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Chapter 2:

The City By The Sea

Mansion..? More like palace! Carrie and Sarah had never seen such luxury! There was evidently a lot of money to go around.

"This place looks a lot like the dance school I attend" mentioned Sarah as she marveled at the rooms on at least the first floor. Donnie smiled and said,

"Well yeah; this is one of the oldest homes in the neighborhood. But it's the best maintained too; if Dad had any say in it." Carrie gazed around smiling.

"I guess the nice car we rode in was only an indication of what was to come." she said. Carrie kept close to Sarah for both their comfort sake while Donnie just kinda beamed at his newfound friends' looks of awe and splendor,

"It really is a pretty nice house;" he said, "It's got a great setup, a good workshop, and like I said..." he led the girls and Jason towards the back of the house; through the living room and to the back door of the opulent home before saying, "We're right on the beach!" True to his words there were a few grassy dunes, and then a wide beach; and with the storm pressing in, the beach looked like a sea-sprayed foggy wave swept wonderland, perfect to explore; on a bit of a sunnier day that is.

"Oh wow..." said Carrie, "It's beautiful..."

"Yep!" said Jason, "It's nice to live with such splendid surroundings."

As the girls looked over the wondrous landscape they saw, a female cheetah, probably in her late twenties, appeared behind them.

"Welcome back, boys;" she said, "And just who are these pretty young ladies? Hmm?" Donnie smiled and turned to face the adult cheetah.

"Mom, this is Carrie and Sarah." he said with an ounce of gentlemanly attitude. Sarah promptly curtsied properly, while Carrie just looked to Sarah with a little blush and followed suite to her pleasantries and more polite upbringings.

"They had some trouble with the train;" Jason piped in, "Guess the tracks washed out and they're stuck out here till their parents can get them" Both Sara and Carrie nodded at the tale of how they became stuck, and Carrie looked to Donnie's mother in asking.

"Ma'am..." she said, shyly, "May we please stay here until Sarah's parents get here? The hotel wouldn't accept our ID's and... and... and if not there, than we just don't know." Sarah nodded.

"We really don't have much more than just some of the stuff we picked up at the Scouts Convention and each other," she said, "Even our luggage with all our clothing n' stuff got shipped up on the bus, really leaving us just stranded here." Donnie's mother didn't even hesitate before giving her answer.

"Well we do have a few rooms to spare;" she said, "Of course you can stay with us! Donnie, could you please clean up your sister's old room for Sarah?"

"Sure thing, Mom!" said Donnie as he saluted.

"Excellent;" said his mother, "Carrie, you can have the guest bedroom across the hall from her, just so you two girls can have rooms for yourselves, and still be close to each other; otherwise we'd have to put you up together. By the way, my name is Marion Dixon." Sarah smiled and was about to speak but Carrie beat her to it.

"Thank you, Ma'am; that's really nice of you, we really appreciate this!" Sarah momentarily pouted at being in separate rooms but she could also understand the reasoning too, two separate beds; not that she minded the idea of sleeping with her friend, but she liked a bed to herself anyway!

"Yes, Ma'am, Thank you for your Hosp-Hospitality" the gray cat curtsied again, leaving Carrie to yet again follow suite for politeness sake. As the two were being led upstairs, Marion chimed in,

"Tomorrow we can go to the mall and get some clothing for you two to wear during your stay. In the meantime, make yourselves at home, and get some rest, I should be able to scrounge up some night-clothing for the both of you from when Abby still lived here." As Marion headed downstairs to fetch some of Abby's old things, Donnie mentioned to the girls.

"So, Sarah," he said, "You'll be in my sister's room, so you should probably take a shower first cause I think I might have to do a little cleaning; Abby left boxes everywhere from when she left for college. Carrie, your room is right across the hall; it's all set already, and the bathroom is the first door on the right." he mentioned as he lead them towards the bathroom. Sarah gave a little smile to Carrie and Carrie nodded returning that little smile, 'it's a girl thing' seemed to be the implication as Donnie looked between them and eventually shrugged. At that moment, Marion reappeared at the top of the stairs holding a bundle of towels in her arms and a few hangers with clothing accessories.

"Okay, Donnie," she said, "I think the girls should be set with these; we best get Abby's room cleaned up while these two get cleaned up" She indicated to her son with a nod of her head towards the other room and Donnie got the hint to leave. In the bathroom, the girls were presented with a set of pink and purple towels; pink for Carrie and purple for Sarah; Somehow Marion just knew to whom which color belonged. Then she lifted two hangers; upon which were two long nightgowns that probably would hang down to their knees each. Then next hangers held satin camisole tops with lace trim and with some loose looking satin sleep pants, again following the theme of pinks and purples. "Your choice of what to wear, girls." Marion said as she then held up a small bag, "It's been ages since we've had any girls here, so the style on these is a bit dated, but... they should fit." Both Carrie and Sarah looked into the bag discreetly, and noticed some small bundles of folded panties that were super girly with lacy trims and lacy frilled ankle socks. With a little blush Carrie squeaked,

"Oh thank you, Mrs. Dixon." Sarah also smiled too and chimed in her thanks for the well thought out setup.

"Just call me Mom, dear, its alright." the old cheetah mentioned with a smile as she nodded to each of the girls as they parted ways for the bathroom. Before the door closed, Sarah asked,

"Oh, Mrs. Dix-er-Mom, when we get out could we call our parents? Just to let them know we're ok?"

"Most certainly;" said Marion, "I would really like to speak to them both; make sure we all see eye to eye and such. Now you two get cleaned up, I've have dinner ready soonish." Both Sara and Carrie smiled as they entered the bathroom and closed the door, both with a sigh of relief.

"Well..." said Carrie, "What do you think now?"

"I have to admit," said Sarah, "I'm starting to like it here a little. This house of course; I'm not ready to say the same about the city."

"Neither am I;" said Carrie, "But maybe things will be better once the storm clears up and the sun comes out." Sarah gave a small smile before saying,

"You're always so optimistic, Carrie... That's why I'm glad you're my friend." Both girls blushed again; and then Carrie put her arms around Sarah in a hug and began to nuzzle her face.

"Thanks, Sarah..." she said, "I'm glad you're my friend too." Sarah couldn't resist purring with happiness as she nuzzled Carrie in return.

While Carrie and Sarah were taking their showers, Donnie and Jason were working like mad to clean out Abby's old room for Sarah while Marion prepared dinner.

"Heads up, Jase!" called Donnie as he pitched two fresh pillows over to the bed. Jason caught them effortlessly and slapped them right down onto the bed.

"Dead on target, Donnie!" said Jason, "Nice job!"

"Don't compliment me yet;" said Donnie, "There's still the blanket to put on top of the sheets." With that, the cheetah boy picked up a rolled up blanket and prepared to throw the top end of it.

"Just send it in the right direction!" said Jason. Sure enough, Donnie pitched the blanket, but held on to one end of it so it unraveled itself as it went. Jason caught the other end, and the boys brought the blanket gently down on top of the bed. "Phew! Nice job, partner!" said Jason, "Sarah's gonna be really pleased with this."

"I sure hope so;" said Donnie, "These girls are strangers to our fair city, and I want to make a really good impression for them. It wouldn't be right to keep them in the dark with the belief that Firewall City is a deathtrap."

"You know what...?" said Jason, "We should do something really nice for them when we take them to the mall to go clothes shopping and stuff; something to show them that we want them to feel comfortable in our city. But what can we do for them?" Donnie leaned against the wall so he could think. After thinking for a moment, he said,

"You know... Carrie seemed to be really excited about the fact that we live right next to the beach; and I don't mean to point out the obvious, but the girls don't have anything to swim in with them."

"Well..." said Jason as he pondered intently, "There's always..." In an instant, Donnie was in front of him, and holding him by his arms.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR SO-CALLED MIND!?!" he yelled; then he remembered himself and quietly said, "There is no way we'd be able to convince them to go swimming like that! Even in the dark of the night!"

"I didn't mean that!" said Jason, a little annoyed, "I meant the other way round. They could go swimming with their clothes on."

"Oh..." said Donnie, "Never mind then." and he released his panther friend.

"It's a possibility..." said Jason. Donnie paced toward the window, then said,

"Maybe, Jase; but if we really want them to feel comfortable with us... I say we let them each pick out their own kind of swimsuit themselves, and then we buy the suits for them!"

"You're right!" said Jason, "It'll help show them that we want them to have fun instead of worry about the city. Tell you what... you buy Carrie a suit, and I'll buy one for Sarah."

"It's settled then!" said Donnie, and he and Jason high-fived each other. At that moment, Marion came in and saw the job they had done to Abby's room.

"Well done, boys!" she praised them, "I think our guests are going to be very comfortable here with us."

"Thanks, Mrs. D!" said Jason, "I've gotta go now; mom's expecting me for family movie night."

"Okay, Jason;" said Donnie, "See you tomorrow!" So Jason left to head down the street to his own home. Then Marion went over to the bathroom door and knocked on it to get the girls attention.

"Girls!" she called, "Dinner will be ready soon!"

"Okay!" came Sarah's voice, "We just need a minute!"

"No problem!" said Marion. Then she turned to her son and mouthed, "It's a girl thing!"

"Right..." Donnie mouthed back. Then they walked down the stairs to the living room, when Donnie said, "Mom... I don't know why, but... I really want to make sure Carrie and Sarah have a good time here in Firewall City."

"Oh... you'll find out soon enough;" said Marion, knowingly, "But I know what you mean. Our city has a really bad reputation, and every person we can show the truth is good for all of us on the whole."

"D'ya think they'll be willing to meet the gang with us the day after tomorrow?" asked Donnie.

"I don't know about that;" said Marion, "I guess we'll have to check with them to see if they feel comfortable meeting the rest of the Hotrod Heroes."

"Even if they don't..." said Donnie, "I'm sure there are plenty of other things we can do to make them feel welcome here. I want to make sure they have a great visit."

"That's my boy." said Marion as she smiled, knelt down, and gave her son a quick kiss on his forehead, "Your father would be so proud of you."

"Aw, Mom..." said Donnie as he gave her a hug and she hugged him back. Unbeknownst to the two cheetahs, Carrie and Sarah were watching them from the stairs. Not wanting to be caught, the two kitties darted out of range. Once they were in the guest room, they both let out giggles.

"Did you see that!?!" Sarah asked her friend.

"Yeah!" said Carrie, "He's just a mama's boy!" Then both girls broke down into giggled laughter. But after a minute, they stopped; and looked at each other very seriously. Then Carrie asked, "Do we give him a hard time for it?"

"Nah..." said Sarah. Then both girls smiled again.

"C'mon," said Carrie, "Let's go grab some dinner." And the two girls headed downstairs.

After a very satisfying dinner (homemade fried chicken), Marion made a long distance call to Carrie and Sarah's parents. It was the same story with both sets; they were worried about their daughters staying with a strange family they didn't know, but got used to the idea once Carrie and Sarah told them that they felt reasonably safe with Marion and Donnie. Then they agreed that they would be there to pick them up at the end of the fourth day. After that, the group of four watched one of Marion's comedy DVDs, and finally, it was time to go to bed. Sarah slid the purple nightgown Marion had provided her over her body and crawled underneath the blanket. As she snuggled into the bed, she realized that the storm was still going on outside. Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"Sarah..." It was Marion, "May I come in?"

"Sure..." said Sarah; she was a little startled, but wanted to be polite. Marion slowly opened the door, came in, and sat down on the bed.

"Are you sure you're alright, Sarah, dear?" she asked in a kind, motherly voice.

"Uh-huh." said Sarah, "Just a little nervous about sleeping away from home without my parents here."

"Don't worry," said Marion, "It's perfectly natural; even at your age. Oh... Are you alright with Abby's posters here? She was really into horror movies." Sarah looked around, but her eyes couldn't make out what any of the posters were.

"I'm sure I'll be alright;" she said, "As long as I don't look at them, and I do think pleasant thoughts." Just then a loud clap of thunder hit and Sarah gave a yelp. "It's the thunder that kinda bothers me..." she admitted.

"I see..." said Marion, thoughtfully. After a moment, she looked down at the young gray cat and said, "Would you like me to give you a lullaby?" Sarah didn't know how to react for a moment; she was ten years old; she was too old for this sort of thing! But then she heard another roll of thunder, so she had to say,

"Yes please..." Sure enough, Marion pulled herself onto the bed and began to hum a gently melody for her. Sarah couldn't help but begin to feel sleepy as she listened to the sweet sound of Marion's lovely voice. Marion placed her hand on Sarah's back and gently rubbed her, making the young gray cat feel more comfortable and more tired. It only took another minute, before Sarah was finally asleep. Marion smiled, gave her a small kiss on her forehead, and quietly slipped out of the room.

Over in the guest room, Carrie was already in bed. She had elected to sleep in the pink camisole and the frilly, girly panties that Marion had provided her. As she thought about the possibilities the next day could bring, she also heard a knock on the door.

"Who's there?" she asked.

"It's me..." said a voice that she recognized as Donnie's, "Can I come in please?" Carrie was of course a tomboy and not really uncomfortable around boys her age, so she said,

"Okay, c'mon in." The door opened, and Donnie peeked in. He was wearing a pair of boxers and a white sleeveless shirt; and Carrie had to admit... he looked good.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay;" said Donnie, "I really want you to have a good time in Firewall City."

"Okay;" said Carrie, "I hope I have a good time too." Then she asked, "Tell me... are the gangs of the city really as bad as everyone makes them sound they are?"

"Not really..." said Donnie, "It's mainly just the citizens of the city blowing things out of proportion. You know how it is."

"I sure do." said Carrie.

"But anyway," said Donnie, "Maybe... if you and Sarah are up to it, we can introduce you to the Hotrod Heroes before you go home." Carrie thought for a moment; she realized she wasn't' sure about this, so she said,

"Well... can I have a while to think about it?"

"No prob!" said Donnie, "In the meantime, we'll show you the mall and the boardwalk tomorrow; I'm sure you'll have a great time."

"Thanks..." said Carrie; then she yawned and said, "Well... goodnight."

"G'night, Carr..." said Donnie, "See you in the morning." And with that, he slipped out of the guest room and shut the door behind. As Donnie walked to his own bedroom and climbed into bed, he couldn't help thinking, "She's really pretty... and she seems like the adventurous type... I'd really like to get to know her better..."

The next morning, the storm had passed, so that was a big plus. Donnie was the first one up, but amused himself by playing DK64 in his room; with the volume down so he wouldn't wake the girls. Eventually, Carrie and Sarah did wake up and got dressed, ready for their second day in Firewall City. After Marion had gotten up and they had eaten a hearty pancake breakfast, they were ready to head into the city.

"Trust me, girls," said Marion as she disappeared into the garage, "You're going to love this!"

"C'mon!" said Donnie, "We can meet her in the driveway!"

"Okay!" said Sarah, "From the looks of this, we're in for a surprise." The three kids went out into the driveway, and waited for a moment or two. Then... the garage door started to open... and there was the sound of a monster engine starting. When the door had opened completely, a purple Oldsmobile station wagon rolled out into the driveway, with Marion at the wheel. But this was no ordinary station wagon; the wheels were chrome plated, the engine was sticking out of the hood, and written on the doors in big, bold letters, was the name, "Double Agent."

"OH WOW!!" said Carrie, "That is the coolest mom car I've ever seen!"

"I'm not surprised!" said Donnie, "All the kids were jealous of Abby and me when Mom used to drive us to school in this monster." So the three kids hopped into the car, Sarah up front and Donnie and Carrie in the back. And Marion made the short drive down the block to pick up Jason from his house. Once he had joined Carrie and Donnie in the back seat, Marion looked back at them and said,

"Hang on, kids! The Double Agent is on a mission!" With that being said, she shifted into gear and floored the gas. The rear tires screamed as the Double Agent kicked up a smokescreen.

"YAHOOOOO!!!" All four kids yelled, as the car raced off up the road towards the city.

After a scenic drive along a beautiful urban coastline, the group arrived at a huge mall.

"Wow..." said Sarah as she gazed at the giant building, "Just... Wow..."

"I know!" said Marion as she parked the car, "It's only the biggest mall in the quad-state area; A shopper's paradise!"

"Man!" said Carrie, "My mom would have a heart attack if she had to shop in here!"

"In any case," said Marion, "I'll go buy you some clothes; what kinds do you prefer?"

"Something girly, yet stylish, umm maybe formal." said Sarah.

"Something tomboyish!" said Carrie.

"Okay!" Marion laughed, "I can pick those up for you, and boys... you can take the girls for their... special surprise! Once you both have found what you are looking for, we can meet up by the fountain and grab a quick lunch before we head home."

"No prob, Mom!" said Donnie. With that being said, the group entered the mall, and split up. Marion went for the clothing department, and Jason led Sarah towards the trendier end.

"So Donnie..." said Carrie, "What's this special surprise of yours?"

"Well..." said Donnie, "I couldn't help but notice you were pretty excited about the fact that we live right on the beach, so I'm gonna make it a little easier for you to enjoy it!" Carrie was now ready to burst she was so excited to find out what the surprise was; she soon got her answer. Donnie led her into a store that was really more of a board-shop that also happened to sell swimsuits and accessories for the local surf crowd. They also catered to snowboards during the right time of the year. Then he looked at her and said, "Pick out any suit you want, and I'll take care of everything!" Carrie was left pretty dumbfounded.

"Any swimsuit...? Oh wow cool!" she cooed. Then she wandered into the store, absentmindedly looking here and there, eventually finding a comfy looking pair of board shorts for day to day wear. Then her eyes settled on a cute green one-piece with a purple heart emblazoned upon it. It was slightly girly, but she liked the earthy color of it. The black and red contrasting board shorts that she found earlier looked pretty darn fun as well. "Hey, Donnie!" said Carrie, "I'm gonna try these on if you don't mind."

"Not a problem, Carrie!" said Donnie. Carrie stepped into the fitting room with what she had found, and a few minutes later, emerged wearing only that combo. The shorts seemed to be a perfect fit, but the one-piece seemed to be a size too small regardless of it being her right size. Donnie was blushing something fierce as she bounded over to him.

"So how does it look?" Carrie asked, "Not too girly right?"

"Uhh... I mean... that's really cool looking...!" Donnie said as he grinned sheepishly.

"Thanks!" said Carrie, "I gotta ask the clerk if it's like... a size too small though." And she shirked off the board-shorts right there in front of Donnie with the one-piece swimsuit underneath. "Could you hold those for a minute?" she asked, "I'm definitely gonna get them." Donnie went from blushing to just wide eyed as Carrie went to the fox girl behind the counter, "Uhh, Miss..." she said, "I think this sizing is off somehow; I normally wear this size, but for some reason, it's really tight in the chest" The salesgirl just smiled.

"Oh it's supposed to be that way, hun;" she said, "It... makes everything more perky, and well... just look what it does to the boys!" she giggles some looking to Donnie as he hadn't pulled his eyes from looking at Carrie. The clerk giggled; "Better help him with his jaw, or his mouth might dry out!" the fox girl grinned as she went back to folding her clothes, "Just let me know if ya need any more help." Carrie returned to Donnie with a little giggle as she took the shorts back politely and pulled them back on.

"It's not polite to stare;" she commented with a cute little giggle, "But its ok I guess." Donnie still didn't respond. The bobcat/lynx girl grinned to Donnie and gave him a cute little peck on the cheek to bring him round. Finally there came words.

"Oh wow... Carrie, that really is nice..." Donnie stuttered, "I mean those shorts, and er... and that swimsuit; it's really a cute color and... and... wow you really look good, in it!" Carrie couldn't help but laugh.

"Thanks, Donnie!" she said, "I'm kinda a tomboy; not really sure what girls are supposed to wear around here."

"I don't think it really matters;" said Donnie, "But then... I'm not a girl, so... what would I know?" And they both laughed.

Meanwhile, over at the more ritzy swim boutique, Sarah and Jason were picking through shorts and tops. Sarah came across a cute teal two-piece that was very similar looking to Carrie's old and beat to heck but comfortable 'mud-suit'; same brand and everything. Since the suit seemed to bring back old memories, Sarah decided to try it on. Turns out the suit was just as comfortable as that old worn-in suit and Carrie was sure to like the look on her. She also picked out a pretty sundress that seemed to match up in color and style so the suit would be easily hidden beneath the teal floral sundress. Then shoes, oh there were shoes too! She picked up a cute matching pair of ballet flats that were in a word, cute. When Sarah was all ready to check out, Jason just perked up.

"Uh... it's all taken care of!" he said, "I had the clerk ring it all up so we're set" Sarah just jaw-dropped.

"But... This stuff is expensive!" she said, "Surely you can't buy all this stuff for me..."

"Actually I can... and I just did" Jason beamed in return. Sarah was just left sorta dumbfounded with surprise.

'Boys are weird.' she thought to herself, 'But if he's paying... I can handle this!'

The couples met up with Marion at the fountain beside the food court just as she was about to purchase a dozen sticky buns for the five of them with some required left-overs for later, and let them each pick out a milkshake. As the five of them sat at the table, the girls compared outfits that they had chosen. The swimsuits and sundress and shorts; Carrie had even managed to pick up a pair of boarders sandals before leaving the board shop. So the girls were set for swimsuits and some other miscellaneous basic clothing. As they were talking, Carrie remarked how wonderful it was that Donnie and Jason had done so much for them, and shot a loving look at the Cheetah boy. Sarah agreed, but couldn't help feeling a little uneasy at the way her BFF looked at Donnie. Once everyone had compared fashions and they were rounding off the sticky-buns the group headed back for the car for a swift ride back home and the thought of some beach-side fun!

To Be Continued...