The summer went on.
It should've been a time of holidays, picnics and merriment, but it was dreadful.
The huge discord in the environment continued to be Miranda. Being out of school for the summer meant that she was around the house when not out and up to no good with her friends. Her attitude toward everyone in the house, especially NT, remained scornful at best. Miranda did everything she could to make NT miserable, and then laugh openly at her.
One example of this was when Pippi and Ariel took the girls out to a multicultural food and music festival. Miranda was as interested in that as a slug, and she did nothing but whine in the car the whole way there, sneer at the festivities once there, and complain how she couldn't wait for this "boring afternoon" to be over.
NT had to bite her tongue so often during that outing, to avoid giving Miranda an opportunity to start an actual fight and cause a scene right there. Inwardly, oh, how she wished Miranda had stayed home or been out with her friends so the women wouldn't have tried getting her to go along.
Ariel tried to smooth Miranda's feathers without success.
Oddly enough, it was Pippi who almost gave Miranda an opportunity to fight with a rather firm comment to the incessant grumbling. "Well, Miranda, if you really hate it here so much, you can always take the bus home."
This resulted in a nod and a hopeful smile at Pippi from NT, but an angry outburst from Miranda.
"Well if you didn't want me to come along you should've told me!" Miranda flared.
NT took in a sharp breath and flushed. She looked about to explode at last, just what Miranda had been counting on. But instead, she thought better of it. "I'm going to walk along that path for a while," she gestured in the general direction. Then, she moved off, glad to be away from that horribly annoying Miranda.
"Aren't you gonna go get her? You're not gonna let her just wander off like that." Miranda said to Ariel.
But Ariel and Pippi both knew that Miranda was only saying this to be a pain in the neck and not out of any real concern. "NT's not a baby - well," Ariel corrected herself, "she's not your typical one-year-old, Miranda."
"Noooooo kidding." Miranda sneered disdainfully.
"Stop it!" Ariel warned in a fierce, embarrassed whisper.
"Since when does your owner's daughter listen to you?" Miranda shot back, "You're nothing but an ex-servant--"
"That's enough!" Pippi said sharply, glaring at Miranda.
"or what?" Miranda retorted, once she got over the shock of having Pippi get angry with her.
"You don't want to find out," Pippi cautioned. "Now, knock it off."
Miranda knew she couldn't win with Pippi, who probably had her all figured out anyway. Besides, Pippi had been known to take on stronger, more fierce opposition and manage to humiliate them and had never been a push-over, even as a child. Miranda knew that from what she'd seen and read of the books and movies that covered Pippi's formative years. She really wanted to get to Ariel and NT anyway, and she was satisfied she had done that for now.
Finally, Miranda looked at Pippi, who she still admired, envied, and even feared a little. "Sorry, Pippi. I didn't mean to upset you."
But Pippi wasn't satisfied with that. "I'm not the one who deserves an apology."
Miranda felt herself getting defensive again. "Fine!" she snapped.
"Don't start that again." Pippi seemed determined to confront her.
"All right, all right, all right! Sheesh, sorry, sorry, sorry, okayeeees!?" Miranda snarked.
"Miranda!" Ariel said again in a sharp, embarrassed half-whisper.
"Well then, it's up to you," Pippi said coolly, "You can stop acting up, right now, or I'll go get NT, pitch you up into those trees over there," she pointed to a group of large trees several feet away, "and we'll leave without you."
Ariel's jaw dropped for a moment, and so did Miranda's. But it got the results Pippi wanted.
"I'll stop." Miranda finally said gloomily.
"Good." Pippi replied more gently, but she did not reward Miranda with a reassuring smile.
"I gotta go find a washroom." Miranda said, and retreated.
Pippi looked at Ariel. "I'm sorry if I overstepped my bounds here, Ariel, but that girl has tried everything to wreck this outing, not just for NT, but for all of us. I couldn't stay quiet any longer when she made that nasty little crack about you being hers and her father's ex-servant, as if you were beneath her."
"That's all right, Pippi, I'm glad you did step in. Nothing I would've said could have made her stop, and she knows it."
Pippi frowned. "Yes, but it wouldn't hurt to begin standing up to her and laying down the law while she's here. Ex-servant or not, you are the guardian, for now, she's the child. Don't let her trample all over you because of her wishful thinking and antiquated ideas about status."
"You're right, I know. I just don't seem to know how to do that - until she says something about NT - that's where I absolutely have to draw the line." Ariel replied.
"Have you found any other places that will take Miranda yet?" Pippi asked.
"No, the agencies have told me that the group homes she would be placed in are already too crowded, I'd have to send her somewhere across the country."
"Private/boarding schools are very expensive, and with no guarantees of success with someone like her." Pippi added. "Well, I guess all we can keep doing is stay in touch with social services until they find another foster home for her. Normally I'm not keen on children becoming wards of the state, but she can't stay with us permanently, not the way she's been upsetting things. She doesn't want to be here, and in my opinion, social services should've placed her with someone who has no history of dealings with her father."
"I know, this really isn't fair to NT, she shouldn't have to grow up with my ex-master's daughter, who literally hates her." Ariel agreed.
"And you shouldn't have to put up with being abused either." Pippi said. "As for Danae, maybe we should've moved NT in with her instead of Miranda. She's told me she's thought about moving out because Miranda has taken over and invaded her space."
Ariel's eyes went wide, and then the surprise turned to dismay. "Oh, no. Pippi, I'm so sorry. Why didn't Danae tell me? The only reason I moved Miranda in with her instead of NT was because I was afraid NT might feel bannished from her room, replaced by Miranda."
"And Miranda would do everything to make NT believe that, too." Pippi theorized.
Ariel nodded. "Exactly."
"Danae didn't want to put you in an even more awkward situation than you were already. She also thought giving Miranda a fair chance might possibly help improve things - but anyone can see, it hasn't; Miranda is simply not interested in trying to make this work." Pippi stated.
A while later, a loud voice was heard coming toward them, and then two figures, both looking angry. They were Miranda and NT. Miranda was doing all the mouthing off, and NT looked about to explode.
"Miranda, I will count to three, and then..." Pippi cut in firmly.
"Okay, okay, okay, sorry, Pippi, sorry, sorry, I won't say any more, I'll shut up now if that'll make you happy, sorry, okay?" Miranda said, doing her best to get out of the tree trap Pippi had threatened her with. But she was also seething mad that she was powerless against Pippi right now. Adding to this was the insult at feeling humiliated, treated like a three-year-old. But from this time until they got home, there was no more trouble from Miranda.
From that day on, NT always seemed to hold on to Mia's pouch with at least one hand in addition to having it secured around her neck.
The trouble with Miranda didn't let up for good, in fact, things only got worse.
One Saturday, Danae was needed for something across town, so she had her alarm set for 7 A.m.
Miranda was startled awake, and she snapped irritably at Danae. "What're you trying to do wake the dead?"
"Yeah..me." she replied groggily. She stretched and slowly got to her feet, yawned and brushed the hair out of her face with a flick of her hand.
"well *excuuuuse* me. *Some* people around here don't have to get up with the freakin' birds, you know?" Miranda sneered.
"Lucky them. Some of us don't have a choice." Danae said matter of factly and headed for the stereo to put on music while she got dressed.
Miranda snorted and made a big show of turning away, rolling over on her side to face the wall.
Danae turned on the stereo,. Phil Collins's "Don't You Lose My number"
Miranda groaned.
Danae then started rummaging in her dresser, deciding what she should wear.
"Do you *have* to do that?" Miranda demanded with an exasperated sigh.
"What, get dressed? Would you rather I went about town in the nude?" Danae figured Miranda was really complaining about the music, but she couldn't resist the opportunity to give the grumpy girl a hard time.
When Phil's line in the song, "I'm never comin back!" was heard, Miranda muttered," "If only that were true." Aloud, she whined, "At least play something interesting."
"What?" Danae pretended to be shocked and hurt. "You don't like Phil Collins? Oh dearie me."
"There's some cds on that table pick one." Miranda indicated her cd collection that consisted of boybands, and the hottest mail teen-idols of the day.
"That's *your* cd collection." Danae jabbed a finger disgustedly in the direction of Miranda's cds. "Ya wanna listen to that, you put them on yourself. I'll be outa here b'fore ya know it."
"Oh please." Miranda turned over and tried to ignore Danae.
In a few minutes, Danae was dressed, and she turned off the cd and headed downstairs to have breakfast.
Miranda muttered some sharp words as she lay in bed, not at all happy at having been woke up in this way, but eventually she fell asleep again.
Later on in the morning, she awoke on her own and could hear Pippi on the phone in the kitchen. Seizing her chance, she quickly washed up and dressed, then did her hair and makeup. Then she ducked downstairs and out of the house without a word, or taking the time to eat breakfast. She had planned to meet a friend at the mall that afternoon, she might as well go there now and hang out.
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At the mall around lunch time.
NOTE: The real NT is at home with Ariel while all of this takes place.
"I'm getting hungry," Miranda said, "and we might as well eat while waiting for Tonya to show."
"Sounds good." NT2 replied.
The two girls looked around at the various food stands, and then Miranda decided she wanted a taco. NT2 agreed and followed her there.
A cute little black girl about 8 or nine years old was in front of them.
The waitress looked down at the girl and smiled. "May I take your order please?"
The girl fidgeted, looked up at the menu, back at the waitress, then back at the menu again. "Ummm...what do I want, what do I want," she muttered to herself.
NT2 and Miranda were close enough to hear this, and NT2 snorted. "Oh, will you look at this. Now we'll be standing here an hour at least.
Miranda tried not to laugh. It looked like this plan was going well. "It won't be that long, we're next."
NT2 rolled her eyes. "This is ridiculous, we haven't got all day."
After the girl finally decided, there was still a bit of a wait because the taco had to be prepared.
"Oh, come on!"
"What's the rush, N? The movie doesn't start for another hour."
"And it takes time to eat, you know? Unless you like to inhale your food and I certainly don't." NT2 sneered.
"Oh, you're not like Danae, I forgot." Miranda smirked.
"Demn straight I'm not like that big ugly wench." NT2 moved up to the counter, elbowing the little girl aside. "Hey miss, some service here, like, today?"
"NT, cut it out!" Miranda hissed in an embarrassed whisper.
"Hey, I was here first!" the little girl exclaimed.
NT2 looked at the girl and sneered."Oh go home to Mommy, brat. Some of us can't wait all day."
"Look who's talking!" the girl retorted.
A tall black woman in a blue t shirt and blue jeans came up. "Don't pay her no mind, Julia," she said to the girl, then turned to NT2. "Hey kid, Julia was here first, now let her back in line where she was!"
NT2 shook her head disdainfully. "This doesn't look like a nursery to me."
"Too bad, 'cause you need one!" little Julia flung back.
Miranda stifled a giggle.
The waitress looked from one to the other, a worried expression on her face. "If you're going to fight, please don't do it here."
"Now cool it, NT!" Miranda exclaimed, doing her best to feign embarrassment.
NT2 looked back at her. "Do you want to get out of here in time for the movie or not?" Then she turned to the waitress. "Hey, who's fighting, I just want some service that's all! *If* that's not too much for you, that is."
The waitress nodded. "Yes, and you'll get it but you have to wait your turn." She rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath, then handed the little girl her taco.
"Thanks," the girl said to the waitress, then looked at NT2, "You heard the lady."
"Oh, put a sock in it, kid." NT2 sneered.
"Ya wanna show me how?" the girl snapped back.
"You're really asking for it, kid, you know that?" NT2 retorted.
"Stop calling me hkid' you dork!"
"Julia, let's just go," the mother said, with a glare at NT2. "Didn't your mama ever teach ya manners?" she snapped at her. Then taking her daughter's hand, they stormed off.
The waitress finally got NT2 and Miranda their tacos. Though she took her own sweet time doing it, much to NT2's dismay.
NT2 grumbled continuously, and much of what she said was quite foul.
A customer behind them shook his head. "Wow, talk about the pot calling the kettle black."
NT2 glared at him.
"Must be PMS." he muttered.
Miranda couldn't help laughing.