Foster’s Porn Story: More Than My Friend Chapter 14

Thanks again, everyone! I’d like to thank Bordest
Person Alive, luckyrocks73, cheeseisawesome, azuretears, Chipsie the sleek
tabby cat, tervaco, and S-A. Thank you so much, guys!

Okay, now here we go again!

Disclaimer: I do not own Foster’s Home for Imaginary
Friends

It was breakfast time at Fosters. As usual, the dining
room was abuzz with commotion as house residents chatted, horsed about with
each other, or focused intently on gobbling down their morning meal. However,
unlike most mornings, this breakfast had not been prepared as part of the daily
routine of the resident caretaker. Rather than take any chances with her
still-frazzled granddaughter, Madame Foster had awoken especially early to
prepare everything herself. However, the fact that she had to wake up two hours
early was the last thing on the old womans mind as she struggled to get a
response out of Frankie, who had just wearily stumbled in to breakfast only ten
minutes before.

Oh, cmon! Madame Foster coaxed warmly with a weak grin.
Look! I made pancakes, your favorite! Wouldnt you like just one bite of-

No thanks, Grandma. Frankie mumbled, fidgeting with her
glass of juice. Her grandmothers smile flipped into a worried frown as she
settled back in her chair.

Frankie, please. You had a nasty shock last night; you
need to keep up your strength. Now why dont you-

The old woman suddenly went silent at the sound of the
kitchen doors swinging open, followed by the sounds of an unmistakable
dignified hop.

Good morning, Madame, Miss Frances. Mr. Herriman
addressed them politely.

Frankie didnt even make an effort to look up, and kept
her dull gaze fixated on the table. Madame Foster however clasped her hands and
eagerly gazed up at her imaginary friend.

Well? the old woman asked hopefully.

I, umwell, II the old rabbit struggled to speak.

Yes? she asked again with an optimistic twinkle in her
eye. Mr. Herriman paused for a moment, took a deep breath, then bowed his head
solemnly as he declared,

I am a man of my word, Madame Foster. The meeting with
the Brown Family shall go ahead this afternoon as scheduled.

With that he quickly turned around and hastily exited the
dining hall, before his shocked creator even had a chance to reply.

Frankie didnt utter a word a word of protest. With a soft
whimper, she quickly got up from her seat and clumsily grabbed a few empty
plates, sending a few pieces of silverware clattering and spilling a large bowl
of fruit in the process. Murmuring something under her breath about getting
started with breakfast clean-up, she took her haphazard pile and hurriedly
exited into the kitchen, while desperately trying to hold back the tears that
welled up in her eyes.

Wilt sadly watched her dash off into the kitchen from his
usual seat between
Coco and Eduardo. With an
unhappy moan, he slumped dejectedly into his chair, his head bowed in defeat.

It was no use to say anything. He knew when they had been
beaten.

Plug up the
sinkturn on the hot waterthats it, thats goodyou can do this, Frankiegrab
the sponge

With a badly trembling hand, she picked up one of the
dirty plates and placed it under the running water. Yes, that was it. Drown her
misery in her work, get it off her mind. If she could just focus on her chores,
blot out the grief-

F-Frankie?

EEEEK! Frankie shrieked as she felt a tiny hand
gently prod the back of her leg. Dropping the plate she held in her hand and
letting it break on the counter with a terrific smashing clamor, she whirled
about, her expression a mix of grief and panic that someone would see her in
such a state.

WHAT? she screeched loudly with clenched fists and
tightly shut eyes. At the sound of the gentle whimper however, her eyelids
snapped open as she got a good look at her visitor.

The stack of plates and glasses Bloo carried wobbled
furiously in the little creatures shaky grip, as the wreck of an imaginary
friend shivered uncontrollably. With a hard gulp, he lifted up his pile to the
girl like it was a bizarre peace offering of some sort.

I-I-I thought maybet-that you wanted some-

Bloo didnt get a chance to finish; Frankie had
dropped to her knees and swept him into a tight hug, regardless of the fact
that this caused him to drop his pile with an ear-splitting shatter. She wept
unashamedly as she gripped Bloo tightly to her trembling body, while warm salty
tears poured unchecked down her face. Almost immediately Bloo capitulated to
his own overwhelming grief, bawling along with her in unison and returning her
squeeze. The two clung to each other miserably, as if the heat from their
bodies would warm each others cold, broken hearts.

They were loosing everything. And there wasnt a
thing that could be done about it.

Oh, thank you so much! You really shouldnt! Mrs. Brown
beamed happily as she and her husband strode into Mr. Herrimans office. I
think youve done more than enough for us already.

Oh, nonsense! Mr. Herriman guffawed, keeping up the
polite and friendly banter. At Fosters, it is our duty to assist such families
as kind and decent as your own. Isnt that right, Master Wilt? he nodded
curtly in the direction of the lanky imaginary friend.

Wilt barely looked up as his head and shoulders sagged
heavily in defeat. Yeah, sure is. He mumbled softly, his reply barely above a
whisper.

Oooooh, there he is! Mrs. Brown cooed in delight,
rushing over and wrapping her arms around his knees in a quick hug. Wilt
swiftly had to suppress the strong urge to recoil in disgust.

He didnt want to leave his home. He didnt want to leave
his friends, or his family for that matter. He didnt want to be adopted. But after being Mr. Nice Guy all these
years, voluntarily upholding Fosters concept of the ideal imaginary frienddid
he really have a choice? He gave a hard swallow and quickly blinked back what
felt like a tear welling up in his eye. No sense in crying about it. He might
as well face the facts.

Now then, if you two would just seat yourselves here,
well attend to business in just a moment. Mr. Herriman nodded politely before
cupping his hands around his mouth. Miss
Frances! Miss
Frances! Have
you-

All set. Came the somber reply from the hallway. Frankie
slowly trudged in, stumbling along in the manner of an injured soldier limping
across a battlefield. Head bowed, shoulders sagging, the miserable girl plodded
in at an arduously slow rate, with Wilts file clutched tightly in her hands.

Here you go, Mr. H. she mumbled sadly, unceremoniously
dropping it in front of the rabbit and taking her customary place at his side.
She kept her gaze focused on the floor rather than the two very prospective
parents, the ones who were very much intent on taking her imaginary friend
away. However, Frankie did look up for a brief moment to glance at Wilt, who
stole an equally pathetically sad glance in her direction. The two forlorn
figures eyes met for a brief moment before they both looked away, resigned to
their fates. They already were powerless enough as it was, no need to drag it
out and make things any worse than-

My deepest apologies, but I do believe that theres been
quite a misunderstanding. Mr. Herriman said rather bluntly, arms folded neatly
across his desk. Frankie and Wilts heads shot up in shock as the Browns gave
Mr. Herriman looks of complete bewilderment.

Wait, what? a
confused Mr. Brown asked, scratching his head in puzzlement.

Um, Im not sure that I quite understand what- his wife
tried to say before Mr. Herriman quickly cut her off with a wave of his hand.

Please! Please! Theres absolutely no need. Let me assure
you, there has been no trouble caused on your part. Believe me, the blame rests
entirely with myself. He proclaimed quite firmly, before letting his hand fall
into his lap and out of sight.

But we dont understand-

My most sincere apologies, but Im afraid Master Wilt can
not be adopted into your care. Mr.
Herriman put rather bluntly.

The prospective parents faces fell.

Wilts jaw dropped in shock.

And Frankies eyes looked like they were going to bulge
completely out of her sockets.

Once again, the blame is all mine. Mr. Herriman quickly
went on in his usual proper, businesslike tone. This is all by no means any
fault of yours. I wish I could say otherwise, but it seems we have all been the
victims of a simple piece of misfiled paperwork.

Wait, paperwork? a disappointed Mrs. Brown inquired with
a confused frown. Mr. Herriman chuckled nervously before he went on.

Ha ha, um, yes. Yes indeed. And to think I pride myself
on my perfect filing system, or at least what I thought was perfect. Strangest
thing really, it happened only a little less than an hour ago before you two
arrived just now. I was sorting through a pile of paperwork, some rather
routine busywork, when I happened to come across Master Wilts already filled-out
and signed adoption form. He said,
putting a rather odd emphasis on the word signed.

What? How on earth- Mr. Brown tried to ask before Mr.
Herriman continued on.

Yes, wouldnt you believe it? You see, yesterday was a
rather unusually busy day here at Fosters, an utter plethora of adoptions kept
us busy around the clock

A very stunned Frankie shot her employer a completely
baffled look. She knew very well that Wilts case was the only thing close to
an adoption that happened yesterday. What was going on?

It was at this point she realized that Mr. Herriman,
usually the model of perfection and poise, had certainly started to tremble a
bit in unmistakable anxiety. Not much, but noticeable enough for her at least
to spot as she stood next to him.

and it seems that we had so many families coming in and
out, adopting so many friends, well to be quite truthful at the end the whole
process simply became a blur. So weary was I, in fact, that by the time you two
showed up at our doorstep and chose the resident of your desire Mr. Herriman
cleared his throat nervously and paused a few moments to regain his composure.
that I was too tired to realize that you had in fact picked an
already-adopted friend.

Already-adopted?
a very flustered Mrs. Brown cried indignantly. But webut how

Again, my deepest regrets for the terrible
misunderstanding that has taken place here. Mr. Herriman continued with a weak
grin. I myself was quite horrified upon finding Master Wilt’s already signed adoption form shortly ago.

There he goes again!
Frankie thought, raising an eyebrow at his insistent and peculiar emphasis on
that word. What on earth

However, shortly after that unpleasant discovery, my
old memory finally caught up with me, and at this point I now clearly recall
the events of yesterday. A small girl did in fact adopt Master Wilt, quite
early yesterday morning as I remember. However, as I do recall, her timing in
doing so was quite unfortunate, as right when the paperwork was signed, her
father received a most awful phone call on his cellular phone, informing him
that the girls grandmother had just been rushed to the hospital with some
nasty affliction. Terrible business really. He said, shaking his head sadly.
And so because of that, they had to leave rather abruptly, so much that they
werent even able to take Master Wilt along with them. However, before they did
leave, we promised them that we would of course keep Master Wilt on hold for
her, and so we did when we filed away the already completed and signed adoption form.

It was at that point that Frankie finally noticed the
peculiar feeling of something being shoved rather forcibly against her unmoving
hand. Wordlessly, she let her eyes travel downwards until much to her surprise,
she found that it was Mr. Herriman acting as her culprit, and with one hand
hidden securely by the desk he incessantly prodded a piece of paper against her
limp palm. How long he had been doing that for, she had no idea, but it was
clear by the way his prim manner was deteriorating by the second, he was
clearly close to breaking point.

And s-so, shortly afterwards, we just became so
swamped with adoptions, Master Wilt being the p-particularly compassionate
fellow t-t-that he is, began to assist Miss Frances and I with the s-sudden
overwhelming amount of work to be done, and by the end of the d-d-day, weuh,
well we were just so weary by that point, umnot even Master Wilt himself
possessed the s-stamina nor the awareness to correct our mistake. He babbled,
gritting his teeth into a horrifyingly forced disarming smile as he continued
to force the paper into Frankies hand. Finally, while still keeping up with
the polite faade, he delivered a sharp, unseen kick to the girls shin.

Frankie swiftly bit down hard on her lip to suppress
a yelp of pain, and finally she swiftly grabbed the paper from his gloved hand,
which Mr. Herriman swiftly withdrew and placed back on his desk. At this, he
was quickly able to regain a considerable amount of composure.

So you see, what we have here is a simple mix-up,
entirely of my own doing. Now if I could, Id

As he went on calmly, as if no mysterious transaction
had just taken place out of reach of the couples gazes, Frankie finally stole
a quick look at the piece of paper in her hands.

What on earth
is this that? She wondered bewilderedly. It looks likewait, no, its not

She unfurled the paper, only to quickly stifle a gasp
of shock. It was a Fosters adoption form, filled out quite neatly in Mr.
Herrimans unmistakable flowing script, filled out for Wilt, or at least thats
what the name written on the blank line said. But where was the adopters
signature?

Sorry, but Im still not quite sure we believe this
whole story. Mr. Brown complained irritably.

Yes, if Wilt really was adopted already, then could we at least see-

The adoption form? Yes, of course! Mr. Herriman
quickly interrupted her. Yes indeed, no problem at all! Why, its right here,
in my desk, right as we speak! Miss
Frances, will you please get the signed adoption form for me? he asked
her politely, without even looking at her.

Frankie gave him a blank stare. UhWilts adoption
form?

Ah ha ha, why yes, of course! Mr. Herriman laughed
nervously. Such a kidder, she is! A real delight to have around the house! he
babbled, noticing the suspicious looks on the couples faces. Now Miss
Frances, will you please stop kidding around, reach into the bottom drawer of my desk, and fetch Master Wilts
completed adoption form? he ordered through tightly gritted teeth.

Frankie continued to stare at him stupidly until
finally it all clicked inside her brain. Without thinking twice, the girl
ducked behind the desk and began to fish about furiously in her sweater
pockets.

Cmon, cmon. she whispered frantically to herself.
I know Iyesss! she cheered softly in celebration as she withdrew a pen.
Hastily she popped of the cap and with a few clumsy movement of her hand,
scribbled a rough signature unto the adoption form, and popped up again, waving
it triumphantly into the air.

Got it right here! she cried, hurriedly slapping it
down on the desk. Immediately Mr. Herriman breathed a sigh of utter relief as
he took it in his hands and inspected it briefly.

Yesyes, of course, here it is! All filled out, as
you can plainly see. He said happily, showing it off for the perplexed husband
and wife to see.

Oh. Mrs. Brown muttered disappointedly.

Wait, whats the childs name? her husband
inquired, squinting his eyes so as to make out the badly scrawled signature. It
looks like Fran-

Frannie! Mr. Herriman interrupted
none-too-politely. Um, I mean, Frannie. Yes, thats it! Frannie

Finster. Frankie blurted out. Mr. Herriman nodded
furiously.

Yes, yes I remember! Frannie Finster, of course!
Such a sweet little girl, we do hope the best for her poor grandmother.

Mr. Brown finally relented and slumped dejectedly in
his chair. Well, if you say so

Oh, not to worry! Mr. Herriman cried, leaping to
his feet so abruptly that a very startled Frankie leapt back a few feet. Although
Master Wilt is out of your reach, you have no need to fear. I give you my word
that you shall not leave friendless today! Why, we have an over abundance of
equally fine friends here in residence, plenty in which Im sure youll be able
to find the one that suits your child the best! In fact, Im sure the Master
Wilt will still be more than happy to assist you in your search for the perfect
companion for your son! Isnt that right, Master Wilt? he asked anxiously.

Wilt, who had been standing silently in dumb shock
the entire time, slowly jerked his head in the direction of the disappointed
couple. After a considerable amount of effort, he finally managed to twist his
face into a weak but nevertheless genuine smile.

Uh, yeah. He gasped. Um, okay. No problem.

Goodbye!

See ya!

The three-eyed, green-striped, duck-like imaginary friend,
aptly named Mr. Quackers, flapped his wings ecstatically as he poked his head
out of the Browns minivan window.

Bye guys! Thanks for everything! he quacked excitedly at
Frankie, Wilt, and Mr. Herriman as the car took off down the road into the
fading sunset.

And the very best of luck to you in your new home! Mr.
Herriman called as the three continued to wave furiously until the vehicle had
disappeared from view.

After she ceased her waving, Frankie looked incredulously
at the slightly crumpled adoption form she had been carrying in her jacket
pocket since earlier, and now gripped tightly in her hand. Wordlessly, she held
it up to her eyes and inspected it intently for a few moments, just to make
sure it wasnt too good to be true.

Therell be no need for that Miss Frances, Mr. Herriman
reprimanded her lightly. I can assure you that it is not a counterfeit
document.

Both he and Wilt stopped their waving and watched Frankie
silently for a few moments. After staring hard at Wilts name on the document,
plus her own scrawled signature, the girl slowly lowered it from her face and
stared blankly into Mr. Herrimans eyes.

I she struggled furiously to get the words out, but the
full realization of what had just happened in the past hour left her too
stunned for words.

Deep breaths, Miss
Frances. Deep breaths should do the
trick. Mr. Herriman advised her gently. Frankie quickly followed the advice,
taking a few large gulps of air before finally gaining enough composure to
speak.

Why? she asked softly as she hugged the adoption form
close to herself.

Mr. Herriman coughed nervously before replying. Well, you
seeumI just thought itd be necessaryto have the, uh…extra help around the
house with your daily chores because

He now began to rock back and forth in a fidgety manner on
his large rabbit feet as he gave her a weak smile. Well, you are going to be watching over an
eight-year-old child at the same time.

If he had wished to add anything to that, he never got the
chance. The moment he finished his last sentence, Frankie immediately wrapped
her arms around his neck and squeezed him in a crushing bear hug. Mr. Herriman
gasped for air while her hold grew tighter by the second.

You mean I-I can actually you’re letting me adopt the
absolutely elated girl sobbed happily as her tears began to soak his
silvery-gray fur.

“I-” he tried to gasp in response.

“You care…y-you really do care. I dontI dont know what else to sayoh Godh-howhow can
I ever thank-

A breath of air would be nice. Mr. Herriman managed to
wheeze as she gripped him like a vice. Immediately, Frankie let go and began to
jump about madly in an impromptu victory dance.

I have an imaginary friend, I have an imaginary friend, I
have an imaginary friend she chanted endlessly to herself over and over in a
singsong manner as she leapt about happily like a ballet dancer, until finally
ceasing her flamboyant display with a small twirl in front of Wilt.

Wheeeeee! Frankie squealed joyously as she grabbed hold
of Wilts arm. Did you hear that Wilt? It’s official! It’s official! Youre my imaginary friend now! You get to stay here at Fosters! We dont
have to worry about you ever getting adopted, ever again! Did you hear that?
Wilt? Wilt

Frankie quickly toned down her excitement as the towering
imaginary friend failed to respond to her unbridled ecstasy. After staring
silently into the distance for a few moments, the clearly stunned creature
finally lowered his head to look into Frankies concerned stare.

Wilt? You okay with all of this? she asked softly.

Frankie squeaked in surprise as he suddenly bent over and
grabbed her by the sweater, lowing his face until their eyes were only inches
apart.

Is thisokay? Is this okay?
he murmured incredulously before his mouth contorted into a fierce grimace,
much to her shock. No, Frankie! This is not okay! This isnt okay at all! Of
all the ways to describe this, okay is not one of them! he bellowed.

With a whimper, Frankie began to quiver violently in his
grip. However, just when it seemed like she was about to faint in fright, he
suddenly exposed it all as a well-timed joke as his frown suddenly transformed
itself into the biggest smile the girl had ever seen in her life.

This isnt okaythis is GREAT! he whooped excitedly. With a squeal Frankie found herself
lifted at least six feet off the ground and enveloped in a warm hug, which she
happily returned in full as the two dissolved into laughter, both near
hysterical with joy.

Mr. Herriman, still nursing a bruised neck, couldnt help
but chuckle at the heartwarming sight before him. Wellas soon as you two are
through celebrating, II do believe that theres something I must tell you,
Miss Frances. Not too far from here, there’s a group of nuns who run a-“

You dont need to tell me I already know where Mac is
dont ask why I found it by accident cmon Wilt lets go go go! Frankie gasped
in one breath. Not wasting a single moment, she leapt from Wilts arm, and
forcibly dragged the gangly imaginary friend along with her to the house, all
the while screaming at the top of her lungs,

BLOO! BLOO! BLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

As they swiftly vanished from sight, Mr. Herriman allowed
himself another soft chortle, dusted himself off, and he tucked his hands
neatly around his back while starting the walk back up to the house.

I knew youd do
the right thing. A mysterious voice suddenly cackled as soon as he entered the
front gate. Immediately the old rabbit jerked in surprise and quickly whirled
about with a look of panic.

What? Who said that? I-oh its you. He sighed wearily. Madame Foster chortled as she hobbled out
from behind the tall metal gatepost.

Funny Bunny, you big scaredy-cat. She giggled like a
schoolgirl as she wrapped her arms about his waist in a warm hug. Fortunately
for Mr. Herriman, his silvery gray fur managed to hide most of his blush.

Um, Madamehow did youuhh-how long were you he tried to
in his unmistakable embarrassment.

Madame Foster smiled as she looked up at him. Lets just
say being a person of my stature has its advantages now and then. She tittered
with a crafty wink.

Madame, please! Mr. Herriman blurted out, quite flustered
that his own creator caught him so out of character. He hastily tried to
explain himself as she continued to just grin smugly Its not what you think!
Please! It merely seemed to be the logical
course of action to allow-

They were suddenly interrupted by the front doors of the
old Victorian mansion bursting open, as three blurs, two red and one blue,
zipped across the lawn and onto the Fosters bus. The instant the bus doors
closed, the motor was started and with a screech of tires the bulky vehicle tore
out of the driveway.

!
Frankie babbled ecstatically, and with that she stepped on the gas and the bus
took off down the road, going at least twenty miles above the speed limit.

Oh dear… Mr. Herriman groaned wearily and slapped his
forehead. Madame Foster however only laughed as she took him by the hand and
began to lead him inside.

Cmon, Mr. Grumbles. Lets go see if we can prepare a
little something special for dinner tonight in celebration.

With an extra place set at the table, of course. Her
imaginary friend added with a bit of a wan smile.

You betcha. The old woman chuckled. You know, to be
honest, I always wanted a grandson

Mac! Mac! Gonna be with Mac again! Oh jeez were gonna
see Mac were really gonna see him hes my super best friend in the whole
entire world oh man I really dont believe it were gonna be best buds again
and were gonna play tag and climb trees and play video games and stay up late
and watch scary movies and eat candy and the little imaginary friend jabbered
incessantly in his unbridled elation.

Frankie, who normally would be screaming angrily at him to
knock it off with such behavior, now only laughed gleefully as she glanced up
into the rear view mirror.

Whoa, easy there! she giggled. Cmon, were not even
there yet!

Yeah Bloo, sit down and try and relax. Wilt chuckled.

Bloo shook his head furiously as he hopped about like a
giant azure rubber ball. Cant sit! Too excited! Cant sit! Gonna see Mac
again! Cant sit! Gonna be best friends again! Cant sit! Cant sit! the
hyperactive little creature yelled ecstatically as he continued to leap about.

Despite the incredible ruckus he was causing, Frankie
didnt have it in her to scold him even if it was necessary; she had to be
honest she was a bit worried that he incredible stroke of luck would take a
sudden turn for the worse. Even while driving, the young woman fidgeted about
in her seat and chewed her lip anxiously. Wilt, seated directly in the behind
her, noticed her nervous behavior and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Take it easy. He laughed as he flashed her a smile.
Dont worry, hes gonna be fine.

Frankie turned her head briefly to flash a weak grin. I
know, but I-

Less talking more driving! Bloo yelled as he danced
about impatiently. Gotta get Mac! Gotta get Mac! Step on it, Frankie!

She laughed as she turned the wheel. Hold on, hold on a
sec! Were just about

Frankie abruptly stopped in mid-sentence as something
caught her eye.

There. She finished none-too-cheerfully as she caught
sight of something a bit unsettling.

Frankie, whats wrong? Wilt asked concernedly as he
peered out the window alongside her.

Dunno. She replied honestly as she stepped on the brake
to put the bus in park. Something didnt seem right. Even now, in the dim
twilight, Frankie could see the something was badly amiss at
St. Josephs Orphanage the way the barely
visible silhouetted figures rushed about in a panic.

Frankie? Bloo asked nervously as she turned off the
ignition. Whats going on?

Oh jeez! Frankie cried as she opened the doors and
sprinted off the bus, Wilt and Bloo in close pursuit.

Hey, what happened? she cried as a frantic looking group
of nuns rushed about the premises. Excuse me? Sister? Hello, could you-

The nuns, however, seemed oblivious to the girls cries.
Instead, they scrambled about in a chaotic mass, calling to one another,
rushing in and out of the orphanage, while one particularly old stocky one
standing on the doorsteps bellowed out orders in a gruff baritone.

Sister Agnes, get inside! Help Sister Mary keep an eye on
the other children!

Yes, Mother Angela! one black robed woman nodded quickly
to her superior as she sprinted off inside.

Sister Patricia! Take two others and scan around the building!
Make sure hes not hiding out back!

Shall I send some into the park next door, just in case?

Check around here for the child, first!

Of course, Mother Angela!

Sister Joan-

WHATS GOING ON? Frankie shrieked impatiently. The
stocky Mother Superior however only frowned irritably at the newcomer as she
continued to direct the sisters in a military fashion.

Child, please! I have no time! Sister Catherine! Go

Although Frankie suspected that it was probably a sin of
some sort, with an angry growl she bounded up the stone stairs of the orphanage
and roughly grabbed the nun by the robe, screaming furiously in a
none-too-Christian-like manner.

WILL YOU PLEASE TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED? the girl
screeched.

Without even blinking, the already very stressed Mother
Angela suddenly swatted the frantic girl away with a quick cuff to her head,
the blow actually sending Frankie reeling backwards down a few steps until she
fell into Wilts hold.

For an old woman who had devoted her life to God, Frankie
had not been expecting her to possess
the strength of a heavyweight boxer. Without a second glance back at the dazed
redhead, Mother Angela continued to bellow out orders like a drill sergeant.

Organize search parties in groups of three!

Yes, Mother Angela!

Frankie, are you okay? Wilt asked concernedly as he
lifted her gently back onto stable footing.

I-

I cant believe he was able to make it over the fence
like that! one sister whispered to another as they rushed by. Frankie
immediately went silent as she listened intently. Well, since no one was going
to flat out tell her

Oh, the poor boy! another bemoaned as she scrambled off.
Frankie could feel a certain dark feeling of despair growing in her stomach.

Boy? She
thought worriedly. No, cant be! Theres
plenty of kids here, Macs probably inside with-

Why didnt we keep a better watch on him? The child
lost his family only a few weeks ago! another one muttered heartbreakingly.

The color drained from Frankies face. Just a coincidence, Frankie. Macs all
right, hes gonna be-

He was always mumbling about wanting to go home,
always whining about wanting to be with some other family.

I knew we
shouldve paid special attention to that one! Always talking about some
sister, when all he had was a mother and brother. two nuns whispered in
harried tones as they scrambled by.

Wilt winced painfully as he felt Frankie draw a sharp
intake of breath and clamp down tightly onto his arm.

Sister? Only
a mother and brother? Oh God, please no! Not now, not-

As the girls mind became a chaotic swirl of panic
and terror, black-robed women still managed to race about around her and the
two imaginary friends, speaking to one another worriedly as they attended to
the apparent emergency that had just taken place.

I didnt think hed be able to do it! No childs
been able to scale the fence before!

Poor boy, poor boy! We have to find him! If only he
climbed it a little slower

torn to pieces if we dont

we shouldve trained it better! It thinks every
intruder that comes at night is a burglar

it definitely spotted him on the other side, now
doubt about it! Why else wouldn’t he be here

All the while, Frankie continued to hold onto Wilt
tightly, utterly unable to do a thing except frantically reassure herself that
the nuns were not speaking who she thought they were speaking about.

No. she whispered softly, half to Wilt and half to
herself. It cant beno, it just cant

All her meager hopes were rapidly destroyed however
as one particularly frenetic nun let loose a panicked wail.

We have to find the boy before Rex does first! When
he first spotted him, the child was on the other side of the fence! Mac was already on the other side!