A Granger Summer

[Energie]

~ A Granger Summer ~

Out of Character Thread

Cade plucked his earphones from his ear as he paced down the steps of the Donovan mansion. Any other person would gawk at the pristine white foyer with its marble flooring that was always kept brightly polished and the elegant chandelier that kept a watchful eye over all those that entered through the home’s front doors; but, Cade had long-ago grown numb to the room’s appeal. He pivoted on his heel when he reached the bottom step, his hand lingering on the banister for half a second longer before letting go of its hold.

Cade’s mother, a woman in her early forties with the presence of a freshly-minted housewife, was walking in the opposite direction on her way out the door. Her body was draped in some outfit that probably cost the equivalent of the average American’s closet; but, that was just her taste. She enjoyed having things that no one else had – it made her stand out in a crowd.

“I told your superior that we’re doing a white chocolate fountain. I don't see why I'm repeating this.” She stated into the phone as the sound of her heels clicking against marble filled the foyer. “It’s far less of a pain on the color scheme of the event and there is an elegant appeal to it.”

She always got overly invested in planning these types of events – a hobby Mr. Donovan had willingly allowed her to take up, because it kept her out of his business and that was a luxury that he considered far more valuable than many of the properties he owned around the lake.

Cade squeezed by his mother giving her an absent wave as he kept walking; but, to his rear he heard the the clicking stop accompanied by a “Hold on” that served a dual purpose for pausing a conversation she already was having, as well as starting a new one.


“Two hours, Cade. You need to be at the yacht club, before the event starts. And you and your siblings go greet the Mathers and Kennedys. I’m sure they had a long drive and seeing you kids would be a welcome surprise before the dinner tonight.” She instructed. The next second the phone was at her ear and her banter about event details followed her out the door.

Cade walked the length of the house until he got to the kitchen, where the family’s maid was taking a break at the counter leisurely drinking a glass of lemonade.
“Maria, make me one of those paninis with mozzarella and tomato.” He stated as he kept walking towards the back porch that overlooked the lake.
“I’ve made it clear to you before, Mr. Donovan, that I’m not your personal chef. I am the maid. And my name is Martha.” The maid provided her words to deaf ears, because Cade rarely cared for her additional comments.

“My parents’ name on your paycheck tells me otherwise. Now, be a doll and add a little pesto, yeah?” He called over his shoulder as he slid open the backdoor and stepped out onto the patio that overlooked the beauty that was Lake Granger. He tucked his hands beneath his arms, as he glanced across the lake at the Kennedy household debating whether he wanted to risk walking into that place or if he’d go the safe route and welcome the Mathers.

[BuiltForSin]

Hwan, the older of Kim's two uncles, sat across from his brother, Jun, who was his younger by 3 years, though they looked as though there were only minutes between them, their resemblance was uncanny. Hyeon and Jun took after Kim's grandfather, had a strong brow and jawline and a steely dark gaze that could woo a woman off her feet with a simple glance. Kim herself took after her father, who resembled more like Kim's grandmother, a slim woman with the face a faerie, Kim's father had delicate features, the soft kind that made anyone in his presence feel comforted, still, the family smile tied Kim, her father, and her uncles together, they all had what became known as the Mi-Hyun smile, with perfect teeth, the only one not to inherit that smile was Kim's aunt, the only girl among 3 boys on her fathers side of the family, poor Eun had crocked teeth with unappealing gaps, of course she had a flawless smile now, years of dentistry had fixed her mouth, she was just unlucky enough to lack that naturally perfect grin that her brothers had had from birth. Kim was a lot like her father, but she had her mothers thick luxurious hair and slim build.

Hwan and Jun sat discussing business in a low voice, sifting through papers and scratching out sums onto paper to see if all the figures balanced correctly, which they did of course, the Mi-Hyun brothers were infamous for their meticulous mathematics and business skills. They were both feared and revered for it around town by those who were on either their good or bad side. They spoke in fluent Korean, a comforting sound to both the brothers and to Kim who enjoyed listening to her native tongue, even though she was adept at English, no words tasted sweeter on her mouth than those of her mother tongue.

Kim stretched and rolled out of bed, wearing a pair of flannel bed shorts and an oversized cotton shirt that brushed against her thighs and buried the shorts beneath as though she were wearing just a nightdress fashioned from a shirt. "Good morning Uncles" she greeted in Korean, eating some of the breakfast that was prepared by her uncles who had awoken quite early.
Her uncles exchanged pleasantries with her and reminded her of the gathering at the lake that was taking place today. When she finished and cleaned away her dishes, she thanked her uncles and disappeared back to her bedroom to get ready.

Kim's room was modest, as was the whole house, the Mi-Hyun's weren't poor, nor were the disgustingly rich, they were quite affluent, but they kept that to themselves, a lot of money was spent on little luxuries or sent back to Korea to be spent and invested elsewhere, or to save for a day when they may choose to go back and set up a bigger more lavish life. Kim, who was aware the family were well off, but lived modestly, still indulged in little luxuries like buying expensive clothes or going on nice holidays and visits back home that lesser affluent Korean families in American could not afford to indulge in as often. Kim liked the small house, since it was only her and her 2 uncles living in it, she found a large empty house would be chilling and lonely, so, in her modestly sized bedroom, she sat infront of her vanity table, made of rosewood and delicately painted with herons and humming birds. She pulled a plastic hairbrush through her hair, looking fondly at the guilded antique silver brush and comb that sat delicately on a silk pillow in a silver coloured box, her mother had given it to her when she'd visited Korea before returning to America, Kim never used it, but adored it, it made her feel like the princess her parents and uncles always told her she was.

She pushed back her long honey coloured hair and pulled out some clothes from the wardrobe, opting for a pair of tan heeled sandals, a blue shirt and tailored shorts [link]. She perched a fedora hat on her head, grabbed her sunglasses and hung them from the collar of her shirt before grabbing her bag [link]. She bid farewell to her uncles, who were unable to attend the soiree and chat amongst the families that were attending, who told her to have a good time.


Casey was sleeping peacefully, and would have continued to into the afternoon like he usually did, if he hadn't been woken up by someone nibbling his neck. "Mmmnnnhhh, stop it, just need a few more hours sleep" he grumbled groggily. "You weren't saying that last night" responded the "nibbler". Casey rolled over, smirked, and pulled the other man against him into a kiss. "That is for waking me up" Casey said firmly. "Remind me to do that more often then" he responded.

Casey sat upright, flexing out his arms to get the blood circulating and to wake up. "What time is it?" he yawned, looking back at Sam, the guy who worked in the cafe that he'd brought home and slept with, before Sam could respond Casey leaned over and glanced at the clock, swore, because it was far too early to be awake. "It's too early to get up" he groaned. "We could do other things" Sam suggested, to which Casey responded with a raised eyebrow and a playful grin ... and, well you can imagine the rest if you dare.

Shortly after their early morning escapades, Casey pulled himself and his latest partner out of bed and pulled on his clothes. "You want breakfast?" Casey asked as Sam pulled on a shirt and Casey eyed-up the beautiful sculpted body before him before it disappeared beneath a grey t-shirt. Casey went for both, but he was considerably more attracted to lean, muscled boys, girls didn't excite him or appeal to him as much as a decent fella could. "You sure your parents wont mind?" Sam asked. "Pfft, what parents, they're too busy to notice either of us are in the house right now, unless we made enough noise" he grinned wickedly, taking Sam's hand and guiding him through the maze of halways that led to the kitchen. There, he found his brother Cade irritating the maid. "Show her some damn respect Cade, if I had her job I'd spit in your pesto" he quipped, Casey was a tease and a deviant, but he always showed respect to women, particularly the hard working kind ... well except his mother, because she found new ways to disagree with every aspect of Casey's lifestyle choices.

"I'll go put on some toast" Casey said, preparing toast for him and Sam, for someone with such a rich background, he was fairly simple, largely due to the fact that he tended to sleep in anoyones bed other than his own most nights, even before he was having sex, he'd regularly sleepover at the houses of his middle class and working class friends, he developed simpler tastes there.
He and Sam shared toast, being sickeningly affectionate, Casey was a slut, but he at least treated his partners kindly. Casey's mom breezed through, chatting hurriedly on the phone, she didn't pause to speak to Casey, but did cast a disapproving gaze at her son as he draped his arms across the fit young blonde man's shoulders. The Donovan household always had some mild issues with deviancy in any form, Drinking, smoking and sleeping with men were Casey's deviant vices, none of which he made any effort to hide from anyone ... very few residents in the house had taken to accept Casey's way of life with open arms.

[The Xtreme One]

“Push it, Grayson! Either go hard or go home! Come on, son!” Royal barked as he watched his seventeen year old son tear himself apart with push ups. “I’m not doing this to hurt you. I’m doing this to help you. You want to be in the NFL? Push harder, ten more!” With cold grey eyes he watched as Grayson, dripping with sweat and driven by the urge to please his father forced himself into a further ten push ups before collapsing chest first on to the hard gym floor. Struggling for breath, Gray managed to pull himself to a seated position as Royal threw a bottle of water to him. “Four hundred; not bad. Tomorrow we move up to four twenty. Get a shower and make your own way to the party. Your mother and I have to leave early” Not even looking at his son, Royal headed off. Popping the cap from the bottle, Grayson drank at least half of the water, the other half falling down his chin and breaking cold on his torso.

It was difficult regaining his breath but once he had done so, Grayson managed to clamber to his feet, using a nearby weight machine as a crutch. The pain in his left knee was excruciating of course, when you tear you ACL and are currently undergoing intensive rehab, you shouldn’t really be doing four hundred push ups a day. Regardless, Grayson needed the edge. He only had the summer before the season started up again and he needed to be ready; in fact he needed to be more than ready, he needed to be perfect. Looking out of the small ovate window, Grayson watched the water of the lake. It was so calm and tranquil at that moment; he wished he was more like that.

He ran himself a piping hot shower, it felt good on his skin; the heat. It relaxed his aching muscles and for those few minutes, washed away all his problems. Once clean, it was time for a dose of pain killers. Grayson watched himself in the steamed up mirror as he ingested the pills with a glass of water. He should be on crutches but there was no way he was showing weakness, not today. He strapped up his knee tightly and dressed himself smartly in a pair of black slacks and a grey buttoned down shirt whose sleeves he quickly rolled up. As per the norm, Grayson spiked the front of his hair up and left the lake house about an hour ahead of schedule. It was a nice day and since he planned to get mind-numbingly drunk on this merry night, he wisely decided to abstain from driving and began the decent length walk towards the club.

[ScarletMangekyo]

Sebastian woke to a pair of legs wrapped around him 'What....' Sebastian looked to see a girl, probably about 25 or so, asleep and wrapped around him. He lifted the covers and remembered what had happened last night. He grinned and extricated himself from her legs. He ran his fingers through his dirty blonde hair and pulled on a pair of pants.

He walked out of the building and jumped in his car. Its a long drive to lake Granger, he switched on his phone and plugged it into his cars stereo system.

Your cruel device, Your blood, like ice, one look, could kill, my pain, your thrill

Sebastian's fingers gripped lightly onto the leather steering wheel of his Astin Martin One-77. He tapped his fingers against the wheel and sung along to the master of Shock Rock, smiling wildly. He turned into the driveway, His music a loud wall that blasted the Donovans mansion. Jamming the car in park he stepped out quickly and brushed out the creases in his suit. He opened up the door without knocking and looked around. His mother was talking quickly on the phone. Giving a quick wave he went up to his room and changed his clothes.

He walked back out to see his mother waiting for him. Sebastian held his head down waiting for some lecture.

"My friend told me something interesting...." She said, her foot tapping impatiently

"Mother, i wasn't aware you had friends" Sebastian said with a quick smile "but what did she tell you?"

"She was at hens night down near your boarding school...and they hired a stripper" her foot tapped faster, a sure sign she was pissed off.

looking away, Sebastian bit his tongue and just walked off, leaving her to fume.

Moving quickly, he found his brother Cade. He tapped the youth on his shoulder and grinned "How are you little brother?"

[IntenseInsanity]

”I finally found, a place where I’m wanted~

Novia Mathers seemingly barked the lyrics at the top of her lungs (terribly, might we add. She was no Adele), as she sorted through the overflowing bags that were scattered amongst her already messy room. Her hair was slowly drip drying, the remains of a shower, and body was covered by nothing more than a pair of short shorts and a tight, chest binding cloth. She had lost something, something for a very important friend she had not seen in a while. When finally giving up on the bags, she turned towards the floor. Clothing, some of vivid colors and others as dull as newspaper, lay in various piles across the glossy, wooden floor, along with many pencils and crumpled up papers. Novia sleuthed through the piles, her rather small hands closing tightly around every individual item before throwing them aside when it turned out that the item she had held was not exactly what she was looking for. Her mind was foggy at the moment, making it harder to try and remember where she had put the item. She always remembered something at the wrong time, and whenever she needed to remember something it just never came to her. Nova stood up, her head brushing against a small chime as she let out a loud sigh. Not on the floor either. She walked slowly towards her window-side bed, falling forward. She bounced up slightly after hitting the bed, a soft squeak erupting from underneath as she flipped over to stare up at the ceiling. From the ceiling hung various dream catchers, wind chimes, and other oddities, some made of glass and others of paper, and they sent colors across the room, dotting the paper-covered walls with pinks, blues, and greens. A soft breeze entered through the slightly open window, sending a soft shock through the room which made most of the chimes spring to life, collectively releasing a sweet, metallic sound. Nova grinned, closing her eyes to fully embrace the sound, but she was quickly interrupted by a soft rasping on her closed door,

“Be ready to go soon, darling. Please be at the yacht club in two hours. Oh, and make sure you greet the Donovans and Kennedys” Came a familiar, motherly voice. Nova pulled herself up, grinning at the closed door,

“Kay, mom!” she called back, and a satisfied sigh came from behind the door before her mother walked back down the stairs. Novia continued to smile, but a pained look clouded over her eyes. Greeting people, easier said than done. She had to find her gift to Elizabeth before she could approach her old friend, and she hadn’t really given anyone else the time of day. Novia bit her lip, returning her gaze to the ceiling and, huh! There it was! A small, beautifully woven necklace clung to one of the dream catchers, the lovely polishes rock shimmering in the afternoon/morning sun. Nova let out a small squeal, delicately pulling it away from the dream catcher. She had made the necklace herself, after learning the skill from some acquaintances in Africa. She had made it for one of her close friends, Elizabeth Donovan, seeing that the stones and yarn she had used worked perfectly for her friend’s complexion. Hopefully Elizabeth appreciated it, she probably had a lot of jewelry already, though. Nova tightened her grasp around the necklace, a soft smile appearing on her face. She turned, leaping back onto her bed, opening the window. Another breeze swept into her room, the chimes ringing out behind her as she slowly pulled herself out onto a small edge. She turned, careful to keep her balanced on the smaller, slanted roof that sat outside her bedroom, and she closed her window. She then pulled herself up onto the actual roof of their lake house, using the chimney to help her balance. She glanced down at the lake, squinting as the colors and lights overtook her for a moment, a grin on her face. Good to finally have summer again. Novia glanced down at the necklace in her hands, then her chest, which was covered by a tightened, blight blue cloth, and with a shrug she shoved the necklace down into the cloth. It was safer that her pocket-less shorts. For a few minutes she sat still, staring out at the lake, trees, and other large houses with an emotionless expression. This is what she normally did during the summer, but this time, she didn't have her drawing pad or pencils with her. Boooring~. She turned, clambering up one side of the roof, using both her hands and feet to securely cling to the roof. Once she made it to the top, she took a seat, running her fingers through her slightly fuzzy hair. It had finally dried, after all her looking, and finding, and climbing, and it actually looked rather nice. She grinned again, slowly scooting around, sliding carefully down the other side of the roof. She glanced over the edge, staring down at the kitchen window with wide eyes. In a few quick movements, she was soon hanging from the gutter, cautious to not break it, her feet trying to find a good rest on the windowsill. She then let her body drop, clinging to the wall for security. Her green eyes glanced through the glass, discovering none other than her bother sitting at the table. She tapped on the window, loud enough for him to hopefully hear her.

[Bumblebee848]

Turning in a slow circle, Elizabeth chewed on her lip and cast a doubtful glance over her reflection in the far too elaborate mirror. She was hardly a girl known for her impeccable fashion sense, and was hardly capable of dressing herself appropriately for occasions such as this. The mirrors surrounded her on three sides, adding to her feelings of being suffocated. Sighing, she glanced down at the simple yellow sundress with white detailing that she had picked out. It was comfortable, and certainly girly enough...but somehow, she felt her mother would have a fit about it. It wasn't fancy enough.

"Oh well. Everyone's just going to have to deal with it." She muttered nervously, pulling on a thin black sweater. It was sheer, with short sleeves, completely unable to serve its purpose as a sweater; it was simply for show. Backing out of the glass death trap, she grabbed a simple black fedora off of her bedpost, where she had tossed it aside earlier. Turning it slowly in her hands, she regarded it critically. Hopping on her bed, she crossed her legs as the springs bounced her up in the air, and quickly tore one of the decorative bows off of her dress. They were annoyingly overused anyways. Undoing the ribbon, she smiled contentedly as it easily wrapped around the crown of her hat. Tying it into a simple bow, she reached across her desk to grab a pair of scissors, and trimmed off the extra length hanging over the brim.

Cramming it over her hair, she swung her legs off the edge of the bed and walked to the door, unwilling to leave the safe confines of her room. It had become more of a cave, really, serving as a place that she could retreat into and hole herself up for hours at a time, allowing her to write or read without any unpleasant distractions.

Placing a hand gingerly on the banister of the staircase, she trotted down the steps quickly, welcoming the rush of exhilaration it brought her. As she reached the final steps, however, she was already out of breath, and made a point not to try that again any time soon. Hearing voices coming from the kitchen, she hesitantly traveled in that direction.

"Good morning, Martha." She greeted the maid agreeably, though quietly. She was rather fond of the older woman, who had taken it upon herself to raise the single daughter of the Donovan household, to whatever extent she could. Elizabeth appreciated her sympathy, but tried to maintain an air of distance between them, often worrying that the maid might get fired for overstepping her bounds.

Glancing at Casey and his new partner, she pursed her lips. Tapping her fingers against the counter, she finally decided to just be open minded. After all, though her brother was a deviant, and made more than questionable choices, she loved him and wanted him to be happy. Who knows, maybe this blonde would be 'the one'. Sticking her head out the back door, she called out to her younger brother first.

"Morning, Cade!" Waving, she contemplated offering to cook for him in Martha's place, before thinking better of it. Coming back in, she grabbed an orange and pulled a chair out at the table, smiling as she sat across from the pair of boys.

"Morning, Casey." Letting her eyes roam over to his partner, she sighed quietly. "Who's your friend?" Looking down as she peeled the orange, she directed her next question at the newcomer himself. "Will you be coming to the party? As Casey's plus one?" Pulling the fruit into halves, she offered them each a slice. "You should take him to meet the Kennedy's." She told her brother. "Or come along with me; the Mathers just arrived last night, I'm going to go welcome them in just a bit." She grinned in anticipation as she said the last bit; it had been a full year since she had last seen them, and was excited to be reunited with her friends.

Popping a slice of the fruit in her mouth, she almost choked as she heard a familiar voice. Turning around in her seat, a smile stretched widely across her face as she saw her brother. "Sebastian!" She called, waving excitedly. "Welcome home! When did you get here?"

[Molach]

Alfred was sitting in the back seat of a large and luxurious, yet somehow still overcrowded car.
It wasn't the cars fault that it was overcrowded...
5 fully grown people and all of their luggage is just a lot for any car to handle, no matter how expansive it is.

The atmosphere inside the car was generally less than perfect although sometimes you could not help but wonder if everyone noticed.
Katherine was blabbing throughout the trip from the passengers seat about how everyone was looking forward to this week for a long time.
But Freddy knew all to well that atleased one of the the boys in the back seat might have issues with that statement.
Honestly speaking, sometimes he wondered why Tristan even came along. It would not be the first time he skipped out.
And even Freddy could not help but think that it would be better if he did.
Don't get me wrong, he loves his brother like any brother should.
However he was also well aware how Tristan felt about these gatherings, and feared that he would cause trouble for him.


"...I am so looking forward to tonights event. having a formal dinner with the entire fam.." Katherine spoke for the passengers seat but was quickly cut off.
"yeah, I hear the Donovans are going all out this year." Freddy spoke quickly. He wasn't about to let her finish that sentence.
Not only was he himself slightly uncomfortable with her saying the word 'family'. He was sure, that Tristan might come up with some sarcastic, and insulting remark.
Most of this trip so far was like this for Freddy. Ever since he got in the car there was just one thing on his mind: damage control.
This required, but was not limited to: Changing the subject whenever he felt danger.
He even took the middle and less comfortable back seat between Avery and Tristan, Just so he could be sure Tristan wouldn't be 'rubbed' the wrong way.
He wasn't about to take any risks. This week was going to be perfect.


Alfred felt relieved when the vacation home was finally getting in sight and they could all get off the car and stretch their legs.
"Everyone just get your stuff up to your rooms." Patrick Kennedy spoke somewhat demanding and perhaps slightly agitated before he hurried in the house.
Alfred wondered if he too had noticed how Tristan feels, or if there was just something else going on.
"Just take them upstairs. We have a busy schedule right now, but you can unpack them later." Katerine added much more cheerfully.
She was clearly referring to the formal gathering at the local Yacht club. But all Alfred could think about was that soon everyone could finially go their own ways.

"let's go Tristan." Freddy said with the best fake smile he could muster while trying to lead his younger brother up to their rooms.
He wasn't about to take ANY risks and leave Tristan alone with the Throops.

[psychicBastard]

It's been about a day since Annabeth and the rest of the Mathers Pack arrived to Lake Granger, and already her studio and her room began to smell like the familiar scent of acrylics, paint and other art supplies. During there time away, the young artist and musician has had many items of inspiration and many pieces waiting to got through the process of becoming a "finished piece". And she's been working on said pieces since she's stepped through the front door. Don't believe me? Ask her siblings and/or her parents, and they can tell you all about it.
But, sadly, she and her family didn't come here to lie around the house and let Ms. Annabeth do as she pleases, no, they're here to spend time with the Donovans and the Kennedys and the locals and whatnot. To have fun. Annabeth never disliked these trips, not really, she just preferred traveling about than being here for a week. It felt like she was trapped, and she never liked nor enjoyed that trapped feeling.

Coming out of the bedroom's personal bathroom with a whole curtian of steam flowing out behind her, Annabeth (now fresh and clean) was dressed in a pair of royal blue sweatpants and a blue t-shirt that read "Keep cam I'm the doctor" in white capitol letters while a white image of the TARDIS hovered over the capitalized text, and her hair was pulled up into a ponytail. Closing the door behind her, she stretched her short limbs (she was, at most, 5-5'2) as high as she could, letting out a silent yawn as she did so. She had two good hours until she had to head over to the Local country/yacht club for the big "kickoff" dinner. Which means she has only 2 hours of me-time before she had to leave and try to socialize which never ended out well, but she can try, cant she? Her outfit she was going to wear was already out and neatly laid on her dresser's chair, along with whatever accessories went with it- but she did go change. She didn't feel like changing. Actually, what she felt like doing was sleep, but Annabeth knew for a fact that she wasn't getting any of that anytime soon.

Her room was on the second story of the house, and if you look out of her largest window, the view of the crystal clear and pristine lake was utterly breathtaking and she was pretty darn lucky to get this room. She could see the Kennedys house on one end, and the Donovans on the other, there stately glory quite noticable in the reflection of the water. Though, looking out and seeing the said houses only made her sigh. "One more week, Anna. It's not that hard. Really" Her own attempts to possibly get her a bit more energized seemed to fail, and she just sighed into her bed. She hoped Liz (Anna never called anybody by there real name, she liked using nicknames. Like Nova, for example, would usually get called supernova by her) would come over soon, She's been waiting for awhile to show her the clay trinket (all colored and fired and such) she made for her while they were gone, and to be honest, Anna was quite happy with the outcome and couldn't wait to give it to her.


Now, if she could only get out of bed and actually looked excited, everything would be perfect.

[Spooner]

Julie sighed as she put the keys in to the lock of the cafe where she worked, this is not how she likes to start the mornings. Being rushed out of bed by her boss calling in a panic, apparently her co worker Sam had called in sick and couldn't open the cafe. Julie rolled her eyes when she thought about it, Sam was not sick and she knew it. She had seen him while she was closing up yesterday, chatting up that Donovan kid. When she heard the click from the jammed lock after about ten minutes wriggling of the key Julie let out another great sigh "Hurray..." she mumbled. She took of her jean jacket and hung it on the hook behind the counter, and put on all the lights. She then proceeded to do all the morning duties that had to be done, like putting on coffee and checking that the pastries hadn't passed their date.

Just as she was about to throw out a plate of éclairs that had gone bad the phone rang, Julie dumped the éclairs in the trash and wiped her hands on her apron. She closed her eyes and muttered under her breath "Not Mrs. Donovan.... please not Mrs. Donovan." and picked up the phone. "This is Julie at the Lake Cafe""Hello dear, this is Mrs. Donovan calling for the desserts for our party tonight at the Yacht Club tonight, I just need to check that all is in order... It's quite important you know.". "Yes ofcourse Mrs. Donovan we should have everything in order for tonight." She smiled as she said this as if Mrs. Donovan could see her through the phone, though it wouldn't surprise her if she could. "Should..." Mrs. Donovan said in a disapproving tone on the other end of the receiver. "But of course I will double check for you." Julie said clenching her hand in to a fist on the counter, and then got out the order sheet for the party. "So we have have 100 Chocolate cupcakes, 100 Strawberry short cupcakes and a large fruit platter with an accompanying milk chocolate fountain?" Julie bit her lip as she waited for the response, but all she heard was that sigh again.

“I told your superior that we’re doing a white chocolate fountain. I don't see why I'm repeating this. It’s far less of a pain on the color scheme of the event and there is an elegant appeal to it."

Julie took a deep breath and sank over the counter in frustration. Why don't you ask Sam it was his job to get the order right, he's probably at your house right now! Julie thought as she softly banged her head against the cool marble counter. "I'm so sorry Mrs. Donovan, of course it should be white chocolate, far be it from me to interfere with your color sch...." She got cut off by Mrs. Donovan pausing her to talk to someone. Julie took this opportunity to take out her frustration on the phone, she made a wild swinging motion and then proceeded to choke the phone. "Hello?!" said Mrs. Donovans voice from the phone , "Oh yes I'm still here, we where talking about your color scheme...". After what felt like hours Julie finally got to hang up. The day went by in a blur, having both closed and opened Julie was a bit tired. She checked her watch, she had 4 hours before the event started and believe it or not but she was actually going to attend this time not serve. She just had to keep her fingers crossed that Sam didn't bail on this to.

Julies shift ended and left her with 3 hours to spare which meant that she could take a small nap before she needed to leave. She got in to her old Volvo 480 and drove home to the small cottage where she lived with her father. "Dad? I'm home..." She called out as she dumped her keys in the bowl by the door. Her father poked his head out of his office with a smile "Hey J-bird! How was work?". Julie sighed "Stressful as usual." she moped as she plopped down on the couch and laid down "I need a nap, wake me in 2 hours..." she whispered sluggishly to her father who chuckled.

After what felt like 3 seconds he father tapped her head to let her know that her 2 hours of dream time was up. Julie sat up slowly and shook to wake herself up. She dragged herself over to her room to get ready. After about a half an hour she stepped out in to the hallway taking one look at her reflection. She had put on a light flowery summer dress showing of her cleavage and put a thin white cardigan over it. She never knew what to do with her hair so she had just put it in a ponytail with a few strands framing her face, She opened the front door and stepped out to the light summer breeze. She got in to her car, she had decided to drive seeing as she would probably not drink even though most of the under aged kids did at these shindigs.



Ralph had awoken early as he always did, he looked at his bedside alarm clock 6:25am. He covered his face with his hands and rubbed to make the sleep go away. He sat up and tossed the covers away, he flung his legs over the side of the bed and stretched out a bit as he sat there looking down at his flannel pajama pants. Ralph rose from the bed and put on a simple grey shirt. He looked down at the letters lying on his bedside table. He frowned, he had not told his dad yet that he had gotten in to Princeton. His father had gone there so had his Grandfather and his and his and so forth. But he had also gotten in to Dartmouth which was his secret choice. He shook his head, I'll deal with it later he thought as he picked up his current book.

He made his way down the stairs to the large and top of the line kitchen. This was the heart of Mather lake house, this was where they had their famous family dinners. Ralph opened the fridge and stood their contemplating for a while what to eat. He decided he would make some scones thinking that it would be nice for the family to wake up to the smell of fresh scones. He set to work on the scones and soon found himself deep in thought about this summer at the lake. Tonight was the big dinner at the club and he of course needed to be there as always. The Donovans were already here... should he go over there with some scones for Lizzie... or would that be to corny? He smiled at the thought of seeing Lizzie again. It had been such a long time since they saw each other as the Mathers had missed the last summer her when they were in India.

When the timer dinged he opened the oven and the smell wafted out in to the kitchen and scented the room with the smell of baked goods. Ralph took out all the condiments like butter, jam and cheese and made himself a plate. He settled down at his seat at the table and started to read while he ate. Soon he was lost into the book absentmindedly eating once in a while. He didn't even notice his parents coming down telling him that he only had 2 hours left to get ready for the party. He was awoken from his reading daze by a loud tap on the glass door out to the patio. He squinted to see what had made the sound, what he saw made him chuckle. There in just a pair of shorts and a chest cloth with a necklace hanging from it stood his sister Nova grinning at him. He stood up to open the door for her as it was locked from the inside.

"Can't you use the stairs like a normal person?" He said as he closed the door after her.

[Rhedd]

The light of the summer sun was peaking through the car window, waking up Avery as the sun seemed to burst through his closed eyes. His eyes then opened and he looked around the car; it was cramped and he had seemed to forget that a piece of his own luggage was stifling his legs leaving him unable to even stretch. Whenever moments were uncomfortable or nervewracking, like being in a car next to two people he was sure resented his entire existence, he would sleep. It would be the only way he seemed to forget this sort of thing. Completely woken up at this point and anticipating the summer house's arrival, he looked at the sights through the window. There was something familiar in the signs he recognized.

As the car pulled up at their lake house, the giddiness in Avery's demeanor and feet seemed to return. He rushed out of the car, luggage in hand, and hurried up the porch stairs to the house. As he approached the door of the house, he looked at the entirety of the house; nothing had changed, which was exactly how he liked it. He then hurried up the house stairs to his room. Not even a brief tripping incident in the middle of his stroll could stop the excitement there was. "This is the best," he whispered to himself as he picked himself back up. Avery headed over to his room and plopped his bags right on the neatly done bed, smoothing over the wrinkle the bag's impact left on the bedding.

Avery walked down the stairs and looked out at the window, where he could clearly see the Mathers' house, still as spotless as before. He connected to the Mathers and Donovans far more than he did his step-family, and he longed to share their company yet again. He took the walk over to the Mathers house and rang the doorbell politely. Sometimes the door would be open at their house, but since this was the beginning of the summer he thought it would be better to just ring the doorbell. "I hope Ralph answers", Avery thought aloud in a silly manner.