A Twist of Kate
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Rated PG
Kate and Erica belong to me. Everyone else belongs to Craig McCracken.
Author's Notes: This is my response to the recent outpour of Wilt romance / angst fics. I'm sure they're all great, but I thought it was time for a little change.
The story's main character, besides Kate, is Eduardo. I hope you see where I'm going with this...
Now, whenever I write fanfic, I try to keep the characters true to their original designs, so I want to keep the rest of the cast as involved as possible. You'll see a lot of Mac and Bloo, and some great stuff from Wilt, Coco, Frankie, Mr. Herriman, and all the others. I might even squeeze Duchess in, if I see my chance.
Other than that... I hope you like my short story. Enjoy- I always do. :)
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Chapter One: "New Friends"
The Foster's Home was hustling and bustling with activity, as usual. Imaginary friends were running around here and there, doing chores or having fun, whatever the case may be. It was always good to know that there were folks like Frankie and Mr. Herriman to keep things in line.
Of course, not everything was in-order.
A red remote-controlled car zipped down one of the hallways. On top of the car sat Bloo, a mischievious little imaginary friend, controlling the car with the hand-held controls. He squealed happily, delighting in the windy feel against his face.
Quickly, a young boy ran down the hallway after the car. This was Mac, Bloo's creator, and the sane one of the pair. "Bloo!" he cried. "Stop! We're gonna get in trouble!"
Bloo turned his attention away from the hallway and faced the young brown-haired boy. "Well, you DID say you wanted to bring your new toy over and play," he reminded. "Besides, I'm being very careful- I know exactly where I'm-"
"Bloo!" Mac shouted. "Look out!"
The blue blob turned around, realizing too late that he was heading for the stairs. He and the car tumbled down the stairs, each of them earning their own dents and bruises.
Mac ran down the stairs, towards his friend. "Oh my gosh! Bloo!"
After taking a moment to relax, Bloo sat up and brushed himself off. "I'm fine, Mac," he replied, glancing at the car. "Ooh... too bad about the car, though."
Shocked, Mac ran over to the car. "Oh no," he moaned. "I just bought this car, Bloo! Do you know how many weeks' allowance I had to save up to buy it?"
Taking the question too literally, Bloo thought about it. "Um... 20?" he guessed. "22? 23?"
Now Mac was even more frustrated. "This is perfect," he muttered. "I finally get something I saved for for weeks, and it gets broken in less than in hour!"
A tall figure sauntered up to the boy and his friend. "Hey, Mac, Bloo," he greeted, noticing the sad circumstance. "What's wrong?"
With a heavy sigh, Mac sat down and pushed his toy aside. "Nothing, Wilt," he answered.
Upset with how Mac was taking this, Bloo walked over to the tall red imaginary friend. "It's his new toy," he explained. "We were playing with it, and it got broken."
Wilt nodded. "Hey, maybe I can fix it for you," he offered.
Surprised, Mac tilted his head up. "Really?" he asked.
"Sure," Wilt responded, taking the broken toy car in his one hand. "Anything for a friend, Mac."
Mac stood; he would have hugged Wilt if he wasn't so tall. "Thanks!" he said.
A warm smile crossed Wilt's face. "No problem," he replied, taking the broken toy upstairs with him.
Bloo glanced at Mac. "See?" he chimed. "You wouldn't have know that if you never asked!"
The boy gave Bloo a sidelong look. "I shouldn't have to ask," he shot back. "My toy wouldn't have gotten broke in the first place if you didn't ride it around the house like that!"
Without a better comeback, Bloo decided to place the blame back on Mac. "Well, you should have known better," he retorted. "Did you really think you could trust me with a remote-controlled car?"
Before Mac could say anything, the doorbell rang. This drew the attention of some curious imaginary friends, as well as Mac and Bloo themselves.
A large anthro rabbit dressed in Victorian attire hopped over to the door. This was Mr. Herriman, one of the folks who ran Fosters; he was in charge of all the maintenance and paperwork, especially when it came to the adoption of imaginary friends.
Mr. Herriman opened the door. "Welcome to Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends," he greeted. "How may I be of service?"
A young woman with short blonde hair and glasses entered the home. "Um, hi," she responded. "I'm looking for Frankie. Is she around?"
The elder rabbit rolled his eyes. "Is this a personal call, or do you have official business?" he inquired.
Flustered, the blonde girl chuckled. "Oh, yeah, I have business here," she said. "In fact, I came here to drop off an imaginary friend."
All the close-by imaginary friends began murmuring; it was always nice to see someone else welcomed into the Foster's Home. Why did she want Frankie, though?
Nodding, Mr. Herriman hopped over to a loudspeaker and spoke into it. "Miss Frances," he addressed, "your presence is requested in the main foyer. There is a young lady here who wishes to have a word with you."
There was a brief pause. The imaginary friends, including Mac and Bloo, waited in anticipation.
Again, Mr. Herriman spoke into the microphone. "Miss Frances-"
"I'm coming!" Frankie's voice echoed through the hallway.
Finally, Frankie hurried down the stairs. "I'm here," the red-head gasped, catching her breath as she looked up at the blonde girl. "Erica?"
The blonde smiled. "Frankie!" she cried, running over and embracing her friend. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"
Mac wandered over up to the two girls. "Frankie," he said, "you know her?"
Frankie smiled. "Yeah, since high school," she replied. "Erica and I were good friends back then. After high school, I started working at Foster's full time, and Erica went off to college."
Erica nodded. "Hey, Frankie," she began, "do you remember that script I was writing?"
Curious, Frankie gave Erica her full attention. "Yeah?"
With a huge sigh, Erica grinned. "I finally pulled the right strings," she announced. "There's a director who likes my script, and he wants to turn it into a movie!"
Ecstatic, Frankie hugged Erica again. "That's great!" she chimed.
Mr. Herriman sighed heavily. "I don't have time for this," he muttered, turning to Erica. "You said you were here on official business?"
At that moment, Erica's excitement waned. "Oh... yeah," she answered, looking back at Frankie. "Well, with the new job... and all these offers... I was wondering if you could take Kate for me."
To say the least, Frankie was unsure. "Erica?" she queried.
The blonde girl hung her head. "I can't take care of Kate anymore," she explained. "The job is too demanding, and I'll be doing a lot of traveling." She smiled a little. "I want Kate to go to a good home... and what better place to stay, if temporarily, than Fosters?"
Frankie smiled. "We'd be happy to have Kate with us," she said. "Just bring her in, and we'll have someone show her around."
Nodding, Erica looked outside. "Come on in, Kate!" she shouted.
A dog-like creature sauntered inside. She stood on her two back legs, wearing capris and a yellow top. Apart from that, she looked like your average dog; she even had a collar, with a cheap marble-like jewel where a nametag should be. Naturally, she seemed... disinterested.
For one reason or another, Frankie seemed a little confused. "Kate?"
The dog, apparently Kate, said nothing. She sighed and crossed her arms, glancing around the room and yet looking at nothing inparticular.
Erica frowned. "Kate hasn't been taking the news well," she informed. "She hasn't spoken to me this morning, and she was very cold with me the night before." She came closer to Frankie. "See, this is why I wanted to talk to you- I was hoping you and some of the other imaginary friends would break her out of this... mood."
"We'll try, but I can't garuntee any promises," Frankie answered. "So... do you wanna tell Kate anything? Say goodbye, maybe?"
Sighing heavily, Erica knelt down and stared at her imaginary friend. "Kate... I hope you have a good life here," she whispered. "Foster's is a great place to live, and they'll make sure you go to a good home someday. Who knows? Maybe you'll make one child as happy as I was."
Kate could only mutter a growl. She closed her eyes, to avoid looking at Erica.
A tear rolled down Erica's cheek. "I'll miss you, Kate," she murmured, hugging Kate for the last time.
Unmoving, Kate did not return the gesture. She was too upset.
Though hurt, Erica already knew Kate could be fickle. She wiped her tears away, then turned to Frankie. "I'll send you an email once I get settled," she said. "If Kate is still around, be sure to show her too."
Frankie nodded. "I'll do my best," she replied. "Good luck, Erica."
Erica smiled. "Thanks, Frankie," she responded. "Take good care of Kate!" With that, she turned around and left Fosters, with no intention of looking back.
As some of the imaginary friends cleared out and went back to their business, other folks stayed behind to help Kate get settled.
Mr. Herriman spoke first. "Welcome to Fosters, Katherine," he greeted. "Would you like a tour of the facilities?"
At first, Kate did not respond. "No thanks," she finally muttered, wandering over to a nearby chair.
Then, Frankie decided maybe she should step in. "I can give you a tour, Kate," she offered. "Or, maybe you'd like to get settled into your bedroom?"
"I said, no thanks," Kate snapped.
Clearly, Frankie was going to have a few problems with this imaginary friend. "Maybe you'd like to check out the entertainment center?" she inquired. "Or, maybe you want something to drink?"
The dog cocked her eyebrows. "Look," she spat, "if it's all the same to you, I'd rather just be left alone right now."
Frankie sighed. "Fine," she groaned. "Just tell me if you need anything."
Since Mr. Herriman and Frankie did what they could, they left the room and went back to work. That left only two other folks in the room...
Bloo scooted up to Kate. "Hi," he said. "My name's Bloo, and this is my friend Mac."
Kate growled, snarling a little.
Even Mac could tell that this wasn't getting anywhere. "Bloo," he addressed, "maybe we should just leave Kate alone. She looks like she's been through a lot today... and I don't wanna get hurt or anything."
Of course, Bloo wasn't about to listen to the voice of reason. "Would you relax?" he scoffed. "What Kate really needs is some socialization. She's not gonna get any just sitting here!"
Mac glanced up at Kate, clearly ticked off. "Okay," he murmured, "but it's your funeral."
Rolling his eyes, Bloo looked back at Kate. "So, what do you like to do?" he queried. "Do you like race cars? I drove a race car myself this morning; you should have seen how fast I was going! I was like-"
Suddenly, Kate grabbed Bloo, squeezing him between her fingers as he squeaked like a dog toy. "Go away," she barked, tossing Bloo over her shoulder.
As Bloo brushed himself off again, Mac quietly walked over. "I don't wanna say I told you so," he reminded, "but..."
"But nothing!" Bloo interrupted. "We're not done yet- we just need a little help."
At that moment, two more imaginary friends sauntered downstairs. One of them was Wilt, and the other was a bird/airplane/plant creature otherwise known as Coco (since all she ever says is, "coco").
Bloo ran over to the imaginary friends. "Wilt, Coco," he said.
Wilt smiled, as he always did. "Hey, Bloo."
Coco bobbed her head a little. "Coco coco."
Smirking, Bloo gestured to the new imaginary friend. "Have you two met Kate yet?" he inquired.
Mac sighed and shook his head. "Not again," he muttered.
With a wide smile, Wilt held out his hand. "Hi, Kate," he greeted. "My name's Wilt, and I-"
Quickly, Kate glared at Wilt and snarled. She too held out her paw, only in a more threatening gesture.
Shocked, Wilt backed off. "That's okay, that's okay," he assured, turning to Mac and Bloo. "That's not okay. What's wrong with her?"
"Kate is just having a hard time," Mac answered. "I think she needs some time alone, to get adjusted."
Again, Bloo scoffed the young boy. "Come on, Mac," he pressed. "Nothing's gonna help her more than some good old socialization."
Of course, Mac was still not convinced. "Bloo, she looked like she wanted to bite Wilt's other arm off!" he snapped. "If we just leave her alone, maybe she'll calm down and we can talk to her later."
Suddenly, Coco made a brave move and sauntered up to Kate. "Coco, coco coco co," she stated. "Coco coco coco, coco co!"
Kate's ears flickered. "What'd you just say?" she spat.
Coco stared at Kate. "Coco coco co," she said firmly.
Angered, Kate bared her claws. "Is that so?" she hissed.
Nevertheless, Coco stood her ground. "Coco," she growled.
There was silence. No one moved or said a word.
It was then that Kate pounced, in an attempt to attack Coco. She missed and hit the floor, only to realize that Coco (along with Wilt, Bloo, and Mac) were running off.
Normally, Kate would have dismissed it, but she wasn't about to let Coco get away so easily... at least, not without a warning for next time. She stood and followed the friends up the stairs.
Mac glared at Bloo. "See?" he countered. "I told you not to bother her!"
"Relax!" Bloo gasped. "I have a plan!"
The boy was stunned. "You do?"
Bloo nodded. "Yeah," he replied. "I'll tell you as soon as I think of it!"
Suddenly, the group of friends bumped into something... or rather, someone. It was yet another imaginary friend- Eduardo, a giant purple monster-like friend with the mentality of a five-year-old. "Azul, Senor Mac," he addressed in his Spanish accent. "What is it you are running from?"
At that moment, Kate ran down the hallway. "Come here, you chicken!" she barked.
Suddenly, both Eduardo and Kate stepped back in fear. They were afraid of each other!
Fearful, Kate shrieked and ran back down the hallway, hiding around the corner.
Likewise, Eduardo cried and pulled Mac and Bloo close.
Wilt and Coco, who were standing right behind Eduardo, noticed this odd spectacle. Well, now that Kate wasn't chasing them anymore, now they had to figure out how to introduce her to Eduardo.
Of course, Bloo was also quick to notice this. "Wait a minute," he murmured, slipping out of Eduardo's hands. "Kate, this is Eduardo. He's a friend here at Fosters."
Kate shivered in fear. "I'm not going near that thing!" she cried.
After Eduardo calmed down a little, he too realized that Kate was afraid of him. He never liked seeing people so fearful, probably because he knew what that felt like.
Being his usual friendly self, Wilt gestured Kate to come over. "It's okay, Kate," he assured. "Eduardo is nice; he wouldn't harm a fly."
Coco nodded in agreement. "Coco coco co," she said.
That still wasn't enough to convince Kate. She was on all fours, cowering around the corner.
Eduardo knew from experience that Kate wasn't going to come out any time soon; he needed to go to her. "Si, senorita," he responded, slowly (and nervously) walking over. "Esto bueno."
The dog crawled away. "Don't... don't come near me," she threatened (though very unconvincingly). "Don't come any closer... I'm warning you..."
"Kate, it's okay."
Surprised, Kate noticed Mac coming out from behind Eduardo. "Don't worry- there's no reason to be afraid of Eduardo," he explained. "Sure, he looks big and mean, but he's actually one of the nicest friends here at Fosters." He smiled. "Besides, he was just as afraid of you."
Although still afraid, Kate did calm down a bit. She stopped crawling away; she just sat there, cowering in Eduardo's shadow.
Slowly, Eduardo reached his hand out... and patted Kate's head. He never saw her walk upright, and she wasn't going to shake hands with him, so he might as well.
Everyone else waited for a reaction; this time, the prospects seemed hopeful.
After a moment, Kate smiled. She crawled a little closer, and managed to stand up on her hind legs. "Hi," she said, holding out her paw. "I'm Kate."
Eduardo returned the gesture, and soon the rest of them got a chance to really meet Kate. Once she had gotten past her anxieties, she was a nice fun imaginary friend.
As the friends continued talking, Frankie walked up to them in the hallway, en route to another household chore. "Hey, guys," she greeted, noticing Kate in better spirits. "Kate- glad to see you've made some new friends."
Kate nodded. "Thanks," she replied. "In all honesty, I think I'm beginning to like Fosters."
Frankie smiled. "Great," she responded. "See you later." She then remembered something and glanced at Mac. "Oh, Mac- it's getting late. You might wanna go home soon."
With a heavy sigh, Mac sauntered downstairs. "Okay," he murmured.
Once Frankie had left, Bloo followed Mac downstairs. "See?" he chimed. "What'd I tell you? All Kate needed was a little socialization."
Mac scoffed. "Yeah, right," he commented. "Kate wasn't interested in socializing, Bloo. She just needed to calm down a bit; you know, get settled in."
"Oh, sure!" Bloo snapped. "Take credit for the success!"
The boy chuckled a little. "You know, Bloo," he remarked, "something tells me that things are gonna be a little different around Fosters from now on..."
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Rated PG
Kate and Erica belong to me. Everyone else belongs to Craig McCracken.
Author's Notes: This is my response to the recent outpour of Wilt romance / angst fics. I'm sure they're all great, but I thought it was time for a little change.
The story's main character, besides Kate, is Eduardo. I hope you see where I'm going with this...
Now, whenever I write fanfic, I try to keep the characters true to their original designs, so I want to keep the rest of the cast as involved as possible. You'll see a lot of Mac and Bloo, and some great stuff from Wilt, Coco, Frankie, Mr. Herriman, and all the others. I might even squeeze Duchess in, if I see my chance.
Other than that... I hope you like my short story. Enjoy- I always do. :)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter One: "New Friends"
The Foster's Home was hustling and bustling with activity, as usual. Imaginary friends were running around here and there, doing chores or having fun, whatever the case may be. It was always good to know that there were folks like Frankie and Mr. Herriman to keep things in line.
Of course, not everything was in-order.
A red remote-controlled car zipped down one of the hallways. On top of the car sat Bloo, a mischievious little imaginary friend, controlling the car with the hand-held controls. He squealed happily, delighting in the windy feel against his face.
Quickly, a young boy ran down the hallway after the car. This was Mac, Bloo's creator, and the sane one of the pair. "Bloo!" he cried. "Stop! We're gonna get in trouble!"
Bloo turned his attention away from the hallway and faced the young brown-haired boy. "Well, you DID say you wanted to bring your new toy over and play," he reminded. "Besides, I'm being very careful- I know exactly where I'm-"
"Bloo!" Mac shouted. "Look out!"
The blue blob turned around, realizing too late that he was heading for the stairs. He and the car tumbled down the stairs, each of them earning their own dents and bruises.
Mac ran down the stairs, towards his friend. "Oh my gosh! Bloo!"
After taking a moment to relax, Bloo sat up and brushed himself off. "I'm fine, Mac," he replied, glancing at the car. "Ooh... too bad about the car, though."
Shocked, Mac ran over to the car. "Oh no," he moaned. "I just bought this car, Bloo! Do you know how many weeks' allowance I had to save up to buy it?"
Taking the question too literally, Bloo thought about it. "Um... 20?" he guessed. "22? 23?"
Now Mac was even more frustrated. "This is perfect," he muttered. "I finally get something I saved for for weeks, and it gets broken in less than in hour!"
A tall figure sauntered up to the boy and his friend. "Hey, Mac, Bloo," he greeted, noticing the sad circumstance. "What's wrong?"
With a heavy sigh, Mac sat down and pushed his toy aside. "Nothing, Wilt," he answered.
Upset with how Mac was taking this, Bloo walked over to the tall red imaginary friend. "It's his new toy," he explained. "We were playing with it, and it got broken."
Wilt nodded. "Hey, maybe I can fix it for you," he offered.
Surprised, Mac tilted his head up. "Really?" he asked.
"Sure," Wilt responded, taking the broken toy car in his one hand. "Anything for a friend, Mac."
Mac stood; he would have hugged Wilt if he wasn't so tall. "Thanks!" he said.
A warm smile crossed Wilt's face. "No problem," he replied, taking the broken toy upstairs with him.
Bloo glanced at Mac. "See?" he chimed. "You wouldn't have know that if you never asked!"
The boy gave Bloo a sidelong look. "I shouldn't have to ask," he shot back. "My toy wouldn't have gotten broke in the first place if you didn't ride it around the house like that!"
Without a better comeback, Bloo decided to place the blame back on Mac. "Well, you should have known better," he retorted. "Did you really think you could trust me with a remote-controlled car?"
Before Mac could say anything, the doorbell rang. This drew the attention of some curious imaginary friends, as well as Mac and Bloo themselves.
A large anthro rabbit dressed in Victorian attire hopped over to the door. This was Mr. Herriman, one of the folks who ran Fosters; he was in charge of all the maintenance and paperwork, especially when it came to the adoption of imaginary friends.
Mr. Herriman opened the door. "Welcome to Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends," he greeted. "How may I be of service?"
A young woman with short blonde hair and glasses entered the home. "Um, hi," she responded. "I'm looking for Frankie. Is she around?"
The elder rabbit rolled his eyes. "Is this a personal call, or do you have official business?" he inquired.
Flustered, the blonde girl chuckled. "Oh, yeah, I have business here," she said. "In fact, I came here to drop off an imaginary friend."
All the close-by imaginary friends began murmuring; it was always nice to see someone else welcomed into the Foster's Home. Why did she want Frankie, though?
Nodding, Mr. Herriman hopped over to a loudspeaker and spoke into it. "Miss Frances," he addressed, "your presence is requested in the main foyer. There is a young lady here who wishes to have a word with you."
There was a brief pause. The imaginary friends, including Mac and Bloo, waited in anticipation.
Again, Mr. Herriman spoke into the microphone. "Miss Frances-"
"I'm coming!" Frankie's voice echoed through the hallway.
Finally, Frankie hurried down the stairs. "I'm here," the red-head gasped, catching her breath as she looked up at the blonde girl. "Erica?"
The blonde smiled. "Frankie!" she cried, running over and embracing her friend. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"
Mac wandered over up to the two girls. "Frankie," he said, "you know her?"
Frankie smiled. "Yeah, since high school," she replied. "Erica and I were good friends back then. After high school, I started working at Foster's full time, and Erica went off to college."
Erica nodded. "Hey, Frankie," she began, "do you remember that script I was writing?"
Curious, Frankie gave Erica her full attention. "Yeah?"
With a huge sigh, Erica grinned. "I finally pulled the right strings," she announced. "There's a director who likes my script, and he wants to turn it into a movie!"
Ecstatic, Frankie hugged Erica again. "That's great!" she chimed.
Mr. Herriman sighed heavily. "I don't have time for this," he muttered, turning to Erica. "You said you were here on official business?"
At that moment, Erica's excitement waned. "Oh... yeah," she answered, looking back at Frankie. "Well, with the new job... and all these offers... I was wondering if you could take Kate for me."
To say the least, Frankie was unsure. "Erica?" she queried.
The blonde girl hung her head. "I can't take care of Kate anymore," she explained. "The job is too demanding, and I'll be doing a lot of traveling." She smiled a little. "I want Kate to go to a good home... and what better place to stay, if temporarily, than Fosters?"
Frankie smiled. "We'd be happy to have Kate with us," she said. "Just bring her in, and we'll have someone show her around."
Nodding, Erica looked outside. "Come on in, Kate!" she shouted.
A dog-like creature sauntered inside. She stood on her two back legs, wearing capris and a yellow top. Apart from that, she looked like your average dog; she even had a collar, with a cheap marble-like jewel where a nametag should be. Naturally, she seemed... disinterested.
For one reason or another, Frankie seemed a little confused. "Kate?"
The dog, apparently Kate, said nothing. She sighed and crossed her arms, glancing around the room and yet looking at nothing inparticular.
Erica frowned. "Kate hasn't been taking the news well," she informed. "She hasn't spoken to me this morning, and she was very cold with me the night before." She came closer to Frankie. "See, this is why I wanted to talk to you- I was hoping you and some of the other imaginary friends would break her out of this... mood."
"We'll try, but I can't garuntee any promises," Frankie answered. "So... do you wanna tell Kate anything? Say goodbye, maybe?"
Sighing heavily, Erica knelt down and stared at her imaginary friend. "Kate... I hope you have a good life here," she whispered. "Foster's is a great place to live, and they'll make sure you go to a good home someday. Who knows? Maybe you'll make one child as happy as I was."
Kate could only mutter a growl. She closed her eyes, to avoid looking at Erica.
A tear rolled down Erica's cheek. "I'll miss you, Kate," she murmured, hugging Kate for the last time.
Unmoving, Kate did not return the gesture. She was too upset.
Though hurt, Erica already knew Kate could be fickle. She wiped her tears away, then turned to Frankie. "I'll send you an email once I get settled," she said. "If Kate is still around, be sure to show her too."
Frankie nodded. "I'll do my best," she replied. "Good luck, Erica."
Erica smiled. "Thanks, Frankie," she responded. "Take good care of Kate!" With that, she turned around and left Fosters, with no intention of looking back.
As some of the imaginary friends cleared out and went back to their business, other folks stayed behind to help Kate get settled.
Mr. Herriman spoke first. "Welcome to Fosters, Katherine," he greeted. "Would you like a tour of the facilities?"
At first, Kate did not respond. "No thanks," she finally muttered, wandering over to a nearby chair.
Then, Frankie decided maybe she should step in. "I can give you a tour, Kate," she offered. "Or, maybe you'd like to get settled into your bedroom?"
"I said, no thanks," Kate snapped.
Clearly, Frankie was going to have a few problems with this imaginary friend. "Maybe you'd like to check out the entertainment center?" she inquired. "Or, maybe you want something to drink?"
The dog cocked her eyebrows. "Look," she spat, "if it's all the same to you, I'd rather just be left alone right now."
Frankie sighed. "Fine," she groaned. "Just tell me if you need anything."
Since Mr. Herriman and Frankie did what they could, they left the room and went back to work. That left only two other folks in the room...
Bloo scooted up to Kate. "Hi," he said. "My name's Bloo, and this is my friend Mac."
Kate growled, snarling a little.
Even Mac could tell that this wasn't getting anywhere. "Bloo," he addressed, "maybe we should just leave Kate alone. She looks like she's been through a lot today... and I don't wanna get hurt or anything."
Of course, Bloo wasn't about to listen to the voice of reason. "Would you relax?" he scoffed. "What Kate really needs is some socialization. She's not gonna get any just sitting here!"
Mac glanced up at Kate, clearly ticked off. "Okay," he murmured, "but it's your funeral."
Rolling his eyes, Bloo looked back at Kate. "So, what do you like to do?" he queried. "Do you like race cars? I drove a race car myself this morning; you should have seen how fast I was going! I was like-"
Suddenly, Kate grabbed Bloo, squeezing him between her fingers as he squeaked like a dog toy. "Go away," she barked, tossing Bloo over her shoulder.
As Bloo brushed himself off again, Mac quietly walked over. "I don't wanna say I told you so," he reminded, "but..."
"But nothing!" Bloo interrupted. "We're not done yet- we just need a little help."
At that moment, two more imaginary friends sauntered downstairs. One of them was Wilt, and the other was a bird/airplane/plant creature otherwise known as Coco (since all she ever says is, "coco").
Bloo ran over to the imaginary friends. "Wilt, Coco," he said.
Wilt smiled, as he always did. "Hey, Bloo."
Coco bobbed her head a little. "Coco coco."
Smirking, Bloo gestured to the new imaginary friend. "Have you two met Kate yet?" he inquired.
Mac sighed and shook his head. "Not again," he muttered.
With a wide smile, Wilt held out his hand. "Hi, Kate," he greeted. "My name's Wilt, and I-"
Quickly, Kate glared at Wilt and snarled. She too held out her paw, only in a more threatening gesture.
Shocked, Wilt backed off. "That's okay, that's okay," he assured, turning to Mac and Bloo. "That's not okay. What's wrong with her?"
"Kate is just having a hard time," Mac answered. "I think she needs some time alone, to get adjusted."
Again, Bloo scoffed the young boy. "Come on, Mac," he pressed. "Nothing's gonna help her more than some good old socialization."
Of course, Mac was still not convinced. "Bloo, she looked like she wanted to bite Wilt's other arm off!" he snapped. "If we just leave her alone, maybe she'll calm down and we can talk to her later."
Suddenly, Coco made a brave move and sauntered up to Kate. "Coco, coco coco co," she stated. "Coco coco coco, coco co!"
Kate's ears flickered. "What'd you just say?" she spat.
Coco stared at Kate. "Coco coco co," she said firmly.
Angered, Kate bared her claws. "Is that so?" she hissed.
Nevertheless, Coco stood her ground. "Coco," she growled.
There was silence. No one moved or said a word.
It was then that Kate pounced, in an attempt to attack Coco. She missed and hit the floor, only to realize that Coco (along with Wilt, Bloo, and Mac) were running off.
Normally, Kate would have dismissed it, but she wasn't about to let Coco get away so easily... at least, not without a warning for next time. She stood and followed the friends up the stairs.
Mac glared at Bloo. "See?" he countered. "I told you not to bother her!"
"Relax!" Bloo gasped. "I have a plan!"
The boy was stunned. "You do?"
Bloo nodded. "Yeah," he replied. "I'll tell you as soon as I think of it!"
Suddenly, the group of friends bumped into something... or rather, someone. It was yet another imaginary friend- Eduardo, a giant purple monster-like friend with the mentality of a five-year-old. "Azul, Senor Mac," he addressed in his Spanish accent. "What is it you are running from?"
At that moment, Kate ran down the hallway. "Come here, you chicken!" she barked.
Suddenly, both Eduardo and Kate stepped back in fear. They were afraid of each other!
Fearful, Kate shrieked and ran back down the hallway, hiding around the corner.
Likewise, Eduardo cried and pulled Mac and Bloo close.
Wilt and Coco, who were standing right behind Eduardo, noticed this odd spectacle. Well, now that Kate wasn't chasing them anymore, now they had to figure out how to introduce her to Eduardo.
Of course, Bloo was also quick to notice this. "Wait a minute," he murmured, slipping out of Eduardo's hands. "Kate, this is Eduardo. He's a friend here at Fosters."
Kate shivered in fear. "I'm not going near that thing!" she cried.
After Eduardo calmed down a little, he too realized that Kate was afraid of him. He never liked seeing people so fearful, probably because he knew what that felt like.
Being his usual friendly self, Wilt gestured Kate to come over. "It's okay, Kate," he assured. "Eduardo is nice; he wouldn't harm a fly."
Coco nodded in agreement. "Coco coco co," she said.
That still wasn't enough to convince Kate. She was on all fours, cowering around the corner.
Eduardo knew from experience that Kate wasn't going to come out any time soon; he needed to go to her. "Si, senorita," he responded, slowly (and nervously) walking over. "Esto bueno."
The dog crawled away. "Don't... don't come near me," she threatened (though very unconvincingly). "Don't come any closer... I'm warning you..."
"Kate, it's okay."
Surprised, Kate noticed Mac coming out from behind Eduardo. "Don't worry- there's no reason to be afraid of Eduardo," he explained. "Sure, he looks big and mean, but he's actually one of the nicest friends here at Fosters." He smiled. "Besides, he was just as afraid of you."
Although still afraid, Kate did calm down a bit. She stopped crawling away; she just sat there, cowering in Eduardo's shadow.
Slowly, Eduardo reached his hand out... and patted Kate's head. He never saw her walk upright, and she wasn't going to shake hands with him, so he might as well.
Everyone else waited for a reaction; this time, the prospects seemed hopeful.
After a moment, Kate smiled. She crawled a little closer, and managed to stand up on her hind legs. "Hi," she said, holding out her paw. "I'm Kate."
Eduardo returned the gesture, and soon the rest of them got a chance to really meet Kate. Once she had gotten past her anxieties, she was a nice fun imaginary friend.
As the friends continued talking, Frankie walked up to them in the hallway, en route to another household chore. "Hey, guys," she greeted, noticing Kate in better spirits. "Kate- glad to see you've made some new friends."
Kate nodded. "Thanks," she replied. "In all honesty, I think I'm beginning to like Fosters."
Frankie smiled. "Great," she responded. "See you later." She then remembered something and glanced at Mac. "Oh, Mac- it's getting late. You might wanna go home soon."
With a heavy sigh, Mac sauntered downstairs. "Okay," he murmured.
Once Frankie had left, Bloo followed Mac downstairs. "See?" he chimed. "What'd I tell you? All Kate needed was a little socialization."
Mac scoffed. "Yeah, right," he commented. "Kate wasn't interested in socializing, Bloo. She just needed to calm down a bit; you know, get settled in."
"Oh, sure!" Bloo snapped. "Take credit for the success!"
The boy chuckled a little. "You know, Bloo," he remarked, "something tells me that things are gonna be a little different around Fosters from now on..."