Disclaimer: WordGirl is property of Soup 2 Nuts, PBS, and contributions to your PBS station from readers like you. Thank You.
Darkening every minute, the clouds over the city seemed to be taunting the children, reminding them that there were still two long weeks before the end of the school year. And though there wasn't a relentless rain or wind accompanying those clouds, it still didn't help that the sky was now matching the children's less then cheerful mood.
But for one student, in particular, these last two weeks couldn't move fast enough.
To be more accurate, one superhero couldn't wait for these weeks to be over. Wrapping up a long night patrolling the city after the recent break out in the community jail, WordGirl halfheartedly caught the last escapee before setting a flight path for home. Nothing could be better. No word could compare to "bed" at this moment.
Sadly, "bed" wasn't going to be an option for this tuckered hero. In less than an hour, her mother would be knocking on her door and in her motherly voice call,
"Becky! Time to get up!"
Uh . . . What could be worse than a wake-up call?
WordGirl managed to slip back into her bedroom window without detection from neighbors or family members. Bob was still fast asleep in his small bed beside Becky's. He had gotten the night off. WordGirl had never pulled an all-nighter before. Then again, the jail never had such a mass break out before. Come to think of it, all last week odd criminal activity had been going on.
Last Monday two men had tried to rob the jewelers at eleven at night, cutting into Becky's sleep time as she searched for the one man who got away.
Tuesday Chuck had held the corner grocer deli as a hostage for cash while the Butcher simultaneously robbed the bank in which both criminals had gotten away-there was no way WordGirl could manage both crimes at once.
Wednesday everything that could go wrong did as Becky had to play hooky so WordGirl could save eighteen people in a construction site accident, which lead to Tobey getting suspicious again as to why Becky couldn't be at school when WordGirl was out thus resulting in him terrorizing the city during school hours on Thursday which sadly left Captain HuggyFace to play "WordGirl" until recess, resulting in a twisted ankle and seventeen damaged buildings and Friday, the narrator took a vacation to host Sixty Minutes and that's when. . . Becky didn't want to rethink about Friday, or Saturday for that matter.
Regardless, crime was on the rise.
Oh well, maybe she could fit in a twenty-minute nap in before. . .
"Becky! Time to get up!"
. . . before school.
Becky let out a sigh. Turning her back to her bed, Becky fell backward and sprawled out. She hadn't even changed out of her "WordGirl" costume yet, but she almost felt like there wouldn't be a point to. She would probably have to stress through this day too. Still, she had to get ready for school and show the world that Becky Botsford was just an average kid who had gotten her eight hours of sleep and was ready to be a good student.
"I hate Mondays."
Downstairs the Botsford family was getting ready for another fine, yet cloudy, day. Breakfast was on the table, the family was seated, book-bags and suitcases were packed, and everyone was ready to go, except Becky.
As little Becky Botsford made her way down the stairs, she was greeted by the warm smile of her father in the kitchen; a smile that didn't last too long.
"Hey Becky," Mr. Botsford's face took on a look of concern. "It looks like the sky isn't the only thing looking gray today. What's the matter honey; didn't get enough sleep?"
"Yeah," With eyes barely open and clothes in disarray, Becky sat down at her usual spot at the table, her younger brother inching away at her arrival.
"Well, I bet I have something that will make you feel exceptional again!" Mr. Botsford clapped his hands in excitement. His wife also joined in commenting on her husband's word choice.
"Good word choice dear."
"Thanks, I heard WordGirl use it once and I thought Becky would love to hear it."
T.J.'s attention perked up at the mention of his idol's name.
"Well since we're all here let me share what I have."
Mr. Botsford came around the kitchen counter and joined his family at the table.
"Okay, school lets out in two weeks right?"
T.J. didn't hesitate to answer his father with a loud cheer. He almost knocked the table over with his enthusiasm causing his mother to give him a cross look. Becky on the other hand only nodded slightly, yawning as she held her head up with one hand. She too received a look from her mother for having her elbow on the table, but Becky didn't seem to notice. Mrs. Botsford didn't get an opportunity to scold her daughter, however; her husband quickly picked up where he left off.
"Well, I thought, oh and your mother helped too, I thought we all deserved a family vacation"
"Sweet!" T. J. rose out of his seat with excitement, thrusting both hands into the air.
"I'm happy to see you like the idea." Mrs. Botsford smiled and then pointed for T.J. to sit again.
"So how does that sound Becky?" Mr. Botsford turned his attention to his daughter awaiting her approval and though Becky did appear to be more awake, she didn't seem to be as happy as he would have hoped.
"Okay, I guess." Becky straightened up. She knew she needed to try and eat something, after not sleeping all night she would have to draw her energy from something else.
Mr. Botsford frowned.
"Aren't you curious to know where we're going?"
It was the same place every year. Every summer the family would plan a trip to the country and enjoy some time in the woods camping and swimming and be hunkering down in a little cabin when it rained. It was nice, but "WordGirl" never really enjoyed having to fly back and forth from the country to the city. Just when the family would decide to do a family fun activity like swimming, she'd have to fake an ailment to go stop a robbery in town, and with crime being as it has been, Becky had a feeling it would be even worse this summer.
But for dad's sake, she decided to humor him.
"Where are we going?" Becky lifted her fork to begin her breakfast.
"Oh," his eagerness had to be admired. Mr. Botsford was basically about to explode in excitement. "I have booked us a month stay at the Tarries Hotel in Florida!"
Becky found herself almost choking on her breakfast.
"We can visit the beach,"
T.J. once more jumped from his chair.
"Go to theme parks,"
T.J. then started a dance.
"And enjoy tropical . . .um, what's that word again?"
"Paradise, dear." Mrs. Botsford helped her husband, and again addressing T.J. to sit down.
Becky coughed. Did her father just say, Florida? Like, two thousand miles away Florida? NO!
"What do you mean we're going to Florida?!" Becky's response came as a shock to her family. She kind of sounded . . . mad. Not to mention she had risen from her chair and slammed both hands on the table. Not mild-mannered child behavior.
But she couldn't just leave the city. She's WordGirl! She couldn't just take a vacation while the city's crime rate increased by the minute.
"I mean we're taking a family vacation to Florida." Mr. Botsford watched as his daughter seemed to be blinking back tears of frustration. "Is there a problem?"
"Yes! I have to be here to save the city. . ." Catching her mistake a little too late, Becky slowly took her seat again and swallowed hard. She really wished Bob could be at the table right now to help her think of a way out of this one.
"Uh, doesn't WordGirl do that?" Mr. Botsford, along with the rest of the family, stared at Becky.
"Yeah, ha ha, I mean. . ." What did she mean? 'I'm a superhero and therefore I cannot go with my family on a vacation to Florida and leave the city unprotected for a month.' Somehow that didn't seem like a legitimate reason for her outburst.
"I. . .that is, Violet. . ."
Was she really going to bring her friend into this? It would make more sense for her to overreact if her friend was involved, right? Normally kids wouldn't pass up a trip unless friends were involved.
"Violet and I are planning to work on a project over the summer to try and help . . . save the city, from. . ." Becky looked around the room. There had to be something she could fill into this lie. But alas, nothing. Becky closed her eyes for a moment and tried to think. "From. . . Sleep!"
Blank stares.
Why sleep? Maybe it had to do with sleep being the only thing on her mind. She had to make this work.
"Well, us being on the student council has opened our eyes to, how students . . . waste summer sleeping a lot."
"And," T.J. interjected. Clearly, her story was going bust.
"And, we were going to spend this summer, putting together . . . activities at the school to give students something to do this summer instead of just sleeping in."
Becky put on her most convincing smile. There was no way her family was going to fall for that fabricated mess and even if they did, it wouldn't be a good enough reason to cancel the trip.
Becky's mom was the first to speak up.
"Honey that's great that you care so much about your classmates, but I'm sure the school will be able to make do without you, at least for a month."
"No mom," Becky had to stay with this city. There was no way she could afford a month off. "This really means a lot to Violet and me. We have to work together and I must stay."
The two Botsfords exchanged worried glances and then centered their attention back on their daughter. T.J. on the other hand only glared at his sister.
"There is no way I'm missing a trip to Florida just because my stupid sister wants to stay."
"T.J.," Mrs. Botsford looked to her son.
"Mom, don't tell me you're going to cancel the trip just because of her!"
"We're canceling the trip?!" Mr. Botsford rose from the table. His wife placed a hand on his back to calm him.
"Nobody said anything about canceling this trip,"
"Well, is there a way I can stay with Violet while you're on the trip?" Becky clasped her hands in a pleading formation. Her parents didn't seem to like that idea either. But they didn't want to upset Becky either.
There was a long pause.
"If it's that important to you, we'll think about."
Mom's always had a way of indirectly saying "no," but Becky knew better than to press the issue.
"Now, you two head on out to school, your father and I will discuss the trip while you're out Becky."
The two Botsford children gathered their things and headed out the door. As Becky shut the door behind her, she was immediately confronted by her brother.
"I can't believe you," the boy crossed his arm. "We finally get a chance to go someplace cool and you have to. . ."
"Oh knock it off, T.J."
"No! What's wrong with you?!"
"Nothing, I just know Some things are more vital than others."
"Whatever." T.J. headed down the driveway. It was days like these that made him wonder what possessed his parents to adopt Becky. Why couldn't his parents adopt someone cool, someone like WordGirl?
T.J. then stopped at the end of the driveway when he noticed Becky wasn't following. Turning back he saw his sister standing close to the door.
"Are you trying to listen in on them?" He called to his sister only to receive a spiteful look from her. T.J. rolled his eyes and left; she could walk to school alone.
Becky returned to listening in on her parents. Having super hearing did have its advantages.
Inside Mr. Botsford could be heard sitting back down with a sigh.
"I want to go to Florida."
"I know dear." Mrs. Botsford sat as well. "I'm sure Becky and Violet will understand that the family needs this vacation. Family time is important. Plus I have to handle that case while I'm there."
"Not to mention I've already bought the plane tickets and booked the hotel."
"I also don't want Mrs. Heaslip to have to watch Becky all summer. They're having a rough time as it is."
There was silence. Mr. Botsford spoke up again, this time he sounded more concerned.
"What if Becky is having one of those attachment issues again?"
Becky was surprised by this comment. Her mother spoke again.
"She might be, but she's been living with us for a while now, I think she feels secure enough by now. . . But then again,"
Mrs. Botsford could be heard standing and moving about the room. The sound of pages turning soon followed.
"The book says," Becky's mother spoke. "Children can suffer from separation anxiety even after being with their adopted families for a while; asking a child to go so far from home maybe breaking their security." The book was closed. "This would be our first trip so far away from home."
"Are we going to cancel?"
"No," There was silence. "I'll call Mrs. Heaslip after work today. If she's okay with Becky staying over for a month so am I. Who knows, it might be helpful for Becky to spend time away from us."
The book could be heard being flipped through again.
"Chapter nine says that spending time apart can help re-establish a child's faith in adoptive parents always returning. The child will also gain a sense of independence being able to act naturally without fear of parental condemnation."
"I guess so," Mr. Botsford was disappointed. "All I wanted was a family vacation. . ."
"It's not your fault dad," Becky whispered to herself before taking to the skies. "Word Up!"
The fly to school was a very reflective one. Becky had no idea her parents thought like that. Why would they think she would suffer from separation anxiety? Did she do something to make them think she was insecure?
There didn't seem to be clear answers to these questions, at least not answers that wouldn't elude a fifth grader's mind. Becky was just a bit disheartened by what her parents said, but the fact still remained, WordGirl must stay in the city. Florida already had ten superheroes anyway; it would be weird for WordGirl to appear there.
There was only one thing that bothered Becky most about her current situation; the lying. This wasn't like the white lies she had become so accustomed to telling. This lie was trying to manipulate her parent's decision, not to mention it had brought a friend into the mix.
Somehow she had to make this lie true. When her mom called Violet's, Mrs. Botsford was going to find out that there weren't school activities planned. Becky would be forced to leave the city for sure then, and she'd spend the whole trip locked in her hotel bedroom as well.
"Maybe if I get to school fast enough I'll have time to talk with the principal and convince her to run a summer program. Then it will be like I was telling the truth the whole time."
Becky did arrive at school early and did get to chat with the principal. Unfortunately, the answer was "no."
"We don't have the necessary funding, but that is a very good-hearted idea." This was all Becky was rewarded with, the principal's usual excuse.
Leaving the office, head lowered and spirit crushed, Becky was overwhelmed by defeat. Her mother was going to find out the truth and if she didn't think Becky was insecure before, she defiantly would then. The city was doomed.
Becky was so deep in thought that she didn't even notice her friend Scoops waving from across the hall.
"Becky!"
His voice caught her attention. Becky looked up to see Scoops come up beside her as she walked towards class. He seemed excited about something, but he quickly changed his attitude when he noticed Becky's saddened disposition. He also noted that her hair was a mess and it appeared she hadn't slept right for days, which actually was the truth.
"Hey what's wrong?"
Becky sighed.
"I was hoping to encourage the school to host a summer program, but apparently the school lacks the subsidy to do so." The girl lowered her head again.
"That sounds like it could make a pretty good story," Scoops reached for the pad and pen he kept handy in his pocket. He was never one to miss a good story, plus, by listening, he would be helping out a friend. "So the school refuses to host summer actives because they are, missing something. 'Subsidy' was it?"
"Yeah, 'subsidy' the financial support or money needed to do something. Like the school can't hold a summer program because they don't have enough money from the state to do so. Subsidy."
Scoops laughed at Becky's definition as he took quick notes.
"You sound just like WordGirl sometimes."
Becky froze for a moment causing Scoops to stop as well. She never liked it when people made reference to her being like her alter-ego, especially people who had come close to figuring out her secret before. Scoops was one of those people Becky knew she had to be extra careful around. He was a close enough friend to know when she was acting strange, like when she needed to leave to fight crime, but a distant enough person to turn her in for a good story.
"No, I'm not like WordGirl."
"So you're saying that the government is refusing to supply schools with adequate funding, correct?" Scoops pointed his pen in Becky's face waiting for a response.
"I didn't say that."
"Well, not directly you didn't, but a good reporter knows how to read between the lines and investigate the clues. The real problem our school is facing is not a lack of summer activities, but a budget cut."
Becky thought for a moment and then agreed with a nod. Scoops would know more about that kind of stuff than she; he seemed to make a living out of understanding people and news. Maybe she should employ him to investigate her parents' discussion this morning. Oh well, maybe later.
Becky watched as Scoops vigorously jotted down notes from their rather short discussion.
"Why are you so interested about this, I mean, this story doesn't seem so attractive to me."
"Well," Scoops closed the notebook and placed it back in his pocket. "The Daily Rag hasn't been printed for this week yet; we still need one more story before we can send it to the press. So I thought I could fill it with this."
Idea!
Becky wasn't certain where the idea had come from, but at this desperate point in time, she didn't care.
"Scoops, parents read the Daily Rag too, don't they?"
"Yeah, I guess."
All glum left Becky. If she could get the paper to print that the summer activities were going to happen, she may be able to fool Violet's mom into letting her stay for the summer. Becky could work out the details later.
"May I help you put together this last story?"
"Well . . ."
"Please, Scoops." Puppy eyes.
"I like ya, kid! Sure, why not."
Becky jumped in triumph.
Scoops smiled. It was good to see a friend so pleased, especially one that looked like she had been hit by a train last night.
"You know, Becky, if you like reporting that much we always have an opening for someone as good with words as you are."
Becky's victory celebration quickly sobered at this remark. Though she had always wanted to join the school paper, mostly due to her crush on a certain someone, her duties as WordGirl took precedence over after school activities, but now that she was considering using the paper to help validate a lie, Becky didn't feel so worthy of that compliment. 'WordGirl' was about to use one of 'Becky's' dearest friends to lie to her parents and her best friend's mom.
But she was trying to do the right thing. WordGirl had to be there for the city, right?
The school bell rang and students started moving about the halls for their classes.
"Hey, I'll meet you during recess in the media center." With that, Scoops tipped his hat to a jaunty angle and went his own way.
Becky stood still in the hall for a moment as a sea of children walked past. Everyone seemed in such a hurry.
What if an alarm bell was to go off right now somewhere downtown? What if the whole city were about to face unprecedented peril? Who would care?
No other child in the school would even know. They could go to school, or on family trips, and never have to worry about the city being there the next day. But WordGirl did and that meant Becky did. No one had to deal with the pressures she had to deal with daily.
The hall thinned out a bit as only the stragglers remained.
If WordGirl didn't do what she did, many people could be hurt. The city needed WordGirl, so why did Becky feel so guilty about what she was planning to do? She was going to have a paper printed specially for her parents and Violet's just to fool them into letting her stay. Then she would end up telling another lie to keep Violet's mom from investigating the school's planned events. Lies, all lies.
So why was Becky willing to tell this big of a lie? Because she felt guilty. If WordGirl left this city, Becky would feel guilty. It was a lose-lose situation no matter what. So was she doing the right thing?
Sigh.
"What's another word for 'guilt.'" Becky didn't say this to anyone in particular, for she knew the answer, but a response came nonetheless.
"Shame."
That contrived accent and know-it-all tone could only belong to one person; Tobey.
"No, I was thinking more along the lines of 'responsibility.'" Becky didn't face him, but she did fight back the urge to yell at him for getting Huggy hurt. He was beginning to be a bother. Tobey was another one of those persons Becky had learned to be really careful around and for more reasons than Scoops.
For the last couple of weeks, Tobey had become oddly suspicious of Becky being WordGirl. And though time and time again she would disprove his theory by having Becky and WordGirl appear in the same place, with the help of her sidekick, Tobey would return to his original idea that Becky was WordGirl.
"How about the word 'remorse' or 'liability?"
"How about 'I'm not in the mood to play word games right now so leave me alone.'" Becky started walking and to her dismay, Tobey followed. They did share the same class, so it wasn't much of a surprise when he did.
"You seem tense."
"Yeah." Becky's annoyance was very present in her voice.
Tobey came alongside her and matched her quickening pace.
"You know," He started staring at her intently. "The most convincing evidence against you is your word choices."
Becky rolled her eyes.
"Subsidy? Who uses the word subsidy?"
"You obviously, and I hope you're not saying you're WordGirl."
Tobey narrowed his eyes.
"You're not funny."
"And neither is this conversation, so can we stop having it now?"
The two had reached the door to their class. Becky reached for the handle when Tobey slapped his hand against the door to hold it shut. And though Becky knew it would be really easy to force that door open, she decided against it. Might as well let him get his last word instead of flinging that weak frame from the wall, oh and the door too.
"Well, there is always one way to settle this little dispute." Tobey smiled. "I could always go consult WordGirl . . ."
Becky would actually like him to harass her alter-ego, at least then she could fight back without suspicion. But Becky would soon regret that mental wish upon Tobey's next words.
". . . During recess today."
Becky had to take a deep breath at this; keep that negative energy at bay.
"Were you eavesdropping on Scoops and me?" That was just creepy; creepy and weird; though it did seem appropriate that someone would eavesdrop on her right after she had listened in on her parents.
"Eavesdropping, that's another WordGirl word."
He was trying to make her angry, wasn't he? Well, he had no idea what he was messing with. She was too tired, too upset, and had way more important things to deal with than his cry for attention right now.
"Tobey," Becky clenched her fists and then released them, all the while trying to keep from yelling. "If you so much as tip over a garbage can today, I will personally seek you out and. . ."
At that moment, the late bell rang, which was good to some extent. What kind of threat could 'normal' Becky Botsford pose to someone with an army of robots? On the other hand, there was now the embarrassing moment of walking into to class late with Tobey. Could today get any worse?
(A/N) Yay, my first WordGirl story . . . first story in like three years actually. So you know, I wrote this story based on season one. I hadn't seen the last two episodes of season one until the fifth chapter, and I hadn't read the summaries of season two until about chapter seven. Sorry if some of the info in this story is off because of that. Please feel free to R&R. I like constructive criticism; just no flames. Thanks.