With the coming of spring, Jessica decided that the furbies should have the weekends off from combat training and putting on shows. Sunday nights were for just relaxing or playing games, and Jessica introduced dramatic reading night which would be on Saturdays. Of course, she also said they could have one of those any other week night if they desired.
The first dramatic reading night featured the mangle of the Special Occasion Tantra meme. Jessica herself would read the chain letter part, and she assigned Kitri to read BP's, and Toby, Ocean's.
As they read, the other furbies listened sometimes with rolling eyes or unpleasantly shocked expressions at the chain letter's content, and with snickers and giggling at Kitri's snarky delivery of BP's unimpressed comments and Toby's execution of Ocean's awkward or annoyed ones.
Neither Kitri nor Toby could always read out their parts without laughing, especially later on in the mangle, and there was one part that called for a punch. Kitri threw it so hard that she lost her balance and tumbled off Jessica's shoulder.
Way to go, Kitri!" Duckling teased.
"Shadup, Quacker!" Kitri retorted playfully.
Everyone except Jenny laughed.
"Show off, serves you right." she muttered.
"What did you say, Jenny?" asked Floyd, who was closested to hear, and detecting something wasn't quite right.
"Nothing, Floyd." she said.
Several paragraphs after that, Toby couldn't read his part for laughing too hard. Kitri was in as bad a state, and Jessica burst out laughing first at Ocean's line, and then got the giggles at seeing Kitri and Toby losing it so badly.
All of the other furbies were in the dark, but they knew that from the way Toby and Kitri were carrying on that whenever the reading resumed, whatever it was making them laugh, would probably be worth the wait and a good laugh all around.
Only Jenny wasn't willing to wait. "Well, I didn't want to spend all night listening to you two hyenas laughing your fool heads off."
"What is wrong with you lately?" Floyd turned to confront Jenny, who hurried away in a huff before he could even be sure she heard him asking.
Jessica noted Jenny's disgusted behaviour too, and watched after her for a moment, shaking her head.
"What's up with Jenny?" asked Sybil.
"I have no idea." Jessica replied.
"Who knows.?" said Toby, rolling his eyes.
"Well, carry on, if you can." said Jessica.
The rest of the mangling was read, and when they were through, they received applause from the audience, and then Jessica rewarded Kitri and Toby with a wild ride on The Jessica.
"Oh, can I do a part in the next dramatic reading?" asked Dmitri.
Jessica chuckled. "Of course."
That night, Jenny couldn't be found anywhere. No matter how they called, where they looked, no one could locate her.
The result was a sleepless night for Jessica, which in turn meant a sleepless night for Sundown and Toby, who stayed with her to try helping her keep calm.
Jessica kept jumping up out of bed to search the house. each subsequent search was done more forcefully than the last, with Jessica going from concerned to a sort of distress that looked like frantic bordering on anger. Various doors and drawers from every cabinet, cupboard, desk, vanity, and closet throughout the house, were thrown open and slammed shut, usually accompanied with sharp utterances and looks from Jessica.
Toby remained with her, and he looked under and behind furniture where Jessica couldn't reach or see as well from the front. He had no more luck than she did.
Sundown searched through the house on his own, and also turned up nothing.
Finally, at the end of her rope, Jessica gave in to a bit of a fit, ranting out a few things as she returned to her room with a shuddering Toby on her shoulder.
Finally, Sundown pointed out when returning to Jessica's bedroom that the window was open wide enough for Jenny to have jumped out. "She probably just went out for some fresh night air and ended up crashing outside somewhere." he said.
"That makes sense, Jess," Toby added hopefully. "Any one of us could make a landing safely in that tree nearest to your window."
Jessica heaved a sigh, trying to calm down. "Oh, Sundown, I hope you're right."
With this being the most likely possibility, Jessica finally grew calmer and went back to bed, with Sundown and Toby on either side of the pillow.
Just before dawn, Jessica was startled awake by a thud at her window. Her eyes blinked open and she could make out a diminutive figure on the ledge.
She immediately remembered the situation as she came fully awake, and she watched quietly as Jenny jumped down from the ledge, landing on the floor with an even louder thud.
"Hmh!" Toby startled awake.
But he wasn't the only one.
"What's going on?" Kitri asked drowsily.
"Oh, crap." Jenny muttered.
Jessica stifled a laugh, then carefully got up, trying not to jostle Sundown awake, but put a hand on Toby, silently encouraging him to climb aboard.
Jessica narrowed the opening in the window, then strode to the door to shut it and flick on the light.
"Ugh." Kitri groaned, squeezing her eyes shut against the sudden glare. "That light."
"Sorry, Kitri." said Jessica.
Jenny recoiled as Jessica went to pick her up.
"Glad to have you back, Jenny," Jessica said, smiling at her, "But the next time you want to go off on your own like that especially at night, please let me know."
"Oh, sorry, Mother Hen." Jenny snarked, looking and acting as though Jessica was nothing but a demanding pest.
Jessica raised her eyebrows. "Excuse me?"
"Oh, nothing." Jenny said sulkily and struggled to get free of Jessica's already loosening grip.
Toby said nothing, but gave Jenny the evil eye and wouldn't stop glowering at her even when she was well out of Jessica's way. Jessica felt him vibrate on her shoulder with a low, menacing growl.
"Ah, I see, we have a furby in the bratty teen faze." Kitri sniped, perturbed.
"Shut up, Kitri." Jenny retorted, finding a place to settle for what little remained of the night.
"I can't believe this - she just told Kitri to shut up." Jet said.
"Well somebody has to, she just talks all the time." said Jenny.
Kitri ignored Jenny's complaint about her and responded to the initial demand with "Show me how."
"Nobody's that stupid, and you're not the boss of me." Jenny said defiantly.
Jessica rolled her eyes. "Only annoying little brats say that, Jenny, so where were you all this time?"
"Jenny scowled at Jessica but only for a moment. Then, her expression turned smug. "I can't tell you, I'm supposed to show Her Majesty how to shut up."
To everyone's surprise, it was mild-mannered Sybil who lost her temper next.
The pink bunny furby stormed halfway across the room to where Jenny was settled. "What is your problem, Jenny?" she demanded to know. "And don't say it's nothing because that's bull. You've been copping an attitude lately and I'm sure I'm not the only one who's noticed."
Jenny went silent and stone-faced, unable to come up with an excuse or a convincing lie.
"Come on, you owe Jess an explanation." said Floyd.
"I don't owe her a thing!" Jenny huffed, defiant as ever.
Toby hissed and made ready to launch himself at Jenny to confront her. Jessica held him back.
"Well then, Jenny," said Jessica firmly, "if you don't like living here any more, I can always send you to live with Hannah. She told me that if any furby - "
"No! Jenny cut her off urgently, the tone of voice and expression indicating sudden panic, "I don't want to live with Hannah!"
"Then show a little common consideration. Letting me know when you'll be out for a while, is that so much to ask?" said Jessica.
Jenny huffed. "Look, I'm sorry okay? From now on I'll just be quiet and do what I'm told." she added with a snark.
"Knock off the passive-aggressiveness before I give you a fat lip!" Sundown exploded.
"All right, everybody, settle down." Jessica tried to intercede.
"If there's one thing I can't stand," Sundown ranted, "It's that kind of attitude!" He advanced on Jenny, glaring her full in the face. "Okay, you say you're gonna do what you're told, I'm holding you to that, starting now! Apologize to Jessica for making her lose half a night's sleep needlessly over you because you just didn't give a darn! Or if you can't do that, just shut up before you get yourself in more trouble."
"Here, here." said Toby.
Jenny glared back. "I already said I'm sorry all right?" she retorted bitterly. "How many times does this nuthouse require an apology from one individual for one little thing? Sheesh!"
"Oh, you are unbelievable!" Toby railed. He would've bolted but for the fact Jessica had already shut the bedroom door. He looked at the door, then at Jessica. "i've gotta get out of here or I'll explode."
"I wish you would." Jenny muttered, scowling at him.
"Enough!" Jessica's voice raised. "This has gone far enough. Are you satisfied you've upset everyone now, Jenny? Is that your game?"
Silence.
"What's happened to you?" Jessica asked. "When did Miss Jeckel turn to Miss Hyde, huh? Can you tell me?"
Still, the aggravatingly defiant furby refused to answer Jessica.
"Hey! She's talking to you!" Duckling said.
"Ah never mind, if she wants to be a brat, let's just leave her be." Jessica said, finally out of patience. "Lucky for her this is a weekend and not a work day.
"But - "
"No, Toby, nothing we do or say is going to get her cooperation. She's just mad about being caught trying to sneak in after sneaking out last night." Jessica said.
"I am not!" Jenny retorted.
"well, whatever your problem is," Jessica advanced on Jenny again. This time, she picked her up and held her very firmly. "It's obviously something we can't help you with, so be it." She headed for the door and opened it. "Everyone, out."
All of the furbies filed out except for Brittany, who, remarkably, hadn't even awakened yet. Jessica checked on her, then decided she would come back for her later and just let her keep sleeping. If Brittany had been up for much of the night as well, it hadn't been fair to her at all, and she deserved to sleep in.
Jessica watched until the other furbies were all out, then she threw Jenny onto the bed, and quickly exited the room, shutting the door again.
At first, Jenny made a mad, mean face at the door, then her expression changed to a smug, satisfied one, and she chuckled to herself.
But she didn't see that Brittany, who was actually pretending to sleep, was watching her through barely opened eyes.