Yay! I got to give five (a record number) of my characters cameo appearances- including, of course, Aist, this account's namesake. (If you really did sign up on Furcadia after I told you to in the first chapter, you can ask either me (same name as this account) or Agent 01 Moore about The Root Beer Incident.)
The day after the Battle of the Bath, Linnelly held her slumber party. As it happened, she was able to invite quite a few people: her friends Aistanocha Black, Kasirell Dreamsinger, Tallimine Jones, and Luca McKay. Plus, two more people- the adult Twins, and a casual friend of hers named Sydney McClellan- were going to come and watch the movies Lilluai had left for them, even though they couldn't stay for the sleepover.
But no one bothered to find out what the movies were about beforehand, which proved to be a big mistake. Of course, no one knew it at the time (except Lilluai), but both were horror movies.
That evening, Linnelly piled extra (purple) sleeping bags in the hallway, which were there in case someone forgot theirs. It was something their mother insisted on when any of the Connors held sleepovers.
The doorbell rang, and she went to open it. "Finally, someone's here."
"Hi!" Aist and Kasirell were on the doorstep, both carrying duffel bags that looked ready to burst.
"C'mon in. Just dump your stuff over there, by the sleeping bags."
"Okay." Kasirell- looking as if she was about to collapse on the floor from the weight- managed to half-carry, half-drag both bags over to the pile, while Aist plopped herself down on the couch. "What're we watching?"
Linnelly shrugged. "I dunno. A couple movies Lilluai rented."
"Oh." The redhead would've said more, but the doorbell rang again. "That'll be Tals and Luca, I think."
It wasn't, actually. The Twins were standing on the doorstep. "'Lo, Linnelly," said Two.
"Hi, ummm... Twins. Come on in." She gestured at the couch. "Didja bring snacks?"
"No, actually."
One gave his brother a 'look'. "We would have, but Two forgot to bring them."
"Well... we've got lots of junk food, so I'm sure you can have something."
"Like this?" Aist was holding up a bag of plain, ruffled chips that was bigger than her head.
"Uh, yeah, Aist. Like that."
Ding-dong! The doorbell rang for the third time. Linnelly opened the door, and there stood the second pair of girls, Tallimine and Luca. The wind had started to pick up, and Tallimine had to constantly brush her wavy mint-green hair out of her face while she stood. Luca's short black hair, on the other hand, was secured by the slightly battered black cap she was never seen without. They had about the same amount of luggage as the other two girls, although Luca was also holding a 2-liter of root beer.
"Hiya!" said the redhead, from over on the couch. "It's about time you got here. Hey, you brought root beer!" Aistanocha was just about famous for her love of root beer- well, that, and an event that had come to be known as 'The Root Beer Incident.'
Luca grinned back. "Yup. Strictly because I knew you were coming."
"Hey!" But she was laughing. "Meanie."
"Can we please have this conversation INSIDE?" interrupted Tallimine, who'd given up on keeping her hair out of her face. She looked like a green sheepdog.
"Of course, Miss Bossy," said Aist and Luca in unison. Then they both laughed and flung the newcomers' gear (minus root beer) into the ever-growing pile.
"Now we're just waiting for Sydney," said Kasirell as she secured a spot on the couch.
"Hey! Leave room for us!" complained the Twins.
The green-haired girl spread out her sleeping bag, which was midnight blue, on the floor next to Luca's stars-and-moons one. "We're sitting on the floor anyways. Sydney'll have to do that too."
As if on cue, the doorbell rang again. This time, an auburn-haired girl, a couple of years older than Linnelly and her friends, was on the doorstep. She'd brought a huge bag of Doritos.
"Come on, pull up some carpet," said Luca. Then she realized what she'd said, and hurriedly added, "Not literally, duh. Linny's mom would kill us if we wrecked the Carpet of Stunning Living Roomness."
"OK." She yanked a purple sleeping bag out of the pile and came to join them."Do we have everyone?"
Linnelly counted. "I think so. Let's see... Aist, Kas, the Twins, Tals, Luca, and you. Yep, that's everyone."
"Can we start the movie, then?" asked a voice from beside her, but closer to the floor than expected. She looked over, and there was Aist, stretched out beside Tallimine. "Whaaat? That couch isn't big enough for five people."
"Nothing. I just didn't realize you'd moved."
Just as Linnelly was popping the first DVD- Attack of the Demon Clowns- into the player, two small figures appeared in the doorway. "Wanna watch!"
"Oh, fine." She picked them up and set them on the couch, where they promptly climbed into Two's lap. "NOW let's watch the movie."