Why wouldn’t he leave her alone? Maybe this time he was just trying to be nice. She sighed and put her pillow over her head. Maybe if she closed her eyes really tight and . . .

“If you don’t come to me, I’m coming to you!” came the voice.

Lexy heaved herself off her bed and walked slowly to the spare room. Why did she feel about twice as heavy as usual? It was as if her feet had massive lead weights attached to them: She could barely lift them from the floor. Since when had just walking become so hard?

Before she reached the spare room, the door was flung open and there was JP, wearing a three-piece black dinner suit with a fob watch and a yellow silk bow tie with spots in a very unusual color. He didn’t look bad. Or, at least, he didn’t look bad if the style he was going for was “Evil Arch-Villain Delivers Bracing Philosophical Ideas and Then Kills Everyone.” It was niche, but he’d nailed it.

“So, little lady, do you want me to twirl?”

“It looks nice,” said Lexy. “I definitely think you should wear that.” She mock-yawned. “But actually I’m really tired, so I think I’ll just—”

“Not so fast,” said JP. “I’ve got something else to show you. In fact I’m surprised you didn’t notice it before.”

“But I really—”

“Suit yourself,” said JP. He shrugged and walked back into the spare room.

Lexy’s eyes followed him. He took off the dinner jacket and put it carefully on the bed, near the end, where Hazel had thoughtfully put a homemade throw that looked like the sort of thing other people would have in their guest rooms. In the middle of the bed was a bag that Lexy recognized. It was her gemstones from the other night! Lexy had wondered where they’d got to. He’d taken them!

“My gemstones,” said Lexy, following him into the room. “You must have found them somewhere. Thank you. I—”

JP moved between Lexy and the bed.

“Oh, you want them back, do you?”

“Yes, please,” said Lexy.

“Well, then you’ll have to do what I say.”

“But—”

“I’ve got big plans for you, little lady. We’re going to do some more arm wrestling, maybe some other challenges that I’m going to invent, and maybe I’m going to have to kiss you better again, and—”

“No,” said Lexy. “Actually, you can keep the herbs and the gemstones. I don’t need them anyway.”

“Not even to help your little friends?”

“What?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be making some tonics and remedies to help your friends in their fight against the evil Diberi?”

“What I do is none of your business,” said Lexy. “You can keep my stuff. I don’t care. I’ve had enough of this.”