Queen of Science 14 Preparation

The members of the Price household's stress is at the level of a shy high school student who is giving a presentation in front of the entire school because, "run for president" they said, "it looks great on a resume" they said, "it's an opportunity to grow" they said.

Camilla is frantically running around and making phone calls because she refuses to hire a party planner for Fern's birthday party. She claims that "I can do it by myself" and "it is just a waste of money to pay someone." But really, she refuses to hire help because the party has to be perfect and she wants to be very involved in the planning process.

Miles can be seen sitting in a pile of Fern's pictures and watching videos of her doing random stuff. He is worried because Camilla is worried, and he is going to have to share his precious baby with other people. The idea of showing Fern off to the rest of the world is marvelous, but the rest of the world does not deserve Fern. Why can't the world just love Fern without having to know of her existence?

The birthday girl, Fern, is torn because if she tells her parents about Simply Explained, she will not have to sneak around her parents, and she can get help from them. However, she just wants to be treated as a normal girl and not some amazing genius. Miles and Camilla are already ecstatic that she can talk and wobble-walk, how would they react if they knew that Fern already has her own company?

As an added stress for Fern, it has been decided that she should give a short thank you presentation during the party. Now she has to write a speech that makes her seem smart for her age, but not like a genius super-toddler. Not to mention, Fern still can't pronounce words correctly, so even if she says something important, no one will take it seriously.

"Humph just being able to say a two-word sentence would already make me seem like a two-year-old. How am I even supposed to give a speech with only two-word sentences? I should keep it simple. Maybe I can just say 'Thank you for coming' and do a curtsey."

Deciding to consult her dad for advice, Fern unsteadily stands up in the living room, hobbles to Miles, and plops onto his lap while avoiding the pictures of herself. "Papa, papa"

Tearing his eyes away from the television and rubbing Fern's cheeks, Miles asks, "mmm what's up baby? Want some milk?"

"Practice spweech!"

Slightly more alert, Miles re-adjusts himself and straightens up his back. "Oh, okay. What do you plan on doing for your speech?"

Satisfied that Fern has her dad's attention, she stands up, gives a little cough, and says, "ehem, Tank yew for coming!" Nodding her head, Fern lifts the edges of her tutu and gives the best curtsey that she can without falling over.

"Beautiful! Amazing! Stunning! The best speech that I have ever heard! My baby should run for president! I'm such a proud papa. All of the audience members will be so grateful to have heard your speech. Bravo"

With a slight blush Fern lightly rammed her head into her dad's chest and rubbed it up and down. "Tank yew~."

Having used up all of her energy on preparing for her speech tomorrow, Fern fell asleep right then and there. She did not wake up until the next day. Her Birthday!

On June 7th, 2054 Fern is officially one year old! They grow up so fast *wipes tear*

It is already 10:00 am by the time that Fern is awake and she only has one hour before the party starts. Alarmed by how fast she needs to get ready, she bolts out of bed and hobbles to brush her teeth as fast as a one-year-old can.

Camilla, who had been waiting for Fern to wake up, walks into the bathroom to find Fern trying to climb onto the counter from the toilet. "Happy Birthday, baby! What do you think you're doing? You could have just asked for help." Gently setting Fern down on the counter, Camilla puts toothpaste on the toothbrush and starts to brush Fern's teeth. "I know you are a whole one-year-old, but you can still depend on me."

After brushing Fern's teeth and lightly washing her face, Camilla sets Fern down on a chair and starts dressing her up with a light blue bow and white dress. "You look like a bride! It's too early for you to be getting married! We'll have to get you a new outfit."

For the next outfit, Fern is wearing a fluffy monkey onesie. "You look adorable, but it is too casual."

Next up, Fern is wearing a pink skirt, blue poofy shirt, and hat with pompoms. "You look like an adorable ball of cotton candy. Although cute, what if someone tries to eat you?"

After 15 minutes of trying on outfits, Camilla finally settles on Fern wearing a ladybug skirt, red shirt with "one" written on it, and a black cardigan. "A little cute and a little fancy- perfect!"

Chapter end