Which was when Jaime grabbed Ono and pitched the little robot at the nearest blond woman, buckling her knee and spilling her to the ground. Tess kicked the rear of the next woman and sent her headfirst into the hole they’d dug to find the trunk. Theo hefted the trunk and brought it down on the head on yet another blond.

A sudden burst of pain in her gut doubled Tess over, and another burst on her back flattened her. Theo and Jaime were dropped just as quickly. A couple of blond women tied Tess’s, Theo’s, and Jaime’s hands behind their backs, and their ankles together.

Candi stood over them. “I wouldn’t try that again.”

Ono got to his tiny feet, marched slowly but resolutely toward Candi. When he reached her feet, one tiny arm lashed out and punched her in the kneecap. Candi reared back and kicked Ono. He spiraled like a football—

—right into the hand of a small black woman wearing a simple coat the color of thunderclouds, who caught him gently. Next to her crouched a large black cat.

Nine?

“This is no way to treat children,” the woman said, in her low, raspy voice.

“Who are you?” said Toni/Tammi/Toto. “Candi, who is that?”

“A good question,” said Candi. “What’s with the Harry Potter coat?”

“I like this coat. What’s with the red dresses?”

“We like these dresses. And they give us superpowers,” Candi said.

The black woman grinned. “Fascinating. Did you use your powers on your boss over there?”

“Didn’t need to. I used the fizz gun on him.”

“Why?”

“I got a better offer. And a girl’s got to make a living.”

The woman in gray put Ono back on the ground. “If you’re still taking orders, I don’t understand how it’s a better offer.”

“You don’t have to understand. You only have to forget what you saw here and go back to wherever you came from.”

“Oh, but I’ve come too far,” said the woman in gray. “And no matter how hard I try, I’ve never been much good at forgetting.”

“A shame,” said Candi, her tone airy, unconcerned. “Ladies?”

In a blink, the blondes had the woman in gray surrounded. The black cat lowered her head and growled.

“Nine,” Tess said. “Please.”

“Is that your kitty?” Candi said. “I remember her being bigger than that.”

“Don’t hurt her,” Tess said.

“Tell that to your friend, here,” said Candi.

“She isn’t my friend!” Tess said.

“Good choice. I don’t have friends, either.”

“I have friends! But I don’t know who that woman is!”