Darla and Amber's Parent Trap

chapter 5

The next day, it was very stormy and that meant that everybody had to go indoors until the storm would stop. Patch shivered at the storm, trying to keep calm as he didn't like storms that much. Amber started to soothe him as she pet him. Patch soon settled down with her comfort.

"Shh.... Shh..." Amber soothed like a mother comforting her distressed child.

One of the windows soon slid open, letting in the gust of wind.

Maisy shivered. "Brr!"

Hallie tried to close the window as it blew down a few of her posters. Patch was going to help her, but Annie actually stood up to help Hallie close the window. And with the two of them working together, they got to get the window shut. Darla and Amber smiled to this as the two actually worked together for a change.

"Thanks." Hallie smiled to Annie.

"You're welcome." Annie smiled back.

Patch began to check on the posters.

"Oh, man..." Hallie frowned as she collected her posters that fell to the floor.

Annie decided to help and then picked up the stuffed animal next to the rain water bucket. "Here's your--"

"Cubby." Hallie smiled.

"How long have you had Cubby?" Darla asked.

"For as long as I can remember..." Hallie said as she put her stuffed animal back onto her bed.

Patch came up to Hallie with a poster of Leonard DiCaprio in his mouth and smiled to her.

"Thanks, boy." Hallie accepted it with a smile.

"Who's that?" Annie asked, referring to the man in the poster.

"You've never heard of Leonardo DiCaprio?" Hallie replied in surprise. "How far away is London anyway?"

"Well, from here, it's 3,000 miles," Annie replied. "But sometimes it seems much further... How far away is your home?"

"Oh, California's all the way at the end of the country," Hallie said. "Actually... Here's a picture of my house..." she then held out a photograph to show to the others.

"It's beautiful." Amber smiled.

"Wow, it really is..." Annie agreed in amazement.

"Yeah, they built it when I was little," Hallie nodded. "We've got this incredible porch that looks over the entire vineyard, and, and--"

"Is this your dad?" Darla pointed to the man in the picture.

"Oh, yeah," Hallie nodded. "He didn't know I was taking a picture or he would've turned around. He's kinda like my best friend. We do everything together."

"Aw!" Darla and Amber smiled.

Annie shook a chill down her spine.

"Something wrong, Annie?" Amber asked.

"Uh, it's chilly in here..." Annie replied as she went to sit on her bed.

"How's about we have something to eat?" Darla said.

"Mom sent some of her cookies." Amber smiled to her best friend.

"All right!" Darla cheered so they could have the cookies. "Want some, Hallie?"

"No thanks, I'm good." Hallie said as she took out a pack of Oreo's with a jar of peanut butter.

"Oreo's with peanut butter." Darla smiled.

"I do that at home..." Annie was surprised to see someone else shared her strange eating habit.

"Really? So do I." Hallie said.