After Fern and Alan had enjoyed a quick Sunday brunch, they went to Van's house
and hitched a ride to the hospital with Quinn and Odette.
"I'm surprised April didn't call me," said Odette, who sat in the front passenger seat of the Cooper family Buick as her sister drove. "I didn't know about her accident until you kids told me."
"Yes, well, nobody sees much of her these days," quipped Alan from the back seat. Fern elbowed him coyly.
Odette shifted her long swan neck to and fro, trying to find a comfortable pose--which, as it turned out, was holding her head six inches in front of Fern's face. "Why don't you stick your head out the window?" the poodle girl suggested.
"Too dangerous," Odette replied.
"You should use Van's reward money and buy a convertible," Alan proposed.
"We thought of doing that," said Odette, bobbing her head back and forth in a manner that was starting to make Fern nauseous. "We decided to put it in the college fund instead. But it's not a big deal. I'm a swan, not a giraffe."
They soon arrived at April's hospital room, which was on the sixth floor. Odette and Quinn went inside to greet their friend, while Alan and Fern fell back and hid themselves next to the doorway. Glancing around to make sure they were alone, Fern drew the invisibility stone from her pocket.
"It doesn't look very hard," Alan remarked. "A six-floor drop should be enough to break it."
At April's bedside, Quinn and Odette were talking with the bandaged cat girl, who was sitting up. "Van's about to spend some more time in the hospital," Quinn related. "He needs more surgery on his spine."
"Will he be able to walk afterwards?" asked April.
"Not likely," Quinn answered. "But he'll be in a lot less pain."
"I'm sorry I haven't visited more," said April to the Cooper girls. "I'm busy with school, and I'm working on a project with Augusta, so I don't have much time on my hands."
"If it gets to be too much, you can always travel backwards in time," Odette joked.
April chuckled. "Don't tell me you're starting to believe those stories."
"Of course not," said Odette with a grin.
April sighed with relief. "They're good kids, Fern Walters and Alan Powers. But they think anyone who's associated with Augusta must be trying to blow up the world."
"Yes," Odette responded, "you'd think they would be more trusting of their old friend Sue Ellen."
In the hallway outside April's room, Fern idly tossed the red stone up and down while Alan stared into space with an introspective look.
Finally he spoke. "Fern...I'm not sure if we should do this."
Fern looked at him with an air of incredulity.
"Odette's right," Alan continued. "That's our old friend Sue Ellen in there. We've been treating her like she's a monster from the future who's come to destroy us all."
"But she may not be the Sue Ellen we know anymore," Fern countered. "Her parents were murdered. Things like that change a person."
Hearing voices from outside of the room, April wiggled her cat ears. "Who's out there?" she wondered aloud.
"I think we should give the stone back to her," Alan said to Fern. "It's her property, and besides, we don't know how to use it well enough to..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Fern disappeared.
Alan heard faint footsteps trailing off into the hospital room. She was going through with it. She was more determined than he had imagined...
He burst into the room in time to see the invisible Fern yank a bedsheet from a table and cover herself with it.
"Wh-what the..." stammered Odette in horror. Quinn could only gape in disbelief.
"Fern, stop it!" Alan yelled at the white apparition that was floating to the foot of April's bed.
"Aaaapril Muuuurphy," it groaned, waving its sheet-covered arms. "I am the Ghost of Christmas Past. You must confess your dealings with Augusta." April only glared defiantly.
"This must be some kind of trick," said Odette. "But April Fools was two weeks ago."
"Nobody makes a fool of this April," said the cat girl firmly. "Hand over the stone, Fern."
"Confess...confess..." wailed the hovering phantom.
"Stop clowning around," grumbled Alan, grabbing a corner of the sheet and pulling it away to reveal empty air underneath.
Moments later a window was unlatched and pushed open. Before Alan could reach the spot, Fern materialized, her hand stretched through the window pane; a sapphire glint was visible in her closed fist.
"Okay, this is officially weird," Quinn remarked.
The poodle girl's eyes showed steely resolve. "Either tell us what you and Augusta are planning," she warned April, "or say goodbye to your precious stone of invisibility."
April remained silent. Her hard expression didn't change.
"Please, Fern," Alan urged. "Give her the stone. It belongs to her."
"Not on your life!" Fern snapped, pushing her arm and the stone further out the window. "Thanks to Augusta, I almost had to spend the rest of my life as a two-headed half-boy freak. Whatever she's trying to do now, it has to be stopped!"
Seeing that April and the Cooper girls displayed no interest in saving the stone from Fern, Alan stepped slowly toward the girl.
But not slowly enough.
Fern opened her hand, and the red stone plummeted out of sight.
As April gnashed her teeth in anger, Alan rushed to the window and pushed Fern aside. He saw the stone in the middle of its drop, about three stories down. It fell and fell...and landed in the middle of a bush in a strip of dirt next to the building's wall.
"D'oh!" grunted Fern, slapping her forehead.
"How about that," Alan remarked. "From one fern to another."
It took him only a few minutes to find the undamaged stone among the bush's unruly fronds, and bring it back to April.
"This is a bad idea," Fern insisted.
"It's for the best," said Alan as he dropped the rock into April's palm. "For all we know, she may need it to save her parents."
April wrapped her fingers tightly around the stone, leaned back, and rested her head on the pillow. "Thank you, Alan," she said wearily.
"You're welcome," Alan responded. "But promise me you'll only use your powers for good."
The cat girl nodded slightly.
TBC
"I'm surprised April didn't call me," said Odette, who sat in the front passenger seat of the Cooper family Buick as her sister drove. "I didn't know about her accident until you kids told me."
"Yes, well, nobody sees much of her these days," quipped Alan from the back seat. Fern elbowed him coyly.
Odette shifted her long swan neck to and fro, trying to find a comfortable pose--which, as it turned out, was holding her head six inches in front of Fern's face. "Why don't you stick your head out the window?" the poodle girl suggested.
"Too dangerous," Odette replied.
"You should use Van's reward money and buy a convertible," Alan proposed.
"We thought of doing that," said Odette, bobbing her head back and forth in a manner that was starting to make Fern nauseous. "We decided to put it in the college fund instead. But it's not a big deal. I'm a swan, not a giraffe."
They soon arrived at April's hospital room, which was on the sixth floor. Odette and Quinn went inside to greet their friend, while Alan and Fern fell back and hid themselves next to the doorway. Glancing around to make sure they were alone, Fern drew the invisibility stone from her pocket.
"It doesn't look very hard," Alan remarked. "A six-floor drop should be enough to break it."
At April's bedside, Quinn and Odette were talking with the bandaged cat girl, who was sitting up. "Van's about to spend some more time in the hospital," Quinn related. "He needs more surgery on his spine."
"Will he be able to walk afterwards?" asked April.
"Not likely," Quinn answered. "But he'll be in a lot less pain."
"I'm sorry I haven't visited more," said April to the Cooper girls. "I'm busy with school, and I'm working on a project with Augusta, so I don't have much time on my hands."
"If it gets to be too much, you can always travel backwards in time," Odette joked.
April chuckled. "Don't tell me you're starting to believe those stories."
"Of course not," said Odette with a grin.
April sighed with relief. "They're good kids, Fern Walters and Alan Powers. But they think anyone who's associated with Augusta must be trying to blow up the world."
"Yes," Odette responded, "you'd think they would be more trusting of their old friend Sue Ellen."
In the hallway outside April's room, Fern idly tossed the red stone up and down while Alan stared into space with an introspective look.
Finally he spoke. "Fern...I'm not sure if we should do this."
Fern looked at him with an air of incredulity.
"Odette's right," Alan continued. "That's our old friend Sue Ellen in there. We've been treating her like she's a monster from the future who's come to destroy us all."
"But she may not be the Sue Ellen we know anymore," Fern countered. "Her parents were murdered. Things like that change a person."
Hearing voices from outside of the room, April wiggled her cat ears. "Who's out there?" she wondered aloud.
"I think we should give the stone back to her," Alan said to Fern. "It's her property, and besides, we don't know how to use it well enough to..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Fern disappeared.
Alan heard faint footsteps trailing off into the hospital room. She was going through with it. She was more determined than he had imagined...
He burst into the room in time to see the invisible Fern yank a bedsheet from a table and cover herself with it.
"Wh-what the..." stammered Odette in horror. Quinn could only gape in disbelief.
"Fern, stop it!" Alan yelled at the white apparition that was floating to the foot of April's bed.
"Aaaapril Muuuurphy," it groaned, waving its sheet-covered arms. "I am the Ghost of Christmas Past. You must confess your dealings with Augusta." April only glared defiantly.
"This must be some kind of trick," said Odette. "But April Fools was two weeks ago."
"Nobody makes a fool of this April," said the cat girl firmly. "Hand over the stone, Fern."
"Confess...confess..." wailed the hovering phantom.
"Stop clowning around," grumbled Alan, grabbing a corner of the sheet and pulling it away to reveal empty air underneath.
Moments later a window was unlatched and pushed open. Before Alan could reach the spot, Fern materialized, her hand stretched through the window pane; a sapphire glint was visible in her closed fist.
"Okay, this is officially weird," Quinn remarked.
The poodle girl's eyes showed steely resolve. "Either tell us what you and Augusta are planning," she warned April, "or say goodbye to your precious stone of invisibility."
April remained silent. Her hard expression didn't change.
"Please, Fern," Alan urged. "Give her the stone. It belongs to her."
"Not on your life!" Fern snapped, pushing her arm and the stone further out the window. "Thanks to Augusta, I almost had to spend the rest of my life as a two-headed half-boy freak. Whatever she's trying to do now, it has to be stopped!"
Seeing that April and the Cooper girls displayed no interest in saving the stone from Fern, Alan stepped slowly toward the girl.
But not slowly enough.
Fern opened her hand, and the red stone plummeted out of sight.
As April gnashed her teeth in anger, Alan rushed to the window and pushed Fern aside. He saw the stone in the middle of its drop, about three stories down. It fell and fell...and landed in the middle of a bush in a strip of dirt next to the building's wall.
"D'oh!" grunted Fern, slapping her forehead.
"How about that," Alan remarked. "From one fern to another."
It took him only a few minutes to find the undamaged stone among the bush's unruly fronds, and bring it back to April.
"This is a bad idea," Fern insisted.
"It's for the best," said Alan as he dropped the rock into April's palm. "For all we know, she may need it to save her parents."
April wrapped her fingers tightly around the stone, leaned back, and rested her head on the pillow. "Thank you, Alan," she said wearily.
"You're welcome," Alan responded. "But promise me you'll only use your powers for good."
The cat girl nodded slightly.
TBC
