The Second Summer Of Love:
Fourteen Years Later...
by Refboarder
Chapter 1
You Tell A Tale
Our names are Raychel Martha and Charlie William; Thurston. We're the son and daughter of Renton and Eureka Thurston. We're fraternal twins and today is our fourteenth birthday. I, Charlie, have brown hair like my father and amethyst eyes like my mother. On my back is a pair of green butterfly-like wings with red spots, a genetic trait from my mother. I, Raychel, have teal hair like mother (which I always have in a side-ponytail) and blue eyes like father. While I lack wings like my brother and mother, I did inherit a green bead on my forehead. The beads on our forehead are another trait we all share. We're just your average teenagers. Perfectly normal, right?
"Happy birthday, kids!" That's Dominic, a friend of our parents. Next to him is his wife, Anemone. Their 13 year old daughter, Lily, is our best friend. She has brown eyes like her father and her hair is lavender with pink highlights. There's a bead on each of their foreheads too. But, Lily's is lemon yellow. We were told that our parents and hers didn't always beads on their foreheads and that mother didn't always have wings. Something about the beads being a gift from the Scub Coral. Only we, our parents, Lily, and her parents share this trait. We don't know why though. All we know is that Dominic and Anemone are like uncle and aunt. We may not be related by blood but, they're family to us and that's all that matters, right?
"Yeah dudes, happy fourteenth!" That's James but, everyone calls him 'Moondoggie'. He's hilarious. His wife is Gidget and they're our god-parents. Doggie and Gidget are like older brother and sister figures to our folks. "Thanks for finding time in your schedules to visit the twins today, brother." said father gratefully. "Whatcha talking 'bout, little bro? There's no way I'd miss their B-day!" he stated with a big grin. Uncle James rustled Charlie's hair.
Charlie
"What you place?" I asked referring to the last lift tournament. Doggie was a pro refboarder. "First, naturally, lil' man!" he boasted. Man, I must have the coolest god-father on Earth! I high-fived him. "You're so awesome, uncle!" I exclaimed. He just chuckled. "Thanks dude, you're not bad yourself. In fact, you and Raychel are the best surfers I know. You can do tricks I've never even heard of! You two are way better at that stuff than even your old man." he said whole-heartedly. Father laughed, "Hey, I'm not that old." Sis and I blushed.
Raychel
"Y-you really think so?" I inquired still blushing. "Definitely." assured aunt Gidget. She's so gorgeous! I've always looked up to her. "Hey, you wanna go surfing with us later?" I asked her hopeful. She smiled. "Sure thing, kiddo." aunt answered. I grinned from ear-to-ear and thanked her. Gidget just shook her head. "It's your birthday, squirt. That's your wish isn't it? Surfin' with your aunt and uncle, huh?" inquired Doggie. Bro and I nodded. "Then that's what we'll do." stated Gidget. I thanked them again. "Stop being so formal. It's your birthday. Loosen up, have fun, and party to your hearts content." suggested aunt Anemone. "Yeah!" agreed Lily. My brother and I looked each other in the eyes. We must've been thinking the same thing, "They're right, let's enjoy ourselves," because we both smiled and nodded our heads in sync.
Twins
Our parents placed birthday hats on us. Yeah, we know we're getting a little old for stuff like that but, they're our folks. We love them so, we'll humor them for today. Mom lit the candles on the cake and everyone began singing, "Happy Birthday" to us. When they finished the song dad told us to make a wish and blow out the candles. We closed our eyes, thought long, and hard. What could we wish for that we didn't already have? Hmm... new surfboards/refboards? Clothes? Motorbikes? A LFO of our own? Yeah, that sounds good. A LFO of our very own. Maybe a Guardian or Terminus! So it's a little far-fetched but, like we said, 'There wasn't much we didn't already own, right?' We opened our eyes and blew out the candles. They cheered and applauded us. Our faces turned red again.
"So, what was it? Your wish?" Lily asked us as mother cut the cake. Anemone helped her distribute pieces to our guests. "A LFO." we whispered to our friend. Lily chuckled. "Jeez, big enough?" she jested referring to the wish. "We have just about everything we could ever want. What else was there?" stated Raychel. "How 'bout a pet Skyfish?" she suggested. Lily was being sarcastic. It was illegal to keep Skyfish as pets. Our parents were the ones whom suggested that law. (For as long as we could remember, everyone we've ever known or met, has held our parents with the upmost respect. We've even heard them addressed as Renton-dono and Eureka-sama before. When they speak, others around listen and take their words to heart. But, it always seems like a hassle in their eyes. Mother and father just shrug off the attention, always requesting to be treated like average members of society.)
Charlie laughed at Lily's joke. "Well, fourteen is the legal age to pilot your own LFO." he stated with a matter-of-fact tone. "So we figured, why not?" added Raychel. "Maka and Hei already got licenses for their Scub Bike Kais." mentioned Charlie.
Maka and Hei are two of our school friends. Maka's 14th birthday was three months ago and Hei's was last week. Maka is the daughter of Winry, a girl papa knew from high school. Hei is the son of Eileen, another girl he knew. We have another friend, Ayato, his mother, Cheza is yet another acquaintance of our papa. Father must've been popular with the ladies or something to know so many girls. At least that's what we think sometimes. We don't know for certain, the topic's never risen. Anyway Maka, Hei, Ayato, and each of their folks have always been fun to hang with. After school we always head over to Hillside Hope Park for some lifting on our boards. (That's what we call it anyway. It's full name is 'Renton Thurston Hillside Hope Park'. Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. We have an entire park named after our father. Kinda embarrassing, isn't it?)
Lily shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe your wish will come true. Scub Bike Kais are fairly cheap. You can get some decent deals on used Wild Boars too." she informed us. "We were kinda hoping for maybe a Guardian or Terminus." said Raychel. Lily burst out laughing. "Do you even know how much those series cost?! There's no way your folks can afford them on their salary!" she stated. Our father works as a mechanic at our family's LFO repair shop. Just like his father; our grandpa, Adrock (whom resides within a parallel universe) did, and his father; our late granddad, Axel, before him. Three generations of Thurstons. We, the fourth generation, will inherit 'Garage Thurston' next. "You're right, what were we thinking?" chuckled Charlie.
Charlie
"Hey son, what's so funny?" asked father as he handed sis, Lily, and I each a piece of cake. I took a bite of the cake and swallowed. "Nothing. We were just chattin' 'bout LFOs that's all." I replied casually. "Ah, 'cus now you an your sister can legally pilot one now that you're fourteen. Am I right?" he guessed. "Yeah." replied sister. Father turned to mother. She nodded. Alright, what were they scheming?
Raychel
"You want to open your presents now?" suggested mother. I nodded. "These are from Doggie and I." stated Gidget as they handed us two packages. We tore the wrapping off and opened them... Helmets? Charlie and I were puzzled. Um... 'kay. What are these for? Lily bought me a new pink ribbon for my hair. Aright, at least her gift makes sense. Her parents explained that our gifts were outside. Brother and I scurried out the door. Our eyes lit up. "Motorbikes!" we squealed. "Your father and I spent our entire weekend tuning them." stated Dominic.
Twins
We hugged Anemone and Dominic tightly. "Thanks a bunch aunt Nemy and uncle Dom!" we cheered. "You're very welcome." replied aunt. "I bet those helmets we got you make sense now." said Doggie slyly. We laughed out loud. Yeah, they sure do. Mom and dad tossed us the helmets. "Take 'em for a spin. I can see you want to." suggested father. "We'll give you your present later. You ride your new bikes." said mother. They didn't need to tell us twice. We were already on them. "Hey Lily, hop on the back!" hollered Charlie over the roar of the engine. "Can I mom?" she pled. "Sure, both bikes have an extra helmet under their seat." her mother replied. Charlie lifted up his seat. Sure enough, there was another helmet. Lily put it on. "Be careful!" instructed mother. We stated that we would and reeved our engines. With that said, we took off for the dirt mounds. We already knew where we wanted to try out our presents first. There were some pretty sweet manmade jumps in the Belle Forest, that was our destination. We left a cloud of dirt and dust behind us.
Ten Minutes Later...
Charlie
"THIS...IS...SO...RAD!!!" I hollered as I hit the dirt jump. "YAHOO!" screamed Lily in my ear. My bike flew through the air. I felt the cool breeze against my cheeks. Man, I could do this all day! My wings caught the trapar causing Lily and I to soar even higher for a brief moment. I was having the time of my life. The tires hit the ground and the suspension jolted. Dad and uncle Dom had done a superb job fine-tuning our motorbikes.
Raychel
I was right behind brother as I hit the mound next. I must've been at least 15 ft. off the ground. What a sensation! I twisted the handlebars side-to-side in mid-air. A simple trick for a newbie. The wheels touched down. Wow, I can't believe I just did that! "Sweet trick, sis!" called Charlie. We rode to a clearing offside the track and killed the engines. I removed my helmet and shook free my hair. "Thanks!" I told him. He and Lily removed their helmets too. Charlie wiped the beads of sweat from him brow while Lily took a moment to catch her breath. "That was awesome!" she finally said.
Twins
We sat leaned our backs against the fence's railing. Lily tossed us some water bottles. "Thanks, Lil." said Charlie. We sipped at the drink. Man, that's refreshing. "So, wanna head back?" suggested Lily. We nodded. Good call. The sun was at it's peak in the sky and the heat was stifling.
Ten minutes later we were back home. "Looks like you had fun." chuckled Doggie pointing to our clothing. Huh? We looked at ourselves. Oh, I see what he means now. We were a muddy mess! "Oh yeah!" cheered Charlie. "It was a blast!" exclaimed Raychel. "Thanks again aunt Nemy and uncle Dom!" we said gratefully. "We absolutely love our presents!" we stated. Our uncles and aunts smiled.
"There's one last gift for you. This is from your father and I." said mother. Father handed us a wooden box with peculiar symbols on it. "What is it?" we inquired. "Open it and find out." instructed father. We lifted the lid and our eyes widened. It was the Compac Drive to our parents' Nirvash, the typeHOPE! We knew it belonged to HOPE for the Amita Drive was attached to this Compac. Wait a second, that means! "You're giving us HOPE?!" we exclaimed. "That's right, she's yours now. Happy birthday, Charlie and Raychel!" our folks said cheerfully. This was, without a doubt, our best birthday ever!
"Wow! You get the HOPE! She's way better than any Guardian or Terminus. Her specs rival every LFO in the world. Oooo... I'm so jealous." stated Lily. Her parents chuckled along with uncle and aunt. "Can we try her now? Please?" we pled. We couldn't stand still, the suspense was killing us. "Sure, why not. Knock yourselves out, we already registered you." dad informed us. "Here you go." said mom giving us our licenses. "This is just too cool!" stated Charlie. "Thank you soooo much mother and father!" said a grateful Raychel. Mama and papa smiled.
For the remainder of the day we lifted in our Nirvash. Our Nirvash. God, I love the way it rolls off the tongue. Don't you? HOPE was ours now and she was dancing elegantly for her new owners. The glimmer of the Compac shone brighter and brighter with each passing minute. Lily, whom was sitting in the back seat suggested we do a Cut-back Drop-Turn. "Alright." we nodded in agreement. "CUT-BACK...DROP-TURN!" we hollered performing the maneuver. What a adrenaline rush, we absolutely loved it! It was something we couldn't convey into words nor compare. We had never felt this way before in our entire lives! There wasn't a dull moment and we would've lifted all day had it not gotten so late.
Nirvash typeHOPE returned to the garage just before sunset. We'd been gone for hours. But, like they say, "Time flies when you're having fun." As soon we landed we leapt out of the LFO and ran to our parents. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," we repeated over and over again embracing them. There were tears of joy in our eyes. We were that happy. "You're very, very, very, welcome." replied mother. "Hey, since it's your birthday how 'bout some late night surfing? I'll let you stay up for as long as you like tonight. No bedtime. How's that sound?" said father. "Hooray!" we replied.
Fifteen minutes later...
Charlie
We arrived at Niji Beach. The waves were looking 'choice' tonight. Yeah, I can already tell tonight's gonna be rad. The sea was calling and I answered, "Surf's up!" Sis, Lily, Doggie, and Gidget dove in. Our parents and Lily's chose to stay behind on the sand. Sis and I gave uncle and aunt a few surfing pointers. I caught a huge wave and hollered, "Wa-hoo!," as I nailed a Roundhouse Cutback.
Raychel
Lily and I gleamed the tube. "Hey, wanna ride to school tomorrow?" I asked her. "Sounds good to me." she replied. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Gidget wipe out. Doggie swam over to help her back on the board. Gidget laughed at herself. Aunt had never been good at sports. Mom, dad, Nemy, and Dom were watching us from the beach. They were chatting about something but, I couldn't hear them over the crashing waves. Meh...whatever. I returned to my surfing.
Parents
"So far, so good." said Renton. "Huh?" went Dominic. "The Vodarac Prophecy, remember?" explained Eureka. "Right, we'd almost forgotten." recalled Anemone. "Maybe it was a hoax?" hoped Dominic. "Or maybe it's because Lily's still thirteen. Her birthday isn't for another nine months." Anemone reminded her husband. They all sighed.
"Let's change the subject." suggested Dominic. "Passing down your Nirvash to the next generation was the best gift a parent could give their children." he stated. "Yeah, we thought so too and that's why we did it." informed Eureka. "Their voice reaches her just like ours and they can hear her too." mentioned Renton. "That's wonderful." remarked Anemone. "Speaking of Nirvashs, we've already discussed it and, we're giving Lily our Nirvash for her fourteenth birthday too." stated Dominic. Eureka smiled. "It looks like HOPE and TheBEGINNING are will be together forever doesn't it, dear?" she said to her husband. Renton kissed her forehead. "It sure does." he replied. The parents continued to watch their children surf.
Some hours later...
Twins
It was a little after 1:30 A.M. when we decided to call it a day. We left Niji Beach and walked home. What a day, huh? Lily yawned. We were all tired. "Hey Mom, Dad, is it alright if I sleep over at uncle Renton and aunt Eureka's tonight?" she requested. "Why don't you ask them?" suggested Anemone. Lily turned to our parents. "May I please?" she asked politely. "Sure, we don't mind." replied mother. "Then it's fine by us." stated Dominic. Lily thanked them. Sweet, Lily's spending the night.
We arrived home. It's good to be back. Doggie and Gidget left. "Later, take care of yourselves." we waved. Dom and Nemy went back to their house, which was next to ours. Lily told her parents, "Goodnight." Mom and dad laid out a futon for her in our room. We got into bed and pulled the covers over us. "G'night mom. G'night dad." we told them. "Goodnight Mr. and Mrs. Thurston." said Lily. Mother and father chuckled. "Goodnight, sleep tight, kids." replied father. Mother turned the light switch off and closed the door behind them as they left.
Charlie
I yawned again as I stared up at the ceiling. "Thanks for coming over today." I said to Lily. "No problem, Chuck. Thanks for having me over." she replied yawning.
Raychel
"Thanks again for the ribbon, Lil. I'm gonna wear it to school tomorrow." I told her. "You're welcome, Raych." she responded. I yawned again. "G'night guys." I said to them. "G'night." answered brother and Lily. Tomorrow's gonna be awesome. We closed our eyes, drifted asleep, and dreamt.
Twins
We visited that place again. The plane that only we, our parents, Lily, and her parents could go while asleep. The other plane of existence, the Coralian Universe.
NEXT CHAPTER: CALLED TO THE OTHER SIDE, WE ARE GREETED BY SOME FAMILIAR FACES. BUT FOR WHAT REASON HAVE THEY BECKONED US? IS IT TO FINALLY REVEAL TO US THE MEANING BEHIND THE VODARAC PHOPHECY OUR PARENTS WERE INFORMED OF SO LONG AGO? CHAPTER 2: DREAM ON