A/N Hey Gorgeous readers! Lol, stole that from the E4 advert! Anyway, new chapter, that I'm sure everyone has being waiting for! Especially after my evil killing off last chapter, and great love-ness too! What a perfect combination!
Riza- Yup Russ is gone... DANNY! Lol, love him too! You didn't cry did you? I'm bad at writing sad bits... But you are, loved that chapter of your story! It was so... original and great and good and wow, I'm sending you an e-mail about it!
BubblyShell- Yeah TNMT rocks! Not seen the new series though, must watch!
"Erin!" A scream came from the waiting crowd and she ran forward to be enveloped by hugs from her mother. "I'm so glad you're back, and I'm so glad you had a nice time."
Erin leaned into her Mom's chest, just letting the feeling that she was home wash over her. "I missed you Mom." The plane journey had gone pretty quickly because Erin was on such a high. Danny had kissed her, properly, in front of everyone! It had been amazing. "Where is Belle and Hazel?" She asked, smiling.
Her mother's face dropped, "Honey, remember?"
Erin gasped, of course they weren't here, how could she be so stupid. "When is the funeral?"
"Later on today, I thought we could go back, get changed, and then go along."
Erin nodded and gave her Mom another hug. "I really missed you."
"O God, by your mercy rest is given to the souls of the faithful, be please to bless this grave. Appoint Your holy angels to guard it and set free from all the chains of sin and the soul of him whose body is buried here, so that with Thy saints he may rejoin in Thee for ever. Through Christ our Lord. Amen." The congregation all repeated Amen, and the priest carried on, "Russell was taken from us in the prime of his life, he was a good young man, and I know he would have followed God's will. But it was God's will that he would join Him early. He died in an act of bravery which is nothing less than what we would have expected of him. Let us pray."
Everyone bent their heads. Russell's Mom was crying quietly. They were all standing around the grave. Erin and Belle stood on either side of Hazel, supporting her, as she seemed to find it hard to stand. When the priest dismissed them they all hugged each other tight. They were all crying now.
"Everyone must come back to my house, for the Wake." Russ's Mom said, plastering a fake smile on her tear stained face.
"I don't think I can face it." Hazel whispered.
"That's ok." Belle went to talk to Russell's Mom, who nodded and smiled over at the three girls. Erin's Mom came over.
"You girls come back to ours, I'll make you all hot chocolate ok?"
Over the next two weeks Belle and Erin didn't see much of Hazel. She stayed in her room, wearing the Pants, and nothing they said persuaded her to come out. They ended up hanging out with Nick instead. He had been invited to stay at Belle's (on the couch of course.) and they were both having a nice time spending time together. But whenever they had fun, Belle felt instantly guilty, even though she knew Russ world have wanted Belle and Hazel to be happy.
Marianna ripped open the parcel eagerly. She wasn't sure why she wanted the Pants again, last time had been a disaster. But, she felt that this time something would go right, she hoped anyway.
Dear Mari,
Well, I don't know if Belle told you about me and Russ. and then what happened to him. I still can't bear to even write it down. But I guess I have to, Russell died. We had his funeral a few weeks ago, and I was kind of upset that you couldn't make it. But that's in the past, I wish I could forget the past. I walked past some people from school today and they were whispering about me, wondering why I was so upset when I hadn't even been going out with him. I guess that hurts a lot, no-one really knew... not that it matters now. Anyway, here are the Pants, my second time with them didn't go well... but perhaps your second time can be like my first.
Love Hazel,
Mari sat heavily on the bed. She had known about Russ, but it hadn't occurred to her to go to the funeral because she hadn't known him that well. Now she knew that Hazel had needed her and she felt so bad.
Mari wore the Pants to the last rehearsal before the dress rehearsal. She didn't have a particularly special occasion to wear them, except the performance and obviously she would be in costume for that. All the rehearsals were going brilliantly and now there was only two days until the final performances. She was more nervous than she had been in her entire life. She found herself rushing to throw up at the end of every rehearsal.
Belle, Hazel, Erin and Nick had all managed to get a lift up to the performance with Marianna's Mom and Dad. Before they had left Hazel had got a phone call from Bridget. She had wanted to arrange a time to meet the new Sisters. At such short notice Hazel couldn't think of anything else to say except that Mari was showing a play, and would they like to go, so they were also meeting Bee, Carmen, Lena and Tibby up there too.
"Ok, we're staying there!" Mari's Mom said, pointing out the window at a hotel. "Do you guys need to get changed?"
"If it's not to much trouble." Belle said, smiling.
Meanwhile, Marianna was backstage, panicking. "What if it turns out stupid? What if I mess up?" She was brushing her long red hair out over her corseted dress that made her costume.
"You won't mess up!" Said Rhona, who was beginning to get into her Nurse costume.
"Thanks." Mari gave her a quick hug. "Oh god, not again." She bolted from the room and barely made it to the bathroom. Unfortunately, she didn't manage to miss her dress. "Oh no," She wailed, tears pouring from her eyes as Rhona stared at her.
"I... I'll get Mr Woods." Rhona ran back out of the bathroom and came back with Mr Woods.
"Oh dear." He said, looking at Marianna's ruined dress. "Do you have anything you could wear?"
"Not that would be suitable." She sniffled.
"Well... you'll just have to wear your normal clothes an make the audience not notice by your phenomenal acting skills." And with that he left, leaving Mari with a shocked look on her face.
Half an hour later, and everyone was in their seats. She peered from behind the curtain to look for her friends and family. In the third row from the front were her Mom and Dad looking happy. Hazel sat next to them, wearing a silky top and her black hair coiled in a bun. She looked utterly depressed though. Erin sat next to her, trying to talk to her, wearing a funky t-shirt. Belle was talking animatedly to a good looking guy sitting next to her who had bleached blonde hair, and the girl on the other side who had, what looked like from here, dark blue hair. Next to her were three other girls, well, they were actually around 20 (as was the girl with the blue hair). One had bright yellow hair, one looked Puerto Rican and the other was extremely beautiful, and looked Greek. She wondered faintly who they were, but then she heard her cue.
Belle was talking to Nick and Tibby about film making when the lights dimmed. Everyone quietened and waited for the play to begin. A guy, of around 18, walked on stage in what looked like 18th century dress. Then Mari walked on, wearing the Pants. Belle heard nearly everyone in their row, including herself, gasp. She looked stunning. Her beautiful red hair was gleaming and her green eyes glittered. She walked onto the stage as if she owned it. This was more like the old Mari, rather the shell Belle had last seen. And yet... something had still changed, something was definitely different.
Once the show was over, Mari knew it had gone brilliantly. She was in her dressing room, quickly packing up her make-up so she could go and see everyone, when Kieran came in beaming. He gave her a big hug, then bent down and kissed her, on the lips. She pushed him away, and he looked confused.
"Sorry Kieran, I don't... think of you that way." She had expected him to nod, but instead his expression grew angry. He began to step toward her, forcing her against the wall. "Kieran, stop it!"
"And yet you let him do that and worse to you!" He spat. Then he looked shocked. "Mari, I'm sorry I didn't mean that I just..." But she was already running from the room. She ran straight into the arms of her friends, the place she needed to be then.
"You were great Mari!"
"Well done!"
"Brilliant Marianna, simply brilliant!" Was all she could hear, and she was glad.
Two nights later they were back at Erin's. The place where, for them, the summer had started. But joining the new sisterhood were, for the last time, the old Sisters.
The eight of them sat around the Pants, passing stories of the old summers and hopes for the summers to come.
"Ok order please." Carmen said, and they all fell silent. "This summer was the first summer for us without the Pants, and the first summer for you with the Pants. Over the course of their history many things have happened with the Pants." She glanced knowingly around the circle. "And one of the most important things that we do with them, is to record what happened to you while you were wearing them. Now it is the turn of the Second Sisterhood!" She pulled out a black marker, and handed it to Erin.
Marianna knew she was last, and she tried to think what to write. I got played by a good looking idiot? I had fun at Drama camp? I know how to act? None of the things that came into her head would fit, either with what had happened, or with what everyone else was writing. Then it came to her.
I found my family resemblance- Erin
Confusion in a storm- Belle
Love and grief- Hazel
I broke the rules with Hayden- Marianna
Mari handed the pen back to Carmen, pretending not to notice the curious looks everyone, especially Belle, gave her.
"And now there is just one thing left to say, Pants equal love,"
"Love pals, Love yourself." Everyone else finished.
"I now declare the summer officially over... in terms of the Pants anyway!" Carmen laughed.
Mari smiled and started to chat to Bridget. The summer might be over, but their time with the Pants was only just beginning, and there was still unfinished business. Still some things she needed to put right, and things she needed to tell her pals. They were the best friends anyone could wish for, and she needed to explain some things. But that, along with some other stuff, could wait.
A/N So, the First Summer of the Second Sisterhood is over! What did you guys think? That is the most important thing after all! I hope you liked this ending chapter, and obviously the whole story! But don't despair, I already have a sequel planned so Mari, Erin, Belle and Hazel will be back soon! Please review!