Hello all,

The gap between the 32th and 33th chapters has been quite long because I had to pass through my exams and a period in which I have been out of ideas. Sorry!

Anyway, I will write a true end to this story, which will still last for a few chapter.

Disclaimer: This licence isn't mine. The opinions express by the characters are not mine. I do not support nor encourage the illegal or dangerous acts or words present here. I can make a distinction between fiction and reality and I trust in my readership's ability in doing the same.

Chapter thirty-three: A sour Raspberry!

When Peanut Butter woke up, his guest house was silent. The twins Lem and Ada were quietly sitting in their room, at one point a visitor would have not notice their presence.

-Good morning, Peanut Butter said with a voice that he hoped to be warm and comforting.

The twins answered with a nod and went back to their drawing notebooks. Since they had told their whole story to him, they have locked themselves into a deep muteness, and an avoiding attitude; just like if they regret to have shown him their true colors. Peanut Butter could not reproach the way they act: They did their best to help him, without waiting for his instructions. It was maybe a result of their education, mainly based, he couldn't deny it, on abandon and negligence. Their mother had sent them far from her, saying it was for their own good; it was a chore for their big sister to take care of them; and since their youngest age, their only support, the only one who brought them love and attention, was a dog. Maybe all that drove them to the idea they were just unwanted people, only good enough to make the thankless task, who had barely the right to live. That was sad. Peanut Butter really wanted to help them, but the twins rejected him. They were both part of a very private pair, in which he was not welcome. He noticed that when Lem and Ada suddenly stopped talking when he joined them, when they left the room he has entered, when they avoided looking him in the eye when he was talking to them. Peanut Butter really wanted to help them, and sometimes he was heart-broken when he though the twins would never understand how worthy they really were if they didn't even let him approach hem. His only recovery was being sure that they were better with him than with their sister who tormented them all day long.

In the "Raspberry Meringue", Raspberry Torte was carefully listening to all that Lemon Meringue was saying to her customers. Well, she wasn't spying, she was just keeping her informed! And that she heard didn't please her…

-No, I don't think that pink hair grip would fit you, my dear. Why won't you try this pretty yellow headband on instead? … Oh yes, this one perfectly brings our eyes out!

Now, she was saying that pink, her lucky colour since always, was ugly! Raspberry could feel her blood bubbled on her veins, and she really felt like bursting inside hairdressing salon to slap Lemon, but she breathed deeply to control herself. No, she really shouldn't do that. Their store's reputation would be ruined! Lemon's aunt would certainly kick her out after a such scandal. And then, where could she go? It was no way she returns to Berry Bitty City: All the other girls would say something like: "Did you really think you could be something else than a hillbilly?" and laugh at her misfortunes! She had to act more… cleverly.

-I hope you enjoyed your stay at the "Raspberry Meringue", Raspberry said with a large, artificial smile while holding the door to their leaving customer.

-Thank you, Miss., Your store is so quiet! This is really rare and appreciable in a such big city.

-We do our best to offer a calm and relaxed atmosphere for our dear customers, Raspberry answered with an unctuous voice. "Our house is all the more so quiet as the two youngest employees left last week".

-Really? The customers cried with a sincere interest. "Now as you mention it, I perfectly remember the charming teenagers that used to help you. What happened to them?"

Raspberry let out a long fake sight.

-My partner, miss Lemon Meringue, couldn't manage to love them. She kept bullying them, morning to night. Anything the did was good enough for her. She was constantly reprimanding them about the way they had folded the clothes, the way they had greeted the customers, th way they had swept the hairdressing salon… Who could live like that? They decided to tender their resignation, and I must admit I perfectly understand their decision.

-The poor children! The customer explained with tears in her voice. "Such polite, well-educated fellows! Did they find a good situation now?"

-I don't know, Raspberry retorted, pretending to seem sorry. "According to the latest news, they are hosted by a friend of them. But… for how long?"

The customer wiped her eyes.

-That a tragic story, she finally said. "I would have never believed this from Miss Lemon. She always looked so kind… I guess she better be an actress. I'll talk about it around me."

-Please do, Raspberry Torte said with a little smile as she let her getting out of the Store.

It didn't take many times to this piece of new for spreading, Raspberry Torte could see it. At their store, customers who asked Lemon Meringue became scarce. When they accidentally met her on the streets, they pretended to not see her, and only spoke to her if she greeted them first. Sometimes, Lemon Meringue went at Raspberry's floor to check if everything was right with the customers, but when she asked them questions they rudely answered that they needed no help and that Raspberry Torte was doing everything right. Raspberry Torte was looking at her enterprise's progresses with great satisfaction: she felt like she could at least have her revenge against Lemon Meringue, the girl from a good family, protected by a rich aunt that made she benefit from her contacts; the girl that pretended to be her benefactor and had often boasted about it; who was now less considered than a street cleaner. Raspberry Torte was extremely proud of her achievement and congratulated herself, but her headiness prevented her from realizing her act could have irreparable consequences on her… workmate's (I guess we can no longer talk about friendship, can't we?) life.

Poor Lemon Meringue couldn't even find reassurance to her aunt Edna; she had concluded the girls were running their business correctly and had left them the previous month. Lemon Meringue was not fooled and had perfectly understand she had loosen her reputation; but she couldn't guess what she could have done to deserve it, and who could have worked for discrediting her in the eyes of the public. Raspberry Torte herself had turned much more distant. When she talked to her about her anxieties and doubts, Raspberry didn't really listen to her; even worse, she seemed to enjoy hearing the tale of her misfortunes. When the "Raspberry Meringue" was closed, she no longer hung up with her, showing her her last sketches and asking her what she thought of that; no, on the contrary, she now used to fly to meet another girl, a red-hair "haute couture" tailor of Pearis, named Rebecca Rotte. Lemon Meringue found herself all alone during long afternoons, during which her only distraction was to browse her very old diary, the one she had lost when she was still a little girl and who had been found again just before her move to Big Apple City. She had hesitated a lot before opening it, because she thought she was just a little fool at the time and that she could only be humiliated to discover the silly thoughts she could have had; but her curiosity turned stronger. She used to run it when she lived in Big Apple City for the first time, so maybe she could find some good tips for her now! She opened it at the first page.

"Dear diary,

I just arrived to Big Apple City! I'm feeling so excited! But in the same time I'm a bit worry too… Auntie Edna always says that I'm a brilliant girl and everything would be alright here, and I hope she's right. I want to have a lot of friends! I visited my new studio. It's rather small, but I met my neighbors. She's a painter and an artist, and her name is Orange Blossom. I don't think I could be a painter, too, because I could stain my pretty dresses.

Alright, see you later! "

Her syntax and her style were poor, but Lemon Meringue was only five years old when she wrote this note. But, as mediocre as her writing skills could be, the reader could understand that Lemon Meringue was already a temperamental and demanding child. Lemon Meringue quickly flipped through another notes.

"Dear diary,

My studio is definitively too small for me! I had many dresses to tidy, but there's not room enough for my four wardrobes! That' simply unacceptable. I wish Auntie Edna was here to help me… But I found another solution by myself: The next-door studio is still unoccupied so I would use it as a second room. Orange Blossom isn't sure it would be a good idea but I don't care.

I'm a pure genius! "

"Dear diary,

Something awful happened to me today: a horrible girl settled into my second studio and forced me to move all my belonging. What a rudeness! I think we would never be friend. She has a weird name (TN Honey), she talks with a strange accent and in top of that she's not interest in clothing! On the contrary, she has many books. I hate reading! It gives me headaches. I don't want to be her friend, and I hope Orange Blossom either."

"Dear diary,

Guess what? Orange Blossom had left berry early this morning because she wanted to paint the greengrocers put their stalls up. She came back with a real baby and a white rabbit! She had named her Apricot, because she had been abandoned into an apricots crate, and she said the rabbit warmed her up during the night. Orange Blossom and TN Honey are delighted to have a baby to take care of, but I'm not: a baby would disturb me. If she prevents me from sleeping, I would have horrible shadows under my pretty eyes, and it would spoil my future career of model.

I'm so sad here. I hope I'll be back home soon. "

Dear diary,

I found my first job! I have to pose for an advertisement of shampoo! I always knew I was the greatest and the prettiest. Sorry, I can't write any longer, I have to share this piece of new with Orange Blossom and TN Honey, I'm sure they will be green with envy!

See you later!"

"Dear diary,

I had a fight with TN Honey this morning. The office that hired me is next to the place where T. works as a laboratory assistant, so she asked me if we could walk together. I said I didn't want to, because she's so weird that she would bring shame on me (that is true). TN Honey answered that I look like a sheep with my curled hair, a vain sheep in top of that. I told her that she hadn't have the right to criticize me as she is in my country, and that she should go back to her island where everyone is crazy. It made her berry upset, she even cried and said I was genophobiccenophobic I don't even remember the odd word she used. Orange Blossom sided with her.

I'm sure they are jealous of my loveliness. That's so unfair!"

Lemon Meringue's eyes went clouded. She didn't know why exactly, if it was due to nostalgia, or because of the embarrassment to discover how spoiled and disagreeable she was as a little girl. Her way to overcome problems was to deny them with an incredible bad faith, pretending they were never her fault and thinking she was perfect, without putting herself in question. Finally, it was exactly what she did since she settle in Big Apple City for the second time, right? Thinking that everything was due to her due to her aunt's richness and considering her friends and her own sibling as her subordinates. Oddly, Orange Blossom and she used to be good friends. How did their friendship start?

"Dear diary,

Today was the most humiliated day of my whole life! Orange Blossom forced me to apologize toward TN Honey. At the beginning I didn't want to, but Orange Blossom told me that if I don't, she would tell everyone that I'm racist and no one would want to take picture of me. So, I went to her door and said I was sorry. TN Honey wasn't even angry anymore, and she said she forgive me because I was just a silly little girl. She also said that she would really like to be friend with me, because there's so many people outside who are naughty with her because she's not American. I don't know why, but I also feel sad for her now.

Well, see you later!

"Dear diary,

Orange Blossom, Apricot, TN Honey and I spent a great afternoon in Sentimental Park today! It was a such sunny day that Orange said that we should all go play outside, and that it would be great for Apricot's early learning. Finally, I discover that even if we where different, we all enjoy the same game, like slipping in the slide or go on the swing. We had a so good time! I hope we will do it again tomorrow.

Good night!"

"Dear diary,

Who could believe that Orange Blossom and TN Honey were so courageous? We were all four (Orange, T, Apricot and I) playing on the swings, when two girls approached and asked me if I knew why monkeys were allowed to go in the park. I didn't understand what they mean, but Orange and T did. Orange cried that the entry to the parc should be forbidden for brainless stuck-up Madam like them, and T even fighted with them! They finally ran away, shouting we were dangers to the public. Even though we have won, Orange Blossom was particularly choked. I'm sure the girls knew they would hurt her if they compare her with a monkey. So, why did they do that?

I'll try to answer tomorrow, I'm so tired."

Yes, these last notes were the key. Empathy and compassion, they were two words she had forgot when she was so obsessed with her thirst for fame. She had forgotthat she was surrounded by human beings, and not by machines. She had forgot that everyone-she, Raspberry Torte, Lem and Ada, Orange Blossom-where definitively sharing the same essence: try to get their values accepted and were equally terrified by the idea of being ignored or denied. Ada never wished her arm, but she always considered her like a competitor. She had abandoned her friends because she persuaded herself she was much better than them. She slowly dropped the diary. The only thing she was thinking about know was the way she would put her mistakes right.

To be continued…