The part was long over, its only traces being the parts of the lawn Bucephelus had grazed on and a discarded plastic cup on the sidewalk. Only the soft sound of the radio coming from the open kitchen window broke the neighborhood’s normal evening quiet.

As Zach went around the house to the garage door, the music became louder and as soon as he opened said door, it slapped him in the face. He quickly shut it again. If the soundtrack to ‘Hair’ was being played, it was generally not a good idea to get too close to Mrs Brooks, who used the album as her deep cleaning soundtrack.

Zach quietly closed the door to the scullery so he wouldn’t be roped into some chore, then went around the house. Instead of ringing the doorbell, he tapped the living room window, waved to Tara and rushed back to the door.

Tara, still in her princess dress, opened the door, “She hasn’t done the floor yet. You could’ve gone through the kitchen.”

“And spend half an hour your party leftovers? No way.”

Zach took his sneakers off and dropped them next to the porch, “Not taking that risk.”

Tara clamped her fingers on her nose and gave her brother a stink face, which was answered with a sarcastic ‘ha-ha’. They made sure their mother hadn’t heard their conversation then both quietly went into the living room, half of which was still taken up by Tara’s many gifts.

“Good haul,” Zach observed, counting thirty-five wrappers in a neat pile. Instead of being thrown out, his mother would neatly press them between books until they were like new, then donated to a local crafts club somewhere near the hospital.

“You’ll never guess what grandpa got me!” Tara said, almost shouting.

“A watch,” was the almost immediate answer.

Tara’s face fell, disappointed Zach had gotten it the first time.

“He did the same for Sawyer, then for me. I think for cousin Marvin too. And then he gives a fifteen minute speech about…”

“Being on time, “Tara said in unison with her brother, “It was twenty. I timed it.”

“Can I see it?”

Tara pulled up the voluminous sleeve off her dress, proudly showing off the green sparkling watch.

“Doesn’t it look like a dragon’s scales?” she said, smugly bringing the watch face up to her brother’s eyes.

“Sure, sis,,” Zach laughed and pushed her hand away. As he did, he glanced at his own wrist, where a white tan line betrayed his own missing timepiece.

Tara didn’t notice, too delighted with her own.

“You still want your movie or are you going to watch your watch?”

“Whatchawatch,” Tara mocked.

“You want your movie or not?”

“Gimme!”

Zach checked the pile he still had under his arm, then handed Tara the copy of Henry V.

She frowned, pouted, glared, frowned and pouted again, “You know this is not what I want. Ew, Shakespeare.”

“Well, video store’s closed. We have to watch it now.”

He took the video back and made as if to put the movie in.

“Zach!” she yelled, almost turning to a screech.

“Gotcha,” Zach grinned, tossing her the other movie.

She almost fumbled the pass, then lit up when she saw what he had taken along for her.

“I’ve been wanting this one! Mister O'Donnell wouldn't let me take it.”

“Why not?”

“No idea,” Tara replied, hastily covering the R rating with her thumb.

Zach pretended not to see it, put his own tape and Henry V on the edge of the giant bookshelf that covered one of the living room walls, then dropped down on the couch.

“Where’s dad?”

The downstairs toilet flushed.

“Does that answer your question?”

“Mhm.”

Tara, curious as ever, had noticed the third tape and picked it from the closet, dropping Henry V to the carpet. She cocked her head at the strange writing.

“What’s this?” she asked, turning around. Her foot tapped against the Henry V video, sending it half under the closet.

“Just a thing I borrowed. You dropped something.”

“I’ll get it in a second. What’s this say?”

“Schoolgirl detective.”

“Sounds for babies,” she shook her head, tossing the video back where she found it, before loudly yelling.

“Dad! Do you want to watch the movie with us?”

“What movie?”

“Black Cauldron!”

“Again? Start without me, princess! I still have some work to do.”

“It’s not the black…” Zach started.

Tara gave him a cheeky grin, showing the rating sticker.

“Ah,” Zach said, “Of course.”

“There’s a lot I’ll believe,” Mrs Brooks said from the door opening fifteen minutes later, “But not that Disney is making movies like this now…”

Zach and Tara looked up in shock, as their mother had walked in on the first sex scene of the movie.

“What’s that you’re watching?” Mrs Brooks demanded, picking up the remote to pause the movie.

“Excalibur,” Tara replied, “Zach took it by mistake…”

“Sure he did.”

Mrs Brooks let the movie play and watched the sex scene. It barely lasted two minutes, but with her in the room it seemed two hours. In the end she simply shrugged.

“You’re old enough for something like this now, I guess.”

“It furthers the plot…” Tara defended meekly.

“If you say so, honey, but…”

“But?”

“But we’re having the talk tomorrow.”

Tara groaned, “Mom, I already know!”

“Then you can explain it to me. Does either of you want a snack?”

“I’m good,” both children muttered together.

“Enjoy your movie then,” Mrs Brooks said, picked a book from the shelf and took her usual place on the sofa next to the fireplace, quietly making sure the movie would not turn even more inappropriate for her children.

Tara, who had slowly ended up prostrate on the couch, screamed and immediately clutched her brother’s leg, pulling herself closer to find the safety his presence offered. Zach didn’t even flinch as it had happened every time something even remotely scary happened in a movie.

Zach just smirked at her, “I thought you weren’t a kid any more.”

“Hush!” she bit back, “I’m trying to watch this.”

Zach gently took her hand and pulled it away from her eyes, “Might be easier this way.”

“Jerk.”

Zach nodded to the TV, where the plot suddenly seemed to develop, “Looks like it’s an important part of the movie.”

Tara kept hugging her brother’s leg and kept her hand near her eyes, just in case it would get scary again.

In the end, the movie had little in the way of scares left. Still, Tara had not dared to let go off her brother for the last thirty minutes.

“Tara…? Tara…? Hey, sis!”

“Huh?”

“My leg’s fallen asleep, could you get off?”

“Speaking of sleep,” Mrs Brooks said from behind her book, “Isn’t it about time you went to bed honey?”

“But it’s my birthday,” Tara pouted.

Mrs Brooks looked at the grandfather clock, then back to her book before answering.

“Thirty minutes. And only because it’s your birthday.”

“Thanks, mom… Hey, Zach? Did I show you what Jasmine got me?”

Mrs Brooks let out a disapproving tut at the mention of the gift. Tara was already on her feet, tugging at Zach’s wrist.

“I was out for most of the day, so...no?”

Even though he easily could’ve pulled his sister back on the couch, Zach humored her and followed Tara up to her room.

Tara’s room appeared to be the same as it always had been. A lot of pink princess stuff, that in recent years had been taken over by her interest in actual medieval history. As such, books on castles and heraldry stood on her bookshelf next to fairy tales, her old dollhouse was under siege by plastic knights, and a large hand drawn map of ‘Tararia’ covered her desk, next to an ever growing pile of notebooks that contained the adventures of A’rat. On top of the notebooks was a diary with a picture of a princess on a unicorn on it. Tara had drawn a sword in the cartoon’s hand.

It had always amused Zach that she kept her diary on top of the notebooks, as if she’d rather have people read that than her stories.

He frowned around the room, “Where’s the thing?

Tara pulled Zach into the room properly, then let the door fall shut. Once, there had been a poster of a group of horses there, but it had been replaced with a sword. A shining metal tool of death that seemed very much out of place in the girly bedroom .

“Is that...real?” Zach asked, admiring the weapon.

“Nah, it’s decorative, but isn’t it cool?”

Zach couldn’t deny it and he reached for the metal. His sister slapped his hand away.

“Don’t touch it! It’ll rust!”

“Fine, sis, fine…” Zach laughed, “You should probably get ready for bed anyway.”

Tara gave her brother a placating smile, then ushered him out the room.

“Thy queen only obeys her parents. Leave, peasant.”

“If I’m your brother, doesn’t that make me a prince?”

“Not in Tararia,” Tara said, “Out, peasant.”

“I’m going to let that slide cause it’s your birthday.”

“You’re just scared of my sword,” Tara retorted, sticking out her tongue.

“Sure, sis, sure. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” she said, then let the door fall shut before calling through the wood, “Peasant!”

When the door closed, Zach heard the sword being removed from the wall. He imagined Tara was going to pose in front of her vanity with it.

He shrugged. If that made her happy, who was he to judge? He considered taking his own advice and go to bed, then remembered his video.

He rushed down the stairs. One episode before bed…