I back up slowly, trying not to step on any planks of wood with Melissa. "You better not get us caught, Violet!" She warns, grinning giddily.
"I won't!" I whisper back just as brightly. "I want to see Aphmau and Aaron!"
Melissa giggles and we both start towards Aaron's door again, making sure to face the other way so we can make it look like we're coming away from their door. And then we suddenly bump into someone.
We both cry out and jump away, turning around to see a very shaken Kawaii~Chan staring back at us. "SSHHH!" We all say. "Huh?" we all say again.
"Wh---what are you doing here?" Melissa demands.
"Ummm---nothing!" Kawaii~Chan says.
"You're definitely doing something here!" Melissa says accusingly. "What are you doing near Aphmau and Aaron's room huuuuuuh? Trying to listen to them making out or something! That sounds like something only a weirdo would do!"
"Noo!" Kawaii~Chan says. "What are you doing here?"
"Trying to listen to them make out." Melissa says sheepishly, looking red. Kawaii~Chan flushes instantly.
"What??" Kawaii~Chan sputters. "Why would you admit that?"
"BECAUSE WE HAVE NO SHAME!" Melissa says loudly.
I elbow her. "Uhh, she means... "
"I have some shame, when it comes to other people." Melissa says helpfully. "But Aaron is family! My brother! AND I AM A SUPPORTIVE SISTER!"
I cough.
"WITH A SUPPORTIVE SIDEKICK!"
"Wait! You're his... sister?" Kawaii~Chan asks, sounding surprised.
"You didn't know?" I ask. "I swore I told you before..."
"Soooo, would you say you... ship. Them?" Kawaii~Chan asks Melissa hopefully.
"Ex-cuuuuse me?" Melissa says. "I am a grown woman! I have important business meetings, drink red wine, and watch Game of Thrones!"
"Ooooh!" Kawaii~Chan says.
"But..." Melissa glances around. "YES I DO SHIP THEM!"
Kawaii~Chan squeals. "I do too! I'm here to check to see how they're doing!!"
"Us too!" I say. "Wanna check on them with us?"
"YES!" Kawaii~Chan follows us to Aaron and Aphmau's door. Melissa jiggles the doorknob for a second, then stops sadly.
"Shoot. They have it locked!" She tells me.
"They've had it locked since we've gotten back." Kawaii~Chan says.
"NOT ON MY WATCH!" Melissa says.
"Huh?" KC and I say. "Wait, Melissa, problems with a door! I can help!" I say eagerly.
"NUH-UH! I'M HIS SISTER! STAND BACK, CUTIES!"
"What are you gonna do?" Kawaii~Chan asks, but I'm already pulling her back. Melissa disintegrates the door and rushes into the room.
"READY OR NOT, HERE WE COME!" Then she stops. "They're not here..." She looks around. "Sheesh, is Aaron shedding or something? There's twice as much fur around!"
I giggle. "Kinda like how Aphmau used to shed when Kawaii~Chan accidentally turned her into a werewolf in High School."
"Aaah, did you have to bring that up?" Kawaii~Chan wails. She looks around and brightens. "THIS WAY!" she runs for the balcony, where we can see Aphmau and Aaron running for their lives down the house's drive.
"Jiminy cricket on a stick over a campfire!" Melissa curses. "Why have those two been acting so weird lately??"
"Jiminy cricket on a---what?" I ask, confused.
"DON'T QUESTION IT!"
"Maybe something is wrong." Kawaii~Chan suggests worriedly. "They've been locked up in their room since we've gotten back."
"Naaaw, Aaron's just trying to keep Aphmau all to himself!" Melissa says. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this! COME ON! LET'S GO LOVE THEM!"
"Right!" Kawaii~Chan and I say. Melissa jumps onto a deck chair and then JUMPS OFF THE BALCONY. I look at Kawaii~Chan and shrug, following Melissa's example and landing hard on the concrete, grinning my head off.
"That was fun!" I say. I see Kawaii~Chan coming out the normal way, having gone downstairs and out the front door instead of jumping. "Party pooper." I tell her, but she just smiles and shrugs. "Cats always land on their feet anyways!"
"Not always..." She says.
"Melissa!" I say, running after her retreating form. "Can you smell them? Use your nose!"
"Yeah! I forgot I had one!" She sniffs long and hard, then brightens and points. "Back this way, Violet! My snooter has picked something up!" She leads us towards a clump of bushes and creeps toward one in particular. "Aaaaaaaand... GOTCHA!" She leaps through, looking wildly around for Aaron and Aphmau.
"W-what?" Melissa wails. "Where did they go? I could have sworn they were behind this bush..."
"Maybe the wrong bush?" Kawaii~Chan suggests.
"Or not a bush at all?" I say.
"Maybe." Melissa admits. "Hmmm... C'mon! Let's keep looking!"
"All right!" I cheer.
"Okay." Kawaii~Chan says. "But only for a little longer. I have to meet someone soon."
"Oooooh, my brother?" I tease, wiggling my eyebrows.
"Nyaaa!" Kawaii~Chan complains. "No..."
"Heeheehee." I giggle. "Okay, fine. But say hi to whoever you're meeting with, okay?"
"Okay! Just a heads up, Travis~Kuhn should be stopping by later, so if you want to talk to him, be here." Kawaii~Chan says.
"Ohhhh, are you talking to Katelyn?" I say giddily.
"Whaaa?"
"GUYS!" Melissa pops back. "ARE YOU GOING TO HELP ME FIND THEM OR NOT??"
"Oh, right!" I chase after Melissa and Kawaii~Chan follows.
______________________________
"Hi, Zane!" I chirp, walking into his room.
He looks up. "Hi, Violet."
"Oh! Violet! Hi!" I look over and do a double-take when I see a white-haired boy with smiley green eyes.
"Travis?" I ask incredulously.
"Hi!" he repeats. "How's it going?"
"Blegh!!" Zane groans.
"Hey! Stop being a wet noodle, I'm trying to start a conversation!" Travis says grumpily.
"About what?" Zane demands. "You never talk to Violet. Or me. Like. Ever."
"Oh come on, don't be---" Travis starts.
"PLLLLLLLLLHPH." Zane blows a raspberry and I giggle despite myself.
"Now that's just childish." Travis says.
Kawaii~Chan and Katelyn come downstairs. "We're reaaady!" Kawaii~Chan says cheerfully.
"Sorry it took a bit." Katelyn says.
"Not a problem." Travis says, sounding nicer now. "You look stunning."
"Where're you guys going?" I ask. "Double-date?"
Zane sighs. "We're going to a party. Let's just get going. I'm ready for food."
The bathroom door disintegrates from its hinges and Garroth runs inside. "FOOD??" he hollers excitedly.
"Heeey, Garroth!" Travis says.
"Travis!" Garroth squeals.
Zane growls, but then his tone changes. "Ohh...OH! Gaaaarroth... brotherrrrrr... Wanna come with us to a partyyyy?"
I cough.
"And you too, Violet! You're coming!" Katelyn says, glaring at Zane. "All right, Garroth, you can come."
"What are we doing, anyway?" I ask.
"It's the (something, can't tell what she says) fundraiser!" Kawaii~Chan says. "It's supposed to be a party, but all the money spent there goes to the, ummmm..."
"Did you forget already?" Katelyn laughs.
"Yeah..."
"It goes to fund the wildlife around Starlight." Katelyn explains.
"WOW! Fundraiser sounds---uhhh, boring." Garroth says blandly. "Party sounds fun, though!"
"I can agree on that!" Zane says.
"So is everyone going to be in an animal costume, or is everyone dressed up like a fish, or something?" Travis asks.
Kawaii~Chan giggles, but Katelyn looks a little annoyed. "I don't think that---"
"OOOOH, DO YOU THINK THEY'LL HAVE ANIMAL FACE-PAINTING!?" Garroth yells.
"I don't think they will, it's an adult party, and that's kinda---" Katelyn says.
"That sounds amazing!" Travis says giddily.
"I'm for it! I wanna be a suuuuper cute cheetah!" Kawaii~Chan says. "Raaar!"
"Ooooooh, I wanna be a butterfly!" I say, imagining the wings on my face.
"I WANNA BE A DOLPHIN! The swans of the sea..." Garroth says happily.
"Why don't you just be a swan?" Travis asks.
Garroth gives a big, drawn-out gasp. "SWAN. OF. THE. SEA. Let's go!" He hurries out of the room, and Kawaii~Chan, Travis and I follow him quickly, each imagining the beautiful face-paint art we will receive.