The two daughters are disappointed in their new home, but strive to make the best of it. A few houses down, Stan, Kyle, Kenny, and Cartman watched the family move in. Kenny is excited about new girls in South Park, while Cartman nearly blows a gasket when he realizes it is a family of hippies.
It was yet another sunny day in South Park. It seemed like all of the kids, young and old, were taking advantage of the beautiful day. It was, after all, the final weekend of summer before school would start back up again. Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Eric Cartman all were walking briskly through town, heading to pick up Kenny McCormick from his house. Every once in a while, a car would pass by and familiar faces inside would wave to them. It happened so often, that it became a habit for the boys to automatically wave the second they heard a car coming. They heard a vehicle coming from behind them and simultaneously held up their hands in greeting. Their hands lingered in the air longer than normal as they realized they did not recognize the vehicle or the people inside. The boys exchanged confused glances; it wasn't very often that people visited their quiet town. The expression on Cartman's face worried Stan and Kyle. Being the super best friends they were, they understood the other's thoughts without even having to verbalize. Cartman glared after the bulky vehicle, his fists clenched.
"Guys… Did you see what kind of vehicle that was? Did you see what the people inside looked like?" Cartman stopped walking, staring down the now-empty road. The other boys paused as well and stared at Cartman. As used to his temper tantrums as they were, they still braced themselves. At least by now they knew what to expect.
"Damn hippies!" Cartman shook his fists in the air. "I ridded them years ago from this here town! There should be no more smelly hippies!" Stand and Kyle sighed before continuing on. They would have to listen to Cartman complaining about this all day long. At least maybe he will not make any cracks about Jews today, Kyle thought, frowning.
"Dude, they're probably just passing through," Stan tried reassuring Cartman. "Let's just hurry up and get Kenny." Cartman followed behind the two super best friends, mumbling to himself about how much he hated hippies, with their drum circles, their desire to save the earth and their bad hygiene. The scenery changed drastically as they entered the bad part of town. The houses on both sides of the street were all in terrible condition, some worse than others. Torn up couches sat in some front yards; others were decorated with rusty car parts. Yards were overgrown with weeds and shingles were falling off of the roofs. The boys had almost made it to the McCormick house when they saw their friend sitting in his yard, facing one of the better-looking homes on the street. Just as Kyle was about to call out to see what he was doing, he spotted something that made him nervously glance at Cartman. Parked on the cracked driveway of the house across and over from the McCormicks was a baby blue Volkswagen van.
"God dammit!" Cartman yelled, squeezing the rim of his nose in exasperation. Their orange clad friend turned to wave at them as they got closer, and then pointed towards the house. The three boys stood next to Kenny, who was still sitting Indian style on the ground. Looking up at them and still pointing, muffled words came from inside his hood.
"Look, new people! And guess what – there are girls! Woohoo!" He had yet to get a good view of the new neighbors, but was still excited about the fact that they had two daughters around the same age as him and his friends. While Kyle and Stan became a little more interested, Cartman still had a look of disgust on his face.
"Keeny, are you aware of what you are looking at?" A chuckle and a short muffled sentence came from the orange mass below him. Cartman was not pleased by Kenny's response.
"Ack! No, Keeny! They are filthy, stinkin' hippies!" His shrill exclamation made Kyle and Stan cringe. Kenny simply shrugged and stood up, brushing dead grass off the back his pants in the process. The new people had only made a brief appearance before stepping into their new home. Of course, they were already inside before the three boys arrived. Cartman had no interest in seeing what they looked like, but Stan and Kyle were quite curious. After all, new faces seldom moved into South Park.
One thing was certain: the girls were certainly not expecting their new home to be so worn down. As the blue van pulled into the weather-damaged driveway, the laughter and smiles disappeared. Their father, known by the name River Spirit, let out a sigh of relief and turned the vehicle off. He looked towards his beautiful companion, and in turn, both of them turned to meet the confused looks on their daughters' faces.
"This is our new home?" the eldest daughter asked with a hint of uncertainty. She brushed her wavy blonde hair out of her face. She could tell what her parents were thinking, just by their expressions. She sighed and nodded, acknowledging that she knew perfectly well that they were lucky to even have a roof over their heads. Without saying another word, she grabbed ahold of the van door and pushed it open. The door protested with a creak. She hopped out and started towards their new home. The exterior paint was peeling off in places and the shutters, faded from the sun, were hanging crooked in a few of the windows. Some of the shingles from the roof had fallen off and were scattered around the yard. Lost in thought about the house, she was not aware that her mother was trying to talk to her.
"Sun, honey, here is the house key." The eldest daughter, named Sunshine Jade for her golden hair and emerald eyes, smiled a little and took the key. Nervously, she turned the key in the lock. The door swung open. They were welcomed by the stale scent of water from leaks and the pungent smell of mothballs. Her mother, Daisy Meadows, scrunched up her nose.
"Oh dear! I think we need to open a few windows to air this place out!" She flitted around from window to window, opening them up to let in the fresh mountain air and let out the stench of a house that had been closed up for too long. Despite the basic carpet stains and the peeling wallpaper, the interior of the house was not in too horrible of shape. While their mother frantically tried to freshen the house up a bit, the two daughters decided to claim their room. It did not take them very long to round the house, since it was only made up of two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen, and the living room. The girls decided that the room next to the front door would be perfect for them. It was in close proximity to the living room and kitchen (which were combined to make one large area separated by countertops), leaving their parents' room to be on the other side of the house. The family reconvened in the living room once more. River smiled feebly at everyone. As worn out as he was, there was still a lot of work to be done.
"Alright, gang, let's get started!" Clapping his hands as if to seal the deal, he led his family back outside. Even though their home was not magnificent, seeing the large pine trees and the green mountains in the distance made up for it. As the eldest daughter looked around in a haze, her eyes stopped at a house across the street. There was a group of boys standing in the yard, just staring at her and her family. Her younger sister stopped beside her, also looking at the group of boys. Why were they watching them so intently? One of the boys, clad in all orange, waved enthusiastically at the two sisters. Seconds later, he was punched in the arm by the heavier-set boy standing next to him.
"Autumn?" the older sister turned to the younger. "What do you think they are standing there for?" Autumn Smiles, named for her cheerful disposition and birth season, just shrugged and began to help unload the van.
"Don't worry about it, Jade." She shoved a box into her sister, derailing her train of thought. With a shake of her head, Jade grasped the box and headed back towards the house. She looked over her shoulder back at the boys, a peeved look on her face. She felt like they were already judging her and her family without even knowing them. All of a sudden, dread fell over her like a thick blanket. What if things would not change after all? What if the other kids would not accept her? What if the move was all in vain? The girl sighed. Only time would reveal the answers to her questions. For now, there were more important issues on hand.
Returning back to the van, her and her sister helped their parents carry in a mattress. They were now to the larger furniture items, which meant they were almost done carrying everything inside. In no more than a few more hours, everything would be settled in. Jade wiped sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand, gazing over their possessions. One good thing about her parents was that they believed material items were of no importance and corrupted the inner being. Because of that, they traveled lightly. It would not take very long to put everything away. Tired and sore, she pressed on. It was only a matter of time before she would be able to lie down and slip into Dreamland.
