After a week of spending as much time as possible together, Zed and Addison were both feeling happier than ever again. They had their routine down now, Addison would always join Zed for lunch in the park, and since they had no reason not to, almost every night they swapped back and forth eating dinner at each other's houses, and of course having plenty of alone time after dinner.
But now it was Friday morning, Zed was walking to Addison's house like normal, but with an extra spring in his step, because he, Addison, and all the rest of their friends had the day off during the week for once.
He walked up her front porch and rang the doorbell, and only a few moments passed before a beaming Addison jumped into his arms.
"Happy Fourth of July!" She cheered.
"Happy Fourth of July to you too." Zed smiled down at her and gave her a kiss before she pulled him inside.
"Good morning Zed." Missy greeted him, she and Dale were both sitting on the couch, so Zed and Addison took the loveseat off to the side of them.
"Good morning Missy, Dale." Zed greeted them. "So do you have the day off today too?"
"Afraid not, we'll be busy with the rest of the City Council making sure everything runs smoothly today." Missy chuckled, "but how are you two going to be enjoying today?"
"All our friends are going to be hanging out at the beach, until tonight when the wolves officially reveal the Moonstone is back in Zombietown, and then we'll head back to watch the light show. Bree and I have already come up with a full itinerary for everyone's first beach day."
"Sounds like you'll be having lots of fun today. Call us if you need anything though." Dale said.
"Of course Dad. See you later." Addison stood up and pulled Zed along with her until they were out the door.
"You seemed like you were in a hurry to get out of there." Zed chuckled at her, "did you make sure you have everything?"
"Yep, I packed everything last night." Addison shrugged her shoulders beneath the straps of her pink backpack. "What can I say, I want to spend every second of today with you."
"Impeccable logic as always."
"Plus we should try to hurry to get a good spot."
"It's like nine am, do we really need to be in such a rush?"
"Zed you should know by now, Seabrook only celebrates in one way, over the top and flashy. Just because we don't have fireworks, doesn't mean we'll do any less for the fourth."
"Fireworks? Of course we have fireworks." Zed leaned down to nuzzle her neck for a few seconds, making her giggle.
"Oh, you don't know do you? So as you can guess we don't allow any big fireworks in Seabrook so we don't upset everyone in Zombietown."
"Right, makes sense." Zed nodded.
"Well, literally every other city around the country, will be having massive fireworks displays to celebrate the fourth, and since we can't do that. Usually we just have a massive laser light show."
"I know that, we could always watch that from Zombietown every year."
"Yep, but now you get to see it up close and personal on the beach. Plus Bree and I have plenty of other activities planned."
"And what are those?"
"You'll have to wait and find out."
"Will some of these activities involve swimming? Because by the way, I've brought Zoey and her friends to the beach plenty of times already. I'm actually kind of surprised I never thought to ask you on a date to the beach."
"Oh yeah, don't worry, we'll be spending plenty of time in the water, it's actually supposed to get pretty hot today."
"Well, you're right about one thing." Zed leaned in close, whispering in her ear. "I have no doubt it will get pretty hot today…Gorgeous…if you catch my drift."
Addison felt a shiver down her spine, and she bit her lip, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks. She stood up on her tiptoes and pulled on his shoulders so he bent his head down to her level, and she could whisper in his own ear. "Why do you think I want to get to the beach so fast Handsome?"
"Well, as long as we're in agreement then, I think this would be an excellent use of my zombie powers. Since it's for the greater good and all." Zed squatted down in front of her. "Hop on Gorgeous, I'll get us to the beach in no time."
"Greater good huh?" Addison laughed, she took his backpack from him and threw it over her own shoulders before hopping on, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs circled his torso. She shivered in delight again when she felt his cool hands gently grip her bare legs just above her knees.
"Of course, I know you're the greatest good I'm ever going to get, so anything that makes you happy is for the greater good in my book, bonus points when it's guaranteed to make me happy too."
"How can I argue with that kind of reasoning?" Addison laughed, then she stretched her neck forward to whisper in his ear as he stood back up to his full height. "Everyone's supposed to be there at ten, so if we hurry…"
"Say nothing more…Addiska." Zed grinned back at her, with the faintest traces of dark veins crawling up his face. Addison felt his grip on her legs tighten slightly when the veins traveled down to his arms.
Addison stretched her neck up again, and lightly nibbled his earlobe for a few seconds. "Get me to the beach Zedski." She whispered.
That was all Zed needed to hear before he took off at inhuman speeds down the streets of Seabrook. Addison buried her face against the back of his neck. He was so fast but still controlled, his breathing wasn't particularly ragged, though his voice was definitely deeper than normal when he did pant. But he was still in total control, even though he was practically running all out, he still stopped at every intersection before crossing, and at the same time, glancing back at her to make sure she was doing good still.
Addison was enjoying the ride, and thankfully they didn't pass too many people out and about yet, and thankfully no one was scared by the rogue zombie, maybe because of the happy grin he was wearing on his face so that no one could deny he was happy rather than hungry or angry.
Just then a thought popped into her head. What does full-zom Zed look like without a shirt? She suddenly really wanted to know the answer, she could feel all the toned muscles beneath her already working overtime, but what did they look like with a zomboost? She felt her face flush even more, but she couldn't wait to find out.
Just over five minutes later, Zed's sneakers hit the brown sand of the beach, and he somewhat reluctantly let go of his zombie powers, but still, he wasn't even winded and even more reluctantly set Addison down beside him. But he was rewarded with a quick peck on the cheek and she grabbed his hand once more, which made him feel better.
"So where to?"
"I think there are some restrooms over there." Addison led the way across the sand, pulling him along with her. "Here we are, see you in a few minutes."
"A few minutes? I think you're overestimating how long it will take me to pull on my trunks."
"Just get in there then, I'll try not to keep you waiting, since you obviously can't wait to see me in my swimsuit."
"No I can't, but I've got a feeling you can't wait to see me in just my trunks either. Zed smirked at her.
"And who's the one holding us up now?" Addison asked him playfully.
"You're right, good point, I will let you go for now, but then you aren't leaving my sight the rest of the day."
"I think that can be arranged." Addison laughed. "See you in a sec Zed." Addison gave him one more kiss and then walked into the women's restroom. Zed turned to head into the men's and just as he said, he was in and out in under a minute.
He stood outside the building now in only his dark green swim trunks, leaning against the rough concrete bricks for a few moments until Addison stepped out. His eyes couldn't help scanning her body, and boy did she look delicious in her hot pink bikini. He was so enraptured, looking over every inch, that he didn't even question why she was just standing in place.
Until he reached her face, seeing her bright blue eyes looking just as hypnotized as he felt right then. Finally, their eyes met again and they both awkwardly chuckled to themselves.
"So I take it you like what you see?" Zed teased her, stretching his arms back behind him.
"Um yeah, you bet I do." Addison said, her cheeks stained a fiery crimson while she bit her lip, and then stepped closer to him, "before you say anything…" she placed her hand right over his heart. "You look delicious."
"And you look absolutely gorgeous."
"Come on let's go." Addison pulled on his hand.
"Go where?"
"We'll go set out our beach towels and wait for everyone else."
"What's the rush?"
"Is it so wrong for me to want to enjoy some time alone with you before the beach gets too crowded?"
"Of course not. You're right then, we better hurry." Zed reached out to pull her under his arm, and the warm and cool touch of so much skin-to-skin contact made them both shiver in anticipation.
"Right here should be good." Addison decided when they were about fifty feet from the calmly crashing waves hitting the beach.
"Whatever you say, you're the boss." Zed set down his backpack and pulled his towel out to set down on the sand.
"Oh, I'm the boss am I?"
"Of course, you are, my fair lady."
"And you're my gallant knight?"
"Of course I am, your wish is my command."
"In that case, my first command is to make sure we both have plenty of sunscreen. I don't want to see my handsome knight get sunburned."
"Whatever you say, but I don't think that will be a problem. I haven't been burned at practice yet."
"But I doubt you've had your shirt off at practice." Addison rolled her eyes.
"Well yeah, sometimes."
"Wait what?" Addison dropped the bottle of sunscreen onto the sand, Zed glanced back to see her shocked expression.
"Yeah, some mornings it's really hot, so we'll do shirts vs skins or just get our workout in shirtless if we want." Zed grinned at her stunned face.
"And why haven't I been told about this?" Addison raised her eyebrows.
"I don't know it just never came up?" Zed shrugged his shoulders. "Am I in trouble?"
Addison shook her head and stepped closer to him, "Of course not, just…you know what, to really get the team and the squad pumped up for football season, I'll talk to Bree about having some practices outside while you guys are practicing. So you know, we can get the squad used to cheering on the sidelines and of course help lead the football team to victory."
"I'm sure that'd be a great help Addie." Zed laughed at her, "but are you sure that's a good idea? While I'll always be ready to catch you, don't you think it's a bit dangerous to let the cheerleaders be distracted by a zombie?"
"The only one you'll be allowed to distract is me, and I accept the risks. They are so worth the reward." Addison's eyes scanned up and down his torso some more.
"Once again, how can I ever tell you no?" Zed leaned over and kissed her. "But anyway while I don't think I really need sunscreen, I suppose it's better safe than sorry."
"Good answer Buster." Addison grabbed the sunscreen and eagerly squirted a glob in her hand, and then got to work.
Zed just sat down on his towel, relaxed, and watched Addison as she got to work, First she coated his legs, making sure to rub them in over every inch of his skin, even though with his gray complexion, he couldn't really see a difference. She traveled up his legs and then swapped to his arms. He grinned at the look on her face, he honestly wasn't sure she was even blinking, and he enjoyed all the attention she was giving him, even lightly squeezing his bicep as she made her way up to his shoulders, and slowly reverently traveled down his chest, and down to his well-toned abs. She never said a word, but he could hear how fast her heartbeat was picking up. Then she of course made sure his back was well taken care of by her hands, leaving trails of sparks every single place she gently, lovingly touched.
Nothing would ever be better than Addison's kisses, or her hugs being a close second, but if Zed's heart wasn't racing just as fast as he knew hers was in anticipation, he could fall asleep every night just like this. He could feel her love for him in every press against his skin. He hoped when it was his turn next, he could send her the exact same message.
"And done!" Addison sat back, resting on her knees while Zed turned back towards her.
"I'm glad I have you to take care of me. I'm sure I'll be safe from the sun all day."
"You're safe, for now." Addison warned him, "depending on how much time we spend in the water, maybe you'll need a second coat."
"As long as you're the one to protect me, I'll make sure to follow your every word." Zed leaned in close to kiss her for a long moment before breaking off and smiling at her. "Now it's my turn to pamper you Gorgeous."
"Of course it is." Addison laughed, "You better get started…" Addison glanced down at her phone which just buzzed from the side pocket of her bag. "Looks like everyone else has already met up in Zombietown, so they'll be here soon."
"Let them talk if they wanna, we're gonna do what we wanna." Zed reminded her, but he quickly grabbed the sunscreen and squirted a glob into his hand, eager to get to work.
He started with her back, taking care not to get any sunscreen in her hair, but making sure to gently massage every surface. And then he did her shoulders and down to her arms, gently kneading her wonderfully smooth skin. Then Zed moved down to her legs, and he couldn't help tickling her toes, even though he very nearly got a face full of her deadly low kick because of it while she laughed uncontrollably. He slowly, and smoothly made his way up her legs, checking Addison's face every so often to make sure he didn't go too far, but she never had any reason to stop him.
Feeling Zed's cool hands, slowly lovingly touch every inch of her, despite the cold of his hands, everywhere he touched felt like fire in her skin. He could tell with every single brush of his fingers across her skin just how much he loved her. All of the feelings, combined with her amazing view of all his hard-working, yet gentle muscles, she could stay right here all day.
So finally he ended by gently running his hands up and down the sides of her toned stomach and then he just sat back too.
"Zed, I think you missed a spot." She said coyly.
"Um. I uh." Zed started stuttering.
"I'm kidding. Don't worry." Addison laughed and grabbed the sunscreen herself to finish up. "So am I all covered?"
"After all that you better be." Zed sighed and pulled himself over along the ground, and wrapped his arm around her. "I knew beach day would be fun, but I didn't expect it to be this much fun already."
"Me neither, but you make everything better than I can ever imagine," Addison promised him with a kiss.
They broke apart for just a moment and then joined their lips together again. Zed pressed his tongue against her lips and Addison happily allowed him access, and they continued exploring each other as Zed pulled Addison into his lap and held her around her waist while Addison's hands once again traveled all over his muscular torso.
"I love you Zed." Addison whispered against his mouth when they broke apart to breathe.
"I love you too Addison. Gar Gar Gaza."
"Gar Gar Gaza." She replied.
And then they both hugged each other close as they calmed down. Their lips still connected, softer, but with just as much love behind them, driving them on. Addison glanced out of the corner of her eye, and then she reluctantly broke away from Zed for the last time.
"What is it?"
"We're about to have an audience." She whispered to him. "Gar Gar Gaza Zed."
"Gar Gar Gaza Addie." Zed nodded back in understanding.
She turned herself back around so she was sitting against Zed's chest, still in his lap with his arms now wrapped loosely around her waist, and her arms resting on top of his.
"There you two are." Bree smiled down at them as everyone else approached, they were all already in some combination of towels, T-shirts, and swimsuits, all of them just as ready for a day at the beach as Zed and Addison had been.
"Why didn't you guys wait for us?" Wyatt asked them teasingly.
"Oh you know, both of us are both morning people and we always want to spend as much time as possible together," Zed replied.
"Right, so does this beach apparently allow PDA? Because I'm pretty sure we were about to walk in on a very hungry zombie." Eliza raised an eyebrow at them.
"I'm only hungry for Addison's love." Zed hugged her tighter while Addison blushed.
"Right, if that's what you want to call it. Like we all knew what you two would be like, we didn't think you'd be so crazy out here where everyone can see you." Eliza laughed at them.
"And I bet there's stuff we don't even want to know about," Bree added with a giggle.
"You got that right girlfriend." Eliza sent Bree a fist bump. "But now that we're here, we can get really this party started." Eliza set her bag down and pulled out a speaker, everyone else laying out their own towels and other assorted beach supplies.
Bonzo suggested they should go swimming right away before the beach go too crowded, as indeed, the crowds gradually grew around them, so that's what they did. While Zed had brought Zoey to the beach a couple of times before, it was Bonzo, Eliza, and all the wolves' first time actually getting into the ocean, up close and personal, but they had tons of fun, the wolves of course were excellent at the doggy paddle, much to Eliza's delight as it gave her great ammunition to use against Wyatt in the future. So they all just swam through the gentle waves, occasionally having splash fights whether intentional or not, and tossed a football around. Everyone was having fun. And then Addison and Bree came up with a great idea.
"Hey guys, you know what we would be really fun?" Addison asked everyone once they had gotten bored of tossing the football around.
"What is it Addison?" Zed swam closer to her.
"How about we see who the strongest is in a chicken fight?"
"What the Z is a chicken fight?" Eliza asked
"So everyone's in teams of two, with one person on the other's shoulders and then basically the people on top do their best to push the other teams down into the water." Addison started to explain.
"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Is this some twisted plan of yours so you and Zed can be as close as possible?"
"No, it is a real thing, right Bree?"
"Yeah, well, I don't think I've ever played it before, but I've heard it's super fun. And what's wrong Eliza, are you scared?" Bree raised her eyebrow challengingly.
Eliza scoffed, "Please, I'm not scared of anything."
"It sounds like fun Eliza." Wyatt swam over to her, besides we have werewolf and zombie combined, nothing will beat us."
"Alright, I'm in." Eliza agreed.
"I'm in too. Wynter, want to be my partner?" Willa asked.
"Oh yeah." Wynter cracked her knuckles, "I hope you're all prepared to lose."
"Sounds like a challenge," Zed grinned, "so what's the prize going to be?"
"I don't know, can you think of anything?" Addison shrugged her shoulders.
"Oh, I know!" Zed motioned all his friends close. "Now you didn't hear this from me, but Pops said the city council will start allowing zombies and werewolves to take their driver's test in a few more weeks. So when that happens, how about whatever two of us win gets to take the test first, so they can have eternal bragging rights."
'That is if any you all pass on the first try. Have you even been studying?" Eliza asked everyone.
"Well, actually yeah a little bit, I mean, my days have been pretty full lately, but Pops and I have been studying together when we can."
"Perro Breezka." Bonzo added.
"It's OK Bonzo, just because my birthday is right before school starts doesn't mean we can't win this for you."
"OKZ." Bonzo nodded. "Letz do thiz."
"So Bree and Addison, you're apparently the experts, how are we supposed to get on the guys' shoulders," Eliza asked.
"How do you know it's the girls on top?" Zed asked.
"Well, I'm pretty sure you and Bonzo would crush your mighty cheerleaders if you tried to sit on their shoulders."
"I know, and for the record, I'm always crushing on Addison."
"Awe." Addison sighed.
"Eww." Eliza rolled her eyes at him.
"Um, I'm pretty sure the guy ducks down underwater and then stands up again. Zed? How about we show them how it's done?" Addison asked him.
"It would be my pleasure. Don't take too long." He warned her playfully.
"Oh really? I'm pretty sure if I remember your zombie powers correctly, I think I should have plenty of time."
"Don't give away all my secrets, we could have had more contests." Zed playfully whispered to her and then leaned down in the water right in front of her, so only his head was still above the water. "Ready?"
"Yep." Addison gently reached out to hold his shoulders while Zed ducked down. She then tossed her legs over and sat down. She felt his cool hands grip her legs, and after waiting a few more seconds, he stood back up out of the water. Addison held out her arms to keep her balance as they kept rising and rising.
"How's the air up there?" Willa laughed at her, Addison couldn't help but laugh back, looking down at all her friends wasn't something she did very often outside of cheer routines.
"The air's fine, you all better hurry up so we can get started, I've got one thing on my mind, and I call it victory!" Addison cheered.
So all the rest of her friends got into their teams and now they were four giants standing in a circle.
"You know, I hate to say it Wyatt, but I think we're at a bit of a disadvantage," Eliza whispered atop his shoulders, she knew with his ears, he could still hear her easily.
"Why's that?"
"Well with my two best friends, the green giants, plus Willa and Wynter, I think we're definitely out of our height class."
"That may be true." Wyatt squeezed her calves with his hands tighter for a moment, "Don't count us out yet. As I said, wolf plus zombie is an amazing combination."
"You're lucky you're cute, that was almost Zeddison-level sappiness." Eliza ruffled his hair. "Let's just kick their butts."
"Whatever you say Eliza. What do I get if I win?"
"The first driver's test remember Fido? Well, you'll obviously get the second."
"Of course I will, but what will I get from you?"
"I don't know, maybe it wouldn't be the worst thing for us to have our own date night at the beach sometime. Zeddison seems to have been enjoying their day so far."
"Got it. We win, date night at the beach." Wyatt bared his fangs in a smile.
"Of course that would be the thing that motivates you." Eliza rolled her eyes at him.
"Hey," Wyatt craned his head to look up at her eyes the best he could, "you're always great Eliza, and today has already been fun, I hope you've been enjoying it too."
"Of course I have, even if I still find this a little ridiculous."
"You'll change your tune when we show them all who's alpha. And I would never bet against you."
"So Zed." Addison gently held his head in her hands as she leaned forward to whisper in his ear, "what's our strategy, football captain?"
"Hmm, honestly I'd say we're all evenly matched, us and Breezo have the height advantage, but even if none of us use our powers, Wyliza and Wynter and Willa are still going to be tough to beat. I say let them make the first move, and then we hit back the best way we can."
"Got it." Addison nodded her head. "You ready?"
"Of course I am, with your beautiful heartbeat right above my head, and pounding in my ears. I promise I'm not letting go of you without a fight."
"Let's show them what a zom and pom can do." Addison agreed.
"Let's go!" Wynter howled from atop Willa's shoulders, she already had a sparkle in her eye, not from her moonstone, Zed recognized the look in her eye from football practice, she was ready to play, and most likely ready to win, but that wouldn't be happening if Zed had any say in the matter.
And so they began their game, wading out to where it was about four feet deep. Rather than a free for all, they decided to play tournament style where each team faced off against the other.
Unfortunately, Bree also quickly realized that without her glasses, she and Bonzo were at a serious disadvantage, plus the fact that Bonzo was a lover, not a fighter, everyone else quickly got the upper hand, but she still had fun and of course Bonzo gave her a tight hug in consolation every time they were eliminated with a splash.
And for once in her life, Eliza was annoyed that she was right, as much as she tried, even she couldn't defend herself against the ferocity that Wynter displayed. She was pretty sure all four of them had tapped into their moonstones during their bout. Willa and Wyatt had certainly been growling enough at each other as they circled each other in the water. She definitely saw the golden spark in Wynter's eyes, and she was at least eighty percent sure that her own eyes had darkened in response, but once Wynter had gotten a good grip on Eliza's arms, thankfully without her claws, Eliza was a goner as she flew off Wyatt's shoulders, but she also felt him sink down into the water with her.
When they both surfaced and spit some salt water out of their mouths, they both smiled at the victors. "Well played you two." Eliza nodded at Willa and Wynter, who were both grinning down at them.
"Right back at you."
But then, to Eliza's greater annoyance, Zed and Addison managed to beat them too. Eliza could blame Zed's towering height advantage all she wanted, but she also knew she shouldn't be surprised that nothing could stand up to Zeddison when they were on the same team. And of course, when Wyatt waded over to give her a kiss on the cheek she didn't mind one bit.
Bree was once again sitting on Bonzo's shoulders so she could get a better view, and also referee. "And now it's time for the ultimate match!" Bree cheered, "Who will be crowned the Chicken Fight Champion? The unbreakable, the unshakeable, the adorable team of Zeddison?" "Or will it be the two alphas of the night, who's only thing that's worse than their bark is their bite, Willter!"
"Wilterza?" Bonzo smiled up at her.
"Well, their names are so similar it's hard to come up with something new. But I think they get the point." Bree patted his green mop affectionately. "Are you ready to rumble?!" She cheered out some more.
'Za Za Za Za Za!" Bonzo clapped along below her.
"You ready Zeddison?" Willa challenged them
"You bet wolves. We're sending you back to the doghouse." Zed grinned right back.
"And we're sending you back to the graveyard." Wynter shot back.
"Enough talk. Let's do this!" Addison said.
"Three, two, one…Go!" Bree yelled out.
Willa and Wynter started forward, quickly closing the distance, while Zed braced his legs against the sandy seafloor below him, and gripped Addison's legs tighter, while at the same time. Addison squeezed her legs tighter against his neck. After watching their previous match, Zed had gotten everyone to agree there wouldn't be any more moonstone mischief, but that extra reminder of how close Addison was, was basically a zomboost for him.
Willa kept up the speed in the water, while Wynter held out her hands, they wanted to try to get this bout over as quickly as possible, even without their powers.
Wynter and Addison locked their hands and started pushing against each other. Determination lined both of their faces. Thanks to Zed's height, Addison was still about a head higher than Wynter.
"It's over Wynter, I have the high ground," Addison warned Wynter as Zed bent slightly forward, to give Addison a bit more power.
"That may be, but I am rough, and tough." Wynter growled back.
Both girls let go for a moment and then before Zed or Addison could react, Willa suddenly waded two more steps forward, and by doing so, got inside Addison's guard before she could do anything.
Wynter pushed against Addison's shoulders, but thanks to Zed's grip she got her balance back and was ready to strike back when Willa gave the winning blow.
She hooked her foot behind Zed's ankle, sending both of them plunging into the water below.
Addison thrashed her limbs to pull herself back to the surface, when a moment later, she felt two cool hands reach around her back and legs to lift her out of the water. When she resurfaced she wiped some of the water out of her eyes and then reached out to wrap her arm around his neck, her eyes seeing Zed smiling down at her.
"You good?"
"Yeah, I'm fine don't worry. Thanks for catching me." She stretched her neck up to kiss his cheek.
"I'll always catch you when you fall." He promised, and then he turned his attention to the victors. "I'll admit well played you two, even if I think you may have cheated."
"No one said our base couldn't do anything." Willa smiled at him before dunking herself down so Wynter could get off her shoulders. "If there's no rule against it, anything goes."
"I know, I'm not complaining, too much. But I guess you two get to be the first of us that gets to drive next week."
"You bet we will. Oh you know, I should probably start studying for that test then." Wynter laughed, and everyone laughed along with her.
After that, all their stomachs soon started growling, so they went back to the beach to towel off and grab some lunch from one of the nearby food stands, and they all stopped for dessert from Coach's froyo cart. Zed had the day off, but Coach wouldn't let a holiday like the Fourth go without froyo.
Once they finished eating they still spent the rest of the day at the beach with a bit tamer competitions, including a sandcastle contest, which Bonzo and Bree won, with their zombie-styled sand palace that was intricately designed, and well over a foot tall. Everyone agreed it made the rest of theirs just look like piles of sand in comparison. They also spent a while playing volleyball with plenty of playful banter, but they didn't keep score.
When the evening started to fall they all changed out of their swimsuits and walked back over to Zombietown for the special ceremony before the upcoming laser show. When they arrived, a crowd was already forming around the newly constructed Moonstone Plaza in Zombietown.
Willa and the rest of the wolves joined their packmates that were standing in front of a large brown tarp. The rest of the pack had transported the Moonstone back from the Den a few days ago, and now there were ready to reveal it. The entire City Council was standing on a platform behind them.
Missy tapped her mike, and once the crowd quieted down. She began, "Welcome everyone to a very special fourth of July celebration. While days like this are always important to our history, we are about to make tonight even more special. I'll let Councilwoman Winona explain."
"Thank you, Mayor Wells. Now as many of you now know, our pack gets our powers from our moonstone necklaces, which in turn are powered by the Moonstone that crashed to Earth from the night sky centuries ago. We recently recovered it after it was stolen from us nearly a hundred years ago, and we are beyond grateful for the brave teenagers who saved our pack from extinction. And now that we have found our new kinship with our Zombie neighbors, many of which now rely on their own necklaces just as much as we do. We will not hide the moonstone away where no one can find it."
Winona nodded down at the wolves in front of her. Willa and Wyatt nodded in reply and pulled the tarp off to reveal the violet Moonstone, still sitting in its copper cage, but shining in the moonlight above, along with several gray stone pillars carved with runes from the wolves' language.
The crowd oohed and awed appreciatively.
"Since both wolves and Zombies now rely on the Moonstone, and because we are both vital parts of our community, the Moonstone will once again reside in Zombietown where it will be an important resource for all who need it."
"As I'm sure Wyatt and Eliza have explained to you if you already have a necklace, simply press it against the stone to recharge it when you need. We know it will be perfectly safe in Zombietown because it already spent the last fifty years here, and in addition, the Moonstone will have its own protection."
Willa stretched out her hand and placed it on a hand-shaped imprint on one of the stones.
In between all the stone pillars, a magical-looking light started shining until it surrounded the Moonstone in a protected dome.
Winona continued to explain, "As you can see, the Moonstone will have its own shield to protect itself, as well as containing its own energy so that any Z-bands in the nearby vicinity are not affected by its power. But should anyone have need of it, as long as they already have a moonstone, whether they are wolf or zombie, they will be able to turn the shield on or off with a simple press of their hand."
Willa again demonstrated and the violet glow disappeared.
The crowd gave a round of applause, and several humans and zombies moved forward to examine the Moonstone up close for the first time.
Willa and Wyatt rejoined their friends.
"A forcefield? You have got to tell me how that thing works." Eliza demanded.
"I haven't got a clue, it was something our parents and the other elders figured out," Wyatt admitted.
"But wait, how do you know it works for Zombies?" Eliza asked.
Willa explained. "Zevon got to be the one to test it out, and it apparently worked fine for him, and also Addison's dad got to be the human test subject and since he didn't have a Moonstone, the shield stayed standing. But don't worry, I'm sure it will still work for you two if you ever need it for some reason." Willa nodded at Bree and Addison.
"Does it hurt?" Addison asked, slightly worried.
"No, it's just like a solid wall that goes up and down, it's probably overkill unless aliens invade or something crazy like that." Willa rolled her eyes playfully. "We're not really worried about anything happening."
"Well this has been great, but…" Addison checked her watch. "I think its about time we head back to the beach to watch the show. You guys are in for a real treat."
"Oh we've seen it before." Wyatt told her.
"How? If you guys have always been in the forest?" Bree asked.
"You haven't been to their outlook rock yet?" Eliza asked.
"No? What are you talking about?" Addison asked.
"Wyatt took me- rgh." Eliza cut herself off.
"Took you where?" Bree and Addison both demanded excitedly.
Wyatt explained since Eliza was clamming up. "You know how our Den is under a giant stone cliff? Well on top of that cliff we can pretty much all of Zombietown and Seabrook, so while we never knew why this day is important to you humans, we always knew we could look forward to the night the sky lit up every year."
"You have got to take us there some time, that sounds so cool." Addison smiled brightly.
"Of course we will, but for tonight, how about we head back to the beach?" Willa suggested.
"Sounds like a plan." Zed smiled and squeezed Addison's hand, "I'm ready to see how Seabrook owns the night."
They got back to the beach, which was now even more crowded than earlier in the day, but they found enough space for all of them to spread out over some blankets a decent distance from the front row. And before long the show started, all of the lasers dancing in the sky, or lighting up the screens placed at one end of the beach, a lot of it seemed to be emulating traditional red white, and blue fireworks, but there were plenty of pink, green, and purple beams lighting up the stars above with their own constellations representing everyone that called Seabrook home, perfectly in time with the music. Everyone cheered when to their surprise Bamm started blasting out of the speakers, which finally got Eliza to admit they maybe had some good taste in music.
Addison was of course cuddled up under Zed's shoulder, but she still cuddled even closer to him. "Isn't this the most beautiful thing you've ever seen Zed?"
"Second most beautiful." Zed decided, kissing her lightly on her forehead.
"I loved spending all of today with you, especially this morning."
"I know, I did too. You always look delicious, but today…"
"I know, and obviously you leave me just as speechless. Maybe we could spend some more time at the beach, just the two of us?"
"If I ever say no to that, you'd better drag my butt to Zombietown to recharge my moonstone." He joked.
"Oh, you know I will."
"Gar Gar Gaza Zed."
"Gar Gar Gaza Addie."
They settled back down to watch the rest of the show, but both were happily taking in the beauty of their other half beside them.