral scent as he could.

Okay, you guys keep moving on with Mission: Damage Controlshe tossed her cape over the back of a kitchen chair and rounded the center islandand Ill see whats left in the pantry.

Nudging boxes aside, she rose onto her toes to peek at the contents of the top shelf. Curse her short stature. Although, she guessed clearing five-foot-four constituted as average. She knocked around a few bags and cans, then froze.

A beautiful red box stood at the back. An imaginary angel choir sang out a merry chord.

She snatched it off the shelf. Blowing away the dust, she scanned for the expiration date. Sell-by date was last week. Should still be good. She shrugged and moved forward with preparations for the new batch of brownies.

Bowl in hand, she stirred the batter and sent the boys off to straighten up the living room and grab some coloring supplies. Best to camp out in the kitchen to avoid another disaster.

Crayons, colored pencils, and an array of half-drawn pictures lay scattered across the kitchen table by the time the second batch of goodies slid into the oven. Kamryn set the oven timer, the cartoon chicken timer, and the timer on her phone. She blew out a loud breath. That should cover all her bases.

She pulled out her sketch pad from the messenger bag dangling off a chair and claimed a seat at the table with the boys. Sunlight beamed through the large bay windows to play with the light brown hair of her nephews. She grinned at their hunched forms as they hovered over their coloring books, intent on creating masterpieces. Their mash-up hero-pirate costumes added the perfect flair to the scene.

She flipped to a clean page and went to work on her own art. Her gaze flicked up every so often to note more details. The gentle scratch of her pencil against the page mingled with the clicking sound of the twist-up timer. The world faded away as her mind created an adventure for her pirate-loving nephews.

Soon, one picture was completed and another formed. Before her minds eye, John and Mikey battled a worthy foe on the deck of their pirate ship. Water splashed over the rails. The clack of swords resounded through the air. Her pencil sketched faster until a monster rose from the depths of the sea. John opened his mouth, sword lifted highbut a blaring buzz left his parted lips.

She flinched as the three timers came to life, sounding off their warnings.

The boys jumped as well before falling into a fit of giggles.

Kam exhaled with an eye roll and set aside her sketch pad and pencil. After ruffling Mikeys hair, she hastened to rescue the brownies before a second disaster could strike. She had just enough time to set the pan out to cool and return to her drawing before Liv entered, laden with grocery bags.

Hello, my lovelies. Her older sister heaved the bags onto the center island and unthreaded the plastic from her arms. Palms to the counter, she released a heavy breath. Her business suit held a few more wrinkles than it had this morning. What a day.

You should learn to make two trips, Liv. Or holler and well come out to help. Kam grinned and started a drawing of her sister as a plastic avenger.