Summer’s End of Days (Complete)

Part 1

Summer was coming to a close. In a week school will begin. It was a time where kids all over Brimstone would be partaking various activities to expel their youthful energy before having to sit quietly and patiently in their classes.

Not these children.

Rosemary Gravely and her friends—Krystal, Joshua, Dominic, Kayleigh, and Ashley—sat around a flickering television screen inside the darkened living room. Each kid laid at several different angles along the large, leather couch. They didn't care what was on at the moment, their only world was the 72 inch wide screen. All their eyes were zoned in. Their mouths gaped slightly open as saliva escaped out. They were all petrified like mindless zombies to the unrelenting power of the hypnotizing screen.

Mrs. Gravely barged into the living room. "I can't believe you children," she berated. "It's a beautiful day out, and you're all lounging around in here."

She marched over to the wind opened the blinds. The sunlight blinded and burned the children. "AH, NATURAL LIGHT!" they all screamed.

"School starts next Monday for all of you, and you're wasting a gorgeous weekend inside," Mrs. Gravely continued her gripe.

"We're not wasting a weekend," her eldest daughter retorted as she rubbed her eyes, "this is our weekend."

Mrs. Gravely didn't buy her daughter's excuse. She then glanced out the window. "Look at your sister and her friends. They're playing outside."

Outside in the yard was her youngest daughter Regan and her friends in their swimsuits, hopping around a sprinkler. They laughed and danced as they were blasted by water. Rosie and her friends rolled their eyes, continuing to stare at the television. Mrs. Gravely's face boiled red. She swiped the remote off the couch's arm and turned off the hypno-box. The kid's world was now paused by a blank, black screen.

"That's it," Carmen finally put her foot down. "No more TV. All of you should be outside and enjoying the day. Do something creative and fun together. Go to a carnival, or go to the pool. Or better yet, why not explore the woods. I used to do that a lot with my friends when I was your age you know. This should be a moment to build memories. Someday when you're all grown up, you're gonna regret not doing the things you could've done as kids."

"If we're gonna regret not doing the things we've done as kids, why should be bother doing anything now?" Rosemary groaned. Her friends unanimously nodded their heads in agreement.

Mrs. Gravely wasn't having it. She ordered Rosemary and her friends to march into the family van. She even made her husband, Lu the devil, place an anti-teleportation spell around the vehicle so Dominic couldn't poof right out. Rosemary and her friends sat and scowled during the hour long ride. Mrs. Gravely found the perfect place to drop them off: the woods outside Brimstone. Miles upon miles of free land and trees that stretched to the clear, blue sky. The van came to a halt and the kids were left on the edge of the vast woodlands.

"Have fun, you six," Mrs. Gravely smiled and waved. "I'll pick you up later."

She drove off, leaving the kids to have fun themselves. Rosemary felt each darting glare from her friends. "Don't blame me for this!" she snapped.

"We blame you!" her friends snapped back.

Part 2

Rosemary, Dominic, Joshua, Krystal, Kayleigh, and Ashley paced the outskirts of the woods. Krystal Lotsadeux held her smartphone up to the sky. "I can't get a stupid signal out here!" she whined.

"I bet there's some Portable Critters we can catch." Joshua suggested. He pulled out his phone and activated the app. On the screen Joshua could tell that there were no Portable Critters around. "There's nothing!?!"

Kayleigh approached Dominic the demon boy. "Dom, can't you teleport us back to Rosie's house or something?"

"Afraid not." he shook his head. "I haven't learned those kinds of spells yet."

"What are we suppose to do?" Krystal shouted.

Ashley only shrugged. She plucked some dandelions off the ground where she stood then proceeded to lay down. Her hands held the weeds to her chest and she close her eyes, imitating her own funeral. Krystal, Dominic, Kayleigh, and Joshua gathered around her to pay their respects of their inevitable fates the longer they stayed in these woods.

Rosie rolled her eyes, not buying any of this. She marched over to her resting friend, giving her a good nudge in the ribs with her foot.

"Get up, Ash," she insisted, "We're not gonna die. We're here, so I guess we'll find something to do."

Ashley finally got up and wiped the grass off her clothes. The six friends sighed before trekking deep into the woods.

"This totally sucks." the rich heiress pouted, which they all agreed.

                                                               ***

The group walked deeper and deeper into the woods. The woods were so thick the leaves blocked out the sun's rays, so they didn't have to worry about breaking any sweats. Nevertheless it had only been less than five minutes since they started hiking and they were already tired of spotting every tree and every bush and every stone they came across. The further they walked the more they got bored.

Rosemary led the group, as usual, while the others followed behind. The five humans marched along the dirt trail while Dominic hopped from tree to tree like a demonic squirrel child. The tiny claws in each of his three fingers gripped tightly into the bark.

"Hey Dominic." Kayleigh called out to the demon. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." he called back.

"Do you have a last name?" she asked him.

Dominic pounced onto the next branch and stopped. "Yeah, why?"

"Well what is it?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Just curious."

"Yeah I'm curious too," Rosie joined in. She stopped and the group followed too. "What is your last name?"

"Yeah," Joshua exclaimed too. "What is it?"

Dominic hopped off the branch, landing perfectly on the ground with his friends. "I don't see the big deal about having a last name." the hesitant demon said. "Not everyone has a last name. I bet the devil doesn't have a last name."

"Actually I've seen Lu sign his full name as Lucifer Lightbringer." Rosemary corrected.

"But what about your uncle, the archangel? He doesn't have a last name."

"I asked him about that once. He said it's Sunday. He and his siblings are named after the days of the week."

"We all got last names," Ashley signed, "How else do we tell each other apart?"

"Ash's right," Kayleigh said, understanding her friend's sign language. "I even have two last names. Mostly because neither of my dads wanted to change their last name."

"So, what's your last name?" Krystal demanded along with her friends. "Just tell us what it is already!"

"Fine. I'll tell ya." Dominic sighed. He scratched the back of his head, still too nervous to admit it. "My last name is... Doomslayer."

Rosemary and the others blankly stared at the demon boy. "Dude," she finally spoke, "that is the best last name ever."

"No it's not," Dominic defensively spat,"It's so corny."

"That name's awesome." Krystal complemented.

"I would totally change my last name to that." Ashley signed, agreeing with the others.

"Aw shut up." Dominic muttered while his friends laughed. He was lucky they didn't ask him about his middle name, which was Bartholomew.

Part 3

The six children continued hiking down the trail, still bored after being abandoned by Rosie's mother. They walked and walked. That was all they could do. The only thing worth doing in these boring woods. Dominic the demon boy tried to break dull hike with a simple game. "I spy with my little eye-" he rhymed.

"A tree?" Joshua moaned, interrupting the demon.

"A rock?" Kayleigh groaned.

"A needed ass-whooping?" Ashley irately signed.

Dominic expressed a bitter sigh. "Nevermind."

"Ugh, this is so dumb!" Krystal cursed and stomped her feet. "What the hell are we suppose to do out here? It's just the woods."

Rosemary stopped. "Let's just take a break from walking now. My feet are killing me."

The group stopped, groaning and griping about their sore feet. "I'm gonna go pee over there." Joshua said, heading over to some bushes.

At least there were plenty of trees around to provide some shade from the blistering sun. Rosemary leaned against a tree and watched her friends. She and her friends were already bored, but knowing her mother she won't come back until the day is done. Which means they'll have to come up with some fun activities in a few hours before sunset.

She remembered that her father, Doug Gravely, would have made turned this expedition into something fun. It was like his super power. He could make anything fun. Learning, road trips, study hours, parties, anything. It was why he was voted 'Favorite Teacher' five years in a row when he taught at Rosemary's school. She must have inherited something else from her father other than his taste in music, especially rock and metal.

Rosie looked at each of her friends, hoping one of them could give her an idea. Krystal held a small mirror in her hand while she powdered her face. She could give Narcissus a run for his money. Kayleigh and Ashley were laying down, looking up at the clear sky. There were barely any clouds in the area for them to identify the different shapes they made. Joshua went into the bushes for some privacy. She then looked to her demon friend, who found himself a thin stick and swung it at some leaves off a tree branch.

Rosemary smiled. An idea had sprung. It was time for this Gravely to kick start some fun.

Dominic whacked off another leaf with his stick, treating it like a sword. Then his stick smack into another stick. He looked over and saw Rosie holding a stick too. Her eyes look wicked as her devious smile.

"Uh, Rosie," the demon boy said, "what are you doing?"

"You!" Rosie spoke in a terrible Japanese accent like in those old Samurai movies she used to watch. "You have dishonored yourself by assaulting the sacred leaves. Now we shall fight to the death."

All her friends awkwardly stared at her. "Girl, are you trippin'?" Kayleigh asked.

Rosemary tapped at Dominic's stick, probing for a duel. Dominic's lips curved. He pieced together what was going on. "No," he smiled and said, with an accent just as ridiculous as Rosie's. His stick sword tapped back at Rosemary's. "It is you who has brought dishonor. You must pay with your life."

Their sticks met again. First Rosemary lunged, then followed by Dominic. The swings weren't coming fast. Just the right speed so they wouldn't have to injuring themselves with an accidental hit. They blocked, they parried, it felt like a real sword fight. And they were both laughing while they fought. They were having some real fun.

Joshua walked out of the bushes, confused at what was happening. "You!" Rosemary cried, pointing her stick at Joshua and still speaking in her bad accent. "You have brought dishonor by peeing in those bushes."

Joshua then understood. He found himself a stick and readied to duel. "Ha, no heathen can tell a holy knight of the crusades where he can and cannot pee. Have at you!"

His stick-sword smacked into Rosemary's. Dominic tried to defend her honor by attacking, but Joshua managed to block and the duel ensued. Three down, three to go.

Kayleigh and Ashley looked at each other and shrugged. It did look like fun and there was nothing else to do at the moment. The two found a pair of sticks and charged into battle like bloodthirsty warriors. The five friends engaged in an epic pretend fight with their imaginary swords. It was the girls versus the boys. Smiles and laughter were spreading like a virus. Yet the only one who seemed to be immune was Krystal, who stood on the outside.

"Come on, Krystal." Dominic called out, "Join in and make it an even fight."

"I am not having a pretend sword fight with you dweebs." the rich heiress scowled. "What are we, six-years old?"

The five kids stopping sparring and looked at Krystal. They knew her to be pretentious and stuck-up at times, but it didn't mean that she had to ruin their attempt at fun. But Krystal was different from all the other rich kids she interacted with in her life. She had her own way of adding more fun.

The heiress smirked and pulled out a busted branch that broke off from some tree. She hauled it over her shoulder like a club. "I don't have a sword." she said, imitating a disgruntled voice. "I have a tactical plasma shotgun."

Everyone's smiles returned. "Oh no!" they screamed, "It's Major Rager!"

"You suckas woke me from my nap. Now it's time for me to bring the rage."

Krystal pointed the branch like a gun and made laser noises, firing imaginary plasma shells at her companions like in their favorite video game. Instead of swords they traded their stick-swords into stick-guns.

The pretend medieval battleground turned into an intergalactic firefight. They made lasers sounds with their lips and tossed pine cones like hand grenades. It was silly and childish, but it was fun. Perhaps they could find something to do in these woods after all.

Part 4

"Well that was actually fun for a while." Rosie said as she and her group continued hiking through the woods. Their fake warfare ended over half an hour ago.

They carried onward into the woods. Among the group Ashley surveyed the surrounding area. She saw the leaves shutter under the breeze and birds chirping in their nests. Even though she cannot hear them she imagined the pleasant sounds they made. She looked over at Rosie, admiring her as a strong leader when she led the group in the front. Then she looked back to friends and noticed something was off. Quietly she counted each of them in her head. Up front was Rosie, then there was Krystal, Kayleigh, and Joshua. One friend was missing. Ashley tapped Rosie's shoulder, which signaled her to stop. The others followed too. "Hey, where's Dom?" Ashley signed.

Everyone understood what that meant. The demon was gone. Each one checked up in the trees, wondering if he was crawling along the bark and branches as he would. There was no sign of him. That was until...

POOF!

A small cloud of ash and smoke popped in the middle of the group. The five human children coughed, waving away the smoke out of their faces. Once the ash cloud faded Dominic appeared in its place.

"Check it out. Look what I found." their demonic friend excitedly said. He held his odd hand out and showed his friends a small, pointed stone in his hand. "How cool is this? I found it under a pine tree back over there." The stone looked unusual. So flat and smooth. The edges looked they were crafted to be jagged with the long, narrow end made into a triangle.

"Wow, that's an arrowhead." Kayleigh exclaimed, admiring its craftsman. "Probably from a Native American tribe long ago."

"Sweet!" Dominic said in awe. "My siblings and I would find stuff like this and other trinkets in the canyons of the Inferno. They go back to the times of the Heaven-Hell War."

"There was a war between Heaven and Hell?" Krystal questioned.

"Yeah," Rosemary answered for her friend, "apparently demons and angels fought an ancient war for a long time. I think it was around that time Lu became the devil."

"That's right," Dominic said. "My dad also fought in it, but he doesn't really like to talk about it."

An idea then sprang in Joshua's head, "Hey, maybe there's more stuff we can find."

"Yeah," Kayleigh agreed, "Maybe we can find some more arrowheads!"

"Or gold." Ash signed giddy.

"Or diamonds." Krystal mentioned.

"Or dinosaur bones." Dominic said. "I always wanted to see one of those."

"We can have a scavenger hunt." Joshua proposed.

"Sounds good... except for the scavenger part." Dominic brought up. The mere mention of those nightmarish horrors that inhabited the darker corners of Hell sent shivers through his small body. There were many unnerving stories told about the infected creatures. The first time he ever encountered one of these creatures was a moment he would never forget. It was when he felt fear for the first time. "We can just call it a 'trinkets' hunt."

"Fair enough," Rosie agreed. The term scavenger never had the same meaning after her first encounter from those anorexic monsters. "Everyone split off into pairs," her orders came, "Meet back in half an hour with whatever you find. It's gotta be something cool, or at least something you find cool. Ready? Go!"

The six young friends ran off. Rosemary and Dominic paired up and ran to one direction, down a nearby ravine for any trinkets they could find. Dominic was definitely okay with it just being the two of them. It meant that he and Rosemary had a little alone time together. In a way it seemed romantic, not that he would openly admit to the others, especially in front of Rosemary.

Krystal and Joshua ran off in another direction. The heiress and the Christian boy ventured a while until they came across a river. They walked along together but neither really wanted to cross over it. For Joshua he feared that his over-protective mother would freak and ban him from all outdoor activities. Krystal, on the other hand, didn't want to track mud and water on her new, expensive shoes she bought.

The last pairing was Kayleigh and Ashley, which worked out perfectly since Kayleigh was the only other person among them, other than Rosemary, that fully understood her friend's sign language. Together they explored over a large hill deep in the woods, hoping to find some interesting stuff laying around.

After much searching the three teams returned to the same spot they started. It wasn't much they found, just some objects they thought were cool. Among there collection were a spiral-shaped rock, a couple agates, another arrowhead, a rusty bottle cap, a silver dollar, an old lunch box dated back to the 1960s, a long quartz shard, and a clam shell fossil. Now all that was left was to figure out what to do with their findings.

"I have an idea," Joshua said, and the others followed his lead. Taking the old lunchbox the six friends placed their items inside its empty contents. They all scraped and dug at the dirt with their bare hands and a few sticks, just to dig a hole deep enough for their box to fit inside. It was like planting their own treasure trove.

The six then buried up their treasure and left to wander some more. They wondered if they would find it again some day. Maybe they would, maybe they wouldn't remember. It didn't seem to matter to them. It seemed like good fun at the time.

Part 5

Dominic exited out of a patch of bushes, zipping up his pants along the way. He felt relieved that he didn't have to hold in his urine any longer. Now all that was left was to rejoin his human friends, wherever they were. He went to the spot where they were last resting but they were gone.

"Hey guys," he called out. "Where're you-"

He then heard his friends all hush him. The hushing seemed to come inside a large bush. "Quiet." Kayleigh's voice whispered. "You don't want to scare it."

Dominic was confused. He wondered why they would be hiding inside a bush, and why they were keen on keeping quiet. The small imp crept his way over to where he heard the voices like a cat after a mouse. He crawled through the green leaves that masked his body until he was shoulder to shoulder between Rosemary and Krystal and the others. Rosemary pointed a finger out to an open field where a doe stood, grazing in the grass.

Dominic's toothy jaw gaped open and his dark eyes lit up in astonishment. "What is it?" The imp whispered.

"You've never seen a deer before?" Krystal said.

Dominic had in fact never seen a deer before. Hell did not house any sort of fauna such as a innocent looking creature. The demons were more familiar with the demonic goats—not to be mistaken for demons that looked like goats or had goat-like features. And then there were the sand eels and worms that slithered around the rocks, the many tentacled carnivorous fungi that waited for prey, the plains-roaming wrethkars, the hellfire bats and birds that soared the hazy skies, and the famous hellhounds whose howls were a wary call for death. Of course one would never forget the infamous scavengers that stalked the shadows, but all demons treat them like a plague rather than an animal.

This creature was something else. No fangs, horns, or scales. No head with multiple eyes, or a secondary head, or a tail with a poisonous stinger at the end. It was just normal, at least normal enough in the human's world. To the human kids it was just cool to see a deer wandering around, minding its own business. To a young demon like Dominic it was like witnessing a rarity, like seeing a living dinosaur for the first time.

Then came a second surprise to the group. A small deer, a fawn, walked its way to the larger animal. It rubbed its little head against the larger's shoulder, to which the adult responded by cleaning off the fawn's face with her tongue. The group figured that small fawn belonged to the doe, each showing amazement with a small smile on their faces.

When they thought their day couldn't have enough surprises, the sound of thunder made them jump. The ears of the two deer perked up and the pair leaped off to the opposite side of the woodlands. The children looked up through the trees and saw dark clouds rushing in. Rain followed shortly, dropping down from the heavens and landing everywhere.

The six friends booked it, running as far as they could from the increasing rain. Dominic spotted a cave deep inside a rocky outcrop and the rest followed. They all entered into the mouth of the cave, feeling a little cold from the rain; but at least the cave was dry.

"Geez, wish your mom could have warned us it was gonna rain." Krystal complained. "Now what do we do?"

There wasn't really much they could do now but wait. The six friends sat around inside the mouth and watched the miserable showers. It seemed to come down faster and faster. They listened to the water drip off the stalactites above, but Rosemary listened to something more. If there was anything her father taught her was that music can come from anything. As she listened closely the water was making a rhythm of its own.

Drip, drip, drop. Drip, drip, drop.

"Hey! I think I know what we can do now." Rosemary said and stood up in front of the group. "Alright, stomp your feet like this."

Rosemary stomped both her feet on the ground. It was only a repeated two stomp rhythm. Right foot first, then left foot followed.

Stomp, stomp!

Stomp, stomp!

The others stood up and mimicked her motions.

Stomp, stomp!

Stomp, stomp!

"Now clap your hands like this." she commanded. Her rhythm then became a beat.

Stomp, stomp, clap!

Stomp, stomp, clap!

Her friends repeated her pattern. Suddenly the pattern started to run a little faster to a familiar beat. It wasn't until Rosie started singing that they realized what they were doing.

"Buddy you're a boy make a big noise

 Playin' in the street gonna be a big man some day

 You got mud on yo' face

 You big disgrace

 Kickin' your can all over the place

 Singin'..."

"WE WILL, WE WILL ROCK YOU!" Everyone started singing Queen's timeless classic. The song seemed to echo deep into the cave as they continued their play concert. Then Ashley started breaking out into an imaginary guitar solo. Her hands held the fingerboard and wildly strummed the strings. She flailed her head around and her tongue wriggled like a worm on a hook. Her eyes were closed shut as she kept imagining that she was performing the most radical rock solo on the planet.

Her friends cheered her on. "Whoo! Rock it, Ash!" "You go girl!" "Go, Ashley, go!"

Ashley then started walking on top of some large rocks inside the cave. To her it left like her stage was growing higher and higher, oblivious to the reality she was actually stuck in. Yet she still kept her epic solo going. Then she took her imaginary guitar and smashed it onstage until it was into imaginary pieces.

Her friends still cheered her on. Even though Ashley couldn't hear them, they still cheered for her. "Yeah, smash that guitar!" "Rock on!" "Go, Ashley, go!"

Ashley's eyes were still closed. She still imagined the rocking crowd call for her, chanting her name. She made devil horns with her fingers and audience insider her mind went wild. They all dared her for a dramatic stage dive, which all her friends immediately recognized as they were standing directly below her.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa Ash! I know what you're think, but don't do it."

"Don't jump! Don't jump!"

"We're right below you, Ash. Open your eyes!"

"No, Ashley, no!"

"She's deaf! Why are we still yelling at her?"

Too late. Ashley dived for the crowd. Her friends screamed and then there was a sudden crash. Ashley finally opened her eyes and discovered that the roaring crowds were no more. Instead of cheers there were a series of painful groans from each of her friends, whom she laid on top off after her epic concert had ended.

Part 6

After their fun rocking choir ended the six friends decided to explore the cave. Walking around somewhere in the woods started to feel redundant; but what other activity was for them to do in the meantime?

The cave was much larger than they previously thought. It seemed to go deeper and deeper to somewhere, plenty of room for exploring. Neither Rosemary, Joshua, Krystal, Kayleigh, or Ashley knew about this cave. Brimstone definitely had its fair share of secrets. But wherever this cave was located it was their new, temporary hangout while the rain continued, and they might as well explore it. Down the narrow corridors the group journeyed onward in their little spelunking expedition, feeling like they were walking in the gullet of a sleeping giant. It was dark so Dominic held a small magic flame in his hand. The walls were moist with water and mold they dare not touch them, in fear that their hands would get greased from cave gunk. They then came across a large open space filled with pointy stalagmites and stalactites. A breeze of air brushed through as if the living cave was still breathing. Deep down they wanted to leave but the sense of adventure and curiosity drove the six companions further and further down the cave.

There, at the end, they all saw a light. Not Dominic's little light, he had already extinguished that when he saw it too. It was light from the sun that shined an exit for the group. Rosemary led on as they walked into a new discovery; they found it, deep in what would be the heart of the cave. Everyone's eyes grew wide and their mouths dropped open from the magnificent wonder they discovered. Inside the heart was a rocky ledge, and below them was a large pool of water so crystal clear they can see the bottom floor. It didn't look too deep but not too shallow as well. Up above was another cave mouth that was opened to the sky where the sun shined through. It must have been a quick downpour for it to be sunny now. The rays above glistened off the stalactites and the water everywhere.

Everyone awed at the wondrous new location, but their focus was more on the refreshing water below. It looked nice enough to swim in. "Wow. I bet that water feels nice." Joshua commented.

"Too bad we didn't bring any swimsuits." Kayleigh said, desperately wanting to jump in.

A wicked grin rolled on Rosemary's face, the same grin that was there before when she came up with that idea for a pretend sword fight with sticks. "You know, screw it." she laughed. As the old saying goes, when in Rome.

The first thing Rosemary did was take off and drop her signature beanie. Then she pulled off the scrunchy that held together her ponytail on the back of her head. Her raven hair felt free as a flower yet a good clump of hair still covered one of her eyes. Her hoodie and her t-shirt were then hauled off next. The group of friends gasped when she started popping off her shoes and socks.

"Whoa, what're doing?" Krystal asked confusedly.

They then really freaked when she started unbuckling her belt and pants. "You cannot be serious!" Krystal cried, realizing what her bestie was doing. The only two boys blushed and covered their eyes, making sure they didn't get a glimpse of Rosemary pulling down her pants. Everyone shouldn't have been too surprised by Rosemary's actions. She was somewhat of a tomboy at heart. And when a Gravely had a crazy idea there was no stopping them. Rosemary tossed her good clothes aside, now dressed half-naked in her tank top and panties. Everyone around her stared shocked that she would do this but Rosemary's focus was directly off the point. All she needed was a running start, full speed.

She launched. "CANNONBALL!" her ecstatic screams echoed through the whole cave. Like jumping off the tallest diving board at her local pool, she leaped off the ledge and wrapped her arms around her legs until she was shaped like a human ball. It didn't take long for her to hit the water. It felt cool and fresh against her skin and hair, the perfect water temperature. After absorbing the pool's coolness she emerged like a mermaid breathing air for the first time.

"Come on it, guys. The water's great." Rosie called for her friends, who continued to stare uncomfortably at her from above the ledge. She submerged herself again and popped right back up immediately. "Come on! Don't be chicken."

"Yeah, nice try, girlfriend," Krystal snobbishly remarked. "but there is, like, no way in hell we're jumping in too, in our underwear for that matter."

Perhaps not all of them. Dominic started to smile. It seemed crazy but that water did look nice. And he can't leave a girl swimming alone. There had to be a swimming buddy after all. He then slunk back behind the group, which did not escape the eyes of his concerned friends. They then stared awkwardly at him when he clawed off his shirt and undershirt. Then off came his shoes and socks, and then his pants followed too until he was only dressed in his boxer shorts. His little tail slipped through the hole in the back of his pants like a thread through a needle's eye but remained to balance out inside the hole in his shorts.

He ran towards the ledge and screamed, "Yeehaw!" He plummeted head first into the pool below. His tail coiled around his waist so his shorts didn't slip out when he hit the water. The young demon emerged next to Rosemary, spitting out a stream out of his mouth. While the pool felt nice, it probably wasn't safe to drink.

His dark eyes finally opened. The first thing he saw was the girl he secretly crushed on staring back at him with a plain smile on her adorable face. Dominic couldn't help but blush again since it was just the two of them swimming around in their underwear. Rosemary splashed at him to get him stop gawking and laughed. The demon splashed back and laughed too.

Krystal, Ashley, Kayleigh, and Joshua remained above them, watching them splash each other back and forth. Krystal then commented, "Well you two loons can swim all you want. We're not-"

"Look out below!" she heard Kayleigh's cries. Then she saw her zip by and jump in. Ashley followed behind her. What surprised the rich heiress the most was as they ran by, she noticed that they too had already undressed themselves, wearing only their tank tops and underwear too, as they both jumped into the cool water below together. The four friends laughed and swam around the large pool with only Krystal and Joshua still watching above.

"Good thing our parents raised us to be a little more sophisticated, right Josh?" She didn't hear an answer from him. "Josh?" Krystal turned and found her friend Joshua was no longer next to her. She looked back and gasped in disgust when she caught Joshua struggling to get his pants off his foot, hobbling around in his tighty-whities. Finally free he tossed them aside in a pile along with the others and ran off the ledge.

"Woohoo!" he screamed, feeling free from all restrictions in his life and splashing into that cool water below. Unlike the others Joshua kept swimming until he reached the bottom. He grazed his hand along the limestone floor and sands, which felt a mixture of coarseness and smooth like a lizard's belly. He finally swam back up and joined the others in their splashing contest.

They paused once realizing that Krystal was all that's left. "Come on, Krystal." her best friend Rosemary dared her. "Just strip and jump in with us."

Soon everyone in the pool chanted, "Strip and jump! Strip and jump! Strip and jump!"

Krystal tried to block out their chants but it was getting too much on her nerves. She didn't want to be swimming in some possibly bacteria-filled cave pond, but her crazy group of friends kept insisting she'd join them. "Fine I'll do it!" she barked and her friends cheered. After slowly undressing herself Krystal looked over the edge, shivering since she was in her training bra and panties. She still tried to cover herself, feeling uncomfortable and embarrassed that everyone was staring at her. The water looked nice but it was so uncivilized. She was raised in a mansion with a built in swimming area and water park. She shouldn't have to succumb to something like this, especially in her underwear with her half-naked friends.

Well it was time to suck it up. She just needed a running start like all the rest. She was disgusted every time her bare feet touched the slimy surface of the rock ledge. Once she was backed far enough she sprinted. Everybody in the pool heard her angry cries. "YOU GUYS SUUUUCCK!"

Krystal jumped and plunged into the water. To this pretentious princess the water was as cold as the Arctic. She had a built in spa inside her family mansion that was warmer than this cave water. She popped up to the surface, shivering evermore from the pool's temperature but at least the sun far above felt warm. Things didn't help when Dominic's tail whipped a stream of water toward her, splashing right in her face. The self-titled princess growled and tried splash at the others in retaliation, but they all splashed around as a game.

The six friends continued swimming, splashing, and laughing for what seemed like an eternity. They did a whole range of activities that any kid would do in a pool like holding their breath underwater to see who could hold it the longest, which Dominic became the champion of with six minutes and fifty-one seconds. Afterward they tried settling for a chicken fight with Krystal and Ashley on top of Joshua's and Dominic's shoulders. Then they raced around and around along the walls of the cave's pool to creating a small whirlpool.

Eventually they grew tired and their hands wrinkly like prunes, which meant it was time to get out. They rested together on some boulders as the sun's rays helped dry them off. They still didn't know if anyone knew about this cave but they didn't seem to care either. To them it belonged to them and no one else, and they definitely wouldn't mind coming back here again, with proper swimwear next time.

Part 7

The sun was setting over the horizon, almost blanketing the woods with the coming night. Waiting on the outskirts were Rosemary Gravely, Joshua Wordsworth, Kayleigh Marlow-Goto, Ashley DeMarco, Krystal Lotsadeux, and Dominic Doomslayer, all exhausted from their adventure in the woods. They all found their way back to where they started thanks to a locator spell that Dominic cast earlier. It was sort of like a spellbinder's GPS. Comes in handy when one is trying to find their car in a crowded parking lot.

Speaking of cars and other vehicles, a small mini-van drove along the road and gradually slowed to a halt in front of the children. It was none other than the Gravely family's van, driven by none other than Mrs. Gravely herself. She smiled and waved as van doors automatically slid open. The kids slowly crawled inside and buckled themselves in the squishy seats.

"So, did you all have fun today?" Rosie's mother asked eagerly. Yet the reactions she was hoping for was dulled down.

"I guess." Rosemary mumbled.

"The woods was fine." Dominic yawned.

"Saw a bunch of trees and leaves and stuff." Krystal moaned.

"Nothing too exciting." Kayleigh shrugged.

"It was pretty something." Joshua muttered.

Ashley, the most quiet of the bunch, said not a word but gestured a tiredly thumbs up.

"Well excuse me for trying so hard to introduce something new and exciting to your youthful lives." Mrs. Gravely ranted. She set the gear from park to drive and drove them home. "Summer is almost over and you're too busy thinking about what's on T.V., or the next video game tournament, or just lounging around like couch potatoes. You know at least I can say I tried. I tried to change things up a bit so you can come up with fun on your own. I bet you didn't even know about a cave out in those woods somewhere, and inside that cave was a large pool of water. Oh no, I bet you didn't go looking for it at all. I bet you just..."

Her raving finally stopped when she looked back in the rear view mirror. She caught a glimpse of her eldest daughter and all her friends tuckered off to sleep after their productive day. What really made Mrs. Gravely smile was when she caught her daughter's head resting on Dominic's shoulder as his head rested on her head like two unknowing love birds.

"Carmen Gravely, you are right about everything." she proudly whispered to herself. Although those kids won't be sleeping for too long. It was only an hour until they arrived back at their house on 999 Milton Avenue. Soon they'll wake up, stay over for dinner, then Rosie's friends will say goodbye and head back to their homes while Mrs. Gravely tucks her daughter into bed. Shortly after the weekend it'll be Monday, which means it was back to school for everyone. While those six friends may never admit it to Rosemary's mother, but she was right. Summer was a time to be making memories, and this memory will never be forgotten by any of them.