Aaaaannnnnddddd - Chapter Seven is rolling and ready to go. Once again, thank you for the reviews. Jeffrey's point of view in this chapter is very short - I apologise - but I'll definitely do his POV again and in a much longer length.

Question of this update: What are y'all dressing up as for Halloween? I'm going as a cross between a gypsy and a pirate - I was sort of inspired by the influence of going as a female Jack Sparrow. I have the bandanna thing going, along with kickass boots and countless bangles. I'd go for the smudged eyeliner Johnny Depp always rocks, but my makeup skills are non-existent :/

Disclaimer: All rights go to Jeanne Birdsall. I own only my OCs and the plot.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Jeffrey Feels Like A Creepy Stalker

"Hello!"

Rosalind stepped into Nova's caravan, brandishing a tray of pineapple upside-down cake. "I come bearing an offering," she said cheerfully. "What are you up to?"

"Not much." The door shut with a snick. "Just being productive – I'm about to receive my master's degree at procrastinating soon."

After the night of the glitter pool, the Penderwicks had basically slid themselves into Nova's life like a neat filing slot. She didn't seem to mind, opening her caravan up to all of them twenty-four hours a day.

Rosalind herself liked to pop in during tea time to have a nice, girly chat with Nova – Nova was an extremely easy person to talk to. She listened carefully, gave in her honest input and there was just something about her easy-going, witty persona that made her such a good conversationalist. Skye would drop by to ask for exploring tips – which hidden path should she go down next, which secluded spot was the best for a great binoculars-slash-telescope session, etcetera.

Batty would come by as well with Hound to curl up on a pile of downy pillows. What they did with Nova, Rosalind had no idea, but she suspected Batty liked to dress Hound up in Nova's impressive collection of clothes – she'd spotted feather boas being rampaged and flung into the air while insistent barking resonated against the caravan walls.

Even Jeffrey and Tommy stopped by on occasion. Jeffrey had lugged his clarinet case over one afternoon, much to everyone's amusement, and Rosalind knew – she just knew that Tommy liked coming over because of the special edition Captain America cards Nova was safekeeping for one of her carnival friends.

Out of all of them, however, Jane spent the most time over at Nova's. She would plonk herself down inside the caravan with her notebook at hand and stay there for hours to the end. Rosalind had walked in on one of their sessions where Jane had been shooting Nova rapid fire questions about gypsies, their lifestyle, and if Nova had any other gypsy friends, could she possibly introduce Jane to them. Rosalind half-expected Nova to get fed up of Jane after a while – Nova hardly ever talked about herself – but Nova seemed to be fine with talking about her friends, as long as the topic never centred onto herself. She patiently answered question after question until Jane ran out of ammunition.

(Jane had also appeared at the dinner table with newly ruffled hair and thin braids, but everyone – even Skye – pretended not to notice.)

Nova clattered around the kitchen bar. "Hot chocolate?"

"Yes please." Rosalind stretched out onto a green beanbag, nestling her head into a furry cushion contentedly. "Oh, Nova, your caravan is by far the cosiest place I've ever set foot in."

And it was true. Mismatched furniture filled the caravan, colourful throws and pillows draped onto every available surface. Thick, plush rugs covered the caravan floor, each a blend of exotic patterns and downy texture. Bits of odds and ends – wonderfully interesting knick knacks decorated the entire place. Dream catchers hung, suspended, twirling in the air, while jars of beach glass positioned on the window ledges let light shine through so the entire caravan was a constant kaleidoscope. Various trunks, some with silky, bejewelled cloths spilling out of them to pool onto the floor, stood tall and proud, tucked into the corners so that not a single one obscured anyone's path. Rosalind loved those trunks, for they were like treasure chests, all made of gleaming mahogany with beautiful carvings.

"Ta-da." Nova plonked down with two mugs, setting Rosalind's down with a clink.

Rosalind studied the mug she was handed, smiling as she realised it was a panda – its handle was a bamboo stick. "Where on Earth did you get this?"

Nova grinned. "The fortune teller in the carnival travelled to Shanghai. It wasn't her first time and she knew I already had Chinese dresses, so she bought me this."

"Ah. Well, this is extremely adorable. She has good taste. Batty would love this."

Nova wrapped her hands around her own steaming mug. "You really are their mother, aren't you?" She said quietly.

Rosalind took a long sip, sighing as the sweet, thick taste of chocolate invaded her taste buds. "Yeah. Have been since I was eight."

"It must get difficult."

"It definitely can," Rosalind agreed. "Especially since – well, excluding Batty, our ages literally come one after another. They never say it, but sometimes I can tell that they want to know why my authority surpasses theirs when I'm only one, two years older."

Nova shook her head. "Not surprising. I wish I had Skye's stubbornness. The way she just refuses to let anybody walk over her… That's a good self-defence mechanism I'd like to have."

Rosalind smiled dryly. "Tell me about it. She got it from our mom. Actually – all of us Penderwicks got it from our mom so we're pretty stubborn. It's in our blood to be steely. Skye just got the biggest dose of it in her genes."

"It's better now, though? I can tell," Nova said. "Skye and Jane don't need constant surveillance anymore and Batty is so, so mature for her age. I was never that smart when I was eight – or as responsible as you were, for that matter – I was still playing with my Barbies."

"It's not the beginning, Nova, it's the end result that matters."

"Someone's wise."

"Well, actually, I think I got that wrong. It's the journey that matters most."

"That sounds so Chinese."

Rosalind glanced down at her mug. "Come to think of it, almost every saying and proverb originates from China."

"The Chinese sure liked to talk a lot."

Rosalind laughed.

Nova dug a fork into the pineapple upside-down cake. "Oh, wow," she closed her eyes. "Rosalind, I swear, if you go on producing desserts like this you could win proper baking prizes."

Rosalind smiled modestly. "I think you mean Jane could win some proper prizes. Her cooking is just improving so quickly she's hands down the best cook out of all of us. She's catching up on my baking skills, you know. Just that other day she was telling me that greasing the pan with leftover mix would help the yeast rise better. I never knew that."

Nova chewed her mouthful thoughtfully. The cake was being quickly devoured. That was one of the things Rosalind liked about Nova – she wasn't a barbarian when eating, of course, but she didn't eat things in delicately small proportions like the popular girls back home. Those girls were constantly fussing and obsessing over weekly diets, always ordering salads, forever picking at their weight. Nova ate like Rosalind did – she just ate.

"They sure do go grow up fast, don't they?"

Rosalind gulped down the last of her hot chocolate. "Don't even get me started on how I'm going to act when they start dating seriously."

"Skye!" Skye turned around to trace the source of the voice. She lifted an eyebrow when she realised Collin was jogging up to her, curls bouncing. She wondered what she was feeling – she wasn't overjoyed at his arrival, but she wasn't particularly unenthusiastic, either.

"Hiya."

"Hi, Collin." She tried for a friendly smile.

"Ooh, not there yet. You look like I'm your overbearing aunt who keeps insisting you wear more pretty dresses and attend more tea parties."

Skye laughed at the absurd image of Aunt Claire lecturing her on how to be more girly. "Ha."

Collin's eyes twinkled. "Much better."

He noticed the equipment she had been lugging around. "What's all this?" He gently prised her tripod stand away from her. "Here, lemme help you with that."

"Thanks. I was just going to do some sightseeing. Nova told me that the fourth clearing after the wishing tree was a good spot." Skye shifted the load in her arms that was threatening to spill. Collin automatically took the box containing telescope lenses from her. His eyes turned hopeful.

She looked at him and sighed. "Well, I guess since you're already helping…"

"Of course I'll accompany you! How could I refuse after you asked so nicely?" Collin began to walk off. "C'mon, I'm pretty sure I know which clearing Nova's talking about."

Skye rolled her eyes and caught up with him, binoculars and telescope clanking against each other. She hurriedly adjusted them – she couldn't afford scratches on her precious babies.

"So… I'm guessing you're all sciency and everything, right?"

"I'm not 'all sciency'," Skye answered, offended. "I'm more mathematical than scientific. Just because I enjoy the lectures Iantha gives on the Big Bang Theory and the fact that I like to read up on how the planets function does not automatically lead to the conclusion that I –" She broke off.

"Yeah? That you?" Collin prompted, grin widening by the passing second. He stopped to help her up a particularly steep bank, but she swatted his outstretched hand away.

Skye growled as she stepped up the bank herself. "Yes, Collin, I am 'all sciency'." No point in explaining she was more astronomical than sciency.

"Good! Because I have a question. Well, Annie has a question, actually."

"Who's Annie?" Skye asked.

"Annie? She's my little sis. Love her to bits. She's got me twisted around her pinkie, though; I'd do anything for her. It's unhealthy, actually."

"Sounds like Batty and Jeffrey," Skye muttered. "How she monopolises him around, I will never know. What's her question? I might not be able to answer it, by the way."

Collin tugged at his collar. "It's kind of embarrassing," he mumbled, tips of his ears turning pink. "She wants to know why mama cows always have milk ready."

Skye snickered. "You're blushing. What's the matter, Collin, not manly enough to discuss the wonders of nature?"

"Stop it! It's not that, right, it's just –"

Skye shook her head. "Such a disgrace, really; males can't talk about breast feeding when they themselves did so during their infancy –"

Collin made a choked sound.

Skye took pity on him. "It's simple, really. Female mammals have mammary glands. It's just natural. Cows always have milk because the farmers are always urging them to have calves."

Collin let loose a breath. "Thank you. Now Annie will stop bugging me whenever she visits me on the job."

"Why don't you know that, anyway?" Skye asked curiously. She ducked underneath some gnarled branches and burst out laughing when Collin smacked straight into them. He groaned, rubbing his face gingerly.

"Seriously," Skye prompted, after he had recovered. "I learned that when I was in third grade. Heck, all of my sisters learned that in third grade."

"I haven't had the best education," Collin shrugged. "I'm the second youngest and I have five other siblings. That's seven children in total, and me mother's only willing to fork out for those who can actually study."

Skye was astounded. Angry, even. Sure, Collin was annoying, but what kind of parent would forgo paying for their child's education? "I don't get it. Are you trying to say your own mother won't pay for school? What kind of –"

Collin's eyes darkened. "Don't. I know what you're thinking, that my mother isn't a good mother. I do go to school. Just – not the best one. In this case, she's not in the wrong. She's being smart and not wasting money on someone who's thick, that's what she's doing."

The gears in Skye's brain clicked. "You have dyslexia, don't you? A severe case?"

"Smart girl," Collin smiled. Skye felt a pang when she realised his smile was self-deprecating. "I know I'm stupid, yeah, you don't need to feel sorry. C'mon, we've reached the spot."

"I –" Skye looked down and realised he was right. They placed the equipment onto the ground carefully. Skye began to set up her telescope, working busily on twisting the correct knobs so that the tripod was at the perfect height.

"Stand here," Skye ordered. Collin put down her binoculars that he had been looking through and came over, looking confused.

"See this?" Skye gestured to a slot on the right corner of her telescope.

Collin stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Yeah."

Skye yanked his hands out. "Don't do that. That's the manual mode to adjust the micro-zoom on the telescope."

"Skye, I don't see where you're going with this –"

"Just shut up and listen for once, okay? See, when you push it up, the objective lens, which is basically the primary mirror, focuses so the eyepiece lens can take the light and spread it out so the image is spread out over our retina –"

"Like a magnifying glass, which is why a small image can look big," Collin said.

"Exactly." Skye gave him a triumphant smile. "This is why this ability to collect light is directly related to the diameter of the lens, which is called the aperture – which is what this slot controls – so generally, the larger the aperture –"

"The brighter the final image," Collin finished off.

Skye turned to look at him. "Don't you ever call yourself stupid again," she snarled. "None of my sisters – not even my father – managed to understand what I just told you without me repeating it at least twice. You ended up finishing my sentences. So don't let me catch you playing the let's all pity Collin card to other people, got it?"

"Got it, boss."

His smile was real this time.

(So was hers, but she hid it as she tossed her head and huffed.)

"Jane!" Jeffrey stuck his head through her bedroom door. "How's the story coming along?"

"Jeffrey!" Jane's head snapped up with such ferocity he felt concerned for her tendons. "Just the man I need! Come, I beg of you, do disperse your natural aptitude for words on me."

Jeffrey swallowed. Sure, he liked to think he was good with words, but was he really? He thought his talents lay only in the musical field. His pathetic attempts at golf had definitely proved that.

Suddenly, Jeffrey thought about an incident that went back a few years. "Jane, are you talking about the time I helped you with your ode to Dominic?"

"Yes! Exactly! Without you, my right hand accomplice, my co-conspirator, I would have run dry on what to write! Well, not really, since I would have thought of something anyway – that's what writers do and my vocabulary is vast – but your easy skill for rhyming definitely helped! And I definitely need help now!" Jane turned her big, pleading eyes on him.

Jeffrey hated it when any of the Penderwick sisters did that. Especially when Batty did that. Just one look at her shining, adoring eyes and he was a goner.

Great, he could hear Skye laughing at him being a big softie. He was going to go crazy. Why was he hearing things? Was a phantom Skye his brain conjured up going to torture him every time he thought of something embarrassing?

"Wait, do you hear that?" Jane craned her head around at lightning speed. Jeffrey winced. "Jane, careful of your neck, you could sprain it –"

"Shh! That laughter! Skye's laughing and none of us have humiliated ourselves! She never does that!"

"I haven't gone crazy!" Jeffrey grinned, realising that Jane could hear Skye's laughter too.

Jane stared at him.

"Ahem. Sorry."

"It's coming from below." Jane shoved her curtains aside and cranked open her window. It didn't budge. "Come on, Jeffrey. A little help here?"

Jeffrey hurriedly crossed the room and strained with all his might. The glass budged open with a gap of an inch.

"Good enough." Jane peeked out, eyes roving around the backyard of the cottage. "Now, where is my sister? If she's been brainwashed by aliens into a happy, dancing blonde –"

Jeffrey snickered. "You know, Jane, Skye is blonde…"

"There!" Jane pointed. Jeffrey decided to humour her and looked in that direction. Collin and Skye ambled out of the footpath Nova had shown all of them. He watched as they worked to shift the huge bundle of branches back into place so the footpath was obscured once more.

"Jane, I don't get why we're doing this. Plus, I feel like a creeper. A stalker. Don't you feel like a creepy stalker?"

Jane rolled her eyes. "Jeffrey, look at the big picture. Isn't it weird?"

"Uh, not really."

"Isn't it weird that not only are Skye and Collin on friendly terms, but the latter is making the former laugh?"

"Uh, not really."

Jane threw up her hands exasperatedly. "I give up."

"No, really." Jeffrey cocked his head to one side. "I don't see why this is that big of a deal. Didn't Rosy tell Skye to apologise to Collin a few days ago? So doesn't that explain why they're both friends now? Friends make each other laugh, right…?"

Jane turned red. "Yeah. You're right. Anyway, I'm busy. Inspiration flowing." She bent over her notebook to begin scribbling once more.

"What about dispersing my natural aptitude –" Jeffrey's eyes softened as he recognised the faraway look Jane acquired. Shutting the door quietly, he went downstairs to find Batty.

(Yes, one of his best friends was an eight year old girl. He was cool, okay?)