​​​​​​Chapter One: Up the Hill

Pillow-fight
By the end of the summer quarter the girls had neatly packed and labeled their things so that Campus Services could move them to Crumpet Hall. With only some personal necessities in their carry-on bags and Sven still standing guard in the TV room, the Crumpets gathered for their last pre-debut dogpile. Even though all of the furniture was staying, their area of the floor now seemed empty and strange. Sounds echoed off of the bare walls and the lights seemed harsh and direct, so they turned most of them off and sat in a circle illuminated by Sven’s soft amber glow. 

“I’m scared,” Sarah whispered, “Tomorrow everything changes.” It might be hard to appreciate just how true this was; the next day they would move into a new dorm, make their debut, and officially become the face of Looking-Glass, which was a very weighty and adult responsibility. 

“Yes, things will change. We may not be little girls anymore, but there will always be a little girl inside each of us,” Tabitha said in a soft and reassuring voice. As their leader, she had to keep her own fears in check. “We have trained hard for many years and we have practiced until we do our routines in our sleep,” she said, adding, “Tomorrow we may have to show what we do, but to me, it is more that we get to show off what we do.” Tabby took Sarah’s hand and smiled, “I am scared too, but more than that, I am crazy-excited to get on that stage with my sisters and drop it, cuz we are going to kill it! We’re going to knock them dead!” 

​Tabitha’s speech was inspiring, but her fiery resolve had a bit of an unexpected result. Rather than the sweet moment of validating comradery that she had envisioned, the situation quickly erupted into an epic pillow-fight. 

“We’re gonna kill it!” Kari shouted, whilst bopping Tinsley in the face with a pillow. The girls started screaming, laughing, and whaling on each other like they had gone completely mad. Enid, Bess, and all of the girls from the other side of the floor rushed in to see what all the commotion was about. At first glance, they were unsure if this was a serious matter or just a good-natured, albeit improper, romp. EinBe tried to put an end to it, only to be drawn into it themselves. 

While the other residents of the floor looked on the battle, which now included the managers, continued with great ferocity, Candice, a new arrival to the floor, leaned into Amber, who had lived there for a long time, and asked, “These are the girls who are debuting tomorrow, yes?” 

Amber casually replied, “Yep, that’s them.”

Eventually the battle petered out and the exhausted combatants collapsed on the floor with a mixture of giggles and sobs. Tinsley had a bit of a coughing fit that was easily fixed by bottles of water that Analey passed around. 

Once she had quenched her thirst, Tinsley said, “Well, Tabby, that was one memorable motivational talk.” 

“She's right, it was, and I am also super excited about strutting our stuff tomorrow!” Analey interjected. 

Weirdly enough, even Kari caught the sentimental bug, adding, “It's true, we are sisters. You guys are the best!” 

The dogpile turned into a big hug, with the girls all expressing how much they cared about each other, and how proud they were to be a part of something so much larger-than-life. 

“Well, this is the mushy part of the show, so I’m outta here,” Amber said as she turned around to head back to the other side of the floor. 

Her dormmates followed suit and they headed toward their own rooms, with Candice bringing up the rear asking, “Are we all destined to end up like them?” 

One of her dormmates — Yuna, I think it was — replied, “If you mean going mad, then we can only hope so. I think it is just part of debuting; have you ever known of an idol who wasn’t off by a tick or two?” 

It may sound like the Crumpets were going off their rails, which they were. However, between Tabitha’s words, a stress-releasing romp, and a group hug, they felt much better, thank you very much.

After winding down they were physically and emotionally drained, and began nodding off. Bess and Enid carefully slipped out, leaving the Crumpets to their much-needed rest. 

“I am sure glad Dean Eobseo had the sense to schedule their debut ceremony for the evening. He must have realized that they weren’t going to be getting much sleep,” Enid whispered to Bess as they headed to their rooms. 

“Even still, we will need to get them up fairly early for their surprise breakfast,” Bess replied. 

“Yes, and we will need some extra time to get all of the knots out of their hair,” Enid said, adding with a not-so-slight sense of embarrassment, “I cannot believe that we were just in a pillow-fight!” 

Bess laughed, “I can’t believe it either, and speaking of hair, yours is an epic disaster!”

Wake Up Call
Seemingly, the dawn came early. Bess and Enid woke up and got ready for the day, giving the girls as much time as they could. Finally they went down the hall to wake the surely still-exhausted Crumpets. To their amazement, they discovered that the girls were not only already up, they were showered, had combed their hair, and were quietly rehearsing their songs. 

“Well look who is up,” chided Kari. “We thought we had done you in.” 

“Very funny. Actually we were thinking that it was we who had done you in, so we were letting you sleep-in a bit,” Enid replied, with a tinge of snarcasm (snarky sarcasm) in her voice.

Hearing some activity from the crowd gathering outside for the breakfast, and sensing that it was on the verge of being noticed by the Crumpets, Bess discreetly closed the window and nervously said, “Well, since you are already ready, we should go ahead and get started; it’s a big day you know.” 

“Don’t we have plenty of time? We don’t need to be over to Ravenhurst until eleven,” Sarah asked, feeling a sudden rush of agoraphobia. 

Bess replied, “Well, we should at least get some breakfast in you.” 

Concerned that Bess was going to blow the secret, Enid threw her a side glance and said, “Uh, so, we should all go to Thornbury now, before they run low on the good stuff.” 

“Thornbury, run low on good stuff? They always have good stuff." Tinsley giggled. “I think I must have hit you a few too many times last night,” she said, patting Enid on the head as she proceeded to the door. 

Tabitha stood up and exclaimed, “To Thornbury! Crumpets, ho!”

Pancakes on a Stick
The girls and their managers headed down the hall and, as usual, some were going to wait for the elevator while others made for the stairs. 

Bess stammered, “Oh, we should all ride the elevator!” 

“Yes, that would be good,” Enid added. 

Tinsley stopped at the brink of the stairs and turned back, muttering, “I must have hit them both a few too many times.” 

Packed like sardines with her dormmates and managers in the elevator, Analey remarked, “I am sure  glad we all had a chance to take showers this morning.” 

“This must be our manager’s way of keeping us close,” Kari said as she poked a very ticklish Bess in the side. 

Bess jumped and bumped into the alarm button. The alarm bell only rang briefly, but it was good for a laugh. “Heol! I don’t know if I am cut out to be an idol manager,” she exclaimed. 

“I know,” Enid said. “And they aren’t even idols yet!” 

The elevator stopped and everyone disembarked. “Wow, the lobby is totally empty. It’s not that early, where is everyone?” Sarah asked. 

“It’s suspicious,” added Yulia. 

It was indeed suspicious, and Yulia’s intuition was confirmed when they stepped out of the front door of the dorms. Just out of sight of the lobby windows, the residents of Taengoo Hall (it is really Taeyeon Hall but virtually everyone calls it Taengoo Hall), along with a large number of other students, were waiting to surprise the girls with a pancake breakfast. I should point out that the pancake breakfast was originally going to include just the residents of the ninth floor, but word got out, and it quickly ballooned into a rather large affair that was too big for the dorm's lobby to handle. As such it needed to be held outside, and without setting up tents or a lot of equipment that would have ruined the surprise. So the size and location of the breakfast, which was going to feature actual crumpets, now required switching to pancakes on a stick. Now, pancakes on a stick are nothing new, but concerned over the quality of the breakfast, the girls of the ninth floor commissioned the Consortium Culinary Arts School (C-CAS) to create the ultimate pancake on a stick, which they did. To this day, if you go to any event at the Glass, the Consortium, or most anywhere around Zeitgeist, you will likely find C-CAS pancakes on a stick being served. 

Oh yes, the surprise. When the girls stepped out, everyone yelled, “Surprise!” 

Speeches
The Crumpets were indeed taken aback, as were EinBe, who, despite having been in on most of the surprise, were not in on one part of it. 

After everyone yelled “Surprise,” Amber and the other girls from the ninth floor revealed that they had pillows hidden behind their backs. They yelled a second “Surprise!” and proceeded to parade by the Crumpets and their managers giving each a ceremonial pillow bop. 

The Crumpets screamed and turned pink with embarrassment. “You guys didn't tell everyone about the pillow-fight incident, did you?!” Sarah squeaked, while trying to hide her face. 

With a perfectly devilish grin, Amber replied, “Not everyone.” 

At that point, Jimmy rolled up to give Amber a microphone, and to offer the Crumpets some reassurance. A devilish grin on his own face, he said, “Don’t worry, I won’t have a chance to post the video until tonight, so no one will see it. At least not until after your debut." 

Desperate to change the subject, Bess, in a somewhat loud voice said, “Well, that was fun! Now onto the important business of pancakes!” 

“Yes, yes, and the Crumpets should know that this lovely breakfast was set up by your floormates,” Enid interjected, while throwing a side glance at Amber, who was now grinning ear to ear. “It is true, these girls dreamed this up and did a lot of hard work,” Enid added, and then started a round of applause. 

Amber, with her mates flanking her, microphone in hand, pulled out a piece of paper and read from it, “You have been students here for a long time. At one time or another, most of us here have been your classmates, dormmates, floormates, roommates, and always your friends. Bess and Enid, you have been our RAs for many years, and good ones at that. Now, you are all moving up the hill, the first unit group of our generation. We will miss you.” 

After faking a sniffle, Amber continued, “Of course, we will still be seeing you every day, and having the whole floor to ourselves for an entire quarter is going to be pretty cool. Regardless, we really will miss you. From your floormates, dormmates, and fellow students, we wish you the very best of luck with your debut. We are proud of you and we are super excited to get our free — autographed —  copies of your mini-album. Wink-wink, nudge-nudge.” 

Now, so you know, the release of the Crumpets mini-album had intentionally been held until the day of their debut, so not very many people knew precisely what their concept was going to be. Despite the obscurity, virtually all of the students were very eager to hear what the girls had done. 

The crowd cheered and applauded. Promptly the Crumpets and their managers began crying, and there was a lot of hugging and general mushiness. 

Amber could only handle so much of this, so she tried, like Bess had, to move the focus to the breakfast by yelling, “Hey everybody, it’s free pancake time!” 

“Not so fast,” Tabitha exclaimed as she wiped her eyes with a tissue supplied by a well-prepared Jimmy. “You aren’t getting off the hook that easily!” 

Tabitha took the mic, hugged Amber and her mates, and then addressed the crowd, “Thank you! Thank you all so very much. This really means the world to us. I can’t believe you did all of this.” Amber bowed and pointed to her floormates (who, by the way, would only a year later be formed into a unit group named “Interrogative,” prompting the ninth floor of Taengoo Hall to become known as the “Idol Factory”). 

Tabitha continued, “We are nervous but excited, and we are determined to perform in a way that deserves your confidence. We are proud to be a part of the Glass, grateful for all of your help and support, and we will do all we can to represent the Glass and all of you, our friends and comrades, in a fashion that reflects that pride.” 

The crowd applauded warmly, and during the applause, Tabitha called the Crumpets over to her. She whispered something to them, something that they all seemed to agree on. Sarah was standing closest to her, and much to her dismay, Tabitha said, “Sarah why don’t you say a few words?” 

Stuffing the mic into Sarah’s hand, Tabitha disappeared into the dorms. 

An Awkward Story 
Sarah did a great job of keeping the crowd occupied. In fact, according to Jimmy, who is a statistician at heart, Sarah had the crowd wrapped around her finger for exactly four minutes with an awkward, totally irrelevant, and yet delightfully charming story about some money that Yulia owed her from years ago. Seriously, four minutes is a long time to keep a crowd of hungry people entertained when you have nothing planned to say, and there is a yummy smell drifting in the air. 

Sarah was nearly at her breaking point when Tabitha reappeared, carrying Sven. The Crumpets gathered in front of the crowd, forcibly pulling Amber and her mates along with them. 

“As many of you know, this is Sven,” Tabitha said, holding him up for the crowd to see. “Sven has been the guardian of our end of the floor for a long time, even back at Consortium.” 

Tabitha passed Sven down the line of Crumpets to Kari, who was keeping Amber from escaping. 

Kari held Amber with one hand and Sven with the other. “We, the Gothy Crumpets, hereby bequeath to you, the new masters of the ninth floor, Sven —  TV-room-guardian-and-lucky-charm-extraordinaire,” Kari announced as she handed him to Amber, who was rather puzzled by the gesture. 

Regardless, the would-be Interrogatives graciously accepted the lamp, although Candice did throw in a “Mad-as-hatters!” remark. 

At long last, the breakfast could begin. Everyone enjoyed the pancakes, especially the Crumpets. Somehow food tastes that much better when you are the guests of honor. The girls socialized and had a great time. They had been at it for nearly two hours when Enid and Bess started rounding them up to go to their meeting with Dean Eobseo at Ravenhurst. They said their goodbyes and headed up the hill with their managers to the stately manor. 

Ravenhurst
Upon their arrival the Crumpets were greeted by a clearly excited Dean Eobseo. “Aha! My stars are here,” he declared as he held the manors heavy wooden door open. “Come in, come in, we will be meeting in the drawing room, please make yourselves comfortable,” he said as he pointed the way. 

The girls filed into the drawing room where they were greeted by Kyan (kie-n) and Siera (see-ra), the Dean’s Royal Dangi black leopards. If you have never heard of Royal Dangi leopards, they are the only domesticated big cats in the world. Kyan and Siera were given to the Dean by King Tulgen, following their rescue as kittens by Dean Eobseo after poachers had killed their mother. Incidentally, Dean Eobseo is the only person in the world to have these cats outside of Tollani monasteries or the King's palace, but that is another story. At any rate, after petting and hugging the big cats, who by the way are very friendly, everyone but Analey (who remained completely transfixed by them), found a seat and settled in as if they were at home. 

Dean Eobseo came into the drawing room, and encouraged Analey to make herself comfortable, “My dear girl, please have a seat, they are all quite comfortable.” 

Analey sat down next to Kari, her bewildered eyes scanning every inch of the wood-paneled room which was filled with wonderful curiosities from all over the world. 

“Now, anyone for some tea?” Dean Eobseo offered, as he rolled a freshly stocked service cart into the middle of the room. “I’m a bit too old and shaky to serve this up, so please feel free to help yourselves,” he said, as he sat down in a big, dark leather wingback chair. While the Dean was indeed getting along in years, the shaky part had more to do with excitement than anything else. “I trust you had a nice breakfast?” he asked the girls. 

“Yes we did, but you weren’t there,” Tabitha replied. 

“No, that was for you and your classmates,” Dean Eobseo said as he fumbled with a large box stashed behind his chair. “The other girls from your floor really wanted to do something personal for you, and even though it ballooned into a bit more, I still wanted them to have their moment with you to just be students.” 

In fact, when Dean Eobseo heard about the breakfast and how much it had grown, he discreetly funded it — something he did a lot of over the years.

Once everyone had their tea, Dean Eobseo could get down to business. “Well, you girls look bright and energetic. How are you feeling about today?” he asked. 

Tabitha began, “We are really excited and a little nervous. More excited than anything though, and we are determined to make you proud.” 

Enid chimed in, “I think the Crumpets are absolutely ready.” 

“Definitely!” Yulia said, with a confident sparkle. 

Then all of the girls, seemingly having communicated telepathically, recited, “Right now we are Gothy Crumpets! From now on we are Gothy Crumpets! Forever Gothy Crumpets!” 

A misty-eyed Dean Eobseo clapped his hands and said, “Yes, yes, it seems that you are indeed ready.” To avoid any unseemly blubbering, he quickly moved on. He sniffled a bit and said, “The purpose of this meeting is to give you something before we take you over to Crumpet Hall. Now, so you know, what I am giving to you, I will need to take back for a bit just before your debut.”

From the large box, Dean Eobseo pulled out a small, black-lacquered wooden box. The box had a brushed nickel knob, key hole, and engraved plaque. He read the name on the box, “Analey,” whereupon he handed it to her. He repeated in this manner until each of the Crumpets had one. 

Clutching their boxes excitedly, they all waited for the go-ahead to open them. The Dean sat back down. “Please open them,” he said with a delighted smile. Inside the purple satin-lined boxes were beautiful, silver pendants. 

“These are your new key fobs,” he told them. 

The girls gasped. “They are lovely!” Sarah exclaimed, and all of the others added their agreement to this. 

“As you probably have guessed, these replace your regular, plastic student key fobs,” the Dean explained. 

All of the students at Looking-Glass receive a key fob, which gives them access to various areas of the campus. Additionally, having a student fob and/or ID card helps to keep the students safe off-campus, in that all of the taxi companies in Zeitgeist know that if they bring a stranded student to the LGC security office, the fare will be paid by the Glass. 

Dean Eobseo continued, “These aren’t just your new fobs, they are your official unit group tags. They are made from titanium, sapphire glass, and precious metals by famed watch and jewelry makers, Yesul and Meotjin. Your name is engraved on the inside of the glass, where there are five diamonds and your birthstone, a gem for each of the six members.” The Dean also told them that each box contained a little, bottom drawer, which held a personal note from him, as well as the keys to the box. 

Incidentally, KySi (the girl's term for Kyan and Siera as a pair) wear a similar fob, allowing them to get through special cat doors. Instead of being on a titanium chain, they’re worn on their collars—orange for Kyan, and purple for Siera, to help people tell them apart.

While the girls were trying on their new pendants, Dean Eobseo informed them that, as Crumpets, they now had access to even more areas of the Glass, as well as to Ravenhurst, with the exception of his private chambers. He told them that they should feel free to use any of Ravenhurst’s amenities like the pool, carwash, or Grand Ballroom. 

“Grand Ballroom?!” Analey questioned with wide eyes. 

“Why, yes,” Dean Eobseo replied. “You have seen it, haven’t you?” 

“No, I have only seen Ravenhurst from the outside,” Analey answered. 

Dean Eobseo was clearly mortified. “I am so sorry. I don’t know how this could be! Well, when you have time, please come over for a tour. If I am not here, one of your members can show you around. On the way out we will go out though the ballroom, so you can at least have a peek at it. Other than times when there are events happening there, you can consider the Grand Ballroom your personal dance studio,” the Dean imparted to a thoroughly overwhelmed Analey.

“Now, I am afraid we need to press on, as we still need to get you over to Crumpet Hall so you can get ready for this evening. But first, I do have one last thing to give you,” Dean Eobseo announced. 

With this, he pulled out two more wooden boxes. These were larger, made of cherry wood, with carrying handles. He opened one of the boxes to show them its contents. The box was lined with green felt, and the lid formed a tray, while the bottom had a recessed area holding a giant, six-sided, nickel-silver die with each of Crumpets’ names engraved on it. 

The girls laughed. “How cool is that?!” Kari remarked. 

You see, back when the Crumpets named Tabitha as their leader, and they gave themselves titles, they also discussed the issue of introduction order. They didn’t want it to be alphabetical because the same person would always be first, and they didn’t want it to be by rank because they didn't really have ranks. So they decided that they would simply roll a die before each event to determine the introduction order. The dice Dean Eobseo had made for them would make this a bit easier and definitely fancier. You may be wondering why there were two boxes? Well, that was so both the girls and their managers could have one, so as to ensure that there was always an official die available at each event. 

With the business at Ravenhurst done it was time to head over to Crumpet Hall. As promised they left through the Grand Ballroom, which makes up the entirety of the west wing's upper floors. Now, any of us would be quite impressed by this room with its three-story-high ceiling, catwalk balconies, and elegant finishes, but for Analey it was something beyond words. She was a main dancer of a unit group. She was a Looking-Glass student and, as such, had access to numerous dance studios and stages. But now... Now she even had a fairytale ballroom! Not surprisingly they had to drag a now-dazzled Analey out of the Grand Ballroom. She probably would have mentally stayed there for the rest of the day, had it not been for her surprise at seeing a graveyard not far from the west entryway. Even though Ravenhurst was the first building built at the LGC, it was only about five years old at the time of the Crumpets’ debut, so the presence of an old graveyard seemed rather odd. 

Dean Eobseo chuckled at Analey's surprise, “My dear girl, what would a place called Ravenhurst Manor be without an old cemetery?” He added with a wink, “It’s not real, just a bit of fun for Halloween parties, not to mention that it is a great place to write dark poetry.” Suddenly the Dean’s choice of the Crumpets made all the more sense—he was a bit gothy too.

The group walked down to the south gate of Ravenhurst. Through it and across Manor Hill Lane was another gate, the north gate to Crumpet Hall. Nervous with anticipation the girls all took a deep breath as if they were getting ready to jump into a swimming pool, and proceeded to cross the lane. However, KySi stopped and sat dutifully at the gate. 

As soon as the Crumpets realized the cats weren't coming, they all turned on their charm and besieged the Dean, “Can't they come with us, pleeeeease?!” 

Dean Eobseo, knowing he would be hard-pressed to say no, looked up and down the lane. He realized that the gates and fences, installed to keep future fans and paparazzi at bay, would also keep those who might try to harm KySi at bay as well, so he agreed and the big cats merrily rejoined the group. In fact, KySi, who already had full run of Ravenhurst, would also be given access to Crumpet Hall, where they became frequent guests.

Crumpet Hall
Since both Ravenhurst and Crumpet Hall face south toward the campus, the group had to walk around the back yard and garages of the hall before the front of the building came into view. The girls had been to Crumpet Hall several times before for orientations on safety, training sessions for operating the security system, and so on, but they had not been there since the furniture and other finishing bits had been put in place. The first thing that they noticed was that a large, brushed nickel “GC” — which had been covered with a tarp until just moments earlier — had been added to the building over the front portico, and the name “Crumpet Hall” had been inscribed on its front. 

The girls looked at each other. “Are we really worth all of this trouble?” Kari whispered to Tinsley. 

Startling them rather badly, Dean Eobseo, who was standing behind them, said, “Yes, you are, and then some.” 

Kari and Tinsley squeaked and giggled with embarrassment. 

Dean Eobseo, addressing them all, asserted, “As the face of Looking-Glass, your importance cannot be overstated. You have a substantial responsibility, and these little luxuries are just part of our appreciation.” He then stepped up to the front door, opened it, and extending his arm, he invited them in. “Welcome to your new home,” he said with a warm smile.

Walking through the door, the girls first noticed that in the middle of the floor sat a huge stuffed Harey. Who is Harey you ask? Actually, you already know Harey. He is the rabbit in the GC logo. (Get it? Hare-y?) At any rate, Tinsley, who designed Harey, screamed when she saw him, ran over and tackled him with a big hug. She had wanted to have him as a stage prop, but time and resources (making a custom two-meter tall plush rabbit isn’t cheap) had relegated him to merely being painted on a sandwich board. Anticipating Tinsley’s desire to have Harey on stage, Dean Eobseo had him constructed with an inflatable core, so he could be squished into a travel case. Incidentally the Crumpets have never appeared on a performance stage without Harey, a tradition whose maintenance is a bit burdensome for Enid, Bess and the stage crews, but one that they never fail to accommodate. While Tinsley unabashedly cuddled Harey, the other Crumpets took in the lay of the main floor.

For those of you who haven't been there Crumpet Hall’s main floor is a common area with an open design. The kitchen and dining area occupy the west end, with a living room/TV area are to the east, leaving the middle open for dancing or whatever else one might need open floor space for. The TV area has half a dozen loveseats and a full home theater system. There is also a baby grand piano, drum pads, guitars, and microphones so the girls can practice at home. Naturally, as with any of the buildings at the LGC, Crumpet Hall is built like a bomb shelter, with careful attention paid to keeping noise out of the bedrooms. Even still, sound monitors alert the residents if their volume is getting to potentially disturbing levels. Crumpet Hall is a great place to sleep or study, regardless of the shenanigans going on the main floor.

The girls were running around, oohing and ahhing at everything. Unfortunately there was just too much to take in before their show, so Dean Eobseo suggested that they go check out their rooms, pointing out that Enid and Bess had put a great deal of work into them, and had taken great care in setting them up. He also mentioned that there were a few more surprises awaiting them. With that the Crumpets launched themselves up the stairs, not one bothering with the elevator. Bess and Enid had intentionally left the stairway doors propped open so they and the Dean could hear the screams and excited chatter of the girls as they explored their rooms. Each now having their own private bedroom suite.

Individually, each Crumpet had chosen her furniture, which had been delivered and set in place. Then their managers added a host of items as a personal welcome. Regardless of all the work that Bess and Enid did, the girls would still need to unpack the belongings they had sent over; they may have been a bit spoiled, but they were also expected to be reasonably self-reliant. In their rooms they found flowers — lots and lots of flowers — balloons, and gift baskets from the school, as well as from their friends and families. Their official debut outfits were ready and neatly laid out. On each of their beds was a stuffed Harey, much smaller than the one downstairs, mind you. Each Crumpet also received a gothy rag-doll, whose hair and outfit matched, as much as possible, her debut look. Finally, as you might expect, they each received a box of copies of their first album—a mini-album titled, not surprisingly, GothyCrumpets*, which would be officially released at their debut.

*Two words or one? Gothy and Crumpets are "technically" two words but they are often stylized as GothyCrumpets, especially when used as a logo.

The excited clamor emanating from the upper floors satisfied Dean Eobseo that his prodigies were happy, so he excused himself and returned to Ravenhurst to get ready. KySi stayed for a bit, darting from room to room, checking in on each of the girls. Once they were satisfied that everything was in order, and sensing that the Dean had left, they too headed back to Ravenhurst. This, of course, required some assistance, as cat-friendly doors would need to be installed, so Enid opened the gates for them.

A little prodding from their managers, while probably not entirely necessary, helped the Crumpets refocus on getting ready for their debut. With the girls busily fixing their hair and makeup, Enid and Bess took the opportunity to get ready as well. Once they were set, EinBe made the rounds to check on the girls. As they did, they were each greeted with oohs and ahhs, and comments on how elegant they looked. As managers, they didn't need to follow the gothy theme, but, at least for the debut shows, both Bess and Enid had chosen black neo-Victorian dresses, giving them a bit of a Morticia Addams look. The girls were delighted with how their managers looked, and likewise, EinBe thought that their girls looked perfect in the outfits that the Crumpets, with Yulia's direction, had designed.

Tinsley, who had been looking out of her bedroom window, suddenly began exclaiming, “The bus is here, the bus is here, the bus is here!” 

Tabitha, whose room was next to Tinsley's, and heard her outburst through her open door, came over and said, “What is up with your excitement over the bus? It's a bus. The same bus we have been riding on for years.” 

Tinsley, no less fired-up, grabbed Tabby's arm and, while prancing like she needed to find a bathroom, said, “Harey! We have to make sure Harey will fit on the bus!”

“Oh, this is a Harey deal. Okay, I guess you haven't gone any further over the rainbow,” Tabitha responded, adding, “Didn't you catch the part where Dean Eobseo said that Harey is partly inflatable and fits into a travel case?” 

Tinsley took a deep breath. “Oh, right,” she said, smoothing her hair, at which point she calmly returned to getting ready and Tabitha went back to her room, shaking her head.

Both Enid and Bess, who incidentally were aware of Tinsley's mini-crises, had been trained on squishing Harey into his travel case. In fact, Enid had already put Harey in his trunk and had him ready to go when the bus pulled up. With the bus — and Harey — ready and waiting, EinBe began telling the Crumpets it was getting time to rally. And yes, Enid did have the presence of mind to tell Tinsley that Harey was safely aboard the bus, to which Tinsley nonchalantly replied, “Oh, cool. Thank you for doing that. Not that I was worried or anything.”

On the Ready Line
The girls began making their way downstairs, and soon everyone was on the main floor. 

Bess looked around the room and said, “Good, you're all here. Let's have a last look before we head out, shall we?” 

Now, about a week prior to this, the Crumpets and their managers had a movie night and watched, among other things, “Aliens.” Thinking about the part where the Colonial Marines are getting ready to board the dropship and head to the planet, Sarah said, “Bess, do the Sergeant Apone bit.” 

All of the Crumpets thought this was a brilliant idea and egged Bess on. As you know by now, Bess is rather soft-spoken and this particular bit required her to play the role of a tough Marine Drill Sergeant. While Sarah was sincere in her desire to be properly inspected before battle, the other Crumpets were more in the mind of enjoying what would surely be an ill-fated acting attempt. 

Sensing this and not wanting to give them the satisfaction, Bess gathered herself and said, “Very well.” Then in a voice that surprised everyone including Bess herself, she commanded, “Crumpets on the ready line!” 

Stunned by her authoritarian tone, the girls quickly began lining up. Bess folded her arms across her chest and roared,“Come on, sweethearts, fall in! You know the drill!” 

The girls looked at each other with very straight faces snapping to attention as a suddenly much taller Bess strode past them, looking them up and down. As she neared the end of the line, she growled, “Yeah, absolutely badass!” With that she opened the front door, held out her arm, and ordered, “Let's pack ‘em in!”

The girls headed to the bus, sheepishly passing in front of Bess, all except for Sarah, who was trotting along quite proudly. Once they boarded the bus they looked at each other and Analey exclaimed, “Where did that come from?!” 

Yulia sputtered, “I know, right?!” 

“Bess should win an award for that performance,” Tabitha added. 

Cheerfully Sarah plopped herself down on a seat, and, in the sweetest voice, said, “I'm a badass.” 

The girls, including Sarah, burst out laughing. Bess was the last to board the bus where she received an exuberant round of applause. Blushing and laughing, she sat down next to Enid, who slapped her on the back and said, “Well, it looks like you are cut out to be an idol manager after all.”

Established October 2015   ​All Rights Reserved 

Established October 2015   ​All Rights Reserved