A/N: Hey! Here's the next chapter. It takes me awhile to think of stuff to write b/c I'm a perfectionist and I delete a lot of things before being satisfied. It might take some days before I update. And I don't write on Tuesdays b/c that's my Gilmore Girls/One Tree Hill night. I know I'm weird. Hang in there; I'll try to get the other characters up soon! Hope you like this one,,, please R&R!
Disclaimer: If you recognize anything from anywhere else, I don't own it, and I'm not making money. I'm a teenager. It's in the job description to be broke…
"Di! Darling, what are you doing here?" shrieked Nan, as she caught her twin in her arms.
"Nan, I can't breathe. Will and Harry invited us over. Jack's out of town on a case, so I thought you might like some company. I should have called, but seeing you surprised is better."
Diana Wright and her five children rarely ever found the time to call on Clarence House, but every time they did, the sun shone a little brighter, the birds sang a little louder, and life seemed a bit more pleasant for everyone. After being the last Ingleside girl left unmarried, Di finally met the man of her dreams, Jack Wright, when Diana and Fred Wright moved to Four Winds Harbor as an old, retired couple. A few months later, she was engaged, and a year later Di Blythe was married to Jack Wright. They probably would have gotten married sooner, but Dr. Blythe had a hard time letting his favorite child go. Now, Di was the principal at Summerside High School, and Jack was a lawyer.
"Come in everyone! Oh, it's so good to see you all! Beth, Audrey, Chris, Haley, Tim! Oh, they've grown so much, Di!"
"And where is your brood, Nan? I haven't seen Melanie or Madison or Matt or Em in so long! Of course, Will and Harry are over with me all the time, though."
"The girls are at the Spencer home. Matt went to fetch them over for dinner, and well, here's Emily."
"Oh, Aunt Di! I've missed you so much! What a lovely surprise! You will stay the night, won't you? Oh, you must! Mother, I'll go prepare the guest rooms!" Emily skipped upstairs before anyone could make any hesitation.
"Yes, Di. I won't have you going back to Summerside late at night. You and the sweethearts will stay here for the night. Tomorrow's Saturday, so you won't have to teach. Come on, let's go in the kitchen."
The Wright children were a fun-loving group of children that were well brought up and loved by everyone. Their ages varied from 16 to 10, but they were a close-knit bunch that loved each other dearly. Rarely did any of the kids fight with each other and they loved Mother dearly. Father was around often, but sometimes he had to work late on a case, so most children were attached to Mum more.
Beth Louise Wright was the first born of Di and Jack. She was the most sophisticated, classy, and lady-like of all the Wright girls. With sleek brown hair, crystal grey eyes, and a flawless, creamy complexion, Beth was also the loveliest of them all. Beth's only "flaw" was that she lacked the ambition her other siblings did. Beth did not want to go to Queen's or Redmond, she only looked forward to being a married maid with children. Although Beth protested, Mother and Father had decided she would go to Queen's to help make a living.
Audrey Estelle came next. She was a blithe maiden who had a reputation for being a klutz, but was still fun and loveable. Audrey inherited blonde hair from possibly some distant relative and hazel eyes from her mother's family. She was careless and merry as much as Beth was serious and settled, leaving some issues personality-wise between them.
Christopher Anthony was the first son, and Jack's pride and joy. He was hardcore and handsome with an inquisitive and curious mind. Chris was known for loving science and he was the go-to person for mathematical problems. He often chummed with Emily Meredith by getting into intellectual arguments and debates, but usually found himself on the losing side.
At the tender age of 11, Haley Josephine Wright was a very talented musician who loved life and was expressed her emotions easily. Haley traveled with her father on music tours every summer as a young, very young, violinist. She also had a beautiful voice that she only used to sing to those she loved. Although Haley was more attached to Father, she looked little like either one of her parents. Instead, Haley had Aunt Rilla's rusty brown hair, and emerald eyes that looked like no other relatives.
The 'baby' of the Wright children was Timothy Laurence, who was the youngest of all of Anne's and Gilbert's grandchildren. Tim was only ten, but he was quite the daredevil who loved to stir up trouble whenever he could.
"Haley Josephine! You get down right now before I call Mother!" yelled Beth Wright, trying to get her little sister out of the tree.
"Oh, Beth. It's all right for Hales to be up there. Mum doesn't mind, and Aunt Di won't either as long as nobody gets hurt."
"Still, Harry, it's not very ladylike for Haley to be climbing trees. What would Mrs. Miller Douglass think?"
"She would think nothing because it is none of her business, Beth. Let Haley climb all the trees she wants to." Beth reluctantly let Haley stay in the tree while she and Harry went to the veranda to sit and talk.
"Oh! I love the Clarence House gardens! How does anyone find the time to tend to all these lovely flowers, Will?" asked Audrey Wright.
"Nancy always comes and looks after them. She's not our nanny anymore, but she has to be around for something. At least, that's what she says. So, now she's our gardener. Her husband and kids are not much to handle, so she has time to call on Mum all the time. I think she's here more than she used to be. Mum helps too, of course. "
"Look at these gorgeous roses! Oh, yellow ones too!"
"Em's favorite. She adores yellow roses. No garden is complete without some, she says."
At that moment, two slender figures came running down the hill towards the group.
"Oh! What in the world are you doing here? Why didn't you call? I would've been better dressed." screamed Melanie Meredith.
Madison took a moment to examine her twin, who happened to be wearing a pretty pink cashmere sweater over her lovely peach dress. Her blonde curls fell softly on her shoulders, and her blue eyes looked like the sparkling ocean. Melanie could never look anything less than perfect, even if she wanted to. Madison, on the other hand, had strawberry blonde hair that hardly looked half as beautiful as Melanie's, in her opinion. And her hazel eyes were so plain compared to the shining blue ones! But it wasn't just Melanie's clothes, it was the way she wore them. No one could ever miss the latest fashions Melanie was flaunting. Madison was just a wallflower.
"Oh, Mel. You look fine. Beth! It's so good to see you again! And this can't be Audrey! You've grown so much! Won't you be 15 soon? It's such a wonderful age, Audrey." glowed Madison, who was quite proud of her recent birthday.
"You've hardly been 15 a week, Madison! Putting on airs already?" commented Chris Wright.
"Aha! So you've noticed it too? Lucky, you don't have to live with her and Miss Perfect Peach over there." Matt gave Melanie a sly, sidelong glance. Melanie rolled her eyes and held up her head proudly, as if she had anything to be ashamed of.
"Where's Em, Matt?" asked Chris.
"Oh, she's upstairs getting your rooms ready. It shouldn't take so long, but Em's such a perfectionist."
"Let's go inside. Mother is calling us to dinner."
"My, my! What a pleasant surprise, Di! You look dazzling, by the way. Nan, honey, Miss Cash called again. She insists on having a conference about Miss Emily." Jerry took his seat at the head of the table and gave Emily a rather chastising, yet teasing pair of eyes.
"Emily! I had no idea you've turned to the bad side." teased Chris.
"I have not! Miss Cash is so dense. She always thinks I'm contradicting her. I am, but only because she doesn't know what she is talking about." Emily took a large scoop of mash potatoes onto her plate. Em would eat anything with potatoes. Mother called them her comfort food. "It's not my fault."
"I'll agree with you on that, Emily. Lori Cash is the most dim-witted teacher, no—person, I've ever met. And the nerve of her picking on my little niece!" cried Aunt Di.
"Di! You shouldn't say such things, especially in front of the children. Miss Cash does seem like she's out to get Emily, but luckily, Em will be at Queen's next year."
"I hardly think they are children, Nan. Oh, don't give me that look, darling. Our kids won't see Miss Cash anymore, and Di's kids don't go to school here, so what's the harm?" stated Jerry.
"Uncle Jerry! And you call yourself a minister!" laughed Beth.
"Oh, don't mind Dad. He's always making crude comments at home, as long as they don't get out."
"Even though he shouldn't be…" added Nan.
"Alright, let's change the subject. Did you hear if Shirley's coming to Ingleside for the reunion?" This topic, presented by Jerry, immediately buzzed attention among the younger fry. Every year Grandmother Anne and Grandfather Gilbert had a reunion for the entire family at Ingleside. Some summers included Grandma Stella, Pris, Phil, and Di's grandchildren, and some summers included Aunt Persis, Aunt Una, and Uncle Carl, along with the rest of their aunts and uncles and cousins.
"I talked to Paige the other day. She said they'll be coming to the island for the entire summer! This will give me a chance to speak to Uncle Shirley about Montreal."
"Why the sudden interest in Montreal, Mel?" asked Haley while playing with her soup.
"Don't play with your soup, Hales." Beth interrupted. "It's not very polite."
"Neither is interrupting, Beth. Pass the crackers."
"Say please. Say it or else you're not getting any crackers, Hales." Melanie, upset because her story was interrupted, passed the crackers to end the saga.
"Anyway, after Queen's I was thinking of attending the Design School in Montreal. Living in a big city while attending school will help jump start my career, plus I'll be able to keep track of the latest fashions and trends easier."
"Has Uncle Shirley agreed to board you yet?"
"Yes. Oh, it'll be wonderful! I'll get to be closer to Paige and Peter. I'm afraid Paige has been longing for a female companion. Aunt Clarissa is such a doll, and she makes the best apple turnover too!"
"All I have to say is poor Peter." Melanie, being the ever so mature one, stuck her tongue out at Harry, much to Nan's disapproval.
"I can't wait to see Aunt Faith and Uncle Jem either! I just love Alex, Lindsay, and Sarah." Tim adored Alex and was like a loyal little dog to him. Wherever Alex went, Tim went. Tim was practically Alex's shadow.
"Alex is going to Redmond with me next year." said Will in between bites. "He says living away from Lindsay will be a relief. She bothers him constantly about his friends, but he'll miss Sarah, no doubt."
"Sarah is sweet, isn't she? They are such chums. Alex just loves her so much!" said Audrey, who was also quite fond of Sarah. "Pass the rolls, please."
"I miss Aunt Rilla's kids. Walter is so charming and entertaining. I can talk to him for hours!" Emily always visited Aunt Rilla and Uncle Ken when in Glen St. Mary. Their house was practically a second home for Em. Aunt Rilla always kept a room for her too.
"What she means is Walt can carry his end of the conversation with her. It's impossible to keep up with Emily, but I found a way to outsmart her."
"Madison, outsmart the Great Emily? Impossible! You who thought you could really hear the ocean in seashells?"
"Hey, Miss Priss over there gets red hot when there's any mention of boys or beaus to her. She blushes wildly and gives into whatever you say or want." This was quite true. Emily turned a dark crimson color just with that statement.
"Why do we always have to talk about me? Anyway, I'm so glad you're here, everyone..." And with that, Emily took another bite of her mashed potatoes. The conversations continued, but Emily was too caught up in planning out tomorrow's activities to participate in any. Oh, what a wonderful life! Having Aunt Di at Clarence was such a blessing!
A/N: Was that kind of short? Hope you liked it. Please R&R!