Ooh! The resort's so pretty! :bloosmirk:
Frankie definetly deserves it. :frankiesmile:

Amazing hotel! And you've got a cliffhanger here, update soon! (I especially love the island view - and why was Frankie in that official-like dress?)

I'm surprised that no one picked up on the reference to a certain 1960's sitcom. :cheesegrin:

That was her coat, courtesy of the Seasons expansion. It's summer everyday on the island but back at Foster's when she left it was the first day of spring. :frankiesmile:

I hate pos- oh, nevermind.

Back in the Valley, Samantha Bandrowsky does her research, trying to decide which Imaginary Friend she wants to adopt. There's about two hours before the bus arrives so she sits down in front of the TV and watches several episodes of Foster's:

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...5/S03FFV09.jpg

She's met most of the Imaginary Friends, albeit only briefly, and wants to learn about their lives before they arrived in the Valley. She has the two released seasons on DVD and has downloaded everything else as well; in the space of two days she's learned as much as any viewer knows. After class she begins the next part of her research, which is to see what everyone else has to say about them, what theories are out there that cover topics that the episodes don't. So she goes online, googles "Foster's Imaginary Friends", and studies what she finds:

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...5/S03FFV10.jpg

As she reads and learns, she mentally compares the information she finds online with what she's seen on the show, and slowly an unfamiliar feeling builds in her. The feeling is... puzzlement. Some of what she reads online doesn't seem to fit the facts presented by the show; the speculations range from mild to wild. Samantha wonders if she's missed a few episodes here and there. "This isn't adding up," she mutters to herself. Time to set up some interviews and run some tests, she decides. Samantha Bandrowsky doesn't like mysteries.

After gazing at the view from her balcony, Frankie headed downstairs to the hotel restaurant:

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...5/S03FFV11.jpg

Still early enough for an omelet, she decided. As she sat and ate, she tried to figure out what to do next. Part of her wanted to clean the lobby. She shook her head; this was her vacation, she reminded herself, it was someone else's turn to clean up after everyone else. For the next seven days, her job was to relax. It wasn't something she was all that familiar with but she was looking forward to it. First vacation since... ever, she realized. She'd gone straight to working full-time at the House after she'd graduated from college, which she paid for by working at the House. She'd worked there part-time as a teen, too, and spent most of her free time there as well. Any wonder she never had much of a social life or a boyfriend or anything that normal teeagers had. Even her childhood, so much of it was spent hanging around that House. She'd gained a lot there, true, but she missed out on a lot as well. How different might her life had been, she wondered, if only her parents had said-
"Excuse me, miss?"
"Yes. Wait, what?" Frankie snapped out of her thoughts and saw her waiter standing by her table.
"Your check is ready."
"Oh, sorry," Frankie said as she paid her bill. Not a cheap omelet by any means but it was a dang good one. "Thanks. Hey, what's fun and exciting around here?"
"You're from the mainland," smiled the waiter. "Lots to see and do on the island, miss. Old ruins from ancient times, shops of all sorts-"
"How about beaches?"
"Got plenty of those," the waiter laughed. "The hotel is built on one but I'd recommend the one next door at the Boardwalk. I understand they have a fire dancer working there this week; I've heard he puts on quite a show."
"Sounds good to me," Frankie said. She thanked him and headed out:

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...5/S03FFV12.jpg

It was a very short walk; as her waiter had said, the Boardwalk was right next door:

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...5/S03FFV13.jpg

"Looks like a fun place," she said to herself. Plenty of time for that later; Frankie's mind was already on the other side of the building, and moments later she was on the other side of the building:

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...5/S03FFV14.jpg

"Ah, the beach at last!" Frankie laughed out loud and didn't bother to look for a chair or a blanket or anything, she sat down right in the smooth white sand:

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...5/S03FFV15.jpg

She smiled as she stared at the ocean. "Sometimes you gotta stop and watch the waves," she thought. Time to finally relax, to forget about the House for awhile. Time to forget about her grandmother's antics, about being a reluctant cartoon star, about cooking, cleaning, and Imaginary Friends. Time to forget about how different her life might have been if only her parents had said "Yes".

More to come...

Ooooh, another cliff hanger, but a positive one. Except maybe concerning Samantha. I'm still kind of worried about what she's going to do.

Man, I miss a good warm beach. The beaches up here are strewn with sea weed and drift wood. Can make for a pretty sight, but the sand isn't the nice type to sit in. Especially if some of the sea weed has been beached for a while and is rotting. :P It's nice to see Frankie's vacation is still going well.

Frankie looks like she's having a good time. :frankiesmile:

Still no sign of that ghost captain. :)

Did Frankie like the fire dancer? (I suppose he's that weird guy standing in the middle of the beach.)

Great pics - somehow (gee, I wonder how? :D) you always manage to get amazing Frankie shots :-*

That's him, yeah. There's a better pic of him in the next chapter.

I work with very inspirational material. :frankiesmile:

I need to let everyone know in advance that the next pic set may raise a few eyebrows, particularly among the guys. Seriously, don't treat it as an excuse to post any fanart other than the usual G-rated stuff, and watch the comments, okay? Good.

Teasing us?! Frankie changing?!

Cassini, you're the mod here-- you know exactly where to draw the line, and pass no farther. I have total faith in your abilities.

No raised eyebrows from me. :frankiesmile: