Just look at me go. Two days, two updates. It's like magic. The gang finally arrives for summer, and Jeremy and William finally lose their patience.
Dedicated to: Rena, for making me finish. You're awesome. And DayDreamer9, for being the most amazing reviewer ever.
The landing in Australia was identical to the gang's previous landing for most of the group, although Aelita seemed incapable of finding anything to do with flying as anything but completely new and exciting every single time. Disembarking followed the same wait-and-see procedure, and once they entered the airport terminal they once again found themselves standing around, looking bemused as they waited for Aelita to get her fill of seeing something so new and different. As soon as they had their bearings Yumi lead the charge in search of a restroom where they could freshen up and change after their flight.
Like the fight from Paris to London, the flight that took them to New Zealand was short, little over an hour, and Aelita spent all of it watching the green and blue world below her as it soared past. Her gaze continued to roam all around as they passed through the latest of airports, although it wasn't until she stepped outside for the first time in almost a entire day that she was finally brought to a standstill.
"Wow," she breathed. Her friends laughed.
"Impressed?" Ulrich asked. Aelita nodded mutely. Odd grinned.
"And this is just the bus circle," he said, motioning to the rows of busses idling outside of the airport. "Wait until you see the city!"
After ten minutes of aimlessly wandering the gang found their bus, just as the cart bearing their luggage arrived. Aelita motioned to her suitcase curiously, but Yumi assured her that it wouldn't be going anywhere without them as they began piling onto the bus. While Odd handed over their tickets Aelita quickly found herself a window seat in preparation for her first real look at a city outside of Kadic. Ulrich and Yumi settled themselves into the seats across the aisle, making themselves comfortable on a shared pillow while Odd, the only one able to match Aelita's still strong enthusiasm, joined the pink haired girl.
As Ulrich and Yumi slipped back into dreamland the bus began its trek into the city. Instantly Odd transformed into Aelita's tour guide, noticing rather quickly that her wonder had left her rather speechless. With wide eyes and rapt attention, she took in every fact Odd said and every detail she saw. As her first official summer vacation, Aelita felt that she just couldn't afford to let even a single moment slip away, lest she loose the precious memory forever.
Odd, it seemed, understood her feelings, and made sure to point out everything Aelita even looked like she might be interested in. By the time they reached the bus stop Aelita was sure there was nothing more she could possibly learn about New Zealand.
She was proved wrong as they prodded awake their sleeping friends, gathered their bags, and jostled over to the cab that was patiently waiting for the "Della Robbia party" to arrive. Passing now through even smaller towns, about which Odd's knowledge was less complete, her curiosity threatened to simply overflow. Amused by the young girl's appreciation of his home, the group's second cab driver of the trip (this one in much higher spirits than the first) happily answered the dozens of questions his pink haired passenger sent his way.
Eventually the gang found themselves at a little ferry port, which, even without having seen it before in their lives, they could recognize easily from Odd's story.
"I can see why you mom was hesitant," Yumi murmured as she eyed the ferry waiting for them.
"What?" Odd asked. The ferry bobbed cheerfully in the water, its salt-stained hull swaying from side to side. From under the boat's awning, patched in multiple places with various tapes and fabrics, the ferry Capitan waved at the group of teens.
"It is leaning to one side?" Ulrich asked after a moment. He glanced at Odd. "It it supposed to do that?" Odd waved him off.
"Last one there!" he cried, leaving the threat hanging as he gathered his luggage and made an awkward dash for the boat. Ulrich, reacting more on instinct than thought, hurried after him. Yumi sighed.
"One day they'll grow up." She paused when Odd tripped over the strap of his bag, Kiwi barking. Shouting in triumph, Ulrich shot ahead of his friend, only to trip himself three steps later. "Or not. I could just be making an assumption."
Giggling, Aelita and Yumi gathered their bags and followed the boys at a more leisurely pace. They ended up beating the boys the boat, their slowed speed keeping them from getting tangled in their luggage.
Once loaded on the boat the Captain, who seemed completely unfazed by the raucous of his passengers (most likely a side effect of extensive Della Robbia exposure), set off on an unhurried course, heading for an group of islands in the distance. Bouncing up to the front of the boat, Aelita leaned out over the railing, narrowing her eyes against the sea-spray.
"Odd, which one's yours?" she asked as the blonde appeared at her shoulder.
"See the one kind of left from the middle? The sloped one?" Aelita tilted her head. She spotted the island—it was smaller than some of the others, with a rocky outcropping on one side and a wide, white sandy beach on the other. She nodded. "That's Isle Della Robbia," Odd said, grinning.
"Hmm." Aelita eyed the island critically. She felt her stomach do a little flip, Mr. Ishiyama's playful joking coming to mind when she noticed something conspicuously missing. "Where's your house?" Odd, correctly guessing the source of her worry, laughed.
"Don't worry," he said, "it's around the other side. My dad wanted it to seem more private, so he built it looking out on the ocean instead of towards the shore."
"Oh," Aelita breathed. The pair fell silent after that, Aelita content to watch as the island she'd been picturing for days rose up, lush and magnificent before her.
As they drew in close a small dock materialized at the edge of the island, the Captain easily pulling the ferry alongside it. Waving their thanks, the group gathered their things and, sharing looks of excitement, took their first steps onto the island they would be calling home for the summer. While Odd trotted off along the dock, the other three could only stand and stare. Odd was half way to the end of the dock before he realized he was making the journey alone.
"Guys?" he said, turning to look at his friends.
"Hmm?" someone hummed. No one looked his way, all of their gazes busy taking in the mini-jungle before them. Sighing, Odd motioned towards land.
"You guys have all summer to stare at it," he told them. "Why not wait until we're not lugging all of our stuff around with us?"
To three people who'd just spent the equivalent of a day traveling, this seemed like a brilliant idea. Gathering their things, they hurried after the blonde as he led the way down a small dirt path trailing away from the dock. He didn't go far before he'd reached a small shed set a little back into the trees. After taking a moment to drop his bags and let Kiwi out of his bag, Odd pulled open the doors of the shed to reveal an electric cart.
"Your chariot awaits," he joked as he climbed into the cart's single bench seat, settling in behind the steering wheel, grinning when a turn of the key brought it to life.
"Your dad's a genius," Ulrich announced as he lugged his bags into the cart's small bed. Jumping down, Odd helped load his own bags and then the girls' before retaking the driver's seat. The girls quickly piled in next to him, and before he knew it Ulrich was left staring at a cart who's seat was full.
"What about me?" he asked, blinking his confusion. While the girls laughed Odd gave the pile of luggage a pointed look. Ulrich scowled. "Try again."
Five minutes and an unsuccessful debate later, and Ulrich was sitting perched among the luggage, Kiwi bouncing happily in his lap.
"Just remember," he told the still snickering blonde, "you're sharing a room with me next year."
"You're getting to enjoy the fresh air," Yumi joked, leaning back to smile at the brunet. He frowned at her. She pecked his cheek with a kiss.
"You must have the best view," Aelita said, her own gaze constantly swiveling as she tried to take in everything all at once. "Odd, this place is amazing!"
"It gets better," he assured her. "Look to your left." Blinking curiously, Aelita did as she was told just as the cart emerged from between the trees.
"Look!" she gasped, pointing. "A river!" Odd grinned as Aelita gaped at the ribbon of crystal clear blue.
"My dad made it," he explained, as they followed alongside the gently flowing water. "It's an extension of our pool that circles the whole island. You can get in it behind our house and float all the way back again. It takes like, two hours, but you get to see all the really cool stuff on the island."
"That's really cool," Ulrich said, leaning back so he could join the conversation.
"Was that part of your mom's painting?" Yumi asked. Odd shook his head.
"We thought he was just giving us kids something awesome to play in. It took us years before we figured out that mom and dad could just dump us and some inner-tubes in the river and get the house free to themselves for a few hours. He won't admit it, but we're pretty sure that's why dad built it." Ulrich nodded knowingly.
"If I were him, I'd build something that would drag you away from my house too."
Pulling a face, Odd returned his attention to driving as the path they were following opened up onto a stretch of beach.
"And there it is," he announced, pointing up ahead. He was pleased to note his passengers all staring with an appropriate level of amazement. "Look real enough for you?" he teased.
"Yes," Yumi said. "It looks real. Whether it's yours or not is what I'm worried about."
"What do you mean?" the blonde asked. "Do you really think I would pull up in front of some random house and try to trick you into going inside?"
"Yes Odd," Yumi said. "I do. And I think you're trying to do it now. There's no way your parents would let four teenagers spend six weeks alone in a house like this."
"My parent's know they can trust us not to burn it down."
"I'd ask how," Ulrich said, "but with kids like you I'm sure your dad figured out a way to fireproof…everything."
"Psh," was Odd's noncommittal response, causing his friends to exchange unsure looks as they drew up to the front of the house.
The house was made entirely of wood, negating Ulrich's theory of fireproofing. A wide porch wrapped around the building, which stretched up to a height of what looked to be three whole stories, the top two of which were fronted with a massive window.
"Oh wow," Aelita gasped. She'd never seen such a house on the streets of Kadic, the style both alien and yet well suited to the tropics it was nestled into.
"Come on you guys," Odd said, as he began unloading their bags. "We're almost there."
Gathering around to help, the gang collecting everything together, not wanting to make a second trip, and headed for the windowed double doors that would lead them into the house. Odd fumbled briefly with his keys, having not prepared them before filling his arms with bags, but eventually they gained entrance into the house.
"Dump your things anywhere," he said, following his own advice as he dropped his bags just inside the door. Kicking them aside just enough to make room for the door to close, he then grabbed up his backpack and pointed to the wide set of spirals stairs that dominated the end of the entryway. "I'm going to go change," he said, motioning Ulrich to join him. "I'll let you girls have the bathroom under the stairs."
Under the stairs? Aelita mouthed as the boys vanished up into the second story. As Yumi shrugged they gathered their own bags and began to circle the staircase. Not far past the first step they found a door that, when opened, lead into a surprisingly spacious circular bathroom.
"Weird," Yumi decided as they piled inside. Aelita nodded as she set her duffle on the toilet, which had been designed to follow the curve of the wall. They struggled briefly in finding space to both change, as there were no corners to claim, but eventually Yumi just climbed into the rounded shower stall and together they clambered hastily into their PJs.
"About time," Ulrich huffed once the girls emerged back into the house. Yumi and Aelita pulled faces at the brunet as they wandered into the living room he and Odd had seemingly transformed while the girls changed. A large bed had been pulled out of the couch nestled under the window, which the boys had helpfully smothered in a wild assortment of pillows and blankets.
"I like this plan," Yumi announced, climbing easily into the bed and preparing a nest for herself. She then paused, frowning, before pulling Ulrich in next to her and snuggling up to sleep. Grinning his pleasure at Yumi's plan, Ulrich quickly did the same. Rolling his eyes, Odd drew the curtains as he and Aelita crawled into the bed as well.
"Good night, Princess," Odd whispered. Aelita, who until this point was preparing for bed based solely on the fact that she'd been copying the others, was suddenly struck by how tired she was. Nestling into her pillow, she allowed her eyes to slip shut, whispering her own 'good night' as she quickly drifted off to sleep.
Warm sunlight gently woke Aelita from what felt like the most wonderful night's sleep she'd ever experience. Sighing through her nose, she refused to open her eyes as consciousness filtered back to her. Shifting under her blankets, she stretched her arms out, humming softly as her joints responded with satisfying pops.
As she found herself ever more awake, Aelita finally sat up, letting her blankets pool at her waist as she scrubbed sleepily at one eye. With another soft sigh, she looked around, taking in the room she'd been too tired to properly survey the night before. A couple puffy armchairs lined one side the room, another comfy looking couch against the opposite wall. But it wasn't these that drew Aelita's immediate attention.
It was her bedmates, and the person who was missing. Aelita could feel the heat rising in her cheeks as she spotted Yumi and Ulrich cuddling contentedly beside her. Quickly shuffling out of the bed, Aelita grabbed a light blanket to throw over her shoulders as she eyed the room's possible exits. To her left elegant French doors stood open, leading the way into the entryway, while across from her she could make out a dining table through the opening in the wall.
As she turned her attention on the dining room, Aelita realized she could make out the faint smells of someone cooking and so, deciding breakfast was a better alternative to hanging out with the two lovebirds still in bed, she made her way towards the source of what would hopefully be something yummy to eat.
Stepping up to the dining table, Aelita noticed three things: the pair of doors leading to the backyard on her right, the opening leading past the staircase and to the front door on the left, and the boy currently dancing with a spatula in the kitchen in front of her.
"Good morning?" she said, padding her way up to the breakfast bar between herself and the grooving blonde.
"Morning Princess," he greeted, pausing mid-dance move to offer Aelita an enthusiastic bow. "You ready for the best breakfast you'll ever have?"
"…Yes?" Aelita tried. She blinked as Odd twirled past her to the stove, trying to acclimate as she moved from friends who were still asleep to a friend who was anything but.
"I call this one the Della Robbia Flap Jack Special," Odd announced as he grabbed the handle of the frying pan sitting on the stove top. Apparently unaware of the spatula in his hand, Odd gave the pan itself a flick, sending the pancake inside it flipping into the air. Aelita clapped as Odd, who'd miss-judged his toss, scrambled backwards and caught the pancake before it hit the floor.
"I hope all your other catches have been as successful," she teased as Odd added the pancake to the stack on the plate he'd suddenly procured.
"You know it," he said, winking as he set the pancakes down in front of Aelita. Grinning, she slipped onto one of the stools behind the counter, settling down just as syrup, a glass of juice, and a fork and knife appeared by her plate.
"Thank you," she said as she picked up the syrup bottle and began liberally dousing the fluffy disks.
"No need to thank," Odd assured her as he stepped around the counter with his own plate of pancakes, plopping onto the stool beside her. "By the end of the summer you'll be completely tired of my cooking." Aelita flashed Odd a surprised look over her glass of juice. Setting it down, she asked,
"Why would you say that?"
"Because the longer he cooks, the worse he gets."
Aelita giggled as Ulrich walked into the room, yawning widely.
"At least I get worse," Odd said, flicking a carefully aimed piece of pancake at Ulrich. "You, on the other hand, don't. You just are a terrible cook."
"Psh." Ulrich opened his mouth, halfheartedly trying to catch the pancake bit. It bounced off his forehead and landed on the floor.
"You've been awake for two minutes," Yumi whined, joining her friends in the kitchen. "Can you behave for even that long?"
"Behave?" Ulrich asked as he headed for the oven. Pulling open the door, he fetched out two plates of pancakes. Aelita blinked at the sight in confusion, but Ulrich and Odd both seemed to be fitting into a well rehearsed routine.
"What does that mean?" Odd asked cheekily. Yumi scowled, snatching his syrup as she and Ulrich took the stools on Aelita's other side.
"So," Ulrich asked around a mouthful of pancake, "what's the plan for our first official day of vacation?"
"Cliff diving!"
Three pairs of eyes turned to stare at Odd.
"What does that mean?" Aelita asked, while Yumi shook her head.
"No."
"That's something you can save for you and your crazy sisters," Ulrich added. Sighing, Odd gave his breakfast a defeated look.
"Why don't we check in with Jeremy?" Aelita asked. "He wanted us to let him know we got here okay."
"You mean he wanted confirmation that the house was real," Ulrich amended.
"Why does everyone think I'm lying about having a house?" Odd asked.
"That sounds like a great idea, Aelita," Yumi said, ignoring the blonde. "Once we finish eating we can use that new webcam so we can all talk to him." Excited to talk to the one friend she hadn't seen in what felt like forever, Aelita hurried through her meal, Odd joking that she was simply inhaling his edible work of art, Ulrich adding that it was great practice for the rest of Odd's meals.
Once breakfast had vanished into bellies and the plates had "vanished" into the sink, Aelita's laptop was uncovered from the bag pile still sitting by the door. Setting it up at the dining table, the gang pulled over chairs and gathered around as Aelita logged online, bouncing as she clicked Jeremy's name.
When Jeremy's video window opened, the gang burst into a clutter of bright "Good morning!"s, causing Jeremy to pull back in surprise.
"Good evening," he said, grinning at the cluster of faces peering at him from his laptop screen. At his friend's looks of bafflement, Jeremy pointed his camera towards the window, showing a dark night sky, while someone shouted a helpful, "it's still night here."
"Who was that?" Ulrich asked, trying (and failing) to peer over Jeremy's shoulder. Scooting aside, Jeremy revealed William sprawled across the bed behind him, his nose pressed into a book.
"Hi William!" Aelita chirped, waving. William glanced up, sparing a wave for Jeremy's computer.
"Why is William in your room?" Odd asked. "Did you guys bond on the bus or something?"
"No," Jeremy said, rolling his eyes. "He's my roommate for the summer."
"Bummer," Ulrich said.
"I can hear you," William called.
"I know," Ulrich shot back.
"Boys," Yumi sighed. Aelita ignored the pair completely.
"What's college like?"
Jeremy gave Odd a flat look at the blonde wailed, covering his eyes and dropping theatrically from view.
"You know, talking about school won't kill you."
"Yes it will," Odd said, his voice floating up from the floor. "It'll kill my summer."
"It's pretty interesting so far," Jeremy said, ignoring Odd in favor of Aelita. "We haven't started classes yet, only been given room assignments."
"Sucky room assignments," William added.
"What?" Ulrich asked, "isn't Jeremy a good roommate?"
"He's not talking about the roommate thing," Jeremy said. As if on cue, Jeremy's sentence was followed by a loud bang. A muffled shout followed a moment later, sounding suspiciously like someone shouting "goal!"
"Sounds like you got some good neighbors," Yumi said. Ulrich frowned thoughtfully as another shout echoed from the hall.
"Is that…Theo?"
"And Timothy, yes." Jeremy sighed. "They're rooming together."
"Across the hall from us," William added.
"Fun," Yumi said. Jeremy nodded.
"Loads."
"It had better be," Odd said, reappearing. "Theo promised me he'd keep you from being boring all summer."
"Theo what?" Ulrich asked, while Jeremy sighed.
"I noticed."
"And it's not working the way you'd hoped," William added. "Instead of us being less boring, Theo's just being louder." Odd blinked his confusion.
"…I don't see how those contradict."
"Spell contradict," Ulrich said. Odd pulled a face.
"F-U-C—"
"Odd!" Jeremy barked, his expression scandalized as he glanced at a giggling Aelita.
"Sorry Jer," Odd said, placing his hands over Aelita's ears, the pink haired girl giggling louder. "I promise, no more naughty words for the rest of the summer." As Odd dropped his hands another bang sounded in the hall, and Timothy swore colorfully. "Or not." William sighed, while Jeremy let his head drop to his keyboard.
"I don't think I can handle an entire summer of this," he mumbled.
"I can try and ask them to cool it," Ulrich offered. Jeremy mumbled what sounded like a 'thank you' into his desk as another bang sounded.
Behind Jeremy, without saying anything, William set his book aside, climbed to his feet, and, while Jeremy continued to stare at his desk, walked across the room and out of sight. The gang shared a look while the sound of a door opening and shutting echoed from Aelita's speakers. A moment later and it was followed by two muffled thumps, twin yelps, and a door slamming shut. Jeremy looked up as William reentered the room, a soccer ball tucked under his arm.
"I talked to them," he said, setting the ball down and climbing back into bed. "They were really understanding." And with that, William returned to his book. Blinking at his roommate, Jeremy slowly turned back to his computer, a smile on his face.
"Well, I guess I'd better take advantage of the quiet while it lasts," he said. "Talk to you all tomorrow?"
"Yes," Aelita said quickly. She hadn't yet gotten to tell Jeremy all about her traveling adventures, and she was bursting at the seams. But she wasn't about to withhold from Jeremy his rest, so she would set her stories aside for another time.
"Talk to you then, Jer," Ulrich said, the others waving as Jeremy, with a wave and a yawn, shut down his webcam.
As his image vanished from the screen and Aelita closed her laptop the gang lapsed into silence.
"So," Ulrich eventually drawled. "Now what?" It was Odd who answered, a grin splitting his face.
"Now our summer officially begins."