Previously on Summer's Mysteries:
"Like, sure thing. We'll, like, be right over, man," Shaggy said, hanging up. Walking back over to the couch, Shaggy went on, his hands placed on his hips accusingly, "Well, buddy, it appears you have spoken too soon. Mystery Inc. is now officially solving summer mysteries."
After a tiresome match between the two camps, Velma and Fred both were proud to say they were one of the many to fall ungracefully into some rather large piles of mud. And Velma was proud to say that she and her team had been victorious through that all.
Daphne smiled, satisfied, when Charity was finished. "Groovy," she stated happily, walking towards the entrance of the store, already fingering her credit card.
"Daphne, could you come in here, please," the redhead heard her mother say from the inside of her bedroom. She had just finished shopping for the day and was proudly inspecting her newest treasures. So, naturally, she was a little disappointed to be called away from one of her favorite hobbies.
With a sigh, Daphne walked out of the room, completely moving around her bed and dresser with amazing ease seeing as how she was wearing heels on carpet. Not many could master that amount of grace at her age. But, what could she say? She's had many years of practice.
Coming to her parents' room, Daphne knocked on the painted white door. Within moments, the muffled voices she had heard within had ceased and someone had opened the door. Her mother's lovely face greeted her. Cecilia Blake had always been incredibly beautiful, what with her long, flawless red hair that she had given to her daughter, and her big blue eyes that had always been accented with skillfully applied makeup. And, Cecilia had always worn a smile upon her pretty face…a genuine smile.
The difference between that Cecilia and the one Daphne was seeing now was the fact that the smile upon the older woman's face seemed almost forced.
"Daphne, darling," she gushed, like a mother always would, "Lovely to see you. How was your shopping, dear?"
"It was delightful mother," Daphne said, showing her perfectly white straight teeth when she smiled. The relationship Daphne shared with her parents was unusual. She hardly ever saw them and when she did, strained conversations usually ensued. The tight and polite dialogue between she and her mother was always especially frequent. Their fashion sense, love for social gathering and similar looks were the only things they had in common.
Cecilia led Daphne into the large, spacious room. Immediately, Daphne spotted her father sitting at the painted oak desk, looking through papers while talking on the phone. He smiled at Daphne, waving slightly, "Well…yes, thank you, Dad. Alright…yes, two day. Alright…See you then." With that, he hung up, turning fully to face Daphne and his wife.
Daphne sat on the bed, her weight shifting slightly when her mother sat next to her. "You were talking to Grandfather?" Daphne asked, smiling.
Her father nodded, clearing his throat a little nervously. He exchanged looks with her mother, an act not at all lost to Daphne. She raised one of her perfectly plucked eyebrows in question and asked, "So…" she trailed off, looking both her parents in the eye. Titling her head, she asked, "You wanted to see me?"
Cecilia began nodded and clapped her hands together, placing them on her lap. "Daphne…something's come up with your father's business…I'm afraid we'll have to cut this vacation short."
Daphne's shoulders slumped disappointedly, "But I haven't even gotten the chance to finish up the shops yet," she objected.
"I know, dear, I know," her mother patted her shoulder sympathetically.
"So, when are we going home?" Daphne asked, staring down at her feet.
"That's the problem, Daphne," her father began, standing up to pace the large room, "I've made plans with our pilot to take your mother and I to Finland for a few months…shipments of our products traveled to wrong places and-,"
Daphne held up her hand to stop her father's explanations. She never liked to hear about his business…it really bored her. But, something else in her father's rambling caught her attention as well, "Wait…Daddy, you know I don't like Finland…I'm not going," she stated stubbornly, folding her arms across her chest.
Her father nodded, "I know, I remember you're not…fond of Finland."
"So…where am I going to go?" Daphne asked, "Am I just returning back to Coolsville?"
"You can't," her mother said, "We've given the hired help time off while we were here. There'd be no one at the mansion but you."
"What about Jenkins and Charity?" Daphne pointed out.
"This is there time off as well, Daphne. Before we left, we gave them vacation time as well…they asked if they could accompany us to France, seeing as how they don't really have any family to go visit for all that time."
"Well, where are they going now?" asked Daphne.
"We're letting them come to Finland with us as well," supplied her father.
"Well, where am I going to go?!" Daphne exclaimed.
"To Grandfather's camp," Cecilia answered simply.
The atmosphere in the room thickened with tension. Daphne's mouth dropped and her parents stared at her like she was a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. No body said anything for a few moments.
Finally, Daphne's mouth started to move and said softly, "A…a camp? You want me to go to a camp?"
"Daphne, honey, you're too young to stay at the estate by yourself…and we have no where else to send you since you don't like visiting Finland." Her mother reasoned.
"They make you wear those…those cotton t-shirts at camps. Mother!" Daphne exclaimed. Surely her mother, the Queen of Fashion, wouldn't put up with that.
"Oh, Daphne, you know your Grandfather wouldn't make you wear something you didn't want to," her father said.
"I'd like that written in stone, Daddy," Daphne stated with her nose up in the air.
Her parents exchanged looks again and her father finally said after a moment, "Daphne, princess, do you remember asking me to buy you and your friends a car?"
Daphne lowered her nose and looked at him, "Yes," she answered.
"After we return from Finland, and you're back from camp…we'll take you to a car shop and you can pick out any one you want," her father suggested.
Any future arguments Daphne would have brought up vanished completely. She bit her lip thoughtfully. Well, the gang really dreamed about a car…she knew Fred in particular yearned for one. Maybe a few petty months in a camp wouldn't be too bad…all she would have to do is block out the trauma she was bound to have after swimming in that lake.
Daphne stood up and reached her hand out to her father to shake, "It's a deal." Her father smiled and took her hand while her mother let out a breath she'd been holding.
"Wonderful," her mother said, standing up as well, "I'll go make some more arrangements."
"When do I leave?" Daphne asked as her mother walked out of the bedroom.
"Two days," her father replied, staring out the window to see the beautiful view of Paris before him.
Daphne walked over to another window. She pulled back the lace curtain, opened the window, and bit her lip again, letting the warm air hit her face. What did she see now? Beautifully designed and structured buildings; couples having romantic meals outside in the deliciously delightful atmosphere outside; the Eiffel Tower silhouetted in front of the wondrous sunset like a calming backdrop for a famous painting. What would she see at her Grandfather's camp? Unfashionable clothing scattered around a cabin she'd have to share with many other girls; mosquito bites tainting her usually flawless skin; and Fred…
Smiling, Daphne recalled suddenly that Fred went to the camp…
"Maybe it won't be so bad after all," Daphne whispered into the Paris air.
A/N- It's sorta short...sorry. Anyway, this chapter is all Daphne, then next mostly just Daphne and Fred. Remember, this story focuses around those two. On a side note…Daphne sure does seem like a snob in this chapter, doesn't she? Well, she's not always like that…but think of how you would be like if you grew up being spoiled rotten by your parents. She's usually sweet, but sometimes she let's her stuck-up side show.
Anyway, sorry about the long wait…I really don't have any excuse to give you. Just my apologies. Please review, they're always a delight
To the reviews. Thanks to:
Keira- I'm actually not entirely sure...I guess there's a little of the cartoon and movie characters in each of them. And don't worry, this story is basically the romance of Fred and Daphne. Thanks for the review!
Amber- sorry there isn't going to be much Shaggy and Scooby mystery solving. but thanks for reviewing
BowlingBoy- Teen Titans...one of the best cartoons after Scooby Doo, lol. Thanks!
Eternity15- I hope you had a fun time anyway at your grandma's :-) Thanks for reviewing
Reviewer- Thanks for reviewing! So, you went to camp? Lol, this story may seem a little weird...I've never been to camp, so I don't know too much about activities there and everything.
pickupsticks- Thanks! I'm glad ya like it!
ChO- Lol, more. Thanks for the review!