There is Something in the Summer Wind, A Moment to Begin Again

Chapter 3: The Calm Before the Storm

"Caswell is like a human coat rack right now." Ten remarked, hiding his amused smile.

"Where's Ashlyn?" the little girl looked around.

"Her fall semester is starting soon, so she couldn't come. Sorry Zoe..." EJ replied, looking rather apologetic Ashlyn couldn't come.

"Boo, I'm overnumbered by boys!" Zoey whined.

"On the bright side, here's a bouquet of flowers to cheer you up." EJ said, before a happy smile appeared on Zoey's face.

"I love it! Thanks EJ!" Zoey squealed.

"I'll get a vase." Sarah shook her head, a fond smile never leaving her face.

"Did Ten and Cress come with you?" One of the twins (a tiny boy with red hair) asked, spotting his older cousin's friends with him.

"Yup." EJ replied with a nod. His best friends are like his shadows, always by his side. Even in his worst times, they're with him through thick and thin.

"Hi. Thank you for having us." Cress gave her best smile to EJ's relatives.

"Oh! I remember you two. You guys came over to Ashlyn's house for Spring Break, right?" Griffin remembered. He's met Ten a few times over the years, and EJ never stops bringing up his best friend.

That, and the Campbells very recently went to SLC for Spring Break to house-sit for the Caswell family earlier this year. And also showed up for their 'Beauty and the Beast' performance.

Griffin had many questions why EJ's teacher (Miss Jenn) thought it was a good idea to cast two cousins playing as the female lead (Belle) and the rejected villain with a crush (Gaston).

"What brings you here anyways? I thought you were supposed to be in Hollywood for that Frozen trailer premiere." Zoey asked. She didn't seem to notice how the older teens tensed up at the mention of the docu-series premiere.

"We were. But long version short, the camera guy filmed and edited the doc trailer and made everyone look..." EJ replied, before settling on a word, "Trashy."

"It was a sh-" Cress grumbled, before she quickly refrained from swearing in front of children, "Stupid dumpster fire."

"I mean the trailer editing was still saved by Cress's older sister Calix, but the damage was already done." Ten added, crossing his arms.

"You can talk about it later when you're ready to," Sarah put a hand on EJ's shoulder, offering him some reassurance.

"So for the time being, your cousin EJ and his friends will be staying with us." Sarah informed her kids.

"We've only been able to clean up a few rooms so far, so I'm afraid you three have to share a room for the moment." Sarah looked at her nephew and his friends.

"No worries, we can manage." EJ nodded.

"I can take the floor while Cress gets the bed." Ten offered.

"Aww, thanks Tenny!" Cress smiled at his kind gesture.

Luckily, the three kids didn't seem too upset about this arrangement.

"We can have a sleepover!" Zoey eagerly suggested, earning an equally excited grin from her two brothers.

"Do you do sleepovers with your cousins?" Cress looked at EJ.

"EJ and Ashlyn babysit us sometimes, and they always throw the best sleepovers." Zoey answered.

"EJ makes the best pillow forts!" Wyatt exclaimed eagerly.

"Ashlyn would bake us cookies to start movie night." Griffin remembered.

"You never fail to impress me, Caswell." Ten chuckled. "What else are you hiding beneath your Big Man on Campus look?"

"You three drive a hard bargain, but my schedule is clear for the moment, yeah." EJ pretended to think it through before agreeing.
"Yay!" The younger twins cheered as they threw their arms around EJ for a hug.

"I've been practicing my guitar, wanna hear some riffs I've been working on?" Griffin asked.

"Of course, Griff." EJ nodded.

"Is it a natural Caswell and cousins thing where you're all musically talented with an instrument?" Cress wondered out loud. "I mean Ashlyn plays the piano, EJ plays the guitar and piano, and apparently your cousin here also plays guitar."

"I wouldn't be so surprised, EJ taught me how to play guitar when I was a kid." Griffin smiled in acknowledgement.

"Just when I thought EJ couldn't get more endearing than he already is." Cress cooed, causing EJ to groan in embarrassment.

"We should get the things in. Looks like a storm's coming." Ten looked out the windows and saw a heavy overcast looming on the horizon.

"I'll show you to your rooms." said Sarah.

"No, I wanna show him his room." Wyatt volunteered to give his cousin a tour.

"You haven't seen anything besides our rooms, Wyatt." Zoey corrected her twin.

"Hey EJ, wanna shoot some hoops when we have the time?" Griffin eagerly asked his cousin. He considers himself to be decent at basketball, it makes good practice to play against his cousin.

"How about 2 against 2 then? Me and you against Ten and Cress?" EJ nodded his head.

"Ah I see, Tall-Short team vs Tall-Short cousins." Cress snorted in amusement, amused at the competition sparking in the air. Competitiveness was something that ran in the Caswell side of the family; she's not sure if it's the same for the Campbell family.

There's something that's...warm about Aunt Sarah's family. Despite just arriving here in a run-down hotel, something tells EJ he'll enjoy his visit here.

— — — — — — — — — — —

That's all for chapter 2, the Golden Trio are now officially in Sulphur Springs in time for the plot. Buckle up, Wildcats (or Sulphur Springs Hawks), we're in for a very long ride.

Chapter Talk: -

(1.) I will expand a bit on Sulphur Springs residents later on. I'm so excited to expand on worldbuilding with a brand-new set of cast and characters. And as much as I love the Sulphur Springs crew (Campbells, Dunns and Savannah), I can't wait to introduce the residents of Sulphur Springs. Some of them may have made some early cameos/mentions. Also I have given Sarah a last name (Maiden Name) in this story, and that's 'Jones'.

(2.) EJ (and Ashlyn) acts as an Older Sibling Figure to the Campbell siblings (and this extends to the kids' new friends later on). I'm a softie for Big Sibling types, and I want EJ and his friends to be reliable sibling figures to the younger kids. And trust me, with enough Time Travel induced Trauma, Griffin (and Harper) will need someone to talk to.

(3.) Despite how rushed the plot can be, I plan to add some breather episodes/chapters in-between so the cast can catch a short break. Preston Oliver mentions he's quite good at basketball in real life. So I can see him and EJ playing basketball against one another. Or make it 2 against 2 with EJ's friends around.

Sidenote, I can see Harffin recreating Troyella moments in their teen years.

Next up for the Golden Trio and the Campbell Trio: the anticipated Cousins Sleepovers. Feel free to leave a comment down below and let me know what you think of the chapter. Thanks for reading and have a great day.