Neta’s face showed her horror. “If my sisters arrive naked, my father will go into a rage. He might kill people.”
“If anything bad happens, Olina will use it as an excuse to keep the men from coming tomorrow.”
“I have to go. I must stop my sisters.”
“You’re not going without me!” Kaley stood up. When Arit fluttered her wings very fast, she added, “And Arit.”
“Your dress,” Neta said. “You can’t—”
“This is urgent.” Kaley grabbed her skirt and lifted it. “Lead the way!”
It wasn’t easy to make it through the big palace but Neta knew the way down deserted corridors, and out a door into a courtyard. Neta slowed down twice for Kaley, who was burdened by high heels and the heavy dress, to catch up. When they reached a house, Neta stood still, caught her breath, then threw open the door. Arit went in with them, then sat down on a window ledge to watch the show.
Standing in the middle of the room, stark naked, were the two beautiful twin sisters. From the hazy, dreamy look in their eyes, they’d been drugged. Both of them turned slowly around. “How do you like our dresses?” Shay asked. She reached down to her naked leg, seemed to grab a handful of skirt, then held it out. “Aren’t they beautiful?”
Bree smiled in a faraway look. “I hope we don’t outshine you, Kaley. It is your day.”
“Shineis the right word.” Kaley looked at Neta. “Will a blue pen work on drugs?”
“I hope so. I’ll get it.” Neta ran out of the room.
“No!” Shay said. “She’s just jealous because we’re younger and she never got a husband. This dress will get us the attention of all the men.”
“That is very true,” Kaley said. “Every man will look at you and all the women will too.” She took a big scarf off a chair. “This would look good on the dresses.”
“Absolutely not!” Shay said. “You’re not going to cover up this beauty.”
Behind them came Neta holding out a little metal pen with a blue light on the tip. She reached out, grabbed Bree’s left arm, and put the pen to it before the girl could object.
Bree stood still, dazed.
“Not me!” Shay said and headed toward the door. “I’ll show everyone my dress and tell them how jealous you’ve always been.”
Kaley tackled the girl before she could get out the door, and they landed on the couch. Her big white dress billowed around them, her skirt catching on a table edge. She had to hold Shay down while Neta fought to put the pen to her flailing arm.
On the other side of the room, Bree gave a scream, then grabbed a scarf from a chair. “Shay,” she shouted. “Let them do it. We are naked!”
“We’re not,” Shay said, but her sister’s words made her hesitate long enough that Neta could put the pen on the chip in her arm.
Bree, wrapped in the scarf, sat down on the couch. Her face was bloodless. “We almost went out like that,” she said softly. “It would have... We could not...” She looked at Kaley and Neta. “Thank you.”
Kaley let go of Shay but she was still waving her arms about and she was still angry. When Kaley moved, she felt her skirt tear, but she couldn’t deal with that now.
When Shay screeched in shock of realization, she grabbed the big covering her sister threw to her.
“How can we repay you?” Bree asked.
“We don’t need anything,” Neta said. “Just get dressed.”
“You’ll tell everyone, won’t you?” Shay’s bottom lip was stuck out. “We’ll be laughed at by the entire island.”
“If people find out, it won’t be from us,” Neta said firmly. “But Aradella’s nasty maids were in on this and I’ve never known them to keep a secret.”
“I know how you can repay us,” Kaley said. “You could be nice to Aradella. I mean genuinely nice. No sideways punches shot at her.”
Shay gave an ugly sneer. “She came back on the arm of themost beautiful man we’ve ever seen. She doesn’t deserve more than that.”
Kaley’s eyebrows raised. Since she agreed about Mekos, they had a point.
