They trotted around the house. As they went past, Rinna and Beon broke off their game and attached themselves like barnacles to Mina’s legs, one on each side. “Mina, Mina, Mina, you’re home! And you brought the sparkly pony! Can we ride him? Please, please, please?” It was all said in a jumble so fast that she didn’t know which of them said what.

Laughing, she knelt and hugged them both.

«Tell them they can ride me if they want.»

“He said yes.”

Cheering, the twins flung themselves at Pixit and then scrambled onto his back. Rinna poked at a spark of electricity. “Hee-hee, it tickles!”

“Ooh, ooh, me too!” Beon grabbed for a spark as if it were a bubble he wanted to pop.

Taking care to control his electricity, Pixit walked in a circle around the yard while Rinna and Beon shouted and clapped and cheered. Mina was happy to see that Papa didn’t try to separate the twins from Pixit.

This is good, Mina thought. They’re treating him like he belongs. She guessed it had just taken a while for them to accept that Pixit was who he was.

«Just like your family and friends will accept you, when you act like the person I know you are.»

She didn’t reply to that.

Going inside, she went toward the kitchen to greet Mother, stopping just shy of the kitchen floor. It still glistened from its recent scrubbing, and Mother was under the sink with a wrench in her hand. “Hi, Mother.”

Mother scooted out from under the sink and smiled at Mina. “Welcome home, sweetie.” Her face crinkled as she smiled, and Mina suddenly realized how much she’d missed all of them.

Fingers tickled her from behind, and Mina jumped forward, her toes landing on the kitchen floor. “No walking on the floor,” Mother said, at the same time as Gaton, behind her, said, “Ha! Surprised you! Glad you’re back. On a totally unrelated note, I’m not doing your chores anymore, and the chickens need to be fed.”

“Gaton,” Mother said. “Mina, he’s kidding.”

“Actually, I’m not,” Gaton said. “Okay, yes, I am. Sort of.”

“Go rest,” Mother said to Mina. “I’ll call you when dinner’s ready, though we won’t have it in the kitchen, because the floor is perfectly and beautifully—”

The twins burst through the kitchen door and tumbled inside, wrapped in a muddy ribbon. Clumps of dirt flew across the room and smacked into the cabinets, then dribbled down onto the floor.

Mina smothered a giggle as Mother sighed theatrically.

Beon and Rinna took one look at her face, yelped, and bolted back outside.

“I’ll help you wash it again,” Mina offered.

Mother waved away her words. “No, thank you. I think I will strap sponges to the twins and just roll them around the kitchen.”