A/N: Hey, I'm back! Sorry it's been a few days! I've been really busy. See, it was my cousin's b-day yesterday.
Disclaimer: Check back to previous chapters. Too tired to write one
Previously:
"See you in Illinois!" With that, she stepped through the portal.
Now: The Bet
Emily glanced around as she steadied herself. She saw fields. Lots and lots of fields. The only other things she saw were a small road, a farm in the distance, and trees. She heard the others come from behind her.
"How do they live out here?" Kara exclaimed.
"Well, we better take the potions now," Lorren said. Adriane walked over to the boys, while Emily bent down to give Dreamer part of the potion.
BOOM! In a puff of purple smoke a boy emerged unlike the same boy that disappeared, yet, it was the same Lorren. He had short black hair and hazel eyes, about 5' 5". He had a somewhat dark tan, instead of the green skin he sported earlier. He looked down at himself. His facial expression clearly said, "I look gooooooood!" Adriane shook her head in amusement. His voice had changed, too. It was a tad bid deeper. "Thanks."
Meanwhile, with the same puff, Dreamer turned into a beautiful Siberian husky. He shook out his newly attained fur, looked at Emily, and said, can I keep it?
"No, I'm sorry. You lose it when we get out of here." Dreamer looked disappointed. Emily rushed on. "But, we may be here awhile!" This lightened up Dreamer a bit.
Adriane now moved onto Marlin, skipping Zach. Zach stopped her. "Hey, what about me?"
"Um, Zach?" "Yes?" "You're already human." "Oh, right." Zach turned away, a blush creeping onto his face. Adriane, trying to hold back laughter, moved onto Marlin. She shoved it into his hands. "Here, take the rest. No one else needs it."
Marlin gulped down the remaining potion. BOOM! A handsome boy stood before them. He had beautiful brown hair that reached right above his ears. His eyes were of the deepest brown. He was the same height as Zach. No one who didn't see him change would have known he was, well, him. His skin was a little bit lighter than Lorren's. His voice, however, remained the same. "Nice," he remarked.
Emily kneeled down by Lyra. She poured half of the rest down Lyra's throat. BOOM! Lyra changed into a wonderful…leopard? "Um, Kara, wasn't Lyra already a leopard?"
"Yeah, I guess she just lost the wings."
"What are we gonna tell everyone else?" Emily asked.
Adriane spoke up. "How about we leave her at the farm, no offense, Lyra." Lyra merely nodded. "And when we go into the middle of town, only two of us will go along with Dreamer?" Everyone nodded his or her head in agreement. "Alright. Now, let's change Drake."
"Oh, yes. I almost forgot!" Emily hurried over to the gigantic dragon. Drake's head bent down, and Emily poured the remaining liquid into his mouth. BOOM! In yet another puff of the purple-like smoke, the fierce dragon turned into… a cute Shetland pony! Oh, no. I wouldn't do that my favorite dragon! Oh, no. REWIND!
…the fierce dragon turned into a magnificent pure white stallion. He glanced down and started prancing around, showing off his handsome self.
"Oh, no. Someone deflate that big head of his!" Ozzie said for the first time since they had landed in the Midwest. Everyone laughed.
"Okay, we need to start heading over to the farm. We'll need as much time as we can get," Adriane took charge.
"Sir yes sir!" Kara saluted. Adriane got into the act then, too.
"Alright troops! Front and center!" Adriane yelled. Kara moved directly in front of Adriane. "Forward, MARCH!" Adriane turned around and started marching, Kara close behind. "HUT TWO THREE FOUR! HUT TWO THREE FOUR! LEFT! LEFT! LEFT RIGHT LEFT! KEEP IT MOVING! NO SLACKING!"
Emily watched in fits of giggles as Adriane and Kara started down the road, keeping that same pace they were just in.
"Um, why were they doing that?" Zach asked cautiously.
"It's a joke. It's what military sergeants do when they train. We just use it for fun. Let's catch up. Keep watching."
All of the sudden, Kara broke pace. She crept behind Adriane. She cried out. "REVOLT!" and used her horn to create a magical rope around Adriane's shoulders. "Yes! Victorious! All shall bow down to me!"
"In your dreams, girl!" Adriane did an impressive show of twisting around, using her jewel to disintegrate the rope binding her, and knocked Kara to the ground. She lightly put her foot on the girl's back, and shook her hands in the air, looking back at the oncoming group. They cheered. Adriane got down and helped Kara up, cleaning Kara's outfit in the process. The group caught up.
"Go Adriane!" Zach smiled.
"Oh, yes! Who is the best? I am! Oh yeah!" Adriane did a victory dance. Kara sulked.
"It's okay, Kara. You'll do better next time." Lorren comforted her. Kara smiled.
"Thank you."
"Hey, look. We're at the farm. C'mon!" Ozzie cried. The all walked over to the front door. Emily rang the bell. DING, DONG!
"Yes, yes I'm coming!" they heard a woman yell. The door opened. A lady looking around 40 with shoulder length brown hair and hazel eyes appeared. "Oh, it's you. Come in! Come in! Yes the horse too, but only if he's very careful." The group treaded inside.
"Hello. I'm Liz Connerly. You can call me Liz. My husband, Brad, is working in the barn with my children, Kathryn and Karlos. You must be the Emily, Adriane, and Kara," She directed at the girls. The girls just nodded, taken aback by this lady's bubbling attitude. "Who are these handsome fellows? I can't remember their names."
Emily spoke up as to get a word in. She pointed at each boy in turn. "This is Zach, Marlin, and Lorren."
"Well, pleased to meet you. Is there anything I can do for you before I point you to your rooms?"
"Yes, is there somewhere I can put Drake?" Liz directed her outside to the barn.
"It's stall number 7. That's the box stall. There'll be plenty of room there. It's also the closest to the door. I'll tell Emily which room is yours." Adriane led Drake outside, while Liz showed the rest of them upstairs to their rooms.
When they reached upstairs, they found a long hallway. Liz gestured to the first door on the right. "This is Brad's and my room. Do NOT go in it. Do I make myself clear?" The girls nodded. Liz then pointed to the door on the other side. "This will be Adriane's."
They moved on down the hallway. Liz pointed her finger then at the next door on the left. "This is Karlos' room. The room across it is Emily's." Emily went inside and used her jewel to conjure up suitcases and things for her stay. They had gotten really good at things like that. Emily came out again to learn where the others were staying.
They stopped again. "The door on the right is Marlin's. In the left is Zach's." Marlin and Zach each went into their rooms and repeated what Emily did. Each came back out. The group continued. "This door on the left is Kathryn's. Opposite it is Kara's. This room next to Kara's is Lorren's." They did the same thing as with Zach, Emily and Marlin, Lyra following Kara.
Liz continued. "I need to get back down to the kitchen and finish dinner. We're having fried chicken, mashed 'taters, creamed corn, applesauce, biscuits, pickles, and for dessert, apple pie." As if in response, Zach's stomach growled loudly. Everyone laughed. Liz retreated down the stairs. The group followed.
Meanwhile, down at the barn, Adriane was getting Drake situated. As she walked into the barn, she was greeted with the smell of horse waste and hay. As she led Drake down to stall 7, she came upon a girl with long brown hair and brown eyes, looking to be Adriane's age.
"Hello, I'm Kathryn. You must be one of the kids staying here with us."
"Yeah, I'm Adriane. The rest are inside, finding their rooms, and all. I'm looking for stall 7. Can you show me where it is?" Adriane asked kindly.
"Sure! Follow me." Kathryn led Adriane past a lot of horses. There were black ones, bay ones, Arabian's, quarter horses, and a lot more. (She only knew this as it specified on their stall door below the name.)
"Here we are, the box stall." Kathryn said, snapping Adriane out of her thoughts.
"Thank you. I can take it from here. Just tell me where the water and," Adriane paused, listening to Drake. My taste has changed I like grain and things horses like. Adriane continued, "and the grain is, and I'll be fine."
"Oh, yes, the water is at the pump right outside the house. The grain can be found in the room right over there. Anything else?"
"No, I can handle it from here." Adriane smiled kindly.
"Okay, hurry on up back to the house. Dinner's about ready." Sure enough, they heard Liz shout from the house, "Dinner's ready!" Adriane said goodbye to Drake, and followed Kathryn up to the house, but not before she used her jewel to put Drake's name on the empty gold plate on the stall door.
She closed the farmhouse door behind her. Everyone else was already sitting down.
"Now, wash up, so we can get started," Liz instructed.
When Adriane came back, she looked at where everyone was sitting. A tall brown-headed gentleman, Brad, was seated at the end of the table, Liz on his right. A cute brown-headed boy around their age also sat on his right, drumming his fingers against the table, waiting for Kathryn to get back. Emily sat next to him, talking animatedly with Marlin with Ozzie on her shoulder. Next to Marlin sat Zach. There was an empty chair next to where he was sitting. Dreamer sat on the floor next to the empty seat, his tail wagging a hundred miles a minute.
Zach glanced up at her and smiled. Adriane made her way over and sat down. Across from her sat Kara chatting to Lorren on her right. Lyra waited patiently at the end of the table next to Dreamer. There was an empty space next to Lorren, presumably for Kathryn. As Kathryn entered the room and sat down, the Connerly's bowed their heads.
Ozzie jumped down as Brad spoke up. "Dear Lord, thank for the food and drinks you have provided us today. Amen." He lifted his head. "Let's eat." The food was passed around until each person had what he or she wanted. Emily passed a loaded plate to Ozzie on the ground. He kept asking for more. Adriane and Kara kept passing scraps of food to Dreamer and Lyra. Extra food from the other plates went to them. A half of an hour later, everyone was stuffed.
After putting their plates and things in the sink, they headed to the living room where they got to know each other better.
The whole time they were in the living room, Adriane noticed something funny. Karlos just could NOT stop staring at Emily. Ooooooo, methinks someone has a crush on our Emily. Adriane giggled quietly. Zach turned to her.
"What?" he whispered. She leaned over to him.
"Look at who Karlos is staring at. He's got a crush on Emily!" Zach looked over.
"Yeah! You're right. This'll be interesting to watch." He grinned.
"Wanna make a bet?" Adriane asked.
"What is it?" Zach whispered leaning in closer.
"I bet you that Karlos makes a move on Emily as they head up to their rooms. You told me that their bedrooms are across from each other.
"You're on." Zach smiled evilly at her. She smiled the same way back. He started to say something, but got cut off.
"Hey, you guys are plotting something, and we want in. Scootch over." Kara whispered as she scooted closer, making room for Lorren. "Okay, what is it?"
Adriane started off. "Look at how Karlos is staring at Emily. I bet Zach that he'll make a move on her as they head up to their rooms."
"Well, Emily's pretty, and even though I don't know that much about him, I can tell that he REALLY likes her, so, put me down for yes," Lorren reasoned out.
"I'll go with Zach. I mean, he looks like a nice kid," Kara decided doubtfully. So, now. At what price? What should the losers have to do or give the winners?" she gave a sly grin. "I was thinking that the losers could…oh, I don't know… die their hair pink?" Kara smirked at Adriane.
Adriane shot back, "Or, how about the color of hair and clothes of the winner's choice for all of tomorrow? Because, Kara, we know you wouldn't mind pink, but you know I would." Adriane was going to get Kara back for the pink clothes incident.
"Fine."
"Fine." The girls glared at each other.
Emily sat down. "Um, guys? What is that about?" she pointed to the two girls' staring contest.
Lorren answered. "Oh, just another one of there arguments." Please, don't ask what. Please, don't ask what! he prayed. She didn't.
Liz butt in before she could. "Alright now, it's 9:30. Lights go out at 10. G'night!"
"G'night!" the kids chorused. They trudged up the stairs. Interestingly, Kara, Adriane, Lorren, and Zach followed behind Marlin, Emily, and Kathryn. Emily stopped to say good night to Marlin at her door, and then he continued down the hall behind Kathryn. The group behind hid in Adriane's room and watched.
Emily placed her hand on the knob to turn it. Before she could, however, a voice rang out behind her.
"Hey, Emily." She turned around.
"Hello, Karlos." Her tone voiced confusion. "How, um, are you?" she asked as he sidled up to her.
"It's all good," he said as he gave her a crooked smile. "Hey, um, I was wondering, what-" Adriane cut him off.
"Hey, Em! Can I talk to you for a sec?" Adriane stepped out into the hallway, smiling.
"Sure. Talk to you later, um, Karlos." She gave him a forced smile before rushing over to Adriane. Karlos glared at Adriane before retreating to his room and slamming the door.
"Oh, thank you. That was getting uncomfortable," Emily gushed.
"Oh, he was SOOOO hitting on you!" Adriane replied.
"I know. So what'd you wanna talk to me about?"
"Nothing. I just had to get you away before he did anything stupid. Besides everyone else is in my room. C'mon." Emily followed Adriane into her room.
Everyone started talking at once, all along the lines of, "Did he make a move?"
Adriane stepped in, holding her hands up. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. First, let's tell Emily, and Marlin, what's going on." Zach and Lorren had slipped passed Emily and Karlos and went to go get Marlin.
Zach spoke up. "Okay, so, down in the living room, Adriane caught sight of Karlos staring at Emily," Emily blushed, "and proposed a bet. She bet that Karlos would make a move on you. Naturally, Kara and Lorren wanted in. So, the bet was that Adriane and Lorren betting that Karlos WOULD make a move, against Kara and me betting he wouldn't. The losers have to dye their hair and wardrobe the color of the winners' choice for all of tomorrow. So, now, it's up to you Emily, to tell us. Did he or did he not, make a move on you?" he finished dramatically, swinging an invisible microphone over to her.
Emily pushed his hand away. "First of all, Adriane knows the answer too, but she better not tell, because I now want to." Emily smiled evilly. "Second of all, I'm mad that you bet on me and didn't tell me! Now, the winner is," Emily paused for dramatic effect," Adriane and Lorren."
"Yes!" the winners cried. Kara and Zach glared at them. They knew what the color was going to be.
"Okay, we've picked the color," Adriane said. "It's black." She smirked at Kara. They knew what the answer was. "I can't wait for tomorrow. Now get out, lights out will be any-" she was interrupted by a voice from across the hall. "Light's out!" Suddenly, everything went dark. "-minute." Adriane finished belatedly.
"Great, now what are we gonna do?" Kara complained.
"Um, Kara? We'll just use our jewels!" Emily said, not believing how dumb Kara could be at times.
"Oh…right."
Adriane cut in. "Okay, now everyone out." They all filed out, girls, boys, cat, and ferret. Adriane got ready for bed before communicating with Drake.
Hey, Drake.
Momma, I'm lonely.
I'm sorry. You know there's not anything I can do.
Yes, I know. So are you going to fill me in or not?
Yes, I am. Just hold your horses, excuse the pun. With that, Adriane filled him in. They said their goodnights, and Adriane drifted of to sleep.
A/N: hahaha! 8 pages on Microsoft Word! I'm getting good. That was only 1 day too! I'm looking forward to writing the next chapter!
Toodles!
0&O
SF