"You ready to go on the trip?," Thomas asked, practically bouncing out of his seat.
"Of course I am. Anything but studying," Allen grinned.
"Yeah studying? More like, student dying, if you ask me!," Thomas exclaimed, almost ready to throw his textbook across the room.
"I'm sorry, what did you guys say?," Cecily asked, a smile on her face, but you could tell she was truly angry.
"Nevermind!," both of them said at the same time. They quickly went back to their own textbooks.
The three of them were once again in class, studying together. However, Thomas and Allen were unable to focus the entire time, because they were looking forward to tomorrow.
After their duel with William a few weeks ago, it was decided that they were allowed to go on a club trip. In accordance with their compromise with William, their club trip would be considered a "Training Camp". After the weeks had passed, it was finally decided where they would be going on this club trip/club training camp - to the beach!
William informed them that they would be going the day after their last class day of the week, and would only be there for one day. They would stay the night, and then immediately return the next morning.
Sure, it was only one day. However, it was something fun and a break regardless.They could not stay any longer than one day since the directors could only be out of the academy for so long. They also needed to make sure they were back for classes the following day!
"Alright, class dismissed," Ms. Florence's usual dismissal announcement was once again heard by everyone in the classroom.
"Finally!," Thomas yelled, stretching out of his seat.
"Quiet Thomas, or I will send you out of here faster than you got in," Ms. Florence warned him.
"Yes ma'am," Thomas quickly complied.
After Allen and Cecily laughed, they finally made their way out of the classroom. They talked for a while afterwards, mostly about their upcoming day tomorrow.
Once nightfall had approached, they made their way towards their dorms to finally sleep, ready for their big day tomorrow.
Once the day had finally arrived, they met up with William in his office as planned.
William had gone over the rules of the trip - essentially be nice to everyone, make sure to listen to Ms. Clark during the whole time, and to stay safe. Once everyone had complied, all that was left was to head outside to the carriages they would be taking in order to leave for their destination - the long awaited beach.
"This will finally be something to take my mind off of the usual paperwork," William said while stretching a little.
"Wait, you're going with us too William?," Allen asked, confused. Everyone else was confused too.
"Ms. Clark didn't inform you?," he asked, looking back and forth at Ms. Clark and Allen.
"William, you didn't even inform me you were going," Ms. Clark smiled out of laughter.
"Oh. A miscalculation on my part then," William said out loud while thinking to himself.
"Don't worry about it. I'm sure Mr. Garet would be happy to watch the academy for us for just a day," Ms. Clark awkwardly said.
"I'm sure he will be," William agreed while laughing.
"Umm if we are going to be leaving the academy to Mr. Garet, we might as well start to head out while we still have the chance," Rose advised them.
"Good point! Alright everyone, let's head out!," William announced while heading out of his office.
"I don't think this is a good idea…," Allen sighed as they all left the room.
They made their way out to the carriages, where there were two waiting for them. William and Ms. Clark would be taking one with the supplies, and the students would be taking the other. They all got loaded up into the carriage ready to go. However, there was a slight problem.
"William, can you explain to me why he is coming with us?," Rose exclaimed, while pointing at someone else in the carriage.
"Ah, I also forgot to mention to you guys he was coming," William scratched the back of his head.
"Yeah, you forget a lot of things," Rose crossed her arms together.
"It's not like I wanted to go either," Charles exclaimed.
Apparently at the last second, William had brought Charles to go along with them on their club trip. Charles is not a part of their club, but William must have thought it would be a great idea to bring him along. Or maybe there was another good reason?
"Well since this club trip would include some actual training, I thought it would be wise to bring Charles here along," William explained. "He too has been lacking in the class assignments department, so I thought it would be good if he got some training done with us"
"And you didn't think to ask us first?," Rose asked, a little annoyed.
"I thought it would be a good idea for you all to talk to him. He doesn't talk much with his peers anyways. Plus this is a good chance for Allen and Charles to make up as well," William elaborated.
"There is no 'making up' with Allen. He is just my rival!," Charles declared.
"Yeah, yeah. You keep telling yourself that," Allen laughed.
"One day I will beat you, my rival!," Charles assured him.
"Alright. Try me," Allen challenged him, ready to take him on at any time.
"If you two want to duel, that can wait until after we have gotten there. For now, just enjoy your smooth carriage ride to our destination. It's going to be a bit of a trip, so be ready!," William gleefully explained.
"Uh and just how long is that?," Thomas asked, a bit worried.
"There's a reason we had to wake up nice and early! Have fun children!," William waved as he walked over to his carriage.
"Wait, not yet!," Thomas exclaimed.
"Thomas, just sit down and wait. We'll get there eventually," Cecily said while tugging on him to make sure he didn't fall over from trying to get William's attention.
Once they were all loaded up into their carriage, it was time for them to head out to their destination. Allen, Alice, Thomas and Cecily were on one side while Rose, Stephen and Charles were on the other. Rose had made sure Stephen sat next to Charles instead of her. Despite the awkward feeling in the air, they were on their way for their club trip.
For the majority of their time spent in the carriage, everyone had remained silent. Sometimes they would make small talk, but it wouldn't last long. Rose refused to talk the entire time that they were in the carriage, which wasn't too surprising.
At one point during their ride there, Alice had switched to Sarah to allow her some time to converse with anyone if she so wished. Unfortunately for Allen, he was sitting next to Alice when she switched. Sarah decided to wrap her arms around Allen's arm for the time she had control of the body. This resulted in deathly stares from Rose, who still managed to convey so much without saying anything. Allen could only wish that he could just jump out of the carriage right then and there, as he could not stop Rose or Sarah.
After witnessing Alice changing to Sarah for the first time in person, Charles was utterly surprised and confused. He already knew about Sarah Childe as one of the "four divas of the academy", but just like everyone else was unaware that she was Alice's other personality.
After what seemed like hours, they had finally arrived at their destination! As promised, it was in fact the beach. The best part though was that it was a private location, so no one could bother them during their club trip and their training time.
"Finally! We are here!," Rose exclaimed, really happy to see the ocean.
"This will be fun," Cecily smiled.
"Ocean," Alice blankly stared at the ocean, but she seemed content to be here.
"Umm, I know that this will be fun and all, but are you three that excited to see the beach?," Stephen asked, a little confused.
"Of course! I have never been to the ocean before! This is a once in a lifetime moment!," Rose exclaimed.
"I haven't either, but I mean it's just a large body of water. Is this some water mage happiness that I am too much of an air mage to understand?," Stephen asked, a little intrigued.
"I have to admit I am a bit happy to be here too," Charles mumbled, but loud enough for them to hear.
"So it is a water mage thing," Stephen laughed.
"Oh leave them be. Just let them have their fun," Allen shrugged.
"Alright, alright," Stephen agreed. "But we definitely gotta have some fun here while we are at it!"
"Agreed! Let's go get that ocean!," Thomas yelled, already running towards the ocean.
"Hold up Tom! We're not even changed yet!," Allen yelled before Thomas could jump into the water.
"Oh. Right," Thomas mumbled to himself. He made his way back to the group.
The group walked over to William and Ms. Clark, who were in the middle of unloading all the stuff from the carriage.
"Alright you all. I have your swimsuits here, as promised," William informed them, getting a small box out and putting it in front of everyone.
"Finally! They're here!," Rose was practically screaming at this point.
"I can't wait to try it on," Cecily smiled, looking at her own swimsuit.
"Cute," Alice exclaimed, examining hers.
"Are the swimsuits that important to them?," Stephen asked, once again confused.
"I think at this point it's better to not question the girls and their fun," Allen shrugged.
"Agreed," Thomas nodded.
"Alright you boys. I have yours as well," William announced as he passed them theirs. They each took their own.
"Alright, the changing rooms are just up ahead. You can use them to change into your new swimsuits," William informed them. "A big reminder, boys and girls have separate changing rooms, no excuses! If we catch any of you trying to take a peek into the other - especially you boys - I will personally send you across the ocean and we'll never see you again! Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes," the girls all agreed.
"Boys?"
"Yes, we will behave," they all agreed.
"Good. Now go get changed," he pointed towards the changing rooms, and then got back to unloading the carriage. Both the boys and the girls then began to make their way towards the changing rooms.
As William promised, there were indeed two separate rooms - one for the boys and one for the girls. The two groups went into their own perspective rooms to change.
A little less than a week prior, William informed them that he would pay for their swimsuits, as most of them could not pay for their own. All of them did not have their own to begin with, so William was kind enough to buy them.
"So, are we going to do it, or not?," Stephen asked, smirking.
"Hmm I like the idea, but it's a bit risky," Thomas argued.
"Sure it's a bit risky, but it's completely worth it!," Stephen smirked as he put his hand on Thomas' shoulder.
"Okay, but if we do this, it's a do or die mission!," Thomas smirked back.
"Allen, are you joining us?," Stephen asked, looking over at him. "Charles, you can join if you want"
"Like I would be interested in something as stupid as that," Charles immediately looked away from him and left the room.
"I personally think you both are idiots and are asking for a massive beatdown from all the girls," Allen rolled his eyes with his response.
"I think it's worth it," Stephen nodded his head.
"Alright let's do it!," Thomas grinned.
Allen could only hope that they wouldn't be killed after this.
Both of the boys made their way to the girls room, in their 'do-or-die' mission. Before they could make it to the room, Thomas backed out at the last second. Stephen was a little mad that now he was on his own, but continued anyway. He finally made his way over.
"Hmm, I can't see anything…," Stephen mumbled to himself as he looked in. For whatever reason, all he could see was pitch black, and he didn't know why.
"Maybe it's because there's something in front of your face," a voice from behind said, a little annoyed.
"What?," Stephen exclaimed, immediately turning around.
"You have a lot of explaining to do," William looked down at him, and you could tell that he was ready to throw him across the beach in seconds.
"But how did I not see-"
"Because I put my hand in the way before you could see anything"
"Wait!," Stephen exclaimed, now just processing the situation he was in. "I can expla-"
"You're coming with me," William declared, dragging him across the sand.
"No- wait- father-," he exclaimed, desperately yelling for his life.
Once both the boys and the girls were done changing, they had made their way back to the beach where William and Ms. Clark were. They were already finished unloading, and had already sent the carriages back on their way. Stephen was sitting down in the sand, and you could tell that whatever words William had to say definitely affected him.
"So partner, how did it go?," Thomas awkwardly asked.
"Hmph, traitor," Stephen remarked, his arms crossed.
"Just what are you guys talking about?," Rose asked, as the rest of the girls were approaching.
"Just that Stephen and Thomas are idiots, and Stephen especially," Allen shrugged, aware of what happened.
"Alright then," Rose said, but still confused.
"Hi Allen!," Sarah waved her hand back and forth at him.
"Wait, why is Sarah in control now?," Allen asked, a bit worried for himself.
"Well, Alice was too embarrassed to put the swimsuit on, so she ended up switching to Sarah, who put it on easily," Rose sighed.
"Allen, Allen! How do I look?," she grinned mischievously, already grabbing him by the arm.
"Uh- Why are you asking me-," Allen exclaimed, too embarrassed to complete sentences.
"Allen," Rose blankly stated. You could tell she was a bit furious.
"I didn't do anything!," Allen exclaimed, subtly trying to pry Sarah off of him, but to no avail.
"How… do I look?," she had an embarrassed look on her face.
"Uh- you look nice," he awkwardly replied, but still in the process of prying Sarah off, but this time even harder. Sarah had a gleeful look on her face, like she thought they were having fun together.
"Rose, are you going to ask me how you look?," Stephen had a big smirk on his face.
"Like I care what you think, you moron!," she slapped the top of his head.
"Help-," Stephen mumbled, falling over.
"Tom… how do I look?," Cecily awkwardly asked him, a very embarrassed look on her face.
"Umm… I think you look good Lily!," Thomas awkwardly said, scratching the back of his head.
Everyone looked over at Thomas, knowing what was unfolding. Unfortunately for Thomas, he had no idea why Cecily was asking. Maybe another time.
"Well, aren't you guys going to have some fun on the beach while you can? The day won't last forever," William reminded them.
"Oh right! The beach!," Rose exclaimed.
"Well, let's go!," Thomas yelled, running full force towards the ocean.
"Wait for me!," Stephen yelled, running after him.
"Always so loud," Cecily mumbled, but followed after them.
"I suppose I will go," Charles sighed, but you could tell he was actually excited to go.
"Alright have fun guys! But don't forget we will be doing training starting at sundown!," William reminded them as he waved them off.
Allen wanted to join them, but was a little reluctant. He had never seen the ocean before, but something about it made him feel uneasy. Was it because he was a fire mage? But from his understanding, actual water and water magic were both different. Either way, something told him not to go into the ocean.
"Are you coming, Allen?," Sarah asked, tugging on his arm.
"No, I don't think I will," Allen said, sitting down.
"You don't want to? Well if you aren't going to go, then I won't either!," she said, reaching for her glasses. "I will let Alice take over from here"
"Have fun," Allen smiled at her.
"Yes," Alice blankly said. She began to slowly make her way over to the beach.
"Not interested, Allen?," William asked, curious. Ms. Clark also looked interested, like she was curious why he was the only student who didn't want to go have fun with everyone else.
"Nah, I think I will sit this one out," he said, sitting down on the sand, looking out at the ocean and everyone else.
"Hmm," William said, thinking to himself. "Well, you're always welcome hanging out with us. Martha and I will just be sitting here, watching everyone else to make sure no one gets hurt"
"Thanks," Allen said.
As Allen was watching from the beach, everyone else was having fun in the ocean. Sometimes they would look over, a bit confused why Allen didn't join them, but they continued to have fun regardless.
"What's wrong?," Rose asked, sitting down next to Allen.
"Ah, I don't know," Allen scratched the back of his head. "Something about the ocean makes me uneasy"
"Is it because of-"
"Maybe," Allen shrugged. They both knew what Rose wanted to ask, but she couldn't say it out loud. Only William, Allen and her knew.
"Well, if you don't want to join us, that's fine. Everyone's just a little worried," Rose asked, a concerned look on her face.
"Maybe in a bit. Just thinking to myself," Allen smiled at her.
"Alright, join us wheneve-"
"Allen! Come join us," Sarah quickly ran up and began to tug on his arm.
"Wait, but I-"
"Sarah?," Rose exclaimed, caught off guard.
"Allen it's no fun unless you join us. The club president has to be with his club!," she exclaimed, tugging harder on his arm so he gets up.
"Alright, alright! I'll go!," Allen sighed, finally giving up.
Sarah practically dragged him the entirety of the way, but Allen still followed somewhat willingly regardless. Rose followed from behind, unsure if to intervene or not. William watched as this was unfolding, laughing a little.
"Allen," everyone exclaimed as Sarah was done dragging him over to the ocean.
"Hi guys," he awkwardly answered.
"Allen! Glad you could join us!," Stephen grinned.
"Nice to see you man," Thomas grinned as well.
"You don't have to join us if you don't want to," Sarah said. "However, we would all be happy if you did"
"Umm… alright I will," Allen smiled.
"Great! Let's go have some fun!," Sarah gleefully exclaimed as she practically dragged Allen along.
"Wait-"
For the next hour or so, everyone was having fun in the ocean. Despite Allen's slight fear of the ocean, he managed to overcome it, at least for now. The six of them were having fun, and even Charles was having a bit of fun. For this very moment in the day, all of them just forgot about the fact they were mages in training to become magical knights, and only thought about being kids.
At one point while they were having fun, Charles wanted to duel Allen. Allen told him he wasn't interested, but Charles exclaimed "But I am your rival!," and tried to anyway. This resulted in Allen once again beating him.
After an hour or so, they all made their way back to the beach. However, they still had time until sundown.
"Man, I'm beat," Thomas sighed as he sat down.
"Me too, man," Stephen agreed, also sitting down.
"That was a lot more fun than I thought it would be," Allen admitted, also taking a seat along the other two.
"All three of you are already tired?," Rose rolled her eyes. "What are you three going to do when we actually train for real?"
"Take a very, very long well deserved nap," Stephen responded, laying down and closing his eyes.
"Well, you guys had fun, didn't you?," William smiled, walking over while holding a ball in his arm.
"Yeah, we did," Allen smiled. "But why do you have a ball in your arm?
"Oh this?," William grinned, pointing at the ball. "Have you seven heard of a game called Elemental Volleyball?"
"Elemental what now?" Stephen asked after opening his eyes, intrigued.
"It's a game, of course," William added, constantly throwing the ball up and catching it.
"And?," Rose asked, wanting him to continue.
William finally let the ball rest on his hand again. "Let me explain the rules. It's very simple!"