A/N: I'm sorry, I meant to update this chapter early this morning. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it!
December 19th
The next morning, everyone woke up a little late due to jet lag, but the whole lot was buzzing with enthusiasm. The actors and actresses had been woken up by the smell of homemade pancakes and waffles along with sausages and bacon cooked by Hannah and Connie. Each one thanked the two women a thousand times as they scarfed down their brunch.
"What have you guys planned to do today?" Hannah asked.
The three sophisticated and pretentious girls turned to each other and simultaneously exclaimed, "Shopping!" while everyone else rolled their eyes in response.
"Well, I need to do some Christmas shopping," Sonny commented.
Chad nodded in agreement, "Yeah, so do I."
"We could walk around in the Manhattan Mall for a while. Anything in its own separate store outside is probably a bit too pricy," Chase suggested.
"I don't know about everyone else, but while you're all shopping in the boring stores, Zora and I want to go to FAO Schwarz," Audrey said.
"I heard that place is amazing! I'll go too!" Matthew agreed.
The rest of the So Random boys looked at each other and chorused, "Us too!"
Rider glanced over at Skyler, who nodded at him, and then said, "If you guys don't mind, we're coming too."
The Randoms stared with eyebrows raised. "The drama-snobs like toy stores?" Nico questioned.
Skyler shrugged, "Sure, why not? Besides, I need more Nerf darts and a new gun."
"Same. I cracked the side of mine and lost all the darts in our last ambush on the girls," Rider grinned.
The surprised Randoms agreed to let the two rambunctious boys tag along.
"What about you, Lo?" Chad inquired.
The redheaded actor glanced over at Luke, who merely shrugged.
"I guess we'll go Christmas shopping with you guys," Logan replied.
"Alright. Has anyone seen Cassie?" he asked.
"I think she's still in our room," Audrey answered.
"Oh, I'll go ask her what she wants to do," Zora volunteered, leaving the room as Chad nodded his thanks.
While everyone was making plans for the day, Cassie sat in the bedroom she, Zora, and Audrey were sharing. With her laptop set on the table, she was video chatting with her best friend, Selene.
"Girl, you are in NYC for the holidays and you're sitting here talking to me? Go. Leave. Now."
Cassie rolled her eyes, smiling. "I don't know where I want to go."
"…From the moment you heard about this trip, you have been talking non-stop about places you want to go. That's obviously not the problem," Selene said, folding her arms over her chest.
"…Fine, it isn't," the blonde admitted, running a hand through her hair.
"What is it then?"
"I don't know… It's just…" she began.
"Just…?" her friend urged her to continue.
"I feel like an outsider here."
"Huh…"
"Huh? What?" Cassie asked with a confused look on her face.
"You have an introverted side. Never would've guessed," Selene teased. "I mean, with you being a cheerleader, acting in plays, singing in musicals…"
"Yeah, yeah, I know," she said, cutting her friend off.
"You said you've met your brother's friends before?"
"Yeah, I have."
"Stick with them, then. At least you know them a little better than the rest," the brunette suggested.
"I guess…" Cassie conceded, trailing off as she heard someone knock on the door.
"Yes?" she asked.
Zora pushed the door open and poked her head inside. "Hey, we're all deciding what we're going to do today. The Random guys, Audrey, Rider, Skyler, and I are going to that huge toy store, FAO Schwarz. Do you want to come with us, shop with the girls, or go to Manhattan Mall with everyone else?"
After a few moments of thought, she replied, "Oh. Um, I guess I'll go to FAO Schwarz with you guys."
"Okay, I'll let them know. We're leaving in about 10 minutes," the younger girl replied.
"Alright, thanks," she nodded as Zora left.
"Well, the city awaits!" Selene grinned. When Cassie rolled her eyes again, she said, "Oh, come on. You'll have fun!"
"Maybe. I'll text you later," Cassie replied.
"Good. See ya later."
"See ya," she said before ending the call and signing off of her laptop.
Before leaving, Cassie took a small messenger bag style purse out of her suitcase and threw her wallet, phone, iPod, and camcorder in. After securing her charm bracelet, she pulled on her sky blue peacoat as well as her white knit cap and blue plaid scarf, then turned off the lights and exited the room.
When she reached the living room, her brother approached her.
"Hey, Cass. Ready to go?" Chad asked.
"Yep," she nodded. "I'm going to FAO Schwarz with Skyler, Rider, and, uh… whoever else is going," she said, trying and failing to remember their names.
Audrey shot Zora a look, eyebrows arched as if to say, "Really? She's one of those girls?"
Zora shrugged and then shouted, "Hey, let's go! We're wasting time!" while rushing everyone out of the building.
A little over an hour after they'd left, the FAO Schwarz group arrived at the store via limousine.
From the outside, you could see the humongous stuffed animals, electronic train sets, nutcrackers, and other various Christmas themed gifts standing upright in the glass case, all aligned precisely. Bright green wreaths and strands of red, green, and white lights framed the display.
The interior was every child's dream: an endless land of toys.
"I've died and gone to kid heaven," Grady said in awe.
"Me too," Nico nodded, mouth gaping.
"Me three," Damien agreed.
Shayne scanned the massive room, "Me fou—Lightsabers!"
He ran off towards the Star Wars section, Matthew, Damien, Nico, and Grady running behind him.
The five left in their initial spot analyzed everything in sight. Cassie panned the room with her camera, capturing the moment.
"There are so many things here that I could incorporate in pranks," Zora whispered.
"Yeah," Audrey, Rider, and Skyler concurred.
The four looked at each other in surprise.
"You guys pull pranks too?" the comedic blonde asked.
"Who doesn't?" Rider asked.
The group of five wandered around just browsing for a while, entertained by the odds and ends in the store. The only one who found a potential gift to give for Christmas was Cassie, who found a stuffed animal unicorn for Caleigh.
"Oh! Here's the Nerf section I've been looking for," Skyler remarked as his eyes landed on the coveted sector.
"Let's go!" Zora said as she raced over, Audrey, Cassie, and the two older boys.
"Hmm…" she mused with her back to the others, trying to decide which of the models to try out.
She picked up a medium sized blue and golden gun with a barrel that was filled with ten foam darts and handed an identical one to her best friend.
Smiling deviously, they spun around and shot the boys in the back before grabbing handfuls of darts out of the "Try me!" bin and running away.
"Hey!" they exclaimed in harmony.
Rider and Skyler picked up slightly different models that held up to thirty-five darts and sprinted to catch up with the girls. Cassie followed the boys, deciding to film the battle instead of participating.
As they scrambled around, dodging bullets and smaller children, music blared through the speakers in the background.
There's a special kind of feeling in the air.
"Yeah!" Zora exclaimed, laughing as she shot Skyler right between the eyes.
It only happens at this time of year
The expression on Skyler's face said, "Oh, now you're gonna get it, Lancaster!" while he reloaded his weapon.
When everyone is filled with love and cheer
'Cause that's what matters.
"First you gotta catch me," her eyes mocked as she dashed off in the opposite direction.
Pretty paper boxes tied with bows,
The other boy ran past his friend, chasing after the small blonde girl.
Walking in the sun or in the snow,
Rider cornered Audrey with a grin on his face, but she just smirked.
We can feel the excitement growing, knowing.
Just as he fired at her, she successfully cartwheeled away without damaging her gun.
Shock was written all over his face as she ran to her ally. He paused, thinking for a moment before turning around to face his friend's sister with a mysterious smile.
"Rider Kingston, don't even think about it," she warned, backing up until she was inches away from one of the shelves.
"Oh, c'mon Cass," he said with his Cheshire grin plastered on his face.
"What?" she asked as she subtly wrapped her fingers around one of the remaining Nerf guns behind her back.
"Put the camera away and have some fun!" he replied, aiming his weapon at her.
Quickly, she whipped the toy gun out from behind her and shot Rider square on his forehead.
"Nah, I think I'll keep recording," she laughed, skittering away.
We can get all cozy by the fire.
His mouth hung open at the girl's trick until Skyler ran by and slapped him upside the head. "Hey!" he shouted, jogged after him.
Turn the music up a little higher.
Cassie glanced over her shoulder to see if her pursuers were gone and ran straight into a boy about her age. He was a few inches taller than her with dirty blonde hair and blue-green eyes.
I don't think that I could ever tire
"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized, looking at him through the camera, then lowering it a bit.
Of being together.
"No, it's my fault," he began as he brushed himself off. "Are you okay—" he said, trailing off when they locked eyes.
Decorate the tree, hang mistletoe,
And stand by me.
She stood speechless, almost gawking at him. Up until this point, she had never believed in the Romeo & Juliet "love at first sight" concept. This boy was making her reevaluate it.
It's a picture perfect moment captured.
Memories that we'll have after.
Before either could say a word, Cassie spun around, rubbing the back of her head. The tall brunet boy laughed loudly, dashing away.
"Kingston, I'm going to murder you!" she yelled.
Turning around, she lowered her voice to say, "Again, really sorry!" and sprinted after him.
The baffled boy stood staring in the direction in which she had gone. For a few moments, he stood there wondering why he couldn't get her out of his head.
"Demetri! We're leaving now," his mother called.
"Coming, mom," he answered, his gaze landing on something glinting in the light on the floor.
He reached down and picked up a small silver charm with tiny blue stone accents in the shape of a script C. He dropped the charm in his pocket and joined his family, hoping to see the girl on his way out.
It's the greatest time of year, and it's here
Help me celebrate it.
Cassie caught up to Rider and shot him with all the darts she had available, laughing uncontrollably.
With everybody here, friends so dear
Let me simply state it:
"Ahh!" he yelled, trying to duck. "Skyler, get Cassie!"
Joy to the world, joy to the world, joy to the world
She spun around and saw Skyler poised to shoot when, Audrey and Zora came to the rescue.
It's the greatest time of year
It's the greatest time
Both girls smirked and simultaneously shot at Skyler and then Rider.
It's the greatest time of year, and it's here.
Help me celebrate it.
"Whoo!" the three girls exclaimed, exchanging high fives.
With everybody here, friends so dear
Let me simply state it:
The two boys glanced at each other and smiled, feeling accomplished for uniting the girls.
Joy to the world and everyone
Lift up your hearts and feel the love.
It's our favorite way, to spend the holiday.
The boys engulfed the group of girls in a monster hug, resulting in the whole lot collapsing onto the floor.
"Okay, okay. Let's find what we want to buy and get out of here before we get kicked out," Cassie laughed, brushing herself off and putting her camcorder away.
They all agreed and branched off to find what they were looking for. Each of the five decided to get a small Nerf gun which was easier to bring home than what they battled with. On the way to the registers, Cassie picked up the stuffed unicorn for Caleigh and met up with the So Random boys. After a half hour of waiting in line to pay, finally they were on their way back to the Windsor.
Meanwhile, the three self-acclaimed superior girls had shopped until they were full satisfied with their selections.
"That dark blue dress you bought for the Christmas Eve party: Fabulous! It really brings out your eyes!" Tawni said to Portlyn.
"Your pink one does too, Tawn!" Penelope gushed.
"We'll definitely be the best dressed girls there!" Portlyn said merrily.
"No doubt!" the blonde agreed.
"What about Sonny?" Penelope asked, rolling her eyes.
"Sonny? She'll probably wear something old from Wisconsin. Or if she actually uses some good sense, she'll wear something newer. But it definitely won't be nearly as sophisticated as ours," Tawni said reassuringly.
Portlyn nodded and said, "Hey, do either of you know what time it is?
"Portlyn, you're wearing a watch," Penelope reminded her.
"But I don't understand it! There's too many numbers!" she replied frustratedly.
The brunette sighed and pulled out her phone. "It's 5:30," she said. "We should probably head back and find out what we're going to do for dinner tonight."
"Okay, I'll call the chauffeur to bring the limo around," Tawni said, whipping out her cell phone and dialing the number.
"How am I supposed to remember what each hand tells you?" Portlyn asked confusedly, still on the subject of time.
Penelope pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes, hoping their ride would get there quickly.
"What about this one?" Sonny said, pulling the curtain back and stepping out of the dressing room and into private waiting area exclusively constructed for celebrities.
She was wearing a light green silk-like dress covered in glitter and dark green heels.
Chad glanced up from his phone for a moment and said, "Seven." Really, he would've rated her as a ten for every dress she tried on, but he'd never admit it.
"Seven," Logan agreed.
Luke just shrugged and Chase said, "Six. Green isn't really your color."
Sonny sighed and said, "You guys are worse than Tawni." Then, she slipped back into the dressing room to try on another outfit.
"Dude, you hang out with Skyler too much," Chad said.
"You spend more time with him than I do! Why doesn't he get to you like this?" Chase spat.
"He lives at my house. Nothing he does affects me anymore," the blond replied, returning to his game of Alchemy on his phone.
A few minutes later, Sonny pushed the curtain back again.
"What do you think?"
This time, she wore an ocean blue dress and dark blue ballet flats. Small tassels hung from the hemline of the pleated skirt.
"Eight," Chad replied.
"Eight point five," Logan said, Luke agreeing.
"Eight," Chase nodded.
"Great. Can I stop trying these on now?" she asked hopefully.
"No. Eight is pretty good, but you have to be at least a nine for Condor's gala. You never know who you'll meet there," Chase replied with a superior tone.
She exhaled exasperatedly and went back to try on another dress.
The blond questioningly looked over at the boy in the glasses and said, "I thought that one was fine."
He simply rolled his eyes and said, "Oh, so you don't want to sit here and just stare at her?"
"Shut up," Chad glared.
Chase smirked, "Thought so."
Chad stood up, looking like he was ready to punch the older boy when Logan stood between them and said, "Settle down. You're acting like children."
"He started it," Chad grumbled.
"I don't care. Just knock it off. Both of you," he said, looking at Chad and then Chase.
"Is this one good?" Sonny asked with a bored tone.
The boys all turned to look at her, momentarily in shock. She was wearing a light golden―nearly white―dress with iridescent sparkles and cream colored one inch heels. It was almost as if she was glowing like a light.
"…So?" she prompted.
"Oh. Uh, nine point five," Chad blurted.
Luke looked at Logan with a smile and Logan replied, "Ten."
"Hmm. Nine point eight. Good job, Sonny," Chase said with a small smile.
"Awesome! So I'm done?" she asked, to which they all nodded.
She grinned and headed into the dressing room to change back into her street clothes.
As the other boys gathered their bags, Chad's gaze still lingered over the spot where Sonny had stood.
"Earth to Chad. Here's a tip: Girls don't like guys that drool," Chase teased.
Instantly the blond actor snapped out of the daze and glared in Chase's direction.
"Alright, let's get out of here and go back to the complex. I'm starving," Sonny said as she walked out of the dressing room, holding the dress and making her way to the register line.
By 6:45, everyone had arrived back at the Windsor building. To their surprise, Hannah had dinner ready for them. She'd been cooking and cleaning for most of the day while Connie and Caleigh decorated the rooms with some old garlands and lights they found.
"Thanks Hannah, you're the best," Chad grinned genuinely.
"And don't you forget it," she said, smiling warmly, handing him a plate.
"So was everyone's shopping trips productive?" Connie asked as she began washing the finished dishes.
"Yep!" they chorused.
"I'm guessing everything you guys bought are a surprise."
The room filled with many answers along the lines of "Yeah, kind of."
"Well, I hope you all have good hiding places then," she smiled.
"If anyone needs help finding a place to hide things, I know some good ones," Caleigh offered. "I spent all day decorating and exploring!"
Everyone chuckled lightly and thanked her before she scampered off to the princess playroom again.
Later that night, the general feeling throughout the floor was calmer than that morning. Everyone settled down and found something to do.
Sonny decided to practice the piano inside the studio room. From the outside, soft melodic notes could be heard drifting through the hall.
In the Mackenzie Falls boys' room sat Skyler. He was rearranging his things in his section of dressers while singing along to Phantom of the Opera playing through his iPod speakers.
Audrey and Zora scurried throughout the whole floor, scattering their miniscule spy equipment in subtle places while marking them on a map so they could gather them later.
In the game room sat the usual crowd, plus Rider, Logan, Chase, and Chad.
As the So Random and Mackenzie Falls boys alternated for the next round of Mario Karts, Chad got up from his beanbag chair and said, "I'm gonna go check on my sisters. Someone else can go instead."
He strode down the hall, admiring all the Christmas decorations. He knocked on the pink door and slowly pushed it open when he heard the little girl's voice say, "Who is it?"
"Hello, Princess Caleigh," he smiled.
"Hi, Knight Chaddy!" she said enthusiastically. "You're just in time for the tea party!"
"Oh, really? I'm sorry, Princess. I just came by to make sure your castle is okay," he said apologetically, kneeling down on the floor.
"Oh, it's very safe. There was a nasty dragon that stopped outside earlier, but Knight Logan got rid of him," she said seriously.
"He did? Did he slay the dragon?" the older boy asked.
"Nope. He just gave him some fried Kool Aid and the dragon left!" she giggled, twirling around.
"Dragons like fried Kool Aid?" Chad inquired.
"No, silly. Just Spencer," she said, tapping his head with a fairy princess wand.
"How did you know that?"
"Nickasauralex told me!"
He tilted his head a bit, raising an eyebrow. "Nickasauralex?"
"Yeah! He's over there," she pointed to open space.
"Oh, I see," he nodded, silently acknowledging Caleigh's new imaginary friend.
"Mhm!" she beamed, running back over to the castle structure.
"Alright, well have fun, Princess. I'll be with the other Knights in the living room if you need me, okay?"
"Okay! Bye, Knight Chaddy!" she waved as he left the room.
Continuing down the hall, he arrived at the slightly ajar, splatter-paint covered door. He knocked gently, pushing open.
Cassie looked over her shoulder and said, "Oh. Hey, Dylan."
"Hey, Cass. Luke," Chad greeted.
At the sound of their voices, Luke looked up and nodded to Chad.
Chad took a glimpse at what Luke was sketching, then strode over to where Cassie was at the computer. She had a picture of FAO Schwarz's exterior open and was touching it up with Photoshop.
"That's pretty good. Did you take that picture?" he asked, impressed.
"Mhm. Right after we got out of the limo," she replied.
"Oh, cool. So you had a good time?"
"Yep," she began. "Rider, Skyler, Audrey, Zora, and I had a Nerf gun battle," she grinned.
"Ahh, sounds like fun," he smiled, ruffling her hair.
"Hey, what did I say about touching the hair?" she reminded him, swatting his hand away.
From across the room, Luke chuckled under his breath, noticing the similarities between the brother and sister.
The tall blond turned around, examining the room. He tried to understand how this room could be intriguing to anyone when he heard his sister gasp softly.
Whirling around, he heard her say, "Oh no… Nonono, please be somewhere around here," as she looked around the desk area and floor."
"What's wrong?" he asked in a concerned tone.
"I think I lost one of the charms on my bracelet…"
"Oh? Which one? I can get you a new one," he said reassuringly.
"No… You can't. It's the one dad gave me when I first got the bracelet," she said, running a hand through her hair.
"The one he told you was one of a kind?"
"Yes," she said quietly, resting her head in her hands.
He patted her back gently and said, "I'm really sorry, Cassie."
"It's not your fault. I should've been more careful with it," she sighed.
"We'll get you a new one sometime, alright?"
She nodded and turned back around as he left the room. Yawning, she saved the picture before shutting down the program and computer.
When she reached the door, she paused to look over her shoulder. "G'night, Luke."
He peered out from behind the easel he was working on and softly said, "Good night, Cassie."
She stood at the door for a few seconds, just smiling, before continuing on towards the bedroom to start getting ready for bed.
After checking on Cassie, Chad decided to make one last visit before returning to his friends. When he heard the piano music wafting down the corridor, he knew that's where Sonny was.
He turned the doorknob, not bothering to knock, knowing that she wouldn't hear it. When she saw the door open, Sonny looked up from the piano keys.
Chad approached her at the piano and said, "Hey, Sonny."
"Hey. What's up?" she asked.
"Skyler and I are taking Caleigh and Cassie to see the Nutcracker ballet tomorrow. We have an extra ticket and I was wondering if you'd want to come…" he explained.
"Yeah, I'd love to," she nodded, smiling. "Thanks."
"No problem," he answered. "The show starts at 6:00 PM, so I guess we'll leave around 4:30 or 5:00."
"Sounds good."
"Good," he nodded.
"Good."
"Fine."
"Fine," she said with a soft smirk, turning her attention back to the piano.
When Chad reentered the living room with a smile on his face, Chase commented, "Well, someone's awfully smiley. What were you doing?"
Chad just replied with, "Oh nothing," and then settled into his beanbag chair again.
A/N: ...The boys think you should review this chapter. I would not defy them if I were you.