Going Down Under

chapter 1

Mo was the winner of her class drawing for a vacation to Australia and she had called Atticus in advance to let him know that she won and she happily invited him and told him he could bring Cherry too.

"You guys think you might wanna go 'down under' with us?" Mo asked Scamp and Angel, if they stayed at home, they would have to be watched by Aunt Sarah and her cats, Si and Am.

"We can do that?" Angel asked her young mistress.

"Yeah, my teacher said I could take anyone, besides, it should be better than last summer... Though that was fun, I admit..." Mo smiled as she remembered because last summer was when she first met Atticus and Angel met Scamp.

"Yes, please take us with you, please." Scamp begged her.

Angel giggled at her boyfriend's enthusiasm. "Easy, tenderfoot."

"Okay, you guys can go." Mo smiled to the pups.

"Well, I think it's absolutely dreadful." Annette spoke up.

"Absolutely dreadful!" Colette echoed like always. "Who wants to go to a hot place with bugs and creepy crawlers and no home nuturing?"

"Sounds great to me!" Danielle spoke up, laughing, causing her sisters to glare at her.

"At least it would be better than staying here, having to be with Aunt Sarah and her evil cats." Scamp said.

"Aunt Sarah is not evil, she is just sophisticated." Annette huffed.

"Absolutely sophisticated." Colette repeated.

Danielle rolled her eyes. "I don't like Aunt Sarah... She smells like sweaty meatloaf and not the good kind..."

Mo chuckled, she then saw her adoptive baby brother. "Hi, Junior!" she beamed, picking him up in her arms to play with him.

Junior had began to like Mo more and more through out the days, weeks, and months since becoming his older adoptive sister. Mo loved Junior, but she had struggles, lately he had been able to say words instead of just simple baby talk, but he still hadn't called her by her name. She still loved the little tyke, but wished it would happen.

Cherry met Atticus, they were in her room, she lay down on her bed with her hair flopping against it as he sat in the chair next to the bed. "So, let me get this straight, you want me to go to Australia where there's humidity, a lot of bugs that'll creep me out, and I can't wear my jacket?"

"Yeah, that's right." Atticus said.

Cherry snorted a little, turning her back to him, staring at her dressers next to her bed. "No way... I'm not leaving to some hot spot while I could be here with the cool air of North America."

"It could be a new adventure." Atticus said.

"I've had enough adventure." Cherry smirked, still disagreeing.

"Alright, I guess I'll just have to be in Australia alone with Mo." Atticus said.

"Guess you will..." Cherry smirked.

There was a knock at the door.

"Yes?" Cherry asked.

Forte opened the door and looked down to his apprentice. "Ah, Cerise... Your parents and I have reached an agreement, since it's summer vacation, you'll have to spend twice amount of time with me."

"Say what...?" Cherry asked flatly.

"Well, since you spend two hours after school with me until your dinner time, I'll see you more now like on the weekends," Forte explained. "So that means, you and I will be spending a lot more time together with French lessons, organ lessons, and social interaction."