The Penderwicks In Boston

Chapter 1 - A New Adventure

"The mellifluous song of whales rang out in the pitch black sea, spurring on Sabrina Starr. Her pale skin was lit by the moon's bluish light, her long blonde hair turning silver in the moon's light. And her bright blue eyes shone with excitement..." Jane's quiet mumble trailed off as she tapped the end of her pen thoughtfully against her cheek. If Skye was awake, she would've made a snarky comment, but as it was, the OAP was asleep, her math book open on her lap. Batty, too, was napping, with Ursula the bear tucked in one arm. Iantha, while awake, was driving, and so Jane knew not to bother her. Sighing, the middle Penderwick sister took up her pen once more, trying to think of what to write. She always liked to incorporate her most recent favorite words, but she'd already used mellifluous and she wasn't sure how to use somnambulist. After all, the title of the book was Sabrina Starr Rescues A Marine Biologist and she'd already established that Sabrina Starr didn't sleepwalk. Perhaps the marine biologist could? Jane tapped the pen against her cheek again, but an idea suddenly struck her, and she immediately began writing, mumbling it back to herself. "There, barely twelve feet away from her, was a mermaid, but she wasn't your stereotypical mermaid. While she was absolutely gorgeous, the mermaid was gorgeous in a rather sinister, perhaps nefarious, way. Skinny as a rail, with dark, heavy-lidded eyes and jet black hair, she glared at Sabrina Starr, daggers shooting from her eyes. Her tail was jet-black, and she was clad in silver armor. Even her hair was swept up in a silver hair clasp." As the last words left Jane's lips, Skye began to stir, one bright blue eye cracking open, then the other. "What are you mumbling 'bout, Jane?" Skye murmured drowsily.

"Sabrina Starr," Jane said proudly, "I'm writing the first chapter now." Skye made a noise that was a mix of a grunt and a groan, and as she stretched out her stiff limbs, her arm grazed Batty's cheek. The youngest Penderwick sister slowly opened her eyes, yawning as she brushed her unruly brown curls out of her face. "Whatshappening?" Batty asked sleepily, her words all mushing together.

"Nothing," Skye said immediately, earning an eye roll from Jane. Iantha then called back, "How are you, girls? As far as I can tell, we're about a half hour from Boston." Jane felt a surge of affection towards her stepmother, whose calm, warm voice could soothe anyone. She noticed an angry red patch on her wrist, though she didn't say anything; Iantha would've told them if she had wanted them to know. But Batty noticed it as well, and with concern creasing her face, she asked, "Are you okay, mom?"

"Oh, that," Iantha chuckled, "I spilled coffee on myself. A minor burn; it should be gone quickly."

Batty nodded in reply, and the car once again was quiet. The only noises were the scratches of pencils, belonging to both Jane and Skye. Though Jane wasn't writing; she'd taken a break because her fingers were cramped. Instead, she was sketching, messy lines of graphite scrawled across the page. A grin danced across her lips as she carefully drew, using both ends of her pencil. After about twenty minutes, Jane had finished the rough draft. It certainly wasn't a neat drawing, but that was due to its complexity. It was a sketch of her sisters, the younger one dozing, her messy curls everywhere, and the older one - clearly Skye by her determined expression - scribbling in a book. Pride blossomed within her as she giddily tapped Skye on the shoulder. "Skye!" Jane said, barely able to hold in her excitement. "Look at my sketch. I drew you and Batty."

Skye tossed an irritated glare at Jane, but then saw the drawing. In short, it was a really pretty drawing. While the lines were messy, and Skye itched to clean them up, Jane had really captured the essence of the moment. Wait...since when did she think about the 'essences' of moments? Ugh...Jane was rubbing off on her too much. But she focused her attention once more on the drawing, and with a rare smile, Skye said, "It's nice, Jane."

"Nice?" Jane asked, looking affronted. "It's not just nice. It's a delineation that's supposed to capture the pure quintessence of sisterhood!"

"In regular English, please."