Satori

A Morning In the Rain...
CHAPTER 1


"MOM! I'm leaving for the Academy!" Alexandria Trinity McDowell called to her mother Jeannette Estelle McDowell--AKA, Jewel. Jewel was making her famous Chocolate Eggs and Pumpkin Bacon. 



Alexandria always went by "Alice", and she possessed shoulder-length blonde hair with tantalizing royal blue eyes. Her slightly tanned skin made her look like her mother, though her slightly curved Croatian nose and her ears were from her father. Alice was a bit slim, but always thought herself as "chubby". Her mother was a bit chubby with forest green eyes and her long, back-length hair. Alice was now 14 and trying to enjoy her life being a normal girl.



"Well, would you like breakfast first? It's not even six yet!" Jewel finished cooking her tantalizing eggs, having a marble swirl of chocolate and regular eggs mixed in there elegantly. Alice walked backwards five times, and waked the same amount of times.



Alice has a disorder called Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and this is what made her rewind to what she last did. Her cases are rather mild, since that is basically all she does and she sometimes does things in reverse. She would say that it "rewinds her mind" to remember things. Her mother thought that she was just a girl who loves to dance. Since her dad, Gerald Stanley McDowell, left for his agency job all the way in Stockholm, Alice and her mother were awake by themselves.



Reluctantly, Alice pulled out one of the golden chairs to sit down. Jewel came with the silverware and her famous purple servers. Alice felt her stomach growling with delight. Though she was a bit woozy from the sleep, Alice had no choice but to fill her empty stomach. She couldn't possibly hold back her voracious appetite for such delectable breakfast. When the chocolate eggs emerged from the skillet, Alice felt her mouth-watering. When she ate, she felt a sour but accepted taste of eggs and chocolate.



Jewel began to wash the skillet. "Alice, before you go to school, I want you to put on your uniform. You can't go to school looking like a sheep. And please try to take your medication, okay? I can't have Bowser acting like the police dog every time you head out."



"Yes, mama." Alice nodded, taking glorious forkfuls of chocolate eggs. Bowser was the family Pit Bull, and he always inspected Alice's clothes for medicine that she forgot to take. She sometimes called him a pervert for looking in her bras and panties.



Bowser was sneaking up by the corner and then jumped on Jewel, giving her a little shriek. Bowser sent a happy bark and then whimpered for food. Jewel then retorted with her wooden spoon, "Sit, Bowser! SIT!" Bowser obediently sat down next to Alice. Bowser began to look at her with puppy eyes for her food. Bowser eventually laid down and began to relax.



By the time Alice finished her meal, she washed her dish in the sink. After washing her plate, she cleaned up her area and walked back to her room to change.



Alice began to take her pills with her water from last night. Two of them were her ADD/ADHD pills and the other was a OCD pill to cut the amount of needs. Bowser began to toy with one of Alice' old bras a Alice changed into her uniform and brushed her hair. She even remembered to take a shower before she left for school.



"Goodbye mother!" Alice called to Jewel before taking her school case with her. Little did he know, it would be raining. Alice took her plastic "Boutique" cone umbrella before leaving the house. Once she left, she turned towards her right past her neighbors. She looked back and saw Bowser looking out the window with her zig-zag panties in his mouth. Alice growled at this sight. > She thought as she went her way. She heard thundering from afar. She knew it was a thunderstorm around Montreal. Tripping over the sidewalk, she ran to the Dragnet Mansion. Grabbing on the bars of the fence, she panted heavily and held her heart to her chest.



"Kid, get going..." An unknown entity boomed towards her direction. She looked to only see a faint shadow lurking her direction. She ran as she continued her way to the academy, grabbing her supplies.



Alice ran as fast as she could in the rain. She had little time to look back as she knew someone was rushing after her. Alice's blonde hair was curling up. After Alice got to the front gate of the academy, she fell to the floor of the concrete. Her ruby red boots were now completely scratched.



Her blue eyes were filling with angry tears as she stepped up. Alice yelped in pain at the throbbing pain in her left leg. She tried to get back up only to be forced down by her leg. She cried as loud as she could, needing help. Seeing that no one would be there, she forced herself up by the bars. She walked and felt a bit of pain in the left leg.



Then her OCD made her hobble 11 times back. > Alexandria realized as she scrambled to her feet and hop over to the academy gates. Her first year at the Galleria Academy would be rather frightening, but she hoped it would shed some light to this dreary day. "Thank God I hurried..." She realized as she turned to see the shadow gone.



Though Alice may not know it, someone would be waiting for her on the way home... and they would be walking with her home.



ALICE



I came across the school's door, and I grew timid about standing near the academy door. Though I know that this academy was known for crazy behaviors, I still had to see what it was about. I JUST wish my leg would stop hurting me so I can get through! Good thing that hound BOWSER did his work, otherwie, he'd be at it getting it on with my pillows.



Galleria Academy wasn't all to bad, to be honest. Though I'm just an ordinary human at the school, why would there be strange monsters around? All I did was watch horror movies and Death Note to really now what was going on around here. Still, it's the start of the year, and it's time to shine!



I tried to find the headmaster's office, bumping many people on the way. August 15 and that many people trying to sign up too. I'm glad I'm not the only one who's awaiting application. Everyone looked at me with mixed emotions once I came to the door of the office. The school definitely reminded me of Hogwarts, with its dark and Miedeval-like appearance. Being the one who is an unnatural fan of such, I approved of its Gothic fashion.



While I stood leisurely, there were many people trying to get to their classes with their newly made schedules. Suddenly, I was called up front by a brown-haired lady with red framed glasses. I slowly stepped back twice, looking at the people. I ran immediately to see the woman, only to fall on my butt. Though everyone laughed, I didn't give a second care. To my dismay, it was still raining hard with great intensity. As I patted the dirt off of my uniform skirt, she gave me my schedule. "So you're Alexandria McDowell, right?"



"Y--y--yes, I am..." I stuttered, not knowing of the results. "I go by Alice, mam. Pleased to meet you. I'm a new student..."



The woman adjusted her beautiful, red glasses. Her blue eyes began to sparkle, "Welcome to Galleria Academy! My name is Miss Sonia Phalanx--the Galleria fencing practitioner and the 1-2 Honors English teacher." Unknown to me, she appeared as if she wanted to hurt me or something. Her eyes were gleaming with so much intensity, I could hardly even believe that Miss Phalanx was even a person--a human being. Perhaps she was getting too many "MARRY ME!" cards from men.



"So I guess I have this Deviation class with you...?" I trembled a bit, not knowing what else to say but that. I nervously stood there, wondering if anything would happen.



Though this school was big, I should try to relax and fit in with everyone. Perhaps this school was haunted or maybe used to be a Catholic church. Well, I can't think that--guess I shouldn't have watched so much science fiction and horror movies. Even though reality should have set in at this point, why does it still feel like a nightmare? Is it a bit more than my head playing tricks? Is it a bit more than just a school or an academy?



I tried to wake up from this dream by trying to scream "WAKE UP!" in my head. After I was sure my subconscious went hoarse, Galleria Academy was not a dream--it was the real deal. Thinking more than one thing at a time, I didn't know what to do. The terrified thoughts were scurrying about in my brain, nearly squishing my insides.



"Alice?" A faint voice was calling me from the dpths of the waters of Thoughts. "Alice?!" it called me again, louder this time. When I was sure I had enough, I forced myself out of the daze. "Alice!"



Too late to tell now, I was just standing there looking like a aristocratic idiot with no clothes. Even if I did have clothes, I felt like my blanket of Common Sense was shred to pieces off of my shoulders. When I finally saw a stern-looking Miss Phalanx, I began to confess. "Eh... Oh! I'm so sorry, Miss Phalanx! I--I..."



Miss Phalanx waved a hand at me. "No, you don't have to do that. Just get to class. Others have been waiting for you, Alice."



I looked back at the thirsty line of students. I grabbed my stuff quickly and sped to the classroom. "Thank you!" I hollered back as I dashed upstairs to my first class--Biology with Moquot. I wondered how he/she would be as the teacher. I hope they were one of the well-taught teachers. I hope they don't try to give u packs of homework on the first day like my other teachers did.



PART III

By the time Alice entered the classroom, it was so empty, a tumbleweed could have ran across her feet. The windows seemed drenched with morning rain, and it was still pouring violently. Alice sat at the third row in the fifth desk. There were about seven desks lined up neatly in each row of 7. Alice looked at her clock to see that it was 7:45. She knew class wasn't going to start until 8:15.



Alice sat to read her book until she saw another student come in ten minutes later. He had shaggy, blonde hair tied in a low pony tail with two side fringes. He sat in the first row, third seat. Alice covered her face closer with the book; she was too embarrassed. A girl with a black bob and light brown eyes sat in the second row at the seventh seat. She had a slightly lighter tint in her skin color than Alice. She swore that she was hiding. Miss Phalanx needed to watch her big, dirty mouth!



Then, the girl with the bob cut broke the ice. "Hey, what's with that bookish behavior? You aren't really reading, are you?" She had a really, THICK Welsh accent. She wore a red scarf around her neck and an orange beret on her head.



Alice felt herself grow angry at her. "Please leave me alone..." She closed her book and laid her head down as to not be seen by anyone else.



"SHEESH! People around here are harsh!" She muttered as she began writing a report of school. Then, five more students came in with their bags and cases over their backs and arms. Good thing they didn't aim towards Alice, sitting in the very back of the room. Alice moved up one desk so she could be away from them a bit more. This time, she slowly reared her head. Hot, fearful tears glittered her face, and Alice knew she was in for trouble.



As she feared, someone pointed out to her face. It was an obviously obese student who loved to see Alice walk backwards. "HEY! IT'S THAT GIRL WHO TOTALLY SPAZZED OUT IN LINE TODAY!" The students right by him burst out laughing hard. Much to her dismay, the guy got up from his desk and imitated Alice, walking backward and deliberately shouting, "WHOA!" down to the ground. This made his allies laugh even harder. Alice slammed her head back on the desk, sobbing hard.



The girl with the black bobcut and a girl with powdery green, shoulder-length hair and emerald-green eyes were less than impressed. The girl with the black bobcut then went up to the fat boy and kicked him in the balls. he gave him a deep, dark glare at his face before she finally retorted, "You foolish boy. Go back to your spots before I report you to the principal's." With that, the boy looked back and ran for his desk before the girl said any more. "Sheesh, boys these days. Going wacko with women and treating them harsh! Hey, you okay?"



Alice wiped her tears of embarrassment. "Y...y...yeah, I'm all right. Besides, why are you still talking to me?"



The girl rested her head on the podium. "Well... guess I should introduce myself. My name is Iroha Cascade. I plan to run a newspaper soon in my life. Nice to meet you, Alice."



Alice grew shocked, and the time was stretching. It was only 7:54, and too much occurred for such little time. "H... H... How do you know my name?!"



"Well, it's a long story... that woman told me of you." Iroha smiled at Alice as she lended her a hand. > Iroha thought as she looked at the little Alice, still trying to read her book. After time passed, Mr. Marequat Moquot finally came by with his suitcase, smiling at all of us. Only two out of all the 49 students were there, awaiting their lesson.



"Welcome to Galleria Academy! I am Monsieur Marequat Moquot. "



ALICE



Mr. Moquot looked like some sort of French guy with the mask on for identity. I mean, really! He even said some crazy French like "bon voyage" or even "mon cheri". I've NEVER seen or heard a guy say such in life. Though he and Beethoven could probably compete in the look-alike contest, I just fell in love with my Biology teacher. I wrote down every important word he said. I even wrote "bon voyage!" on the top right corner where my name should have been. Iroha could tell right away that I was in love.



"Why you gawking at him like that?" Iroha asked me, though I was too busy watching him sweep his long, brown hair to the side. I then began to erase "and I said" and rewrote it again. Damn OCD, and I thought this was only for walking. Wow... Afer the long talk of pollination and regular birds, we were finally out of his classroom.



By the time I walked out, I thought I saw a red-headed girl with a green robe looking at me. When I walked to my second period (which was right next door), I felt an evil force lurking at me. Iroha wasn't in that class, so I had to sit in the back with my nose in my book for the waiting period. Miss Xena Seashell didn't seem to mind me in her World History class, as she talked about the rules and tentative lesson plans. Then, I had Spanish with Mr. Fernadez Lopez. Like I did with Mr. Moquot, I nearly fainted over his beauty, his black slick hair and the fancy moustache. It was really nothing but some quick Spanish lessons... and Dora the Explorer!



School was a charm for me for the morning. During my lunch hour, I sat alone, away from everyone. I ate the rest of my mother's spaghetti and meatballs in a blue container. Nearly crying, I opened up my "Vampire Knight" Manga and began skimming through the comics. I couldn't believe that I was being tortured like that. It was also crazy that it was nearly noon when I went back to a remedial classroom with people like me. There were many people looking at the board and whatever. Only one or two people took me notice.  I guess I was just a girl with problems dealing with her OCD.



Fifth period was no better, but at least Iroha was there to cheer me on with encouraging words as we were going over the P.E. rules. Mrs. Aileen Kramkowski was telling us "not to share your cooties" or "have sex" in the locker rooms. Well, that was a no-brainer; they might think you're committing rape or something like that. Well, we all knew sex wasn't allowed in the academy. Even if it was, we'd have more than enough sense to do it in the locker rooms. Even worse, she had to run in our clothes for three minutes. The pain in my left leg came once again. Doubling over, I had to hobble on like an injured dog all the way across the line.



Iroha laughed at how serious Mrs. Kramkowski was with the sex thing. Even if we had towels whipping at each other, she'd think of us as "lesbians". Iroha must have been the friend for my soul. She had watched anime, and was crazy about Touhou--which I NEVER heard of. She even told me that I looked almost EXACTLY like a girl on there with the same name as I--freaky! Sadly, the pain hadn't vanished, and I wa forced to hobble on to my sixth hour class--three flights of stairs and three buildings from the Gym.



Sixth hour was Algebra with Miss Marie Masti, and we had lots of fun with her! We were talking about the circumference of Celebrities' heads and the introductions to the techniques. I was glad I didn't have to act like a weirdo in front of everyone. Besides, I didn't want to get humiliated by what I had or how I talked. Iroha and I were in the same class together. I couldn't believe she calculated the circumference of a drawing! I thought she was a one-of-a-kind genius. When she shouted, "MY PENCIL EVEN DROP! WHALE CAN MEASURE NOT!" everyone laughed at this, excluding the teacher and a few who didn't get the joke. By the time it was over, Iroha explained the joke to Miss Masti and left her laughing.



Finally, seventh hour was the major close to the day. One of the craziest classes ever was Painting--and I was NEVER great at art. Miss Rosetta Florette seemed to love looking at us paint with that sadistic smile of hers. When she greeted the students, would it be normal to scream in fear? Oh, yeah--but everyone was pretty sure on how to act around her. They didn't wish to act mean or disrespectful, but they really talked about her behind their backs. Iroha and I groaned a bit in agony for the bell to ring.



By the time the bell rang for dismissal, I was immediately blinded by the sun. Not a single cloud was in the sky... it appeared so beautiful, the plants looked replenished. It was 3:30 when I got out of the school for the walk home. Iroha and I talked for a bit before going our separate ways. All the happiness I had with her just vanished like a disappearing cloud.



I missed going to Canada for school. I had a lot of friends... well, not really friends--but a lot of interests came from being in Ontario. I also missed being in London where I always stayed at Aunt Peach's for tea and went to school. When she found out that I had OCD at 10, she began to homeschool me. I missed my childhood up in London, perhaps the best that I had. When I walked home, I was feeling a bit angered. One: Bowser probably messed up my new bras again. Two, I'll have to do some homework for today. Three,  I'll be there with just Bowser since my mother's left the house (her car wasn't on the driveway). Well, I'll just have to see what actually happened this time...

By the time Alice came home, Bowser was waiting for her to reveal everything. Alice screamed as she was being taken down by the medium-sized dog. Bowser began to insanely lick her face, despite Alice's protests to stop. When Bowser finally gave up, Alice looked in her room to find three pairs of panties already torn up. The bras were torn to the point of having a visible hole in the pads and the hooks were disfigured. Alice heaved an agitated sigh and threw the bras away.



<"Damn it, I just bought those!"> Alice's thoughts went like steam from a hot meal. When she tried to pick up her sabotaged underwear, Bowser growled at Alice. Alice took a Seventeen magazine, rolled it up and batted Bowser on the buttocks. Bowser immediately retorted by snatching the magazine. He opened it to the first page and intelligently tore up the lewd pictures as a overprotective mother would have done.



The rest of the night was letting Bowser out to use the bathroom on two hour intervals, and cleaning up her room. By seven o'clock, Jewel came home with Papa John's Pizza for Alice and herself to eat. Alice already took a shower, so she'd nothing much to worry about. Seeing that her mom got ne sausage and one Pepperoni, she gratefully took three slices of Pepperoni pizza in her room. "Don't give any to Bowser, hear?!" Her mom called out to her.



"Yes, mom!" Alice replied as she took her things in her room. As Alice was finishing her pizza, Iroha came up on her mind again. <"What kind of stuff do ya like? Wanna go with me?"> Alice pondered the multiple thoughts in her head. Seeing that it was late for talk, she laid down on her bed. She heard a laugh from the school on that clear night. Looking to see who it was, she got up from the bed. Pondering over to where the crazy commotion came from, she opened her huge window.



Alice's blue eyes almost bulged in wonder. She SWORE that she saw someone riding a broom across where the Academy would have been. She saw many racing after each other with their wings and colorful energy balls. UNBELIEVABLE! This must have been a dream! When Alice rubbed her eyes multiple times to get rid of the images, the light works were still there. Much to her surprise, ghosts were flying around her house. Alice grew from curious to stunned when a ghost with blue hair and gold eyes waved at her near HER window.



After a couple of seconds, Alice waved back and fainted. Bowser managed to get her door open in time to eat her last piece of pizza. When Alice finally snapped out of it, she was overly dazed. When she found the last piece of her pizza gone, she went after Bowser. Seeing that it was no use, Alice returned to bed and went to sleep.



The next day followed up as normal, but Iroha wasn't with her today. Someone with a pink Lolita outfit and long, curly brown hair to her back seemed to stalk her. The day went by as normal, but Iroha was nowhere to be seen. When walking home from school, the same little girl began to follow her home as quietly as possible. By the time Alice came home she screamed as loud as she could. "W--W--W--What are you doing here?!"



The little girl was about 4' 9" and she probably weighed little too. She also had piercing sandy blue eyes with no fringes. The tone of her voice was more than shaking to Alice. "I just want a new sister. May I be yours?" Compared to Alice's 5' 2" figure, the girl had to be AT LEAST six months younger than Alice.



Tears were running down my eyes; I was literally scared out of my wits. Why in the world would a girl even say something like that to me? Was she lost? Was she running away from an abused person? Was she just being funny and wanted to trick me to something? I didn't know what her plan was, but at least she could have asked before going into my house like that. WHO was she? WHERE did she come from? Her sandy blue eyes began to weird me out, and I decided that I have had enough of her weirdness. I finally yelled at her "GET OUT!!"  An eyeroll--seriously, you little brat?



"I'm not leaving; I decided you should care for me. You're the only teenager with very few friends anyway. I understand that you have OCD. Though you take medicines to supress the symptoms, I doubt that you'll ever have your OCD fully controlled." The girl's voice sounded a bit too mature for her body. I was totally unsure of how old this girl actually was, but if she was younger than me, she was sure creeping me out! "I can hear your thoughts--every word you sputter from your mind, I already knew before we even met. Before you can ask, I don't have a name. This means that you can name me whatever you want."



I thought of naming her "Carrie" or "Misery". Thinking that those names were too ordinary, I decided to give her the name "Shelby Mystery McDowell." It fit, since she came "out of the blue". She resembled a bit of my father, which was STRANGE. I quickly took Shelby to the Truman's store to get some new hair dye--a platinum blonde hair dye. I also remembered that my mom had a straightener that could tackle those messy curls (seriously, she looked like a long-haired Ronald McDonald). And I think she slapped me on the butt for that. Though 13 dollars came from that (from some new clothes), I finally asked how old she was.



"I am 12 years old. Are you doing this for my 13th birthday?" Shelby asked, twilrling through a nappy curl. I thought having a little sister was troublesome, but if Shelby's officially mine... I need to protect her like any other sister on television should have done. I needed to love her, take care of her--you know, the Family thing.



"Well, though I was going to put it off for next year--happy birthday." I told her with a calm smile. Shelby smiled at me as we headed home. Bowser took notice of me and then Shelby. He went towards Shelby's feet, barking for her identity. Shelby's eyes were obviously watering to his scent. When he tried to bite her, Shelby loudly sneezed all over him.



"Forgive me; my allergies are to dust--and a bit of a cold." Shelby rubbed at her nose with her finger. Before Bowser retreated to do his sex, I called him to stay. With that, he whined and glared at Shelby.



"I think you're allergic to my dog. This is Bowser, the family pervert..." I introduced Shelby to our welcome pervert dog. "I think I have a room for you. It was originally reserved for my older brother, but he moved out. I apologize if it's dusty and all. I might need to remove some of his crap he never took off."



Shelby sneezed again and cupped her hand. I swiped a piece of paper towel for her. She immediately blew her nose and wiped off that nasty residue off of her fingers. Allergic tears were now streaming down her face. "Gah... I'b all stobbed dup..." Shelby sniffled as she wiped her nose with the tissue. "I'b sorry..." Shelby blew her nose again until she was sure she was cleared up.



"No, it's fine. My dad suffered from the same allergies. That is why as soon as my mother got Bowser, he left for Sweden. Mom suggested him getting a dander shot, though we washed Bowser almost every day." That was only PARTLY true. The real reason was for his job overseas. Due to an outside agency he works for (World Occupations Corporations or W.O.C.), he doesn't have time to call us or anything. He had to move along with my brother, Michael. "But to keep you safe, I'll have to keep you in my room and up the attic when mom's home."



Shelby stopped me, "NO. Please introduce me to your mother and make me feel invited, if you will..." She smiled as if to tell me "go on; it's not the end of the world."



"REALLY?! Well, all right, as long as you don't start that 'I can read your mind' crap. It freaks me out!" I told her. "By the way, do you have your own clothes?" Shelby nodded and showed me ten pairs of bras and underwear. She also showed me three gowns and three pairs of PJs. To me, Shelby was as prepared as a woman could get.



"Other than this Lolita dress, that is all that I have. Perhaps you have something for me?" Shelby smiled in reassurance.



I sure did; I STILL had some clothes that I had wore while I was in Elementary school. Shelby was small enough to fit in such clothing--even at 12 years old.



PART III



Alice winked as she took Shelby to her room. She remembered to lock the door behind her as Bowser might troll around her clothing. "Now let's see if I have something..." Alice continued to search up and down for any old clothes that were ready for giveaway. There, she spied a blue "We Did It!" Dora the Explorer top and an "Academia Nut" Sailor Top and skirt. Interested to see if the girl could wear it, she showed it to her. "Here; try these on. I got it just for you..."



As soon as the front door squeaked and slammed shut, Bowser began to go into hysterics, barking while running around the table. As Shelby tried the clothes on, a loud sneeze shook her frame. Her mother, Jewel, just returned from work. She felt tired from doing all the pizza work at Frisbee's Pizza. She brought a cheese pizza from the job and a couple of other things. "Alice~! Pizza's here if you're hungry!" Jewel called to her obviously busy daughter.



Alice quickly told Shelby to hide in the closet. Jewel came into her room with a prepared lice of pizza on her nightstand. Alice nibbled away at the piece. When Shelby came out, she began coughing violently. Alice began to pat her back, but it only made Shelby wheeze for a short amount of time. Suddenly, she blurted out an obvious question: "You have Asthma?" Alice worried about her new little sister.  Alice controlled the urge to tell her more. Shelby was having an asthma attack.



Unfortunately, she was unable to answer, letting a firm nod suffice. As she began to cough, Jewel began to take notice and was yelled, "Alice, are you sick?!" Shelby began to cough until she got to that inhaler; GLORY! Shelby fumbled for the blue inhaler in her pocket and began to take vigorous puffs from the machine. She still felt woozy from the allergy attack, and decided to lie down on Alice's bed to get herself situated.



"Yes mom, I'm fine!" Alice called out as she faked coughs, "It's only allergies to... dust!" Alice began to throw on a robe and head for the bathroom. She took Shelby forcefully by the hand as to prepare for the dye.



Bowser began to bark suspiciously close to the door, sniffing Shelby's scent right from the creaks of the door. Bowser frantically scratched the door and barked viciously to find the girl. "Bowser, get out of there NOW!!" Jewel hollered to the bull dog as he moped into Alice's room, still looking suspicious.



Alice remembered to close the door as to keep the case a secret. Besides, it would be unorthodox to see a stranger in the McDowell household in public. She wanted to protect the girl and not keep her waiting to get her hair done. Though Alice had better plans to do on that night, she made many arrangements to get unnecessary junk off her schedule. This meant that she was more than content to get everything ready for her newest sister.