First off, I'd like to say that this is one of my favorite chapters to write. I've wanted to write a full-out paintball scene for a while and it finally happened. WHOO! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.
Also, if you haven't seen my Chapter 25 Recap go check it out here: /watch?v=9pAYFeUlUiE (just add it to the youtube URL)
Stay tuned to the end of the video because I have big news about the SEQUEL and SOMETHING ELSE. You guys won't be disappointed!
Chapter 26: Epic Paintball
After our well-deserved shower, which admittedly lasted longer than ten minutes, Landon and I finally headed downstairs. As usual, we found the rest of the family in different parts of the house.
Rhia and Marc were in the kitchen. Rayne and Daniel were in the living room. Patrick was in the garden and Ives was off to who knows where. I knew Cassandra and Adrien would be on their way back home. They went to go do some errands before any of us were even awake.
"Okay, we're here," Landon announced to Rayne and Daniel, whom only spared him a glance.
"Ten minutes my ass," muttered Rayne.
Daniel chuckled. "You guys took an hour up there."
"Shower," I explained as if the one word explained everything and indeed it did.
Daniel's eyes lit up. "Of course," he smiled.
Ives appeared out of nowhere with an annoyed look on his face. "You guys just put back paintballing by an hour!" he whined.
Rayne, who I knew could care less, shrugged. "You're the only one who really cares."
Daniel shook his head. "Nuh uh, I am so ready to beat Rhia!" he explained. He bumped fists with Ives and they both let out eager grunts.
Rayne only patted Daniel's lap. "Whatever makes you happy, honey."
Rhia and Marc finally rendezvoused with the rest of us. "Daniel, you've been claiming that you'd defeat me for fifty years. Give it up," Rhia said with a roll of her eyes.
Daniel narrowed his eyes and challenged her. "I say you're just scared," he taunted.
Rhia's eyes flashed and she grinned evilly. "I do like a good challenge," she smirked.
"Rhia has that look in her eyes again," Patrick pointed out as he appeared with his camera around his neck. "It's creepy. Did Daniel gamble his dignity again?"
"That was one time!" Daniel begrudged.
"What about that other time when you ran around the school naked?"
"Or when you announced to the airport that Rhia was your supreme overlord?"
"That time when Rhia made you her personal pony transportation throughout the Mall of Asia?"
"Okay, so I may have lost my dignity more than once!" Daniel finally admitted.
We all laughed.
"What are the terms this time, Rhia?" Patrick asked, chuckling.
Rhia stared Daniel down and cackled evilly. "I don't know yet but I'll come up with something."
"I got my ice cream!" Marc announced.
We all spared him a glance. "That's nice, Marc," Ives commented. Marc stuck his tongue out at Ives, who returned the gesture.
"Are you done acting like a child?" Landon asked Ives. Ives only changed the direction of his stuck out tongue from Marc to Landon.
Patrick grinned. "You guys ready to get this epic paintballing on the road?"
"Whoo!"
Rayne unenthusiastically joined in.
Ives was the first one to get to the weapons room. Yes, we call it the weapons room. We took a chunk of our garage and made it into a room. Against two of the walls, our different kinds of guns were hung. We also have tables against the walls that contained our smaller guns. On the other two walls, we had shelves filled with different kinds of ammo.
We had different colored paintballs on each shelf, ranging from black to zebra to rainbow. What fun it was to make different patterns of paintballs. I grabbed my weapon of choice and wrapped a utility belt around my waist. I filled it will all kinds of paintballs. Leaning over Landon, I grabbed a rainbow paint grenade and stuck it inside one of the pockets of my utility sash.
Paint grenade? he asked.
I grinned. You know it.
Nice, he applauded.
After we all finished grabbing our weapons, we piled outside of our house, just in time to see Cassandra and Adrien getting out of their car.
"Hey, Cassie, Adrien," I greeted pecking their cheeks.
"You guys playing again?" Cassie smiled. We all nodded.
"You guys know my rule. No one better get hurt," Adrien warned.
"Totally," Ives agreed.
"Okay, then. Guess it's all settled." Adrien shrugged and headed into the house.
"Good luck, Daniel," Cassie said, patting Daniel's shoulder, before following her husband.
Patrick and Landon laughed.
"Even Cassie knows where this is all going to lead up to," Landon said.
"Oh, Cassie is hilarious," Patrick joked.
Daniel glared at them.
"So what? You guys ready?" Ives asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
"Hey, you know what, I might actually enjoy this," Rayne admitted.
We all stared at her.
"Really?" I asked. "Rayne, you hate paintball. In fact, you lose on purpose."
"Well, this feels different. Maybe it's the grenades. We've never had them before," she giggled with excitement.
I looked at the rest of the group and knew we were all thinking the same thing. What the hell was up with Rayne?
Ives shook his head. "You guys know the rules. The house is the center of the square battlefield. Our perimeters are 300 feet away from the house on all sides. Anyone found outside the battlefield is an automatic disqualification. No exceptions. Other than that, it's a free-for-all. As soon as you're directly shot, you're out. Any questions?" Ives laid down the law right there and then. I smiled. Paintballing is the only time when Ives is ever serious about the rules.
I met Landon's eyes. Partners?
He gave me a short nod.
"Okay," Daniel started, "Ready for transportation in 3, 2, 1!"
I grabbed Landon's hand and let the flames consume us. When I opened my eyes, I found Landon and I atop the branches of a tree deep within the forest. I pursed my lips and so did he. We both knew our rule. Silence is key.
I brought two fingers and directed towards an adjacent tree. He nodded quietly and exposed his wings. He flew over to the nearby tree, managing not to make a single sound. I bit my lip as I looked at the thicket of trees ahead of us.
I closed my eyes and allowed my Phoenix senses to take over. My ears perked up at the sound of rustling leaves. My eyes snapped open and I met Landon's eyes.
It's Rayne, he announced.
I smiled. Of course it is.
I looked below us and saw that Rayne was running on her own. No doubt Daniel wouldn't let her near him. He's a man on a mission and he won't let even the love of his life from distracting him.
Oh, Rayne, you poor girl, I cooed in my head.
I saw her hide behind a thick bush. Unfortunately for her, she was still visible to Landon and me.
Grenade? Landon suggested, not able to hide the excitement from his question.
That's evil! But pure genius! I replied, smiling maniacally.
As quietly as I could, I took the rainbow paint grenade from my utility sash. I ripped the pin from the grenade and threw it down at Rayne. She only became aware of the grenade when she heard it crash to the ground. She whipped around wildly, searching for the origin of the sound. It was too late when she finally saw the grenade.
It exploded all over Rayne, covering her in seven different colors of paint.
I couldn't help it; I fell onto the branch supporting me and wheezed with silent laughter. I cradled my stomach. I was laughing so hard it hurt. I looked across and saw that Landon was no better off.
Rayne shrieked with utter disgust and frustration. Finally, she looked up and saw Landon and me.
"You guys are jerks!" she yelled.
She was a hot mess. The explosion of the grenade blew her hair back. Her hair was reminiscent of a Troll doll's hair and was the color of a rainbow. Basically, Rayne looked like a walking rainbow.
"I will always commit this moment to memory!" Landon shouted down at her, still laughing.
"Gah!"
Rayne was consumed by flames and disappeared before our very eyes. I transported over to Landon and grabbed his hand.
"New position?" I asked.
This time, I let him transport us.
We found ourselves hiding inside a thick bush. Unlike Rayne, we hid inside it, rather than behind it. When you play Epic Paintball too many times, you learn a few tricks or two.
Landon and I found this bush the last time we played paintball. Since then, we managed to carve the inside of the bush, allowing just enough space for the both of us. What's left of the bush is still thick enough to hide us from Phoenix eyes.
This time around, we had to wait a little while, unlike Rayne, who showed up almost seconds right after we were positioned.
I narrowed my eyes and looked through the bush. Admittedly, this was a much harder hiding place, because our vision was blocked.
There. I pointed out to Landon.
My eyes directed him towards a pile of boulders. I could just make out a bit of Patrick's green wings.
Landon picked up his gun and aimed at Patrick. Patrick's back was clearly to us. There's no way he could have expected it when Landon shot at him, not once, but three times. First with white, then blue, then red.
"What the hell?!" Patrick groaned and leaned against the boulder. "It's barely been ten minutes and I'm out! Again!"
I couldn't handle it anymore. I broke out laughing. The image of a rainbow Rayne mixed with a horror-stricken Patrick killed me. Patrick was just icing on the cake. Rayne stole the center of attention. I leaned against Landon, hoping for support, but he too was laughing.
I could hear Patrick's footsteps towards us. He wasn't just walking. He was stomping.
He burned off what was left of the bush and exposed Landon and me dying of laughter.
He threw his hands up into the air in defeat. "Of course! Of course! This has to be cheating. Who hides inside a bush?!"
"Smart people," I managed to get out, still dying of laughter.
"Whew, if it makes you feel better, we're not really laughing at you," Landon told him.
Patrick raised his eyebrow. "Oh really? Because what else would you be laughing at?"
I shared with him the image of rainbow Rayne and he too started laughing. I wiped tears from my eyes, finally catching my breath. Landon and I were still on the ground, now joined with Patrick.
"You guys really got her good," Patrick praised.
"She was right. The grenades really do make everything more interesting," I commented.
"Okay, well, Bella and I need to keep going," Landon announced.
Patrick rolled his eyes. "You guys are still jerks. Couldn't you give me a break?" And with that, he transported out.
"You know what would be a good place?" I asked Landon. He raised an eyebrow.
I grabbed his hand and transported us to the house. We found ourselves on the roof, surveying the action below us. In the backyard, the usual rendezvous spot, where everyone who has been shot stays, Landon and I saw Patrick, Marc, and still a rainbow Rayne.
Patrick was still laughing and Marc was giggling to himself. Rayne looked murderous.
Okay, maybe that was a bit harsh, I admitted.
She needs to learn from her mistakes if she wants to get good at it, Landon replied.
I nodded, understanding what he meant.
I put a hand over my eyes, blocking the sun, as I surveyed the place. I couldn't see Ives, Daniel, or Rhia anywhere. I did, however, see three cars driving towards us from far down the street. I couldn't quite distinguish the drivers, but I could tell that the cars were expensive. As in Cullens expensive.
AAAAAAND I just dropped that DUN DUN DUN! If you guys watched the recap video, I talked about how there's going to be a lot of action in the next chapters. It starts here!
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! If you did, don't forget to give me some love and REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!
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