It was my first week in Jamaica.

Me and my family had travelled so far to get here. We had gone through perils and danger, heck, I even lost the feathers on my wings, and only by luck was able to use Delroy's missing feathers to lift me into flight.

I had kinda saved my parents from death because of this, not trying to boast.

But being here, in Jamaica... it was pretty awesome.

My name is Dax, and I was the son of Mack and Pam Mallard. I was also a brother to my little sister, Gwen... and let me tell you something, she can be very annoying sometimes – But in a good way!

Sometimes...

But the main reason I was so happy to be here in Jamaica for the summer was because I could be around my crush Kim.

Kim... she was so cool.

Granted she was a different species of bird... but THAT didn't bother me.

Mostly.

A crush was still a crush though, and I wanted to get up the bravery to ask her out.

BUT let me get this straight. I did not want her to 'have my babies' as Gwen liked to put it.

I'm not even sure HOW babies are made – I'm a very sheltered duck.

I just wanted to be around her and hoped she would want to be around me too.

So I just had to get up the courage and ask her out – and not just outside, but like... on a date.

A date she might not even realize herself...

I was brave. I mean, I HAD saved MY PARENTS FROM DEATH! If I could do that, I could do anything.

ANYTHING.

So I searched for her at the end of the first week of our holiday in Jamaica, and I soon found her up in a palm tree, just gazing out at the ocean beyond the island.

I gulped, nervously, flying up to the tree top and settled next to her. I gave her an awkward smile and she glanced at me, smiling back.

She then turned her gaze back to the blue sea and said with a sigh.

"Isn't it beautiful?"

I nodded at that, but only said back, gazing at her and seeing her own beauty, "Yeah... it is,"

She looked back at me, and when I noticed I was staring at her, I quickly turned my eyes out to the sea as well, adding fast, "I m-mean! The OCEAN is beautiful, not you,"

She looked at me, now surprised and I added on quickly.

"I mean, YOU ARE PRETTY! Just in comparison to the sea, you are nothing!"

"Dax," She said gently.

"I-I mean-"

"Relax," She just chuckled at me and I laughed loudly in an awkward position, "You don't have to worry,"

"Oh good," I said back instantly, wiping my forehead with my wing at the amount of stress I was in.

"But isn't it just so relaxing..." Kim said with a soft charmed voice, "The blue of the sea and the red sun setting in the distance,"

"Yeah, it is really nice," I agreed with a calmer chuckle now, "But even paradise can get boring sometimes,"

"You think?" She asked curious and I realized then what had come out of my mouth.

"I-I mean..." I didn't know what to say then, I WAS DIGGING MYSELF INTO A HOLE, "Sometimes...?"

She laughed weakly at this and snuggled up against me, I could feel my heart pounding at her touch.

"Well... if every sunset was as beautiful as this... I would love that."

I glanced at her, her head nuzzled against my chest and I gulped, but said back in truth, "Me too."

"Did you want to ask me something?"

"-Huh?"

Kim laughed again and pushed away from me, the warm heat from her disappearing as fast.

"You didn't just come up here to look at the sun,"

"No," I said, but couldn't seem to form the right words to say, "I mean yes, I-I mean..."

She watched me silently, a grin sliding up her beak and I finally spat out the words.

"I GOTTA GO!"

I literally jumped out of the tree, not even using my wings to guide my fall. I hit the sandy ground hard and waved at her quickly as I shouted the words, "SEE YOU LATER, KIM! BYE!"

She watched me rush off, and all I could hear from her as a reply was, "Goodbye...?"

~x~

I was back in the nesting place my family had made for us to sleep at night, and0 as I came under the trees and to the large muddy nest, I could feel large wide eyes staring at me from behind.

I rolled my eyes, not even bothering to see who it was as I said, "Gwen,"

"How did you know?" She whined to me, running in front of me and looking me right in the eye, "Were my steps too loud?"

"No," I replied blankly and came to my bed area, "I'm just psychic."

Gwen gasped when I said this, looking at me even more amazed as she peeped in glee, "You ARE!?"

"Sarcasm, Gwen," I told her, still with a blank sad expression on my face, "You'll get it one day,"

"I will..?" Gwen asked me, now sounding eager at such an idea, "Will it hurt?"

I just sighed back heavily in response to her till I heard my mum Pam say in the distance.

"Oh, Dax, you're home early,"

"Yeah, I guess,"

"I thought you would want to go to the party tonight,"

"Party?" I asked, not knowing of this.

"PARTY!" Gwen squeaked in glee, trembling excitedly at the thought.

"Not you, Gwen..." Pam said to her and Gwen gasped, yelling at our mum.

"WHY would you TELL ME ABOUT THIS AMAZING PARTY AND NOT LET ME GO?!"

"Your mother is right,"

We all turned to the entrance to our nest and my dad Mack stood there, seeming very tense and slightly stressed.

"You're too young for something like this, but don't worry, Uncle Dan will be babysitting you,"

"Ohhhh..." Gwen moaned sadly, and before she left to go to her own side of the nest, she turned to face our father, popping her eyes bigger and really stretching her beak as she begged, "PLEEEEASE!"

"Uh uh," Pam said simply.

"PLEEEASE!"

"No, Gwen," Her mum told her again, getting annoyed.

"PLEEEEASE!"

"Honey-?" Mack asked his wife, and she glared at him. He quickly looked away but added weakly, "Maybe... we should-"

"FINE!" Pam yelled, waving her wings up exasperated and Gwen cheered in huge enthusiasm, running over to her parents and hugging them each.

"This will be so AMAZING!"

"Heh, heh... yeah..." I said with a weak nervous twinge in my voice and I turned away from my family, breathing in and out, almost hyperventilating and my mum seemed to notice something off about me so came to me and said gently, hugging me close with one of her wings.

"Y'know, KIM will be there too,"

"Oh, I know!" I told her quickly, smiling full of fear and my mum raised an eyebrow as she continued on.

"I think she likes you,"

I hoped she liked me too... I really did. But I was just so scared to find out. In case I found out I was wrong!

"I hope so too, mum," I finally admitted and my mum squeezed me back, before leaving me and calling to the others.

"Okay, everyone. Let's get ready!"

~x~

"I'm not ready," I said to myself. Which normally would be a lie. I was usually ready for anything... but I really liked Kim, and THAT was why I was not ready for the first time in my life.

All the birds were dancing and flying, and the sky was full of thousands of stars – possibly even more.

Billions maybe...

Billions...

The thought of the night sky went through my mind as I just gazed amazed into the inky blue sky.

I soon felt someone bump off me, and I stumbled back, saying instinctively.

"Sorry,"

"Why are you sorry?"

I froze up when I heard her voice and turned to look at Kim who was just smirking innocently at me.

"I bumped into you," She said and giggled. I giggled back as well.

"Well, I guess you could make it up to me," I told her honestly and she raised a curious eyebrow up at this, "You could go o-on a..." I couldn't believe I was getting these words out. FINALLY, I was getting these words out, "A DATE!" I tensed up when I yelled that involuntarily and covered my beak with my wings, before peeping out the last couple of words, "With me...?"

Kim looked at me, so very charmed, smiling widely on both sides of her beak, and she finally nudged me playfully saying in warm relaxed words.

"I thought you'd never ask,"

"I thought so too," I admitted in truth and she just laughed at this, I laughed back.

"Meet me at the palm tree tomorrow at three," She said, winking at me cheekily, and I beamed even happier back at her, "And we will have an amazing adventure,"

"I love adventure," I said instantly and she laughed again, pushing away from me and going over to the fruit trees where many of the birds were eating from.

"SO!" Gwen voice suddenly pounded in my ears and I swung around, seeing her just behind me, like she had been here all this time, "You gonna tell her that you LOVE her?"

"What?!" I said back in shock, in horror, "GWEN! I never said that!"

"But YOUR HEART DID!"

I grew so very angry at her but could feel the blush climbing up my face anyway.

"How long have you been there?!"

"The WHOLE time."

I wanted to hit her then, I really did. But NO. I would be a good older brother. I would NOT hit my annoying little sister – I wouldn't be able to get away with it anyway.

"You LUV her," Gwen went on in a tease, and then gasped as she said the shocked words, "I'm gonna be an AUNTIE!"

"No!"

"A GRAND AUNTIE!"

"WHAT?!

"Sarcasm...?" Gwen asked me, and I slapped my wing to my face, just so tired and exasperated.

"Sure, Gwen... sure..."

She looked at me slowly, really trying to analyse my expression before saying, suddenly so assured.

"Don't worry, Dax. I'll help you."

"I don't NEED your help."

"I'll help you,"

"No," I groaned and she nodded her big fluffy head as she continued.

"Don't worry, I will make your date a success."

"GWEN..."

What was I going to do? I couldn't have Gwen involved in my date at all. But I didn't want to tell Mum and Dad I was going out tomorrow with Kim either.

THEY might try to tag along too and it'd be a whole family affair and really all I wanted was just to be with Kim alone.

I had to think of something quick to get rid of Gwen and her unwanted inconvenience.

Suddenly it felt like a lightbulb lit up in my head and I slowly looked back over to my sister as she tried to catch fireflies in her beak.

"Gwen...?" I said slowly and she looked back at me quickly, swallowing her bugs down and then nodding her head eagerly saying.

"Mmm hmm?"

"I need you to get me a flower,"

"A flower?"

"Through the darkest cave, up the highest hill and at the edge of the sharpest cliff,"

"Why?" She asked, suddenly suspicious and I added on quickly.

"For Kim,"

"For Kim?" She said then, thinking this over quickly in her head before asking, "Why can't you get it?"

"Because..." I continued, trying to think of an answer to this that sounded at all plausible, "I want to SURPRISE her... that's why,"

"Ohhhh..." Gwen began to say back slowly, registering this the best way she could, "...OKAY!"

She then gave me a sudden hug, and I sprawled out my wings in irritation.

"Love ya, big brother!" She chirped and I rolled my eyes as I said back.

"You too,"

"Say it!" She ordered, and I sighed heavily, replying.

"I love you too, little sister,"

She gleamed joyfully, letting go of me and rushing off to the others.

"Don't you worry Dax!" She shouted my way, "TOMORROW WILL BE AWESOME!"

I watched her disappear in the flocks of birds, and I turned my gaze nervously over to Kim as she ate some juicy berries away in the distance. When she saw me she waved her webbed foot at me, and I waved mine shyly back her way.

The date tomorrow would be great. It would be perfect.

But no, for no matter how hopeful I was about it that night... it would not turn out how I planned.

I could never have planned what would happen tomorrow...

Never.