Chapter 22: The Sleepover

 First off I want to thank Julie Demers for helping me with the Lewis plot and new developments with the storyline of Stacey. 

Secondly, I want to thank you all for being patient with me about getting the chapters out. I think I am back on track now and the chapters will be coming out more regularly like they used to.

The Sleepover

Stacey knew she was going to have to go to the Rotary party. There was no way around it, and she knew that like it or not, she and Sam were reaching a turning point. She decided to go shop for a dress at Bellaire's and talk to her mom.

Stacey made her way through the racks of the formal section. She wanted something blue to bring out her blonde hair. And maybe short or off the shoulder. Just because this thing with Sam was bothering her, she wouldn't let it affect her looking sensational. Flipping through she finally found it. An electric blue slinky dress with plunging sweetheart neckline and silver sparkly straps crossing in the back. It would also go perfect with her blue silver sapphire drop earrings Sam gave her for her birthday. 

She went to the counter and let the clerk check her out. Then she asked him if he could ring her mom in her office. Stacey was looking at silver purses while she waited when her mom came out.

"Stacey! So happy to see you!"

"Hi, mom! I was just shopping for the Rotary party. I was wondering if we could talk."

"Sure, sweetie. Let me tell my assistant and we can get a bite to eat."

Her mom clocked out and they walked a few blocks to the Rosebud. 

"Mom, for the first time in my life I am thinking about settling down. I want a family. I'm just not sure if that's what Sam wants. I'm not sure how to bring it up with him. And he seems so distant lately. I don't know how he feels about me."

"Oh, Stacey he is just like your father, a workaholic. And, truthfully, you kind of wear yourself thin, too. It may do you some good to slow down a little. Or take some time off. Show Sam that you are worthy of being a wife and mom. Perhaps he is having the same feelings you are, but you just aren't what he thinks of when he thinks of the motherly type."

At first, Stacey thought her mom was being very old-fashioned and Boomerish about the whole thing. But Sam could be thinking that way. What did she have to lose? 

She decided to start right away and the best person she knew to ask was Mary Anne. She was feeling better about the Rotary party already.

Dawn decided to face her situation with Mary Anne by approaching it head-on. She wasn't going to confront Mary Anne, but if these little things with her hinting at her and Lewis popped up she would just nip them in the bud, and eventually, Mary Anne would give up. 

While meditating that morning she had an epiphany. She hadn't spent that much time with the girls since she had arrived either. She decided to try to gather as many girls together as she could and have a good old-fashioned sleepover that night. They could work on the Rotary Club decorations and head over the next day and put them up. 

She quickly arranged everything with Mona and her and Mary Anne sent out text messages. They shopped with Shannon for the crafts to make centerpieces and Claudia was bringing over more supplies when she left Crookshanks. 

Dawn quickly set up the pool house for their gathering. She told everyone to just show up whenever they could and they would go from there.

The first person to arrive was surprisingly  Stacey followed by Mallory. Stacey had brought some margarita mix and Mallory brought several books on different cultures to make sure they were being authentic. Next was Jessi who had brought dome popular music from different countries and she was going to teach them some traditional dances. The very last to arrive was Abby who brought a funny book about etiquette in different countries that had belonged to Anna. 

They all got started. Claudia was working on banners to hang off each table with bunting in the colors of each flag to match. Mal and Jessi were busy teaching everyone a few phrases in each language to say to the guests while Abby interrupted them every once in a while with a funny etiquette fact. Stacey and Mary Anne kind of bounced back and forth decorating glass bowls with various trinkets and flowers. When they were done they decided to take a break and eat some food.

"What are we doing Friday night when Lewis comes into town?" Mallory asked.

"Claudia suggested we all meet here to greet him. We can have cake and ice cream and then all go down to Good Sport where we can all dance and watch the game and eat all at once."

"Glad I asked. Now I can figure out something to wear." Said Mallory. She hadn't told anyone, not even Jessi, about her feelings about Lewis. She thought about telling Jessi later that night. 

"I'll help you, Mal. I went there with Karen so I know what it's like there."

"Thanks" Mallory figured she needed all the help she could get. She knew Good Sport was more of a family-type restaurant with a dance floor that served alcohol, but she was more of a coffee house kind of girl.

It was getting later and the girls started to wind down a little bit. They began lounging around on the couch, floor, and bar stools with their wine and margaritas.

"What is Lewis like now?" Claudia asked.

"Well, he likes country music. He is good at line dancing too. We should probably pick out some country music for his welcome party. Nothing too sad though. He will want to be celebrating."

Oh boy, thought Dawn. She liked SOME country music and could tolerate it most of the time, but it was her least favorite. She DID like country line dancing though so she was glad she already knew something she could do to help Lewis feel welcome. 

"I only know a few country line dances. Jessi, could you show me a few?"

"Sure! The tush push and electric slide are my favorites."

All the girls practiced their dance moves until they had at least one line dance down to dance with Lewis.

"What else do we need to know about him," Mallory asked.

"Well, he likes southern food. Fried chicken and mashed potatoes with gravy are his favorite. He also eats grits for breakfast."

Dawn knew she wouldn't be binding over food with Lewis and it was the thing she was dreading the most. But as long as she didn't have to eat his retro fattening and meat-loving dishes she could deal with it. 

"He is really into sports like Logan and also loves Nascar races. He likes cars and trucks in general."

Another thing Dawn wasn't into. Cars already make pollution. Why have unnecessary car races pollute it even more? Dawn sank in her chair. She was going to just have to try hard to find something herb and Lewis could talk about. 

"He also likes to work out every morning. He is used to getting up early and going to the gym."

Well, that didn't sound all that bad to Dawn. Although she was pretty sure he wasn't taking yoga classes. 

"Does he still like horses? " Mallory asked.

"Yes. He never owned one but he used to ride them at his friend's ranch in Kentucky."

Mal beamed. "Maybe we should take him out to the trails."

Everyone thought that was a good plan. Stacey was the least experienced in riding but was willing to go along and try.

They were all pretty satisfied with their plans and began gossiping about other things too. Pete's campaign was a big topic along with the Rainforest Marathon coming up. Dawn kind of felt bad that Lewis didn't arrive in time to train for the marathon, but she knew he could enjoy the festivities that went along with it. They all began to drift off to sleep. 

Chapter 21: Preparations

I would like to thank Julie Demers for helping me with the plots of this manuscript. I apologize this chapter is out so late, but a few days ago there was a fire at the house next door to mine, and there were a lot of things happening over there leading up to that fire. Thankfully our house and my family are safe and no one was harmed during the house fire. 

Preparations

It was the week before the 4th of July. Mary Anne, Dawn, and Mona we're getting things ready for all the festivities. First Lewis was due to arrive on Friday night. On Saturday the Rotary Club party was welcoming the new exchanges coming into town, and Sunday, the 4th of July, was the Rainforest marathon. Everyone had decided to put their thoughts aside from the uranium case and concentrate on having some fun.

Dawn didn't tell anyone but she had decided to put things aside early and give herself the entire week to clear her head. She didn't want to deal with her mom possibly not telling her something about Morbidda Destiny being a Porter on top of this thing with Mary Anne. She could tell that Mary Anne still had in the back of her mind that she needed to settle down and was all nostalgic about her and Lewis because they had gone on a few dates off and on through the years. As if it wasn't already awkward enough with Bart, Pete, and now Jamie at least it would keep her busy though and hopefully Mary Anne will finally give up on taming her down.

Dawn had got some books at Crookshanks on clearing the mind. She spent Sunday night planning out her meditation to be a sound warrior when the time came.    That night she decided to walk down to the cliff by the lighthouse where she could see Long Island Sound. She always felt like she could meditate better with the sounds of the waves in her ears. Besides, the sun was still out and she could watch the sunset. 

With her yoga mat in tow, she climbed up to the top of the incline and found a big flat rock to place her yoga mat on. She gently closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing. Just as she was about to complete the movement she heard a car door slam behind her. She turned to see Cary Retlin going into the lighthouse. She wondered what he was up to, talking to Alan after that fight they had at the bowling alley.

She knew she needed to sit tight for the time being as she was out in the open with nothing to hide behind. She saw Cary and Alan loading up some heavy equipment and heavy-duty digging tools into a truck. Then they went back to the porch and we're sitting on some lawn chairs talking. She knew she needed to move closer to find out what they were saying. She decided to make a run for some shrubs on the side of the lighthouse. She knew she could get close enough without them detecting that she was there.

"After this weekend there should be enough samples to test. She said it will take two to three weeks to get the results back. And if it's a go, we will be rich my friend."

"Not only that, but I could get my lighthouse back. Maybe then Karen would take me more seriously."

"And I can finally get my business going."

"See you Monday then. She said to go in the back gate. This is the final dig, so when we are done we need to make sure to clean it up well. All that tall about the chemistry sets over at Dawn's is making me uneasy."

"Oh come on! They'll never trace it back to what we're doing. Everyone has forgotten that knew and if they knew they don't care enough about it. Let Dawn and them go on their uranium chase. It's kind of funny. You're paranoid Alan. Just be cool."

What?! Thought Dawn. Of course, just when I don't need to be chasing a lead. But she would mention it to Mary Anne and the others and by Monday they would be ready. 

The next morning Mary Anne got up early and snuck out to the grocery store with Mona and Shannon. She knew it was going to be interesting having meat-loving Lewis and Dawn in the same house. She knew sometimes differences could be good. Look at her dad and Sharon. Dawn was still out running with Bart and Pete so she took the opportunity to confide in Shannon. 

"Let's go shopping today. We could get some outfits for this weekend and I want highlights put in my hair."

"Yes let's. We could have lunch too. Make a day of it. We won't have time later when everyone arrives and then we will have that part done already."

They jumped into Mary Anne's car and drove down to the mall.

"Kristy said she would be back Saturday night. Abby will be working the store Sunday for a half-day, but after that, they will join us."

"Good. We will all be back again then." Just then Mary Anne got a text from Mallory.

"Need any help for Lewis's welcome party this weekend?"

"Sure. Why don't you come to meet Shannon and me for lunch? We are going to the Lunch Box."

"Ok I will be there in 15 minutes"

"Mal said she would meet us in 15 minutes. She is pretty excited about Lewis. He came with Logan and me to visit her at Riverbend one weekend in high school when she performed in a play. They've been friends ever since then."

"Ooo, what kind of friends?"

"Well, back then we thought that he and Mal were going to be a thing. He had been quite taken with her after seeing her in high school and she grew out of her awkwardness. But once he saw this other girl in the school play, that was all over. He kept in touch with that girl and wound up marrying her. Now he is getting divorced and moving here to be closer to Logan. He needs a firm support system and a new start."

"Well, we'll see what happens."

Mallory could not believe that Lewis was coming to Stoneybrook. She couldn't help that she was flirting with the possibility that she might be interested in him. She knew it had been a while, and she knew she wouldn't know for sure until she saw him again. They had kept in touch a little bit through Facebook throughout the years. Of course, it would be a little complicated because she lived in Maine, and the headmistress at Riverbend and some of the other teachers would be the pretty judge about having gentleman callers on campus after certain hours of the night, but she would see about that when she got there.

20 Stoneybrook: The Midnight Society

 I would like to thank Julie Demers for helping me with this chapter. She did a lot of work helping me work out Karen's story for the Midnight Society. We couldn't wait for you all to get to this chapter and we are finally here! Pizza toast!

The Midnight Society

Dawn could not wait until that night. They were finally going to be holding the first meeting of the Midnight Society. She and Bart had put all the goody bags together. Mary Anne and Mona had made up all kinds of food for the kids. Claudia and Karen, we're going to be on hand to help out. Stacey was coming to be the first guest storyteller. It was going to be magical! 

They packed up the cars with food, bags, t-shirts, lawn chairs, cooking equipment, and other supplies they were going to be using that night. About 30 kids had signed up but they knew. some would not show up for every meeting. They all met Bart at the park to set up. Bart started a fire in the fire pit. Logan started up the grill to make hamburgers and hot dogs. Dawn had also set up a folding card table with fruits, veggies, and dips. Next came Karen and Claudia. Claudia had brought her new fancy camera to capture photos and film the event. Karen was dressed up in her witch costume and was scheduled to tell a story that night. Ben showed up with his guitar. 

Once they set up the kids started trickling in. Karen started handing out goody bags. She instructed the kids to put on their t-shirts and capes included in the bags. Bart came up and started the first meeting.

"Hello everyone! We would like to welcome you to the first meeting of the Midnight Society. You are now a member of the most elite and awesome group in Stoneybrook. I would like to introduce myself. I'm Bart Taylor and I am the head of the Parks and Recreation Department of Stoneybrook. This is my friend Dawn, she is your host and the founder of the Midnight Society. Everyone give her a round of applause!"

Everyone clapped and Dawn stepped up to address the crowd.

"Thank you, everyone. We would like to thank our sponsors for this program. The Stoneybrook Historical Society, Karen Brewer the owner of Crookshanks, Shannon and Robert Brewster, Logan and Mary Anne Bruno, and Claudia Kishi for the logo for all of our official merchandise. Now to kick things off we would like to invite everyone to grab some food and save room for dessert. While you are eating my friend Ben Hobart is going to play some spooky tunes for us and get us in the mood for some spooky stories."

She turned things over to Ben who played a variety of songs, including "Witchy Woman", " Monster Mash", "I Put A Spell On You", and " Somebody's Watching Me". Then Dawn got. back up to start the main event.

"Everyone give a hand to Ben Hobart, who you may know locally as the lead singer of The Junk Bucket! And now we are going to start with our stories. Tonight's theme is local legends. And our first speaker is my friend Stacey McGill, whom you might know from Stoneybrook news!"

"Thank you, Dawn! Even though I have been living in Stoneybrook I originally came from New York City. There is a local legend not far from there in Pine Barrens, New Jersey. And now I would like to submit for your approval by the Midnight Society..." Stacey took her bag of spices that Mona and Mary Anne had made to sprinkle on the fire to make it spark and change colors," The Tale of the Jersey Devil." In 1733, Mother Leeds was pregnant with her 13th child. Crying in frustration, she cursed the child saying that it would be the devil. On a dark and stormy night, Mother Leeds gave birth to a normal child. But soon the baby changes to a creature with hooves, a goat's head, bat wings, and a forked tail. It beat everyone with its tail and flew up the chimney and ran off into the woods. There have been many sightings over the years that the Jersey Devil is still out there. Some say the story originated involving early New Jersey politicians Benjamin Franklin and his rival, almanac publisher Daniel Leeds that resulted in describing the Leeds family as monsters. But during the week of January 16-23,1909 newspapers published hundreds of claimed encounters and attacks. It caused some schools to close and workers to stay at home. Remember if you see a Jersey Devil stay perfectly still until....you may hear the Jersey Devil Fight Song!"

Been started playing the New Jersey Devils goal horn song and everyone laughed and sang along. Everyone clapped in the end.

Dawn jumped back up to speak. "I, too am not a native to Stoneybrook. My other residence is in California. We have a lot of things in California, movie stars, healthy food, and yes, Bigfoot. Also known as Sasquatch. I would like to submit for your approval by The Midnight Society 'The Tale of Bigfoot'." Dawn sprinkled the herb dust on the fire and it sparkled. "Bigfoot has been called many names and has been seen in the United States and Canada. The most famous encounter with a Bigfoot was filmed in 1967 in Northern California and is known as the Patterson-Gimlin film. The footage was taken by Bluff Creek. They were riding along on horseback around 1:30 when they came on an overturned tree. When they rounded it, they saw it at the same time. Patterson said it stood nearly 6 to 7 feet tall. He was about 25 feet away and got his camera out of his saddlebag. Gimlin got his gun out and followed. The Bigfoot walked away from them and Patterson ran after it. The Bigfoot glanced back around its shoulder and Patterson fell to his knees. They then lost it in the trees. They went back and made plaster casts of the footprints. He likes to hide out in wooded areas and higher altitudes. They could be anywhere, even in these very woods. Hiding. Spying. And just waiting for an unassuming victim. So if you go out into the woods, kids, be careful. Always bring a buddy and always let someone else know where you are."

The crowd clapped. "And now we are going to be serving smores for dessert. Been will play is some songs while we eat then our final guest, Karen Brewer will be telling our last story of the evening. We hope you have enjoyed yourselves and we will see you back next week."

Dawn stepped down and Ben played some spooky songs while everyone ate. Finally, Ben began playing the theme song to Harry Potter, which was the signal for everyone to get back in their seats and prepare for Karen's story. 

Karen got up and started. "This story is more local than Stacey's. It's so local that it took place within walking distance from here. And it involves everyone in our community. I hereby submit for approval of the Midnight Society...," she threw the herbs on the fire so they changed colors and sparked," 'The Tale of Humphrey Porter'. A long time ago not so far away there was a man that lived here in town. He was a doctor, and part of the Porter family that invented and sold children's chemistry sets. At first, the chemistry sets were thriving, but we're later banned due to harmful substances. Because Humphrey was a doctor, he did not know enough about chemistry to keep the sets within the regulations and soon the facility closed. Around that time, Humphrey became under investigation due to malpractice. He had been in charge of treating patients with different types of disabilities and using experimental tactics and methods to find cures. One day a child he was treating escaped the hospital and was ran over in the street. His grieving parents pressed charges and his position was removed from the hospital. What they didn't know was he continued his practice in private to a few patients that stood by the unconventional methods. One day there was a horrible accident with a patient. Scared he would get in trouble he convinced the client to keep the patient 24/7 for observation. Then there was another incident with a different patient. He convinced these clients to go under observation too. Instead of keeping them at his house, he began to transport them and their families through a secret passage in his home and into the abandoned chemistry manufacturing facility and no one was the wiser. Rumors in town began flying about where the families had disappeared. The parents of the child that had been run over knew Humphrey had something to do with it. They began to hold a weekly meeting with others that thought so and we're against alternative medicine practices. They worked on finding evidence to turn him in. They began to protest at city hall. Just when they thought they had enough evidence to bust him, Humphrey donated the building to the city to make it into a school. His only condition was to keep it a private Montessori school, which is now Stoneybrook Day. The city was grateful and had a big ceremony. The group against him was so disliked by the citizens they eventually moved to the outskirts of town where they continue to practice their old-fashioned ways to this day. No one knows what happened to the patients Humphrey had been hiding in the building. It's like they just disappeared."

Everyone was silent for a moment. Then they burst into loud applause. Dawn got back up and thanked them for coming. She knew as soon as everyone left that she had a lot to talk to Karen about.