A/N: Kudos to Mike and Scott for reviewing. Keep the comments coming.

"Twister! Twister!" called a voice.

The redhead felt his jaw drop. Val looked very different than he remembered. Wavy caramel hair flowed to her shoulders. Her broad face was accented by high cheekbones; her tan a light bronze shimmer. Val had sprouted curves, making her figure a textbook hourglass. Long lashes batted in slow motion; a sultry lopsided grin played on her lips. Her attire screamed "tomboy" a little softer than it used to: a pink tank top, denim cargo shorts, and Nike sandals; a shark tooth necklace dangled over her heart.

Twister ran toward the picnic table she was perched atop, then hugged her tightly.

"Man, look at you," she said. "You're even cuter than before."

Lars made a gagging face behind their backs.

"Lemonade?" Val offered, pointing to a moisture-beaded pitcher.

Twister, whose mouth felt very sticky, nodded. He drained the cup Val gave him in one gulp, barely tasting it.

"Long trip?" Val guessed, pouring a refill.

"Not really, but Lars wouldn't turn on the air," said Twister. "I thought I was gonna get heatstroke."

"Ah, get over it, ya wuss," Lars spat.

Twister ignored the remark, concentrating instead on actually tasting the lemonade, which was lemony, yet sweet, with an interesting earthy undertone.

"This tastes awesome. What kind of mix do you use?"

Val gave him a condescending look. "Mix? Don't insult me. It's homemade, but we add lavendar to it for extra zip."

"You put flowers in lemonade?" Lars asked.

"It's not that unusual," said Val. "Especially once you get out near the reservations."

"Don't bother giving me a glass, 'cause I ain't drinking that," said the older Rodriguez brother.

Ray's battered old station wagon appeared at the curb. Reggie and Otto hopped out.

"You guys have a fun week," said Ray. "Behave yourselves."

"We will," Otto assured him with a salute.

Ray turned around toward the highway, tires screeching and the muffler backfiring.

"Y'all are just in time," said Val, doling out another round of lemonade. "I'm having a beach picnic and my whole crew is coming. I know you guys'll get along great."

0-0-0-0-0-0

"I'm going to Val's house," said a short, skinny boy. "I'll see you later."

"Hold it, young man," said Monica Vandenack.

She noticed her son's normally pale cheeks were tinged with pink. His health had been in limbo for a couple of months, so instinctively, she pushed aside the boy's bangs and backwards Dodgers cap to feel his forehead. The lad in a pair of dark blue jeans and a striped T-shirt worked to conceal his impatience. Roderick never liked having to stay still for long.

"You don't seem warm, but..." Monica started. "Have you been taking your medicine?"

"Yes, Mom."

"Remember what the doctor said yesterday..."

Though he was recovering well, the doctor had told Roderick that he needed to gain about ten pounds if he wanted to continue staying healthy. Trying to gain weight was no easy feat for him, due to a combination of previous health issues and genetics.

"Mom, I feel fine," Roderick said..

"I suppose you can go then," Monica consented.

Roderick adjusted his cap, kissed his mother good-bye, and began the five-block walk to the Lightning residence.

0-0-0-0-0

Val decided there was enough time to give her guests the grand tour of the condo. The first thing she did was introduce them to her parents: Jenna and Robert. Jenna had auburn hair and green eyes.
Robert was a nicely-built, full-blooded Apache. His black hair was in a ponytail; he had a smile identical to Val's.

Val entertained them by showing off her pets: Sonic the hedgehog and Tails the albino skunk. Sonic raced around the living room inside a plastic hamster ball, smacking into things; Tails sniffed all the guests, wagging his tail at and licking everyone besides Lars.

"This is the piece de resistance," said Val, as she lead them to the basement.

When the lights clicked on, they all gasped. Val's basement was really a sprawling indoor pool/hot tub complex. Sliding glass double doors opened onto the beach.

"Man, why should we even bother taking our bathing suits off?" Otto asked in a daze.

"Glad you like my humble abode." said Val.

"No wonder you hated to leave here," said Reggie.

"I gotta admit this is a nice house," Lars stated.

Roderick appeared in the room, followed by a stocky Hispanic boy wearing jeans, a plaid shirt layered over a white tank top, and a brown leather bracelet. He had curly black hair and an impish look about him.

"I didn't know you guys knew each other," said Twister, referring to Val and Roderick.

"Me and 'Lenci go way back," said Roderick. ('Lenci was his special nickname for her).

"Not as far back as her and me," the other boy cut in.

"This is Jesus Domingues," Val said. "Everyone calls him Chuy."

"Nice to meet you," said Reggie, shaking his hand.

"Who else is coming?" Roderick wondered aloud.

"Just you guys," said Val. "Come on. Let's get this party goin'!"