PART IV: Europe Beckons
Several days earlier...
Friday, May 26th, 2017
18:57 GMT+1 (17:57 GMT May 26th)
England
The Audi Q7 cruised at a steady seventy-five down the A1(M), passing under the M18 motorway, just south of Doncaster and heading south.
They were 250-miles and four hours into their mammoth journey. They still had 225-miles and another four hours to go. Andrew drove while Cassie sat in the passenger seat to his left. In the back seats of the seven-seat 4x4, Kaitlin and Naomi occupied the second row with Kaitlin seated behind Cassie. The third row of seats were occupied by Jake and Charlotte where the two friends were having the time of their young lives. Ever since Charlotte had found out about Vengeance, almost five months earlier, the thirteen-year-old had been beaten black and blue, but she had enjoyed every minute of it. Having her best friend living close by and actually her cousin had just been the icing on the cake. For Jake, he had never been happier. He had two annoying younger sisters, but he loved them dearly and he felt like he belonged somewhere for the first time in ages. To top things off, the boy had been over the moon when he had discovered that Charlotte was to be coming with them and he had thanked Cassie profusely.
The trip had been in the planning for months and the family had been through a lot, especially Naomi, so a pleasant family trip to France with all the fun of Disney would be a perfect distraction for them all. There had not been much of a honeymoon for Cassie and Andrew, so they intended to make their trip to France a part of that honeymoon. Everyone needed a break and the trip was to be as special as it could be made – a holiday of a lifetime.
Oh, yes, it would be a holiday to stand out against everything else.
..._...
The first leg of their trip took them south, through the Borders of Scotland and down through the northern counties of England and then through to the Midlands.
As they wrapped around Cambridge, Andrew stopped briefly at a McDonald's drive-thru to feed the restless animals. Once those animals were happily gorging on red meat and chips, and Cassie had downed a large coffee to calm her frayed nerves, they continued on their way, still heading south. Somewhere near to the Dartford Crossing, Kaitlin fell asleep which cut the noise in the back by almost sixty per cent. Naomi followed soon after, totally worn out by all the travelling. That just left Charlotte and Jake in the back, chatting quietly for about another fifteen miles before they too succumbed to sleep.
"Thank God!" Cassie exclaimed loudly.
"Sssh!" Andrew warned.
"Oh, yeah!" Cassie grinned as she glanced back at the four sleeping youngsters.
For the next forty minutes, peace reigned, and Cassie was able to talk with her husband without constant interruptions from Kaitlin and Naomi. The darkness was bliss and a pleasant respite from the relentless sun during the daylight hours. Cassie was fed up with wearing her sunglasses and she was pleased to have been able to put them to one side. The final section of the first part of their mammoth journey passed rapidly.
Andrew was very tired as they passed Ashford in Kent, just a few miles from their interim destination.
..._...
Cassie figured that they might get an hour's peace and quiet before they were due to board the Chunnel.
"Oh, we're here!" Kaitlin piped up; the very moment Andrew switched off the engine in the carpark.
"Can I Taser her?" Cassie asked facetiously.
"Oh, if only...," Andrew grimaced as he pushed open his door.
"I need to wee," Naomi complained.
"My legs are sore," Charlotte added.
"I'm hungry," Jake threw in.
"I must have been a very bad person in my former life," Cassie groaned as she too pushed open her door before reluctantly stepping out of the Audi. "Okay, let's find toilets and food – in that order."
Andrew locked the car and followed along behind the hyperactive youngsters and his wife.
..._...
An hour later, Cassie wondered whether she might qualify for a plea of self-defence, insanity, or simply mitigating circumstances on a charge of four child murders.
The pros were outweighing the cons and Cassie knew that with four simple squeezes of a trigger there would be peace. It had all started with Charlotte showing off in front of some other children, but then Kaitlin just had to escalate the situation and before long everyone found out that, yes, chickens could fly – even when they did come in a bucket from KFC! In their defence, it had been a boy from another family who had proved that a chicken wing could fly a little better than a drumstick. Jake, though, had not exactly helped the situation:
"Hey, Charlie, look at these breasts; they're way bigger than yours!"
Charlotte had glared at the boy as he held a KFC chicken breast in each hand. Then she had thrown a drumstick which Jake had dodged, and which had struck the head of a ten-year-old girl at the next table. Her brother had lobbed a chicken wing in response, which missed, and landed on another table – thus the children from three families engaged in a KFC food fight. Cassie had tried to hide her embarrassment along with the other mothers. Andrew, of course, thought it was cool – just like the other dads!
Cassie, like the other mums, was not amused – not by a long shot!
..._...
Cassie was still angry when she reached the Audi.
"Get in, you little..."
"Cassie!" Andrew cautioned and Cassie forced a smile.
"Love you, Mum!" Kaitlin grinned.
"Get in!"
"Love you, Mum!" Naomi echoed.
Cassie laughed.
"One more wrong move and I Taser you all!"
"It's not my fault Charlie has no boobs; I just couldn't help it!" Jake complained. "Owww!"
"Charlie . . . don't punch Jake there, please," Andrew directed.
"Those chickens have bigger dicks than he has," Charlotte pointed out.
"Chickens don't have dicks," Naomi pointed out.
"Precisely!" Charlotte responded. "Neither does Jake!"
"Okay, let's just calm down, please," Andrew ordered as he started the engine.
"Onward," Cassie grimaced.
They joined the meandering queue for the Channel Tunnel as they wound through the complex before driving down a concrete ramp onto the platform. They passed onto the double-deck train, driving up a steep ramp to the upper deck and then along the inside for quite a distance before they eventually pulled up behind a Ford Mondeo. Driving inside a train and with such tight dimensions was a novel experience for Andrew. Charlotte looked dolefully at the gap between the side of the car and the train carriage.
"We can't escape from Kaitlin."
"Fear me!" Kaitlin grinned as Naomi laughed.
Thankfully, it was not long before the train began to move, and a minute later, they plunged into the gaping orifice of the Channel Tunnel where they raced beneath the English Channel and across to France.
Exceedingly early the next morning...
Saturday, May 27th
02:28 GMT+2 (00:28 GMT May 27th)
Calais, France
A little over thirty-minutes later, the train shot out of the French end of the Channel Tunnel, then decelerated as it came into the station.
"Welcome to France, kiddies!" Andrew chuckled as they were waved off the train onto the platform.
Ahead of them, they had a 300-kilometre, 3-hour trip down the A1 autoroute. Mercifully, the youngsters were worn out and they all fell asleep.
"They look so sweet when they're asleep," Cassie commented. "Shame they have to wake up, really."
Andrew chuckled as he drove his family south, wrapping around Lens, Arras, and Compiègne.
05:50 GMT+2 (03:50 GMT May 27th)
Paris
Algonquin's Explorers Hotel
They arrived at the hotel in the early hours and after dumping their cases on the floor of their rooms, they all instantly stripped off and dived into bed.
Andrew and Cassie had the large double bed, naturally, while the two singles were taken by Naomi and Kaitlin. As for the two teenagers, they were trusted to have the 'cabin' off the main room which was equipped with a bunkbed. Once each child was tucked up in bed, Cassie and Andrew flopped into their own – naturally, Andrew was very tired after his mammoth drive from Stirling to Paris. Cassie was simply happy to have her family with her and she enjoyed the touch of her husband's arms wrapping around her body.
Cassie soon fell asleep dreaming of the fun they were all going to have over the next two weeks.
Later that same morning...
Saturday, May 27th
12:20 GMT+2 (10:20 GMT May 27th)
Algonquin's Explorers Hotel
It was nigh on lunchtime by the time the first person stirred.
Kaitlin stretched noisily as she opened her eyes. The youngster lay in her bed for about three more seconds before she threw back the duvet and she grinned.
"Nous sommes en France!" she declared just as noisily.
"Fuck off, Kaitlin!" Naomi groaned as she opened her eyes and grimaced up at the younger girl.
"What she said," Cassie added with a grin.
Andrew opened a single weary eye, but he snapped it closed as Cassie cuddled into him. He was determined to enjoy the time in bed – there was no need to get up, he was tired, and he had the most beautiful woman in the world in bed with him. However, a little nine-year-old girl had other ideas.
"Come on, Dad! Time to get up!"
"Kaitlin!" Cassie moaned as she buried her face in the soft pillow. "Andrew, if I smother Kaitlin, how long before her rotting corpse was discovered?"
"Not long enough," Andrew conceded as he sat up and glared at the smiling youngster.
"Now I remember why I used to hate her guts," Naomi commented.
Kaitlin scowled as she went to awaken the older children.
..._...
Charlotte and Kaitlin scowled at each other as they each dug into a large pile of fresh croissants and small brioche pastries.
Charlotte and Jake were not overly bothered at being awoken by Kaitlin – they were both very hungry and keen to start having fun as soon as humanly possible. Therefore, once the animals had cleared off half the breakfast buffet and the adults had had their fill, Andrew and Cassie sat the youngsters down once they had all returned to their hotel room. The intention was to stay at the hotel for the rest of that day and into the next, to rest up from the travelling and then prepare for three days of hectic fun at Disneyland Paris after a day out in the French capital city of Paris.
"Right, let's get everything out in the open," Cassie lectured. "None of you little shits will put a foot wrong. You will not behave like the animals you are..."
Kaitlin woofed and Charlotte giggled.
"Little one, if you want me to send you home, parcel-post, keep going," Cassie warned, and Kaitlin scowled. "This is a family holiday and I expect all four of you to behave like a family and not like four hooligans. You are all entitled to have fun, to enjoy yourselves, and to let off a little steam, but please remember that there are normal people here, too. We are miles away from anything dangerous, so just be kids, okay?"
Kaitlin thought about that for a moment before she reluctantly nodded her acceptance, "Okay."
After a brief scan through the facilities available, all four opted for the swimming pool.
..._...
Twenty minutes later, after much scrabbling through bags and cases...
"Nice!" Jake commented as Charlotte blushed furiously.
The two-piece swimsuit was a deep blue with yellow trim and, as far as Jake was concerned, it showed that Charlotte was indeed becoming a young woman. As for Naomi and Kaitlin, the pair sported matching one-piece swimsuits, both of which were a vibrant blue. Jake wore green swim shorts which matched those worn by Andrew. As for Cassie, she had chosen a one-piece swimsuit in navy blue with a red trim. Sections of the swimsuit had been cut out to reveal parts of her back and stomach.
"Are we gonna go, now?" Kaitlin growled. "So, Charlie looks good in a bikini – who gives a shit?"
"Jake does – or rather his dick does," Naomi commented as she stared at the boy's groin.
An embarrassed Jake rapidly covered himself from Naomi's prying eyes.
..._...
The swimming pool was, to Kaitlin's mind, fucking awesome!
As well as the water, there was a slide and a pirate ship to explore. Kaitlin's hatred of water had long expired and she was the first to jump into the warm water. Jake was next, ignoring Charlotte who hesitated; the youngster was still unsure about water in general, and it took her a short while to get into the pool and to begin to have fun chasing after Jake. Naomi was still feeling delicate and she slipped into the water carefully, then she began to swim around, keeping far away from the spirited Kaitlin. Cassie laid down atop her towel laid out upon a sun-lounger arranged beside the swimming pool. Andrew briefly ran his eyes across the sparsely clad body of his wife before diving into the swimming pool himself. Kaitlin screamed shrilly and loudly as Andrew swam towards her and the young girl turned and swam away as fast as she could move.
Cassie lay back, ignoring the screaming kids and she just allowed herself to simply relax and enjoy the downtime.
..._...
The downtime lasted about fifteen minutes before Cassie heard raised voices and reluctantly looked towards the water.
"Kaitlin!" Andrew called out from the water. "Leave that boy alone!"
"He asked me my age!" Kaitlin exclaimed. "A boy should never ask a lady her age."
Naomi and Charlotte burst out laughing.
"Kaitlin, you are no lady!" Cassie confirmed.
"I will be – one day," Kaitlin glowered before she turned to the boy in question. "Sorry, Damian – I'm nine."
"No harm done," the boy, Damian, grinned. "Bruises fade."
Cassie just rolled her eyes and lay back on the sun-lounger, hoping that Kaitlin could behave like a half-normal child for just another forty-five minutes – a seemingly impossible task, Cassie admitted to herself with a sigh.
Two days later...
Monday, May 29th
09:45 GMT+2 (07:45 GMT May 29th)
Paris
After two days of lazing around, it was time to venture into the French capital.
To make life a little easier, they rode the metro into the centre of the city. However, trying to keep the four excited youngsters, especially Kaitlin, under control, was not easy. Naomi was, due to her healing injuries, a slow walker and Kaitlin was constantly running off ahead. Whilst the youngster could look after herself, Cassie and Andrew had no desire for anything to happen to the young girl – well, nothing too bad, at least.
They left the metro at Argentine on the Avenue de la Grande Armée and walked down to the Arc de Triomphe and the Place Charles de Gaulle. Charlotte and Jake loved the chaos of the traffic as it negotiated the roundabout. Kaitlin then chimed in to lay bets on who could spot a car crash first.
"Causing an accident is cheating, Kaitlin!" Charlotte pointed out as Kaitlin moved towards the speeding and seemingly chaotic traffic flow.
Kaitlin scowled; her plan having been rumbled. However, the French drivers soon put on an unintended show as a small Peugeot got in the way of a Citroën and the surprisingly satisfying sound of shattering headlights soon permeated the roar of engines.
"There!" Charlotte exploded gleefully, much to Kaitlin's annoyance. "I win!"
"Don't you dare push Charlie in front of a car!" Cassie growled.
"I would never do such a thing," Kaitlin responded with an innocent expression.
"Not buying it, sport," Andrew laughed."
"We're best buds," Kaitlin grinned as she hugged Charlotte.
Charlotte looked thoroughly mortified at being hugged in public.
..._...
They strolled down the Champs-Élysées, heading east.
Charlotte, Jake, and Naomi loved the shops as they darted from window to window. However, Cassie was not amused by the prices which were exorbitant, to say the least. After a long walk, they turned south for the Seine River and the Pont des Invalides. For the visit to the French capital city, they were to have their very own personal tour guides. Nobody had told Kaitlin, Naomi, Charlotte, or Jake, and they all shrieked with excitement when they laid eyes on Yvette and Owen – both of whom were nonchalantly leaning against the bridge railings waiting for their British friends. As the now super excited six youngsters yelled and screamed, Cassie turned to Marinette.
"Is Paris ready for six Predators?"
"Are they ready for Paris?" Marinette countered with a grin.
Their first visit as a group was a generous walk along the Seine River to the Musée du Louvre.
Forty minutes later...
11:45 GMT+2 (09:45 GMT May 29th)
Musée du Louvre
It took about ten minutes for Kaitlin to notice a theme.
"Why are there so many pictures of naked people?" Kaitlin asked, her eyes wide as they took in everything in sight.
"It's a French thing," Andrew commented as he gazed upon a bare-breasted woman.
"Are you enjoying those boobs, Andrew?" Cassie asked pointedly, her eyes narrowing.
"Yours are tighter and much more supple," Andrew responded with a grin. "Your nipples are more, er..."
"Substantial?" Marinette offered causing Naomi to burst out laughing as Cassie cringed. "Pointed?"
"This conversation is getting creepy," Kaitlin pointed out.
"Oh, I don't know," Jake commented. "I like looking at and talking about boobs – especially as Charlie has nothing to see when she's got no clothes on . . . ow!"
Charlotte grinned innocently as she moved away from Jake who was rubbing his left shoulder. The thirteen-year-old was amazed by everything she saw, especially the incredibly ornate ceilings, dozens of feet over her head. Despite her torrid upbringing, the thirteen-year-old girl had found a love for everything classical, from music to art. While Naomi became bored of all the pictures, statues, and other art objects, very quickly, Charlotte took her time viewing each and every picture, statue, and object. She was also trying to ignore the two incredibly immature boys who were, naturally, making incredibly crude comments about anything and everything, especially if there was a breast or a snatch on display. As for Kaitlin, she was interested, but only to a point, and she stayed with Andrew, following him everywhere. Cassie spent the time talking with Marinette as they strolled behind – actually, a long way behind – the children, leaving Andrew to keep an eye on the wayward Predators.
As was usual, the museum was very full, with hordes of tourists and other visitors. That was no problem for the children who slunk through the crowd as they endeavoured to catch sight of the exhibits. However, even the smallest of the group, Kaitlin, had some issues pushing through the crowds of people gathered around the surprisingly small portrait of the Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece, the Mona Lisa. Kaitlin found herself being jostled by the crowd, and she was shoved to one side by a large man who glared down at the youngster with menace in his eyes. Kaitlin ignored the man and continued pushing through to the front so she could catch sight of the famous painting. Eventually, Kaitlin was joined by Charlotte and Yvette and all three studied the portrait for a few minutes before they were moved on by a museum guard to make way for more viewers.
After another hour or so of yelling, screaming, examining exhibits, making crude comments about said exhibits, and generally being obnoxious, the group of friends emerged out into the sunlight.
That afternoon...
14:05 GMT+2 (12:05 GMT May 29th)
La Tour Eiffel
One word.
"Wow!"
That seemed to be the general response to being 276-metres above the ground at the top of an amazing structure. Naturally, the super-fit youngsters (excluding Naomi) took the stairs to the second level before joining the adults and Naomi for the lift to the third (top) level. The view was amazing. They could see most every landmark that the French capital city possessed as well as being able to see for miles and miles.
Cassie and Marinette were enjoying themselves – it had been many years since Marinette had last been up the giant lattice structure. The two women got on very well together and they enjoyed talking about their wayward children. Marinette was trying to find out if Owen and Yvette would ever get along.
"You know, they could just be playing hard to get," Cassie commented.
"Both of them?"
"Maybe. Look at those two – they snipe at each other twenty-four-seven."
Marinette looked over at where Jake and Charlotte stood, looking out over Paris. The pair were holding hands – knowingly or unknowingly.
"Très sucré," Marinette grinned.
"Give it time," Cassie advised. "They may all pretend to hate one another, but inside, they are all friends and they cannot be without one another. They don't like to be seen as 'soft', so they play it up that they're tough loners. However, they love to be around their own kind as well as with other children in general."
"Thank you, Cassie."
After shepherding their children below, the group headed off into Paris.
Later...
16:45 GMT+2 (14:45 GMT May 29th)
Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre
"Where are we?" Jake asked as they all stared up at a massive structure high above them on a hill.
"Sacré-Cœur," Marinette replied.
"Did you just swear at me?" Jake responded.
"No," Marinette laughed. "Above us is the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre – it's a church."
"Oh!" Jake said, catching on.
"How many steps?" Kaitlin asked as she studied the zig-zag route up the hill.
"Three hundred," Yvette replied.
Kaitlin grinned as she looked at Charlotte and Yvette.
"Race you to the top, bitches!"
The three girls – and the two boys – bolted up the three hundred steps. Charlotte and Jake were ahead as they both had the longer legs. Owen was not far behind, then came Yvette with the diminutive Kaitlin at the rear. That was the same order in which they reached the top with Jake just beating Charlotte by about an inch.
Andrew, Cassie, Naomi, and Marinette arrived several minutes later to find the five youngsters sprawled around the top of the steps, totally exhausted.
That evening...
19:12 GMT+2 (17:12 GMT May 29th)
Bastille
Kaitlin, Naomi, Jake, and Charlotte were speechless.
"You guys are the very first to see this place – other than Owen, of course – even Mindy hasn't seen it," Yvette grinned. "Welcome to Bastille!"
Yvette and Owen took their friends around the facility.
"Guys, this is Alya."
"Oh, great . . . more little brats!" Alya chuckled.
"Thanks, Alya," Yvette grinned.
"Yvette is always winding up Alya," Adrien advised the group of visitors. "Alya is simply biding her time."
"Moving on," Owen commented.
After the tour had been completed, they all sat down to an evening meal which swiftly dissolved into the usual despicable behaviour from the Predators. Once the meal was over, it was time for the visitors to return to their hotel.
"It was good seeing you all," Marinette said. "Have fun tomorrow, guys."
"Thanks, Marinette," Kaitlin replied. "We had a fun day."
Everyone agreed with Kaitlin.
Later that same evening...
21:35 GMT+2 (19:35 GMT May 29th)
Algonquin's Explorers Hotel
Cassie grinned as she looked down at four very tired children.
They had all collapsed within minutes of returning to the hotel room. Naomi and Kaitlin were fast asleep on their beds, still dressed. Charlotte was struggling to undress before she fell asleep and Cassie helped her pull off her trousers. Jake was already asleep, totally worn out. At least with the children asleep, it allowed Cassie and Andrew to enjoy some time together, something which was increasingly rare as it was often Cassie and Andrew who were worn out, long before their children.
They both laid down on their bed and Cassie rolled over to kiss her husband before moving onto other matters.
That same time...
21:35 GMT+2 (19:35 GMT May 29th)
Bastille
Alya was happy.
"I never thought I'd see the day," she grinned as she gazed down at Owen and Yvette.
The normally belligerent pair were on the couch, fast asleep. Yvette was cuddled into Owen – knowingly or unknowingly. For once, the place was quiet and peaceful.
"I'm not complaining," Adrien commented.
"Me neither," Marinette added as she stretched out in a chair with a glass of red wine.
Alya chuckled and she headed off to get her own drink.
The next morning...
Tuesday, May 30th
09:15 GMT+2 (07:15 GMT May 30th)
Disneyland Paris – Disneyland Park
Kaitlin was unable to keep still . . . or quiet for that matter.
While there was nothing outwardly unusual about that, Kaitlin was way more vocal and much more disruptive than usual – admittedly not all her fault. As they approached the entrance to the site, the little girl was unable to stop herself from jumping up and down excitedly, not to mention the constant chattering. Mind you, she was not alone – Charlotte was just as bad and despite being the eldest there, she was just as giddy as Kaitlin; the excitement of where they were going easily overrode her normal self-control. As they approached the entrance to the Disneyland Park, even Jake could not resist a squeal of delight, although he was easily drowned out by the combined squealing of Kaitlin and Charlotte. Naomi was not as excited as the others as she knew that she would not be able to have as much fun thanks to her injury which would prevent her enjoying many of the rides. There was a lot of pointing and shouting as the group moved up Main Street. The girls were getting even more giddy as they stared up the street and on up to the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty castle which towered over the park.
Cassie could see that the girls were desperate to get to that castle – and part of Cassie wanted to get there too, Andrew saw.
..._...
Kaitlin was positively steaming!
"It's not my fault!" the little girl had complained. "I'm like two centimetres too short!"
"It's the rules; you are too short, honey."
Naomi and Kaitlin had been forced to watch Jake and Charlotte enjoy – actually, be scared stupid by – the Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain rollercoaster ride. The queuing took a while and Charlotte was getting annoyed. That mood was not helped by Jake examining the various warning notices on the walls as he and Charlotte queued.
"Do you suffer from motion sickness?" Jake asked as he read one of the notices.
"No," Charlotte replied.
"Are you an expectant mother?"
"NO!" came the indignant response.
"Do you have any 'other conditions or disabilities that could be aggravated by this adventure'?"
"Not that I can think of."
"You sure you're not pregnant?" Jake persisted.
"Are you sure that you're a boy, 'cause those things you call balls are about to be flattened?"
"Grumpy. Are you on your period?"
"Give me strength!" Charlotte growled as she reached down and squeezed Jake somewhere rather painful.
A little over five minutes later, a queasy Charlotte staggered towards the waiting Cassie, Andrew, Naomi, and Kaitlin. She was closely followed by Jake who looked a little ill.
"That was amazing!" Jake declared as he was supported by a chuckling Andrew.
"It was really good," Charlotte added as she rubbed her tummy.
"Let's move on, shall we," Cassie grinned. "How about somewhere calm and relaxing?"
Jake scowled as he saw the signpost and where it was pointing.
..._...
Forty minutes later, the boy was seething.
"Why are we in sissy land?" Jake demanded as he stood, in public and in broad daylight, wearing a princess costume as the three bitches stood around him, grinning. "Is it too late to become an only child? I'll make it quick; I promise."
The girls laughed.
"We're all dressed the same," Naomi pointed out. "So, stop moaning."
"As I recall Kaitlin pointing out, so eloquently," Jake scowled. "I have a dick and you bitches don't."
"He has a point," Kaitlin conceded.
"But it is funny!" Charlotte laughed as Cassie took a photo of Jake in the dress for the umpteenth time.
"It is funny," Cassie admitted with a nod.
"You lot are just nasty!" Andrew commented.
"On the subject of Jake's dick," Kaitlin went on. "We heard all about it, last night, Mum. 'Oh, Jake, your dick's so hard,' Charlie exclaimed – it was truly sickening."
Charlotte's eyes almost bugged out of her head as her face exploded into a deep pink hue.
"Is that Snow White, over there?" the mortified Charlotte muttered as she stalked off, leaving Naomi giggling and Jake laughing.
"Move it, you!" Andrew chuckled as he nudged the grinning Kaitlin forward.
Kaitlin, of course, intended to get the last word in.
"Snow White, Charlie ain't!" she pointed out. "Scarlet Hussy, more like!"
Andrew just had to laugh.
The following day...
Wednesday, May 31st
11:30 GMT+2 (09:30 GMT May 31st)
Disneyland Paris – Disneyland Park
On a decidedly positive note, the exhausted youngsters had slept very well, much to the pleasure of the exhausted Andrew and Cassie.
However, the four nuclear-powered children were soon awake and stuffing copious amounts of food down their gullets during breakfast. Andrew put away just as much, if not more than, the youngsters, including plenty of coffee. Cassie was not normally a big eater, but she knew that she would need a lot of energy if she was to chaperone the four youngsters for the entire day – it was like herding cats! However, Cassie was happy for Naomi, who finally felt strong enough to join in – to a point – and that meant a lot to Cassie after what the youngster had gone through. Cassie felt that there was nothing that could interfere with her family's enjoyment of their time away from bad things.
Time away from Vengeance and time away from the other Predators was good for all of them.
..._...
Everyone – even the two adults – were excited about being in the park where everything was about family fun.
It was costing a fortune, but neither Cassie nor Andrew cared; their family came first. All around them, similar families – many from the United Kingdom – enjoyed the fun. Laughing, shouting youngsters were everywhere and Cassie could see many exasperated parents attempting to herd their own proverbial cats. Indeed, Cassie exchanged a few tired looks with some other tired mothers, but the happiness on her kid's faces was more than enough for Cassie to ignore how tired she felt.
"I don't feel very well...," Kaitlin groaned as she exited the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad rollercoaster.
"She looks green," Charlotte commented as she came bounding off the same ride showing no signs of illness.
"So," Jake grinned. "Little Kaitlin isn't so tough."
Kaitlin felt too queasy to argue.
"Hug me," she muttered as she leaned into Jake.
"How sweet!" Cassie grinned as she took a photo of the pair hugging.
"Put that on Facebook and I will kill somebody," Kaitlin growled good naturedly.
"I think she was dropped on her head as a baby," Naomi commented.
"A bunch of bloody nutcases," Andrew laughed. "Let's move on."
With more screams of joy, the family group moved onto the next of many attractions.
The next afternoon...
Thursday, June 1st
12:30 GMT+2 (10:30 GMT June 1st)
Disneyland Paris – Walt Disney Studios Park
Their time at Disneyland was over and they had begun the seventh day of their holiday at the Walt Disney Studios Park, immediately next door to Disneyland.
It was the part of the holiday which Cassie and Andrew had been most looking forward to. They wanted to enjoy what that part of Disneyland Paris had to offer. Most specifically, the pair wanted to go see the stunt show spectacular with live-action stunts which they both thought would be exciting. Indeed, Jake also wanted to see the show, although the three girls had other interests which tended towards the animation side of things. Either way, they all knew that they were going to have a lot of fun that day – it was not to be their last, either, as they still had one more day in the Walt Disney Studios Park before they headed north, back towards the English Channel and home.
Kaitlin's young nine-year-old mind was struggling to cope with everything going on around her – everything was just so amazing to the little girl! The holiday was a dream which she still could barely believe was actually happening. She had never had so much fun in all her life. The trip had reinforced her decision to love her adoptive parents as they definitely loved her. As for ten-year-old Naomi, it was simply a relief to be able to enjoy life more like she had before, unlike her previous weeks in hospital and then the the seemingly endless weeks of recovery and recuperation. Just like her cousin/sister, Naomi was having the greatest amount of fun she had ever experienced. While she sometimes hated to have Kaitlin butting in, Naomi was seeing the little girl as more of a sister than as a cousin – they did both share the same adoptive mother after all – and the time spent as a family was reinforcing that.
"Mum?"
"Yes, Kaitlin."
"Thanks for bringing us – this is a trip that I will never forget."
"I hate to admit it," Naomi grinned. "But she's right. I wish I could do more here, but just being here with my family is awesome."
"I'm glad that I have my family with me; just us," Cassie said as she hugged Jake and Naomi.
"You're also a part of our family, Charlie," Andrew said as he gave Kaitlin and Charlotte a hug.
Charlotte did not feel like an outsider, completely the opposite. She knew that she was loved by Cassie and Andrew, just as much as they loved their own trio. That trio had no difficulty letting Charlotte into their family circle and were always glad of her company.
The family group was just like a myriad others occupying the site. It was a place of happiness – at least it was for the children, but maybe not so much for the stressed-out, long-suffering adults – where everyone could have the holiday of a lifetime with nothing to worry about except for working out where to go next. However, in almost every case, it was the youngsters who knew where they wanted to go, and it was amusing to see fathers being dragged around by small girls keen not to lose a moment of fun. It was a perfect day, with perfect weather, and with hours of fun to enjoy, who could ask for more. The family group, minus Naomi, had just come off the Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop ride at Toy Story Playland and they were looking for somewhere to get a bite to eat as Kaitlin was hungry and she was making sure that everyone knew that she was hungry. Therefore, so that all could enjoy a peaceful life, they went in search of food. They had taken maybe six steps away from the ride when there was a seriously loud bang which immediately shattered the carnival atmosphere of the park. The happy shouts and laughter were instantly replaced by panic and screaming.
Kaitlin just stared upward as the blossoming orange cloud billowed above her.
"I had nothing to do with that!" she announced.
..._...
Strangely, apart from the explosive sound and the ominous explosion of flame, there was no sign of the usual structural damage or mutilated bodies which you might expect to result from a bomb exploding in such tight confines.
Charlotte noticed it first and the confusing results raced through her trained and ordered mind.
"That was not a bomb – at least not one meant to cause carnage," she pointed out.
Cassie was looking around at the terror on the faces of the panicked crowd and she nodded.
"No, it was meant to scare only," she added somewhat ominously.
"Let's get the hell out of here," Andrew suggested as his mind moved into protective mode for his family.
There was common agreement as they began to make their way towards the exit.