by Betsy Haynes
THE FABULOUS FIVE #31
THE FABULOUS FIVE TOGETHER AGAIN
BETSY HAYNES
A BANTAM SKYLARK BOOK®
NEW YORK • TORONTO • LONDON • SYDNEY • AUCKLAND
RL 5, 009-012
THE FABULOUS FIVE TOGETHER AGAIN
A Bantam Skylark Book / May 1992
Skylark Books is a registered trademark of Bantam Books, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and elsewhere.
The Fabulous Five is a registered trademark of Betsy Haynes and James Haynes.
All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1992 by Betsy Haynes and James Haynes.
Cover art copyright © 1992 by Andrew Bacha.
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ISBN 0-553-15968-2
Published simultaneously in the United States and Canada
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PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
CWO 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
CHAPTER 1
Christie Winchell's heart pounded as she stood near the customs area at London's Gatwick International Airport. "They should be here any minute," she said eagerly to her dad and three British friends, Phoebe Mahoney, Nicki McAfee, and Eleanore Geach, who were waiting with her. The plane that was bringing Jana Morgan, Katie Shannon, Melanie Edwards, and Beth Barry, Christie's best friends from the United States, had landed a short time ago, and Christie thought she would absolutely die if they didn't show up soon. She had been waiting so long for this moment. Finally spring break had arrived, and now they had a whole week together to do everything that Christie had planned.
It seemed as if more than just a few months had passed since Christie's father had been transferred to London, England, and her family had moved to a flat on Queen's Pudding Square in the Bloomsbury District. So much had happened to her since then.
At first Christie had been lonely and overwhelmed. England was a lot like America, but some things were totally different. For instance, here a "cove" meant a guy, and a "child-minder" was a baby-sitter. Private schools such as St. Margaret's, where Christie went, were called "public schools." There had been times, too, when Christie thought she would never find friends. But then she'd met Phoebe, Nicki, and Eleanore, who reminded her a lot of her friends in The Fab Five. Since then, she hadn't felt nearly as lonely. In a few minutes her two groups of friends would finally meet. Christie couldn't wait. She knew they would all like each other as much as she liked all of them.
Suddenly a man pushing a luggage cart piled high with suitcases emerged from customs. As other passengers followed, Christie stood on tiptoe and craned her neck to see. Just as she was beginning to think her friends had missed the plane, she saw Beth and Melanie pushing a cart loaded with their belongings. Jana and Katie were a few feet behind them, struggling to keep their suitcases from falling off their cart. A flight attendant was helping.
"There they are!" Christie screamed, pounding on Phoebe's arm in her excitement.
"You'd think the Queen herself was arriving the way you're carrying on," Nicki said in her sarcastic way. "They're not being raised from the dead, you know."
"I know," said Christie, waving frantically to get The Fabulous Five's attention. "But wait till you meet them. Then you'll know why I'm so excited. Beth! Melanie! Over here!"
"CHRISTIE!" shrieked Melanie and Beth in unison. They steered their luggage cart toward her, charging madly through the crowd of other passengers. Katie and Jana saw Christie, too, and soon Christie was enveloped in hugs from her best friends.
Phoebe, Nicki, and Eleanore stood watching, and Mr. Winchell went to the flight attendant to identify himself as the person who was meeting the girls.
Tears streamed down Christie's face. "I've missed you all so much," she whispered as she hugged each of The Fab Five in turn.
"And we didn't miss you at all," teased Jana, beaming at Christie. "We never talked about you—except for all the time."
"You look the same!" exclaimed Katie. "But you sound a little different. You've got a British accent!"
"What did you expect, mate?" asked Christie, laughing. "I'm a British bird now."
"Hey, there's your dad," exclaimed Katie. "Hi, Mr. Winchell!" She waved, and he motioned for them to follow him to an exit.
"Come on," said Beth, pulling the strap to her carry-on over her shoulder. "Let's get out of here." As she turned to push her cart, Nicki had to step back to keep from being run over.
"Oops, sorry," Beth called over her shoulder, continuing on her way before Christie had a chance to introduce Nicki.
"Did your father bring a truck to haul all our stuff to your house?" asked Katie.
Christie laughed. "No, but he did rent a van. Oh, I want you to meet . . ." She started to introduce her London friends, but before she could finish, Katie, Melanie, and Jana headed after Beth.
"Excuse me," Melanie said to Phoebe as she squeezed past her.
"Quite all right," replied Phoebe, moving out of the way.
"A bit rude, if you ask me," muttered Nicki.
Christie pretended she hadn't heard, and she was glad that Melanie hadn't caught the remark.
"Could you grab my purse, Christie?" asked Jana. "I've got more than I can handle. It took customs forever to go through all our stuff."
As Christie grabbed Jana's bag, Katie and Melanie immediately started firing questions at her about what they were going to do while they were in England.
Christie glanced over her shoulder at her London friends. They were trailing behind The Fabulous Five, looking a bit lost. Abruptly she ran to the front of The Fabulous Five's parade of carts.
"Hey, everybody, STOP!" she said, holding up a hand.
The Fabulous Five froze.
"What's wrong?" asked Jana, looking astonished. Then she noticed Phoebe, Nicki, and Eleanore for the first time. "Uh-oh." She put her hand over her mouth. "Are you who I think you are?" she asked the London girls.
"I've been trying to tell you," said Christie. "This is Eleanore, Nicki, and Phoebe."
"Oh, wow," said Katie, looking embarrassed. "I didn't even see you."
"Yeah," mumbled Beth. "We were so excited about seeing Christie, we didn't notice you."
"That's understandable," said Eleanore warmly.
Nicki grinned. "But a bit airy-fairy."
"Huh?" Beth looked puzzled.
"Hush your cake hole, McAfee," said Phoebe. "Pay her no mind," she told Beth. "I'm happy to meet you, and Nicki is, too."
"As am I," chimed in Eleanore. "Actually Christie has told us so much about you, I feel as if I know you already."
Christie smiled as her two sets of friends began talking. Even though things hadn't started out well between them, she just knew they would all be great buddies before long. This was going to be a wonderful v
acation!
CHAPTER 2
"Have we got everything?" asked Mr. Winchell as he tied the last knot in the rope holding The Fabulous Five's luggage on top of the van.
"How long have you come to stay, anyway?" asked Nicki as she looked at the towering pile of suitcases. "I don't think St. Meg's has room for four new students next semester."
"I'm not sure I'd fit in at your school," answered Beth with a laugh. "For one thing, I don't know what airy-fairy means, although I can guess what a cake hole is."
"Okay, everybody," said Mr. Winchell. "Time to get cozy."
Christie got into the passenger seat next to her father, while everyone else squeezed into the two bench seats in the back.
"We're going to have so much fun," said Christie, twisting in her seat so she could talk to the others. "We'll definitely go to the Tower of London, and to Soho to shop. And Trevor Morgan's group, Brain Damage, is doing an outdoor concert in Hyde Park. It's a beautiful place. We'll get tickets for that. And Connie Farrell—he's the boy I told you about whose family is royalty—says he wants all of us to go horseback riding at their estate near Hoddesdon. I just can't wait to show you all the great things there are to do in London."
"Maybe we'll get to talk to Trevor," said Beth. "Do you think he'll remember us?"
Katie laughed. "After the trick you pulled on him with the Indian costume, how could he forget us?"
"You know Trevor Morgan?" asked Phoebe, her eyes widening in surprise.
"Oh, yes," replied Melanie. "Would you believe the five of us sang onstage with him? That was after Beth spread a rumor that Jana was related to him."
The girls all laughed, and Mr. Winchell cocked an eyebrow. It was the first time he was hearing the story, too.
"We want to show you the Montague Youth Club," said Christie. "That's where everyone hangs out, isn't it?" She looked to the London girls for confirmation.
"Yes, it is," agreed Phoebe. "We go there on weekends with our chums. Lots of fellas hang out there, and you can dance or play arcade games."
Melanie's face brightened at the mention of boys, as usual. "I can't wait to meet some blokes," she commented, faking a British accent.
The British girls laughed.
"Isn't that what you call boys?" asked Melanie.
"Not too often," replied Eleanore. "We mostly call them coves or fellas."
"Montague's sounds neat," said Jana. "We go to a place called Bumpers all the time. It's a fast-food restaurant with old bumper cars used as booths. All the kids from Wacko, that's what we call Wakeman Junior High, go there after school. Sometimes we go there at night after movies, too."
"And then there's Mama Mia's pizzeria," chimed in Katie. "We go there sometimes."
"And the mall," added Beth. "We usually spend the whole weekend hanging out there. Don't you miss all those places, Christie?"
Tears immediately sprang into Christie's eyes. She mumbled yes and turned quickly to face out the side window so the others wouldn't see.
The truth was, she did miss all those places and the wonderful times she had had there with The Fabulous Five. Sometimes those memories were just too painful. She wiped the tears away and then turned around to face her friends again. The only thing that mattered right now was that The Fabulous Five were together again, and nothing could make Christie happier.
When they pulled in front of the building the Winchells lived in on Queen's Pudding Square, Christie's mother came down the front steps to meet them. Mr. Dudley, the building caretaker, popped up from the stairs outside the basement.
"I'm so glad you girls could come," said Mrs. Winchell, hugging each of them.
"Welcome, lasses," called Mr. Dudley, pulling suitcases off the van. "Christie told me her friends from the States were coming. It's nice to have you young holiday-makers here."
"Holiday-makers?" echoed Melanie.
"The English call going on vacation going on holiday," Christie explained, "and people on holiday are holiday-makers."
"Then what do you call holidays like Christmas?" asked Jana.
"They're holidays, too," said Eleanore, smiling. "But we go on holiday when we go away for fun."
"Never mind." Mr. Winchell chuckled. "We can't stand here all day discussing holidays and vacations. Let's help Mr. Dudley with your things. Christie can explain it all to you later."
"Put your suitcases in the library," directed Mrs. Winchell as the girls marched up the stairs to the second floor. "You can use it as your dressing room. There's not enough drawer space in Christie's room."
"I'll unpack later," said Katie, putting her bag down. "I want to see your room, Christie."
"Me, too," said Beth. "From what you said in your letters, it's fantastic."
"Follow me." Christie led the way. Phoebe, Nicki, and Eleanore trailed behind.
"Wow. Look at that," cried Melanie when she saw the giant, four-poster bed with the overstuffed mattress. "It looks so soft. Can we take turns sleeping on it?"
"Two at a time," said Christie's mother. "We've also got three sleeping bags. Christie insisted that you sleep in the same room, no matter how crowded it was."
"Oh, look at the bears," said Jana. "They're on the bed just like you said, Christie."
Propped against the pillows were the four bears that Jana, Katie, Beth, and Melanie had given Christie the day she had left for England. Each of the bears was meant to remind her of the giver. Melanie's bear was reddish brown, the color of Melanie's hair, and was wearing a dress with hearts all over it. Beth's had on wild, fluorescent-color clothes and was wearing sunglasses. Spiral earrings hung from its little round ears. Katie's bear looked like an English judge with a white wig and a gavel in its paw, and Jana's was dark brown, the same color as her hair. It had on a hat that said "Reporter." Christie had placed her own bear, which was dressed in a white tennis outfit, in the middle of the others.
"Remember the day you left?" asked Beth. "We cried for hours."
After a few minutes of listening to The Fabulous Five reminiscing about Christie's departure, Eleanore said, "I ought to be going."
"Me, too," said Phoebe.
"Oh, don't go," pleaded Christie. "I want you guys to get to know each other."
"We're just in the way right now," responded Nicki. "You chums have a lot of chin-wagging to do. Ring us up later when you're ready to do something."
"I will," Christie promised. "Maybe we can all go to Montague's tonight."
When the three girls had left, Jana said, "They seem nice, Christie."
"I think so, too," added Beth. "But I'm not sure Nicki and I are as much alike as you said in your letter. She's kind of, uh . . . snippy. What's airy-fairy mean, anyway?"
"It means unreal," explained Christie.
Beth wrinkled her nose. "Unreal? Why'd she say we were unreal?"
"Oh, it was just her way of being funny," replied Christie. "You'll like her once you get to know her. Besides, I didn't mean you were exactly alike. But you are both kind of off the wall, and her hair is cut sort of like yours. That's what I meant."
"Do you really think Phoebe is like me?" asked Jana.
"Kind of," answered Christie. "Same hair color, and both of you are quiet and well liked."
"I have to tell you, Christie, I don't see any resemblance between Eleanore and me, either," remarked Katie.
Christie shrugged. "Forget about it," she told her friends. "It's no big deal. The three of them just reminded me of you when I first met them. Actually I was so lonely, I was probably looking for you guys in everyone I met. It's a compliment. I know you're going to like them as much as I do, when you get to know them."
Katie was silent for a few seconds. "I know you need friends here, too," she said finally. "But it's kind of strange to see you with another group."
Christie looked at her Fab Five friends. They had known each other forever. "You guys are still my best friends, but Phoebe, Nicki, and Eleanore are important to me, too. I go to school with them, and we hang out together
. Now that I'm here, I need them, but they'll never replace you."
"I'm sorry I said what I did," Katie replied quickly. She grabbed Christie and hugged her. "It was dumb."
"Hey," cried Beth, grinning. "Enough already. We came to England to see Christie and have fun. Let's do it."
"Don't tell me you girls have unpacked already," said Mrs. Winchell a few minutes later when the girls came into the kitchen.
"Not completely, Mum," answered Christie, heading out the back door. "But I want to show them the courtyard first."
"Don't be long," said her mother. "Lunch is almost ready."
"I love the way you call your mother Mum," commented Melanie. "It's so . . . so British."
"This is nice," remarked Katie, looking around. Several two-story brick buildings formed a wall around the parklike court. The neighbors' back doors opened onto the courtyard and had small porches covered with flowerpots and hanging plants. In the middle stood a large old tree whose long branches shaded a bench. A stone walkway skirted the court's edges, connecting the back doors.
"Well, look who has come to say hello," said Christie, bending to pick up a yellow cat that had drifted over to them. "Beth, this is Agatha. I told you about her. She lives with Mrs. Mansfield in that flat with the garden by the door."
Beth, whose family owned a large Old English sheepdog with the same name, laughed and took the cat from her.
"Where does Jenny, the little girl who thinks she's a dog, live?" asked Jana.
Christie pointed to a door across the way. "Over there. Only now she thinks she's a kitty."
"From what you said, it sounds as if Jenny's more of a tiger," said Katie.
"Believe me, she is," replied Christie. "But she's also lovable and very smart. It's funny. The Fitzhughs are so prim and proper, and Jenny is exactly the opposite. I bet one of their ancestors was a pirate or something. Jenny has to have inherited her genes from someone like that."
"What's for lunch, Mum?" asked Christie as they walked back into the Winchells' flat.
"In honor of your first day here, I thought we'd have something typically British," Mrs. Winchell told the girls. "We're having shepherd's pie."
