Chapter ten: Everyone Knows It's Civil Disobedience

Frankie had only just entered her office this Friday morning when she got a phone from Goo, calling in sick. She had been looking healthy enough last night, but what the hey. In all the time she had been working for Foster's as a paid employee, Goo had never taken a sick day yet. She was entitled to have one without Frankie getting too suspicious.

However, this meant that Wilt would have to do some of the chores set aside for Goo today. She went through the list of high-priority chores. On top of it was cleaning up one of the bathrooms after last night's toilet paper war between Bloo, Coco and Scrappy. Then came the mess that Eurotrish and Fluffer Nutter had made in the kitchen when they were baking (or actually, trying to bake) cookies last night. Then the curtains that Frit and Frat had torn up when they were playing Tarzan…Man, she could've sworn that the imaginaries were deliberately tried to behave extra badly last night.

Frankie turned on the caller: "Wilt, please come to my office right away"

She waited for five minutes.

Then ten.

After fifteen minutes, she was getting restless. What was the matter with Wilt? This wasn't like him. As she walked out of her office, Frankie noticed that there were very few Friends to be seen anywhere. Which was odd, because the hallways were usually buzzing with life by now. After looking around for a minute, she finally caught sight of a familiar asparagus-shaped (and ditto colored) Imaginary.

"Jackie, have you seen Wilt today?"

"Ah, yes, he's in the attic"

"What's he doing there?"

"Cleaning up"

I didn't ask him to clean up the attic, Frankie thought. But it wouldn't be the first time Wilt has taken the initiative to clean things up, bless him. But right now she needed him down here. Why wasn't he coming down? Surely he could hear the caller in the attic as well? I'd better go up and have a look...

***

If Frankie had left her office a few minutes earlier, she might have been witness to Eduardo, the big, purple monster Imaginary Friend being pushed across the floor by two smaller Imaginaries, both of whom wore oversized caps.

"I… I don't think I can do it!" Eduardo objected nervously.

"But you promeesed! You canna back out now, Caro!", Eurotrish said.

"Yeah, everyone's countin' on ya, Eddie!", Scrappy exclaimed.

"Besides, you of all people should want to stand up against Madame! After all, she is putting that canaglia giallo in your room!"

"Yeah Eddie, this is peisonal!

The two cap-weares somehow managed to stack the worried Eduardo up in front of the elevator. Then Scrappy ran back to one corner of the hallway.

Eurotrish looked the big, purple Imaginary straight in the eyes. "Now Caro, you now what to do, right?"

"Uh… nothing?

"That's right, you just stand right here and…"

"She's a-comin'!" Scrappy shouted, while running towards them.

"Right, this is it, then!", Eurotrish said quickly. Then she blew Eduardo a kiss as she and Scrappy ran to the other end of the corridor and hid behind a corner there.

As Frankie came walking round the corner, she still wasn't suspecting anything. She stopped right in front next to Eduardo.

"Uh, Eduardo? You're standing in front of the elevator."

The big purple Friend didn't say anything, and didn't move. Frankie looked a little puzzled, but she knew that the big guy could sometimes be a little slow on the uptake.

"And… I need to use the elevator. So could you please move over?" she continued, patiently.

Eduardo stood still.

"Eduardo…" she said, a little less patiently. "I said I need to use the elevator. But I can't use it as long as you're standing in front of it. Please move!"

Eduardo tried to avoid her stare, but didn't move.

"Eduardo" Frankie said, with obvious impatience, "Move away from the elevator!"

Still no reaction. Frankie gritted her teeth.

"EDUARDO!!" she shouted "GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!"

Eduardo was sweating hard, but he didn't move, much to Frankie's surprise. She thought that last outburst would've done the trick.

She took a deep breath. "Fine!" she said and walked away, stomping her feet. "Sooner or later, I'll find out what this is all about…!"

As soon as Frankie was out of sight, Trish and Scrappy came running up to Eduardo, who remained standing still by the elevator.

"You deed it, Caro, you deed it!" Trish exclaimed as she hugged the purple Friend..

"I'm so proud of ya, Eddie!" Scrappy cheered "You didn't move an inch, no matter how much Frankie… uh, Eddie? Are you awright?"

Both Friends noticed that they weren't getting any sort of reaction from the big guy. Eurotrish looked at Edurado's eyes. They were glassy.

"Uh-oh, watch out, bambino!" She said, hurriedly, pulling Scrappy out of the way "I think he's gonna…"

WHAM!!

"… faint"

***

Frankie now tried to take the elevator from the third floor, but One-Eyed Cy was blocking it. And just like Eduardo, he didn't move nor talk, no matter what she said to him. Before she reached the fourth floor – only to find Jambalaya blocking the elevator door there – she knew the Imaginaries were plotting something. Before she reached the fifth floor - only to find Mr. Edmonton blocking the elevator door there (how many oversized Friends did they have at Foster's anyway? Weren't any of them ever adopted?) – she suspected that even if she made it to the attic, she wouldn't find Wilt there. Nevertheless, she walked up all the stairs and looked around in the attic. Wilt was nowhere to be seen. But at least now she could honestly say that she had tried to find him there, in case there would be a confrontation. And she had a feeling that there would be one.

When she came back down, she discovered that the friends had somehow managed to get themselves breakfast while she was busy walking up and down the stairs and checking out the attic. The dining hall, which was currently a mess of crumbs, dirty plates and glasses, half-emptied cereal bowls, egg yolks and coffee stains, was empty. Whose turn was it to clean up the dining hall after breakfast today? Frankie went into the hall to have a look the Fair Chores List. Someone had removed it.

After helping herself to a bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee, Frankie began cleaning the table. Then she cleaned up the bathrooms. Then she cleaned up the kitchen, which was now looking even worse than the night before. Then she replaced the curtains. She couldn't help but noticing that everywhere she went, every room and corridor was mysteriously empty. This shouldn't be possible; there were hundreds of friends in the house. How did Wilt manage to organize this? She was certain that he was behind all of it, and she was even more certain that she knew the reason why.

But no Wilt, no Goo, no Fair Chores List and no Friends who could be found even if she had the list, meant she had to do all the housework herself today. And there was plenty to do, because although she hardly ever saw any of the Imaginaries, they were definitely in the house. She could tell because they left a mess everywhere – on the floor, on the bathrooms, in the kitchen and in the dining halls. She didn't go shopping, though. She didn't dare to. If the Imaginaries managed to make a mess like this while she was still in the house, what would they do if she left, even if it was just for half an hour or so? I can't believe I used to do all this work by myself, every day, Frankie thought. She did not miss being Foster's caretaker, that was for sure. It was good being a boss. Not today, of course. But usually, it was

Day turned into evening. The weary and exhausted Frankie noticed that it was nearly six thirty, and time for another important chore: Getting the toddler Friends to bed. However, as she was about to enter the nursery, she couldn't help but overhearing a familiar voice from inside:

"And then she shouted: 'Move away!' But I didn't move an inch!"

There was a choir of "Oooohs" and "whoas" coming from the toddlers.

Eduardo! Was he…?

"And now Madame Foster was really mad, and she yelled at my face 'GET OUT OF THE WAY , EDUARDO, GET OUT OF THE WAY!!'"

Yes… He … Was! Frankie felt that she ought to be furious, but deep down, she reluctantly admired Eduardo just for having the sheer nerve to do this. Even from the other side of a closed door, the noise of the toddler friends screaming in terror and delight was overwhelming now.

"But I didn't move! No matter how angry she got, I didn't move as much as an inch!"

"It's true! I saw the whole thing!"

That was the voice of Scrappy, who had obviously come along as a witness.

And now the toddlers started chanting:

"Eddie! Eddie! Eddie! Eddie! Eddie"

All right, time to break this up, Frankie thought, abruptly opening the door. The moment the toddlers saw her, they instantly piped down.

"Eduardo?" she said calmly "It's time to go."

Eduardo turned around and looked at her. And for a moment, the big purple Friend did indeed look like he was going to leave. But then he turned around again and remained standing still.

Frankie groaned to herself. She didn't mean to give him an order just now, but Eduardo seemed to think so. He probably thought she was testing him. And if she was, then he wasn't going to fail by walking away with his tail between his legs, not in front of all his little admirers. Frankie sighed deeply. For a moment she considered giving Eduardo and good and long yelling at. That would probably be more than he could take. He'd probably break down and cry and… and be completely humiliated in front of all his little friends, the same friends who right now regarded him as a great hero. No, she couldn't bring herself to do something so mean, not to Eduardo. Didn't he deserve his moment to shine, even at the cost of her authority? Frankie took a deep breath, and said, with the most polite voice she could muster:

"Eduardo, can you please leave now so I can put the toddlers to bed?"

Eduardo smiled happily, nodded and said with a smug voice:

"Why of course, Madame Foster, but only because you asked me so nicely."

As on cue, the toddlers started chanting again:

"Eddie! Eddie! Eddie! Eddie! Eddie"

Frankie was beginning to have regrets already, and as Eduardo walked out the door, she gave him a fierce "Just wait till we're both out of the nursery, you just WAIT!" kind of look. Clearly, Eduardo took the signal, because he gulped, turned around one last time and said to the toddlers:

"Now be good kids and go to sleep when Madame Foster tells you to. There's no need for you to get into trouble because of me." For this, Frankie rewarded him with a slanted smile.

The toddlers did as they were told, and when Frankie left the nursery, only ten minutes later, she wasn't mad at Eduardo anymore. However, she was mad at pretty much everyone else, including herself.

Especially herself.

And she knew what had to be done. This was probably not how Mr. Herriman would've handled the situation, but then, why should she follow Mr. Herriman's example? As she walked down the corridors on the way to her office, she spotted Jackie Khones yet again.

"Jackie!" she cried "Could you tell Wilt that I want to talk to him in my office?"

Jackie turned around and said in his typically nonchalant voice:

"Well Frankie, I'm not entirely sure if I know where he is. But if you make me a BLT sandwich or two, maybe - "

Frankie grabbed the tiny, green Imaginary Friend and shook him vigorously.

"Don't push it, Khones! I'm not in the mood for these games anymore!" she sneered, and pressed Jackie against her face. "Now, I will tell you this as plainly and clearly as I can: GO… GET…WILT! NOW!!"

"Y-yes, ma'am!" Jackie responded nervously. Then he jumped down and and hurried across the floor.

Frankie walked into her office and sat down. All she could do right now, was wait. I hope you've enjoyed you day off, Goo, she thought.

That's what we'll find out in the next chapter. That, and much more! In the meantime, please remember to review!

If anyone wonders, "canaglia giallo" is Italian for "yellow scoundrel". And speaking about Bendy, we're getting back to him as well in the next chapter.