Because I am now making the animated series, I will probably not be posting this on a weekly basis. I'm not going to stop posting, it just won't be on a schedule like last time.
Previously on Corona City…
Cassandra pulls out the file with Varian's mother.
"The accident wasn't an accident," Maisie said.
"The government is trying to hide something," Varian whispers. "I need to find the answers."
"I thought you'd say that," Cassandra grins.
"If you did like someone, Cass, what would they be like?" Rapunzel asks.
"Kind, a little funny, strong, and doesn't stare at himself in the mirror twenty-four seven," Cassandra replies.
"Hey! Let me go!" Varian screams as someone in the black car grabs him.
"Dr. Meyer was working on something called Project Moonstone," Andrew said.
"One day, kid. I will get my hands on you, and when I do, you will pay!" Baron glares at Varian
"If they let you, maybe you can visit us in jail." Andrew was being shoved in the back of the police car.
"You can call me Cassie." Cassandra grins
The Moonstone lays in a storage unit in DK Tech, pulsing light. A small wave of electricity sparks. Screen goes black.
Sunburned P1
On a quiet, still path, a tortoise had slowly been crossing it. He turned his head slightly to look at a rock that began to shake with a rumble. Then, a giant four wheeler jumped the hill with a second following.
"Slow down, slow down, slow down!" Varian grasped his seat as the vehicle jostled about.
Cassandra smirked as she sped up.
"That's faster! Oh, no. Tree!" Varian squeezed his eyes shut.
Skillfully, Cassandra avoided the trees and slowed to a stop once passing the large rock. The second four wheeler pulled up next to theirs. The eighteen year old grinned slyly as she leaned her elbow on the steering. "How was that, Fritzherbert. Five out of five."
"You wanna try again?" Rapunzel asked energetically, almost bouncing in her seat next to her boyfriend. Her long bleached hair was in a low ponytail, but shorter strands were wild and all over her face. She swiped them away.
"Love to, Raps, but uh… I'm thinking we've had enough extremes for today," she said as she nodded her head towards Varian.
"Sure you just don't want to lose your winning streak?" Eugene teased.
Cassandra chuckled. "You know, you're called a loser for a reason, right?"
"And she's just as cruel and cold as ever," Eugene muttered.
"Eugene, she had only been gone for a week and a half," Rapunzel said.
"Best week and a half of my life," Eugene spoke under his breath.
Rapunzel gave him a glare. She looked back at Cassandra and Varian. "Ooo, how about we go get some lunch and ice cream?"
Varian looked at his three friends at this news. "We're not racing back are we?"
"Oh, we're so racing back! Fritzherbert!" Cassandra readied the four wheeler.
"Oh, ho, ho! It is on, Dragon Lady!"
"Waaaait!" Varian gasped as they suddenly leapt forward in the vehicle.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Sitting in at a table outside under an umbrella for shade and having an icecream cone was definitely more relaxing to Varian than the previous activity. "What flavor did you get, Eugene?"
"It's called 'Missing Swamp', or…" Eugene thought for a moment.
"It's 'Lost Lagoon', genius. After that one big movie, you know? Oh, wait. You wouldn't, 'cause you're a nitwit," Cassandra rolled her eyes.
"Hey, nobody geniuses me, but me," Eugene frowned.
"Aren't you a little old for that kind of logic? I mean we start college in a few weeks, you start your second year… don't you think you should sound a little more smart? Oh, wait, I forgot. I'm talking to you."
"Cass…" Rapunzel sighed at her friend. The short haired girl merely shrugged.
"You'all have any plans before we're back into the flow of school?" Varian licked his ice cream cone.
"Might get my hair dyed," Cassandra said carelessly.
"Oooh, what color?" Rapunzel asked. She had recently gotten a dramatic haircut and it was slightly shorter than Cassandra's. It was no longer a bleached blonde, but its natural brown.
"I'm thinking... a light blue maybe…"
"Awe, you and Varian would match." Rapunzel bounced a little in her seat.
"Wait, what!" Varian and Cassandra gasped and looked at each other. They frowned, with the addition of Varian having a deep blush. "For the last time, Raps," Cass said, "We're not a thing!"
Varian looked at Cassandra when she said this. His heart squeezed. She still rejected him. It wasn't like he ever asked her if they could be a thing, no he knew the answer. A flat out no, but deep inside, he still had a light of hope that maybe one day she would change her mind. She was so much more than his crush, no, if she was, he would have already been over it. No, he feared his feelings went a lot deeper than that.
"I think you two would be cute together," Rapunzel insisted.
"Blondie, maybe don't push it too much…" Eugene desperately tried to change the subject for Varian's sake. The kid looked like a red cherry going to burst at any moment.
"Right, sorry..." Sunny gave them an apologetic smile.
"Back to plans. We do something again before we're no longer free." Eugene took a bite out of his cone.
"We haven't gone to the beach yet," Rapunzel suggested.
"Neither have I," Varian admitted.
"Heh, I've spent days at the beach, but I wouldn't mind one more tan." Cassandra shrugged.
"Forget being tanned, Cassie. You're already red from being sunburned," Varian laughed.
"So what?"
"Beach then?" Rapunzel asked.
"That's how I take it," Varian chuckled.
"Sounds good to us, Raps," Cassandra smirked.
"Then it's settled. We'll just have to get it cleared with our parents so, we'll have to talk about the date and all, but that shouldn't be too big of an issue."
~~~~~~~~~~
"Hey, Ruddiger." Varian leaned over and patted his pet. The cat purred. "Dad, I'm home!"
"Hey, son." Quirin came into the entryway, drying his hands on a towel. "Dinner will be ready soon."
"Ok. I'm just gonna take my backpack in my room. Is Uncle Hector and Aunt Adira coming over for it?"
"Yeah, they are. Adira had to take a detour because there was a wreck and Hector always shows up on the dot. Never early-"
"And never late," Varian finished with a chuckle. "That's Uncle Hector."
Quirin grinned. "Yep."
Varian went into his room and set his bag on the floor next to his bed. He went to the kitchen where he got a good look at dinner. "Oooh, meatloaf!"
Quirin chuckled. "You know, most people don't like meatloaf."
"But they haven't had Miss Allyson's meatloaf," Varian pointed out.
"Yeah. Your mother hated meatloaf until she had Allyson's when she came to visit me. Did you know Allyson and Dylan were worried when they met her? They were worried she'd bounce all over me. She was so full of energy, but they changed their minds after a couple visits," he chuckled.
Varian grinned. Allyson and Dylan were the closest things to grandparents he had, but they had moved practically on the other side of the country. They had been Quirin's foster parents when the state took Quirin away from his neglective, and rather abusive, parents. It had mainly been verbal abuse at first but when he was around seven years old it started to become physical. He had been beaten basically on a daily basis until someone finally listened to the neighbor who kept ratting his parents out. His parents never called or even came to visit Quirin, apart from the random occasions when he was younger, so Varian never met them. Varian's mother's parents had died when Varian was just three years old. He didn't really remember them well.
The doorbell rang. "I'll get it," Varian offered.
"Look before you open," Quirin reminded him. Ever since the kidnapping incident, they had taken precautions to another level. Varian only opened the door to a handful of people and he didn't go anywhere by himself. He enforced that himself more than his father, but Quirin had heavily implied it.
"I will," Varian promised. He found it to be Uncle Hector. He opened the door. "Hey, Uncle Hector! For once, you're here before Aunt Adira. She's been delayed because she had to take a detour."
"Is that so?" Hector entered the house.
"Well, there has to be a first for everything," Varian grinned.
"True," Hector agreed.
It wasn't too long until Adira appeared and entered as well. Things were starting to feel more normal for the family since the whole kidnapping scenario. Varian didn't think it could go back to being normal, but luckily, it was starting to ease back into it.
"What's on the menu?" Adira asked as she eased into a chair.
"The old favorite." Quirin pulled the meatloaf out of the oven.
"It's been a while." She grinned.
Once everyone had their plates and were sitting around the table, Hector looked at his nephew. "Got anything planned this weekend before college starts?"
"Actually," Varian looked at Quirin. "My friends are planning on going to the beach to end summer break."
"The one by the sea?"
"Yeah?"
"I don't have the weekend off, Varian…" Quirin began slowly. "I just offered to take both days on at work. Were low on hands and I didn't know."
"No, that's ok. I should probably be preparing myself for college anyways," Varian assured him.
"If it does anything, I'm free this weekend," Hector offered.
"You don't have to do that," Varian began.
"Nah, it's been a long time since I went and took a time and just did something. Plus, we'll get some quality time with you."
"Only if you want to," Quirin said.
"Are you listening, brother? I said I did," Hector chuckled.
"Thank you, Hector," Quirin smiled.
"Thanks Uncle Hector," Varian beamed.
~~~~~~~~~~
Hector closed the trunk to the car. "Well, that's all of it."
"I suppose you'll be on your way then." Quirin hugged his son. "Text, ok."
"I'll call," Varian said. Both of them weren't exactly happy being apart for the night, but they needed to take steps forward to overcome their trauma. And if this is what it took then, at least it was something safe.
"Good." Quirin nodded.
Hector got into the driver's seat of his Lamborghini (he had saved up for a Lamborghini for a long time). Varian hopped into the passenger seat. "Remember to buckle, kiddo," Hector reminded him.
"Oh, right!" Varian chuckled. Classic him, right? Never remembering to buckle his seat belt.
"We're meeting your friends at the hotel, right?" his uncle asked as he drove out of the driveway.
"Uh-huh," Varian nodded.
"These are the ones you hang around all the time, right?"
"Uncle Hector, we went over this before," Varian laughed.
"Just checking, just checking," Hector said.
"There will be us, Eugene, Rapunzel, Cassandra, and Cassie's parents made her take Dennis."
"You know Dennis? Don't remember hearing that name…"
"Dennis is fine, Uncle Hector. As long as Burt isn't there, he isn't bad, just… complicated."
"Ok…"
"And you don't have to stand over me like a hawk," Varian reminded him.
"We'll discuss that later," Hector disagreed.
"Also, Brad's been working there all summer because his uncle runs the place, so I suppose he'll tag along occasionally too. We're friends too, in case you're wondering," Varian added.
"Is he another graduate?"
"Yeah, but here's going to Agrabah College and not Arendelle University," Varian answered.
"He didn't win a scholarship like you did, did he?"
"Uncle Hector! He could have gone if he wanted, but he felt like Agrabah offered better classes for his road," Varian said.
Hector laughed.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Hi, Varian!" Rapunzel waved as he got out of the car.
"Hey, Raps. You know my Uncle Hector."
"Of course!" The burnette chuckled. "Let me help with the luggage-"
"We're only staying a day, Raps. I only brought my backpack," the sixteen year old chuckled.
"Oh! Right…"
"How much did you bring?"
She put her hands on her hips. "It's different! Plus, I brought beach supplies, so, you know."
Varian laughed. "You came prepared."
"Exactly!" Rapunzel smiled. "Eugene's in the room next to mine and Cassandra's room.
Rapunzel led Varian and his uncle into the hotel. "Hey, V!"
Varian looked towards the lobby where Brad waved at him. "Hey, Brad," Varian smiled as he waved back.
"There's a coffee bar over that way," Brad said. "Cass and the others are there. I'll come by in just a minute. My uncle's letting me get off a little early."
"Sweet! I'll see you then!" Varian said as he and the other two went into the coffee bar room. They sat down at the table with Cassandra, Eugene, and Dennis. The latter didn't make eye contact with either of them.
"We already ordered our frappuccinos," Eugene explained.
"That's fine," Rapunzel assured him.
"Number 53."
"That's mine and Dennie's," Cassandra replied as she got up. She walked with Varian, Hector, and Rapunzel to the counter. The others were going to order while she got hers.
"Here you go," the employee said. He froze as he was handing it to her. "Er… do I know you?"
Cassandra looked at the employee closely, then her eyes lit up. "Brenner? It's been over a year since I last saw you. You still in football?"
"Have a scholarship in Arendelle University for it," Brenner answered.
"Wow, really?"
"You still banned from the soccer team?"
"Har, har. I only pulled her hair thrice…"
"On purpose," Brenner added.
"Ok, I was over competitive," Cassandra admitted.
"But hey, you were the undefeated," Brenner chuckled.
Varian cleared his throat. "Who is this?"
"Oh, V. This is Brenner, Burt and Brad's older cousin. He used to go to Corona High," Cassandra explained.
"He was the star football player," Rapunzel added.
"And you're Sunny, right?"
"Yep!"
"Hardly recognized you with your hair so short."
"Yeah, I was tired of dealing with it and thought I could use a change."
"And you're Den's friend?" Brenner asked Varian.
"Actually, he's my sister's friend. He's a few years ahead in school. Graduated already," Dennis explained as he walked up to grab his iced mocha from Cassandra.
"I feel like your face is familiar though…" Brenner squinted his eyes.
"He was on the news," Dennis offered.
"Hmmm… maybe that's where-oh, wait!" He snapped his fingers. "You're the kid in the video that Brad posted on YouTube that went Viral, right?"
"Yep…" Varian chuckled nervously.
"Hey, we're hanging out on the beach today and tomorrow, if you're open, you can hang out with us," Cass offered.
'Is she… blushing?' Varian thought the question as he noticed Cassandra flushing. Maybe it was her sunburned cheeks and nothing more.
"Sure! I'd like that," Brenner grinned.
"Great!" Cassandra tucked her hair behind her ear as she nervously glanced away.
Varian's heart started pounding, but he said nothing.
◇◇◇◇◇◇
Varian went up the elevator with Dennis. Uncle Hector had forgotten something in the car, so he had said he would follow right up. There was a silence between the two boys.
"So…"
Varian looked at Dennis with surprise who was the one to speak.
"Um… we haven't really talked since the library…"
"I took it that you just wanted to be left alone for the time being," Varian replied slowly.
"Yeah, I did. I… just want to apologize how I treated you. I wanted to be friends, and I never meant the incident at the party but…"
"Cassie explained that, but it's nice to hear it from you in person." Varian fixed his backpack on his shoulder. "Apology accepted… You want to be friends?"
"Ummmm… I'm not sure yet, but I don't want to continue the way we were."
"Understood."
The elevator door opened and the two stepped out. Varian got out the key card to open his and Hector's room. He stopped when Dennis cleared his throat. "Yeah?"
"Just wanted to let you know, Burt's here too. He's visiting because it's the last two weeks of our summer vacation… just thought you should know…"
"Thanks, but I don't care. After what I've been through, a high school bully suddenly just feels like a pest and nothing more." He opened his door and entered his room to put his stuff in. Dennis waited in the hall for Varian to come back out and go with him back to the lobby.
End of Episode