How Lovely Are Thy Branches: A Young Wizards Christmas Read Free Page B

even asked them yet!”
    “They’ll say yes,” Carmela said, waving a hand. “We’re going to do it exactly the way you did yours when Sker’ and Fil came to visit the first time. Elective-access ‘puptent’ accesses in the basement….”
    “I can always spare powering structures for ten or twenty of those,” Sker’ret said. “Let me know what you need. If the party’s heavily attended we can always install a temporary secondary gating hub like the one in your closet.”
    Nita rubbed her eyes for a moment. It’s always possible they will say yes right off the bat… And certainly since she became a wizard, stranger things had happened.
    Carmela was talking to Filif a mile a minute about popcorn garlands and boughs of holly and snow and Christmas cookies. “And a star, Fil, an actual star for the top of you instead of a baseball cap…”
    “But I like my baseball cap!” The protest didn’t have a lot of energy behind it: Filif was already starting to shake with excitement.
    “Just a temporary thing. Something festive! For the season. And lights , Fil, all colors of lights, and glass balls and ribbons and…”
    If she does get her mom and pop to say yes to this, Nita thought, this is going to be amazing. And it’s been such a crazy year. I could use some amazing right about now…
    “Sker’,” Nita said very softly, watching the armwaving continue and Filif’s delighted, excited vibrations increase. “Tell me something.”
    “Anything.”
    “Remember that paperwork I cosigned with Mela when we were here last, after Mars…?”
    “Yes?”
    “Is it possible…” Nita’s mouth went dry. She tried swallowing, had to work at it. “…that as far as the intergalactic community is concerned, I’m, uh, one of the people who… rules the Earth?”
    Sker’ret burst out in one of his ratchety laughs. “What? Rules? Oh, no! Not at all.”
    “Okay, that’s a relief,” Nita said. “Good.” And she sagged a little.
    “But you are on the governing board.”
    Nita’s mouth dropped open again. Then she closed it, because she simply could not find a reply.
    “We should go,” she said after a moment. “You two have business, and we’ve got a guest list to write.”
    “Of course. I’ll let you get on with it. And we’ll see you at your place again! This is going to be so exciting. In… fifty days?”
    “Sounds about right,” Nita said.
    There was more hugging, and then Filif and Sker’ret took themselves off down the concourse. Carmela kicked her hoverscoot back into levitation mode, climbed aboard, and said to Nita, “So that’s settled. Come on, Neets, we’ve got the far end of the concourse to look over…” And off she went, already humming “Feliz Navidad… Feliz Navidad… Prospero Ano y Felicidad…”
    This is going to be interesting, Nita thought. “Mela, wait up!”
    “I want to wish you a merry Christmas… I want to wish you a merry Christmas… from the bottom of my oooh wow look at that!”
    Nita sighed and scooted after her.
     
     ***
     
     
    Of course, even when you’re a wizard, getting the basic permissions settled for a house party for an indeterminate number of wizardly or wizard-friendly guests isn’t necessarily that easy.
    In the Rodriguezes’ living room a man was sitting in the easy chair closest to the entertainment system, with a tabloid newspaper open in front of his face. In front of him, sitting crosslegged on the floor in a position that was supposed to read as subordinate, and wearing what was meant to be a winsome smile, was his younger daughter.
    “Daaaa ddyyyyy…”
    “I just got home, Carmela. From a shift that felt three hours longer than it really was. During which every single machine I touched found a new and interesting way to screw up.” Kit’s pop worked with the printing-press machines at the big Long Island newspaper, and since the operation had gone digital, he had been complaining more or less nonstop about the crankiness of the