The 4th [site event]

The first stars were appearing in a darkling sky, reflected in a crystal lake as clear as glass. It was warm and airy by the water, tinged with the smells of summer, and the forest rustled with the sound of approaching students.

A fire burned on the shore like a beacon, circled by a ring of foldable chairs, complete with all the typical cliches. Inflatable rafts, innertubes, plastic pool toys, a cooler packed with ice and bottles, your typical campfire food for your typical 4th of July party. It'd all been set up beforehand in preparation, but there wasn't anybody else in sight as the first students emerged from the trees.

The crowning jewel, though, were the colorful array of fireworks piled high just outside the fire's orange flow, just begging to be unpacked and lit up. Happy 4th of July, Beata Academy.

The day of freedom, independence - the fourth of july. Aspen wore a baggy sweater, an old vintage looking american flag printed onto it. The autumn had wore her blonde hair in a simple ponytail, it looked shiny and neat. Her shoes were a plain brown, that looked almost worn down if you knew Aspen you knew that she would wear the same old shoes until they well.. were unwearable. And for her pants she wore simple black leggings with no visible pattern only plain. Aspen had walked through the woods, the smell of a burning fire had reached her nostrils and the crackling flames had notified her of where the event was taking place. Walking towards the sound and smell, Aspen blinked as she was greeted by an amazing site. Fireworks, swimming toys, it was great. Glancing around it was a bummer too notice she was the only one here but by the sounds earlier in the forest it was clear that more people were on their way to this very fire. The autumn had grinned and reached for a small firework that was nicely stationed. Walking towards the waters edge the autumn had pulled a lighter from her pocket, watching the small flame burn across the string, then Boooom.

A screeching sound was heard loud and clear as the dark sky was suddenly lit up by an explosion of bright colors. The explosion had taken the girl by a bit of a surprise never expecting such a small firework too be so loud or so big. Oh well, another smile had graced onto Aspens features. The first firework off the night, happy fourth of july everybody.

Barry arrived right when the first firework went off. He wore his typical summer attire, which was a t-shirt and khaki shorts. He stared up at the sky as the fireworks went off with loud bangs and beautiful colors. He always enjoyed firworks. Every year he'd go to Wrigley Field and watch their large display of various different ones. He stuck his hands in his pockets and sighed happily. Fireworks were the one thing that quieted his thoughts and greatly enjoyed them.

Matthew, however, had only seen very small selections of fireworks. He never got a chance to see the big one's because he lived in a small town outside of Portland, Maine. He marveled at them, grinning like a small child. If this was what the 4th of July was like at Beata, he couldn't wait for more.

Dylan smiled as he walked into the clearing, fireworks lit up the sky above him. The last time he had seen fireworks was when he was a young boy. The fireworks were quite pleasant to watch but there was a more important matter at hand. Free food, the reasone he had come. If Dylan knew anything, never turn down an event with free food . He tried walking casually towards the food layed out, hoping that no one saw him take food.

"Fireworks already?" Richard said as he walked closer to the site set up for the festivities. As far as he knew, the gathering had just started. But then again, it was getting dark. As he entered the clearing, he looked around at the few people that were already there. There weren't many, but he was expecting many more later. Getting a little excited, he walked around the fire towards the pile of fireworks close by. Giving a quick glance as Aspen, he looked back down at the giant stack. "What kind of fireworks do we have to work with?" he asked, trying to figure out what the heck a firecracker called an "attitude adjustment" would do.

Off on the side, Brailynn had just paid her own visit to the gigantic box of beautiful explosives herself, completely thrilled that the teachers had decided to be so gracious with their supple that year. Usually, only summer students got a hold of them and went crazy on the other side of the lake. She'd just been twirling a few sparklers between her fingers when she saw her roommate walk up. Though he was talking to the tall golden blondie not far off, she didn't see much harm in slipping into the conversation with her friend. "I don't think we even know all the different kinds yet. Were you hoping for a type? Into the really noisy ones, maybe?" Lynn smiled and offered him a sparkler.

The next to arrive was Preston, whose eyes didn't travel to the lake, nor the fireworks, nor the bonfires and chips - and for once, not even the women. Nope. He eyed the large charcoal grill that had apparently left for him. Somehow, word had gotten to the teachers about his talents in cooking and time in the kitchen. Shortly thereafter, he got called in for a deal. He supplied the big entrees for the party, and he got some desperately needed extra credit for his classes.
He looked annoyed and only bothered as he set his psuedo-kitchen up, preparing the hamburgers. Truth was, he didn't mind all that much. Cooking was one of the few things he enjoyed and wouldn't cut corners on.
These people were gonna get the best damned burgers they bad in their lives. >8I So help him...

The last of the three had waited on the edge of the clearing for sometime, either just watching or waiting for something, he'd forgotten why he'd been lingering there. His mind wandered as it looked around. He saw the fireworks, the food, the people roasting and snacking already over the fire. None of that interested him as much as the rafts on the lake did. Damn, a cold swim sounded good right now, and wouldn't it be cool to watch the fireworks whilst relaxing on the water? "We just winging this party then?" Jason asked to no one in particular, smiling a bit. Alright then.

Kind of surprised to see Lynn there already, Richard looked back and smiled as he took the sparkler she was offering him. Fireworks were always awesome, but he didn't really have experience setting them off. "Actually, I don't really have a preference. I just like the colorful ones that light up the sky. Like the ones they use for finales at the fireworks shows. Those are the best!" he replied as he stood up from the pile and turned towards Brailynn. "Do you have a preference? Or a way to light this?" Twirling the unlit sparkler between his fingers, he grinned again before looking around for a spare lighter somewhere. With all of these fireworks, there had to be at least one lying around.

Finally, Penny had arrived almost skipping towards the grill/firework/lakeside area. Wearing a simple white tank top and a rather skimpy aqua skirt overtop a lilac bikini, she was ready to go for a swim underneath the bright moon. Night swimming was always the best especially at parties. Even if she didn't end up swimming, she got to show off her swim suit which was perfectly acceptable since they were right next to the lake. Walking up next to Jace, she paused a moment as he seemed to talk to himself for a moment. "But winging it makes the best parties! You gotta make it fun!" she said in an unusually bubbly voice. Placing her hand on her hip, she looked up at him with a mischievous smirk on her face.

Barry was glad he remembered to wear his swim trunks under his shorts as he saw the beautifully clear lake. He would definately go swimming later. But first he smelled burgers cooking on a grill and that drove him towards the larger groups of people. Matthew, however, was still mesmerized by the fireworks.

Kayla sat at the edge of the lake, not daring to touch the water, sitting alone in the shadows. The party looked like it was already in full swing, and people had already launched off a few fireworks. She couldn't help but grin at the few wisps of smoke hanging in the air, remnants of a bottle rocket. The smell of sulfur and burnt paper were always sweet to her, especially on nights like this.

She held out a finger, and a lone spark went scurrying up to the tip of her nail, flashing bright and blue in the darkness. I'm my own walking firework.

She couldn't help but smile a bit more then, picturing the large fireworks he was describing going off against the night sky. It probably wouldn't be long until he got to see a bunch of his favorite then, the Spring thought. "Well, they've set off one or two of those I think," she mused aloud, gazing up at him. "They've played 'roulette' for some time now." Her hazel eyes found their way back to the giant pile not a few feet away from them. "I think I like these sparklers best. They look so much prettier up close. And it also just so happens I have a lighter right in my pocket." Brailynn pulled it out, flicking the small metal piece and putting the flame to the end of her own sparkler until it set off. She held it near him, letting him light his off hers.

He hadn't expected anyone to really come up and surprise him, much less his own hot af ;n; roommate. Jace was quick to grin then, returning her mischievous look with one of his own. "Oh, hey Penny." He muttered an easy greeting, getting a quick once... or twice-over of her attire. Compared to her, he was feeling a bit overdressed himself. "Is that so?" He felt a bead of sweat roll down his neck from the still warm weather, and the water looked all the more enticing. Jason didn't hesitate much then, reaching behind him and pulling his shirt off - tossing it to who-cared-where (it was an old thing anyways). "So if I happened to drag you into the water with me on a whim, that'd be fun for you too?"

Barry kinda hovered awkwardly waiting for the food to finish cooking while everyone else was talking in groups. He didn't do well in groups. He never knew what to say. So he stood, waiting for things to get really rolling, and debated on going swimming. He decided to wait until more went in, so he didn't look like a Lonely Larry.

The Spring boy hadn't really thought on going at all; his "power" making anything out there completely useless entertainment-wise. In frustration he'd rolled his eyes to the back of his head, among other things. Then Rhett was thrown into... something. He couldn't see. His section of the dorm room was completely dark, the only light being from the window. 'I can't see.' A wide grin spread across his face and he cheered out loud, not caring for how his roommates thought at the moment. "I can't see!" Right then he had sprinted out of the dorms and towards the lake.

Now he had reached the bonfire, grinning stupidly at the sky. He flopped on to the grass and just stared at the star-filled sky. Finally, he could see what they could. His power had stopped working for the time being. The fireworks, which years before were just annoying sound, flared into the sky in all colors of the rainbow. This was it. This was the best moment of his life by far.

-------------------

Another student rushed by, a short girl in a baggy T-shirt long enough to be a dress. She was guaranteed to go swimming, but not before grabbing something hot to eat! By the grill she noticed her former competitor from the tournament and stopped. Amelia wasn't completely sure if he tolerated her, or if how he acted was just plain normal for him. Turning away, she headed for the snack table. After a moment of blankly gazing at the various foods, the bite-sized chunks of meat caught her eye. They looked great; it must have cost whoever bought them quite a bit. She stuck a few on a roasting stick and went to the fire to cook them, but noticed a familiar face trying to sneak off with food.

"No one's going to judge you for stealing free food," she laughed while coming up behind the student. "Really, Dylan, it's not going anywhere."

Dylan turned to see Amelia walking towards him. He put his hands of guiltily and said," You can't say that. As the saying goes, everyone's a critic. Even if it's for free food." Dylan took a bite of the dinner roll in his hand." Anyway, besides the food, nice fireworks huh, must've cost a fortune."

Suddenly it seemed that Richard's face brightened just a little more as she lit up her own sparkler. "Look at you all prepared!" he exclaimed with a smile on his face before placing his sparkler next to hers to light it. After a few seconds, the tip lit up in bright colors, lighting up the space between them just a little bit more. He looked up for just a second to see her face in the glistening light of the sparkler. "Yeah... I see what you mean," he mused before finally moving his away from hers and waving it around a little bit to keep it lit and to keep it from sending sparks all over him.

Was that a bit of a challenge? It was funny because Penny knew she didn't stand a chance against Jace when it came to being dragged into the water. She didn't weigh a whole lot and there really wasn't any point in fighting him when it came down to it, especially with that body that she couldn't help but look at when he pulled his shirt off. He was very easy on the eyes, that was for sure. Skipping around to where she was standing full in front of him, she crossed her arms in front of her chest, spread her feet shoulder-length apart so that she appeared to be standing her ground. As the grin on her face grew, she stared Jace in the eye. "Oh, I dare you to try," she responded before realizing that she still had on her cover-up clothes. "Wait, wait. Let me get ready first." Quickly stripping out of her tank top and skirt so that she was only in her strapless swimsuit, she retook her position in front of him with her arms crossed and her heels dug into the ground. "Try me."

She smiled a bit more brightly at his praise, even if bringing a lighter to a firework show wasn't the biggest accomplishment in the world, hearing him get all excited about it still made her pretty happy. The Spring kept her gaze on her lit sparkler, watching as streams of bright orange and green flames had started shooting out, spreading to the small wand that her friend was holding himself. She'd hardly caught what he'd said in that moment, but when she thought on it, she'd found herself blushing - at least a little. 'Don't make a big deal about it,' Brailynn had told herself quickly. It was probably nothing.

The young woman took a few steps away from him as well, beginning to wave her sparkler and draw shapes in the air; circles, stars, and hearts - whatever seemed right in the moment. It was all pretty to her. "En garde." She playfully held it up towards him, a mischievous look on her face.


Jason meanwhile watched with an amused expression as Penny skipped around the clearing in front of him, standing in a pretty stubborn looking position. Was she really doing this, he wondered, completely up for this challenge of hers - if you could even really consider it a fair challenge in the first place. "Sure you don't want to change your mind?" He called, offering her one last way out, but it seemed there was no way that she was backing away from this. He caught her gaze, staring back as she did well to take off the clothes over her bathing suit. Completely fine with him. Totally.

This was going to be too easy, he'd thought. Maybe he could let up and make her feel like she was putting up a little fight though, at least. The Autumn walked up, grabbing onto her shoulder with one hand and her hip with the other and starting to push her back towards the water, not enough to shove her, but to give her something to fight against. "Don't be getting mad at me when you're soaking wet." He muttered with a devious smile.