�����The alarm clock in the room of the Mystic sisters chimed, waking them from their slumber.

�����Pyra grumbled at the noise, throwing the clock across the room and pulling the covers over her head. Just let me stay in bed. I don't feel like getting up today, she pouted, silently.

�����"Wake up! It's morning!" Candy giggled, bouncing on top of Pyra with her usual cheerfulness. "We get to go to the city today! Yay!"

�����It didn't normally take much to make Pyra mad in the mornings. And this morning, in particular, she was in a bad mood. Candy had, in her usual way, found exactly the wrong thing to say to her oldest sister.

�����A loud shriek was heard throughout the third floor of the girl's dorm. Anyone who was still asleep was startled awake by the noise.

�����In the room next door, Alaska sat bolt upright in bed. "Wha... what?! What was that?" She had been dreaming that she invented a cheesecake that had no calories and no fat, but still tasted as good as regular cheesecake.

�����Chanse, who had already been awake doing her morning stretches, pointed at the bathroom door. "Sounded like it came from next door."

�����The door in question flew open, and Candy streaked by, wearing pink pajamas. She dived under Alaska's bed. Pyra came right after her, yelling with rage. She was covered in pink goo, a result of one of Candy's spells.

�����"You little brat!" Pyra screeched, rubbing the cotton candy out of her eyes. "You don't have to go rubbing it in like that! It's not fair! I wanna go too! I wanna!!" Full of self pity, Pyra gave up the chase. She slumped to the floor and started bawling.

�����We really need to get a bolt for that door, Chanse thought, exasperated. This was the fourth time, and it was only the first week.

�����"Oh sisters," Serenity sighed, peaking her head in through the bathroom door. Why couldn't they just get along?

�����Alaska yawned, tiredly. "If it's any counsolation, I have detention too." Not that she felt sorry for Pyra, she just wanted her to shut up.

�����"Yes, and it's all your fault we're in this mess!" Pyra accused her.

�����"My fault?!" Alaska yelled, glaring at Pyra. "You're the one that started the fight!"

�����"No, it was you! I was just minding my own business and trying to spend some quality time with my dearest darling Fiore snookie-wookums!!" Pyra screeched. She looked about ready to start throwing fireballs again.

�����"Oh yeah?!" Alaska glared.

�����Chanse was about to yell at them both to cut it out, but before she could, Serenity intervened, standing between them to stop the argument. "Both of you are at fault, and both of you are going to get into even more trouble if you start fighting again." She said, calmly.

�����"I guess she's right," Alaska sighed.

�����Pyra scowled. "But I still wanna go to the city with my dearest darling Fiore pookums!" Continuing to pout, she moved out of the room, with the intention of going back to bed.

�����"It's safe to come out now, squirt," Alaska said.

�����Candy peaked her head out from under Alaska's bed. "Gee, I didn't know she'd get that mad! I'm just excited to go, that's all."

�����"It would probably be a good idea not to mention it to her again, Candy," Serenity said, taking her younger sister's hand and leading her back to their own room. "Sorry if they woke you up," she apologized, before shutting the door.

...

�����On the opposite end of campus, Jinx and Fiore were also getting ready for the day.

�����"Have you seen my skimmer keys?" Fiore asked, looking under a pile of clothes that Jinx had thrown on the floor last night.

�����"Nope," Jinx said. He was digging through the drawers in his closet, making an even bigger mess as he searched for his favorite shirt, the blue one with the big orange polka dots. He had already found the red and white striped surfer style shorts he planned to wear with it.

�����"That's funny. They were right here on my nightstand yesterday," Fiore said, continuing to look. He was already dressed, wearing black jeans and a gray silk shirt. His long raven hair was tied back in a neat knot.

�����Squinky streaked by, the keys in his mouth.

�����"Hey! Give those back!" Fiore yelled, chasing after the squirrel.

�����"He's just pissed because I told him he couldn't come with us today," Jinx said. He had finally found the shirt. Now for his green and black plaid socks...

�����The squirrel was perched on the top shelf of Fiore's closet, just out of reach. He was chattering with mirth.

�����"Have you seen my camera?" Jinx asked. Luckily, he had packed several. The one that got broken the other day had been a spare.

�����"No, but it won't matter if I don't get my keys back." He had tried bribing Squinky from his perch with a peanut, with no luck.

�����"Give him the keys, Squink. I'll bring you back a whole box of your favorite chocolate covered pecans, I promise."

�����Squinky shook his head, stubbornly.

�����"Alright, alright. Two boxes. That's my final offer, you big mooch."

�����Squinky squeaked happily, letting the keys drop. Fiore caught them, tucking them safely away in a pocket.

�����"Are you ready to go meet the girls?" Fiore asked, sighing as he glanced around the room. It was a mess again, already. He had just cleaned it yesterday.

�����"Yep, all set!" He had thrown his clothes on, and finally spotted his camera case as he ran a handful of gel through his spiky hair.

�����The brothers headed for the cafeteria.

...

�����The two landing platforms for the school were on the very northern tip of the floating island. Underneath them were the parking garages, where faculty and students lucky enough to have their own transportation could park. The school also had a number of private shuttle busses, used in missions and other school outings.

�����It was to one of these garages that the friends headed after eating a quick breakfast. Pyra was unusually subdued, still sulking over not being able to go. She and Alaska had followed the others to see them off. Candy said she would bring them both back something nice, which made Pyra burst out crying, apologizing for yelling at her earlier.

�����"Will you bring me back something too, Fiore dearest?" She asked, pitifully, clinging to his arm.

�����"Yes, I'll think of something." Fiore said, sighing. They had reached a sleek, jet black skimmer. Fiore pulled out his keys, still not believing the beautiful new vehicle was his. All of his hard work and savings from the past five summers had finally paid off.

�����"I get shotgun!" Jinx called, plopping down in the front seat.

�����Chanse, Serenity and Candy piled into the back seat.

�����"Have fun, you guys!" Alaska called, waving, as Fiore pulled out of his parking spot. They wheeled up the ramp to the landing platform.

�����"Ready for takeoff?" a voice came over the skimmer's radio.

�����Fiore checked the gauges, making sure they had enough fuel, and that there were no warning lights. "Everything's in order."

�����"Roger that." The voice from the tower said. "You're clear."

�����"Roger, tower. Over and out." Fiore said. He drove the skimmer to the runway, pushing the button that extended the wings. Giving the gauges a final check, he accelerated. The skimmer took to the air, speeding away.

�����"Wheee!" Candy cried, from the back seat. She was dressed in a pink sundress with a daisy on the front.

�����Chanse was dressed in jean cutoffs and a tan tanktop. She looked out the window, admiring the view. Below them was the ocean, and she could see the beach not very far off in the distance. Even farther away, she could just make out the tallest buildings of Aulderan City.

�����"So, Chanse, where would you like to go first?" Ren asked her. Instead of her usual robes, she had on jeans and a lacy white shirt. "I think it's only fair that you get first pick, since you've never been before."

�����"Umm... Gee. I really don't know where to begin. How about the museum?" She had head that it had some interesting exhibits.

�����Jinx groaned, inwardly. Booorrring!

�����"The museum it is," Fiore said.

�����"I wanna go to the amusement park!" Candy cried, bouncing in her seat.

�����"That sounds like fun!" Chanse said.

�����"We'll go there second, then." Fiore said.

�����"YES!!!" Jinx cried. The amusement park was his favorite, too. "Then, we need to shop a little. Squinky will be mad if I don't bring him those pecans."

�����"Yes, and I need to get some books and something for Pyra," Fiore agreed.

�����"If we have time, I would like to go see a play, if the theater has anything good," Serenity added.

�����"I think I heard something about a new show opening today," Fiore said. "Sounds pretty good, if we can get tickets."

�����The friends continued to discuss their plans, as Fiore steered the shuttle for the city.

...

�����Jinx looked at the sour-faced portrait in the museum's 'Hall of Famous People'. "This is Stinky Sourpuss, a very evil magician."

�����They went on to the next portrait, a middle-aged lady with a severe overbite. "Madam Cheesewhiz. Rumor has it that she married a mouse."

�����Candy giggled. "That's silly!"

�����The two of them had broken away from the others, because Fiore had started a lengthy conversation about ancient forms of weaponry. Chanse and Serenity both appeared to be interested, but Jinx and Candy had quickly gotten bored by the subject.

�����The next portrait was of an old wizard with a long white beard. He was standing next to a knight wearing old fashioned armor.

�����"Weirdbeard, the wizard of Dorkshire," Jinx announced. "The knight is Sir Smellsalot."

�����Candy laughed. "Nuh uh! You made all that up! It's funny, though!"

�����Jinx gave her a look of mock injury. "I'm serious," He said, keeping a straight face. "My brother told me all about them. Together, they went on a quest to slay the evil dragon that was guarding the all powerful thingamadoodad. They also rescued the princess Fairchild from Bigbum, the evil ogre."

�����For an instant, Candy thought he was actually telling the truth. Then, a smile broke across Jinx's face. "Just kidding!" He laughed.

�����Candy rolled on the floor with laughter. Fiore came up behind the two of them, asking what was so funny. This made them laugh even harder.

...

�����"Whee!!! This is fun!" Candy cried, clinging to the pink wooden kitten on the carousel. Ren was next to her, riding a white pegasus decked with flowers. In front of them, on a purple squirrel, rode Jinx.

�����"I never told you... Thank you," Chanse said to Fiore. She was riding on a blue sea dragon, and he was right next to her, on a phoenix. "For yesterday, I mean. Even though I know you didn't challenge Jerith just for me, it was really cool how you busted in like that, at exactly the right minute."

�����Fiore shrugged. "You didn't seem to need rescuing, though. In fact, You handled him fairly well." He smiled, remembering the startled look on Jerith's face when Chanse had punched him in the jaw.

�����Chanse smiled back. "Yeah, well, the big pervert asked for it."

�����"Indeed," Fiore agreed.

�����The two of them gazed at each other, his golden eyes meeting her green ones, until they both blushed and looked down.

�����She's so spirited and full of life, Fiore thought. Although he had only known her a week, he already felt stronger about her than he had for any other girl in his life. She made him feel as though he could accomplish anything. Should I tell her my feelings, he wondered. Does she care about me, too? And what about Pyra?

�����I can't get over the way he makes me feel, Chanse thought. I've been 'just friends' with lots of guys, but Fiore is different. Does he feel the same about me? The way he had looked at her yesterday, after the fight, made her think that he might. And just now, he had looked at her with an expression that made her heart thump.

�����Without consciously knowing it, they began to lean nearer to each other, as the carousel looped them around.

...

�����"Owww... my stomach," Jinx groaned, his face turning green.

�����"Didn't I warn you not to go on the roller coaster right after eating so much?" Fiore scolded.

�����"Must have been that third chillidog," Chanse teased. She was carrying a small stuffed dragon that Fiore had won for her at one of the carnival games. She, in turn, had won him a little tiger.

�����"Or the anchovy pizza, or the nachos with extra jalapinos, or the cotton candy, or maybe the french fries with mayonnaise, or even the triple scoop of ice cream covered with nuts and hot fudge with a cherry on top..." Candy continued, cuddling the stuffed pink kitten that Fiore had given her.

�����Jinx's face turned even more green. "I'm never eating again," he vowed.

�����"Oh my, perhaps we should make him lie down for a while?" Serenity said, noting Jinx's unhealthy color. "He must really be sick, to say something like that."

�����"He'll be fine in a few minutes, just wait and see," Fiore replied, calmly.

�����"I donno, he looks like he's gonna hurl to me," Chanse said, skeptically. Jinx was clutching his stomach.

�����"Hey look, everyone!" Candy cried suddenly, pointing ahead. "It's the funhouse! Let's go!!!"

�����"Where, where?" Jinx asked, perking up. "Oh boy, I love funhouses! C'mon Candy, I'll race you!"

�����"Okay!!" Candy agreed. the two of them sped off.

�����"Wow, what a miraculous recovery!" Chanse said, stunned.

�����"Yes, well, my brother is quite resillient as far as food is concerned," Fiore replied.

�����"I should have known," Serenity agreed.

...

Part 2

...

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This story and it's characters are � Chibi Ningyo (Cara V.), 2000.

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