Meanwhile in Miss Clavel's school...
The girls met the next morning with dread as they got out of bed to brush their teeth, got dressed, and soon made their beds. Well, almost all, except for Madeline and Darla, even if they knew they wouldn't be gone for long they had to make it look like they were. Madeline's bed had been stripped of its pillow and sheets as they were packed up and ready to leave with 'Horst', and where it was soon time for breakfast. The girls bowed their heads as they said their prayer before eating. And where they even cried even though they knew the girls wouldn't be gone forever.
"Little dears," Miss Clavel tried to calm them down. "Your tears will make zhe 'ot chocolate salty!" she then sniffled as she found herself unable to fight her own tears as she cried along with them.
Charlotte was starting to join in as she couldn't bear her own granddaughter leaving.
"Nana Charlotte?" Darla noticed.
"I heard everything, honey..." Charlotte hugged Darla nice and tight. "Oh, you look just like I did when I went to school here when I was your age."
Darla hugged her grandmother back. Charlotte sniffled and gently stroked Darla's golden curls.
After breakfast, Darla and Madeline were packing their bags, and where where Maisy and Patch included trackers that wouldn't make a sound but would be able to show where they were. The girls decided to give Madeline and Darla something to remember them by. Danielle gave her baby doll while Amber gave back her friendship bracelet to Darla.
Madeline put the baby doll in her suitcase and Darla held the bracelet close to her heart. The suitcases seem to have a mind of their own as they wouldn't close. The girls all sat together and tried to shut the suitcases by sitting on them. Soon enough, that did the trick and the suitcases shut.
Meanwhile next door again...
"Now what're you doing?" Atticus asked the Spanish boy as he pet the cat in the room.
"I need to find something to give to Madeline so she'll remember me," Pepito replied. "I wonder what she would like best?"
"Do you have a spinning top?" Atticus asked.
"Hmm... Let me see..." Pepito replied as he tossed away his slingshot and then found what he was looking for. "Ah, my top! But where is the string?"
The cat then played with the spinning top and swatted it with his paw which made it spin around on the floor.
"I'm sure it's in there somewhere." Atticus said.
"What is that?" he then wrinkled his nose slightly at the green thing.
"My prized toad, sun-dried of course," Pepito replied, he then tossed it to the floor.
The cat sniffed the toad and then looked very disgusted himself.
"Even the cat hates how it smells." Atticus said.
"I cannot find the string, but how about this?" Pepito suggested with a smile. "The best of all!"
"What is that?" Atticus flinched again.
"The best present of all from the Ambassador from Brazil!" Pepito announced. "A unique imitation shrunken head!"
"Um..." Atticus said, unsure.
The cat was spooked by the design.
"Perfecto!" Pepito smiled and then wrapped it up.
"I wonder how things are going with the girls?" Atticus said.
There was a taxi outside the school which meant that it was time for Darla and Madeline to go.
"Now, my sweets-" Horst held the door open for the girls.
"Wait for me!" Genevieve yipped as she rushed over and jumped into the car.
"Don't leave without me!" Maisy meowed in Cat language.
"Nein, nein, nein!" Horst glared as he took the animals out of the car.
"Genevieve and Maisy want to go with Madeline and Darla," Chloe replied. "We all agreed."
"Besides, Maisy is Darla's kitten." Amber added.
"Oui, oui!" The other girls agreed as well.
"That's right." Darla nodded as the girls put the dog and kitten back inside the car.
"Merci, mes ami." Madeline smiled to her friends.
"Zhere are no animals in zhe school of Vienna!" Horst took the dog and kitten away again.
"Awww!" The girls frowned.
"Then there is no Madeline or Darla in the school of Vienna!" Madeline and Darla glared, refusing to be without their animal best friends.
"That's right, if you were our real uncle, then you would allow our pets to come along." Darla said.
The girls gasped slightly at Madeline and Darla's backtalk.
Horst glared before sighing in defeat and smiled. "Ja."
Genevieve and Maisy then smiled back and hopped back into the car.
"Darn it, I thought that would make him come clean." Darla whispered to herself with a firm pout.
"Do not vorry, he'll slip up soon enough." Madeline whispered to Darla. Darla smiled to Madeline and she then smiled back.
"Now, I have somezhing for the trip." Miss Clavel replied.
"All of Madeline and Darlene's needs are provided for," Horst said to her. "But any spending money may be given to me entrusted for safe keeping."
"These are only for Madeline and Darla." Charlotte said.
"Are zhey valuable?" Horst asked hopefully.
"Priceless," Miss Clavel said and came to the redheaded girl. "Madeline, close your eyes."
Madeline did as told and closed her eyes.
"Now open." Miss Clavel then said as she took out a familiar looking golden necklace.
"Oh, Maman's beads!" Madeline beamed.
Charlotte smiled as she knew Miss Clavel had been saving to entrust the beads to Madeline.
"I vas told to keep zhese in safe keeping until it vas time to give zhem to you," Miss Clavel smiled to Madeline. "Now is that time."
"And Darla, I have something for you." Charlotte said.
"Oh, Nana, you shouldn't have." Darla smiled.
"Close your eyes." Charlotte told her.
Darla then smiled and closed her eyes. Charlotte then brought out a necklace that had the Zodiac animals around it.
"Oh, Nana Charlotte, it's so beautiful!" Darla smiled. "It's like the animals on Chinese Restaurant menus."
"It was your mother's." Charlotte smiled back.
"My mother's...?" Darla asked back with a soft whisper.
"That's right." Charlotte nodded.
Darla then hugged Charlotte with tears in her eyes. "Oh, Nana Lottie..."
Charlotte hugged her granddaughter right back. Miss Clavel soon placed the bead necklace around Madeline's neck. Charlotte did the same for Darla.
"I thought that, perhaps, diamonds?" Horst seemed interested in the jewelry. "Emeralds? Pearls? Well... No matter... Beads can be entrusted to little girls."
"We'll miss you, girls." Cherry frowned.
"Cherry, are you gonna cry?" Darla asked.
"No." Cherry shook her head, though her voice sounded choked.
"Cherry, it's okay, if you want to cry." Darla said.
"I don't cry..." Cherry replied.
"Cherry..." Darla drawled out her name.
Cherry soon sighed, she then covered her eyes as she seemed to shake in her body and soon, she actually did cry.
Darla soon started to comfort Cherry. "I'll miss you too." She soothed.
"Take care of yourself." Cherry told her in a choked up voice.
"I sure will." Darla told her.
Darla and Madeline both soon went in the car. Atticus wiped his eyes as he sighed about Darla leaving.
"No matter what happens, you will always be my brother." Darla said to Atticus one last time.
"And you will always be my little sister." Atticus frowned.
Darla and Atticus shared another rather tearful hug.
"Please, ve must get going!" Horst rushed them.
"Alright, alright." Darla frowned.
Madeline then scooted over for her cousin. Darla took a deep breath and got into the car with her so they could go to Vienna. After the door was closed, Horst went to the passenger seat. Darla looked out the window sadly as the car drove off and she was now leaving her big brother.
The girls waved from the back window. Patch howled out of sadness, even though he knew the girls wouldn't be gone forever. Darla wiped her eyes as Patch's howl made her feel rather sad on the inside as she held her chest where her heart was. The others then cried as Madeline and Darla were going to be gone forever, or so they made the others think after they found out the truth.
"Oh, girls, do not cry." Charlotte frowned as tears started to come out of her eyes.
"Yes, we must be 'appy..." Miss Clavel added before she soon ended up in tears herself.
"'Appy?" The girls replied as it seemed impossible with their nearest and dearest friend gone far away.
"For Madeline and Darla." Cherry said, trying her best to not cry anymore.
"Yes, yes..." Miss Clavel agreed.
Amber sniffled as she missed her best friend very much already. Soon enough, everyone hugged each other just as Pepito was rushing over with a present for Madeline and somehow, so did Urchin who was in his human form as he had a present for Darla.
"Wait!" Urchin called out.
"Are we too late?" Pepito asked. "Where are Madeline and Darla?"
"Zhey are gone." Miss Clavel and Charlotte frowned to the boys.
"Forever!" The girls cried.
Pepito and Urchin frowned as they looked down to their presents and then cried out in distress about never seeing the girls again. "NOOOOOOO!"
"We have to go after them and give them our presents for them." Urchin said.
"Do you think we can make it?" Pepito asked.
"I know we can if I can run as fast as I can swim." Urchin sounded determined.
"Urchin, how did you hear about Darla?" Atticus asked the little merboy.
"Charlotte told me." Urchin said.
"My driver can drive us after them." Pepito suggested.
"Your driver?" Urchin asked.
"Si, I am the son of the Spanish Ambassador, come with me." Pepito told his new friend.
The boys then went to Pepito's father to have the car go after Horst's car so they could properly say goodbye to the girls.
"Pepito sure has come a long way since we first met him." Amber commented about how Pepito was about Madeline leaving.
"'E sure 'as." Miss Clavel smiled in agreement.
"RRRapido!" Pepito called out to the driver. "Faster!"
Horst's car soon stopped in front of the train depot just ahead, but the taxi cab had instead stopped at the Metro.
"This isn't the train depot." Darla frowned.
"Uncle? Uncle!" Madeline called out.
"Oh, ja, leibchans?" Horst smiled to the girls.
"Vhy did ve stop here?" Madeline asked. "Zhis is not zhe train station."
"Uh, because, before zhe train, ve need to go to boutique." Horst replied.
"The boutique?" Darla asked. "Why?"
"Vhy?" Horst replied. "Oh... For zhe dresses! A couple of formal presentation dresses... Vith... Vith sparkly things all down zhe front. Come!"
"But!" Darla and Madeline called out until they were taken down to the Metropolitan.
"This guy is more persistent than I thought." Darla whispered to Madeline.
Miss Clavel looked forward before looking to the Spanish and merboy. "Pepito, Urchin, 'hat is in your packages?"
Pepito smiled sheepishly and unwrapped his box to show that it was a shrunken head which made the other girls gasp in slight horror while Urchin had a glittering seashell with Darla's name on it, however, on the inside, there was a special surprise just for the girl. The girls seemed to scream at the shrunken head.
"Erm... That sure is... Um... Interesting..." Charlotte smiled nervously, but she shook shivers down her spine as it reminded her of Dr. Facilier.
The driver drove out of control from the commotion before parking, and luckily, did not crash.
"PUT IT AVAY!" Miss Clavel scolded Pepito.
Urchin then showed his present for Darla to Charlotte since she knew the secret. Charlotte then opened up the seashell locket to show that it was a glowing image of Atlantica so Darla would always remember the old days in the summer when the kids had first met each other and he had heard her lovely singing which attracted him to her.
"Oh, Urchin, it is lovely, I'm sure Darla will love it." Charlotte smiled.
"I just don't want her to forget about Atlantica, no matter where she goes." Urchin smiled back.
"Well, I can promise you this she definitely won't forget it and Madeline surely will not forget that." Cherry said as she pointed to Pepito's shrunken head.
"It reminds me of Dr. Facilier." Charlotte whispered about the shrunken head.
"We better get going." Atticus said.
"Hurry!" Cherry urged the others before it would be too late.