beatrix bobbit's family vacation pt 4

Pancakes, Beatrix thought. Why did I have to say pancakes?

Of course, she knew why. Something was off. So, she'd laid the pancake trap. And it had worked.

Plus, she always thought best over pancakes.

"Don't worry, Penny. We're almost there," Mr. Bobbit grunted from the driver's seat.

"What was that creature, Beatrix, dear?" Mrs. Bobbit turned her head around. "It could use a shower. I'm sure it thinks that swimming is a fine supplement for a shower, but it would be mistaken."

"I'm not sure, but I intend to find out." Beatrix glanced at Sybil.

"And I intend to help her!" Sybil replied with a wink.

The car made an odd whooshing noise as Mr. Bobbit jerked it into a spot at the back of an empty parking lot. A blue diner with a yellow neon sign advertising 'Pancakes! Pies! Oh My!' flashed across the distance.

"Jack, dear," Mrs. Bobbit heaved. "When we are this hungry, it might be better to park closer to our destination."

"Judy! You know the sorts of people who come to diners. Crazed over breakfast foods. They're too distracted to avoid dinging the car."

"What's one more ding," Beatrix smirked.

After trekking across the parking lot, they stormed inside rather aggressively, and stumbled towards a round blue booth.

Sybil jabbed Beatrix in the shoulder when she caught Mr. Bobbit carefully charting a path across the blue tiles before he eventually collapsed into the booth with Penny.

The jab seemed a bit too pointed, but Beatrix ignored it.

Their blue-haired waiter sold them on blueberry pancakes, blueberry pie and blueberry parfaits for the table. If Mrs. Bobbit was concerned about the potential for blue stains, she didn't show it.

"Mmmmm," Beatrix felt like she could melt into the booth after the first bite of buttery blueberry syrup. With each bite, her head began to clear.

"How much longer are we staying here?" Sybil asked with a blueberry stuck between the gap in her front teeth.

"OH SYBIL, DEAR! HOLD STILL," Mrs. Bobbit began clawing at Sybil's face until she'd knocked the blueberry out of place.

Sybil's eyes flashed brightly once. It was so fast everyone but Beatrix missed it.

"Colin insists we finish out the week," Mr. Bobbit grunted. He was using two forks at once. One to feed himself, the other one to feed Penny. It would have been impressive if it weren't so hilarious.

"Excellent," Beatrix said.

"What are you planning?" Sybil asked.

"A way to take some of the treasure without upsetting Gemma," Beatrix mused, examining Sybil's reaction once more.

Mr. Bobbit swallowed. "That creature would be upset if we took some? But she has so much treasure! It's an outrage."

"She would definitely be upset," Sybil shook. "Plus, she shape shifts so I don't even think we should be talking about this because we should never ever ever take her treasure again."

Sybil's eyes flitted to each of them, as if she could peer past a shape shift. Then, she grinned and stuck her fork into Mr. Bobbit's pancakes. His hands weren't even holding the two forks anymore. It was so unlike him. Not to be the first one to clear a plate and start in on the rest of the table's food.

But then...no it couldn't be. Could it?

"Dad, is everything okay?" Beatrix watched Mr. Bobbit across the table.

His face was unusually pale beneath his mustache, and beads of sweat dotted his forehead.

"Of course everything is fine, why wouldn't it be? Eat your pancakes," Mr. Bobbit muttered.

"It's just...you're not eating your pancakes," Beatrix prodded.

"Jack, dear, why aren't you eating your pancakes? Are you ill? Did you find a piece of sand in them?" Mrs. Bobbit's face was more horrified at the prospect of sand than sickness.

"Uh, I'm not feeling well, that's it. Let's get back to the house," Mr. Bobbit stood very slowly, keeping his hands in his pockets.

When Mrs. Bobbit handed Penny to him though, he said, "No, Beatrix can carry her." It was clear that each word caused him a great deal of agony.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY, JACK, DEAR?!" Mrs. Bobbit thrust Penny towards him, but still his hands didn't leave his pockets.

Beatrix at last removed her eyes from Mr. Bobbit and snatched Penny. If he was really Gemma and she had been wrong, she didn't want poor Penny in that creature's clutches.

Mrs. Bobbit shuffled to the front to pay, and Mr. Bobbit scurried off to the car, keeping his arms stiff. Beatrix looked down to see what Sybil thought of the situation, and gasped.

All of the plates were completely empty, and Sybil's lips stained blue. "Can we get more pancakes?"

"I think you've had enough, Gemma," Beatrix whispered the name.

The pancake test had worked after all.

Sybil tilted her head to the side and grinned. Then, she stood, patted Penny's head and went to join Mr. Bobbit in the car.

Beatrix didn't know what to do. Could she be wrong?

No, this was not Sybil.

But that meant, Sybil was trapped beneath the house!

Beatrix held Penny close and darted to the front, tugging Mrs. Bobbit towards the car despite her protestations to slow down lest they slip on sand covered ground which was always slippery.

Sybil sat in the back seat of the car, Mr. Bobbit behind the steering wheel. His hands were still not on it, glued to his pockets.

"Dad, you will have to use your hands to drive," Beatrix said as she slid into the car, staring at the possible Sybil imposter.

Mr. Bobbit grunted, Mrs. Bobbit huffed and the car spluttered to a start carrying them back to the titled beach house.

"Where is she?" Beatrix asked.

The Sybil imposter stuck her bottom lip out, "Pancakes are very good. I've never had them before, you know. Perhaps I'd like the chance to eat pancakes whenever I wanted."

"Sybil doesn't really like pancakes," Beatrix whispered back, getting angrier by the moment. "She pretends to. Because we're a 'Pancake Family' whatever that means. But she really likes waffles. That's what gave you away."

The fake Sybil shrugged. "Well I'd like the chance to find out what other things I like."

"I thought you weren't interested in my boring little life?"

"I changed my mind, you should try it sometime. It's delightful," Gemma grinned.

"I want Sybil back. Now. We're getting her as soon as we get back to this cursed house," Beatrix gritted her teeth.

"It'll cost you. And remember, I only deal in precious treasures. So it better be something precious if you want your sister returned."

"Well, I'll be inside," Mr. Bobbit grumbled as he fled from the car while it was still driving forward in the driveway. Mrs. Bobbit shrieked and leapt into the driver's seat to hit the brakes before the car toppled the house.

"We'll be back, just walking out to the beach!" Beatrix called as she jumped out of the car pulling the Sybil imposter along.

Once they climbed the hill overlooking the beach blinking gemstones in the afternoon sun, Beatrix turned to Gemma.

Her eyes gleamed as they looked at Penny still nestled in her arms.

"No way," Beatrix shook her head.

"Well, then something else," Gemma put her hands on her hips. A gesture that was so not Sybil, Beatrix couldn't believe she had almost missed it.

But she hadn't, really. That was why she'd began blabbering about pancakes. Something in Sybil's eye.

Beatrix's hand slipped inside her cloak, to the little pocket her wand was nestled in. To lose her wand, was unthinkable.

But her sister brought more magic into her world than her wand every could.

Reluctantly, she offered the wand to fake Sybil, and watched her transform into a perfect mirror of herself once more.

"It was fun playing with you, witch," she said.

Beatrix furrowed her brows until Gemma stuck two fingers in her mouth and whistled twice. Looking out at the ocean, Beatrix waited for something to happen.

And something did happen.

Two brown furry creatures swam backwards towards the shore. Between them, holding each of their paws, was Sybil gliding through the water. Her pale hair was damp and covered in seaweed. She looked wild and beautiful.

"Bye Otis, bye Rota!" Sybil stood in the sand and waved at the two otters as they swam off. Then she turned, and leapt through the air. "BEA! BEA!"

Beatrix ran to meet her sister. When they hugged, Beatrix felt the salty water and seaweed and sand stinging her skin, but didn't pull away. "What happened?" she asked.

"Dad took some treasure, so I made a trade," Sybil smiled.

"I figured you'd be the clever one, witch," Gemma's voice spoke. When Beatrix searched for her, though, she found her back in the water, green skin dotted with jewels. "But it seems your sister is, how curious. Goodbye, clever one. Tell your dad to use that treasure wisely."

"I will," Sybil nodded sagely. "Tell Otis and Rota to lay off the clams."

"Remember what I said," Gemma flicked a seashell from the water that landed perfectly in Sybil's outstretched hand.

"As soon as we're back," Sybil promised.

With a splash and a green fin, Gemma was gone.

"What was that about?" Beatrix asked.

"Pancakes," Sybil giggled and took off leaping down the beach, clutching the mysterious seashell tightly.