Authors Note: I wanted to post something for my fans and readers on Valentine's Day to show my love for you all...dont hate me for this XDD just remember I dont create characters or use them for the sake of moving them to forget island and never bringing them back
Chapter 6
My lovely time with Ken and Francie ended as quickly as it began and soon we were back in Barbie's empty Dreamhouse, stuck wondering where our guardian had slipped off to now, or better yet just what was she up to.
We were home by her demands, we were on set everyday to do as needed. We did our chores and waited at an empty table at supper time.
We just didn't understand her or her motives.
Why rain on everyone's parade?
It had been 2 months since we stopped living like half hippie and half suburban children and all of us were sad to see our freedom of five months slip by.
Did I really just say Barbie allowed for that for 5 months?
She most certainly did!
Barbie ended up with such an overbooked agenda across the states and across Europe that she didn't even notice that we were still gone, until someone slipped and told her where and who we were staying with.
She didn't like that we were having fun or living our lives just fine without her, she didn't like that Ken could be happy without her.
Barbie didn't like that she wasn't as adored and irreplaceable as she had told herself, so she did something about it.
Something very messed up and something very sad.
You know I thought she sank to a new low when she tried to stone me to death or whatever her brilliant plan at the photoshoot had been, but no shes stepped even further down the ladder.
Like it was bad enough that Ken Carson, the man who's been posing at her side since her career began, legitly said he had enough of her, and enough of all of this, and called it temporary quits, until he decides what he really wants to do with his life.
Despite him being so pissed at Barbie, I hope he remembers that 3 other Roberts girls still love and care about him deeply, even if their guardian is a natural dream crusher.
I'm also really hoping Ken still shows next Tuesday for my art gallery presentation.
Which congrats to me for getting selected,figure id congratulate myself since Barbie doesn't seem to care enough to even leave a sprinkle of pride for me.
At least I know Ken would be happy for me…..
I really just really don't want my Aunt and Uncle(who im sure Todd told since I phoned him, figuring he might pretend to care if he actually didn't), and Barbie, be all that shows up beyond my lil sisters.
I mean you know how hard it is to explain that paintings have unseen meanings to a 4th grader and a Kindergartener?
Plus at that their age brackets, gluing macaroni and glitter to paper is considered a fine art, so im sure all their really going to do if Midge can't baby sit that night( or if i don't take them in desperation to prove to my teacher and fellow students that i have family) is whine about how bored they are or ask me a million questions.
Plus not to mention my friends: Scooter,Ricky,Tiff,Courtney. and Tracey will be there, along with my ex Scott(which eww he couldn't tell you the difference between art and pop tarts...I honestly dont know how our art teacher sees whatever she does in his creations)
And to top it all off Kevin Jones is going to be there! EEEK!
If you don't know who Kevin Jones is then you never been to my school, nor have you been blessed by the powers that may be.
Hes the cutest and most popular guy that California Central High has to offer.
He is all that and a bag of chips, or all the chips the heavens have to offer.
So yea no little sisters to mess my chances up!
Now back to why i'm afraid why Ken might not come…Let me begin with how our return even came to be.
"I think I can stick seven whole s'moes in my mouth." declared Kelly with a muffled giggle, her cheeks already fluffed out by two enormous marshmallows making both Stacie and I fluent on a whole new level of baby sister talk that we never knew existed.
The change from Chelsea and Kelly became more and more welcomed, the longer we were away from Barbie, paparazzi, and just the lives that were never ours to being with, and boy was I more than delighted to know that Kelly only went with going along as Chelsea because she wanted this Pony Party Ballroom Blitz Palace thing along with its mermaid companion toy Pony Deluxe Party:Beach Palooza Extravaganza, that Barbie must of promised her or bargained with in order to get the paperwork done.
"Be careful Kel! We dont need you choking on cloud dust" I warned gently nudging her away from the camp fire, that illuminated the woods around us.
Cloud-Dust being what my sister thought marshmallows to be made from. It apparently being the only explanation for their creation and ability to combine with chocolate.
Stacie shook her head at the both of us, her tiny button nose twitching up at the sight of our leaning towers of s'mores or as Kelly called them S'moes
"S'mores are gross...well except the chocolate part, the chocolate is GREAT! Id eat a whole mountain if it was made out of chocolate." Stacie announced juggling a soccer ball on her knees while she watched us stuff our faces more.
The trailer door then shut, and a faint sigh followed, but I wasn't certain if I had really heard it or not over Kelly's obnoxious chewing and Stacie's squawking at her to stop as they ran about.
Guiding them back to the pit,Ken laughed weakly as he sat down with us.
"Well im glad to hear everyone is so keen on chocolate and s'mores, but I need to go to bed tonight knowing I fed you something that has value and substance..so what will it be?" he asked, his eyes distant, almost as if he was reflecting or thinking hard about something.
I had wanted to ask but the startlement cries for food, from my sisters distracted me.
"Spaghetti!" roared Chelsea, wiggling her sticky and choco covered fingers up in the air.
"Fried fish and potatoes!" over screamed Stacie, determined on these grounds she would be heard,since she hadn't been during snack time.
Being away from Barbie, reflected change in Stacie as well. She was so different than the timid and shy person she was back at the Dreamhouse and she was not only smiling a lot, but I was actually seeing her eat and not look so grimace about doing so or even after having done so.
"Spaghetti!" insisted Kelly flinging graham crackers.
"Potatoes and Fish!" declared Stacie kicking the soccer ball over Kelly's head.
"Spaghetti and fish eye-balls!" roared Kelly with a stare down glare, good enough to be in an old western as the fire crackled behind them.
Glaring each other down, of course only lasted a matter of seconds before their smiles busted upon their faces.
Laughing they both tackled each other and rumbled on the grass in joy.
Ken's sapphire orbs then looked over to me as I put my headphones to the side, having barely touched them today in the first place, since I found nature could be my thing if it was with the right people.
"Cast your vote Skip, or forever hold your piece!" joked Ken removing his burgundy hoodie as he stood up to flip a coin if it was to be just them who wanted to cast votes.
Snatching the coin teasingly I smiled at my sisters and waved it in front of their faces to grab their attentions.
"I vote for chili cheese pie...so now you're gonna have to go butter up Francie to win! or rather you're going to have to beat me" I teased taking off as their shoes scampered behind mine, hearing Ken warn that he wasn't to sure about us bothering Francie right now.
Of course we were all too excited to hear him. Who didn't want to speak with the bright and chirpy gal that was Francie Fairchild.
Actually the three of us hadn't seen her all evening since we came home from school, and now that we had the opportunity to bother her for something, we were all gladly taking it.
As the three of bolted in the yellow and orange trailer home. we all skid to a halt.
What we found was very strange and untypical...
Their tiny bodies hit the back of mine like a bad rush hour collision as we tried to not knock any of the furnishings over.
Francie's sobs rumbled from the chrome kitchen. her head hung low to the bright red table top. The smells of what had been original dinner, dying in the pot in which they over cooked in.
"I-did my paperwork, I did! Why don't they believe me! Im telling the truth...I didn't do anything wrong!" she blubbered out weakly.
Tugging at my plaid shirt, Kelly perked up to whisper in my ear. "Whats wrong with Francie, sissy?"
"Uhh-umm-well-I uhh-" I stammered uncertain what to say as Stacie looked to me for an answer as well. "How about you go tell Ken you want spaghetti and ill ask her for you" I suggested.
Nodding, happily that she had won her dinner choice, Kelly bopped down the tin stairs before turning to hand me what was left of her chewed on chocolate bar.
"Give her this, chocolate makes it all better" she ordered, happily skipping out not really aware that something horrible could be going on as usual and I wanted her.
Careful steps soon brought me to the table set that centered the small kitchenette.
"Good morning starshine, the earth says hello-" I greeted weakly as Francie tried to pull herself together.
"You twinkle above us, we twinkle below" she answered in a voice slightly above a whisper gesturing for us to sit down as her hands fought to get an napkin out from the globe shaped dispenser.
Blowing her nose, her swollen orbs avoided our gazes for a few moments as she took a few breaths.
"Im sorry you had to see that-" she began cleaning her smeared make up.
"Its no problem" insisted Stacie and I as she gave us a weak and very un-Francie like smile.
"So uhh whats up?" I asked just getting to the core of what was going on, hoping I could help since I was figuring Ken just didn't have the know how when it came to womanly issues or problems.
"That wicked cousin of mine turned me in to the law for impersonating a judge without proper legal proof of certification, and for not being a true citizen of the United States… and they claim they can't find my registration from where I went to school in Birmingham...nor my visa's paperwork..and I know it was her! I just know it! Shes always been jealous of me! and now that I have her girls, she can't stand it!" replied Francie fiercely as I saw her tense and as I tried to connect dots together.
"Wait wait...Barbie is your cousin?" I asked for some reason that being the main point I caught.
Francie nodded almost with a disappointed sigh.
"Not by blood...she's more or less like the evil step cousin I never asked for, but received upon my 8th birthday when our families became united in the marriage of my Uncle to her Aunt Millicent….actually to tell you the truth she was tolerable back then..It was when she got her first big gig at the age of sixteen that things went down between us or rather Barbara became a woman I didn't know. Then when her mother pushed mine to get me into modeling, it just became a bigger mess…...I can't believe she'd do something like this though...what she did to my papers is against the law! and is against anything you should ever do to people who've done nothing but try to help you in your damn pink drenched ride to hell"
Listening as Francie went from calm to pissed in a millisecond, I sympathized with her. I understood how it felt to give Barbie all your love, and want nothing but the best and perhaps at times to please her, but yet always come out hated and crushed because Barbie couldn't let you be any other way.
It was only a matter of 3 days after that conversation the trailer, her 70s inspired furnishing and belongings, Francie herself, and what little joy we had been experiencing went away.
When Ken drove us back to the Dreamhouse, I know he was holding in his pain. He gave us all hugs goodbye, and said nothing of seeing us anytime soon.
Of course Francie has been good to write and send things(which in many cases i've found crammed in the laundry shoot or set in the pile of papers to burn) but it doesn't stop the pain of missing her.
Francie, in response to my accomplishment in art, sent me her lucky woven brown belt to wear on opening night.
Hopefully this belt is lucky enough to bring people together…...