Hey there! Thanks for the reviews; I really appreciated them. I am going to continue this and keep this project going, so don't hesitate to follow this story. I will be updating this fic regularly (about once every few weeks?) and I am open for any suggestions - I might not put all of them into action but I definitely will listen to them.
Disclaimer: All rights go to Jeanne Birdsall. I own only this idea and any OCs that may pop up.
CHAPTER 1
Mr Penderwick Thinks (Almost) Everyone Is Old Enough
"Fall back! Fall back!" Jane roared, flailing her arms around so wildly she resembled a malfunctioning helicopter. "FALL BACK! RETREAT TO THE SAFE HAVEN!"
Skye was sincerely glad Jane was half a field away, because that helped reduce her full volume by – oh, a few hundred decibels?
Skye did her best to ignore her sister, panting as she did her best to dribble the soccer ball away from Jeffrey.
"You might as well give up," Jeffrey taunted. "Accept that I've improved over the year! You don't have any spaces open, you're using your weak foot and I'm right in your – HEY!"
Skye feinted and doubled, tricking Jeffrey into guarding his right side. Almost in slow motion, Skye whirled around in the other direction and slammed her left foot – her strong foot, mind Jeffrey – against the side of the ball, sending it flying in a beautiful arc, piercing through the air. She watched with a satisfied smirk as his mouth clanged to the ground in shock.
Across the field, Jane whooped before handling the ball and scoring the goal. She did it so expertly and fluidly Skye swelled with Penderwick pride.
Skye turned back to Jeffrey. "You can pick your jaw off the grass now," she informed him. Jeffrey shook his head in disbelief.
"Go on, say it," Skye urged.
"Skye Magee Penderwick, you truly have shocked me with your supreme soccer skills," he said, grinning amusedly.
"It's about time you finally noticed," Skye shot back, punching him good-naturedly.
Jane ran up to them, her face lit up and shining. "That was brilliant, Skye, you executed it perfectly." "Thank you," Skye answered. "You could probably do it better than me if you only just practised."
Jane actually had more talent than Skye in football; Skye simply worked harder. This was why Skye couldn't stop nagging her to hone her skills properly – she needed her most trusted player in top shape!
Jane waved a hand in the air flippantly. "I would have no time for my deep and intellectual thoughts if I did so. Being an author is a full time job that requires utter dedication, you know. Just look at my Sabrina Starr series as evidence."
Skye snorted in response. Jane still hadn't given up Sabrina Starr, much to Skye's chagrin. After Sabrina Starr Rescues a Cricket, the first of Jane's novels to ever be written, Sabrina Starr had valiantly saved a baby sparrow, a turtle, a groundhog, a boy (read: Jeffrey), an archaeologist (read: the unfortunate incident four years ago that involved the Homework Switch which Skye would rather not talk about, especially since it brought up the dreaded topic of the Aztecs) and an idiotic heartbreaker (read: Dominic Orne, a once object of affection who had in the end shattered Jane's heart. Personally, Skye always thought he had so much hair and fake attitude he would fit perfectly as a really bad Grease Lightning impersonator.)
Unfortunately, since the three years after that hadn't involved much excitement besides the annual summer with Jeffrey, Jane had temporarily put Sabrina Starr aside with much regret.
"I'm hungry," Jeffrey announced.
"You're always hungry."
"Well."
"Come on, let's head back," Jane tucked the soccer ball under her arm and sprinted off. "Race you to the house – last one in will have to be Piggy in the Middle in our next training session!"
Gritting her teeth, Skye didn't even bother to throw the anticipated insult at Jeffrey before she charged off. She knew that by doing so bought her a few precious seconds, since Jeffrey had hit a growth spurt recently and had the unfair advantage of longer legs.
"Yes!" Skye threw her fists up ecstatically as she reached Gardam Street before him. She continued to fly through the street and into the house, only to skid to a dead stop when Jeffrey's head poked out of the door.
Her look of outrage broke when Jeffrey burst out laughing. "You took the Quigley Woods shortcut, didn't you?" She yelled indignantly.
He held up his hands. "There weren't any rules!"
Storming away in a huff, Skye stomped to the kitchen, muttering death threats under her breath dedicated to a certain green-eyed boy. Jeffrey simply trailed in after her, giving her a cheerful thumbs-up.
Mr Penderwick was working the stove and something delicious was simmering in the pot. Jane was already by her side, helping him add ingredients into the bowl – surprisingly enough, Jane turned out to be the best cook out of all of them, even Rosalind. Iantha – dear, sweet Iantha, their lovely and amazing stepmother whom they all loved dearly – was flapping around anxiously, attempting to grill some vegetable of sorts but failing miserably. Rosalind, the oldest Penderwick, was laughing as she took over, patting Iantha on the shoulder.
Skye didn't need to look under the table to know Batty, Hound and Ben would be underneath. She knew now that Jeffrey was inside, Batty would wriggle out in three, two, one…
"Jeffrey!" Batty hopped around excitedly. Hound joined in with a bark and a wag of his tail. "You won't believe what Ben and I did today!"
Skye was seriously considering a future career in predicting mathematical probability outcomes.
Jeffrey scooped her up. She had just turned eight two months ago and was starting to grow heavy. At least, in Skye's opinion – Jeffrey with his stupid growth spurt probably didn't feel those few extra pounds.
Dodging Hound nimbly and ignoring Batty's insistent chatter, Skye swiped a few pieces of crackers sitting on the table, no doubt a remainder of someone's snack.
"Hi, Skye," Ben said solemnly. Skye crouched down to his height. He was due to turn three at the end of this year.
"Oh, hey, Asimov," Skye said in surprise. Asimov usually spent his days scouring the trees for birds and rarely came in unless night had fallen.
The orange cat licked his paw in response. Knowing Asimov would ignore her like the regal prince the feline thought he was, Skye turned her attention back to Ben.
"How's it going, Ben? What did you do with Batty that I won't be able to believe?" She handed him a cracker as a peace offering, which he took and munched thoughtfully.
"We learned about caterpillars and their life cy – cy –"
"Life cycles?"
"Yeah. They become butterflies."
"Cool." Skye ruffled his hair affectionately. After three years of living with him, almost all of her awkwardness around little children had faded.
"Lunch is ready, children of mine," Mr Penderwick hollered. Jane banged a soup pot with a stick. "Come and feast; hungry brethren!"
Ben took Skye's hand and they headed to the table, where the tantalising aroma of grilled chicken beckoned.
Skye lifted Ben onto a mismatched stool before plopping herself down beside Iantha, who was staring mournfully at her chicken.
"Not hungry?" Skye ventured.
"After three years," Iantha said dully. "After three long years, consisting of lessons with your father, Jane, and Rosalind, I still can't refrain from burning everything I try to cook."
Skye covered her sniggers unsuccessfully. "Um, at least being an astrophysicist doesn't require microwaving anything?"
Iantha gazed at her, wounded. Her glasses only magnified her doe-like gaze. "I can microwave ready-made meals!"
"Attention, attention, everyone," Mr Penderwick cleared his throat.
Jane raised her spoon to rap it against her glass, only to have him shoot her a sharp look.
Skye decided that the soup pot banging hadn't gone over well.
"Ahem. I have an announcement. A co-announcement, really." He shifted his gaze to Iantha, who was busy analysing the broccoli in her salad.
"A co-announcement," he repeated, a fond smile appearing once he realised that Iantha was occupied with mourning over her burnt vegetables.
"Oh! Right." Iantha nodded, abandoning the broccoli. "Your father and I have decided that all of you girls – and Jeffrey, naturally – have shown an astounding level of maturity around the house. Rosalind, you've impressed us with your fantastic driving skills…" At this, Rosalind glowed happily, having finally earned her driving license.
And a good thing too, Skye thought. The minute Rosalind had hit her sixteen birthday, she'd purchased stacks upon stacks of driving guide books and pamphlets, diligently devoured all of them and driven everyone crazy with her frequent quizzes and information about hand signs.
Even Hound had been bribed (by leftover lasagne) to stand by as one of Rosalind's moving obstacles while she test drove. As a result, Rosalind passed her driving test with flying colours on her first try.
"Obviously, Rosalind, you're the most reliable and we don't even need to discuss your OAP skills. In fact, Skye, your level-headed thinking and ability to adapt to any situation has been simply incredible. You've warmed up to little children, and you did such a fantastic job while we were in London and you were in Maine three years ago, we know we have a second OAP who can handle anything…"
Skye fidgeted and picked at the table cloth, but she knew that she was blushing at the praise.
Mr Penderwick nodded in agreement, adjusting his ever-sliding glasses up his nose. "Yes, definitely; her temper is practically non-existent nowadays."
He smiled warmly at Skye, who felt slightly guilty since she had just told Pearson to migrate to Antarctica.
But she digressed.
"Jane, my favourite author in the making," Jane sat up. "You've still got your head in your clouds, but my, your cooking skills!"
Jane smiled. "Your dishes taste exquisite and if your dream as an author were ever to go south, bear in mind that becoming a professional chef is always an open option. I cannot even begin to describe how ambrosial your stuffed green peppers are…"
"The same stuffed green peppers that were taught by me," Jeffrey mumbled. Skye kicked him under the table about the same time Jane prodded him sharply in the ribs.
"Ow."
"Moving on – Batty, my youngest daughter," Mr Penderwick went on. "You have completely taken over the reins of caring for Hound and I, as a father, am so proud of you for that. I no longer need to remember to feed that troublesome dog anymore –"
Unerringly sensing that his name was being trodden upon, Hound barked defensively.
"Quiet, blasted dog. You feed him, walk him, brush him – even bathe him without a single ounce of help! Batty, my darling, Hound has never looked so well-kept and content."
"Woof," Hound agreed.
Batty looked so delighted she looked like she was about to combust.
Skye shuddered momentarily, remembering how she was so convinced Batty would blow up at Point Mouette three years ago.
She had never looked at plastic inflatable pool toys the same way again.
"Last but not least, Jeffrey. You might not be related to us by blood, but as my daughters have repeated fervently, you truly are an honorary Penderwick. You are a fine and responsible young lad who with no doubt will become a successful musician in the future. I should think my daughters' combined adoration and love for you speaks for itself."
Jeffrey swallowed. "Thank you, sir."
"If you're done imparting your words of wisdom, Martin, I think we should give them the news now," Iantha teased.
"Ah, yes. The news – very well. Go ahead then, dear."
"We have decided," Iantha announced, "That since most of you are teenagers now, and since your summer has just begun, we'd give all of you a gift, of sorts."
"We've taken into consideration all of your wishes," Mr Penderwick added. "I distinctly recall Rosalind wanting to go somewhere with beautiful scenery, Skye somewhere nice and quiet, Jane an interesting culture, and Batty a forest?"
"We know that Jeffrey just arrived two days ago, but fear not, we won't be separating you. We simply thought that Gardam Street was a bit… dull for all of you young adults to spend your summer, especially since you've been doing this for three years – Jeffrey knows our beloved hometown like the back of his palm now."
He definitely did, Skye thought sourly. Seeing how he knew how to take the Quigley Woods shortcut.
Jeffrey, somehow sensing that they were thinking about the same thing, sent her a mischievous grin that she gracefully ignored.
Jane sent Skye an excited look. Skye started to jiggle her thigh, a bad habit she did whenever she knew something big was coming. Rosalind tilted her head to look at her father, as if seeing him in a different light. Jeffrey's spoon paused, halfway to his mouth.
"As much as this pains me, you are no longer children. Rosy's sixteen, Skye and Jeffrey fifteen, Jane fourteen… Even my little Batty is eight. I cannot keep you cooped up under my surveillance forever."
"Therefore," Iantha continued, "We are sending you off to my relatives' cottage in Cornwall, Devon, in the UK."
For a split second, everything was silent. Then the silence was shattered by a burst of loud voices clashing against each other all at once.
"By ourselves? With no adults?"
"Even on the plane? Just us?"
"What about Ben? Is he coming along too?"
"Will your relatives be there? Or will we be staying alone?"
"Does my mom know about this? Because if she doesn't –"
"What's Cornwall like? It's near the Celtic Sea, isn't it?"
"How long will we stay?"
Mr Penderwick held up a hand. Everyone settled down reluctantly.
"Yes, you will be alone without myself or Iantha, even on the plane. Alas, Ben is still too young to be without his mother; he has not even turned three. No, Iantha's relatives will not be there – they have left for a business trip in Tokyo for six months. They were kind enough to leave the cottage to you."
"Cornwall is near the Celtic Sea and is very charming – it's full of creeks, forests and fields, Rosy, it's very pretty. It's quiet as well, Skye, and Jane; I imagine most of the residents there are Irish. Finally, Batty, the cottage is right beside a forest. You will stay there for the whole of summer. Jeffrey, I phoned Alec the moment Iantha and I decided to go ahead with this, so he took care of the situation with your mother."
Jeffrey sighed in relief.
Mr Penderwick paused as the information sunk in. "Any more questions?"
"Daddy, are you sure about this?" Rosalind asked carefully. "I'd love to go away like this, but do you trust us enough to get on a plane unsupervised and then stay in another country unsupervised?"
"Like I said, Rosy, this is not easy for me," Mr Penderwick answered. "Iantha and I considered following you to have a break as well, even though we know you all are fully capable of taking care of yourselves. Unfortunately, both of us are caught up in major projects at the university at the moment. I've mentioned the project several times to all of you – even Jeffrey. It's the one that could make or break my career."
"You're studying to get your PhD," Skye remembered.
"Yes, Skye, and Iantha is about to receive her professor's degree, which is extremely impacting and important as well. It's quite a milestone."
"Oh," Jane said.
"What about Hound?" Batty asked anxiously.
"He can go, although he will need to be sedated in order to sit through the flight," Iantha answered.
"What does sedate –"
"It means be put to sleep for a while, honey," Rosalind explained. "Because animals can't sit in airplanes as easily as humans, they need to get an injection so they'll sleep through it. Hound will be injected at the vet's before we leave, I suppose."
"Let me get this straight," Skye held up a hand.
"All of us, even Hound – except Ben – will head off to Cornwall without you, Daddy, or Iantha, and we'll stay in an empty cottage for the rest of the summer?"
"That's about right," Mr Penderwick confirmed, "Except I thought Tommy could go along. Rosy, I've asked Anna's mother but Anna's going to Australia. Anyway, I thought – well, it's silly of me, but I'd feel much safer with him there."
Skye didn't bother to look at Rosalind's beam which was no doubt radiating sunshine in all directions, blessing all creatures that happened to pass under her gaze.
"Sweet!" Jane crowed. "This is going to be amazing! It'll be like a complete isolation from civilisation, a getaway reality, a nirvana to seek, a time for self-actualisation…"
"If you want to become a total recluse or a hobo," Skye murmured. Jane glared at her.
"So, what do you think? Jeffrey? You haven't said a word," Iantha prompted gently, ever the sensitive figure.
"When do we leave?" Jeffrey laughed.