“I always hear you, Klóe.” Mimi had packed up his guitar and set it in its stand against the wall before I make it halfway over. He turns around and walks to me, even though I was almost there. He takes my mandolin from me in one hand, puts it on the stand next to his guitar, and starts reading from a big leather book leaning against his fencing clothes.

I follow him to the table and push my hands together to make them hurt less. “Well? What do you think?”

Mimi puts his fingertips on the page like we’ve seen Daddy do. He leans in real close to the book and goes, “Hmmm…”

Mimi likes to think he’s a grown-up. He’s even wearing his favorite green, striped shirt again because he says it makes him look more “mature,” even though he’s only twelve.

Mimi finally looks at me. “Well, you’re nowhere near as annoying to play along with as you were a few months ago.” He smiles, and his green eyes sparkle like he just told a joke.

I put my hands on my hips. “That’s not fair! I was just starting!”

“No yelling, Klóe!” Mrs. Archer says from the piano. “Your voice lessons begin shortly. We don’t want you to strain your throat, do we?”

I drop my hands and slouch. Mimi looks up at the ceiling and nods twice. He looks like he doesn’t want to agree with her, though. I turn around.

Mrs. Archer is staring right at me. Her arms are crossed over a thick brown shirt. The small wrinkles in her smile look like they’re waiting for me to say something.

“Yes, Mrs. Archer,” I finally say, soft as she can hear.

She does a little hop and claps her gloved hands twice. “Very good! You may continue your recess.”

I turn back around and frown. Mimi is reading his book again. Even though he doesn’t look at me, he whispers to me.

“Don’t let her get you worked up, Klóe. She just wants you to sing better. That’s all.”

“I already sing well,” I whisper. I cross my arms and look down. “Mrs. Archer just wants me to sing those boring old hymns.”

“She probably wants you to sing them for a good reason. Mom and Dad hate wasting money, so trust them. Okay?”

“Oh, fine.” I stare at the wooden floor under my white formal slippers.

And I’m quiet. Not because I need to rest my voice. It’s because my own brother took Mrs. Archer’s side. I look up to give Mimi a piece of my mind, but then I notice what’s in his standing book.

A bunch of words are on the left page. On the right page, is a big picture full of shapes, and shapes inside of shapes. Some of the shapes look like they even have words in them.

All of my bad feelings disappear. I take a big step forward and lean onto the table. I don’t want to break Mimi’s concentration, so I ask quietly.

“Is that magic?”

He nods. “It’s a basic divination spell.”

I wrinkle my nose. “Dinivation?”

“Divination.” Mimi traces the big, eight-sided circle on the right. “This is a simple spell that lets the caster see magic in the world.”

I blink and stare at the drawing. Inside the circle is an upside-down triangle large enough to touch it with its corners. In the spots between the triangle and circle are real circles with squares in them. In the big triangle is another real circle, and then a right-side-up triangle, and then another circle...

I blink again. “I thought you said this is easy.” I wish I didn’t say that once I remember that Max says I complain too much.

Mimi smiles and squeezes my shoulder. “Well, simple isn’t really the same as easy.”

The door to the music room opens. I look, then smile with my whole face.

“Mommy!” I shout, not caring about Mrs. Archer’s warning from earlier. I run across the room to her.

She usually doesn’t come to my practices. I know she’s just here to remind Mimi of his next class, but seeing her makes me feel better about being trapped with fuddy old Mrs. Archer.

People say that I “have her eyes,” but I don’t. Mommy has her eyes, and I have mine. They just look a lot alike since they’re the same kind of blue. Our hair is the same kind of bright gold color, too, but mine is in two short pigtails instead of a braid like Mommy’s. We’re even wearing the same kind of yellow dress today, except that I have a big white bow for a belt and she’s got red lace over her chest. All sorts of people say I look just like her, but all my brothers look a lot like Daddy. I don’t hear that nearly as much, though.

Mommy laughs a little when I wrap my arms around her waist. She brushes my hair with her hand. “And a good afternoon to you, too, Klóe! The lesson went well, then, Dimitri?”

“Yes,” Mimi says. “Klóe’s playing is almost as good as her singing.”

I stop hugging Mommy and turn around. Mimi sits in the chair backwards. His arms are crossed on top of the big chair’s soft backrest. He’s smiling again, but it’s not the joking one that he gave me earlier.

I blush.

Mommy gasps loudly. “Is this true, Mrs. Archer?” She puts an arm around my shoulder and walks with me to Mimi.

“Yes, yes, the young miss progresses nicely in her musical talents, but Dimitri sells himself short. He has been performing excellently as of our last few meetings.”

I nod. “He played like he did last night after dinner for us!”

“Oh, really?” Mommy asks, even though it sounds like she already knew. She hugs Mimi. “That’s wonderful to hear.”

Mimi hugs her back. “Thanks.”

Mommy backs away and holds Mimi by the shoulders. “You’ve been working so hard at your guitar lately.”

He nods. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’m still ready for my fencing meet tonight.”

“I’m not worried about that. I’m just happy that you’re finally taking your music more seriously.” She touches Mimi’s cheek with the back of her hand. “Now, this doesn’t have anything to do with that pretty elf girl in your magic class, does it?”

Mimi lurches back. “What?!”

I giggle. “Aww, I didn’t know you had a girlfriend, Mimi!”

He squints at me. “I do not have a girlfriend.”

Mommy puts her chin to her neck and shakes her head almost as fast as she says, “Oh, no, of course, not. I’m sure she’s just a brilliant and talented classmate who, you happened to discover, has an admiration for classical Trebekanese guitar.” She winks at me and smiles.

I giggle some more.

Mimi blushes. “Is my escort team here?” He climbs off the chair and gathers his fencing uniform and foil. “I want to get to Master Sadrienne’s gym early.”

Mommy nods. “They’re all waiting in the foyer.”

“Thanks, Mom. Later, Klóe. Goodbye, Mrs. Archer.” Mimi hugs his uniform tightly and walks to the door. Even though the helmet on top of the stack of clothing blocks most of his face, his ears have turned bright pink.

Mommy watches Mimi until he pulls the door shut with one foot. She sighs. “Well, now that Dimitri’s off,” she says as she puts her hands on my shoulders, “why don’t you get started with your singing lessons?”

Mrs. Archer claps twice excitedly. “Oh, yes! It is quite nearly time to begin anew.”

“But, Mommy, her—”

I sneak a look at Mrs. Archer. She’s busy at the piano. I curl my finger at Mommy, and she leans forward.

I whisper, “All Mrs. Archer’s books are so old. I don’t like singing out of them anymore.”

Mommy nods. “I understand, but her old books are full of the kinds of songs you need to know.” She puts a hand on my chest. “Do you remember our talk about fundamentals?”

I look around the room. That was a week or two ago, but I don’t remember all of it. I shake my head and hope Mommy will remind me.

“The fundamentals,” she says, “are the basics of a craft. They are the things you need to be good at if you want to excel at something.”

Oh. Right. “But you all say I’m already great at singing.”

“So, imagine how amazing you’ll be once you understand the fundamentals.”

A few quick notes from the piano say it’s almost time for practice. I sigh. “I guess.”

Mommy stands up straight and lifts my chin with her fingertips. “I will talk with Mrs. Archer about giving you some more complex material after today’s session. But, for now, continue with your fundamentals. I promise you, darling, it will all be worth it.”

I nod. That’s not the answer I wanted.

Mrs. Archer calls to Mommy from the piano. Even though she’ll play the slow and boring stuff for my lesson, Mrs. Archer plays a bright and poppy bit from what sounds like a Linderan waltz.

“Are you joining us this afternoon, Mrs. DiRossi?”

Mommy smiles at me. “Well, how can I not, after hearing such glowing reviews?”