Hello! My name is Sara and I am very happy to meet you all! I'm writing this in the setting of my hometown, so it'll be pretty close to what it really is. I'm not quite sure how this'll work out, but I'm hoping it ends up being what I think it'll be. The problem with me is that I write like I'm from the Renaissance, but since it's modern I have to add dialogue that's from now. So please let me know how I'm doing.
Since P&P chapters are very short, I think that every one of my chapters will be two or three of hers.
I OWN NOTHING.
The small, New England home was full of the familiar cries of happiness coming from the women of the household. There were six of these women to be exact, but only three of them were making noises similar to that of a dying seal. You see, these occupants of Cotuit in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, were about to have a new neighbor and Mrs. Bennet, along with her two youngest girls Kitty and Lydia, were enthused beyond belief. They giggled and twirled about the house, annoying everyone in sight. The reason for their excitement being that their new neighbor was a movie star, rich and handsome beyond all belief, and occupying the large mansion called Netherfield Park, a riverside house in Marstons Mills. Many of the owners in Cape Cod decided to name their houses, and the name of the Bennet household was Longbourn.
You see, Marstons Mills was only a five minute drive from their house, a perfect distance for annoying. Or at least that's what Mrs. Bennet thought. Cape Cod was once a peninsula until the Cape Cod Canal was built, and now it is called an island. Shaped like an arm with the only means of escape being either the Bourne Bridge or the Sagamore Bridge. It was no wonder that the people of this island took any news and changed it into something grand, for they had no excitement in their own lives. In the summer Cape Cod was bustling with tourists anxious to try out the beaches, the ice cream, the sailing and the overall quaintness of it all. During the fall and winter seasons, however, the year- round citizens strived for ways to keep themselves busy, gossip being a very familiar type. Cotuit and Marstons Mills were especially small towns so they all knew each other, and the chance for a new neighbor, especially one at the attentions of so many others from all around the world, was a very exciting concept.
The name of this exciting new neighbor was, of course, Mr. Charles Bingley the famed teenage movie star. He strove for a new life where cameras didn't haunt his days, so naturally he chose the most barren of places to finish his high school career. Sturgis Charter Public School, the number one school in Massachusetts, was known both for its national test scoring and for its misfits, the perfect place for a misunderstood movie star. The school was located on Main Street, Hyannis, and students took delight in wandering the streets of Hyannis for forty five minutes during lunch, among other things. You see, the reason why this school in particular was number one was the fact that it was part of the International Baccalaureate program, or IB. This was a worldwide program, and naturally the most difficult. It was only icing on the cake that all of the Bennet children happened to already be in this school.
You see, it was the greatest wish of Mrs. Bennet for her daughters to have at least one steady boyfriend before they went to college. Jane, the eldest, was a senior and nineteen years old. Next came Elizabeth, a junior and eighteen, then sophomore Mary, seventeen, and finally the freshmen twins, Kitty and Lydia, both sixteen. The IB program rarely accepted new students senior year due to the extensive academic program, however the Bingley family brought many new donations to the school and the chance to renovate a few bathrooms, along with gain a few more intelligent students, finally won the board over.
Mrs. Bennet had the immense confidence in her daughters that once Charles took one look at any one of her offspring he would fall madly in love with her. Therefore, most of Mrs. Bennet's morning was spent trying to convince Mr. Bennet to interact with the new family.
"My dear Mrs. Bennet," he told his wife impatiently for nearly the fiftieth time. "Not only is it impolite to barge in on a family we don't know, but it is also illogical."
"Is it so wrong to make friends with your neighbors before Mrs. Lucas does?" The Lucas' were neighbors of the Bennets and lived a few doors down. They were much poorer than the Bennets, but good friends nonetheless. Elizabeth was a childhood friend of their junior daughter, Charlotte.
"I would respect your opinion more if you didn't have an ulterior motive! We are not going to run over to the Bingley's and make a fool out of ourselves, and this is final!"
"Oh Mr. Bennet, why do you tease me?" asked Mrs. Bennet playfully and waved him away with a smile. "Everyone knows that rich men want a partner!"
"Yes, but you assume that he will choose one of our girls among the other hundreds he's already met!" Mr. Bennet protested. Mrs. Bennet claimed not to hear him so naturally, the rest of Mr. Bennet's morning was spent trying to avoid his wife to no avail.
The past two days were torture to those who really didn't care about the new arrival, namely Mr. Bennet, Jane and Elizabeth. With all of their mother's fussing it made it impossible to get any work done, and after a few more hours of teasing on Mr. Bennet's part, he finally gave up.
"God, be quiet! I've already met him!"
Mrs. Bennet looked like she was about to have a heart attack in that instant, and clapped her hands to her breast. "Why didn't you say so sooner, you evil man!"
He shrugged. "For the past two days you've never asked once if I'd already seen him, only if I go over to meet him. I met him yesterday on one of my long walks to get away from you!"
"And what did he say?" Mrs. Bennet's words were nearly drowned out by the giggling of the twins behind her.
"Nothing, besides the fact that he can't wait to meet all of you when school starts next week. He'll be going back to California to get his sister and his friend, but he'll be back soon."
This did the trick, and Mrs. Bennet was silent for the remainder of the week and spoke no more of Charles Bingley until a day before school started.
"Mother has been very excited the past few days," Jane commented to Elizabeth conversationally one night a few days before the beginning of school. They shared a room and at the moment were getting ready for bed. Elizabeth was brushing out her sister's hair and scowled as Jane brought up the subject.
"Don't even talk to me about her," Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "I love her, but honestly she's the worst gossiper I've ever met in my entire life. I couldn't care less about a celebrity coming to Cape Cod of all places. It's only a matter of time before he gets bored and leaves."
"Yes, that is what happens a lot, doesn't it?" Jane mused to herself and that was the end of Charles Bingley for the remainder of their vacation.
Well, I think that's a nice introduction into their world, don't you think?