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new white dress to wear to the party. It was exactly what Blair wanted, a tribute to her. Blair no longer saw herself as a little girl, and this marked the culmination of her transition out of childhood with a towering birthday cake celebrating the coming of age of one soon to be crowned princess.
    For his part, Jack wanted to do something special as well. He was a prankster, of course, and a trip to the novelty store had provided him with trick candles, ones that would re-light after being blown out over and over again. Jack beamed with pride as he relished in the joke. He thought it would be perfect and that everyone would love it. On the day of the party, he had taken every precaution to make sure no one saw him replace the ordinary candles with the trick ones. During the celebration, Jack watched from a distance, simply awaiting the cake and his moment. His eyes followed the cake as it was brought from the kitchen. Blair stood at the end of a table, flanked by an assortment of 12-year-old girls and one boy, her current “boyfriend,” a blonde-haired kid named Grayson. This was her day, and she glowed with pride. The white cake was lowered to the table, and the guests began to sing. Twelve candles were lit. They sparked and flared to life.
    Jack eased forward to get a good view. Before blowing them out, Blair thanked everyone in a diva-like salute. Jack could hardly contain his excitement. Then Blair began to blow out the candles. With a rather ladylike gust of wind, she puffed several times, and the candles went dead. Jack starred, anticipating what was to come next. The candles, one by one, sparked back to life. A few laughs rippled through the mass of guests. Blair looked slightly embarrassed and repeated her dainty gusts. The scene repeated itself. Jack could not contain his own pride. He wanted everyone to know this was his joke.
    â€œGotcha good, Blair,” he announced.
    After few more laughs, Jack looked for approval, but he was disappointed. The girl made an unfamiliar face, one of anger and irritation. She was determined not to allow the prank to spoil her party. She climbed up on a chair, hovering over the cake itself. Forgetting her ladylike charms, she sucked in lungs full of air and blew down upon the cake candles. Her face showed determination; this time she would win. But as she blew out the wind in her cheeks, her right arm gave way. Her entire body lost balance and she collapsed head first into the cake. Her dress was ruined, her cake was ruined, and, by all accounts, her perfect day was ruined as well.
    Jack was punished for the prank, even though he said, “But I didn't mean for that to happen.”
    His mother was furious and responded, “But it did.”
    It was that event that marked the change in their relationship. Blair never got over the embarrassment of that day. It was supposed to have been the greatest day of her life. For his part, Jack had never gotten over being punished for the good-natured prank. It made little difference that it was one isolated incident up to that point. From that moment on, the sibling rivalry had begun, and since then, things between Blair and Jack have never been the same. No matter how small the offense, the slightest argument would turn into a global conflict. Now, Blair saw Jack as her irritating little brother, and she took joy in getting him in trouble. In Jack's eyes, Blair was his nosy older sister, so tonight, as he prepared to sneak out of the house, he would have to watch out for her.
    He and Mason had carefully talked over the plan. The review had taken quite some time from start to finish, but Jack felt ready. He pulls out the fire escape ladder from underneath his bed. He had never used it, so he familiarizes himself with how it works. There will only be a few minutes between the moment his parents leave and when Mason shows up to aid in his escape. He looks at the backpack in the corner. It is the perfect vessel for stashing the