At that moment, Aunt Esther opened the door, her arms full of groceries. She regarded the three of them, the little robot in Jaime’s hands. “Have a new friend, I see. What’s its name?”

“Name?”

“Everything has a name.”

“Oh no,” said the robot.

“That’s its name, Aunt Esther,” Tess said, taking one of the grocery bags. “Ono.”

“It’s original at least,” said Aunt Esther. “Any word about Nine?”

“Not yet,” Tess said. “We were thinking of looking for her but . . .”

“But?”

“We don’t want to end up in another video,” said Tess.

“Well, that’s an easy problem to solve,” said Aunt Esther, heading for the kitchen.

“It is?”

“Certainly,” Aunt Esther said. “All you need is the right disguise.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Theo

Theo was not one for disguises. For example, his last seven Halloween costumes were ghost, ghost, ghost, nerd, ghost, nerd ghost, and a bushy-haired TV painter named Bob Ross who liked to paint “happy little trees.” Every October, Theo argued that he didn’t actually need a costume because no one outside of his apartment building knew who he was anyway, so why bother when, technically, he was a mystery to everyone? Which was when his dad draped a sheet over his head and told him to say thank you even if stores on the block gave out candy bars with nougat.

Theo hated nougat. But Tess loved candy bars with nougat, and she loved Aunt Esther’s idea.

“What kind of disguises?” Tess asked, as they all piled into the kitchen to unload the groceries.

“Whatever kind you like,” Aunt Esther said. “I’ve still got three trunks full of costumes from my days in the theater. I could never bring myself to part with them.”

“When were you in the theater?” Theo asked automatically—and pointlessly—because Aunt Esther never explained herself.

“Oh, a long time ago,” Aunt Esther said. “When we’re done putting away the food, we’ll take a look and see.” She eyed the little robot still tucked in Jaime’s arms. “We might even find something for your friend, there.”

Later, after lunch, they traipsed up the stairs to the attic where Aunt Esther kept her trunks. She had dozens and dozens of them in various shapes and sizes and colors. She’d even given Tess her own trunk as a Hanukkah present some five years ago, an old-fashioned brown leather thing that Tess called “The Magix.” Tess would never tell Theo what she kept in there.

Aunt Esther had no such qualms. She threw open a large red trunk and pulled out dresses and suits and leotards and props from it, tossing them to the floor or at Theo, Tess, and Jaime.

She pulled out an elaborate gold gown with a huge skirt. “One of you could go as Lady MacBeth.”

“I think that might call a little attention to us, Aunt Esther,” Tess said.