"Cutie Pants Diapers?" Casper asked Jamie as he heard about what had happened lately. Jamie had mentioned a rather sleazy man came to the door to give them a bunch of diapers and money to for 'The Quints'.
"You got it." Jamie replied.
"Well, they are the first quintuplets born in the state." Casper said.
"Uh-huh..." Jamie nodded as they walked together. "Also, that plus Dad's salary, paid for the sitters, but remember, this is my story."
"Yes, Jamie..." Casper hid an eye roll to that.
"Well, Albert, like Fiona, helped me out in unexpected ways." Jamie said.
"Hm... Well, that's good to know." Casper said in relief for her.
Eventually, a red car pulled up to show a certain man who suddenly arrived as if on cue. "Jamie, can I talk to you for a second?" He then asked the girl.
"Sure." Jamie shrugged.
"You know, for us to really sell your brothers and sisters, we need to focus exclusively on The Quints," Albert told her as he came out of his car. "Now, if you're gonna feel left out, I need for you to tell me, because I want the whole family happy after all."
"Actually, that sounds pretty good." Jamie admitted.
"That's the spirit!" Albert smiled to her. "You know, this could be good for you."
"How would that be?" Casper asked.
"Well, she'll have more time to do things she likes, while we all work hard at home. Okay? Good." Albert replied before going inside of the house.
"Man, and I thought Uncle Stretch was sleazy." Casper muttered.
"Hmm..." Jamie hummed suspiciously before walking down the street with Casper.
Later on, after school in Art Club...
"So, how has Albert helped you exactly?" Casper asked Jamie as he drew Imaginary Man fighting Nemasis with Super Power Man.
"He's made me think about who I really was," Jamie said before showing her drawing to him and Zoe. "Spooky."
Casper cupped his mouth with a snicker as Jamie had drawn her house filled with diapers.
"That's exactly what your house looks like these days," Zoe laughed at the drawing. "What a mess!"
"You know what, guys?" Jamie smiled. "I really like this! Isn't that weird?"
"No, it's good, and you're good at it." Zoe smiled back.
"Yeah." Casper nodded in agreement.
"Really? Thanks." Jamie smiled to them.
"Oh, I see, it's not enough when I tell you you're good, nooo, you have to hear it from your friends." Mr. Blackmer said to Jamie.
"You're a teacher, you have to be nice." Jamie chuckled.
"No, no, I'm a teacher; I don't have to be anything," Mr. Blackmer replied as he took a look at the drawing for himself. "The truth is, my friend, that you have talent."
"Okay, so I have talent, and I like art, but now what?" Jamie replied. "I mean, this is all new to me."
"Well, ain't it great?" Zoe smiled. "This is what you were hoping for when The Quints came."
"It was?" Jamie asked her.
Zoe simply nodded.
"I think she might be right about that." Casper agreed.
"Wait, that doesn't mean I have to give up on 'The Plan', does it?" Jamie asked.
"No, no, a lack of effort is never rewarded." Mr. Blackmer shook his head.
The school bell soon rang to dismiss them.
"I think it's time for a new plan." Casper suggested to Jamie.
"Hmm... That's a heck of a thought," Jamie said to him as she went back to her seat. "A new plan? No more GW Science Magnet? I don't even wanna think about it."
"Just trying to help." Casper told her.
"Now, I've got an idea that must be taken seriously, absolutely must, no questions asked." Mr. Blackmer said to them, changing the subject which relieved Jamie.
"Wait, that's not fair." Jamie smirked.
"I'm a teacher, I don't have to be anything, including fair," Mr. Blackmer smirked back. "Come on. Come on, over here."
"Hmm..." Casper hummed in thought as he wondered what he would be showing them, but they followed to find out for themselves.
Zoe even came along to join them.
"All right, sit down." Mr. Blackmer said as he brought them in front of a blank easel.
"Okay?" Jamie said, confused.
"Draw people," Mr. Blackmer suggested. "People, me, Zoe, Casper, you."
"Why?" Jamie asked.
"Jamie, you're an observer," Mr. Blackmer told her. "You see things your own way. Well, I want to see what you see when you, uh, say when you look at me. I wanna see what you see when you look in the mirror."
"Or at me," Zoe's voice said before she was seen standing on the stand. "I'd be a great model."
Jamie chuckled but sighed. "Look, I don't think I can do it."
"All right, portraits in one lesson," Mr. Blackmer said as he stood up behind Zoe. "Observe details, capture them, see the essence of the subject, capture it, view the soul, capture it, done."
"Sounds simple enough, right?" Casper asked Jamie.
"I guess." Jamie shrugged to him.
"Oh, and, uh, Jamie?" Mr. Blackmer asked as he dropped down from the stage. "I know you can do it."
"How?" Jamie asked him. "How do you know?"
"I'm a teacher, I don't have to tell you." Mr. Blackmer smirked before leaving.
Jamie sighed as she took a deep breath about drawing people for her assignment.
As soon as Jamie came home from school, she went up to the nursery as she felt inspiration. Casper smiled to Jamie as she drew the babies, though one baby struggled more than the others.
"Come on, Adam, smile for me," Jamie told her brother as she sketched with Casper. "Be like your brother, Eddie."
The privacy was then ruined as soon as Albert came in with Jamie's parents. There was even a camera crew and Albert stood in front of the two, blocking them from the shot.
"And this is their bedroom," Mrs. Grover smiled to the camera. "This is where our five adorable children eat, play, and sleep."
"Hey, move!" Casper glared to Albert as he seemed to be purposely blocking him and Jamie.
"Now you can truly say you've been behind the scenes with The Grover Quints." Mrs. Grover smiled.
"Uh, can we get a shot of you with The Quints, Mrs. Grover?" The camera man asked.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I forgot that part!" Mrs. Grover replied.
"That's okay, Nancy, we'll recover." Albert told her.
The other camera man then flashed a photograph of the woman in front of her five babies.
"Oh, great, our audience loves those kids." The first man smiled.
"Aww..." Mrs. Grover smiled back.
Jamie and Casper soon got annoyed and left while Albert tried to block them until they were out the door. The Quintuplets were becoming so famous that they even appeared on the new package for Cutie Pants Diapers. Casper came over as much as he could to help Jamie out, he just wished there was something he could do, but this task proved to be rather difficult.
"Your dad looks like he wants to cry." Casper commented.
"Yeah, he's pretty broken about Mom and Albert, also known as Team Quint." Jamie said to him.
"Well, at least you have something to draw for Art Club." Casper shrugged.
Jamie just groaned as she did not like how this was going for her family, and even hated the nickname 'Quints'. Jamie soon complained as she sketched her younger siblings, bringing Zoe up to speed since Casper already knew everything that was going on.
"And they treat 'em like a unit," Jamie continued as she sketched one baby. "It's 'Quints, this', and 'Quints, that'. I mean, they're five different kids."
"And this is all Albert's fault, right?" Zoe asked as she sculpted.
"Well, maybe, but my mom's going along with it," Jamie said to her. "No problem, but my dad's never around."
"Right, because of the extra jobs and hours..." Casper frowned. "Poor guy."
"Look, Jamie, I don't know your dad... Well, I don't know your mom either, now that I think about it," Mr. Blackmer said as he came to talk with the girl. "So, uh, you can forget everything I'm gonna say before I even say it."
"I always do." Jamie smirked.
This made all of them laugh as that was pretty funny.
"Me too," Zoe chuckled. "I told Jamie and Casper that was an Art Club rule."
"Oh... Thank you..." Mr. Blackmer said to her before going back to his focus. "Look, hypothetically, I think your parents are in a situation that has completely overwhelmed them, but, Jamie, maybe... Maybe you have just enough distance to see things more clearly. Talk to them."
"Wait, no, talking is dangerous," Jamie said. "What if they ask how school is going? Or what if I have to tell them I'm not doing The Science Fair?"
"Well, you know you can direct the conversation, Jamie to make your parents see the point," Mr. Blackmer advised. "Use what I teach you in here."
"Cover your parents with bright red paint? Cool!" Zoe smiled.
"Z!" Casper laughed with Jamie.
"No, I was thinking you could use your observational skills to point things out in a way that others are forced to see," Mr. Blackmer clarified. "But, ya know, if you wanna paint your parents, far be it from me to stop you."
Jamie looked thoughtful about what she was told and then took a look over to her brothers and sisters in her drawing.
Casper came over again after school to help Jamie as much as he possibly could.
"So, here's my plan," Jamie said to him. "Mix five parts Quints, with two parts parents, and one part Jamie. Stir until frothy."
"I just hope it works out for you." Casper replied.
Eventually, Mr. and Mrs. Grover came in to see what was going.
"Hey, look at you, what're you doing, your schoolwork there?" Mr. Grover asked. "Very impressive, look at our little dedicated student."
"That's me." Jamie smiled.
Jamie's parents sighed, but soon noticed one of the babies fast asleep.
"A busy day puts 'em to sleep every time." Mrs. Grover smiled.
Jamie didn't say anything, but her mouth curved as she went back to work.
"Hey, don't stay up too late." Mr. Grover told Jamie on the way out.
"Okay." Jamie said, only for them to all hear a baby cry.
"Okay, maybe they'll stop." Mr. Grover suggested to his wife.
Jamie and Casper look to each other and shook their heads about that.
"She won't stop," Jamie said. "That's Becky."
"How do you know?" Mr. Grover asked.
"Because that's Becky's 'hold me' cry," Jamie replied. "See, if you don't hold her, then she won't stop crying until all the other babies are up."
"Well... Let me just handle it... Okay?" Mr. Grover said as he came into the room and picked up a baby. "There ya go... Okay... Okay... What do I do now?"
Doc Croc and Yoyo face-palmed inside of Casper's pocket.
"That's not Becky for starters." Jamie told her father.
"It's the second bassinet!" Mr. Grover said as he held the baby.
"Mr. Grover, look at the baby in your arms," Casper said to the man. "Do you see the dimples?"
Mr. Grover soon took a look at the baby he carried as his wife came beside him. "Yeah?"
"That's Charlie," Casper said as even he knew because of what Jamie taught him. "Twinkle eyes, dimples, curious..."
"He's right." Jamie added.
"Oh, honey, they all have Daddy's dimples, and I'm telling you right now, this is definitely Becky," Mr. Grover replied before checking inside of the baby's pants before seeing that he was wrong. "See? Hello! ...Not Becky."
"What is Charlie doing in Becky's bassinet?" Mrs. Grover smirked to her daughter as she held another baby.
"I put him there." Jamie said, innocently.
"Why?" Mr. Grover asked.
"Honestly, we wanted to see if you two could put them back where they belonged." Jamie replied as Casper nodded.
"That's a terrible thing to say, Jamie," Mrs. Grover frowned. "We love the Quints."
"Yeah, you love them, Mom, just take this as a challenge." Jamie replied.
"Okay... Fine..." Mrs. Grover said as she and her husband soon set the babies down. "All right... Adam!"
"That's not Adam..." Casper whispered to himself.
"Wait," Jamie told her mother as she brought out her sketch pad. "What do you see?"
"Um... A big smile." Mr. Grover replied.
"And that means...?" Casper prompted.
Mr. Grover looked lost, but soon, Mrs. Grover and Jamie knew the answer, "Eddie."
"Hey, you..." Mr. Grover cooed as he picked up the next baby with a pacifier.
"This is Debbie." Mrs. Grover smiled as she carried the baby.
"She wrinkles her nose all the time, Dad." Jamie educated.
"Hey, they all wrinkle their nose, all the time." Mr. Grover defended.
"Fair point." Casper had to admit.
"Yes." Jamie agreed with him.
"Come on, honey, come here, come on," Mr. Grover cooed as he picked up the next baby. "This is Daddy's big boy: Adam."
"Yes, the biggest and the bounciest." Casper nodded.
"See, guys? We know our kids!" Mrs. Grover smiled.
"Well, good," Jamie replied. "Sometimes I wonder if you know you have five babies, not just one set of quints."
"Well, no matter what we've got, they need their sleep," Mrs. Grover said to her. "Two baby food companies are going to interview them tomorrow, and I know they're looking forward to that. Good night..." she then kissed Jamie's forehead and left the room.
"Good night..." Mr. Grover added, setting the baby down as he left the room as well.
"Um, you gonna be okay, Jamie?" Casper asked once they were alone.
"Well... The truth is, I'm not so worried about my siblings being treated as individuals," Jamie admitted. "I thought I was, but I'm not, but the real truth is that I can tell my parents are trying to force their hopes and dreams on the quints. Just like they had done to me all my life."
"Oh..." Casper frowned. "I'm sorry about that, Jamie."
"Yeah, me too..." Jamie sighed sharply.
Casper looked at the time. "Gee, uh, it's late..." he said.
"Oh... Yeah, I guess it is..." Jamie said, a bit sheepishly. "I guess you better go home now."
"Yeah,... I'll see ya later, Jamie..." Casper told her. "Good night."
"Good night, Casper." Jamie replied.
Casper then soon went home.
Casper was in his pajamas and on his way to bed until he saw a very large gray tabby cat, staring at him which made him yelp. "W-Who are you...?" he asked, anxiously.
"Don't ya recognize me?" A familiar voice asked from the cat's body.
"D-Drell...?" Casper asked.
There was sparkle dust and soon the warlock appeared, sitting on his bed, weighing it down slightly from his own weight. "Ding! Ding! Ding! Tell 'em what he's won!" He then announced, flexing his arm like he was ringing an imaginary bell. "IIIIIt's... A free wish coupon!"
Skippy soon appeared from nowhere and held out his hand and made a card appear in his hand and then gave it to Casper.
"A free wish coupon?" Casper asked out of confusion.
"You've been such a good friend to Jamie," Drell told the former ghost boy. "So good, in fact, I think you should spend this coupon on her."
"Uh, what does it do?" Casper asked.
"Well, these quintuplets in her home aren't easy on her, I can tell," Drell told him. "So, you guys have until the deadline to wish away the quintuplets or Jamie will be erased from existence."
"Wait, WHAT?!" Casper's eyes widened.
"Did I stutter?" Drell replied.
Skippy quickly shook his head, being silent as always.
"You heard me, Casper McFadden," Drell told him. "Either Jamie is able to wish away the quintuplets or Jamie will cease to exist and no one will remember her, except for maybe you."
"T-That's a lot of pressure!" Casper gasped.
"The choice is up to you," Drell smirked. "You don't have a lot of time, but it's on the essience!"
Skippy then magicked up an hourglass and the sand streamed to the bottom rather quickly, but there was still plenty.
"H-H-How much time is that?" Casper asked.
"You have until the night of The Governor's dinner with Jamie's parents," Drell replied. "Pay close attention, or else you may doom her future... Well, good luck with that!" he then left with Skippy.
"Don't go!" Casper panicked before looking at the coupon. "Oh... What am I gonna do? I can't let Jamie disappear from existence... And I can't get rid of the quints either... What am I supposed to do?" he then sighed before looking hopeless and doomed.