Purple Fever

Chapter 8 - Elizabeth

An alarm clock beeped, startling Elizabeth from a good dream. She smiled and turned it off. Today was the beginning of another amazing day! She rolled out of bed and stood at the closet, contemplating what to wear. Finally, she settled for a pink shirt with a blue skirt. Elizabeth carefully tied her blond hair up with a red ribbon and walked out of her room.

"Good morning Elizabeth!" A cheerful white and pink fox was expertly flipping pancakes at the stove. "Good morning Fennec!" She replied back, settling into a chair at the dining table. "Are you ready for the big day?" He asked as he placed a plate of perfectly cooked pancakes in front of Elizabeth. Elizabeth smiled and nodded.

Today was the opening night of a huge theatre celebration in Elizabeth's town. The festival would last three days with the winners being announced at the very end. Her family was going to compete, and she was super excited! Even though she was too young to fit any of the rolls, Elizabeth loved sitting in the audience and watching the pure joy on her family's faces as they performed. "Ready!" She chirped before digging into the food.

The pancakes were light and buttery, and the syrup was divine. Fennic's cooking easily trumped any restaurant's best efforts. Just as Elizabeth finished them off, a chubby white and purple bear snuck into the kitchen and carefully reached towards the freshly baked pancakes, only to receive a slap on the hand from Fennec. "No Fred! You're on a diet, remember!"

"Oh come on Fennec! Just one?" He pleaded. Fennec rolled his eyes and sighed. "Oh, alright." He said, grudgingly. Fred squealed and stuffed his face. "Slow down!" Fennec laughed. "Save some for the others! They have to eat too! " Fred laughed and plopped down next to Elizabeth just in time to reveal a girl with red hair and bouncing into the kitchen. "Good morning guys!" She chirped as she sat down on Elizabeth's other side. "Good morning Bella," Fennec said as he placed a plate in front of her. "Are you ready for your first show?" Bella's bright green eyes shone with excitement. "Ready!"

They ate for a while in silence, enjoying the buttery pancakes and the fresh orange juice Fred had found in the fridge. After a few minutes, Fennec looked at the clock. "Ballora slept in again," he muttered as he rinsed the pan in the sink. He quickly washed his hands and walked down the hall to her bedroom. A few seconds of silence, then groaning. A very disheveled Ballora trudged into the kitchen with Fennec at her heels.

She plopped down next to Fred, mumbled hello to Elizabeth and Bella, and reluctantly dug into the food. As she chewed, the corners of her mouth twitched up and the tiredness left her eyes. The minute she finished, Fennec hurriedly snatched the plate off of the table and rinsed it.

"We have to be at the theatre shortly to help set up, and we need all the equipment to do that. Power tools, extra extension cords, some light bulbs, but most importantly screws. Each of you grab a bag and fill it with whatever you need." He said, drying his hands. Elizabeth nodded and headed to the garage.

The garage was full of equipment, and spare screws littered the floor. It had always been a running joke that it would one day be cleaned, but that day was yet to come. Elizabeth tied a belt around her waist and set to work, grabbing every nut, screw, and bolt in sight. She grabbed a couple of drills and a spare battery and stuffed them into her backpack reserved just for that day. To top it all off, she grabbed a nail gun.

When she entered the kitchen, the others were already there and fully prepared. Fred was draped with cords and lights and was clutching a rabbit cage, Bella held the costumes, and Ballora carried all the tech the crew used backstage. Fennec was carrying the more dangerous tools. As soon as Fred saw Elizabeth, he couldn't help but smile. "Are we all set," he asked eagerly. Fennec chuckled and nodded.

Packing the car was a hassle. Fennec couldn't figure out how to get the table saw to cut on top of the bags, and Fred was scared that the troupe mascot, Bon Bon the Rabbit, would get squished. Ballora was grumbling about wanting to go back to bed, and Bella was being her cheerful self. Eventually the saw fit, Fred carried Bon Bon on his lap, and Ballora was given a banana. After many minutes of trying, the truck was loaded and they were on their way.