You know, I really do love you guys :) Keep up the awesome reviews! I do not own Forbidden Game or its characters—that's aaaalllllll LJ Smith.

OoO

"Hey, guess what," Julian said as his and Jenny's paths intersected at their accustomed street corner, "School's canceled for the day."

Jenny looked up at the cloudless blue sky, momentarily searing her eyeballs on the blazing, lemon-yellow sun. She'd worn shorts, a tank top, and sandals because it was just that hot out.

"No it's not."

Julian's Cheshire-Cat was in full force as he reiterated, "Yes, it is."

Ah, I get it now, Jenny caught on quickly. Internally she squirmed, because Julian's proposition really was a tempting one. The day was simply beautiful, almost like summer, and—Oh!—there was that science homework she'd completely forgotten to do, and school would seem so boring on a day like today, with the birds chirping just outside the windows...

"Oh, is it? Okay then," Jenny said, and even then she just knew she'd regret this all later. Without another word on the subject, Julian lead Jenny to the trolley stop.

The trolley closed the distance between their street and the beach in about twenty minutes. The driver and several passengers looked askance at the children, but the pair sat quietly, so no one said anything. Jenny wriggled in her seat; her backpack seemed to way a hundred pounds, so she shrugged it quickly off. She really shouldn't have done this...

"Hey," Julian, who'd been staring out the window, turned, "Round like an apple, deep like a cup, but all the king's horses can't pull it up—what is it?"

Jenny, grateful for the distraction, spent the rest of the ride puzzling over Julian's riddle, rather than the potential consequences for her current actions.

"It's a hole, right?" Jenny asked once the trolley dropped them by the boardwalk.

"Yeah, or a well," Julian said off-handedly, then he grabbed Jenny's hand and said, "come on."

The beach was almost empty, save for some surfers, parents with toddlers, and people walking their dogs. Most of Jenny's anxiety disappeared when her toes sunk into the soft, wet sand by the water's edge. It really was a perfect day; the sea shone blue-green and crystal clear, and it sparkled under the brilliant, early October sunshine. Orange and black butterflies fluttered lazily, drunk on sunshine, en route to Spain for their annual vacation. One of them alighted on the fake flower adorning Jenny's headband, and she laughed as the tiny creature opened and closed its wings, slow and expectant.

"It's cause you're so sweet," Julian teased, and Jenny ducked down to pick up a shell so that he wouldn't see her blush. As she bent, the butterfly took up its flight again. Before the Monarch could escape into the open sky, however, Julian plucked it deftly from the air, trapping its wings between his thumb and index finger. "Y'know," he said, watching the little black legs scramble in a desperate bid for freedom, "some people pin up butterflies and put them in glass, so they can keep them forever."

"But that's sad, because then they can't fly," Jenny protested. She wished her friend would let the poor thing go.

"Yeah..." Julian released the butterfly at last, sending it flapping madly on its way. He and Jenny just kept walking.

Off season, there were no lifeguards to yell at curious kids climbing the jetty, so the two middle-schoolers were able to scramble along the stretch of basaltic rocks without incident. The rocks were warm underneath their bare feet, and the pair made a game of catching the seaweed-hued spider crabs that scuttled in and out of gulleys and crags. Jenny scraped her knee going after an elusive, silver-carapaced ghost crab, and Julian touched the blonde's arm to stop her in her steps.

"Let me kiss it better," he said.

"Okay," Jenny laughed.

Julian knelt down to press his full lips to Jenny's knee. Just like magic—for that was what it had to be—the bleeding ceased and the pain, minor though it was, disappeared. Jenny looked at Julian, alarmed, but he just smiled his I've-got-so-many-secrets smile, and they traipsed on.

"Are you hungry?" Julian inquired after they'd settled down together on a broad, flat rock over-looking the roiling waters. The spot was warm and mostly safe from spits of salt water and briny spray that seemed to strike the the duo's faces with every wave that crashed.

Jenny nodded, and Julian produced a lunch sack from his book-bag. Julian's mother always insisted on making his lunch herself, and so got to try out all manner of peculiar recipes on her son. Today, it was home baked tamales laden inside with meat, avocado, and cumin. The stuffed masa was sweet and spicy on Jenny's tongue, washed down with iced sun tea from the insulated water bottle passed freely between Julian and herself. The afternoon light was warm on Jenny's face and shoulders, and the playful breeze rippled her clothes and shook honey-blonde strands of hair loose from her ponytail. Julian smiled and talked with her openly and earnestly, heaven-blue eyes glittering with pleasure like sapphires in firelight.

So far, it was a nice day.