Here it is! As promised! Sorry that it is still a little slow but it's going to get really interesting in the next few chapters so bear with me! Sorry for some cheesy stuff and I hope this surprises you! Apologies for any typing or spelling errors! Also if I ramble.

No. I, sadly, do not own the Penderwicks. or Hound.


"Who are they?" Skye blurted incredulously.

"Those are some of my . . . .friends," Jeffrey said carefully.

"Friends?" Skye spluttered.

"Are you okay, Skye?" Jeffrey reached out as if to take her temperature. She swatted his hand away.

"Fine," she spat.

"But, Jeffrey," Jane said quizzically, "You didn't say anything about other kids."

"It was a last-minute thing, I swear," Jeffrey said, holding his hands up in a surrendering gesture. "They'll be staying up at Arundel for a while, instead of going back to school for the rest of the holidays. You don't mind, do you?" His eyes begged for their approval.

"No, of course we don't mind, do we?" Rosalind said, putting a hand on Batty's shoulder, who was still hugging Jeffrey.

But Skye was too busy staring down the five kids approaching and Jane was too busy analyzing them as a possibility for a new story involving Sabrina Starr began to take shape in her mind.

The girl in the lead was tall with straight caramel hair and sunglasses pushed up onto her head. Next to her was a shorter, smiling, athletic-looking Latina girl with tan skin and curly black hair. The two boys behind her were identical and sisters would not have been be able to tell them apart if it were not for the fact that one had golden hair and was wearing a Taco shirt whilst the other had brown hair. Straggling behind them was a smiling scrawny Asian boy with glasses.

"Jeffrey, who is this?" the Latina girl with the warm brown eyes asked as she approached.

"We're friends of Jeffrey's," Skye snapped and tugged Jeffrey to her side.

"Skye," Jeffrey said, giving her a pointed look as he dislodged her from his arm, "meet Monique, Darcy, Scott, Kade, and Harold. Guys, meet the Penderwick family."

The girl with caramel hair, Darcy, eyed them and said, "But, Jeffs, you never said they were girls."

Jeffs? Skye felt ready to puke.

Rosalind, always OAP (especially of surprised sisters) stepped forward and said. "I'm Rosalind, the oldest. This is Skye"—who, despite every other emotion raging inside of her, promptly did her traditional point-to-eyes-point-to-sky—"Jane, and this is. . . .Oh, Batty, come out from behind Jeffrey."

Batty blinked shyly at the strangers. Jeffrey lifted her onto his shoulders, grinning, his eyes kind.

"And in the car—see the man waving?—That's my father, and that's my stepmom, Iantha. Oh, and that's Baby Ben in the back," said Rosalind.

Monique smiled at Ben and waved. The sisters could see Ben giggle and bang on the window, which was Ben-language that he liked this girl. The sisters later decided that they like her too.

Tacoshirt, now known as Kade, asked, "So you're going to be here with us for three weeks?"

Skye snarled, "With. Us?"

Jane hastily tried to cover up. "Sorry. My dear sister is a little. . . .protective." She took Skye's arm.

"Dear sister?" Skye yanked her arm out of Jane's grasp. She turned to Kade. "And, if I'm right, we've know Jeffrey longer then you have so you will actually be staying here with us."

"Steady," Rosalind whispered.

The girl with the caramel hair, Darcy, raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at Skye. "How would you know?"

"You've gone to school with him for the past two years. We've known him for two and a half," said Skye.

Scott, twin of Tacoshirt, cocked his head. "How do you know what school we go to?"

"Did Jeffrey tell you about us?" Darcy asked eagerly.

Skye pointed to the logo on Darcy's shirt advertising "Wellborn-Hughes's VPAD presents: The Nutcracker."

Darcy flushed at the obviousness.

Jeffrey laughed nervously. "Ok. Um, Rosalind, the key to the cottage is where it's always been and there's a crib like Iantha asked in the study. Cagney wants to come by and say hi to you, by the way"—Rosalind brightened at that—"Oh, and Batty, Churchie left gingerbread on the counter."

Batty cheered and Jeffrey lowered her onto the grass.

"We'd better go," Rosalind said as she took Batty's hand. "Daddy'll be waiting for us in the car."

"Car's gone," Jane stated.

"We'll walk then," Rosalind said confidently. "It's such a pretty day."

Sky finally turned away from a glaring match with Darcy.

"I'll come by a little later," Jeffrey said, attempting brightness.

Skye grumbled, "Yeah. See you later."

Head down, she trudged off, forcing her sisters to follow in suit.

-..-..-..-..-

"I don't want to have to share Jeffrey," Barry complained as they walked the way they still knew by heart to the butter-yellow cottage.

Rosalind sighed, "We won't have to share Jeffrey, sweetie."

"Oh yes we will," Skye protested.

"But maybe it'll be fun," mused Jane.

Skye stared at her sister in disbelief. "Oh no it won't!"

"How would you know? You took one look and decided to hate the lot of them!"

"Did not! I just—don't like that Darcy girl. She's stuck-up, proud, a smart-alec, and pretty. Never trust pretty people."

"So a lot like you, you mean."

"Shut up."

They walked in silence for a few moments, but Jane knew Skye wasn't really mad at her. Jane glanced over at Batty and Rosalind, a few steps behind. Batty kept bending down to pick colorful flowers and was giving them to Rosalind to weave into a head wreath.

Jane looked back to Skye, who was kicking every tree she passed with venom. Jane sighed. She knew Skye was upset about the new kids from Jeffrey's school. So was she. But, unlike Skye, she was willing to give them a chance. Who knew? Jane had a strong belief that every person's path that crossed her own taught her something. Especially is that person gave you ideas about Sabrina Star.

Jane smiled to herself. Ah, now here was a topic she could think about all day.

Jeffrey's gang of friends had given her an idea; it was time for Sabrina Star to have some partners in heroism. Yes, she'd had friends like the archeologist and a first love, but never had she ever met or saved anything with anybody anywhere near close to her skill level. She hadn't needed them. But maybe it was time for Sabrina Star to feel a little humility and maybe a little fear; after all, the best writers have to write from different angles and portray different emotions if they ever want todevelop their writing. And, yes, Jane's writing had developed significantly and it would continue to.

Sabrina Star should have five allies, Jane decided after much internal debate. Yes, six in total was a good number. Two girls and three boys, to make things even. And maybe she could use some of Jeffrey's friends' qualities as a base for her characters' personalities. Of course, she would have to make some adjustments here and there, and she could never tell Skye. Oh, no, Skye would kill her if she ever knew what Jane was thinking.

But what would the group of heroes do? Sabrina Star would be the leader of course—males were always the center of heroism and, truly, when faced with the facts, any decent human being just had to admit that Sabrina Star was the hero of all heroes.

"Rosy! Where is the key?" Jane was pulled out of her daze by her father's voice. Up ahead, was their beloved cottage, where Jane treasured some of the best memories of her young life. The friendly, creamy yellow color of the snug cottage; the front porch where she, Jeffrey, and Skye had painted pictures of Dexter to shoot arrows at; the sweet smell of the cheerful pink roses climbing the wall; the large dog pen that Hound had managed to escape from; the trees that they had dodged while playing some very intense soccer; and the wondrous attic bedroom that was the perfect place for the best of writers…it was all just as she remembered. Except, of course, there had been no Iantha or Ben then, but their presence would surely make the vacation all the better. And, of course, Rosalind hadn't had to retrieve the key to the cottage from Hound, who had found it under the mat before Mr. Penderwick had, and was now running joyfully around and around the house.

"Deranged dog," Skye muttered.

And, of course, Skye had not been so dejected. Skye, who could conquer anything—albeit stage fright.

But none of those details really mattered.

What mattered was that the family was back again, in their one of their favorite places—Arundel; with rabbits to visit, a mansion to explore, gardens to write in, and a cozy cottage to bake brownies in. Jane breathed the sweet air in deeply. Ah, she could already smell them.

Jane smiled hugely as she watched Rosy throw open the door after finally gaining possession of the key from Hound, who promptly ran inside, trailing dirt behind him.

This was going to be the best vacation yet.


Gonna get interesting rreeaaall soon!

You know what your conscience is telling you: So review and tell me what you think!

Action and drama coming soon I promise! Xoxo ~Shastafire