Would it kill you people to review? It keeps chapters coming and keeps me and Umbreon out of our emo corner. Yes, we have one of those. It's dark, sad, secretive, brooding, and real. I'm not kidding. Anyways, enjoy this chapter. The next one will be our late Halloween one.
"What are you two doing?" Leaf asked, coming into the living room and seeing both May and Dawn laying on the ground staring at various pieces of paper spread over the ground.
"Homework," they replied in sync. Dawn wrote something down, looked it over, then erased it again.
"I finished that stuff hours ago. When did you start?" Leaf asked, sitting down beside them.
"A couple hours ago, right after you finished," Dawn said.
"Want some help?" Leaf looked over Dawn's shoulder to see that the blunette was struggling with their history homework.
"Sure. When did Garrison Blair discover the Sinnoh region?" Leaf paused for less than half a second before answering.
"That's easy. 1512 is when Sinnoh was discovered, and Garrison Blair went on to discover Unova in 1520 before dying in 1525." Dawn and May just stared at Leaf speechless at how fast she'd rattled off those dates. "What about you May? Is it math?"
"Uh-huh," the short-haired brunette nodded.
"How can I help?" Leaf got ready to rattle off the answer to a random math problem.
"I don't get it." This caused Leaf to literally fall forward in shock.
"What don't you get?" Please don't say everything, please don't say everything, please don't say-
"Everything. Why are there letters in Math? I thought it was just numbers. And what do they mean when they say, 'solve for x?' Doesn't x=x?" May said. Leaf groaned and facepalmed.
"Do you ever pay attention in class?" Leaf asked her friend.
"Sometimes. Why?" Misty said, walking in the door. "What're you all doing?"
"Homework," Dawn and May chorused. Again.
"Why are you doing homework? It's Friday. We don't have school tomorrow," Misty pointed out, confused.
"What!?" May and Dawn both turned to Leaf, accusing looks on their faces.
"You never asked what day it was. You just asked for my help on your homework," Leaf shrugged before quickly running towards the garden and the rooms beyond, chased by her two furious friends.
-oOo-
Drake was crouched in front of his motorcycle, messing with its engine. The room he was working in was very similar to the one he had an incident with Angel in four days ago, the day of the orientation. This room was larger, more cluttered, and slightly better lit, but it still brought back memories of what happened. Drake's face reddened just thinking about it.
Flashback
Drake walked around the pool, following Angel. He had passed Gary's phone to Samuel as he wasn't interested in playing keepaway with the others. Eventually, he came to a small, dark room which Angel had entered a few minutes prior. Opening the door, Drake sees Angel pause before shrugging and continuing the work on her bike. He approached her and put his hand on her shoulder. She spun around, swinging the wrench she held at him. Drake jumped back so fast he stumbled into the metal shelving behind him.
"Easy there!" the boy exclaimed, putting his hands up in an attempt to pacify Angel. He moved off of the shelves, becoming somewhat closer to the wrench-wielding girl without feeling the shelves move even more than they had earlier.
"What are you doing in here?" Angel demanded. Both her and Drake were ignorant of the loose shelves above them, which fell as Drake opened his mouth to respond. As one knocked him onto Angel, another fell in front of the door, which opened inwards. Because the shelves were solid metal for durability, the teenage boy was pinned on top of the girl, whom he considered slightly attractive. (He obviously didn't say anything about this, seeing as how it was awkward enough.)
"Crap," Drake grunted, trying halfheartedly to shift the shelf off of his back. While it was an awkward and uncomfortable position, he kind of liked it. 'Stupid teenage hormones,' he thought. "Well, this is awkward…"
"Really? I hadn't noticed," Angel gasped. Drake noticed her uneven breathing, but attributed it to having the breath knocked out of her when they collided. But he appreciated her attempt at lightening the mood with sarcasm. It was then he noticed how small the distance between them was, and hoped that she couldn't feel how fast his heart suddenly got. "Get off of me right now."
"I really wish I could," Drake groaned, not fully meaning it. He would've loved to have the heavy shelf off of his back, but because of his stupid hormones he was slightly enjoying it. He officially hated both puberty and hormones now. Then he registered Angel's terror and remembered the incident with Kuro. He cursed himself in his mind for not realizing earlier, and he blamed that on the hormones making him enjoy this. "You're haphephobic, aren't you?"
"Yes! Now get off me!" Angel cried out, pushing on Drake's chest. He noticed the sweat on her brow and heard her start hyperventilating. She had also started to tremble and her face obtaining a pale green hue. Cursing under his breath, he called out. "HEY! ANYBODY HEAR ME!?"
"They're probably still playing keepaway. Misty, Leaf, and Dawn can be quite persistent when they want to be," Angel muttered, still pushing against Drake. She was surprisingly strong and Drake got an idea.
"When I say so, you need to push as hard as you can, okay?" Drake asked. Angel nodded, obviously wanting to get away from the physical contact. Counting to three, Drake told her to push as he did the hardest pushup in his life. They barely got enough room for Angel to squeeze her way out from underneath Drake before his arms gave out and he fell to the ground with the shelf on his back. "Do you think you can move the shelf?"
Angel nodded and together they managed to gradually move the metal slab off of Drake's back onto the ground. Then they proceeded to unbarring the door. Overall, it took them over an hour, and once they were done Angel silently opened the door and pointed for Drake to leave. He complied, figuring she probably needed some time alone.
Flashback End
Angel still avoided him when possible, even though it had been four whole days. Drake sighed, thinking about how he could get back in her good books, because her deliberate ignorance kind of hurt, though he didn't know why. Then he remembered what his older brother did whenever he wanted to get into somebody's good books. Well, some girl's good books. Now all he had to do was plan it with his brother and pluck up the courage to ask.
-oOo-
*5:30am – Saturday*
Angel was walking out of her dorm room quietly, leaving a note, both in Braille and written of her departure. As she was dressed in dark blue jogging pants that had a bright powder blue line on the side and a dark jacket that was zipped up half way, showing the light azure shirt underneath it. Attached to her sleeve was her pure black mp3 that was hooked up with a pair of headphones that rested around her neck, underneath it was a meter that read her heart pressure. She started quietly down the hall, as to not wake anyone up. Upon entering the mudroom, she tapped the tip of her shoes on the tile before she walked to the elevator; she swiped the key card that had her ID number on it. Three soft beeps sounded before the light turned green before the elevator opened its doors to allow her in.
As she walked out of the girls' dorm, she saw Drake walk out as well. He was dressed for jogging as well; his clothing was darker, with black jogging pants that had a light red trim at the legs, a matching jacket with a dust grey under shirt. She put on her headphones, turning on her music player as she tapped her foot on the ground again before she took off for her jog. As she jogged along the path nearest to the ocean, the sun rising from the surface of the sparkling waves of the ocean. Drake was jogging slightly behind her, listening to his own music player. Angel continued to jog as she slowed down to a stop. Her breath was escaping her as she tried to breathe evenly. She turned to the oceans calming waves; the gentle breeze pushed her hair out of her face. Soon Drake came up jogging but slowed down enough to stop without being out of breath. "Angel?" he started.
"Hmm? Yeah, what?" She said after she took one ear bud out. Angel said as she stared out at the sun rise over the ocean. Drake took a careful breath before starting to talk to her. "Are you busy today?" he asked as Angel sat on the bench that faced the sandy beach. Angel didn't answer him right away, but she looked at him with a strange look. "Why?" her tone had a slightly tone of confusion as well as it being guarded. Soon she witnessed Drake avoid her eye contact. He sat himself down onto the bench, almost right next to Angel. She tensed a little bit but not as much as from the last encounter with physical contact with him, though she still moved a little away. Drake saw the tensed notion in her body structure as well her moving away, so he slowly and carefully moved almost less of an inch away from her. Though he did not wish for her to take notice of his movement; she saw from the corner of her dark brown eyes.
"Why? U-um…for scaring you the other day…I was in the wrong for entering your work room and for suddenly touching you." He stated as he looked out over the ocean's calming golden yellow color. With how the sun was rising right over the horizon, the colors did well as they blended together. Angel continued to look out over the ocean, thinking about his reason for asking for her schedule. "I am not terribly busy today…" she stated carefully, her long dark brown hair gently moved with the sea breeze. Drake looked at her, a little shocked and a little happy. He smiled greatly at her when she turned slightly to see his reaction. "G-Great! I'll see here at 10…." He asked the last part with a little uncertainty. Angel had a look of shock at his happy reaction then she chuckled a bit before smiling and nodding. Drake said something like he was going to finish his jog before heading back to get ready. She nodded towards that as she watched him go off, smiling like a kid in a candy store that was having a free sale…
Once he was out of sight…a thought entered her mind….her…first…date…
Her face lit up like a Christmas tree. She immediately stood up right and ran all the way back to the dorms. She made a beeline for the only way up to her dorm space, the elevator. Once there, she fumbled around in her pockets to find her card key. Once finding it and swiping it. She, impatiently, tapped her foot and fingers as the elevator doors opened, she entered so quickly that she slightly tripped and slipped slightly as she pushed the Princess Dorm Floor button. As she was taken up, she was moving impatiently around the elevator, her thought process was moving to quickly for her to properly think. Once the door opened, she rushed into the mudroom, quickly took off her shoes, but left them on the floor near the area where she normally puts them as she ran to the door, she opened and rushed threw, accidentally slamming it behind her as she continued to move towards her dorm room.
Misty, who was exiting her room, saw Angel rushing towards her room as well as her unusual running, as if she was…panicking? Dawn, who was in the kitchen watched her run passed, without picking up the water bottle that was hers, that she always had ready for when she returned. Leaf, who was sitting on the couch had taken out one ear bud for a spilt second, heard Angel come in at such a rush, she looked at Misty and Dawn as if they might know what was going on. "Angel? Did something happen?" Misty called down the hall. Angel quickly turned to face her door, which she slipped and slid slightly, just like in an anime. She quickly fumbled for her card key to get in her room. "I don't know…." She said with a slight panic in her voice as she entered her room. But she didn't close her door behind her, but instead left it wide open. Misty, Dawn and Leaf carefully went to look in. They saw her standing in her room, looking around as if she was looking for something. April had awoken from her sleep by the noise. "Angel?"
"Sorry April….I…oh god….I don't know what to do…." She sank to the floor. "Angel? What's the matter?" she asked as she sat up on her bed. "Sorry for intruding, but what happened, Angel?" Misty asked. "Drake….he…." Angel said slowly. "What? Did he do something to you?" Leaf asked. "He…asked…..me…on a d-d-d-d-date…later today…I don't know what to do! W-what do I wear on a date? W-what do you do on a d-date? I-I don't know…." She said as if she couldn't figure out anything.
"Angel, calm down." Misty said. "Angel…is this your first time going on a date?" Dawn asked. Angel looked at her with her pupils so wide that it almost took over their brown coloring. "Y-yeah…."
Dawn then smiled greatly. "Then all you need is advice!" Angel looked at her shocked and confused. "Advice?" Dawn smiled became even greater. "Yes, what you need is help in getting ready. Did Drake tell you what you will be doing today?"
Angel shook her head slowly. "Then we need to find that out!" Dawn smiled. "Call him! And ask!" she said. Angel's eyes widen. "C-call him?" she stated. Dawn nodded and said "Yes, call. Now."
Angel took out her phone, and looked at Drake's number, that she had gotten on the first time she had met him. "Put it on speaker too!" Dawn said. "What? Why?" Angel asked. She just smiled. Angel looked at her phone and pressed call and speak phone. The dial tone rang only once. "Ah, Angie! Great timing! I was able to get us some last minute things for later!" Drake said over the phone. "W-what will we be doing?" Angel asked.
"I was able to get us VIP tickets to the new museum on Record Street at 10:30 until 11:30. Then a reservation at the Beach Side Resort for lunch. And afterwards my older brother is coming with our family's boat for a trip to a island we own for a few hours. The season there is still Summerish Autumn…I want to show something there. So bring a swimsuit and a formal dress. See ya at the meeting spot at 10! Bye!" he said with much excitement. Angel was shocked, very shocked.
"A-A museum….a resort lunch…a-and a trip to an island…" Angel's face turned bright pink as well as she was now even more confused on what she should do.
"Well, his older brother is taking you, so it means he is introducing you to his family members… So you have no worries about him trying anything funny…" Leaf stated.
"Trying something funny?" Angel asked as she went to her bed to pull out her suitcase. Angel opened the suitcase to show it was filled with random objects…things that you would normally be placed around to show personality. In her suitcase was a bag that seemed to be fluffy. She pulled it out along with a box that seemed strangely flat. In it was a Pokemon card. It was in poor condition and looked to be something special to her. After that, a wide range of things, but when she got to the clothing items, she pulled out one swim suit. It was a two piece, with a very dark color. "This is the only swimsuit I have…"
Dawn looked at it for a minute and then said, "It's not that cute…rather dull…does it still fit?" Angel looked down and shook her head. "Then, if you'll let me, I can make something out of that one. I enjoy making clothes, and since this is your very first date, we need to make sure you are really ready! Misty, go get May up and see if her mother can come by with some formal dresses. Leaf, I need to you go to try to get Angel into a good outfit for the majority of the day. And April, try to keep her calm." Dawn said as she rushed out to get her clothes making supplies.
As everyone did as they were told, the time soon came to be 10 o' clock. Sitting on the bench was Angel, in an outfit that was picked out by Misty and Leaf. On her lap was what held her new swim suit, made by Dawn, as well as the formal dress from May's mother…
Angel looked at the watch on her wrist to see it was past time for the meeting, with a frown on her face she stood and started to walk over to a vending machine. As she was browsing for the right drink, her face fell when the time frame 10 had come and was slowly passing. She heard her name get called from afar but nothing close. She could only assume she was hearing things, but it had sounded like a mad lion with a tamer…
Angel turned to head back to the beach, which led her to bump into someone in front of her. She made a slightly cute noise as she fell.
"Oh, sorry, miss." He said. Angel slowly stood and replied, "It's quite alright." He smiled as he held out a hand for her to take. She looked up and saw a man with dark red hair and red eyes. "My apologies, for that. Well see ya' around or whatever." He said as he walked away after helping her up.
She watched him leaving but still went to the bench to wait for drake. He came speeding down the road in a sleek black car (the kind Paul would like). Angel smiled slightly as she got in, when he started to apologize for his tardiness. Something about his roommates keeping him busy….
-oOo-
"Who is he!?" Dawn whisper-shouted as she crushed the branches of the bush she was crouched behind, watching Angel's every move. On her left crouched April, a nervous expression on her face, and May on the far side of the blonde girl. All three of them were crouching behind the same bush. Beyond May, Leaf was peeking out from behind an oak tree with one earbud in. In a tree on Dawn's right, Misty crouched among the branches like a hunter waiting to pounce upon her prey.
"I dunno. Never seen him before in my life and I haven't heard any rumors about people that would match his description," Leaf mused, getting confused looks from the other four girls. The brunette shrugged. "I hear more than I let on over my music, especially in the school hallways. Plus, I can easily hear the gossip girls in my classes."
"Can we go yet? We shouldn't be here," April murmured.
"No way! We need to make sure nothing bad happens during Angel's date!" May declared, standing and putting her fist over her chest. Leaf quickly pulled her back down, shushing her.
"If anybody screws this up for Angel, I will personally kill them with my trusty mallet," Misty said, startling both May and Dawn. Not so much because of what she said, but because of where she was when she said it. Somehow, she had gotten from the maple she was crouched in to the oak Leaf was behind. Now the redhead was hanging upside-down from one of its branches by her knees, holding her trusty wooden mallet over her shoulder.
"How'd you get all the way over there?" Dawn asked, her cobalt blue eyes wide.
"And where'd your mallet come from?" May added, her sapphire eyes equally wide.
"Don't you know that I'm a magic ninja?" Misty grinned at the two girls.
"You climbed between the branches of the two trees, which happen to be interlaced together. As for the mallet, you keep it in your purse at all times. Try to be less obvious next time miss I'm-a-magic-ninja," Leaf stated while shaking her head. Misty jumped out of the tree, landed on her feet, and glared at Leaf.
"You're no fun," Misty muttered, crossing her arms and still holding her mallet. Then she noticed Drake pull up in his black car. "Looks like Angel's date is here, so let's get moving!"
"There's no way we can keep up with a moving car on foot!" Dawn shouted after Misty, who had already started sprinting to the road. They all followed the redhead once they realized she wasn't coming back. Angel and Drake had already started driving away when Misty stopped, allowing a red Toyota Prius to pull up to the curb beside her.
"You're late and there's no way we'll all fit in that, Hayden," Misty said as the driver side window opened, revealing the green-haired teen.
"I'm not late and you'll have to squeeze together. One of you can probably sit on Paul's lap in shotgun, and three of the others can sit on somebody else's lap. If you want somebody to thank for your cramped ride, thank hair gel back there," Drew informed the five girls. Before anything else could be said, Dawn ran over to the other side of the car and climbed in. Paul just grunted at her and pulled the seatbelt across their laps. May forced the three boy in the back to squish together before climbing into the car, taking a seat at the end of the bench seat. Leaf ended up on Gary's lap, Misty on Ash's, and April on Samuel's. As soon as everyone was settled in, Misty slugged Gary on the arm harder than she'd hit Ash with her mallet. Misty was one of the select few female teenagers whose hands and feet could be considered deadly weapons.
"Ow! What the heck was that for Mist?!" Gary demanded as he rubbed his arm. Well, tried to; it's kind of hard to rub your arm when there's somebody on your lap. Drew snickered at the brunet's misfortune as he started the car, driving after Drake's black one.
"First of all, don't call me Mist. Second of all, it was for getting us a tiny red car and expecting all ten of us to fit in here like clowns!" Misty shouted. Gary flinched when she compared them to clowns, but stood his ground.
"It's not like red cars aren't that common! You see one ever minute or so! Also, if I'd gotten a van, we would've been spotted faster than Ash at a smart person convention!" Gary retorted.
"Hey! I'm smart!" Ash protested, glaring at his childhood friend.
"You wish, Ashy-boy," Gary snorted. The two of them soon got into an argument, which Misty was also somehow involved in. Leaf put in her other earbud, turning up the music to tune out the yelling that was happening in her immediate vicinity. Samuel and Angel sat together in silence, the former's face redder than the car they were in. Dawn started pestering Paul, trying and failing to get more than five words at a time from him. May watched everything else going on in the car before leaning towards Drew in the driver's seat.
"Are we there yet?" she inquired.
"No. Otherwise we'd be getting out and climbing into the boat I rented airhead," Drew responded, his eyes fixed on the black car he was following. There was a pause, lasting only a few seconds before May spoke again.
"Now?"
"This is gonna be a long ride," Drew sighed, putting his head down on the steering wheel momentarily as they were stuck in a red light.
-oOo-
The car ride with Drake seemed a little silent as Drake drove towards the new museum on Record Street. When they were one block away, Drake pulled into the parking lot, which was located across the street from the building itself. Once out, Drake handed her the VIP tag as he put on his own.
"Thanks," Angel said simply as she put it on herself. Drake smiled as he looked over to his car and pulled out a small box. It was about 6 inches in width and 4 inches in height. Once he had it out, he shut and locked up his car. Another car came from around the corner. It was a dark green car with black marks on it, and in the driver's seat was the same man with red hair and red eyes. He had pulled into an empty space across from where she and Drake were parked. When he got out, he went to the small coffee shop that was across the street from the Museum.
"So, what kind of museum is this?" Angel asked as she and Drake walked over to the museum. Drake smiled as he held opened the door to the entrance.
"It's the newest art museum. It's has things from old art, to new art, to modern art and to…special art," he stated with a smile. Angel smiled slightly, though her smile seemed to be slightly embarrassed. Drake and Angel walked around the museum, with Drake making small notions to the art that looked pretty stupid. Angel would smile and cough out a laugh before she got quiet. Then they walked over to the statue called The Thinker.
"So…this is the thinker. Do you want know what he was thinking about?" Drake said seriously. Angel looked at Drake and then the statue.
"What?" Angel asked, curious about what Drake would say. But Drake leaned to her ear and whispered something, only a few words before he moved away laughing. While Angel was blushing bright red, shocked, Drake started towards some new artwork. Angel then looked angrily at Drake before chasing after him, while calling him a wide range of rude things as he was laughing. As she and Drake came to the part of the Museum where you are able to take pictures of yourself with someone else, Drake pointed towards it with a smile. Angel was still slightly peeved at him, but nevertheless got in the booth with him and took some pictures.
-oOo-
"So Hayden, did you get us some museum passes yet?" Misty said, coming up behind the boy.
"Yes, no thanks to you people," Drew muttered, handing out the passes to the entire group of ten. After he finished, Dawn crammed a baseball cap onto his head. She took the hat Ash was wearing and stuck it on Paul's head backwards before covering Gary's spiky hair with a beanie.
"Hey!" Gary yelped, trying to pull off the beanie with Dawn trying to stop him.
"Your guys' hair is too recognizable! Your hair is distinct because of its spikes, Paul's and Drew's has different coloring, and Ash just can't wear a baseball cap. That way you won't stand out in the crowd," Dawn told him.
"She does have a point. We're trying to spy on them, not let them know we're here," Leaf acknowledged.
"A little warning would've been nice though." Everyone ignored Gary's statement and headed into the museum after Angel and Drake. Only Leaf noticed the red haired man from the park in the nearby cafe. With a frown, she followed her friends inside.
Eventually, they saw the brown-haired couple stop in front of The Thinker, and Ash made an intelligent comment.
"Why are they looking at a constipated naked guy?" he asked, earning himself a smack a la Misty's mallet. He was about to say something indignant (and most likely loud) when Dawn slapped her hand over his mouth, staring at Angel and Drake wide-eyed. Everyone looked over and saw Drake run away, a red-faced Angel chasing him.
"I've gotta know what he said to her," Dawn announced, running after the two. Everyone else sighed and followed the blunette's lead.
-oOo-
As Angel and Drake walked out the Museum to head back out to the car, Angel still wasn't too happy about whatever Drake told her in the museum. Her face was still a blushing red.
"Angel, you walked past the car," Drake called as Angel stopped walking to turn back around. "Are you still mad about what I said?" he asked as he leaned on the car, looking over it to see Angel on the other side. Angel's face got brighter and she stared intently the ground.
"N-not about what you said…more how you said it…" she stated.
"I was simply saying the truth," He said with an honest and serious voice. Angel's face kept on getting brighter, Drake smiled and laughed softly. "Can't be the first time someone complimented you?"
Angel kept silent. Drake stopped smiling for a second. "Angie, if how I said it did bothered you, then how would you prefer it being said?" Angel looked up quickly from where she kept her eyes. She saw how Drake was looking at her; she knew he wanted an answer towards that fact.
"U-um…" Angel didn't answer. Drake simply smiled at her softly.
"Until you know of how you wish to be complemented, I'll keep up with how I did at the Museum, come on it's time to head to the restaurant." Drake said as he unlocked the car and got in. Angel sighed softly as she looked back behind her, looking around the area…feeling like something was watching her. When she saw that a bunch of birds took off in a flight, she turned and got in the car, thinking her mind must have playing some kind of trick on her.
-oOo-
"She almost saw you Ketchum! What do you have to say for yourself!?" Misty whisper-shouted at the boy, soft enough that the couple they were following wouldn't hear, but loud enough to scare off a nearby flock of birds.
"Sorry?" he shrugged, an apologetic smile on his face.
"Sorry's not gonna cut it if they catch us Ashy-boy. If it's your fault, get ready to feel Misty's wrath worse than ever before," Gary commented snidely as Angel and Drake drove away. The ten teens piled into the small red car, once more following the black car their friends were inside. Currently Paul was driving with Gary getting shotgun, hoping to stay as far away from Misty as possible, Leaf sitting comfortably on his lap. In the back, Dawn sat on Ash's lap while Drew retained the redheaded she-demon from killing the dense boy. April was once more on Samuel's lap, next to Ash and Dawn, and May was assisting Drew in holding back Misty's wrath.
-oOo-
Once Drake pulled into the parking lot of the Beach Side Resort, he pointed out the side entrance for her to use. He got out himself and went to the truck to get his clothing. Angel entered the room that was on the other side of that door that stated for women. Drake had entered as well but to the name that said for men. In the women's side, Angel worked on getting on her dress that she was borrowing from May's mother. She walked out of the room back to where the car was, dressed in the dress.
The dress had a figure hugging nature to it. The collar line was a v-neck sweetheart, with the arm straps being sheer with a sparkle type appeal. That design came down to where the two straps met and continued down until it stopped around the waistline. Her dress as a whole was a very pretty maroon color. The length of the dress itself was not completely formal but more semi-formal by stopping right above her knees. Around her neck was a borrowed necklace from Dawn's collection of jewelry. It was a simple silver chain with Angel's own light bronze cross on it. Around Angel's wrist was a thin watch that she had put on the inner part of her wrist. She wore a pair of laced boots. The boots laces went up to her knees with it tying up to the top. The heels on those boots were only 2 or 3 inches. Angel had let her hair down, and one side of her bangs was longer than the other side. She pulled out of her bag a small, rare looking gem type clip that she owned personally. It had a very clear shine, glowing with a wondrous color even though it was a pale white. She used it to clip her longer bangs back to the side of her head, though it draped down a bit to not look very stiff.
Angel looked at herself before sighing. "I look so stupid…" she said as she leaned on the car to wait for Drake. She looked from the corner of her eyes to see a red car. That seemed to be everywhere she and Drake were going. She saw it following her and Drake from when she left the beach, then from the Museum… Angel carefully pushed off Drakes car to turn to the car. She looked at the tinted windows to see if there was someone in the car, before she started to walk over; but when a whistle came from a car that had stopped near the drive in to the Resort. Angel turned her head to see who it was. It was Kuro. He opened the door to his car, which he left running at the opening.
"Well, well. If it isn't my girl, Angel. What are you doing here at this dump?" he said as he pushed back his blue hair. His red eyes seemed to laughing at an untold joke. Angel seemed to glare at him as she walked back to Drakes car. Kuro followed her to the car, smiling.
"Do you mind Kuro? I'm waiting for someone. So would you please go away?" Angel said as she turned to go back into the part of the Resort that she had changed in.
"Who are you waiting on?" he smiled.
"That's none of your business." She said as she started to walk away. But Kuro grabbed her arm, yanking her to a stop as well as pulling her back to him.
"I'm sorry, did that hurt?" he smiled. Angel tensed really quickly as she tried to pulled her arm out of her grip. Kuro then touched her shoulder.
"Let me go….now." Angel said, but her voice wasn't as strong or fierce from before. Kuro took notice of this.
"Is there a problem here?" a voice called out from behind Angel. They both looked back to see a man, the same man from before. The one with red hair and red eyes; his red eyes had a cold and scary look to them.
"No, sir, there's no problem," Kuro stated, letting go of Angel and backing away towards his car, which was still running. Angel seemed to have started to calm down, as she then looked at her wrist where Kuro was holding her. He left a small mark, the faint sign of a strong hold. It stung a bit but what she was worrying about was where Drake was at the moment.
Angel turned back to the man with red hair. "Thank you…um…"
He just smiled softly, before pointing behind him. "Drake is waiting for you inside, he had to get something fixed before you came in to sit. He's at table 14 on the left side. Okay?" he stated. Angel nodded and was about to ask him something when the guy turned away and went to the beach area. Angel then went to the front doors, to be taken to her table with Drake.
-oOo-
"That was a close call," Leaf said as the girls changed into fancy dresses (provided by Dawn) in the changing room. "We're lucky Kuro happened to pull Angel's attention away."
"I told Oak we'd stand out!" Misty shouted, nearly ripping the dress in her fury. She still hadn't calmed down after the fiasco outside the museum.
"Wait, who was it that got Angel's attention?" Dawn asked, confused.
"Kuro. Possibly a bigger flirt than Gary Oak, it seems like me and Angel are his current targets. He's a junior, and rumor has it that he actually has a girlfriend. I also heard his friend Jason has eyes for a certain blonde friend of ours," Leaf said, making sure her dress fit nicely. It was a strapless spring green dress with a knee-length skirt and diamonds around the sweetheart neckline.
"Who? Serena? Bianca?" May wondered, genuinely confused. She was now wearing a ruby red dress with a v neckline and short sleeves. It was slightly longer than Leaf's and the skirt was covered in a sheer material, most likely chiffon.
"No you idiot. She's talking about our blind pal April," Misty replied, pulling out her hair tie and letting her fiery shoulder-length hair down. Her dress was a pale ice blue with sapphires placed strategically to make it shimmer like water in the sunlight. It was sleeveless with straps nearly two inches thick and went down to her knees. She wore black spandex underneath the dress as well because she didn't want any 'panty shots' as they were commonly known.
"Don't insult sweet, innocent, dense May. It's rude," Dawn chastised with a grin as April blushed fiercely. The blunette's dress was bubblegum pink with an asymmetrical neckline, a strap over her right shoulder. The dress was covered in sparkles which refracted the light, causing several small rainbows as Dawn helped April into her dress. April was wearing a more conservative dress, with elbow-length sleeves, a wide neckline, and a long midcalf-length skirt. It was a deep violet, a richer, darker shade than Paul Shinji's hair. Dawn quickly rearranged the girl's hair before they headed out to meet the boys and sit down for their last-minute reservations, courtesy of (guess who?) Drew Hayden, just like everything else they'd used on this (for lack of a better word) expedition. The five boys were waiting outside for them, dressed up in tuxedos with Ash's hat strangely stared wide-eyed at the girls, who looked stunning in their dresses. Dawn smiled at their reactions. (Even Paul's eyes were wider than usual, and she considered that a feat greater than almost any other in her entire life.)
"If you think we look good in these, wait until you see us in the swimsuits I got us," Dawn commented wryly. Then she noticed the red haired man walking towards the docks. "What is he doing here?"
"Who?" Ash asked, turning to look in the same direction.
"That guy with the red hair," Leaf told him, pointing at the man's retreating back.
"He looks kind of familiar," Gary mused, looking in the direction Leaf was pointing.
"He should because he was at the park with Angel," May said, glaring at the man's back.
"We weren't at the park with you airhead. We were in a car. But now that you mention it hair gel, that man does look familiar. I just can't put my finger on it." Drew had also turned to look at him. "What do you think Paul? You know him?"
"He's some big shot movie star," Paul grunted, hands in his pockets. Dawn gasped.
"You actually said more than five words at a time!" she exclaimed. Paul just grunted again before turning to walk inside, the others following him.
-oOo-
Once Angel was inside the restaurant, she was immediately seated with Drake, who was dress like Angel, in a nice outfit meant for a fancy dinner. "I'm really sorry about not coming to get you…hey what happened to your wrist?" he asked as he saw the swelling and the small part of purple. Angel simply smiled and shook her head. "It's nothing, okay. So what are the prices here?"
Drake looked at her wrist before looking at her with a sorrowful expression before telling her. "The prices here are from 30 to 40 dollars a meal." Drake said as he gave her a menu.
"I don't think I could afford to eat here….I didn't bring my wallet…" Angel stated as she looked at Drake with a sad smile. Drake smiled and held up a finger. "I'm paying….just get whatever you want okay?"
Angel frowned slightly before opening the menu to find something….something inexpensive. But most of the items were from 35 to 45 dollars. When the waiter came in, he asked for what they wanted to drink. Drake said he wanted a Dr. Pepper. Angel looked at the drinks and said she would like a Dr. Pepper as well. After taking that down, he asked for what they would like as an appetizer. Drake looked towards Angel who was still trying to find something that would not be so expensive. "Mozzarella Sticks would work." He told the waiter, who noted it down and worked his way back to the spot where the drinks where. Angel had finally found something she would like and was not overly priced, so she now decided to take in her surroundings. They were seated at a table that had windows to the left and right of them, while Angel and Drake sat in front of each other in a sort of north to south way.
Angel and Drake talked to each other until the drinks and the mozzarella sticks came. The waiter asked what they would like to eat. "I'll have the Resort's special of today." Drake said.
"That would the 9oz. Steak cut up into bite size, placed over a well froze lettuce. Anything else you want on it?" the waiter inquired
"Yes, the carrots and purple onions sauté please." Drake said. "Very well, and for you miss?" Angel looked at her menu again to say what she wanted. "Um, the shrimp salad with carrots and onions sauté please?" The waiter smiled and wrote it down as he walked back to the kitchen area.
"You know, it's a little strange to see you in a dress." Drake smiled. Angel fidgeted in her seat with a blush on her face.
"I'm not exactly used to being in dresses or the things of that type of clothing…" she said softly.
"Angie, you look great, and as I said in the museum…" he started.
Angel blushed and quickly started. "Don't you dare say it…"
"You look beautiful." Drake smiled, with a smile. Angel's face lit up quickly before she hid her face behind her hands. Drake continued to smile and slightly chuckle. "Really, Angie…I'm not messing with you. You truly are a very pretty, cute and a beautiful girl…" Drake continued to smile as he could see her face getting redder from embarrassment. He leaned on his palm as he watched her reaction with a smile. "Really, any guy would tell you when he would go on a date with you. If any of the guys at school ever tried to tell you…"
"I would probably punch them in the nose…" Angel stated. Drake looked at her slightly confused. "Why?"
Angel took a soft breath before looking off to the side, looking away from Drake. "Angel, would you punch me, if I told you all that at school?" Angel sighed softly. "No…" Drake smiled before asking again. "Then why anyone else?"
"Because…I would never want them to call me those things…" Angel stated. Drake looked at her for a bit. "Then, what about if you were on a date with one of them, how about then?"
Angel was silent for a still second before answering. "No…because I would never go on a date with one of them…" Angel stated simply. "I'm on a date with you because this is your apology for what happened earlier this week….a-and…"
Drake looked at her slightly confused. "And?" Angel sighed as she picked up a mozzarella stick to nibble on. "Angie? What did you mean?" Angel continued to nibble.
"This…is the first time I've been on a date…meaning I don't simply say yes to someone who asks me on a date…or ask for help…I really need to thank my roommates…" she said with a sad expression, but with a smile.
"What's wrong?" Drake asked as they continued to eat the appetizer.
"I was completely clueless for how this whole date thing was suppose to go…I ended up get help from them…and asking and accepting help is the same with dating for me…it's just not something I do…I'm not exactly one to go on dates, ask for help or of the sort…So…this is my first time on a date…as well as getting help for something."
Drake smiled softly as he reach into his pocket and pulled out the box from earlier in the day. He put it in front of Angel, who was looking at it and then Drake. "Open it." He smiled. Angel carefully picked up the box and opened it from the part that you lifted up. Inside the box was a small pale blue and silver rose trinket box. Angel looked at Drake shocked as she gently lifted it up out of the box to look at it. Memories of her past entered her mind. Her head was bent downwards, and Drake couldn't see her eyes anymore, but then he saw tears fell from her cheek onto the table, she lifted her head to see him and she smiled happily. Her face had a soft look, her smile was very happy and her eyes cried out of a memory.
"Thank you…Drake…thank you." She smiled as she held it close to her chest.
Drake smiled. "Of course, Angel. It's something special…and it was slightly my fault for breaking it…" Angel slowly stopped her crying as she smiled at the box, she opened it and she saw everything was still in there along with a small rose. She smiled at Drake. After she put it in her bag their food came out. Angel was smiling with a slight blush on her face, while Drake was also smiling as they ate.
After a while, they both finished their food, when the waiters came and cleared the table and other tables around them. Angel looked around and then at Drake, who was smiling. She saw him stand and offer his hand when a slow song came on. She laughed and took his hand. "I knew I wouldn't be able to get away from it…" she smiled.
Drake laughed. "Yup, you talk smack about my dancing…you just need to learn to dance with a partner…and this is a great way to do it." Drake laughed. Angel smiled slightly, with a small embarrassment as well. "Let's start at the top; you remember what we have to do right?" Drake asked.
Angel nodded. "Of course, the teacher wouldn't stop talking about it until everyone got it exactly right…" she smiled as they started what the dance class was working on. Since Angel and Drake were dance partners in the class, because he was the only guy Angel let get anywhere close to her, let alone touch her. As they danced in time with the music. Angel started to laugh. Drake raised an eye brow as they continued to dance. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing, it's just…you seem to be full of surprises…" Angel smiled. As they continued to dance out of the routine they were learning in the schools dance class to something they knew on their own. As she danced out of the formation, Drake spun her slowly as he moved in a circle. Angel continued to smile as she danced with him. The song started to come to the end and Drake surprised her with a low dip. Angel squeaked slightly as he laughed to pull her back up. Angel laughed at his face while pointing at him.
"What?" Drake said. Angel cough to stop laughing but it didn't work very well. "We danced…while you have food on your face…." She giggled, trying to stop laughing. "Huh?" he looked in the reflection of a plate that was decorated as a wall ornament. He saw that he a small piece of carrot near his mouth. "Is that why you kept laughing?" he asked. Angel smiled, still trying to hold in her laughter.
-oOo-
"Aw, that's so sweet!" Dawn cooed as she watched the couple dancing. She rested her elbows on the table with her chin on her palms, breathing a dreamy sigh.
"It might be sweeter if Angel wasn't laughing about the food on his face," Misty commented, bored by the scene. She picked up the bill, her eyes widening in shock before she passed it on to Drew. The boy's face paled significantly when he saw how expensive the meal was and cursed under his breath.
"Hey Leafy. Recognize that dance they're doing?" Gary smirked, testing his partner's knowledge.
"No. Miss Fantina LeBeau only went over the steps, like, a thousand times," Leaf replied sarcastically, 'accidentally' stomping on his foot. Everyone laughed at this before May pulled Drew out of his seat towards the dance floor. He stopped and handed the bill to the waiter before allowing the brunette to continue dragging him along. Dawn followed May's lead, dragging Paul while Gary did the same to Leaf. Misty, Ash, Samuel, and April sat in silence together for a few minutes.
"I can't take this. Ash, we're dancing because I can't just sit here!" Misty blurted, dragging the raven-haired boy on the dance floor. After a few seconds, Samuel followed her lead, but much more politely, as he actually asked April if she wanted to dance. Ash and Misty nearly bumped into Angel and Drake several times, but the two didn't seem to notice. Otherwise the dancing went smoothly until it was time for them to leave.
-oOo-
Drake received the check and wrote a strange letter on it before handing it back to the waiter. He smiled and held open a door that led to the Beach Side Resorts' dock. There was a boat that was nicely sized, and standing at the boats boarding area was the boats' captain. Dressed as a professional captain he welcomed them on the boat. Angel looked around to see if the red haired man from before would be near, just so she could thank him. "Are we ready to leave, Lance?" Drake asked.
"Of course, I made sure everything was ready from when you contacted me this morning, Drake." The captain stated as he pushed up his captain's hat. It was the red eyed, red haired man. Angel looked at him slightly shocked. "Angel, this is my older brother, Lance. You might recognize him from many places. He works in the music department, acting department, and other places if I'm not mistaken…"
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Angel. It's nice that my younger brother finally found someone who doesn't mind his thick-headedness…and he allows me to meet." Lance smiled as he went up to the spot to move the boat towards the island. "It will be around an hour before we reach the island, so if you want go ahead and change into your swimsuits, you can get some good rays here on this side of the ocean."
Angel nodded and looked at the bag that held her swimsuit, the one that Dawn had made from her old one. She entered the room to change, locking the door behind her. After a short time she walked out, seeing that Drake had also changed into his swim trunks. They were black with a dark green stripe going down the outer side of them. Angel came out in a two pieces, the top one covering her chest nicely and tied into a bow in the middle with a thin string that tied in the back. The bottoms where the same with the same type of bow at both sides of the hips. The main parts of the swimsuit was a dark blue, nearly black, and the bows and string were a brown color. No matter how much she tried covering herself, she didn't really feel comfortable. Drake saw her walk out and his face turned bright red.
"W-what? Does it look weird?" Angel asked as she used her bag to cover up the front of her chest and over half of her face. Drake had to shut his jaw, when he heard his brother laughing.
"Don't worry Angel, that is the average boy's reaction to a girl he likes in a hot swimsuit," Lance called from the inside of the boat. Drake staring after hearing what his brother said.
"Lance!" he said angrily. Angel smiled slightly as she saw Drake run into the room where his brother was. Angel heard, well anyone on the water could hear this, Drake yelling at his brother for something along the lines of 'saying too much.'.
Lance's laughter could be heard as well as the yelling as they bickered back and forth. Angel smiled and sat against the edge of the boat to look out on the ocean. She smiled as she breathed the sea breeze and felt the ocean's spray on her skin. Not too many boats were out, and there shouldn't be any following them to the island since it belongs to Drake's family. Angel smiled as she watched the crystal waters below; her hand gently touched the surface as the boat moved through the waters. She sat against the side as she moved her ankle slightly, looking at the burn tattoo on the inner ankle…the one of the volcano. She silently prayed that no one would recognize it or ask about it.
-oOo-
"So that's Drake's mysterious older brother!" Dawn shouted as they loaded onto their boat. (Which, surprise, was provided by Drew.)
"I can't believe he's related to the famous Lance Stevens and didn't even tell me," Gary said, a hurt look on his face. It turned into an actual look of pain when Leaf smacked him on the back of his head.
"Shut it Oak. We'll pity you, the grandson of famous Professor Oak, never," Leaf told him with a smirk.
"I swear Misty's rubbing off on you Leafy," Gary muttered, rubbing the back of his head.
"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" Misty demanded, a dangerous look on her face. Gary quickly backpedaled, trying to make it so she wouldn't clobber him.
As soon as that little confrontation was over, (meaning Misty had pounded Gary enough to calm down,) the groups split up to change into their swimsuits. Drew's boat had a chauffeur so everyone could change at once. Once they were all changed, they lounged around the boat, occasionally (or, in the case of Ash, Misty, and Gary, frequently) getting into fights. Usually, Ash and Misty would be leaning over the edge of the boat, wearing red swim trunks with dark blue stripes down the sides and a solid red bikini respectively. They were enjoying the ocean spray caused by the moving boat. Leaf lay on the deck in a goldenrod off-shoulder crop top, tied in the front, over a forest green bikini. Gary, wearing solid purple swim trunks and a partially unbuttoned short-sleeved black collared shirt, was bothering her constantly. May was wearing a yellow halter bikini with small pink hearts on her right hip and where the strap met the top piece on the left. She was being teased by Drew, who was dressed in purple swim trunks with black stripes down the side. Dawn, dressed in a yellow and orange bikini, was bugging Paul, who lay on the deck in a pair of black swim trunks. April and Samuel sat together in the shade. She wore a one piece strapless neon green swimsuit with a long piece red piece of sheer fabric tied around her waist while he wore a red tanktop and black board shorts. It was then Ash brought up a very intelligent concern, surprising everyone. Both because none of them had thought of that, and it was something smart. From Ash.
"How exactly are we gonna get on the island? Isn't it private property?" After a few seconds, everybody else's mouths started working.
"Did Ashy-boy just…" Gary trailed off, still too stunned to finish his sentence.
"Say something smart that we hadn't thought of already? Yeah," Leaf finished for him.
"But it's a valid point," Drew said, putting his hand to his chin in thought. Everyone else mimicked him as they too thought of how to get past the problem.
"W-well… Why don't we just ask?" Samuel suggested nervously. He blanched under the other nine teenagers' sudden attention.
"Ask who? We can't ask Drake because then he'll know we followed him," Dawn pointed out.
"We don't ask Drake… We ask his brother Lance!" April shouted victoriously. After a short pause, she realized everyone was probably staring at her and waiting for an explanation. "Since we can't ask Drake for permission, and we have no idea who his parents are, then the only other person we can logically ask is his brother Lance. So when we get there we just ask him if we can come onto the island."
"But what if he asks who we are and why he should let us on?" May asked.
"Well, I know Red would definitely want to know what's going on during my first date with somebody. So I bet he'd let us as long as we tell him what happens." Ash said.
"That's brilliant Ashy-boy! How are you not this smart all the time?" Gary said, clapping the raven-haired boy on the back.
"Who's Red?" Misty asked.
"Red is Ash's older brother," Leaf said. Ash looked at her confused.
"How'd you know that? Did Gary tell you?" he asked.
"Nope. I swear you have horrible memory Ashy-boy. Lemme see… When you were three years old I pushed you out of a tree and you broke your arm," Leaf said. Ash's brow furrowed as he tried to remember a day from thirteen years ago. Suddenly his face cleared in understanding.
"OH! You're that Leaf Green! The one that moved six years ago!" Ash shouted.
"Took you long enough," Gary said, rolling his eyes. "I recognized her right away."
"Well… I got a better grade than you in P.E. five years in a row!" Ash yelled.
"I wasn't trying those five years! I bet I could get better grades with a broken leg!" Gary shouted back.
"I could beat you both with both my legs broken," Misty bragged. Soon after, everyone was back to doing exactly the same thing as before Ash's brilliant ideas, aside from Leaf, who was peacefully sunbathing while listening to her tunes.
-oOo-
Once Angel and Drake stepped on the small docking area of the island, which led to a beach house. Drake smiled at Angel before pointing at the cliff side hill. "That's where we are going. You want to go now, or rest a bit?" he asked as he moved off the boat. He now had an unbuttoned shirt on covering himself a little. Angel, who still felt uncomfortable in the swimsuit, had put on a jacket over her shoulders. She nodded as they both set out towards the cliffside hill.
As Angel and Drake worked their way to the cliff through the forest around them. Angel saw a wide range of animals and birds, all bright and full of colors. The flowers were so beautiful and in full bloom. Angel stopped to look at one of the flowers. A rose…a Spanish Rose… Drake saw that Angel was smiling down upon the flower. He smiled as he walked back and gently picked the flower and brushed off all the thorns and any bugs as he put it in Angel's hair, pulling back the longer parts of her bangs. She looked down with wide eyes as well as a blush. She carefully looked up at him; he was still smiling at her. They both stared at each other, Angel who was blushing from the flower and Drake who was smiling at her.
The sun's rays gently moved through the trees to shine down on them and the ocean's breeze seemed to try make them move. Angel's hair seemed to gently blow with the wind as she quickly looked down after she realized that the both of them where staring at each other. Drake, who also seemed to have caught on at that moment, quickly looked back up to the sky where the sun was sending it gentle rays of light. Drake laughed awkwardly as he held out his hand. "I know you don't like being touched…but the trail gets harder to walk from here…" he stated.
Angel looked at his hand, her heart seemed to speed up… She couldn't really figure out if it was from fear like before or if for another reason… She slowly took his hand, which he held gently, knowing how she is afraid of touching others. He smiled as he helped her at any of the areas where the path gets difficult. After a while of moving forward, he moved a branch from their view to show the cliffside hill. It was completely covered in tropical flowers! Ranging from yellows to oranges to pinks to reds to blues to greens to any other color that was not thought to be possible. Angel smiled at the sight as it was very pretty with the crystal blue ocean behind them and with the deep blue sky from above.
Drake slowly let go of her hand, of which she continued to hold. Her head was slightly down with a blush. He smiled as she started to lean against his arm.
Angel and Drake walked over to the wide range of flowers that seemed to surround the cliff. As they watched the ocean down below, a twig snapped behind them. Drake turned to see an older man with slicked back dark red hair and menacing dark red eyes. He stood with his arms folded behind him. He was dressed in a dark red outfit, in a sort of business suit style. Drake looked at him as he stood in front of Angel as if to protect her. "I'm sorry sir, but this is a private island…can you please escort yourself off this land?"
The man simply smiled, before he turned his head to Angel, who was still facing the ocean. "It's been a while…Angelica…" he said with a smile. Drake turned his head slightly to Angel who still didn't move. Drake looked back at the man, who was still smiling at Angel. "Angelica, you still haven't return back to the base…Why waste your time here, being surrounded by this water?"
Drake frowned at the strange man. "Who are you?"
The man smiled at him before pointing at Angel. "Ask her."
Drake then turned, but only slightly. Angel sighed before turning to the man. "What do you want… Maxie? I'm not in the mood for your games…" she said with a dark tone of voice.
"Isn't obvious, my dear daughter? I'm here to take you back to base, seeing as all of my other subordinates failed to bring you back. You left without giving your report on the last mission to Iron Island and failed to send in what you were sent to acquire. I believe it was the Rare Mineral Ore?" he smiled as he started to walk around towards Angel.
"First off, I never was and never will be your daughter. Secondly, I can easily get away from you here as I did from all the rest of your grunts," Angel said as she stood her ground. Maxie laughed once. "You can get away on your own… But what of this lad here? Or your classmates and dormmates? I'm sure you know if you up and disappear again, you know what will happen to them. Just as the last ones you made contact with."
Angel frowned as she glared at her old boss. "Plus, my little Evil Angel, you never opposed me before your Mission to Iron Island…Was destroying that island and stealing that Ore really the final straw?"
Angel remained silent before she replied carefully. "What makes you think I was the one who failed that part of the mission?"
"We found your Den-Mother, coaching you on how to escape with the Ore while as well as to defuse the bomb fast enough to escape without anyone of our members to catch you…"
Angel's eyes widened for a few seconds before she looked so angry that if looks could kill, Maxie would be dead a thousand times over. "What did you do with Mother Clarisse?"
Maxie smiled as he laughed. "She was properly punished for her betrayal, and is waiting for your return…"
From the look on Angel's face was clear that she was losing her calm composure. She slowly reached around her back into the light jacket she was wearing and she pulled out small metal-like daggers, only they were a light purple. She held them up for Maxie to see. He smiled at her. "It's very much like you, my Evil Angel, to turn the rare mineral ore into multiple small weapons… Hand them over…and let's head back to base. You really need a debriefing as well as your punishment for your unannounced leave…"
-oOo-
As the boat docked, they sent April, Drew, and Samuel over as the 'negotiators' according to Ash, Gary, May, and Dawn. They sent Drew because of his suavity, April because she's good at reading people's emotions despite not being able to see their faces, and Samuel because it was was his idea. They didn't have to go very far because Lance met up with them on the docks.
"You do know this is a private island, right?" he asked them seriously. Drew nodded before speaking.
"You see, we're friends of Angel and Drake-" Drew was cut off abruptly as he was about to launch into what was no doubt a well-planned speech.
"To be specific, I'm Angel's roommate and he's Drake's. The others are our dormmates," April said.
"Who are 'the others?' I only see you three," Lance said.
"Right. Misty, Leaf, May, Dawn, Paul, Ash, and Gary are all still on board. We wanted to get your permission before we all came onto the island since it's private property. Oh, and my name's April, he's Drew, and this is Samuel," April said with a smile.
"Well, that's considerate. Why exactly would you want to come onto the island now?" That was a very good question from Lance, and Drew had an answer that danced around the point.
"You see, we considered it a good idea to-" April 'accidentally' stepped on Drew's foot because she knew what he was doing, and figured it wouldn't help their case at all.
"These idiots thought it would be a good idea to spy on Angel and Drake's date, and we've been following them since the park. I have to say, Dawn was pissed when she thought you were some random guy who could possibly get in the way of their date," April told Lance, who smiled.
"You said 'these idiots,' which implies you didn't think this is a good idea. If you consider it a bad idea, then why are you here?" Another wonderful question from Lance, but Drew didn't have an answer for this one.
"Well, it's not safe to leave a blind girl home alone and Samuel has no backbone. The other eight came because they wanted to," April said simply.
"Very true," Lance chuckled. He thought for a moment before continuing. "I guess it's okay for you to continue, since you've gotten this far. However," -Here Lance paused for dramatic effect- "You have to tell me everything about it in the end. Deal?" Lance stuck his hand out and Samuel placed April's in it since she couldn't see.
"Deal," she said as she shook Lance's hand. After they let go, he gave Samuel a small card.
"So you can contact me later. You seem like the least likely person to lose it," Lance said with a smile. "Now get going. Drake and his girlfriend headed up to the flowery cliff. It's not that hard to find if you follow the path."
"Thanks!" April said before turning in Drew's general direction. "You heard the man. Get the rest of the spies and tell them that the negotiations were a success!"
As Drew headed back onto the ship, Lance laughed. "Negotiations?" he asked.
"Well, that's what about half of them are calling us. 'The Negotiators.' Sounds dramatic, right?" April joked. Once all of the 'spies' were onshore, Lance wished them luck before they all headed up the path. Eventually they all got to the cliff and quickly hid behind bushes and trees. Or in the trees in the cases of Misty and Ash. It was then that an older red-haired man came out of trees on the far side of the clearing. As he spoke, Drew stiffened. He recognized that man from less than two months ago.
Flashback
A red-haired man sat behind a desk, dressed in gray pants and a long red and gray overcoat.
"I brought the boy to fulfill his father's debt, Boss," a hooded man said.
"I can see that, Tabitha," the boss replied. By now, Drew was fully awake and struggling to escape Tabitha's grip. "He's rather feisty, isn't he?"
"I caught him trying to run. But I can probably break him before the month's out," the man assured his boss.
"Very well. I give you my permission to do whatever you need to prepare him. Just try to ensure he's healthy when it's time for him to pay the debt," the red-haired man sighed, dismissing them with a wave of his hand. Tabitha dragged the juvenile out of the office with a malicious grin on his face.
Flashback end
Drew was broken out of his memory by a sudden movement. He hadn't heard everything that had been said, but he knew it sounded malicious towards Angel. Glancing at the movement, he saw that April had stood, trembling but looking furious.
"You leave her alone! She's done nothing wrong and I don't care what you say but she couldn't have been on Iron Island," she said. Everyone stared at the blind girl in shock.
"And how would you know that?" Maxie asked her.
"Because this 'Rare Mineral Ore' you're talking about can be found in only one place, and it was a small deposit. I have most of it, and somebody I trust has the rest. I never got her name and I could never hope to see her face. Not even Riley knew about the Ore, so not even he knows what she looks like," April said, glaring at the man.
"Really?" Maxie said, intrigued by this strange girl's words.
"Stop lying to him April. You don't have it," Angel shouted, her voice laced with hidden meaning. Aside from the tightening of a fist, it seemed as though Angel's words went unheard.
"I've never lied in my entire life and I don't plan to now. Not now, and not ever. There's never a reason to lie," April said fiercely.
"If you have this ore, then where is it?" Maxie asked.
"Not here," was April's response. Misty grinned as an idea formed. She quickly moved to Ash's tree and whispered something in his ear before hanging upside down to tell Leaf something. Leaf passed the message on to the others, and everyone nodded. During this time, Maxie had gotten nowhere with April and Angel.
"Tell me where it is!" he demanded.
"Never! Breaking your word is a form of lying!" April shouted back at him. Misty and Ash quickly moved through trees in the clearing as the other teenagers quickly found sticks, stones, vines, and other things. Surprisingly, it seemed to be Samuel who was leading them.
"I will give you both one more chance to hand over the Ore. I will count to five," Maxie said. The two girls glared at him.
"One." Misty and Ash were now in the two trees on either side of Maxie.
"Two." Samuel was quickly building something out of the various parts they had gathered.
"Three." Dawn and Paul were working together to send a morse code signal to Lance on the boat using a compact mirror the girl had brought in a small purse for unknown reasons.
"Four." Lance was now sending a return message and Paul was interpreting it before having Dawn send another.
"Five." With a yell, both Ash and Misty jumped out of the trees onto Maxie. Samuel was pulling back the arm on a makeshift trebuchet of twigs, leaves, and vines.
"FIRE!" he yelled. In all honesty, he had never spoken that loud in his entire life, much less to his companions. This was loud enough that Lance, who was still on the boat preparing for emergency evacuation from the island, could hear it echoing to him, although it was still incoherent. Misty and Ash quickly moved before the rocks that the trebuchet launched could hit them.
"Hold him down Ash!" Misty said as she pulled her trusty mallet out of nowhere. Ash wisely didn't argue, holding Maxie to the ground while Misty clobbered the unfortunate man with the large wooden hammer until he was half-dead and begging for mercy. Misty paused after the twentieth swing.
"Should I stop?" she asked. By now everyone else had come and surrounded Maxie, who was lying prone on the ground. Drew was in the back, with everybody else between him and Maxie.
"Yes, but lemme take a swing," Angel said, holding her hand out for Misty's mallet. The redhead slowly parted with her weapon, which held a special place in her heart. Angel took it, skillfully spun it around in her hand like a professional.
"This is for Mother Clarisse," Angel said, swinging the mallet. "This is for April." Another swing, harder this time. "And this one is for me." She raised the wooden tool high above her head before bringing it down hard. She then turned to the others. "Any takers?"
Silently, Paul took it and swung a couple times before holding it out. Ash tried to take it next, but it was nearly to heavy for him. Instead of a swing, it was more like a 'hold-above-your-head-and-let-it-drop.' Misty then picked it up with the intention of taking a few more swings. Suddenly, they all heard a chopper above them and saw a red helicopter with an M-shaped volcano on it. A ladder dropped and a woman with short purple hair and light purple eyes quickly descended. She looked straight at Angel, completely ignoring everybody else who quickly surrounded their friend.
"You won't be clear forever, Evil Vile Angel. You'll always be part of Team Magma whether you want to or not, as proven by the mark you bear. And I hope you don't care too much about Clarisse because she won't care about you after this," she said before throwing something to the ground. Smoke billowed from the ground, engulfing the group. By the time it cleared, Maxie and the woman were far away in the chopper.
"What the crap was that all about?" Gary asked.
"Evil Vile Angel? That's an interesting name," Leaf said, turning to Angel.
"What does she mean the 'mark you bear?'" Dawn wondered.
"And who's Clarisse?" Ash said.
"Well, if you're all gonna ask me questions, then I get to ask you one: What in the blazes are you doing here?" Angel crossed her arms and waited for an answer. Eventually, it was April who answered.
"Dawn and May decided to spy on your date, and then convinced Leaf and Misty to. They couldn't leave me behind, so I had to come too. Misty apparently got Drew in on it, who got Gary in, who got Ash. I don't know why Paul is here, and Samuel doesn't have a backbone so he came too," April said without a single breath or pause.
"Wow," Drake said, at a loss for words.
"Well, I'll answer your questions later because I really don't feel like doing it now. Plus I don't feel like I owe you anything right now seeing as how you were spying on us," Angel stated.
"How did you guys even get here anyways?" Drake asked them.
"Drew got a boat and Lance gave us permission as long as we told him how it went," April answered once again as everyone except Paul became very interested in their feet, and Paul wasn't going to answer anytime soon.
"I say we all go home," Leaf suggested, and everybody nodded in agreement before trudging back down to the docks. Once there, Lance asked if everyone was okay and what happened, getting incoherent mumbling as an answer. Less than ten minutes after leaving the clearing, they were all on their way back to Almia's mainland.
Espeon: Dang, we just dropped a serious bombshell.
Misty: No, really?
Umbreon: yeah, well Angel's past is a little shadowed with mystery...
Espeon: And I'm gonna unshadow it!
Leaf: Does that mean next chapter you'll explain everything about Angel's past?
Espeon: Well no. Next chapter is our really late Halloween special. Once again, we're really sorry about that.
Umbreon: yes, the following chapter is our along awaited Halloween Special..as well as Angel's Birthday chapter!
Espeon: Oh crap! I just realized we skipped over May and Dawn's birthdays by doing that! Well, May's is in September, so happy birthday to you May, and Dawn, yours is close enough to Halloween that we can celebrate it in that chapter.
May: I want strawberry cake as an apology for skipping my birthday!
Espeon: Alright, but don't let Erza see. She loves strawberry cake so much some people ship her with it. *Gives May cake*
Umbreon: Sorry May, Dawn...I started Angel's Birthday Chapter because of my own birthday in the month of October...and Halloween is such a fun thing to put in a chapter special...
May: *Eating Strawberry Cake* S'okay. I've got cake.
Dawn: And my birthday's only four days before Halloween. It should be easy to add in! For my birthday, I want a date with Paul!
Paul: Hn. Fine, Troublesome.
Espeon: Did Paul just...
Umbreon: ...Paul...willingly...said yes to a Date with Dawn...CONSIDER IT DONE AND DONE! I WILL START WORKING ON YOUR BIRTHDAY DATE WITH PAUL! COME, ESPEON! WE HAVE WORK TO DO!
Espeon: INDEED! I WILL CUT THIS A/N SHORT JUST SO WE MIGHT WRITE THIS ASTOUNDING SURPRISE DATE THAT PAUL SPRUNG ON US! On a totally unrelated note, my younger brother Moron's birthday just happens to be the same day as yours Dawn.
Dawn: Really?
Espeon: Yep.
Umbreon: *already in our discussion room* ESPIII! Come on! We have WORK TO DO! WE need to find the best places for their VERY FIRST DATE! JUST LIKE ANGEL AND DRAKE'S!
Espeon: OKAY! JUST GIMME A SEC TO WRAP UP THE A/N! Please review and tell us what you want to happen in future chapters, if not just to keep us out of our emo corners! Every review counts for that! Now please excuse me while I talk to Umbreon about the IkariShipping date! Espeon out! Peace! *Runs over to discussion room* What if we-
Dawn: Do Paul and I get a say in this?
Espeon and Umbreon: NO!