The days went by in a sort of blur. It was back to just Alex, Kiseki, Kathy, their parents, and Tippy, which wasn't quite as exciting but still provided a never-a-dull-moment life. In all the excitement and preparation, Kiseki had forgotten to take his special pills one day, which caused him to be extra irritable until he took them again. From the time Kiseki was born, he had some unidentified mental illness that made it extremely difficult for him to learn things, control himself, think, and trust people. It had taken 13 years for the doctors to find a general cure for it, and another year for it to actually start working for him. He was much better now, but still a bit jumpy.
A few days after summer break had begun, Kathy brought up something that took everyone's minds off the upcoming vacation for a moment. They were at the dinner table, silently planning out what they'd do at the island, when Kathy cleared her throat and put down her silverware. "Mum, Dad… I have to tell you guys something…"
Shiro immediately went pale. "Katherine, I know your mother and I had Raito and Raye when we were your age, but we're no example-"
Kathy's face flushed. "Oh my GOSH Daddy, I'm not pregnant! In fact, I'm a vi-" She glanced at Alex and suddenly decided she had nothing more to say on that topic. "I have to tell you guys that…" She took a deep breath. "That James wants me to buy a house with him."
Shiro, who had inconveniently been drinking iced tea at that moment, spit his beverage out all over the table. "He WHAT! Oh, Kathy, honey…! James is a nice boy, I'm friends with his father, and I like him, I really do, but…" Shiro laughed nervously. "Move in with him? Sweetheart, he's your first boyfriend, isn't this being a little rash?"
"Rash? Daddy, you and Mum were already expecting a child when you two had been dating for only three years, which really isn't much longer than James and I have been together…" Kathy murmured.
That certainly got to Shiro. He glanced away and thought it a good time to take a long sip of his drink. Kathy looked guilty to have touched that subject, and assured them quickly, "It won't be anything soon, probably not for a year or two. And only if it's alright with you guys…"
Konata smiled softly at her. "Well I'm fine with it. You're a very smart girl, and I know you wouldn't do this if you weren't positive it's what you wanted."
Kathy gave a sheepish smile and turned to Shiro, who was still draining his glass. He paused a moment, and then sighed. "Yeah, okay. You have my permission."
Kathy's face lit up. "Thanks Mum, thanks Dad! I'll go send James an owl…" She gave Shiro a peck on the cheek before running out of the room.
"Well Alexandra, you're my last hope. You can't get married until you're at least 24, and no boys at all until you're 13," Shiro declared, rubbing his forehead.
"Too late for that. Alex has a crush on a fifth year," Kiseki told him plainly.
If Shiro still had anything in his glass, he surely would have taken another spit take. "FIFTH YEAR! Merlin, Alex, no! Boys are icky. Icky! They have cooties. ESPECIALLY boys that are older than you!"
Alex's face was almost glowing red. "O-oh, Daddy, it's just a little crush! I think he's cute, is all! Nothing more, nothing less!"
"It best be staying that way, or I WILL have to get your mother pregnant again with hopes the baby is female and not interested in romance," Shiro exclaimed.
"Oh? In that case, I guess we'll have to keep an eye on you two during vacation," Kiseki chuckled into his glass. He got up from the table and disappeared out the door before his parents could say anything.
"Raito's rubbing off on him," Konata sighed. Nonetheless, she couldn't hide her amused grin.
Alex pierced Shiro with her puppy dog eyes, batting her eyelashes sweetly. "Don't worry Daddy, I won't have a boyfriend until I'm 14, just for you."
Shiro gave a half-hearted smile and refilled his glass. "Good. That's my baby girl."
The tenth of July seemed to come all too quickly. At 10 in the morning, the twins and Austin stopped by (they came by broomstick), ready to go. They had used a shrinking spell on all of their luggage so that it was small enough to keep in their pockets. Shiro, Konata, and Kathy did the same to their own suitcases and bags, as well as Alex and Kiseki's. None of them felt comfortable with shrinking their animals, so they instead shrunk just their cages and held their pets (well, Kathy had her raven perched on her shoulder, while Austin and Shiro did the same with their owls). Tippy had decided she truly didn't want to go with them, so she stayed home.
"That man from the Ministry- I should tell you his name is Mr. Gillis- set up a portkey for us. Follow me," Shiro indicated before anyone could ask the nagging question of transportation. He led his family into the forest adjacent to their home, scanning the ground as they went. He halted at the sight of a rusty tin can. "Ah, here we are. Engorgio." He kept his wand pointed at the can until it grew to the size of a large horse. "Everybody, when I say 'now,' grab onto part of the can. And I don't mean touch it, I mean grab onto it. Somewhere on the top or bottom would be your best bet. It's fine if you're holding a pet, one hand will do it. Ready?" Once everyone situated themselves at a spot where they could grab on, they nodded at Shiro. "Alright. NOW!" He yelled.
Alex felt as if someone was trying to pull the upper part of her nose off from the inside. All she could see was a mishmash of swirling colors. Her ears were ringing. She felt like she'd vomit any moment… And then it came to an abrupt stop. Her bottom hit the ground, and she could see normally again. Kiseki had fallen onto his back; Kathy landed on her feet but stumbled clumsily; the twins, Austin, and their parents landed gracefully as if they'd done this a million times.
"Well Uedas, we're here," Shiro declared. An invisible force seemed to make the Ueda kids drop their jaws and robbed them of their voices. The place was even more astounding in person. In the distance, you could hear the soothing crashing of the waves against the shore and beautiful exotic birdsongs. The air was filled with the scent of clean sea air, with the addition of tropical plants' aromas. The grass was the most dazzling shade of green, incredibly soft, and was magicked to remain the perfect height while still being naturally healthy. The volcano towered at least 20 miles away, neither ominously nor invitingly; more like peacefully. A couple of tall shore houses stood to their right, and at their left was a big wooden sign that read: WELCOME TO PARADISE.
Alex vaguely noticed the door to one of the houses open, or the man that walked their way with outstretched arms. Kiseki nudged Alex, and they both got to their feet. The man approaching them had messy, light gray hair, and a bushy, unkempt mustache the same color. He wore a white Hawaiian shirt covered in a blue and orange palm tree pattern, cream colored shorts, and white flip-flops. Though his tanned face was very wrinkled, he gave off a young, friendly vibe.
"Shiro, what a joy to see you all made it!" the man exclaimed, giving Shiro a brotherly hug.
"It's fantastic to see you, Mr. Gillis! You're looking well. I can never thank you nearly enough for this, it's truly remarkable!" Shiro responded, patting the man's back.
Mr. Gillis waved his hand. "Oh, it's my pleasure!" He turned his smiling face to the rest of Shiro's family. "Konata, you're as lovely as I remember you. Even more, possibly. You don't look a day over 25," he told Konata, taking her hand and kissing it.
"Pedophile," Raito muttered within a cough. Mr. Gillis didn't hear him, luckily. He turned to look at the kids, and from his expression you'd think they were his own grandchildren.
"What a beautiful family you have here! And from what I've heard, they're all fine young ladies and gentlemen," he praised. He suddenly started rubbing his hands together. "Well, that's enough talk! Let's get the lot of you to your temporary home. Come along!"
The 8 Uedas followed Mr. Gillis past the houses and into the forest. "No need to worry, everything here is more afraid of you than you are of them. Besides, everything in this section is harmless," Mr. Gillis assured them as they walked down a dirt path. It had to have been naturally made, because no man-made path would have been so uneven.
They walked silently except for some occasional outbursts from Mr. Gillis, everyone taking in the sights around them. Alex held Butterscotch closer to her and sped up her pace a bit when she thought she saw two yellow eyes peering at her through a bush. The path eventually started going uphill, until they reached the end of the forest. Blinking in the sudden sunlight, they saw that they had entered the village from the flyer. There were some people, all dressed similarly to Mr. Gillis, out and about either chatting or browsing the shops. Every one of them smiled at the Uedas, and some even waved friendlily.
Mr. Gillis led them past all the houses, which all looked different from one another. The only similarities Alex could find were that some houses had the same structure or size as another. Mr. Gillis stopped in front of a house that could possibly be the most individualistic of them all. Though it was painted a plain white and had a regular gray roof (equipped with solar panels), each of the windows had a different shape and a different colored shutter. For instance, one window was octagonal with green shutters, while the one below it was triangular with blue shutters. There was also a balcony that spanned from one side of the house to the other. Not only that, but this house was twice, maybe three times the size of the other houses. Really, the only things it had in common with other houses were the solar panels and the wooden front porch, which was the same size as the balcony and had an umbrella table on it.
"Are we staying… here?" Kathy asked incredulously. This was the first time any of the Ueda children had spoken since their arrival.
"Yes, spectacled female child, this is where the specials guests are housed," Mr. Gillis responded proudly, as if he himself was the guest of honor.
"We're special guests? Gee, thanks Mr. Gillis!" There wasn't an ounce of fakeness in the enthusiasm in Shiro's tone.
Mr. Gillis gripped Shiro's shoulder, his hazel eyes sparkling. "Of course you are! You're like a son to me, Shiro. I want you guys to have the best 10 days EVER here!"
Shiro smiled warmly at him. He turned to his family and said, "Well, let's get on inside. I still keep my word that Kiseki picks his room first."
"There are only 7 bedrooms in there, so not everybody will get their own room, but there's a queen sized but in each of them," Mr. Gillis told them as they piled inside. Shiro started to comment on how he'd want to share a room with Konata anyway, but then he looked around. The room they walked into was GIGANTIC: twice the size of their living room at home, which was significantly large itself. Except for some mismatched armchairs, a very cushiony sofa, a coffee table, and a bookshelf, the room was empty, so sound echoed in there. To the right of the room was a door and stairs; to the left, windows.
"Through that door there is the kitchen, and there's a door to the bathroom in there. Upstairs there's the bedrooms and another even bigger bathroom," Mr. Gillis explained. Shiro nodded, thanked him a few more times, and then had Kiseki lead the way up the stairs. Mr. Gillis stayed outside.
"Choose your sleeping quarters wisely, my son," Shiro murmured to Kiseki in his elderly-man-impression-voice. Kiseki chuckled quietly, observing all of the rooms. Each one was exactly the same in size, and all contained the same bed, side table, dresser, closet, and sliding door leading out to the balcony, all placed in the same spots. The only differences were the colors and patterns of the curtains and bedspreads. Kiseki ended up choosing the room at the very end of the hall, with lime green curtains and dark green blankets.
Everyone chose rooms suiting their tastes and began to unpack. First they made their pets' cages normal size again and finally rid themselves of carrying their animal (Austin made his side table larger so it could support Hops's aquarium, and had Eclipse perch on the rack in the closet). Afterwards, they restored their luggage to its usual mass and began to unpack.
They spent the remainder of the day exploring every nook and cranny of their temporary home, which was even larger from the inside than the out. They unpacked, explored the area, and met neighbors until noon, when they went to eat at a barbeque held by some neighbors. For the entire rest of the day, they all just hung out.
The next morning, Konata made breakfast (the fridge in the kitchen was packed with fresh food), then they all changed into bathing suits and went down to the beach. There, they swam in the gentle waves, made sculptures in the warm white sand, and ran the length of the shore for hours.
It wasn't until the third day that things got strange.
"Good morning sir!" Alex called cheerily, waving her hand high. She had stepped out onto the porch to get some fresh air when one of the neighbors whom she hadn't yet encountered passed by. There was evidently something off about this man. Everyone on this island wore expressions as bright and eccentric as their clothing, but this man looked to be an outcast who'd lost their mind. He wore raggedy, dark clothes, and had a pile of unkempt black hair on his head. One dark eye seemed to be a bit bigger than the other, and his chin was coated in disorderly gray facial hair. He flashed Alex an intimidating, almost evil, look before increasing his pace and disappearing into the forest. Alex's smile faltered, but she decided not to think into it too much and skipped back inside.
"Allie, love, I saw you through the window," Shiro indicated as Alex found a seat at the huge kitchen table. The room was currently empty except for Alex and her dad. For the first time in days, he looked slightly unnerved. "You shouldn't talk to people like that," he continued.
Alex scooted her chair closer to the table, unintentionally avoiding eye contact with her father. "Yeah, I got a weird vibe from him… I kind of just said hi on an impulse, you know, since I've done so to everyone else."
"I know, darling. Just, if you see anyone like him again, find one of us, or Mr. Gillis, or come back inside if you can, straight away," Shiro said in the same slow, even tone he'd been using.
Raito slid into the kitchen, wearing just his red plaid pajama pants with his hair obviously uncombed. "Wait, Dad, Alex saw one of those weird guys?" Shiro nodded, the look on his face clearly stating he wasn't aware Raito'd seen them too. Raito suddenly appeared a degree more awake. He pulled up a chair beside Alexandra and sat on it backwards. "Look, Allie, those creeps are whack. Something's not right about them."
"You've seen some odd people too, Raito?" Shiro asked slowly.
Raito nodded. "Raye and I saw some last night. There were four of them: three guys, one chick. All of them looked like they hadn't bathed in like, 5 days, and had this CRAZY look in their eyes. They ran when they saw us."
"Do you know who they are, Daddy?" Alex questioned quietly.
Shiro gave a small shake to his head. "They must be hermits, or natives. Tell your mum to save me a plate of breakfast… I'll be back shortly." He kissed Alex on the head and briefly patted Raito's bare shoulder before hurrying out the door.
Alex bit her lip, but Raito smiled down at her. "Don't worry your pretty little head, baby sister. Dad's probably just worried the people have rabies or something, or doesn't want creepers like them to scare us into not enjoying our vacation. Everything's chill."
Alex nodded, feebly returning Raito's smile. "Yeah, you're right. It's no big deal." But she knew better.