Channing was sitting at her computer, staring at the screen mercilessly. "Come one, you piece of crap…" She muttered to the computer.
"Whoa, easy there," said a familiar voice from behind her.
"Hey Emmy, what are you doing here?" Emmaline plopped down on the chair next to her.
"Your mom just called. She invited me and my mom over. What are we doing?" Channing knotted her eyebrows and looked at the clock. Nothing interesting had been planned for today.
She sighed. "Who knows?" The doorbell rang and Chan stood up haughtily and sulked over to it. She opened it, and there was the grinning face of Kelli and her mother, Bridget.
"Hey, Aunt Bee." Channing said happily. Ever since they were born they were told to call the other parents by their name, or 'Aunt'. It had taken a while to get used to, but it was cool.
"Hey there, Chan." Bridget said grinning, but her eyes held a faraway look, and had the tint of light, as if she had tears in her eyes. Channing led them into the living room and got them all cokes,
"Well, if you all are here, where is Cadence?"
Kelli smirked. "She got pulled over for driving too slow on the interstate. Aunt Lena is trying to calm her down now." They all laughed, and there came Lena and Cadence walking in. Cadence looked like she had been hit by a train.
"Jeez, Cay, you okay?" Kelli asked, and Cadence simply nodded her head solemnly.
Tibby cleared her throat and everyone looked over at her. "Well, did you bring them Lena?" She asked, staring a hole in Lena. She nodded and pulled out her purse, even though it looks more like a backpack. She opened it slowly.
"Wait!" Carmen practically yelled, jumping up. Everyone stared at her in question as she sprinted up the stairs, and clunked around upstairs. They sat silently, the four younger ones looking at their mothers apprehensively. Emmy looked up the stairs, wondering what her mother could possibly be doing. Suddenly Bridget's face brightened as if she had finally understood. Carmen came down the stairs, practically glowing.
"The Manifesto!" Lena cried. Carmen nodded and Tibby clapped her hand over her mouth.
"It's still here?" She said quietly. Carmen nodded and set it down on the ground. Then Bridget jumped up and ran over to the mantle and took all of the several candles off of it and set them on the floor around it. Tibby got the matches, and Lena turned of the lights. They lit the small candles and you could hear Carmen choking down tears.
Emmy looked at her mother worriedly. What was going? Lena finally opened up her bag, and slowly pulled out a pair of old, worn out jeans. They had writing all over them, but something about them… Something was special about these vintage jeans.
Kelli looked at the pants in wonder. The adult's reverence had spread to the girls. They didn't even know what they were revering.
"These," Bridget said, "Are the Pants." Kelli raised her eyebrows at Emmaline and looked back at the Pants. They sat silently.
"Um, so what?" Kelli ventured. Carmen chuckled, and a couple of the girls joined her.
"Hey, Killer is right. We have to tell them…" So then they sat in the darkened living room, and listened to story after story play out as the read from the pant's writing.
"Whoa… These are magic Pants…" Emmaline said quietly after they finished with the story of the weddings.
"Now," Carmen said, "It's time to see if the Pants will accept you four." Lena stood up and everyone followed. She handed the pants to her daughter, and Cadence walked behind the couch and pulled them on.
She walked out from behind it, and everyone gasped. The Pants flowed perfectly down her small, skinny legs, and flared at the bottom just enough to show of just how fit, and skinny she was.
"Wow, she's got her mom's body. Remember when we got Lena into these?" They all laughed, and Cadence spun around, looking at the different parts.
"And would you look at that," Kelli said, smirking, "Cadence has a butt." Cadence blushed and took them off quickly, slipping back on her loose khaki skirt. They all smiled at the modest girl, and Lena passed the pants to Emmaline.
"Your turn." She said. "Okay…" Emmy replied, taking of her tight fitting black jeans, and pulled on the Pants, awaiting the obvious effort it would take to pull them up over her backside, and was surprised when she found herself already buttoning them. Everyone gaped at her, open-mouthed.
All except Carmen, who grinned. "Just like your mama." She muttered, and the moms nodded.
"Oh my…. They fit?" She said. She looked down, and to the mirror, and just shook her head.
"This is too freakish…" She said taking them off quickly and tossing them to Channing. The dark headed girl shrugged and pulled off her old jeans, and slipped into the Pants. She looked down at herself and raised her eyebrows.
"Whoa, Chan, you look hot." Kelli said. Channing posed, and laughed, peeling them off, obviously confused at how they could have fit her. She tossed the lightly to Kel, and she held them up in front of her.
"No offense to you guys, but my legs are way longer than ya'lls. There is no way they're even gonna hit my ankles." Bridget smiled and urged her on. Kelli shook her head with a sigh and yanked off her jean shorts, and pulled on the Pants.
"Wow. They're magic. They really are…" Emmy said, looking at Kelli and started to laugh, an ironic laugh. Before they knew what was happening they were all laughing so hard.
A couple hours later the four young girls were sitting in the living room, with the lights turned off. They were in their pajamas and eating popcorn.
"Well—those Pants sure do seem special…" Kelli said through a mouthful of popcorn. Emmaline nodded, glancing over at the Pants, folded up neatly on the counter.
"Well, are we gonna do it?" Cadence asked. Channing nodded along with the other three, and it was agreed.
"Well, Chan should get them first. She's going the farthest away." They all nodded. Channing was going to be an intern at Universal Studios. Her father had gained some contacts over there after he designed and created the sequel to Dragon's Lair. He had called it, "A Knights Revenge". So, Chan was going to spend her summer in Orlando.
"Okay, then Cay gets them next." Cay was headed off to a music camp in Atlanta. She plays the piano.
"And then Emmy. She'll definitely need them before me." Kelli said.
"Yeah, thanks. And then, Killer of course." Emmaline said. She was going to her cousin's house, on her father's side. Garrett was his name.
And Kelli was staying here. She was to work at Starbucks and be a Jr. Coach for the 8 year old hockey league. She was thrilled to help the Hawks.
"Well…" Cadence muttered, "Then….."
Emmaline jumped into the conversation, "Don't you dare Cadence Rodman! We do not say goodbye! We aren't leaving until tomorrow. So…Just…. Turn back on the Grudge." Cadence nodded and looked at her flip-flops.
Channing grunted. "I hate the Grudge…" She muttered.
"Oh shut up." The other three said in unison, causing them to start a new laughing fit.