COUSINS
Chapter 10: Gathering Feast with the Snobs

"We've got mail!" Cheri told her cousins.

Cupcake was cooking breakfast and looked out the window to find Cheri running around the acre. She was holding four letters—to date, the most that their household had received. Strangely, they were different colours and some had stamps they had never seen before.

"Could you read the return addresses, Cheri?" Cupcake called out. "If they're unnecessary, don't bring them in. The best you could do is dig a hole and give the letter a proper burial." She chuckled at her joke. "Hurry in now!"

Rolling her eyes, Cheri entered the house, placing the mail on the kitchen table. "I've become somewhat tired after running like that," she said, panting. "I guess you could read the mail yourself, Cupcake. Oh, I forgot to tell you that I'm going over to T-Bone's house today. He suggested the opportunity to learn knitting, which I guarantee will be beneficial for the chillier months. You have heard that Veltron experiences some of the roughest winter weather, right?" She removed her shoes and sat on the living room couch.

Cupcake sighed and followed with a moan. "You're becoming hard to work with! What's with the excuses, Cheri? Honestly, it's starting to seem utterly suspicious and that's not a good thing. Why don't you just do as I ask you? Please open the damn letters and read them aloud! Is it too much to ask of your cousin? I'd surely hope not." She turned around and resumed cooking.

"Don't bother, I'll read the mail," Olive offered. "It's a pleasant morning and you should be on your way to T-Bone's house. Cupcake knows that we're not in the position to assume that you're lying. It's for a good cause, after all, so let's not be too harsh." She picked up the first envelope and began ripping at the tip. "See you later, Cheri."

Moments later, Cheri quietly exited the house.

Olive shook her head and she avoided Cupcake's eyes. "You don't have to tell her that she's out of line, you know," she said as she continued to tear at the letter. "Sometimes it's unnatural for me to argue about such a silly situation, but whatever. No more accusations." The bear stopped talking; she found it irregular for her to sustain a conversation for a long period of time.

It wasn't for another five minutes before Olive opened the first letter. She cursed aloud when she successfully completed her task and indicated that whomever had mailed them was overprotective of their material. To her exasperation, it was an advertisement to a flourishing market that would temporarily set up shop in Veltron beginning in November. Neither cousin understood why they would write letters to their clients six months in advance. The second letter was a similar advertisement, but concerned Gracie and her upcoming fashion debuts; Cupcake said she would look at it later that day and placed it on her bedside.

The third letter was from Tom Nook. Because the bears were fed up with receiving mail from him that involved their loan, they decided to throw it in the wastebasket. Cupcake said that she had no interest in one of his "special sales"; in her opinion they were all the same and stocked anywhere from three to six distinctive items. She also cited them as "the preshow for a long night's sleep".

A fashionably blue coated letter had yet to be read. Frequently in Veltron a blue letter represented an invitation to an event or party. Cupcake was amazed and took the envelope from Olive. She frantically ripped it apart, which revealed a small card with a table on the front. A candlestick sat on the table. Cupcake opened the card, which read:

---

YOU ARE INVITED!

TONIGHT, AT 8:00 PM, THE DINNER OF A LIFETIME WILL BE HELD AT THE HOME OF MATHILDA! A MERE SIX ANIMALS HAVE BEEN REQUESTED ATTENDANCE AT THIS DINNER, INCLUDING YOU OR MORE.

PLEASE FIND YOUR WAY TO MATHILDA'S PLACE THIS EVENING DRESSED IN THE LATEST DESIGNS!

YOU HAD BETTER ATTEND. IF NOT, BANISHMENT FROM YOUR CURRENT SOCIAL STATUS WILL MATERIALIZE.
-THE BLACK KANGAROO, MATHILDA!

---

Cupcake stared at the letter. "We have been invited to a party that will be hosted by... Mathilda."

"What?" Olive questioned. She jumped and began asking her cousin several questions, such as the attire they were expected to wear or if they had to prepare some of the platters for the table. Olive even considered purchasing a present to be additionally accepted by Mathilda and her guests. Cupcake rapidly insisted that it was unnecessary to offer them gifts.

"Listen, we don't have to buy anything for them and there's obviously no use in cooking a meal or two," explained Cupcake as though she were the village's educator. "All we have to do is dress in a fitting manner. The letter says that the latest fashions are the most appropriate, but if one knew Mathilda, she's likely got us thinking that way. I wouldn't be surprised if she embarrassed us."

Olive gritted her teeth. "That's my point; now I have to spend the day finding clothes. I'll see you later." She didn't hesitate in grabbing her purse and leaving the house.

Cupcake shrugged. "Okay. I promised to volunteer for Pelly at the Post Office today, so I'm going out as well." She clasped her hands.

The department store doors of Nookington's swung open and in walked Olive. She power walked to the stairs, which would carry her to the second floor, where the clothing was sold. Tom Nook greeted her the moment she placed her foot on the first step. Turning to look at him, she muttered a faint "hello".

"I welcome you to Nookington's, my dear friend, Olive. Your absence from the shop in the past few weeks has been terribly disappointing. Could I ask what you've been up to since then?" He scratched his neck, revealing the darkest spots on his body. Olive hesitated a laugh before returning her attention to the stairs and ascending them; she decided to strike up a conversation with him at a later date, since it was most likely that he would bring up their loan again, which had started to vex all three cousins.

"Um, excuse me! Olive, please come back here now!" the raccoon shouted at his customer. He sighed impatiently.

The sudden hullabaloo astounded Olive, who turned around and looked at him directly in the eye. She was standing on the top step. "Pardon me... I couldn't help noticing that your eyes sparkle so brightly every time you speak," she lied intentionally. "It probably sounds like a bunch of nonsense, but I've got an important dinner to attend tonight and I'm looking for a new outfit. If you don't mind, I'd like to be on my way so I'm not late. If I am, it'll be evident who I've got to blame."

After she stopped speaking, Olive found herself reacquainted with an aisle of luxurious evening gowns. Most were Fauna magazine recommendations.

Tom Nook followed his customer to the second floor and found her browsing through a section of older and cheaper outfits. He walked up to her and said, "I apologize if I'm interfering with your personal life or something, but I'm just curious to know if it's the Mode Tropè June dinner? I'm positive that that's the dinner hosted by those two rich and snobby woman, Mathilda and Susanna Ester. If you were invited to their party, then that means they recognize you. I don't know if that's a good thing or not, but they consider you 'worthy' of their presence. When Mathilda came to Veltron, she was immediately attached to arranging exquisite fiestas, but most of them were panned for being about 'high class', which this village has never been. I congratulate you." He bit his lip as he motioned to shake hands with Olive.

Speedily running her index finger through each outfit, Olive responded, "Yes, that's the dinner's name!" and shook his hand. She continued, "According to Mathilda's letter, it's supposed to be very chic and upscale. Of course, it also stated that if we did not attend, she would strip us of our 'titles' and honour that we possess. Cheri, Cupcake and I aren't going because she's threatening us with ridicule, but because it's stupid to turn down an evening of entertainment." She lifted the Wave Print off its hangar and nodded. "This one will do!"

"Yes, that's a beautiful outfit and I'm sure that Mathilda and Susanna Ester will like it," Tom Nook said. "It's 450 Bells."

Olive's eyes widened feverishly. "It's how much? Now we know how you make a living." Her voice hinted vexation. "Guess I'll take it anyway. I need to look good for tonight. By the way, how much are flowers? I'd like to dress their table too, and I'm a big fan of daisies and tulips, so those will do nicely. They breathe life into a room. Blue and red is preferable, thanks." After giving the raccoon 450 Bells for the Wave Print, they went down to the first floor where he sold her three flowers.

"I'll take them! They're lovely!"

---

"...No, I'm sorry. I wish I could assist you, but I'm running a very tight schedule and do not have the time. I will give you a call if there is any additional information, even though this looks unlikely. Is that okay with you? All right, I understand. Take care and goodbye. Yes, goodbye."

Pelly hung up the telephone. Because telephone bills were expensive across the country, very few animals owned one. They were most commonly restricted to commercial industries, government establishments, and shopping centres, such as Tom Nook's. The Post Office rarely accessed the telephone, however.

Cupcake was returning from a delivery to the dock. She was curious to know which other residents had received letters to Mathilda's dinner, but she did not locate any blue-coated envelopes while making her rounds. Pelly knew that Dizzy had received an invitation because he accessed his bank account earlier that morning and informed her. Somehow this gave Cupcake a better idea of the others who had been invited.

"Could you please take this letter to a recipient living on the other side of the village? The address is Acre B-5!" Pelly exclaimed. "You should know that Pete so ill lately and it's very depressing since the workload is stacking up here. Bless his heart, of course, but I need this to be done." The pelican aimlessly tossed the letter at Cupcake, who barely caught it.

"Uh... I'll deliver it. By the way, who lives in Acre B-5? I haven't met anybody there yet."

Without realizing Cupcake's question, Pelly continued typing on the computer keyboard rapidly. "Say what?" she asked. "Who lives there? Oh, I wouldn't bother striking up a conversation with him. His name is Gaston and he's almost fifty-years-old. He's grumpy and hot as hell and many would recommend not becoming familiar with him. He's done pitiful things in the past, including throwing a green table at his then-neighbour. Put the letter in his mailbox and come immediately back, please." She had nothing more to say.

Cupcake responded, "Okay," and hesitantly added, "I suppose" in a hushed tone. She left the Post Office.

The wind was chilly that morning and a pain quickly grew in Cupcake's stomach, which she clutched as she moaned. Thankfully, it subsided soon after. In Veltron June was not necessarily one of the year's warmest months, even though summer was fast-approaching. Most of the time it was raining and the mosquitoes were beginning to return to the village. Cupcake was happy that the summer was not far away.

"His name is Gaston," she pondered. "Judging by his name, I would assume he has... human roots! He must be from that place where they speak French!" She began thinking about her ancestry. "If I'm not mistaken, great-grandmother was... no, she wasn't. We wouldn't have been born back home then." Gaston's house came into view moments later.

There was a large garden at the front of the house. It emanated an almost unpleasant feeling and Cupcake found herself turned away. As she continued to approach the weed-infested garden, she noticed vines growing on the sides of the house; the chimney showed evident signs of age since half its bricks had fallen onto the roof. Gaston certainly didn't take care of his dwelling—Cupcake told herself that she was not going to get along with him.

Deciding that Pelly knew the village than she did, Cupcake inserted the envelope in the mailbox and returned to the Post Office speedily.

"I see you're already back, Cupcake," Pelly regreeted her volunteer. "It's a good thing—Gaston is one of the most terrible people to have lived. I'm glad that you didn't snoop around his place because he could have done something depressing to you. Definitely one of the biggest nuisances this village has hospitalized. I just wish he would grow sick of this place and pack his belongings. This town could use a face-lift, which would be his departure. Anyway, let's get back to work."

"A fine idea, indeed," Cupcake said. She hummed one of her favourite songs before asking, "What should I wear to the dinner tonight?"

Pelly sighed. "That unbelievably negative Mode Tropè dinner thing has been going on for years now... if you were to ask me, I would think that you shouldn't go. However, Mathilda and Susanna Ester are best to avoid when angry and if you didn't attend, they could do cold-hearted things to you. All they ever think about is fashion and money. It's almost laughable since it's so terribly pitiful." Before she could stop herself, she then said, "Mercy on them for their foolishness."

There was a short pause. "If you want to know," Pelly said honestly, "I would suggest something that's going to impress them. Don't buy something that you like—buy something that they'll like. The best chance you've got is with a Gracie fashion or a design from the Able Sisters. They're into reading magazines and if an outfit has received rave reviews, that would also be a good choice for tonight. Nook's clothing is an okay choice. That's all I can really tell you." The pelican shrugged.

Cupcake licked her lips nervously. "I'll do whatever I can. I'll be on my way now." She said goodbye and exited the Post Office.

---

That evening, the cousins were scurrying to find the outfits that would suit them best for the dinner. Cheri suggested that anything with a "fresh touch" was most proper, but the others were uncertain. Olive especially assumed that whatever they wore was going to be insulted by Mathilda and Susanna Ester. Oddly enough, Cupcake wore the least-priced gown because "it was made for her, regardless of cash".

"What do you think of this one?" Cheri held up a Go-Go Shirt, which received a thumbs-down from her cousins. "Are you sure? I know that it's not as hip as it used to be, but I'm not letting 420 Bells go to waste. I'll look cute in it." She stretched the dress over her body and twirled in front of the bedroom mirror. "It'll do," she added.

Olive wore the Wave Print she had purchased earlier that day. Cheri approved of it, but received less praise from Cupcake: "If we were going to the beach, it would be the best outfit to wear. At a dinner, on the other hand, I'm afraid I will be the one embarrassed. It's your choice, though." The pink bear decided to wear a Neo-Classic Knit, an older fashion that was ranked at number-one on a list of Fauna magazine's top dresses seven years earlier.

The cousins left the house at 7:50 PM, ten minutes before the dinner was to begin. Mathilda's house was in Acre C-1, where many animals had gathered that evening. Most of the animals that were uninvited to the party watched from a distance as the guests entered. Her garden was decorated with colourful confetti and countless gnomes. The door was open and Susanna stood in the doorway; she held a clipboard and pencil in her hands and was wearing a Pulse Shirt—Gracie's best-selling shirt from the previous year.

The three bears reintroduced themselves to Susanna.

"Ah! Welcome!" the pig cried out unpredictably as she stretched her evening gown. Cupcake snorted; she knew Susanna was trying to show-off. "Cheri, Olive and Cupcake dressed to look their best? How rather peculiar... since we cannot just let anybody wander in, please present your invitation or else I'm afraid it's goodbye."

While Cheri and Cupcake gulped, Olive perked her nose. "How rather unsurprising," she said mockingly as she drew the invitation from her purse. "Here is the invite with Mathilda's signature and all that you need. If you would now, please step aside so that we can enter the party. The meals will be delicious, I assume." She twitched her eyelashes and wore an avaricious smile.

Susanna trembled. "Your mouth is bigger than your brain, Olive, and it's a wonder how you can't behave more appropriately now than at another time. Go on in; you've been rightfully summoned." She was angry for allowing Olive to get the best of her, but resumed with her post and turned around, calling, "Cheri, Olive and Cupcake have arrived!"

The house was beautiful and covered in white curtains, including the coffee tables, couches and most of the chairs. Confetti was everywhere but the floor and the deep blue rugs had a lot of white dots randomly placed on them. The chandeliers were sparkling and also white, although this did not impress them since they were unable to purchase anything as luxurious due to their funds.

To their surprise, Dizzy and Vesta were sitting at the table opposite each other.

"Good evening!" Cheri cried.

Before Dizzy or Vesta could respond, Susanna exclaimed from the door, "Out sixth guest has arrived! Only Penny remains unattended!"

A squirrel of five-feet marched into the room. His fur was immensely purple and his head sported vague lime-green hairs. All else appeared normal about him: he wore an urbanized Fiendish Shirt, which almost clashed with his fur, but was stylish nonetheless. The cousins had yet to meet him and they figured he worked the graveyard shift because of this. Cupcake was the first to speak to him.

"Hello, sir," she began, over exaggerating her voice. "I have not had the pleasure of being acquainted with you. My name is Cupcake and I moved to Veltron with my cousins in April. I am the eldest of the three and have pink fur, as I'm positive you can tell." She blushed all at once. "Oh yes, you haven't spoken with my cousins. The red bear is the youngest, Cheri, and the foggier bear is the middle-cousin, Olive. I remember the day we arrived in Veltron. It was very nice." She seemed overly innocent when she had finished.

The squirrel looked dissatisfied. As he shook Cupcake's hand, he said, "My name is Static. I live in Acre F-1 along the beach. Pleased to meet you and your... entourage. Heh." He was uncertain of what to say. "Welcome to the dinner."

Vesta whispered into Olive's ear, "He works out of town, so I'm not surprised that you haven't met him. He's picky, sloppy and is oftentimes doing something that concerns his profession. I can't remember exactly what he works as at this moment. You'll get to know him during the dinner. Honestly, I wouldn't refer to him as exciting." She assured the other bears too.

Susanna came into the dining room. "Penny has arrived and all our guests should socialize until the seating assignment becomes effective." Cupcake hugged the mouse, while Susanna returned to the door and locked it. After brushing her hair aside and hanging the clipboard on a nail in the wall and returned. "Then there is me, Susanna Ester, of course!" She curtsied to the dismay of some of the animals.

"Where do we sit? Could you tell us now so that we rise for Mathilda upon her entry?" Dizzy asked.

A smile came to Susanna's face. "A fine idea!" She scanned the table, which sat eight animals; two on the ends and six middle seats. "Cheri, please sit to my right and Vesta on my left. Static, please sit on Mathilda's left and Cupcake on her right. Olive can sit next to Cheri and Dizzy in the remaining middle seat. You have now been assigned your seats, which will belong to you if you attend future dinners. You could call this perfect procedure, if you would like." The snob stuck her nose in the air. "Oh! I see we are one chair short. Penny does not have anywhere to sit! Let me find one immediately."

Five minutes later, a tape recording of a full orchestral arrangement began playing from several amplifiers and Mathilda walked into the room. To the cousins shock, she was not wearing a Gracie-brand outfit, but instead a silk, brown dress that brought out the colour of her fur. Everybody stood and applauded the dinner's host and noticed her accessories: crimson earrings, a golden bracelet and a diamond ring on her wedding finger. She looked gorgeous and wore a gigantic smile on her face.

"I welcome you to the fifth annual Mode Tropè dinner. I see that Susanna has already shown you your seats, so please take them." Mathilda was seated at the head of the table and Susanna at the opposing end.

"For years now this event has been one of Veltron's most successful; animals of all social statuses pray for an invitation to this dinner, but, alas, dozens never do!" Mathilda told the story with a wicked grin on her face. "Because I was once a lenient shopper of his, Tom Nook attended this dinner for two years; however, he did not take the time to sell any excellent clothing and was expelled by the third year." She sighed with evident pride. "By the way, I am deeply sorry that you do not have anywhere to sit yet, Penny. I should have known that my table sits eight animals. I invited seven and there were already me and Susanna. How, uh, foolish of me."

"Susanna and I," Penny corrected the kangaroo. "And I second that; how foolish of you."

Mathilda glared at the mouse cruelly, as though she was ready to attack on command.

When Susanna returned with the chair, Penny sat next to the pig herself, deducting some of her eating room. The mouse laughed at her antic. Following a prayer, Mathilda instructed Dizzy and Olive to retrieve the appetizer course—tomato soup with crackers—from the kitchen countertop. Later that night they would consume the main meal: roast beef and mashed potatoes with peas and zucchini. The desert was not retrieved from the kitchen at that time, but the scent of pumpkin pie found its way into the dining room.

Dizzy handed everybody a bowl of soup. The cousins said thank you and Mathilda exclaimed, "Enjoy your food!" A mere few seconds later, the kangaroo ascended from her seat and gasped. "Wait! Why don't we have napkins? This is one of the stupidest incidents that has occurred at the Mode Tropè dinner!" She tossed her arms back and forth multiple times, closing in on becoming delirious.

"Please calm down!" Vesta cried. "The napkins are bound to be in the kitchen. This is your house and you should know its interior better than anybody else in this village. They're probably in a cabinet or something. You've lived in Veltron a long time now."

Before the kangaroo could respond, Penny interrupted, "These dinners have been ongoing for five years! Obviously Mathilda knows what she's doing, and it's likely that she forgot to get napkins! The first year she did this everyone assumed she was just looking for friends. When something becomes tradition, you don't purposely forget. And I like these gathering feasts, even if napkins aren't here. Mathilda's the best cook to have been born." She sipped her soup.

The animals chose not to react to Penny's unexpected outburst. Mathilda, however, said, "That's sweet of you. Sometimes it's hard to find wonderful animals worthy of attending these spectacular 'gathering feasts'. Yes, if there is an absence of napkins, we will try our best to go along without them. How do you think people in the olden days lived? They couldn't afford such beautiful meals. We shall eat!" Taking her seat, the kangaroo shook her head at Susanna, who nodded.

Penny began whispering to Cheri: "I would call half her statement sarcasm. Mathilda needs her napkins, really." They chuckled.

After the appetizer was finished, the animals began the main course. They were satisfied, yet amazed, with Mathilda's cooking abilities.

"Static, how are the stocks doing?" Susanna Ester randomly asked the squirrel.

The cousins turned their gaze to their new acquaintance. They pondered an idea of what his occupation was, but his attire did not hint at anything specific. Because Susanna had asked about stocks, it was assumed that he worked at Turnip Stock Market Inc., a large corporation outside Veltron. The central office building was in the next town over and operated during the evening only, which was why they had probably yet to meet him beforehand.

"Oh, yes!" Vesta exclaimed. "You work at the turnip market! Now I remember. How are they coming along? Dandy or lagging?"

"Is there really a use in asking?" Static replied in his deep voice. "It's the same thing every lousy day. I work and then check profiles. Eventually, I check the total investments and then prices. After I eat, I do the same thing again and again. When I realize that I've worked after my regular hours, I curse out loud a few hundred times and get on the train. I come home and go to sleep. Nothing's changed for ten years and nothing's gonna change anytime soon." There was a short silence. "But the stocks themselves are doing fine; knock on wood that they keep doing that." He moaned.

Susanna stood when Static finished speaking. "By the way, has anyone heard the latest news? Butch and Mable are dating!" The two snobs squealed at the sudden mention of gossip. "Isn't that totally awesome? There's no chance that they're gonna get married—obviously, since, you know, Mable's got that mouth infection and all, but I'd bet they'd make a couple cute little mixed-breeds of dogs and hedgehogs popping up and playing hopscotch sooner or later." Mathilda and Susanna laughed uncontrollably as their guests quietly continued consuming their food.

"On a different topic...!" Vesta attempted to include everybody in one conversation, but the snobs were making this difficult. "I heard that the bakery is undergoing renovation. It seems the owner finally has enough cash, and the walls are falling down. It's probably very nasty in there, although I'm sure it will be lovely when it's finished! If I were Sandy, I'd have called someone to repair the place ages ago. But seeing how she's only got the money now... yes, she'll do fine after reopening. It can't just fall apart now."

Olive chewed on a piece of roast beef and swallowed rapidly. "Who's Sandy? Is she the ostrich who owns the bakery?"

"Yes," Dizzy answered. "She can drive animals crazy, but at heart she's—"

"A total bitch!" Mathilda interrupted. "A fat, stupid bitch!" She laughed with Susanna again, after which Vesta's level of frustration began to increase. As they continued to soak themselves with hearsay and rumours, the others looked at each other and communicated through emotions and lip-reading. For another ten minutes the snobs gossiped about the village's residents.

Finally, and as they settled down, Penny rose from her chair and informed the group that she was going to use the restroom. She ran off.

Mathilda winked at Susanna when Penny exited the room. The pig returned her wink and started flicking her tongue about. They both chuckled and rose from their seats again, which vexed Vesta heavily because she was growing tired of the tittle-tattle. Mathilda shouted, "T-Bone is prepared to ask Phyllis out on a date! How dreadful! What would happen if Pete found out about this? Just imagine the trouble that T-Bone would be in... oh, that pitiful soul. He'd die on the spot!" They laughed.

Susanna added, "What a depressing funeral we'd be forced to attend, that is, if the village bothers to hold one for him. What did he accomplish in his lifetime? Well, he's still alive, but in a way it's not for any particular reason. Why would he consider asking out Phyllis when her and Pete have been involved with each other for such a long time? The nerve of that idiot!" She laughed hysterically and Mathilda followed and waved her arms about.

All the animals sighed unanimously without either the kangaroo or pig realizing this. The cousins were not used to having dinner with high-class ladies that enjoyed bullying their neighbours verbally. Cheri was playing with her mashed potatoes and was unsure if she still had an appetite. All she wanted to do was listen to the tall-tales the snobs had and verify if any were accurate or utter nonsense. It was not long before Static struck up a separate-noted discussion, to the relief of the cousins and their friends.

"Thank you for dinner!" the squirrel commented. "It was absolutely splendid and better than good; I like nothing other than good food... and sleep," he added, trying to sound polite, though he knew that he was exhausted. "I can't wait to enjoy whatever the desert platter is. But I think the majority of us already know since the scent is heavenly. More than just that, actually." He smiled and retrieved the pumpkin pies from the kitchen.

"Well... you're very welcome and thank you very much!" Mathilda exclaimed after he placed them on the table.

Penny returned and was waving her arms in the air. "Your sink is nice, Mathilda. The pink colouring adds to the room's context." As she pulled out her chair to sit down, Susanna ran behind her and moved the chair upward. This movement caused Penny to fly from the seat and into the wall near Mathilda's chair. She hit her head on it and collapsed to the ground in pain.

Olive rose from her seat and shouted at Susanna, "What the hell did you just do? How the fu—fudge did she get all the way over there?" The bear pointed at the wall with her face flushed. It was rare that Olive developed a strong sense of anger. Readying herself to assist Penny, she moved toward the mouse and asked her if she was all right along the way. When she arrived at her side, she awaited the answer that Susanna would supply her with.

Laughter. Mathilda laughed almost instantly too.

"You bitch! How dare you!" Cupcake cried. She too got out of her seat and faced Mathilda. Cheri did not want to start a commotion, but she knew that they had already passed the point of no return. Cupcake continued, "Here's something funny that's gonna happen tonight. Right after I deliver this lecture to you, you're going to tell us what you used to initiate such a..." Her voice trailed off. She looked at Susanna, who was holding an electronic airplane.

Cupcake was mortified. "You know what? Screw the lecture and let's get to the point! You want something funny to happen tonight? I'll give you something funny: here it is." The bear picked up one of the pies and threw it at Mathilda's face. It hit her viciously and she released an ear-piercing screech. Susanna stood in amazement.

Olive was unsure of what to do and quickly ran to the front door. Because she had no intention in becoming involved, Cheri also made her way to the front door. Both bears helped Penny and put her jacket around her arms. They opened the door and made their way outside, but stopped and turned to see the developing disaster indoors.

Susanna Ester yelled loudly at the sight of her best friend. "Mathilda! Are you okay?" She ran over to the kangaroo, who muttered a faint "ugh". This alarmed the pig greatly and she turned to see the remaining animals in the house: Cupcake, Dizzy, Static and Vesta. Unimpressed with Cupcake's actions, she pointed at her, bellowing, "You have made a fool of Mathilda! You have made a fool of me! Cupcake, you will pay!"

Rubbing the whipped cream from her eyes, Mathidla grunted. "Get these inferior things out of the house! Get everybody out of this house now! This dinner is absolutely over! Next year, there's only gonna be you and me, Susanna. We'll have an excellent time without these pesky jackasses! Get rid of them!" She attempted to stand.

Cupcake, Dizzy and Vesta ran from the house before Mathilda finished speaking. Only Static remained to help his friend.

"I can't believe that they did this to you," he said in an uplifting tone. "I'll get them. Those boys and girls are going to pay for their insolence. They don't go around hurting animals for no reason! That is just wrong! The next time I seem them, there will be pain and tears. There will be skin... and blood! I promise that they're going to get it, Mathilda, I really do!" Susanna helped her friend off the floor and they began cleaning up the house.

Cheri, Olive and Penny had arrived at Acre F-3. The time was 9:00 PM and the lighthouse was shining brightly. The girls sat at the edge of the water and tried to forget what had happened. The past five minutes elapsed speedily and there was no sign of the others.

"Will they find us here?" Penny was worried and asked the question several times over.

"It's not likely," Cheri responded. "That's seriously the last thing we would want now and likely something they're not going to bother with. Where are Cupcake and Dizzy? Where's Vesta? You could say that our cousin revealed a darker side of herself tonight. She's never thrown a pumpkin pie at someone before. Hell, a pie in general. It's interesting."

The wind was crisp, but growing colder by the minute, even for an early June evening.

"They tried to stand up for Penny," Olive said. "I wonder... Cupcake's let her fury escalate and I've never seen that before. If Mathilda and Susanna Ester accepted Penny as a worthy animal, then it looks like that honour may have just been broken. I can't imagine the kind of rejection they'd try and place on her shoulders. There'd be tragedy and horror and... all of the above."

Five minutes later, footsteps could be heard behind the three women. Cupcake, Dizzy and Vesta revealed themselves from the shadows and came to a halt when they noticed the bears and mouse. They all gave each other hugs and started socializing. None of them could believe what had just happened, and Vesta above the rest was incredibly disappointed with herself, citing her temper as the primary reason. Penny was merely glad that she had not been injured in any way possible from the electronic airplane.

"I don't want to return to that house again. I don't want to see Mathilda's face again. Ever!" Penny said.

Everybody gave her a hug. The night had been long.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is the longest chapter I've included in one of my stories. It reaches over 6000 words! Woo! Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed my take on the definition of "drama" and the next chapter will be posted soon. I hope you liked it!