Lance sees a makeover offer at a costume shop that he couldn't pass up. Unfortunately, he didn't have the money to pay for it, but the store owner was willing to make a deal.

RING RING went the phone again.

“I just hung that up, who could this be?” Granny wondered out loud.

“Gilbert’s Costumes, Alison speaking.” …

“Hello, Heather Berger.” …

“May Sammie come to socialize with Lily if she is here?” …

“She is here, let me ask her if that is OK.” …

After muting the phone, she turned to her granddaughter and asked, “Lily, can Sammie come and join you?”

“I feel between a rock and a semi-hard place, I think saying yes is an easier answer,” the little girl answered with a shrug.

Going back to the phone, she spoke into it, “She may come but she must be on her best behavior.” …

“May I have permission to dress Sammie in a costume?” …

“She will be doing the same thing Lily is doing. Being a breathing, walking, and talking mannequin.” …

“Please have Sammie bring her schoolwork, she can do it with Lily.” …

“Oh, I will drop Sammie off when I drop Lily off.” …

“Talk to you later,” with that statement, Granny hung up the phone.

“Lily, go choose a costume for her. I would recommend one with the same theme as yours,” Granny told the kitten next to her.

Giggling and excited, Lily took off for the girls’ aisle. Princess … Fairy … Witch … Princess … She quickly flipped through the costumes. Oh a bunny, jackpot the kitten thought. She returned to Granny. “How about this bunny?”

“What size is it?”

Looking at the tag, she said, “8-10.”

“That will fit you, but that won’t fit her, she is a size bigger than you.”

She returned to the aisle, and she found a gray mouse with a size of 10-12. “Granny, will this size 10-12 mouse fit her?”

“Yes, put it in the back room. Grab some size 7-10 gray dance tights from the shelf. Also, grab some gray ballet shoes from the next shelf over. Since we don’t know her shoe size, grab please sizes 5, 6, and 7. She should be one of those. Inform Hanna that it is for your friend Sammie.” Granny instructed.

After Lily returned, Granny mentioned that the kitty was small for her age. Their discussion was interrupted by Sammie running into the store.

“SAMANTHA BERGER! WALK!” Lily’s Grandma yelled.

Hearing her full name, and the fact she was told to behave herself, she skidded to a halt, and with a red face, and out of breath she apologized, “Sorry … I … ran … all … the … way … here, … I … was … too … excited … to … walk.”

“You ran the two blocks here by yourself at that speed?” Granny asked while shaking her head. She continued, “Lily, will you please show Sammie the costume in the backroom for her.”

Lily took her friend's hand and basically dragged her to the back room since she herself was excited to see the neighbor as a mouse. “Here is your costume, ask for help from Hanna if you need any. The bathroom is there if you want privacy changing. But that is up to you, I usually change right in this room,” she told her friend before walking out.

Soon a gray mouse walked out of the back room, and asked, “Ms. Gilbert, where do you want these slippers that don’t fit me?”

“Please put them back on the shelf in the girl’s aisle. Which size did fit you? So I can update my inventory.”

“The six.”

“Grandma?” the cat asked.

“Yes, Lily?”

“Can I … paint Sammie’s face?”

“Yes, you may, do you need any help?”

“No, I watched you do it enough times,” Lily answered before grabbing the key to where the face paint was stored. She came around the counter and grabbed Sammie’s hand before leading her to the face paint area.

Expertly, she started painting the neighbor girl’s face. After about twenty minutes, she stood back and looked at her handy work. “Go look at yourself in the mirror, Sammie,” she instructed.

As Sammie passed the counter, Granny told her to stop and look at her. “Lily, you did this?” The older lady asked.

“Why is it bad? Was it too much? Something wrong?”

“No, no, no, it is beyond excellent, nothing is wrong. Did you use one of the books, sweetheart?”

“No, I dreamed it up and did it all myself.”

“You are hired” … pause … “in five years, sweetheart. Ok, Sammie you can look at yourself, sweetie.”

Blushing, the little girl returned to the counter after cleaning up her mess. She didn’t get all the way there when a hyper ball of energy hugged her.

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

“Careful with your face, Sammie!” Lily told her as the two of them went to two stools behind the counter. Soon they were doing their schoolwork, and Sammie was trying to get the suddenly shy kitten to answer her in sentences longer than two words.

From the random customers in the store, they looked like two siblings, friends, or schoolmates, where one was extremely talkative, and one was shy. However, Sammie did get her neighbor girl to answer that her favorite color was pink. Sammie found out that Lily’s brother's favorite color was really light red, not red. The kitten did acknowledge the mouse’s point that light red was pink. Also in the discussion was the Halloween makeover and why Lily was spending time at the costume shop.

“Where are you going to wear the costume?” Sammie asked.

Shrugging, Lily said, “Trick or Treating, and Granny suggests a Halloween party. I really just wanted the makeover. I didn’t expect to get four or more additional makeovers in the process, or to makeover my neighbor.”

“Four?”

“I was Peter Pan Saturday, Sunday Lily was dragged out of the closet, Alice yesterday, and a Kitten today.”

While this discussion was going on Sammie was thinking, and got a big grin on her face.

“What are you thinking about, and why do I feel like it involves me?” the kitten asked.

Sammie answered, “Hear me out, the Girl Scouts are having a party on Saturday, you can join me at it. I would need to get permission, but that shouldn’t be hard. Speaking about Girl Scouts, you should join me at Girl Scouts tomorrow after school.”

“I am supposed to be here,” Lily used as an excuse.

“You can go to Girl Scouts tomorrow, taking a day away from here wouldn’t hurt you,” Granny shot down the excuse.

“I will go ask Mrs. Kane, your Aunt Hanna, for permission for you to come to both.”

“My Aunt?”

“Yes, if Ms. Gilbert is your Grandma, that makes Mrs. Kane your Aunt Hanna.”

“I am following that bit, but why ask her?”

“She is my troop leader,”

“Oh,” the kitten said as she watched the mouse head to the back room.

The mouse soon returned with a huge smile on her face, “Mrs. Kane says you can, and that you would be treated like any other new scout.”

The kitten was excited to try Girl Scouts, but worried it was all going too fast. She felt like Hurricane Samantha was going to force her out of the closet, destroying it in the process.

“I will ask permission from my parents tonight, and tell you tomorrow. My brother usually goes to Cub Scouts on Wednesday.”

“How about you call me tonight, so I can have my Mommie find you a uniform tomorrow.”

Shrugging, the little girl nodded, “I am assuming you are going to sit next to me tomorrow?”

“Always! Oh speaking about school, maybe I can convince Mommie to take you to and from school.”

“But how would I come here to daydream,” Lily said before slapping her hands over her mouth. She wasn’t supposed to say that bit out loud.

Granny laughed and said, “I doubt you need to come here to daydream anymore, your closet will be so stuffed with girls’ dresses, you will not be able to get in it again to hide Lily away.”

Lily just blushed before putting her completed unsigned homework away.

As Granny was locking up, she sent both of the girls to the back room to change out of their costumes. Sammie started to strip right down to her panties right next to Lily, not a care in the world that the girl next to her was secretly a boy. Once the mouse was a girl with mouse face paint, she started to help the struggling kitten since Aunty Hanna had already left for the day.

Lily found her Sweetie Pie overalls, a Hello Kitty long-sleeve shirt, ruffled socks, and of course her pink tennis shoes waiting for her. She figured that Granny must visit her house every day, or Mommie must come here on her breaks.

Once both were dressed, they patiently waited for Granny to finish with closing chores.

“Ms. Gilbert, I left my costume where Lily left hers, but I saw her put her tights, and slippers with her brother’s clothes. Where do you want my tights and slippers?” Sammie asked.

“They are yours to keep, I can’t resell them. Here is a bag to take them home with.”

Sammie continued asking, “How much do I owe you for these and the facepaint?”

“Nothing for the clothes, and you better ask your makeup artist for the facepaint,” was the answer returned.

Snickering Lily answered, “A million hugs.”

The former mouse ran up and hugged the former kitty as they walked to the car. Sammie got in first when Lily’s Granny opened up the car door. She only did it because Lily pushed her gently towards the open door. Ms. Gilbert buckled her in before closing the door. Soon Lily joined her in the back seat, getting the same seat belt treatment before the door closed.

The two girls watched as each of their backpacks, both of their clothes bags and Lily’s brother’s bike were placed in the back. Two blocks later, after Granny parked in the Vanderbilt’s driveway, Sammie tried to open her door.

“Child lock, Granny has never let me open my own door,” Lily mentioned as Granny opened the back of the SUV, grabbing Sammie’s items. She then opened Lily’s door before Sammie. Which made sense since Lily was sitting behind Granny. The fact that the older lady grabbed Lily’s hand in a secure, you are not going anywhere manner, instead of her normal comforting manner confused the girl. Walking around the car she helped Sammie out and held her hand in the same way before walking to the Berger’s house.

They were invited into the house after the doorbell was answered. “Who did your excellent face paint, Princess?” Mrs. Berger asked as she took the backpack and small clothes bag.

Sammie beamed, “My best friend Lily.”

“Your best friend? I am not being a gatekeeper on who can be your friend, but I never heard of this girl before this week, and now you are calling her a best friend. Nothing against you Lily. And I do say you are an excellent face painter. It is such a shame to wash it off for bed.”

“Nothing was taken, Mrs. Berger,” Lily answered.

Mrs. Berger looked outside, noticing the driveway was empty, “Where is your SUV, Allison.”

“I parked in the Vanderbilt driveway,” was the answer.

Quizzly Sammie’s Mommy asked, “Why there?”

Looking at Lily who gave back a nod, Lily’s Grannie introduced, “I would like you to meet Lily Vanderbilt, my adoptive Granddaughter, which should also give you the reason why you never heard of your daughter's friend before.”

Author's Notes:Comments and questions are always welcomed.

This story is fully written and will try to post new chapters on Tuesday and Saturday. -- Thanks Becky