Adventures of the Chibi-Scouts II
By "Tuxedo" Will Wolfshohl and Doug "Candle Light Author" Helm


Those characters that are original and the story "Adventures of the
Chibi-Scouts II" are copyrighted (c) 2000 by Will Wolfshohl & Douglas
Helm.

This story and our other Sailor Moon stories reside at
http://rivendell.fortunecity.com/traveller/861/

Send comments to: "Tuxedo" Will Wolfshohl (wwolfshohl@logicon.com) or
Douglas "Candle Light Author" Helm (dhelm@log.on.ca)


Part 7  "Spectral Ending"

       That evening after supper, Serena Tsukino had to take a bath.
Once she was cleaned and her father made sure she'd gotten into the furo
without incident, she was left alone with Luna.
       "You called her a monster?" Serena questioned as she looked
seriously at her feline friend. "I'm like majorly shocked."
       "You call Reenie a spore, Meatball Head," Luna countered
testily. Serena ignored the retort and sunk up to her chin in the warm
water while letting out a delighted burble. "I want to go back. I
honestly can't believe Diana has such impudence."
       "I might call Reenie a spore but... I certainly don't mean it."
Serena made a face. "Okay, so sometimes I'm not nice myself, but a
monster?"
       "I was upset!" Luna shouted.
       "Shhh..." the little girl warned and looked towards the door
deliberately left ajar by her father. When no one came to investigate,
she asked, "I know, Luna, but did you say you were sorry?" She was met
with silence. "We can't leave anyway."
       "Why not?" Luna asked petulantly, "Diana seems to have things
well in hand. We certainly can't do anything about Lita, and she's back
anyway." <Now I know what Serena feels like with our Reenie.> She mewed
in alarm as some water came her way. "Watch it."
       "Didn't mean it," Serena giggled, "I gotta be more careful in
here." Sighing a little, she said seriously, "This Reenie needs me. I
know I can't stay forever but I want to stay as long as I can." Luna
grunted in disgust. "Well, if you aren't going to have fun, then I am,"
Serena commented and started swimming in the seemingly huge furo.


       Several minutes later, Serena was splashing around the furo with
all the enthusiasm that her current age of six years would allow. This
was a pleasure of childhood she wasn't about to squander. Luna had long
since given up trying to keep dry so sat in a small puddle of water.
       "I know... I was just thinking..." Luna commented. When Serena
continued to look at her, the black kitten continued, "You haven't
mentioned Darien once during our conversation. I know your mommy told
you he was coming over for supper tomorrow and I figured you'd be
excited about it."
       Serena pushed herself over to the edge of the furo and folded
her arms. Resting her chin on them, she said in a soft voice, "I just
can't feel the same about this Darien. Even when I think about mine, he
seems so... distant." She pushed herself up and added, "So what do we
do?"
       "What Amy suggested, tell Reenie the truth but insist that Raye
and Lita don't find out." Serena was about to respond when her father
peeked around the corner of the bathroom door.
       "Who are you talking to, honey?"
       "Luna," Serena answered truthfully with a grin.
       "Oh, well Luna says it's time to get out," Ken declared while
coming into the bathroom.
       "No, she didn't, Daddy," Serena argued, "Anyways, I'm not done."
       "Well, I say you are," her father countered, "Look at the
floor." Serena pouted a little but let herself be lifted out of the furo
without a fuss. "Now we'll get you dressed and then we can go down and
have a snack."
       "Yeah!" Serena cheered with delight, her tummy rumbled in
anticipation; she liked snacks.


       "Bedtime, Reenie," Ellen announced as she came into the living
room.
       "Aw, Aunt Ellen," Reenie complained but pushed herself up off of
the couch. "It's too early yet." Indeed, Serena had just been put to
bed.
       "This is the last night," Ellen indicated with a smile. Bending
down, she hugged Reenie who returned it. "Now you have a good sleep,
okay?"
       "Okay, 'night, Uncle Ken," Reenie called to her uncle.
       "Goodnight, Reenie," Ken responded before turning his attention
back to a book he had been reading.
       Climbing the stairs, Reenie sighed a little. <I guess I should
go talk to Serena.> The little girl had seemed in a fairly good mood and
she had some questions to ask her. <I do feel bad about what I did.> But
she had thought the older Serena would understand.
       Walking down the hallway, she opened Serena's door and peeked
inside the darkened room. Much to her surprise, Serena wasn't in bed.
Leaning a little further into the room, she called out softly, "Serena?"
       "HI BIG SISTER!" Serena declared happily from behind her. Reenie
gave a yelp of surprise and tumbled into the room. The older girl could
feel her heart pounding against her chest as she stared at Serena who
was now giggling in delight. "Sorry," Serena squeaked but she didn't
sound sorry in the slightest way. Reenie just sat on the floor and
stared at Serena. The little girl shrugged and after entering the room,
closed the door. "Are ya gonna sleep with me?"
       "What?" Reenie asked. She hadn't expected that question.
       "Are ya gonna spend the night in my room?" Serena asked again,
"When I went to bed, you didn't come so I thought you might be sleepin'
in your room."
       "Aren't you gonna get big?"
       "Well, I did wanna talk to you," Serena admitted while walking
over to the bed. Climbing up on it, she said, "But I really shouldn't...
Unless you want me to."
       "Aren't ya, you know..."
       "Huh?" Serena asked while slipping under the covers, "So you
staying or goin'? 'Cause if you're staying, you should get under the
covers...  Ya know, in case Mommy comes in 'n' stuff."
       "But what about what you said before?" This seemed to puzzle
Serena even more. "You don't remember?"
       "'Member what?" Serena asked curiously.
       <Jeez! Serena!> Reenie cried out mentally, <It's like the older
one went away.> That thought sent a cold shiver through her. <No...> She
needed the older one. <Did I make her go away? What am I gonna do if I
did?> Her Serena couldn't comfort her, not like the older one could.
Deciding to bite the bullet, Reenie stood up and walked over to the bed.
"Serena, remember today at school when you came to talk to me?"
       Serena scowled for a moment and then said, "Yeah."
       "Well... you, you know..." Reenie licked her lips. It was
incredibly hard to say. "You said you'd get big and punish me." She
blushed then.
       Serena lifted a hand to her mouth and she looked a little
shocked. Scrambling from under the covers, she knelt on the bed and gave
the larger girl a hug. "I'm sorry about that."
       "I thought you'd understand," Reenie pouted softly while looking
at the floor, "And then... you said you'd punish me."
       "Come under the covers, Big Sister," Serena invited softly, "I
don't want you to get into trouble. And I just want to talk to you, I
promise." Reenie only hesitated for a moment before sliding under the
covers. Serena slid under the covers next to her then and gave the older
girl another hug. "I do understand, Reenie. You want to hang around with
your own friends sometimes, huh?"
       "Yeah," Reenie replied while returning the hug, "I thought you'd
just get the hint and leave but..." She felt herself blushing again. "I
didn't know what to do."
       "I'm disappointed that you fibbed to me though."
       "Huh? When?"
       "When you went to Melissa's. Then again when you fibbed to
Melissa and made fun of me to make yourself look good."
       Reenie let the hug go and rolled away. "I thought you said you
understood." <I didn't mean to fib to you.>
       "I do," Serena stated softly, "Sweetheart, sometimes the other
you wants to hang around with my friends even when I don't want her to
too."
       <I'd wanna hang around with you too.> "Are you mean to her?" She
just couldn't see Serena being mean to anybody. Everybody seemed to like
her little sister.
       "No."
       Reenie rolled back and said, "I didn't wanna fib." <Mommy says
fibbing is wrong.> "But I didn't know what to do. How'd you get her to
go away without making her cry?"
       "You could tell your Serena that you'll play with her later on.
Or that you'll do something special with her later."
       "I asked how you got the other Reenie away?"
       Serena sighed a little, "She just gets mad and goes off to
sulk."
       Reenie giggled, "I'm sorry, Serena."
       "I know." Serena was silent for a long moment then suggested,
"Try saying you want to play with Melissa now but you'll spend some time
with Serena later on."
       "Or maybe say she should play with her friends now?" Reenie
asked. "Sometimes, Serena doesn't want me around." That had startled
her.
       "See, I'm sure you can think of some others, Reenie. Just be
polite. She's littler than you and doesn't always understand."
       Reenie gave Serena a large hug and declared, "I bet you and the
other Reenie get along great now!" <It must be fun being the "little
sister".>
       "I talked to Luna," Serena began deciding to change the subject,
"She says I can tell you who came back."
       "Who?" Reenie asked. <Why doesn't she want to talk about the
other Reenie?> That worried her. <Did something happen? I know the other
Reenie was naughty before but...>
       "Amy 'n' Mina," Serena answered.
       "Oh... Big Sister?"
       "Mmmm?"
       "Did somethin' happen to the other Reenie?" When Serena didn't
answer, the older girl prodded, "I told you what was wrong."
       "Oh Reenie, I love both of you so much..."
       "Yeah, so tell."
       "And if I don't?"
       "I'll tickle you." Serena sighed; she didn't really have any
choice in the matter.


       "Goodnight Amy," her mother said while bending down and giving
her a hug and a kiss.
       "'Night Mommy," Amy replied.
       "Goodnight Lita."
       "'Night Mommy," Lita said with a yawn. She turned over and
snuggled under the warm covers.
       Amy watched as their mother turned off the light before leaving
the room. Once the door was closed, she turned to her sister and told
her softly, "Don't go to sleep."
       "I'm not," Lita replied, "Mommy was really happy that I took a
bath all by myself." It seemed strange to Lita but she was glad that the
day had gone so well.
       <I'll give Mom a few minutes to get interested watching the news
or something.> She briefly considered calling Serena and then shook that
idea off. <She was going to talk to Reenie tonight if she could.>
       "You don't mind me spending time with Raye?"
       Lita's voice pulled Amy from her thoughts. "Nah," Amy answered,
"From what we know, Raye really needs her friends. She seems to like you
a lot, Sis."
       After another minute or so, Amy slipped from the bed and crept
over to the door. Carefully opening it, she peeked out and could hear
the low murmur of the television. "Coast's clear," she whispered softly
once she had returned to the bed, "Let's go." Turning, she went over to
the dresser to get some clothes on. When she noticed Lita wasn't
following her, she turned back and wondered, "What are you doing, Lita?"
       "Just in case Mommy comes in," Lita replied. She was attempting
to make it look like she and Amy were still in bed by using their
pillows. It was a trick she'd seen once in an old movie. "Aren't we
gonna go as Scouts?"
       "No," Amy replied, "That'd be cheatin'." Turning back, she
struggled to pull on some clothes and shoes. Doing it without any lights
except for the small amount that filtered in from around the curtains
made it difficult but finally, she managed to get dressed.
       "Ready," Lita announced after a few moments. She had gotten
dressed as well. "Boy, this one's small."
       "Come on, Sis," Amy ordered and headed for the window, "We'll be
back in a few minutes. Do you know where this place is?"
       "Yeah," Lita whispered, "But are you sure about this, Ames?"
       "Yes, now come on."


       Lita shivered as she and her sister stood in front of the old
Johnston home several minutes later. "We shoulda brought jackets."
       <I've seen this place before.> The house looked bigger and
scarier than she remembered; it practically shouted "haunted". "No time
to get them now," Amy replied. Something creaked and the trees rustled a
little in the light breeze. "L-let's go in."
       Resisting the urge to transform, Lita pushed open the rusty
gate. Its hinges squealed in protest. As they entered the unkempt
grounds, the wind picked up slightly. Both little girls jumped as a
loose shutter was slammed against the house.
       "This'd make a great horror film location."
       "Thanks a lot, Lita," Amy muttered, "So how do we get in?"
       "Let's look around the back," Lita recommended and then set off
for the side of the house. Her pace slowed somewhat as they plunged into
deeper darkness. <This is silly. There's nothing here that can hurt us.>
But she jumped slightly as something rustled within the bushes. "Maybe
this ain't such a good idea."
       "I'm not chicken!" Amy declared and pressed on into the gloom.
       "Amy," Lita hissed. <Maybe we can find another way in.> Going
back there where it was even darker was a bad idea. "Amy!" Muttering
acidically to herself, Lita hurried after her sister. Within the gloom
of the foreboding backyard, she found Amy examining the back door.
       "It's unlocked." Lita gulped audibly. "It's deserted though."
       Both children entered the old house and looked around. "I wish
we'd brought a flashlight."
       "Yeah," Amy answered, "Too late now though. Let's split up. We
can find it faster that way. This won't take long."
       "Good idea, Sis. You check upstairs and I'll look 'round here,"
Lita suggested, "Nobody goes into the basement." <That's where the
psycho always hides.> "Man, I gotta stop thinking 'bout that stuff!"
       "Huh?"
       "Just let's find this thing and go home."


       After leaving what turned out to be the pantry, Lita entered the
living room. Some old furniture sat with its white sheets slowly moving
in the wind that filtered in from some mysterious place. Dust and
cobwebs abounded. <This is ridiculous! How'd I get talked into this?>
But she just couldn't back out on Amy and if they didn't go, she and Amy
would never hear the end of it from their classmates and that braggart.
It was a certainty that the news would be all over school by tomorrow.
She was surprised that Serena and the others hadn't heard about it yet.
<I even said ghosts don't scare me.> So why was she feeling so unsure of
herself? <It has to be this body.> She didn't want to be in a dark and
empty house on a cold and dark night.
       Trying to think of something warm, she began her search. <I'll
get the hat and then, I'm going home and snuggling in with Mommy.> She
was so distracted by these thoughts that she wasn't aware that she was
no longer alone until something brushed up against her leg.
       Freezing in place, she looked down and sucked in her breath. "Oh
my God..."


       <Maybe splitting up wasn't a good idea,> Amy berated herself as
she felt her way along a darkened hallway. Off in some part of the
house, a low moan could be heard. <What was that?> She glanced over her
shoulder but saw only darkness. <Don't be silly. There's nothing here.>
Making herself take one step at a time, she approached a closed door.
<Is this a bedroom?> Slowly she pushed it open. The room inside was lit
by an eerily moving pattern as the streetlamp shown through the waving
tree branches.
       She was drawn up short by a strange sound. Her mind tried to
think of the possibilities. <There ain't no such things as ghosts.> But
her experience as a Sailor Scout challenged that belief. There were far
worse things walking the Earth than restless spirits.
       "Lita?" Maybe Lita had gotten scared and was coming up to find
her. Giving a cursory look into the barren room, she backed out into the
hall. "Lita?" No response. <I have to find the master bedroom.> Telling
herself she was being silly, Amy squared her shoulders and stomped down
the hall. "There are no such things as ghosts!" She gripped the rusty
door handle of the next door and turned it. "There are no such things as
ghosts!" she chanted to herself.
       That's when she opened the door and saw the body lying near the
door.


       "You're a good kitty, aren't ya?" Lita praised as she scratched
the large tabby cat between its ears. It purred contentedly. "You scared
me," Lita confided to it and then chuckled, "You know you're about as
big as Hercules." She stopped petting the cat and straightened up.
"Well, I gotta go look for that stupid ol' hat." Nevertheless, she would
have preferred to stay with that cat, at least until Amy got back.
       Walking through another doorway, she came into what must have
been the entrance hall. <Where would I keep a hat?> Spotting a closet,
she grinned. She walked up to it and opened the door. There, peeking
over the top edge of the shelf was the strangest looking hat Lita had
ever seen. <It's got more feathers than a bird!> The problem was how was
she going to get it? It was way out of her reach.
       That's when she heard a high-pitched scream. "AMY!" Lita cried
out and turning, bolted from the room. "AMY!" Lita called out again. She
ran up the stairs, ignoring the tearing sound that came from her
overalls.
       "Body, dead body..." Amy babbled shaking in fear.
       "A body?" A chill ran through her as Amy nodded. "Where?" Maybe
there WAS a psycho hiding in the basement.
       "Don't look, Sis," Amy pleaded hugging Lita tightly, "Please,
let's just go." No hat was worth this. She promised herself she'd never
do something like this again.
       "Yeah, but I know where the hat is. We'll grab it and get outta
here."


       Getting the strange hat was easy once they located a broom
inside the closet. Unfortunately, Lita had failed to tell Amy about the
cat so when it suddenly appeared, the blue haired girl gave another
screech and ran from the room. Lita, not wanting to be left alone with a
dead body, ran after her sister.
       "It's got me!" Amy cried, "LITA! IT'S GOT ME!"
       "Hang on, Amy," Lita began when she saw that Amy's jeans were
caught on something. Amy was not about to wait. Giving a mighty yank
that tore fabric, the little girl bolted out of the back door and
tumbled from sight. Running over, she looked outside and found Amy on
the ground, bawling her eyes out. She felt like bawling too but somebody
had to be strong.
       "What's wrong?" Lita asked while blinking to try and clear the
tears out of her eyes.
       "My knee!" Amy wailed, "It hurts!"
       Coming out, Lita looked at it quickly and declared, "It's a
scrape. Now let's get home." <We can't hang out here any longer.> Then
inside the house something crashed. Both little girls squealed in stark
terror. They didn't waste any more time; they ran all the way home.
       Meanwhile, inside the old Johnston house, the large tabby cat
meowed at the loss of its company before heading upstairs. It entered
the room in which Amy had claimed she had seen a dead body. As it turned
out, and the cat knew all along, it wasn't a dead body, rather it was
simply an old mannequin.


       "We should tell Mommy about that scrape," Lita recommended as
she helped Amy in through the bedroom window. There was dried blood on
Amy's pants and the scrape was easily seen through the large tear in the
kneepad.
       "No way," Amy hissed, "It's okay. Mommy would wanna know where
we went."
       "But Amy..."
       "No," Amy stated firmly and undressed, leaving the dirty clothes
on the floor. Yawning expansively, she slipped into her pajamas and back
into bed. Lita sighed, shrugged, then followed suit. Moments later, both
little girls were sound asleep.


       Mary Anderson walked down the hall towards her daughters' room
early the next morning. <I wonder if Amy's coming down with something?>
she worried, <I hope not because Lita will get it too.> And experience
had taught her that Lita was a "difficult patient" when she was sick.
<At least I didn't have to fight with Lita about taking a bath last
night.> Considering both her children's strange behavior for the past
few days, Lita's acquiesces had turned out to be a pleasant surprise.
       As Mrs. Anderson opened the bedroom door, she was a little
startled to see sunlight cascading across the floor. <Maybe one of the
girls got up and opened the curtains.> Dismissing this, she called out
softly, "Amy, Lita..." Neither child stirred. Stepping into the room,
she was about to cross over to the bed when something caught her
attention. Something tickled at the back of her mind as she stared at
the haphazard pile of clothing that was lying on the floor near the bed.
       Walking closer, she picked up the clothes and frowned. <These
are dirty.> Mud, grass stains, and dust could be seen. Her stomach
knotted slightly as she spotted the dried blood. Turning it over, she
could see the large tear in the jeans. <Now what was Lita...> But how
would this pair of jeans get blood on them? It hadn't been there the
night before.
       She moved forward but stopped again as her foot hit something.
Looking down, she spotted the oddest-looking hat she had ever seen.
Blinking, Mrs. Anderson looked between the clothing, the hat, and her
sleeping children. Dropping the clothes onto the floor, Mrs. Anderson
said in a more normal voice, "Lita, Amy, it's time to get up."
       As she watched her children start to stir, Mrs. Anderson
reflected, <I thought they looked a little stiff when I came in last
night.> She had dismissed it at the time, glad that her girls hadn't
gone on any nocturnal adventures. Now, she wasn't so sure. <But it just
isn't like Lita though; not this soon anyway.>
       Her bewilderment grew even more when Amy sat up. The child had
what looked like pieces of grass in her hair. Her cheeks were stained
with tears and dirt. When Lita sat up, her hair was in tangled disarray.
She didn't miss the young girls' nervous flick towards the clothes
before those eyes turned back to her.
       "Good morning, girls," Mrs. Anderson said.
       "'Morning Mommy," Lita replied while jumping out of bed.
       "'Morning Mommy," Amy echoed but didn't move from the bed.
       "Let's get you two ready for school." Turning, Mrs. Anderson
walked over to where the girls' school uniforms were kept. She glanced
at the mirror that was by the closet and saw Lita trying to covertly
push the clothing pile under the bed. After retrieving the uniforms, she
turned around and noticed that Amy hadn't moved. "Come on, Amy."
       "'Kay," Amy replied and slid from the bed.
       She turned to Lita who was looking odd. "Lita?" The little girl
gave a start and looked up at her with large brown eyes. "Are you okay?"
       "Yeah," Lita said, although her eyes flicked towards Amy. She
started to undress then.
       <Goodness, what has Lita been up to?> She could tell her
daughter was feeling guilty about something because the normally
energetic Lita was acting sluggish. <And what's Amy hiding?> Amy had
suddenly seemed to become very self-conscious, turning away as she
started to remove her pajama bottoms. <She's definitely hiding
something.> Waiting until Amy had put on a fresh pair of underpants, she
instructed, "Amy, turn around please."
       The room grew still as both children froze. Lita gave a low
moan. As Amy turned around Mrs. Anderson's eyes found the scrape that
was on Amy's leg. She noticed the panicked expression that flitted
through Amy's eyes.
       "What were you doing last night?"
       "Sleepin'," Lita answered hoping it would be enough.
       "Yeah," Amy put in.
       "Oh really?" She reached out and picked some grass from her
daughter's hair. "And what is this?"
       "Moondust?"
       Mrs. Anderson frowned at Amy. "Uhuh... And just where did you
get that, young lady?" indicating the scrape.
       "I... I tripped," Amy offered. Lita groaned again.
       "When did you trip? When I was drying you off last night, you
didn't have any scrapes."
       "Uh..." Amy looked towards Lita who was looking at the floor.
"When I went to the bathroom last night?" she lied.
       <What had Lita gotten her into now?> Reaching down, she picked
up the discarded clothing that had been partially shoved under the bed
and turned to Lita. "Well, young lady, what happened to these? These are
your jeans and Amy has the scrape."
       Lita gulped. "Mommy, we were sleepin'," she said again.
       "So I suppose these clothes got out of the dresser and on to the
floor all by themselves?"
       "Yep," Lita replied hopefully. <Uh oh, we're really in trouble.>
       Picking up the hat and holding it up, Mrs. Anderson demanded,
"And where did this monstrosity come from?" The little girl didn't have
an answer for that. "I guess I'll throw it away then."
       "NO!" both children shouted and lunged for the hat.
       "We need it," Lita pleaded.
       "Why do you need it?"


       Amy could feel her stomach flutter as Lita confessed everything.
By the time her sister was done, Lita was in tears. Amy was almost in
tears as well and had to blink to hold them back. <Mommy looks awfully
mad.> Indeed, her mother's lips were compressed into a tight line of
disapproval.
       Mrs. Anderson went over the facts she had gleaned from Lita's
story. "So, you snuck out?" Lita nodded. "And Amy got hurt?"
       "Yes," Lita replied, her voice thick with tears. "I'm really
sorry, Mommy."
       "You promised me you wouldn't sneak out, Lita," Mrs. Anderson
began sternly, "And then you take your sister along."
       "But Mommy..."
       "No buts!"
       "Amy thought it was bad," Lita sniffled out while looking at the
floor. <Maybe I can save Amy.>
       <Hey!> Amy thought, <You were the one that didn't want to go.>
       "Young lady, you get into that corner while I take care of your
sister's knee. Then you and I are going to have a long talk." Amy
watched as her mother gathered up her blouse and then took her by the
hand. "Come on."
       Letting her mother lead her into the bathroom, Amy thought, <I
can't remember the last time I stood in a corner.> She sat on the toilet
seat as her mother directed. "Are you mad, Mommy?"
       "Yes, I am," Mrs. Anderson stated as she got a washcloth and
filled the sink with warm water. "You shouldn't have gone with Lita."
       "But she came with me," Amy tried to correct.
       "I know you like to be with your sister, Amy, but what Lita did
last night was wrong," Mrs. Anderson explained while she started washing
her daughter's knee. "I think I'll have to have Lita sleep in another
room."
       "No!" Amy was horrified by the possibility that she'd lose
Lita's companionship. <Why's Mom blaming Lita? It ain't all her fault.>
       "Don't worry, Amy. Lita still can play with you," her mother
soothed as she got some iodine and a bandage from the medicine cabinet.
"I just don't want either of you to get hurt." Amy winced at the sting
of the iodine but ignored it when she heard her mother add softly, "I
don't even know where Lita got that crazy idea."
       <Mom even thinks I'm a bookworm!> Amy's face flushed red with
outrage. <I go to all that trouble and my own mother thinks I'm a wuss!>
One part of her told her she was being ridiculous. Amy promptly told
that part to stuff it.
       "It was my idea!" Mrs. Anderson stopped in her work and looked
at Amy. "Mom, it was MY idea!"
       <She always covers for Lita.> Her mother smiled at her
indulgently. She started washing off the dirt and mud that Amy had
accumulated from her nocturnal adventure while saying, "That's very
sweet, Amy, but you shouldn't fib. What Lita did was very wrong."
       "I'M NOT FIBBIN'! It was MY idea, you... you..." She couldn't
think of an appropriate word that a small child would know so fell back
to something she had heard once before, "POOPHEAD!" She became aware of
her ragged breathing and of her fists being clenched tightly. She stared
defiantly at her mother, something she had never done before, while her
mother simply looked at her in utter shock.
       "YOU got Lita to come with you?" Mrs. Anderson asked.
       "Yes!" Amy stated firmly, "She didn't wanna but she came 'cause
I went." Seeing her mother was off-balance, Amy pressed on, trying to
word her story the way a five year old would -- it wasn't easy.
       After Amy was clean and fully dressed, she followed her mother
into the bedroom. "You go stand where Lita is. I'm going to clean her up
too," Mrs. Anderson ordered sternly.
       "'Kay Mommy," Amy squeaked and moved to take her sister's place
in the corner.
       <I'm really gonna get it,> Lita thought, <At least Amy won't see
me.> She followed her mother down the hall and into the bathroom without
protest. Once seated on the toilet seat the same as Amy had been, she
got up enough courage to say, "I'm really sorry, Mommy."
       "Do you have any scrapes like Amy?" Mrs. Anderson asked as she
soaped a washcloth.
       "No, Mommy, I..." Lita trailed off at her mother's stern look.
       "So, you got Amy to follow you?" Lita nodded. "Amy says she got
you to come."
       "She's fibbing!" Lita replied. <I hope Mommy isn't like
Serena's.> If she was, Amy could be in worse trouble for lying than for
sneaking out of the house. She decided to take the risk. <I feel sorry
for Reenie. I mean kids lie sometimes.>
       "I see." That was the last comment that her mother made until
Lita was cleaned up and dressed in her school uniform.


       Amy looked around when she heard the soft padding of feet and
saw Lita coming into the room. She was about to say something but her
sister headed for another corner, not even bothering to look at her.
After a few minutes, her mother came into the room and crossed over to
the bed.
       "Lita Anderson, come here," Mrs. Anderson ordered as she sat
down on the bed.
       Lita sniffled, turned, and walked over to her mother. "I'm
really really sorry, Mommy. Honest."
       "What did I say would happen if you snuck out again?"
       Amy felt her mouth run dry when Lita responded. <I thought Mommy
just said it to scare Lita.> A wave of guilt washed over her. A fresh
set of tears sprung into her eyes as Lita was put across her mother's
lap. The sound of each swat made Amy wince. She dared not turn around
though.
       After the fourth swat, Mrs. Anderson stood Lita upright. "You
just stay right there, young lady." Lita didn't seem intent on moving
anywhere; the little girl just stood there and bawled. "Amy Anderson,
come here."
       <I guess Mommy didn't really have a choice. I hope Lita isn't
too mad when I get put back into the corner after Mommy's lecture.> She
hesitantly moved to stand before her mother.
       "Well, young lady, I'm surprised with you." Amy couldn't help
but beam happily up at her mother. Finally, she was being taken
seriously! Her smile quickly faded though as she was picked up and put
across her mother's lap.
       "NO!" Amy shouted as she suddenly realized that maybe she
wouldn't be spending time in a corner. The first swat shocked her and
while she tried to deny the reality of it all, another three were
applied. It wasn't until the spanking was over with and she had been
stood up that Amy finally burst into loud crying. As she plunked herself
down onto the floor and bawled her eyes out, she was only vaguely aware
that her sister was being led out of the room.


       Pushing the remnants of her cereal around the bowl, Lita
sniffled. <Poor Amy. I bet she won't ever speak to me again.> Giving up
on eating, she sighed. <I wouldn't blame her if she didn't. Some sister
I am. She gets hurt and then she gets punished and just because I pulled
a bone-headed stunt! I shoulda known better!>
       "Mommy," Amy requested, "Can I have the hat?"
       "Hat?" Mrs. Anderson questioned.
       "Yeah, Mommy, the one we got."
       "Amy..." Lita winced. There wasn't much amusement in that voice.
       "We need it."
       "No, you don't. Now finish up your breakfast. It's almost time
to leave for school."
       "We found it. It's ours!" Amy persisted. Lita just wanted to
crawl under a rock and hide.
       "No, we don't," Lita interjected sadly. Amy shot her a dirty
look. <We're in enough trouble, Sis. Who needs that stupid 'ol hat
anyway?>
       "The kids'll make fun of us 'n' stuff."
       "Amy, I said no!"
       Lita watched as Amy jumped from her chair and stomped out of the
room. After a minute or so of silence, Lita implored, "Mommy, please,
can we take it to school?" Mrs. Anderson gave her a dangerous look. "We
got it." It sounded so childish but it was important to her sister.
       Mrs. Anderson frowned for a few moments and then relented. "All
right, Lita, but I'm going to have a very long talk with you girls when
you get home from school."
       Lita gulped but managed to say, "'Kay." She was surprised when
her mother got up and walked around the table to give her a hug.
       "I love you," Mrs. Anderson told her with a smile.
       "Really?!" Lita asked before she could stop herself.
       "Yes, don't you think I love you?"
       "But I was naughty." That was the simplest answer Lita could
give. Her mother picked her up and sat onto her chair before cuddling
her close.
       "I do love you and I love Amy. Remember I said somebody could
get hurt if you snuck out?" Lita nodded. "Well Amy did, right?"
       "Yeah."
       "So I am mad but I still love you." Mrs. Anderson gave her
daughter another hug. "Now go get your sister or you two will be late."
Lita smiled. She didn't want that to happen.
       "Love you too, Mommy," Lita declared as she hugged her mother
before running form the room to get Amy. Once Lita had gone, Mrs.
Anderson let the smile show on her face. They were trying at times but
she wouldn't give either of them up for the world.

End of Part 7

Coming next in Part 8  "Triumphs and Tribulations"