Chapter 2: Of Wishes and Decisions
The final chord resonated down the football field, followed by the avid blue and gold football fans' cheers. His steps in synch with the bandsman ahead, Alfred walked off the field into the sidelines. A lone green jacket was spotted amongst the rows of blue, sitting between a red hoodie and indigo dress shirt. The three mismatched colors sat next to the section reserved for the band. Shifting his sousaphone off his aching left shoulder, Alfred smiled at the three colors and gave a tiny wave, a gesture the three returned.
The steel steps creaked as Alfred carefully walked up the stands. Carefully placing the sousaphone down, Alfred hurried to his family. Ivan was halfway in the stands to his seat next to him.
"'Sup!" Alfred greeted. Matthew scooted to make room for his brother. Plopping onto the empty seat, Alfred asked, "What do you guys think? Great?"
"Great job as usual!" Matthew answered. "I can't imagine carrying that large instrument!"
"You should try it!" Alfred encouraged. Matthew immediately shook his head with a nervous grin.
"I think the show was fairly decent." Arthur smiled slightly. "Surprisingly, I can somewhat hear the sousaphones over the trumpets' screeches."
Alfred frowned. "C'mon Dad! Why you gotta hate the trumpet so much?" Ever since Alfred started playing trumpet in 4th grade, the Englishman complained about the small brass instrument giving him headaches, even after investing in orange ear plugs. "Papa, why do you have your phone out?"
"I can never get enough pictures of you in your uniform! You look so adorable!" Francis said, his index finger repeatedly pressing the phone's camera button.
His face red as a beet, Alfred turned away and began to run back to the band. His black shoes tried to dig into the ground as he skidded to a halt. Ivan was dragging his younger sister Natalya out of Alfred's seat by her arm, his gloved nails tearing into her dress's long sleeves.
"NO! I want to sit next to Big Brother!" Natalya shrieked, pulling away from Ivan's grasp.
"Only Alfred can be one with me!" Ivan retorted. How could he deal with a sibling like this every game? "Leave!"
"Shit, I don't wanna get dragged into this. Well, looks like a restroom break for me!" Alfred thought as he went down the stairs, off the stadium.
The stadium's restrooms were located next to the concession stands. Alfred walked past the sugary, fluffy pink and blue cotton candy, buttery popcorn, and steaming hot dogs. Despite the food quantity to be lacking in comparison to its price (Quoted from Arthur, "You can get eight sausages from Foodmaxx for eight dollars!"), a long line stretched from the cashier to bleachers' entrance. A young boy tugged on his mother's hand, asking when it was their turn to get food for the hundredth time. Students faced their phones in effort to pass the waiting time.
Passing the line, Alfred made a sharp turn and collided with a body. "Oof!" he exclaimed.
Looking up, Alfred recognized the wild blond hairstyle and dark brows as Mathias Kohler, a star in the varsity boys' basketball team. "Sorry about that! Should've been paying more attention!" He apologized with a grin as his eyes continued to scan his bustling surroundings. The basketball playing vanished into the crowd.
"He looks like he's looking for something. ID card? Car keys?" Alfred questioned as he entered the restroom.
Surprisingly, the men's restroom was barren, save for rustling coming from one of the stalls. Alfred took off his white gloves as his washed his hands. Looking up, he was met face-to-face with a sixteen-year-old boy sharing his blue eyes, ahoge, and glasses. The boy's cheeks were still pink and warm from his performance. Sweaty bangs stuck to his forehead. His navy beret matched his white and blue uniform. The weary figure made Alfred sigh sadly.
Since he could walk, Alfred met face-to-face with this boy daily. He was the boy Arthur constantly asked to chew with his mouth shut, the boy who was told a swift "Non!" by Francis when he asked to have a "tiny" sip of wine, and the boy who—despite a history of passive-aggressive comments regarding weight and disputes over who takes out the trash tonight—had a tight brotherly bound as strong as steel with Matthew. In other words, Alfred was an everyday teenager, a teenager who also happened to love music, video games, movies, and, most of all, his family and friends. But, who wanted to be a mere typical boy? Typical boys were faceless characters who remained in the background as the movie's main characters, the heroes, spoke.
Whenever he looked in a mirror, Alfred pictured the boy in multiple scenarios. He was straightening his tie and checking his face for spots, before explaining to the student body why they should vote for him for student president. He was in the locker room pulling his blue jersey over his bulky shoulder pads, his helmet sitting on the bunch behind him. He was surrounded by makeup artists caking foundation and powder onto his face before his film debut. These were the boys who become protagonists and set their world's stage, the ones everyone looked in awe at their arrival. If Alfred was one of these boys, he would always have a reason to smile back at his reflection.
"Help me, Alfred!" Alfred's head whipped around at the distant voice. "Huh?"
All the stalls were shut, save for the one that creaked open as a toilet flushed. "Alfred?" Feliciano spoke, exiting the stall. He scrubbed foamy soap through his fingers.
"Was that you, Feli?" Alfred asked. "I heard something."
"Save me, Alfred!"
"I hear it too!" Feliciano gasped.
"It seems to be outside somewhere!" Alfred said, he and Feliciano hurrying outside. Their exit was met with the crowd cheering at a blue-clad quarterback catching a flying football midair. A red-clad player could only helplessly chase after his stolen throw in the opposite direction. Despite the announcer's voice thundering over the cheers as he excitedly reported the interception, Alfred and Feliciano still heard the mysterious voice from the distance. The masses of people they walked around and squeezed through dwindled in number as the cheering voices grew lower.
Soon, Alfred and Feliciano found themselves adjacent to the baseball field. Leaves rustled in the wind, the soft noise occasionally interrupted by thundering roar from the football stadium. The football stadium's powerful, bright light casted sharp shadows on the pavement. Two moving shadows scaled over those of the chain link fence behind the bleachers, since the main gate was sealed shut with a padlock.
"See anything?" Alfred asked. A white shine shone on his glasses.
Feliciano peered underneath the metal bleaches. "No." A stronger wind blew hair into Feliciano's face. His amber eyes widened at a snap from the trees. "Alfred, l-let's go! It's so dark here and I'm scared!" Feliciano whimpered, his knees shaking as he crept closer to Alfred. Alfred's taller and larger figure was better suited for fistfights unlike Feliciano's petite frame.
"Alfred! Help me!" Before Alfred told Feliciano to stop being a chicken, a whizz sliced through the silence. At the shot's direction, a skinny figure with a large head leapt over the fence, landing on the moist grass with a gentle thump. Its expressionless face peered over its shoulder at its pursuer, large red eyes reflecting the arrows flying towards him. Glowing silver arrows impaled the ground with a whoosh, only missing its fleeing target by a mere few inches.
An arrow finally caught the alien by the shoulder, sending it tumbling towards the home base. Kiku Honda approached the dust cloud, paying no heed to the red clay settling on his white and grey robe. If looks could kill, the alien would have been torn to shreds by then. His glare was sharp as the katana pointed at the alien. The armor resting on his shoulders and hips shone with the blade's gleam.
"Is that Kiku?" Alfred hissed to Feliciano. "He wasn't in today's halftime show, right?"
"No, since today was his first day! Still, he managed to play that really difficult part…" Feliciano started, just as Alfred abruptly dashed out of the stands. "Alfred, wait!"
"Kiku, dude! What's going on?!" Alfred skidded to a halt in Kiku's path.
"Move." Kiku spoke, his mutter sending a chill down Alfred's spine. The piercing glower was now directed at Alfred. "You have no business in this. Go."
"Why are you attacking that alien?" Alfred continued to ask, his booming voice resonating in the empty field. "What did it ever do to you?"
"It's dangerous. Move away from it." Kiku's voice remained eerily calm and cold.
"Dangerous?!" Alfred exclaimed in disbelief, his tone gradually growing louder. "It's so small! I mean, some aliens are bad in movies, but this little guy? He's by himself! Again, what did he ever do to you? Can't you guys talk it out? Are you picking on it or what? He was calling for help!"
"Listen to me. It's dangerous." Kiku maintained. His knuckles clutching the katana grew whiter. "I am not picking on it. I am only trying to protect—"
"ALFRED! RUN! NOW!" A flash of auburn hair zipped behind Alfred, arms tightly hugging the alien against a uniform-clad chest. Red dust clouded the air and enveloped Alfred and Kiku. Kiku coughed as stinging tears blurred his vision, his body's natural attempt to extinguish the stinging irritation in his eyes. Alfred took the chance to run after Feliciano, who tumbled off the fence with a yelp, back meeting the hard ground's surface.
Alfred's hand grabbed Feliciano's arm, forcefully pulling the smaller male onto his feet. "Let's go, GO!"
"Where should we go now?!" Feliciano panted.
"I don't know?! What would people think if we brought a freakin' alien back to the stands?! What's up with Kiku's costume and that blade?! I thought it was weird when he played that one sax part perfectly, but this?!"
"Alfred, LOOK OUT!"
At Feliciano's cry, vines erupted from the dirt path, encircling the two. Prickly thorns protruded from the green stems, making scaling over the vines to escape futile. Buds blossomed into red roses. Brown cocoons hanging on the vines split open as butterflies squirmed out of the now-hollow encasing. The back of their heart-shaped wings was a splendent ruby color, unlike the front's nauseating, dull yellow-green hue. Looking through the vine's cracks, where the football stadium should be were magazine pictures of brand eyeshadows, lipsticks, and contour palettes. Each torn piece was glued together like a patchwork.
"The hell is this?" Alfred could only mutter as he backed from the vines. "This is not Kansas!"
Cotton balls with mustaches hopped towards the two teens. Behind them were snapping black scissors. Clutching the alien closer to his chest, Feliciano huddled closer to Alfred, shaking and whimpering frantically as the two were backed against the thorns. Behind the growing numbers of cotton balls and scissors was a distant, monstrous figure. Its mossy green hair buried its face as its snail-like body crawled towards the boys.
"SHOCKWAVE!" a young male's voice exclaimed, causing the two to look up at the voice's source.
Red cape fluttering as he dove, Mathias landed in front of Alfred and Feliciano, his battle ax striking the ground. With a boom, the preying monsters were blown back. Some flew across the air into the enclosure, impaling themselves onto the thorns. The remaining rushing monsters were met with Mathias's ax to the face(?), leaving them as shreds of paper.
"Glad that I'm here just in time!" Mathias said to Alfred and Feliciano. "Chill here for now!"
Adrenaline rushing through his body, Mathias took a giant leap towards the giant monster. The monster's minions lost interest in cornering Alfred and Feliciano. With his ax and abilities, Mathias was the greater threat. Cotton balls latched onto Mathias's cape and black overcoat, only for Mathias to easily shake them off. The butterflies were blow every with one ax swing.
More vines shot from the ground, trying to knock the blond from the air. Mathias narrowly dodged the spikey vegetation, coming face-to-face with the monster itself. The monster made a growling utterance as it continued to send more vines to pursue Mathias. A vine wrapped around his ankle, stopping him in his flying path and pulling him back. Mathias was slammed onto the ground, teeth clenched in pain as the thorns dug into his ankle. His ax was flung towards the opposite direction, fall broken with its blade in the ground.
"No!" Alfred began to frantically look around his surroundings for any weapons. The monster's vine dragged Mathias closer to itself.
"He's going to be fine." The grey alien spoke, earning a gasp from Feliciano and Alfred's large-eyed expression. "Watch him."
A glowing figure shone in Mathias's hand, stretching to create an outline of another battle ax. With his ax replaced, Mathias dropped the blade onto vine, slicing it apart. As green goo oozed out, he tossed away the remaining vine piece from his ankle before lunging at the monster with a battle cry. Now with no other obstacles, Mathias flew across the monster's neck, his ax's blade tearing through its throat. The sound of paper being shredded ended with the monster dissolving into dust. With a rumble, the distorted surroundings transitioned back into a high school field.
"Whoa! Dude, that was so cool!" Alfred shouted as Mathias approached him and Feliciano.
"Well, thanks! I see that you found my pal, Tony! I've been searching for him!"
Tony leapt out of Feliciano's arms into Mathias's. "You should thank them. They rescued me!"
"Rescued you from what?"
Soft boot-clad feet silently approached the three. Silver amor plates creaked with every step. White robes whipped in the breeze as Kiku stepped into the light, joining the circle. Handing Tony to Alfred, Mathias immediately stood in front of Kiku's path, blocking him from Alfred and Feliciano. "Hey, you're new here!" Mathias greeted with a beaming grin. "You must be a magical boy!"
Kiku's eyes darted from Mathias to Tony, who was seated on Alfred's shoulder. Alfred eyes examined the katana enclosed in its sheath and the bow seated on Kiku's back. Kiku's hands might initially be resting at his side for the first few moments before pulling out his katana or bow. His next target could be any of the three. As if he read Alfred's mind, Feliciano's eyes scanned his dark environment. The football stadium, still lively with its lights and cheers, would have been a perfect place to flee to if it was not so far away.
"I've already taken care of that witch, so feel free to go!" Mathias continued. "Unless if you have other business here!"
Alfred's stomach filled with uneasiness as Kiku's stare shifted to him. For a moment, Kiku's furred brows slightly relaxed, softening his stoic features into a troubled expression. His lips flattened as he clutched his trembling fists, eyes begging Alfred to say something. Though, his request was only met with Alfred's silence. Without saying a word, Kiku turned back towards the direction he came from.
Tony continued from where the conversation left off. "Alfred and Feliciano saved me from Kiku! It seemed that he wanted to prevent them from making a contract with me!"
"A contract?" Feliciano asked.
"A contract to become a magical boy!" Tony answered.
"Magical boys, like magical girls?" Alfred fought back a disgusted face as he pictured himself dressed in a Sailor Moon costume.
"Yes! People are chosen by Tony to become magical boys or magical girls." Mathias explained.
"Wow!" Feliciano explained. "How does that work?"
"The contract is Tony grants you a wish. In exchange, you are given a Soul Gem." Mathias slipped a silver and red ring off his finger. The ring shifted into an oval-shaped ruby. "Then, you have the responsibility to defeat witches."
"Witches? Like the thing that just attacked us?" Alfred asked.
"Yeah! Witches are evil monsters born from despair. Magical boys and girls can only see them, so they have a great responsibility to protect normies."
"On the wish part, can any wish be granted?" Feliciano asked.
"Yeah."
"Anything?!" Feliciano's eyes shone with amazement. "If I wish for a giant banquet with pasta and pizza, will it come true?!"
"Yeah!" Mathias chuckled at the Italian's ecstatic smile.
Alfred laughed. "Dude, I think you shouldn't waste your wish on food!"
Feliciano pouted as Alfred gave him a hard pat on the back. "I didn't say I was going to wish that!" he whined.
"He's right." Mathias's face fell into a stern expression. "Think of your wish carefully. Make it worth risking your lives in battling witches regularly. If you want to, I can show you what it's like fighting them." Mathias offered.
"I'll be down for tomorrow!" Alfred answered
"Cool. What are your names?" Mathias asked as he switched back into his regular clothes and dug in his black jeans for his phone.
"I'm Feliciano!" Feliciano answered. "This is Alfred, one of my best friends!"
"One of?" Alfred teased.
"Alfred!"
"Well, it is nice meeting you guys. I'm Mathias." Mathias gave Alfred his phone. "Put in your numbers here. I'll message you more information on meeting up later!"
The 3rd quarter only had 30 seconds left on the clock when Alfred returned to the stands. He exhaled a sigh of relief when Ivan's younger sister was nowhere near Ivan, happy to only see Ivan for once. Natalya's screeches always rung Alfred's eardrums. Despite Alfred and Ivan being the only occupants of the highest stand, her presence always took too much space, possibly because Ivan's eerie, childlike smile and backhanded compliments already reached the capacity of Alfred's tolerance.
"Where were you, comrade?" Ivan asked as Alfred sat down, in between the two sousaphones.
"Restroom line was long." Was Alfred's curt excuse.
"Really? When I was there, there wasn't a line." Alfred's hands shuddered at Ivan's staring, inquisitive eyes. Inside the white gloves, sweat became to form in his palms.
"Whenever, dude." Alfred retorted. "Maybe it was shorter when you went."
If Ivan Braginsky's name was never written in the band rooster, many souls would have been spared by his tyranny. Toris's knees would not be shaking whenever his fellow brass captain approached him. Raivis and Eduard did not have to look over their shoulders as they left the band room. Feliciano and Matthew never had to cower behind Alfred every lunch. And best of all, Alfred's stomach would be at rest during every 8th period and football game. Yet, at the same time, Alfred heard his inner angel scolding him on wishing Ivan away.
"Damn… Deciding a wish is not easy…" Alfred sighed.
"FIRST DOWN!" Alfred jumped at one of the trumpetists' shout. His scrambled to pick up his sousaphone as the rest of the band were already at attention. He picked up at the fight song's next few measures once when the sousaphone rested steadily on his body.
The band members sunk back down in their seats at the end of the fight song. As Ivan gently set his sousaphone back on the ground, he rose an eyebrow at Alfred, who was still standing. The blond's fingers fiddled with the valves as his contemplating gaze set on his black shoes.
"Hey Alfie, are you doing ok?" Ivan asked.
Alfred's brows twitched at the question. "He did not just call me that!" Facing Ivan with a shaky grin, Alfred responded, "Uh, yeah? Why you asked?"
"You seemed to be lost in thought. Is there something troubling you?"
"No, nothing!"
Ivan gave Alfred a small smile, a smile Alfred wanted to smack off with a fist. "That's good to hear. We always must be prepared to play! It would be a shame if the fight song sounded bad because someone isn't playing!"
"I'll pay attention only for you." Alfred sneered as his eyes traced the football flying across the field.
But, even watching quarterbacks chase after balls were not enough to divert Alfred's attention from Tony's contract.
Bedcovers rustled as Alfred rolled to the cooler side of the bed. Sweat soaked his pajamas as his body heat insulated the mattress. With a defeated sigh, Alfred flopped onto his stomach and rested his chin on the pillow. He envied the soft snores muffled by the wall next to him. How could he have enough energy to go witch-hunting with Mathias and Feliciano if he still was not asleep at 2:22 am? His stomach, while full of digested chunks of a Big Mac, large fries, and a "couple" chicken nuggets, was vacant compared to his mind.
Maybe he needed to walk off his energy. Blankets thrown aside, Alfred quietly pulled open the door, careful not to make a creak. Pale yellow lights shone from the living room. Seated on the worn, leather sofa was Arthur. His typing paused as he rubbed his green eyes. The window blinds behind the sofa rattled as a cool breeze entered the room, causing Arthur to pull Francis's blue cardigan closer to his body.
"Hey." Alfred greeted as he entered the living room.
Green eyes met blue. "Oh, you're still awake."
"Yeah. Can't fall asleep." Alfred sat next to Arthur.
"I told you to get a small coke, not a large."
"But I've gone to sleep after drinking soda before!" Alfred whined.
"Your body is rapidly changing. Learn to notice these changes and change these habits. Seeing you up this late reminds me of how I ruined my sleep schedule with foolish dreams of becoming a renowned writer."
Arthur drank the last drop of tea from his favorite flower-patterned teacup. "Would you like some tea? It might relax your body a bit."
"Nah." Alfred answered. "That leaf juice isn't for me."
"It's much healthier than the soda you chug down on a daily basis!"
"Yeah, yeah." Alfred said apathetically.
Taking the empty teacup, Arthur entered the kitchen, leaving Alfred seated alone for the time being. The stovetop clicked with a twist of a knob. Electric blue flames ignited with a soft whoosh. As bubbles began to rattle the pot, Alfred's sock-clad toes lightly dug into the red carpet, its lingered hue sharing the same color as Tony's eyes.
Arthur returned with two identical teacups, each with shimmering tea. "I brought an extra cup in case you change your mind. Drink it when it's warm."
After gently setting a cup close to Alfred's side on the table's glass surface, Arthur began to bring his cup to his lips.
"Dad, if someone went up to you and said they can grant you any kind of wish, what would you do?" Alfred suddenly asked.
The teacup was a mere few centimeters away from Arthur's mouth. "Hmmm, a wish…" Arthur's thick brows rose slightly before furrowing. "I'll let that fellow know I will not fall for his silly scam." Arthur took a tiny sip.
"No, Dad! This person really can grant wishes! What would you wish for?"
The teacup clinked as it was gently set on the table. "I… I don't know."
"You don't have any life-long desires? How about becoming a famous writer like what first you said?"
"Becoming a renowned writer…" Arthur's emerald eyes fell on the draft on his laptop. "That means I must invest more time in public appearances… No, that shan't be my wish. Not until you and Matthew graduate and move for college."
"What about having all of your works published no matter what?"
Arthur scoffed. "If that's the case, how can I tell if I'm truly satisfied with the final product?"
"When everyone likes it?" Alfred rolled his eyes.
"Just because people like my works does not always mean I'm pleased with it."
"But, if people read and like your story, that means it's good! There's nothing to change!"
"There's always something to change! Have you ever heard of text editions?"
"Gee, I sometimes don't get why you're still writing." Alfred crossed his arms. "It's so stressful perfecting everything and all that. I sometimes feel you hate it."
"Writing is a loathsome process." Arthur took another sip of tea. "However, finally getting the praise on works that you constantly had to revise is a worthwhile feeling."
Green eyes eyed the still-full cup in front of Alfred. "If you don't drink it soon, the tea will not taste well." Arthur said. "I can drink it for you. I'd hate to waste tea."
"I'll drink it, unless if you want me to toss it in the harbor." Alfred smirked at his own joke and Arthur's irritated glare. The smooth porcelain surface was still lukewarm. Alfred was about to gulp the entire drink in one go when an "Ahem." halted him. "What?"
"Tuck your pinky in." Arthur's warm hand softly moved Alfred's pinky underneath his ring finger. "Only stuffy elitists drink tea with their pinky out. How is the tea?"
Alfred swallowed. "It's all right. It doesn't taste good but it's not disgusting."
"If you drink more, you will eventually get used to it. Going back to your question, what would you wish for?" Arthur asked.
"I don't know." Alfred sighed. "I kinda want to say 'I wish for Ivan Braginsky to leave band', but not really."
"You really do distaste Ivan." Arthur commented, earning a nod from Alfred. "Though, I must say that Ivan must appreciate having you in his section."
"Really? He always bugs me! I bet no one joined his section because he's so creepy!"
"Or, no one wanted to carry a large instrument."
"Well, I only switched because Mr. Edelstein asked me to." Alfred admitted. "Not because I wanted to be with Ivan."
"Mr. Edelstein must also appreciate you for doing that like Ivan."
"It really doesn't feel that way."
"If you really want to know how grateful Ivan and Mr. Edelstein are, wish Ivan away." Alfred flinched at Arthur's blunt statement. "You will not fully understand their feelings until you are in their shoes."
"Dude, you sound like I can't sympathize with people!"
"It's still the truth." Arthur said as he resumed his typing.
Not wanting to interrupt Arthur's writing, Alfred laid down on the sofa, pulling his knees up in a fetal position, careful not to tap Arthur with his toes. The left side of his face nuzzled into the pillow leaning against the arm rest. Hands rested on his stomach.
"Clack-clack-clack-clack." Rows of text slowly grew longer with every letter. The pattering keyboard brought Alfred back to his childhood days. Whenever the boogieman jolted him awake, teary-eyed four-year-old Alfred would scurry out of his room for safety. Unlike the other bedrooms, monsters never lurked in the floodlit living room. Also, monsters were afraid of Dad. Dad was never afraid of them.
Tears were wiped with a white handkerchief. Hands tenderly brushed through Alfred's dirty-blond locks as Arthur planted a soft kiss on the forehead. When shaking sobs turned into trembling hiccups, Arthur never immediately dumped Alfred back into his shadow-ridden room. Alfred could lean against Arthur and listen to the keyboard's rattling. Sometimes, Alfred's pudgy hands slammed gibberish onto the document, earning Arthur's amused chuckle. If Alfred failed to flee from the boogieman in the dream, Alfred remained in Arthur's arms, tiny body snuggled against his warm body as Arthur gently rocked him to sleep and hummed… What was that song again? Something about drawing circles…
Those were simple days. As long as Alfred was a good little boy and followed the rules, he got his stickers, sweets, and toys. Now, cramming the night before a test never guaranteed an A. Simply holding the classroom door for everyone made you nothing grander than a "nice guy". Heck, the people who occasionally picked fights in the quad area still had four figures for their Instagram followers.
When did the world become so complicated?
Author's Notes: After reading how Denmark was designed with a "heroic image in mind", I picked him as Mami. He might be OOC because I actually don't read a lot of Nordic fics, so if people have suggestions on his characterization, feel free to let me know!
Also, for the sake of time (and possibly creativity's sake), I decided to come up with fan witches for this story. They're probably weren't given as much thought compared to character interactions and development, so I'm afraid that they aren't as mysterious as the anime's!
If people are worried about spoilers, the next chapter is within episode 2 territory. However, there aren't any noteable spoilers. I'm already finished with most of it, so it'll be uploaded by next weekend. Hope you guys enjoy the story so far! I know that nothing angst-ly has happened yet, but believe me it will!