It was pitch dark when Sophie finally arrived home, tired, and hungry. She was surprised that Nessa was using the tent as sleeping quarters. She claimed it was because she 'wanted to get in touch with nature'. Okay.
Boney took to the hopscotch game and has been stuck ever since, the dirty plates and laundry piling up indoors, the newspapers outside.
Waiting for her was her beloved Pat. She could tell, not by the stitched up face - ALL IF dolls had that same expression - but by the hostile aura Pat was giving out, that he disapproved of her leaving him behind. She did not want to face him. Not just yet. So she went to bed. It felt strange, sleeping in a room that she used to share with her sister. Now, since she'd spent time at college - away from her family - she realised that she's grown up. Maybe not a great deal, but enough to know that she didn't perhaps need to be physically and emotionally attached to Nessa. After all, she was part fairy - by how much, she wasn't sure - Nessa was fully human.
Downstairs, Sonny Em tried and failed - yet again - to woo poor rusty old Blaine (who hadn't changed one bit). By now, he was seriously creeped out by her unwanted advances and told her straight that he wasn't interested.
Ouch.
J1NX1E, in the meantime, pretended to play darts, but was listening to all that was going on. She just needed to bide her time, then when the moment was right, she'd POUNCE! Obviously, she calculated - correctly - that he felt a little intimidated by the two of them. Advanced Plumbots, from the future, with technology he couldn't comprehend. Whilst he simply got by with an oil can and some scrap metal. What was exceptionally galling though, was the fact that they could swim in water! In Blaine's case, he just needed to be caught in a downpour and he's conk out for a few hours.
Anyways, getting back to Sophie. She slept soundly, but before her head hit the pillow, she promised herself to ask her mother about Question 6 - whatever that was.
Sadly, she didn't get the opportunity. Feeling peckish, she headed for the kitchen and was instantly confronted by Pat
Pat: So? Did you miss me?Sophie: Pat, not now
Pat: Didja? I bet you did. I hope you did. You'd better have.
He was relentless. He wouldn't stop until he got an answer out of her. Her head started aching, she was feeling light headed. She needed something in her stomach before she fainted. And with Pat bugging her consistently, wherever she went, there was no way she was going to have any peace. But then it struck her. The one place where he couldn't follow her.
The fairy castle.
He couldn't change into a sprite. All he could do was to change back into his toy form and sit sentinel style outside the miniature castle, whilst she lived it up and got drunk out of her skull on pollen punch. Yeah, she was turning into a pollen addict - all thanks to her IF doll Pat. She could do one of two things, and neither one appealed to her.
Downstairs, Blaine was scratching, scraping and hammering away. He was a quarter of the way through achieving one of his wishes - to build a time machine! Yep you heard correctly. Only this one can travel back AND forward in time, unlike the time portal that was still fizzling outside. That one focused on the future and the present.
But then the alarm went off and he had to rush to put out a large house fire.
Outside, Sophie could hear Nessa giggling, and the sound of splashing, as she played water balloons ... with her IF friend Hespa.
Sophie sighed heavily and wished that she had the same happy relationship with Pat. But the minute she stepped out of the fairy castle, he was there, once again.
Pat: You didn't answer my questions.
Sophie: Pat, not now, I need to speak to mom.
Pat: She's busy.
Sophie: What?
Pat: As I said, she's busy, go look for yourself
Sure enough, here was Shannon, standing in her underwear, chatting to the local paparazzi. The woman looked eager and happy to be getting any attention. But her attitude changed when Shannon decided to turn the tables and start asking HER questions.
Paparazzi: I .... I gotta go
Shannon: But .... I need to file all my reports ..... *mutters* grrr, being a cop sucks sometimes.
Looking at her watch, Nessa suddenly squeaked.
Vanessa: Oh crap, I'm late for work!
Yep, she and Sophie still had their old part time jobs. Whilst Sophie mused about changing her career, her sister seemed quite content to stay as she was ... for now. It was late by the time Blaine got back from his emergency. He managed to save two people from the fire, but, whilst he was busy putting out the flames, one of them foolishly wandered back indoors and was overcome with smoke inhalation.
He didn't have time to send the guy back out and left him, so he wasn't sure if this idiot had recovered or not. He feared the worst.
Moping about, and pretending that Pat didn't exist, Sophie heard an almighty scuffle outside. Peering out of the window, she was faced with Sonny Em having a fight with an evil chicken!
When the hell did they get a chicken coop, she wondered, as she watched the fighting. And decided it wasn't for her, she'd rather stay away. Besides, having those two Plumbots around was useful. At least bee stings and chicken pecks bounced off their metal armour.
And then Nessa suddenly announces that she wants to go to college.
Nessa: But I won't go unless you go
Sophie: Fair enough
It gave Sophie the opportunity to return and grill Professor Anthony once and for all.
Sophie: You'll need to fill in the aptitude test, see if you qualify for any extra funding.
Nessa: And what if I don't?
Sophie: Don't worry about that, I've been saving up too, we'll get you through this.
Sure enough, Nessa didn't qualify. But she still chose Phys Ed for her major, whilst Sophie went back to her Fine Arts degree.
If she couldn't get any answers at home, she sure would find some back in university! And she'd have some peace and quiet away from Pat!
