Anti-Dimension: A Phineas and Ferb fanfic

Unforseen Complications

"You kids want lemonade?" Ginger asked as she stepped out into the backyard. She was carrying a glass pitcher filled to the brim with the yellow beverage, the surface slightly rippling in the gentle breeze and sparkling in the sunlight.

    "Yes please!" Thomas said happily, holding up an empty glass that had two slightly melted ice cubes sitting at the bottom.

    "Seriously? How much more can he take?" Jasmine whispered to Marie. "He drank like three quarters of the punch!"

    "I don't know," Marie replied.

    "I can hear you!" Thomas called.

    "Don't care!" Jasmine said. All three of them were enjoying a do nothing day at Thomas's request. Each of them had been given a foldable chair and small tables to set their cups on.

    "This is so relaxing," Thomas sighed. "I don't get why we never tried this before."

    "I wish Zachary could have spent it with us," Marie said.

    "Why'd he leave again?"

    "His mom said she had a surprise for him. So...Thomas. You still not gonna tell us how you made that stuff?"

    "Nope."

    "Why not?"

    "Let's just say I prefer to be the only one who knows how."

    "What? You afraid we're going to steal the recipe for it or something?" Jasmine asked in exasperated tones.

    "Something like that..."

    "Why you-"

    "Hey guys!" Zachary came to the gate of the backyard. "What'd I miss?"

    "Oh nothing much," Marie said casually. "What've you been up to?"

    "I've just been chatting with some old friends of mine from Seattle."

    "What?"

    "Guys." Zachary turned and appeared to be speaking to someone blocked from view by Baljeet and Ginger's house. "I'd like you to meet my friends Marie, Thomas, and Jasmine." He stood aside to admit three kids Marie and the others had never seen before. Jasmine was the first to stand up.

    "Zach, who are they?" she asked.

    "This is Ryan, Oliver, and Cassidy. They were my best friends back in Seattle before I moved here." At this Thomas jumped out of his seat and went over to the newcomers.

    "Hmmm," he said. "Have you ever built an elevator to Mars?" he asked Ryan.

    "Ummmm...no?" Ryan said, confused.

    "It's fun! You should try it sometime! How about a mechanical squirrel that knows a thousand tricks? Or a self serving platter that can juggle up to ten items for the entertainment of guests?"

    "Huh?"

    "Have you built anything?"

    "No, Thomas, they haven't," Zachary said. Jasmine came up and wacked Ferb's son in the back of the head.

    "Forgive him," she said to Zachary's friends. "I'm still working on his manners."

    "You can't tell me how to act-" Thomas began but recoiled and fell silent when Jasmine raised her hand a second time.

    "I'm Jasmine," she continued, extending her hand forward to Ryan.

    "Ryan..." They shook hands for several seconds before Jasmine went to the others.