Chapter Thirty-One – Fun in the Pool
"You really saved the day," Joseph said to Ray, when he came in with the rest of his team.
"Yeah, I guess," he said, looking wistfully at Zarine. He was the one who had rescued her, but she was too busy hugging her brother to notice anyone else. The others watched the two siblings with a smile on their faces.
Then Mr. D. came in. "Hello, kids."
Zarine and Will broke off their hug to look at Mr. D. The old man said, "I believe you'll be happy to hear that the Dark Force had been arrested for murder..."
"And for kidnapping and child abuse!" Ray added hotly. "They whipped Zarine half to death when they kidnapped her. You can still se the marks on her back!"
"Oh dear, it looks like you'll have to fill me in on a lot of things," Mr. D. said. "We'll talk about this later. Some of you look dead on your feet. It's now two o'clock. I'll pick you up for dinner at six thirty at the hotel, and then you can tell me everything."
They nodded. "I'll drop you off at your hotel," Mr. D. offered.
"No thanks," Ozuma declined. "We can go on our own."
"Mariam, you guys should come to dinner with us," Zarine said.
Mariam looked inquiringly at Ozuma. "Yeah, sure," he said. "We'll see you later."
Will stared at Mariam. She was pretty and really hot. He shook his head and followed Zarine out of the room.
"Oh ya! Will, this is my team, the Bladebreakers. The one with the hat is Tyson. The blonde haired one is Max. Kenny, a.k.a. Chief is the one with the lap top. Kai is the tall one with the scarf," Zarine introduced her teammates to her brother. "And last but not least," she felt her pulse quicken just looking at him, "The one with the bandana is Ray." Ray turned his gaze on her, and she quickly looked away.
They got into a limo and arrived in front of the hotel in five minutes.
"Go upstairs and rest while I get Will a room," Mr. D. said.
Zarine climbed into bed as soon as she entered the room that she and Ray shared. Ray just stood against the wall watching her. When she noticed his stare, she flushed.
"Were you the one who saved me?" she asked.
"Never mind that now, just go to sleep," Ray answered.
"Fine," she sighed. 'So was he?' she asked Xeora. She knew her bit-beast would tell her.
Xeora answered, 'Yeah. He and Driger fought very hard. You should make him get some rest too.'
"Ray, you better go to sleep!" Zarine ordered. "Xeora just told me how hard you and Driger fought in the final round."
"What if I don't want to?" Ray asked, rising his eyebrow.
Zarine answered sweetly, "I just won't go to sleep until you do." Then she yawned. She was really tired.
Sighing, Ray climbed into his own bed. He knew Zarine meant what she said, even though she was exhausted. "You happy now?" he asked grumpily.
"No, it's too hot in here. Go and turn on the air conditioning for me," she commanded.
Ray got up and did what she told him to do. He was going to get her to sleep no matter what. Luckily for him, Zarine was satisfied and went to sleep. At about four o'clock, Zarine woke up, feeling cold. She shivered under her blankets. An idea sprung into her head when she looked at the lump on the other bed. Her teeth chattered as she got up. Stifling her giggles, she poked Ray and woke him up.
"What is it?" he asked sleepily.
"I'm cold," Zarine answered.
He opened his eyes and said incredulously, "You woke me up for that? Just turn the air conditioner off!"
"But I want to be warm now," she complained.
Ray sighed. "Just get under my blankets."
Zarine immediately dived under the covers. "You can be so annoying, you know," he grumbled.
The petite girl giggled mischievously, "I couldn't resist! Besides, I was really cold..."
"Well, now you're warm, so be quiet and I can go back to sleep already," Ray said.
"Geez," she said, rolling her eyes before closing them. Ray felt her shivering on the other side. He rolled over and pulled her closer with one arm so she'd get warm. She sighed contentedly and fell asleep.
"So, I hope my sister didn't treat you like slaves," Will remarked. He was eating chips and cookies with Max, Tyson and Kenny. Kai was standing against the wall, with his arms crossed.
"What do you mean? Treat us like slaves?" Max asked, confused.
"I see she hasn't yet. What a relieve. Basically, she can get you to do things that she wants without even trying. If you try to refuse, she would find a good comeback, and you can't find an excuse not to. Believe me, she had done that to me my whole life," Will explained. "She's already spoiled enough."
"Really? She acts mature most of the time," Kai said. "Unlike some people in this room."
"Well, Zarine is just full of surprises. She was probably just not comfortable enough with you yet," Will said. Then he remembered something. "I need to ask you something. Does Zarine like Ray or something?"
"Maybe," Kenny replied thoughtfully, nibbling on his cookie. "I know that Ray really likes her though."
"What?" Tyson asked, dropping his chips in shock. "Ray likes Zarine?!"
"Tyson, I knew you weren't very observant, but how can you not know?" Max asked. "It's so obvious! Why do you think he wanted to battle so bad in the final round?"
Tyson said as he digested this 'new' information, "Ah...now I see what you mean."
"You can always just ask her," Kenny suggested. "You're her brother, she'll probably tell you anything."
"Not always. She's such a private person. If she doesn't want you to know something, nothing, and I mean, nothing, can pry it out of her," Will said.
"Yeah, we had an experience. Zarine wouldn't even speak a word about her past. Kai had to threaten to kick her off the team before she'd tell us," Max said.
"Wake up, sleepyhead!" Zarine said to Ray at six ten.
Ray groaned, "It can't be time to wake up already!"
"Well, it is! I've already took a shower. You better get up now,' she said impatiently.
He got up and decided to take a quick shower. "Hurry up!" Zarine's muffled voice came from the other side of the door. "We're going to be late!"
He said loudly, "I'll be out in a minute."
Then there was a knock on the door. Zarine opened it and saw her brother. "Hey, Will!" she chirped, smiling at him.
"You ready yet? The others are waiting," her brother said.
"Ray was being lazy and wouldn't get up," Zarine said defensively.
"Thanks a lot," the Chinese boy said sarcastically from behind.
"You look good tonight," Will complimented his younger sister on the way down to the lobby. She was wearing a dark red top with a jean skirt. Her hair was put up in a ponytail off to one side so her curls spilled over her shoulders.
"Thanks!" she said brightly. It was good being with him again.
Ray took a good look at her. [She does look good tonight.] he thought. [Her neck looks too bare though. She needs a necklace...]
"Will, we should go for ice-cream after dinner!" Zarine was saying cheerfully as they were going down in the elevator.
Her brother grinned, "No objections here." He loved ice-cream, but not with the passion that Zarine has.
Everyone was waiting for them by the time they arrived. "Finally!" Tyson said. "We thought you were never going to come down!"
"I've reserved us a table for twelve in a restaurant not far from here," Mr. Dickenson said.
They walked into the cool night. "So what took you so long? Choosing the outfit, or doing your hair?" Tyson asked Zarine.
"Actually, Ray was the reason why I was late," Zarine answered
"Really?" he asked doubtfully.
"You really shouldn't stereotype people," she said disapprovingly. She turned to look at Will and saw that he was openly staring at Mariam. Luckily, Max was chatting animatedly with Mariam and didn't notice.
"Will, I really wouldn't if I were you," Zarine said lightly.
"Huh, why not?" he asked.
"Because Maxie's got the first claim on her," Zarine answered.
"Does she like him?" he asked.
"Maybe," she said evasively. "I wouldn't go for her if I were you."
He sighed, "Oh well."
"So how old are you?" Mr. D. asked.
"I'm sixteen and a half, sir," Will replied.
"You're around the same age as the others are," Mr. D. said.
Tyson suddenly bellowed, "Are we there yet?"
"It's just up ahead," the bald man answered with a chuckle.
They entered the brightly lit restaurant. There were a lot of people waiting for a seat. "I've reserved a table here for twelve under the name, Dickenson," Mr. D. said to the waitress.
She led them to a private parlor. There was a huge table in the middle of the room. Zarine sat down beside Will naturally. Max was going to sit on the other side of her, but changed his mind when he saw Ray looking at him hopefully. "Ray, why don't you sit here instead?"
"Sure," he shrugged as if he couldn't care less.
"Why are we in a private parlor?" Kenny asked.
"Haven't you ever eaten at a Chinese restaurant?" Will asked.
Kenny shook his head. "That would explain it. In a restaurant as crowded as this, it's very loud."
"Is it really that bad?" Max asked.
"Go and see for yourself," Will said.
Max, Kenny, and Tyson ran out to the main dinning area. They came back a few minutes later with their hands over their ears. Max exclaimed, "God! Who can stand to eat in there?"
They explained everything to Mr. Dickenson over dinner. "You'll have to go to the police station tomorrow. I believe they have some questions for you," Mr. D. said after their story. "Oh, yes. In one week's time, there will be a party for all the teams from the tournament. You're expected to be there. It will be formal."
"That means I'll have to o shopping," Zarine mused as she finished her last cube of jello.
"I hope that doesn't mean that you're going to go all out and make me a poor man," Kai remarked.
"I'll take that into consideration," she said jokingly. "Mariam, you have to come with me."
"Yeah, sure," Mariam said to her friend said.
"Sweet!" the silver haired girl said happily. She speared two of Will's jello from his bowl and began to eat them.
"Hey!" Will protested indignantly. "What did you do that for?"
Zarine just grinned cheekily at him. "What are you going to do about it?"
Will didn't say anything. He was annoyed but what could he do? She was already eating them.
Ray looked at Zarine in surprise. [She must be really hyper today! I have never seen her being this playful before!]
The next day, they spent a long time at the police station. Zarine was so tired of them asking her if she was sure there was nothing that she forgot or left out. She was ready to scream with frustration. At one in the afternoon, she was still stuck in that stupid questioning room. She felt as if she was the one who got arrested. When they finally they let her go, the others were waiting for her.
"They sure kept you in there for a long time," Kenny commented.
"No kidding! Where's Ray?" she asked when she noticed he wasn't there.
"He went to go get something," Max replied. "He should be back any minute.)
Then Ray came into sight with an ice-cream cone in his hand. He held the ice-cream to her. "This is for you," he said.
The tiny girl squealed with delight. "Thanks!" she exclaimed happily, and immediately started licking it.
"You're free to go now," one of the police told them. "You have to come back tomorrow though."
"What for?" Tyson asked. "I hope it's not more questions."
"No, actually, you'll be getting answers." The police said. "You'll be out of here in less than an hour."
They all took a deep breath of fresh air as soon as she stepped out of that stuffy police station.
"What do you want to do now?" Zarine asked.
"I say we go back to the hotel and swim!" Max said.
"But I don't have a bathing suit, and neither does Will," she said, dismayed.
"Let's go and get you one then," Kai said.
"Sweet!" she said brightly. "You're the best!'" She went up to him and gave him a quick hug. Kai was a little surprised by that, because he didn't know that Zarine was that affectionate, but he went ahead and hugged her back anyways.
Ray, however, felt really jealous. How come he didn't get a hug when he gave her ice-cream? She had been ignoring since last night. The only time she even acknowledged his presence was when he gave her the ice-cream. He didn't understand it. She had been with him almost 24/7, until yesterday. Why was she neglecting him now?
"Man, your teammates sure spoil you a lot," Will said.
His little sister smiled and said, "I know, and I love every minute of it!"
In the store, Zarine wanted to get a dark blue bikini with jewels that from the outline of a star on the left side of each piece.
"Don't you think you already have enough clothes that are blue already?" Ray pointed out.
"Good point," the silver haired girl said absently. She chose a red one with a jeweled heart instead. Her brother just got a pair of black swimming trunks.
The pool was empty when they got there. "This is awesome!" Max said. He looked at the equipment, standing at the edge of the pool. Should he get a floating bed, or should he get a ball? Suddenly, someone pushed him from behind, causing him to fall into the pool. His head broke through the surface and saw Zarine laughing her head off. Her laugh turned into a scream when Kai gave her a push.
Choking and spluttering, she complained, "Kai! What did you do that for?"
Kai just smirked in response. Tyson thought he could run into Kai and shove him into the pool. He ran full speed toward Kai, just when he thought he would succeed, he slipped. Kai quickly moved out of his way, and he fell head first into the pool. He heard the others laughing hysterically when he came back up.
"Real smart move there, Tyson," Ray gasped, tears running down his face.
"Let's play Marco-Polo!" Kenny suggested. The others agreed enthusiastically.
"Who wants to be it?' Ray asked, looking around. When no one answered, he said. "I'll be it then." He closed his eyes and counted to ten. "Ready or not, here I come!"
He spent the first few minutes swimming around, trying to catch people. Due to the fact that she was too short, Zarine had to tread water while the others managed to keep their heads above the water by standing on their tip- toes. She got tired after a while and swam to a corner. She figured she could always swim away if Ray got too close.
"Zarine, can't you touch the bottom?" Tyson asked teasingly.
"Tyson, I am a head shorter than you are!" she yelled to him on the other side of the pool.
Unknown to her, Ray had swum towards the direction of a voice he heard. It came as a total surprise when he suddenly appeared in front of her. Ray heard a small gasp and he smiled triumphantly. He did get someone! Zarine was helpless since she was trapped. She decided to try and make a break for it anyways. Ray heard a splash and he reached out his arm to stop whoever that was. He managed to grab Zarine by the waist. As soon as he grabbed her, he knew who it was.
"Gee, I wonder she this is?" he said with feigned thoughtfulness as his hands went around, feeling her stomach and back. The small girl blushed. Her skin tingled under his touch.
"Zarine!" Ray guessed. He opened his eyes and met her emerald ones. She quickly averted her eyes though, feeling shy.
She managed to get Tyson in under a minute, since he was making so much noise. She had no idea who he was until she felt his big belly. Who else would have it?
After, they played tag instead. When they were tired of being in the water, they decided to go and clean up for an early shower. Will took his towel, but someone had snatched it out of his hand. He turned to look for the guilty one.
"Thanks," his sister said sweetly.
"Zarine, give it back," he said. "You should have your own."
"Well, I forgot it," she said.
"Too bad, it was your own fault. Now give it," he ordered.
Ray glared at her brother. If it had been him, he would have given to Zarine without a fight.
She said, "Make me," before running away.
"Come back here, you little brat!" Will called, running after her.
They ran into the lobby and people stared at them. Zarine pushed the button for the elevator. The door didn't open. She heard her brother yelling, "I'm going to get you."
[Uh oh!] she thought. Then she saw the fire escape door. She opened it and ran up the stairs. Will caught her on the second landing.
"I caught you. Now, give it back," he said.
"Fine," Zarine said, disappointed.
I hope you like it! Thanks to 0bss3ssi0n for one of her ideas...won't tell you what yet. I don't want to spoil it for you!
"You really saved the day," Joseph said to Ray, when he came in with the rest of his team.
"Yeah, I guess," he said, looking wistfully at Zarine. He was the one who had rescued her, but she was too busy hugging her brother to notice anyone else. The others watched the two siblings with a smile on their faces.
Then Mr. D. came in. "Hello, kids."
Zarine and Will broke off their hug to look at Mr. D. The old man said, "I believe you'll be happy to hear that the Dark Force had been arrested for murder..."
"And for kidnapping and child abuse!" Ray added hotly. "They whipped Zarine half to death when they kidnapped her. You can still se the marks on her back!"
"Oh dear, it looks like you'll have to fill me in on a lot of things," Mr. D. said. "We'll talk about this later. Some of you look dead on your feet. It's now two o'clock. I'll pick you up for dinner at six thirty at the hotel, and then you can tell me everything."
They nodded. "I'll drop you off at your hotel," Mr. D. offered.
"No thanks," Ozuma declined. "We can go on our own."
"Mariam, you guys should come to dinner with us," Zarine said.
Mariam looked inquiringly at Ozuma. "Yeah, sure," he said. "We'll see you later."
Will stared at Mariam. She was pretty and really hot. He shook his head and followed Zarine out of the room.
"Oh ya! Will, this is my team, the Bladebreakers. The one with the hat is Tyson. The blonde haired one is Max. Kenny, a.k.a. Chief is the one with the lap top. Kai is the tall one with the scarf," Zarine introduced her teammates to her brother. "And last but not least," she felt her pulse quicken just looking at him, "The one with the bandana is Ray." Ray turned his gaze on her, and she quickly looked away.
They got into a limo and arrived in front of the hotel in five minutes.
"Go upstairs and rest while I get Will a room," Mr. D. said.
Zarine climbed into bed as soon as she entered the room that she and Ray shared. Ray just stood against the wall watching her. When she noticed his stare, she flushed.
"Were you the one who saved me?" she asked.
"Never mind that now, just go to sleep," Ray answered.
"Fine," she sighed. 'So was he?' she asked Xeora. She knew her bit-beast would tell her.
Xeora answered, 'Yeah. He and Driger fought very hard. You should make him get some rest too.'
"Ray, you better go to sleep!" Zarine ordered. "Xeora just told me how hard you and Driger fought in the final round."
"What if I don't want to?" Ray asked, rising his eyebrow.
Zarine answered sweetly, "I just won't go to sleep until you do." Then she yawned. She was really tired.
Sighing, Ray climbed into his own bed. He knew Zarine meant what she said, even though she was exhausted. "You happy now?" he asked grumpily.
"No, it's too hot in here. Go and turn on the air conditioning for me," she commanded.
Ray got up and did what she told him to do. He was going to get her to sleep no matter what. Luckily for him, Zarine was satisfied and went to sleep. At about four o'clock, Zarine woke up, feeling cold. She shivered under her blankets. An idea sprung into her head when she looked at the lump on the other bed. Her teeth chattered as she got up. Stifling her giggles, she poked Ray and woke him up.
"What is it?" he asked sleepily.
"I'm cold," Zarine answered.
He opened his eyes and said incredulously, "You woke me up for that? Just turn the air conditioner off!"
"But I want to be warm now," she complained.
Ray sighed. "Just get under my blankets."
Zarine immediately dived under the covers. "You can be so annoying, you know," he grumbled.
The petite girl giggled mischievously, "I couldn't resist! Besides, I was really cold..."
"Well, now you're warm, so be quiet and I can go back to sleep already," Ray said.
"Geez," she said, rolling her eyes before closing them. Ray felt her shivering on the other side. He rolled over and pulled her closer with one arm so she'd get warm. She sighed contentedly and fell asleep.
"So, I hope my sister didn't treat you like slaves," Will remarked. He was eating chips and cookies with Max, Tyson and Kenny. Kai was standing against the wall, with his arms crossed.
"What do you mean? Treat us like slaves?" Max asked, confused.
"I see she hasn't yet. What a relieve. Basically, she can get you to do things that she wants without even trying. If you try to refuse, she would find a good comeback, and you can't find an excuse not to. Believe me, she had done that to me my whole life," Will explained. "She's already spoiled enough."
"Really? She acts mature most of the time," Kai said. "Unlike some people in this room."
"Well, Zarine is just full of surprises. She was probably just not comfortable enough with you yet," Will said. Then he remembered something. "I need to ask you something. Does Zarine like Ray or something?"
"Maybe," Kenny replied thoughtfully, nibbling on his cookie. "I know that Ray really likes her though."
"What?" Tyson asked, dropping his chips in shock. "Ray likes Zarine?!"
"Tyson, I knew you weren't very observant, but how can you not know?" Max asked. "It's so obvious! Why do you think he wanted to battle so bad in the final round?"
Tyson said as he digested this 'new' information, "Ah...now I see what you mean."
"You can always just ask her," Kenny suggested. "You're her brother, she'll probably tell you anything."
"Not always. She's such a private person. If she doesn't want you to know something, nothing, and I mean, nothing, can pry it out of her," Will said.
"Yeah, we had an experience. Zarine wouldn't even speak a word about her past. Kai had to threaten to kick her off the team before she'd tell us," Max said.
"Wake up, sleepyhead!" Zarine said to Ray at six ten.
Ray groaned, "It can't be time to wake up already!"
"Well, it is! I've already took a shower. You better get up now,' she said impatiently.
He got up and decided to take a quick shower. "Hurry up!" Zarine's muffled voice came from the other side of the door. "We're going to be late!"
He said loudly, "I'll be out in a minute."
Then there was a knock on the door. Zarine opened it and saw her brother. "Hey, Will!" she chirped, smiling at him.
"You ready yet? The others are waiting," her brother said.
"Ray was being lazy and wouldn't get up," Zarine said defensively.
"Thanks a lot," the Chinese boy said sarcastically from behind.
"You look good tonight," Will complimented his younger sister on the way down to the lobby. She was wearing a dark red top with a jean skirt. Her hair was put up in a ponytail off to one side so her curls spilled over her shoulders.
"Thanks!" she said brightly. It was good being with him again.
Ray took a good look at her. [She does look good tonight.] he thought. [Her neck looks too bare though. She needs a necklace...]
"Will, we should go for ice-cream after dinner!" Zarine was saying cheerfully as they were going down in the elevator.
Her brother grinned, "No objections here." He loved ice-cream, but not with the passion that Zarine has.
Everyone was waiting for them by the time they arrived. "Finally!" Tyson said. "We thought you were never going to come down!"
"I've reserved us a table for twelve in a restaurant not far from here," Mr. Dickenson said.
They walked into the cool night. "So what took you so long? Choosing the outfit, or doing your hair?" Tyson asked Zarine.
"Actually, Ray was the reason why I was late," Zarine answered
"Really?" he asked doubtfully.
"You really shouldn't stereotype people," she said disapprovingly. She turned to look at Will and saw that he was openly staring at Mariam. Luckily, Max was chatting animatedly with Mariam and didn't notice.
"Will, I really wouldn't if I were you," Zarine said lightly.
"Huh, why not?" he asked.
"Because Maxie's got the first claim on her," Zarine answered.
"Does she like him?" he asked.
"Maybe," she said evasively. "I wouldn't go for her if I were you."
He sighed, "Oh well."
"So how old are you?" Mr. D. asked.
"I'm sixteen and a half, sir," Will replied.
"You're around the same age as the others are," Mr. D. said.
Tyson suddenly bellowed, "Are we there yet?"
"It's just up ahead," the bald man answered with a chuckle.
They entered the brightly lit restaurant. There were a lot of people waiting for a seat. "I've reserved a table here for twelve under the name, Dickenson," Mr. D. said to the waitress.
She led them to a private parlor. There was a huge table in the middle of the room. Zarine sat down beside Will naturally. Max was going to sit on the other side of her, but changed his mind when he saw Ray looking at him hopefully. "Ray, why don't you sit here instead?"
"Sure," he shrugged as if he couldn't care less.
"Why are we in a private parlor?" Kenny asked.
"Haven't you ever eaten at a Chinese restaurant?" Will asked.
Kenny shook his head. "That would explain it. In a restaurant as crowded as this, it's very loud."
"Is it really that bad?" Max asked.
"Go and see for yourself," Will said.
Max, Kenny, and Tyson ran out to the main dinning area. They came back a few minutes later with their hands over their ears. Max exclaimed, "God! Who can stand to eat in there?"
They explained everything to Mr. Dickenson over dinner. "You'll have to go to the police station tomorrow. I believe they have some questions for you," Mr. D. said after their story. "Oh, yes. In one week's time, there will be a party for all the teams from the tournament. You're expected to be there. It will be formal."
"That means I'll have to o shopping," Zarine mused as she finished her last cube of jello.
"I hope that doesn't mean that you're going to go all out and make me a poor man," Kai remarked.
"I'll take that into consideration," she said jokingly. "Mariam, you have to come with me."
"Yeah, sure," Mariam said to her friend said.
"Sweet!" the silver haired girl said happily. She speared two of Will's jello from his bowl and began to eat them.
"Hey!" Will protested indignantly. "What did you do that for?"
Zarine just grinned cheekily at him. "What are you going to do about it?"
Will didn't say anything. He was annoyed but what could he do? She was already eating them.
Ray looked at Zarine in surprise. [She must be really hyper today! I have never seen her being this playful before!]
The next day, they spent a long time at the police station. Zarine was so tired of them asking her if she was sure there was nothing that she forgot or left out. She was ready to scream with frustration. At one in the afternoon, she was still stuck in that stupid questioning room. She felt as if she was the one who got arrested. When they finally they let her go, the others were waiting for her.
"They sure kept you in there for a long time," Kenny commented.
"No kidding! Where's Ray?" she asked when she noticed he wasn't there.
"He went to go get something," Max replied. "He should be back any minute.)
Then Ray came into sight with an ice-cream cone in his hand. He held the ice-cream to her. "This is for you," he said.
The tiny girl squealed with delight. "Thanks!" she exclaimed happily, and immediately started licking it.
"You're free to go now," one of the police told them. "You have to come back tomorrow though."
"What for?" Tyson asked. "I hope it's not more questions."
"No, actually, you'll be getting answers." The police said. "You'll be out of here in less than an hour."
They all took a deep breath of fresh air as soon as she stepped out of that stuffy police station.
"What do you want to do now?" Zarine asked.
"I say we go back to the hotel and swim!" Max said.
"But I don't have a bathing suit, and neither does Will," she said, dismayed.
"Let's go and get you one then," Kai said.
"Sweet!" she said brightly. "You're the best!'" She went up to him and gave him a quick hug. Kai was a little surprised by that, because he didn't know that Zarine was that affectionate, but he went ahead and hugged her back anyways.
Ray, however, felt really jealous. How come he didn't get a hug when he gave her ice-cream? She had been ignoring since last night. The only time she even acknowledged his presence was when he gave her the ice-cream. He didn't understand it. She had been with him almost 24/7, until yesterday. Why was she neglecting him now?
"Man, your teammates sure spoil you a lot," Will said.
His little sister smiled and said, "I know, and I love every minute of it!"
In the store, Zarine wanted to get a dark blue bikini with jewels that from the outline of a star on the left side of each piece.
"Don't you think you already have enough clothes that are blue already?" Ray pointed out.
"Good point," the silver haired girl said absently. She chose a red one with a jeweled heart instead. Her brother just got a pair of black swimming trunks.
The pool was empty when they got there. "This is awesome!" Max said. He looked at the equipment, standing at the edge of the pool. Should he get a floating bed, or should he get a ball? Suddenly, someone pushed him from behind, causing him to fall into the pool. His head broke through the surface and saw Zarine laughing her head off. Her laugh turned into a scream when Kai gave her a push.
Choking and spluttering, she complained, "Kai! What did you do that for?"
Kai just smirked in response. Tyson thought he could run into Kai and shove him into the pool. He ran full speed toward Kai, just when he thought he would succeed, he slipped. Kai quickly moved out of his way, and he fell head first into the pool. He heard the others laughing hysterically when he came back up.
"Real smart move there, Tyson," Ray gasped, tears running down his face.
"Let's play Marco-Polo!" Kenny suggested. The others agreed enthusiastically.
"Who wants to be it?' Ray asked, looking around. When no one answered, he said. "I'll be it then." He closed his eyes and counted to ten. "Ready or not, here I come!"
He spent the first few minutes swimming around, trying to catch people. Due to the fact that she was too short, Zarine had to tread water while the others managed to keep their heads above the water by standing on their tip- toes. She got tired after a while and swam to a corner. She figured she could always swim away if Ray got too close.
"Zarine, can't you touch the bottom?" Tyson asked teasingly.
"Tyson, I am a head shorter than you are!" she yelled to him on the other side of the pool.
Unknown to her, Ray had swum towards the direction of a voice he heard. It came as a total surprise when he suddenly appeared in front of her. Ray heard a small gasp and he smiled triumphantly. He did get someone! Zarine was helpless since she was trapped. She decided to try and make a break for it anyways. Ray heard a splash and he reached out his arm to stop whoever that was. He managed to grab Zarine by the waist. As soon as he grabbed her, he knew who it was.
"Gee, I wonder she this is?" he said with feigned thoughtfulness as his hands went around, feeling her stomach and back. The small girl blushed. Her skin tingled under his touch.
"Zarine!" Ray guessed. He opened his eyes and met her emerald ones. She quickly averted her eyes though, feeling shy.
She managed to get Tyson in under a minute, since he was making so much noise. She had no idea who he was until she felt his big belly. Who else would have it?
After, they played tag instead. When they were tired of being in the water, they decided to go and clean up for an early shower. Will took his towel, but someone had snatched it out of his hand. He turned to look for the guilty one.
"Thanks," his sister said sweetly.
"Zarine, give it back," he said. "You should have your own."
"Well, I forgot it," she said.
"Too bad, it was your own fault. Now give it," he ordered.
Ray glared at her brother. If it had been him, he would have given to Zarine without a fight.
She said, "Make me," before running away.
"Come back here, you little brat!" Will called, running after her.
They ran into the lobby and people stared at them. Zarine pushed the button for the elevator. The door didn't open. She heard her brother yelling, "I'm going to get you."
[Uh oh!] she thought. Then she saw the fire escape door. She opened it and ran up the stairs. Will caught her on the second landing.
"I caught you. Now, give it back," he said.
"Fine," Zarine said, disappointed.
I hope you like it! Thanks to 0bss3ssi0n for one of her ideas...won't tell you what yet. I don't want to spoil it for you!