Chapter 7 : The Specimen
Over the past few weeks Lottie was becoming worried about her family. Her mom was out in Santa Carla all the time at a new job and it was starting to make the twins suspicious and Effie's health was deteriorating. Effie never had the energy to do anything anymore, she was slacking on chores and was going out less and less with her and Sam. For a while Lottie thought that Effie was avoiding Sam's house because the tension between her and Mike was worse than ever for some unknown reason. It was like Effie, all at once, never wanted to talk about Mike anymore. Maybe she was just fed up with it all.
Lottie was left trying to keep the peace. Picking up her sister's work around the house and trying to keep Sam and Lucy from coming over to check up on her. Luckily, Tracey and Effie had been arguing less, mainly because Tracey was never around, but because Effie was just too tired to be her usual detective self.
Lottie brought up some coffee into Effie's room one afternoon to try and wake her up.
"C'mon Effs, you love your coffee!" Lottie said sitting on Effie's bed as she was laid flat out on her stomach. Effie just mumbled.
"Thanks, but it's not working anymore. Has mum gone out to work again?"
"Yeah she will be gone for a while I guess. We should have some fun for once though, it's been a week since you saw Sam. Mum and I had a great game's night with him and his mom on Friday, should have been there. They all missed you." Lottie said cheerfully hoping it would peck her sister up, which it did a little.
"Really? They actually wanted me there that bad they said they missed me?" Effie looked at her sister in disbelief.
"You don't realise how out of it you've been lately, Effs. You were always around with your jokes and stuff. It's been obvious you haven't been yourself. Even Mike asked how you were doing, he said you should see a doctor because you look like you haven't been sleeping." Lottie said rubbing Effie's back.
Effie sat upright.
"Did he now?" She said annoyed, "well that's nice of him, isn't it?" Effie said sarcastically but it didn't come across the way it usually does because of how drained she was. Lottie didn't even catch on.
"It really is when you think about how much you two don't get along." Lottie smiled, "maybe he's taking the first step in trying to make amends?"
Effie snorted at the remark, "I guess so." She said bluntly, acknowledging that he was really trying to apologise the other day.
"You sure you don't want to do something with me and Sam today?" Lottie asked softly, more like a mother would.
"I'm sure. I need to sleep." Effie said laying back on her bed
Lottie got up and left her sister to rest. This wasn't normal for Effie, she was usually the life of the party and it wasn't nice at all for Lottie to see her this way; all quiet and disinterested. She needed to do something so she picked up the phone and rung Sam.
"Hello?" Sam said in his usual boyish tone on the other end of the line. He was always the first to pick up the phone, Lottie thought.
"Hey, it's Lotte again." She said happily
"Who else would it be?" He laughed
"True. Listen, I need to do something for Effs. Her moping around the house is killing me. I need to try and come up with a plan to get her having some fun before she wastes away." Lottie said spilling her concerns to Sam, whom was weirdly a good listener, despite not being good at words himself.
"I'm sure we can think of something. Did you have anything in mind?" Sam said brightly
"Well, she still refuses to come out so we'll have to bring something in. Like, maybe you could get the Frogs to come over here. I know I've been keeping your family away for a while but I'm getting to the end of my tether here. She needs to do something. Besides, she does get along with Edgar." Lottie said hopefully.
"I'm pretty sure I could get the Frogs to come over to yours if I explain the situation. They could bring some comics for her or something." Sam said in deep thought, thinking was so hard for 17 year old boys. "I'll give them a call and let you know." Sam said.
"Sure, talk to you later."
Luckily the Frog brothers were available to come over that night. Must have finally got their parents to wake up and run the store, Lottie thought. She didn't think the Frog's would come on such short notice with their dedication to the comic book store being priority, they must be worried.
That day dragged with the evening rolling around. Tracey had come back from work but decided to go around to the Emerson's to keep Lucy company. Perfect, Lottie thought. She went upstairs to wake Effie up.
"Effiieeee, guess who's coming over." Lottie said knocking on her sister's door. But there was no response, which surprised Lottie because as soon as she mentioned anyone coming over nowadays Effie was moody about it and always protested. She opened the door a crack and could see Effie in a deep sleep and she knew there was no way she was waking her up unless she wanted to be killed. She wondered downstairs to ring Sam and cancel the plans but the plans were already in motion when a heavy, urgent knock at the door was heard. Lottie ran over to open it.
"Guys?" She said as she saw Sam trying to drag Edgar and Alan away from the house.
"Where is she?" Edgar said, ignoring Sam's tugs.
"Guys, I told you it's not what you think you need to cut it out!" Sam protested.
"What's going on?" Lottie asked confused.
"We need to see the specimen before we can do anything to help you." Alan said in his usual monosyllabic tone and dead pan face.
"Specimen? Is that what we are calling her now," Lottie laughed, oblivious, "She's in a really deep sleep right now so you guys will have to be quiet."
"Perfect. Move out." Edgar said barging into the house.
"Wait god damnit!" Sam said running in after them.
Lottie shut the door and ran up the stairs after the boys afraid her sister would seriously kill her not only for inviting them around but for letting them barge into her room without warning. The Frogs were opening every door upstairs to try and find Effie.
"It's a real shame, I was starting to warm up to her," Edgar said to Lottie as he ran past.
"What's a shame? She's only been more tired recently" She asked Sam as he was the only one who seemed to see that the Frog brothers were acting more weird than usual.
"Specimen located!" Alan whispered loudly to the group as they opened the door and started sneaking in.
"You can't go in there, seriously! She'll kill me!" Lottie said worrying for her own safety.
Edgar looked over his shoulder, "She'll kill us all if you don't let us do our jobs."
"What the fuck?" Lottie said to Sam who was at a loss for words at this point.
"I just told them she wasn't sleeping at night and really tired through the day and that was why she didn't want to hangout and stuff but then they went crazy and came over like straight away on their bikes and – "Sam said frantically to Lottie with his hands on her shoulders, trying to distinguish how she would react to what he was about to tell her, but he was cut off.
"Why are they carrying pieces of sharp wood?" Lottie said worriedly as she followed them into Effie's room.
"This isn't a real specimen!" Alan said in anguish as Lottie walked into the room.
"Sam, you fucking liar, she looks fine." Edgar grunted turning on Sam.
Lottie's heart dropped as she saw Effie was wide awake and sat up right in a freakish shock at the sight in her room.
"Oh, Effie, you're awake now!" Lottie said laughing nervously, then she got even more confused, "Why are there bulbs of garlic on your bed?" She asked curiously
"Maybe because tweedled fucking dum and dee decided to launch them at me whilst I was asleep." Effie shot back with venom in her voice, she hated being woken up. Lottie turned to the boys slowly, really confused now.
"Why did you throw garlic bulbs at my sister?" She asked quietly, Sam and the Frogs just looked back and forth to each other realising the mistake that was made. "And why did you bring pieces of wood?" Lottie pointed to them.
"Barbeque!" Sam said loudly, "We came over to have a barbeque,"
"With sticks of wood and whole bulbs of garlic?" Lottie asked as if they were crazy, she crossed her arms eyeing all of the boys up but she was quicker to believe than her sister. And in her heart, she knew Sam would only want to help and if this was the crazy way the boys were trying to help then who was she to refuse it in her desperate hour.
"I like garlic," Effie said tiredly
"Well then I guess we are having a Barbeque." Edgar said with a spring in his voice, which was unusual; Effie thought. Edgar and Alan always seemed miserable and self-contained but maybe they enjoyed a good barbeque. Or maybe Edgar was just pleased to hear Effie liked garlic.
"It's a nice idea, boys, but you didn't come very prepared," Lottie laughed as the boys started relaxing a little. Effie was definitely suffering from sleep deprivation if she didn't even have the gusto to question what just happened.
"Do you even have a barbeque?" Alan asked plainly
"No actually," Lottie said sadly, "We can still have dinner though with the…lovely garlic bulbs you so kindly brought over." Lottie said still hesitant at the boy's idea of what a barbeque entailed.
"Let's get cooking then!" Sam said a little too enthusiastically as he practically shoved the Frogs out of Effie's room with Lottie and Effie following behind.
The Frog brothers, to no one's surprise, were not very good in the kitchen. A lot of shoulder shrugging and frustration took place as they tried to figure out how to cook. Sam at least knew how to chop things and put them in a pan but most of the organisation was down to Lottie. Effie sat at the table with her head in her hands trying not to fall asleep. Edgar walked over to Effie after giving up trying to be a chef.
"You're lucky we're even trying to cook for you," Edgar said as he sat down in frustration. Effie rolled her eyes.
"You think I'm lucky every time you bless me with your presence," Effie shot back, worn out.
"Well you wouldn't know cos you haven't been around, I've been waiting on ya for two weeks to pick up that comic I got for you." Edgar said mildly annoyed
"The one you huffed and puffed about ordering for me that I paid for? I'm not letting you take the credit for that," Effie said laughing a little at the guts Edgar had to make out he had done her a huge favour. "Besides, you said you could order in anything so you're only doing your duty as a store assistant"
"Yeah, well" Edgar hesitated, "if it were any other chick I would have kept it for myself but you have an eye for comics so I'll let you off,"
"You're not used to people in general, obviously" Effie said
"So, I never got out much. Never been anywhere but here with my comics, didn't need people." Edgar shrugged.
"Everyone needs people. I know you have your brother but life is bigger than that."
"Well there is a lot you don't know that I do know," Edgar said with regret
"Like what?" Effie questioned.
Edgar cursed himself in his own head for slipping up yet again. His conversations with Effie were always competitive and full of fun back and forth that he sometimes forgot to keep an eye on what he was saying.
"About Santa Carla, just trust me on that one." Edgar said slyly
"I'll have to, trying to get anything out of you is trying to get blood from a stone. You're so stubborn." Effie laughed.
"Stubborn is a good thing around here." Edgar said.
He really did want to be honest with Effie as time went on since she moved to Santa Carla but the reality was so big to face. Not only that, his trust with Sam would be on the line and Sam was his first true friend, aside from his brother. Effie was right, everyone needs people. Edgar just didn't realise it until she moved here. But he had to stop himself from getting too close to her otherwise he knew he would want her to know. He couldn't be as close to her as he wanted and it would actually bother him to see Effie try so hard to get through to him, to get something out of him whether it was answers to her question or getting to know him as a closer friend, he just had to take those steps back. He knew they bounced off each other and had fun but it was shit to see a block put on that friendship with the secrets held from her.
"Shut up, Ed. I'll pick up the comic when I have the time," Effie said
"So, you'll drop by with Sam and Lottie for once?" Edgar said a little hopeful
"Sure," Was all Effie managed to say.
End of chapter 7
