Rapunzel Bennett (Jackunzel)

Chapter 16

Mr. Bennet turned on the lamp lighting up the darkroom. He nudged his wife, who was asleep beside him.
"Honey, honey wake up! I just remembered something!" he demanded, shaking her rapidly.
She grabbed a pillow and covered her face, "It's three in the morning. Go to sleep."
"What if I forget this in the morning?"
"I will make you forget it now if you don't let me sleep." she threatened.
He began gesturing with his hands, "Okay, so. I was online today at work, right. Well, I saw this really cool cotton candy machine and--"
"Shouldn't you have been working at work?" she asked with a raised brow.
"And it was really cheap," he continued, ignoring her comment, "so, anyways. I kind of already paid for it and I'm going to be picking it up tomorrow, okay? Love you." he finished, creeping further and further away from his wife.
"You what?! You know how Sophie gets! And I don't want you rotting Zel's brain-- you know what, fine. I'll be shopping with your credit card."
Mr. Bennett moved his head back, "Wait, what?"
"You waste money, I waste money. I'll be getting clothing and makeup. Thanks in advance." she snapped as she glared at him.
He rolled his eyes, "Fine, I'm more fun anyway."
"Carl-"
"Alright, alright." he turned off the lamp and slumped back into bed.

Mr. Bennett clasped his hands together, "Kids! Wake up I made breakfast."
"That's a choking hazard, dad," Jamie shouted from his room, clearly tired.
"Shut up, your mom went to the mall and I'm in charge today!"
Zel peaked her head out, "Don't you... Work today?"
Mr. Bennett reverted his attention to setting the table, "Yes. And if anyone calls, I have a problem with my pancreas." Zel was the first to leave her room, staying in her pink, elegant, victorian nightgown and childish bunny slippers.
Jamie followed, rubbing his eyes.
And of course, Sophie stayed asleep.
The two kids sat at the table as Mr. Bennett handed them their plates.
He had cooked pancakes.
Zel began decorating it with whipped cream and fruits while Jamie just stared at it.
He picked up the food and hit it against the table causing it to make a loud, thumping sound.
"Yeah, dad... I'm not eating this." Jamie said pushing his food toward the center of the table.
Mr. Bennett ignored his comment and turned to see the cheerful Zel's reaction.
She smiled and began cutting into the pancake.
Or... At least she tried to.
"Dad, the knife isn't going through," she admitted as she struggled.
He grabbed the butterknife, "It'll be fine, I'll help."
He tried to cut the small cake but only made a slight indent in the meal. He dropped the utensil, "Alright, I see the problem. It's because we aren't using a sharp enough knife!"
He took the plate to the island and grabbed a butcher knife from a drawer. It took a while but he was eventually able to cut it in half, "There, perfect!"
He handed the two pieces of pancake to his daughter and she looked up at him perplexed, "Dad... That's actually hazardous."
He rolled his eyes, "Alright fine! We'll leave it for your mother and say Sophie cooked it. We don't need breakfast today anyways."
He looked at the two children who had no intention of responding.
"Aren't you gonna ask why?" he poked. He shook his head and explained anyways, "Because later, I'm going out and picking up... A cotton candy machine!"
"That doesn't sound like something mom would approve of." Jamie admitted.
"She doesn't, but we compromised and now she's spending all my money so I don't really care. Let's go wake up Sophie!"
They nodded, "And by we, I mean you two. I'll be picking up the item and Sophie is grumpy when she wakes up, so... Have fun." he finished grabbing the keys and a coat, leaving before they could process what he said.
Jamie and Zel shared the same look, "Not it!" Jamie shouted, covering his nose.
"He said both of us, that means you're helping, booger."
Jamie groaned as he hopped out of his seat and headed to the room of the hibernating beast.
Zel giggled and followed him in.
"How do you figure we do this?" Jamie asked her.
Zel looked at Sophie, sleeping in a weird position, "I figured that we just tell her about the cotton candy immediately after waking her. Maybe she won't kill us."
Jamie nodded, "Alright, I have an idea." he finished before leaving.
He came back with a stick and handed it to his conscious sister.
"Uhm, what?" Zel inquired confused as to why she was holding a slight weapon.
"Just... Poke her." Jamie directed.
Zel raised an eyebrow, "Uh... Okay?" she aimed the stick at her sister and used it to barely move her.
Sophie didn't wake up.
"This is pointless!" Zel confessed. She walked out of the room, "Besides, I have an idea."

After a second Zel returned with a Halloween mask, a black coat, and a rope.
"What are you gonna do with those?"
"I don't know."
Zel tied the rope to a hook, used for their games. She then put on the monster mask and coat.
Zel climbed the rope and was eventually hanging down from the ceiling.
"Oh, I think I get it now... Creepy."
"Can you get me a water bottle?" she requested.
Jamie nodded and grabbed her one.
Zel lightly poured some of it onto Sophie's face to make it appear she was drooling.
Sophie wiped the liquid off and looked up.
She furrowed her brows and studied her sister.
She then shrugged it off and turned to her side so she could continue her slumber.
"Will nothing work with her?"
Joe shrugged, "You can always dogpile on her."
"She's five!"
"You're only ninety-five pounds, I think she'll live. But I always have a UFO toy in my room we could use."
Zel nodded, "Yeah, let's try tha-" as she spoke her hand slipped causing her to fall directly on top of her little sister.
Winded, Sophie sits up gasping for breath.
"You're alive!" Jamie and Zel say in surprise at the same time.
Sophie struggles to move under Zel's weight, "Get off of me." she urged.
Zel nervously giggled and in an effort to move she fell to the floor.
"Well, she's awake."
"Yeah, why?" Sophie butted in.
Zel slowly lifted herself up, "Dad's getting a cotton candy machine."
Sophie's eyes lit up, "Candy?!"
Jamie furrowed his brows, "Yeah, but you can't eat much."
"Can't eat much? What? Why not?"
"Because you either have no energy or enough energy for a hundred people, and candy is your fuel."
Zel raised her hand in the air to be in Sophie's line of sight, she then proceeded to point at Jamie, "Yeah, he's right."
"Then why get my hopes up?"
"We didn't want to be murdered." Zel admitted. Zel got up and dusted off her clothes, "Well, I'm going to my room. You guys just stay in the house." she moved her gaze to Jamie and glared.
Jamie rolled his eyes, "Fine. Keep me away from the fresh air."
Zel walked to the door, "That's the point."

She went to her bedroom and set up her easel in front of the window.
She placed her paints beside her.
Zel blindly grabbed colors and poured it onto her palette.
She closed her eyes and stroked the brush across the canvas.
When she opened her eyes she got the inspiration she wanted and continued painting.