'Hm, I guess that's true. I wonder if they really got rid of all the witches...'

Sooyoung, Sunny, Tiffany, Jessica and Seohyun all shared a quick glance then hurried the rest along to the next part of the museum.

'Oh, yum! This mushroom burger's delicious!' Yuri remarked, taking another big bite out of her meal.

'Mhm this caesar salad's the bomb,' Hyoyeon agreed between mouthfuls.

'Well, better get in the good food while we can. I can't imagine school food being even remotely decent, much less good,' Yoona pouted.

'I'm sure it's fine, Yoona,' Taeyeon assured but then asked Tiffany, 'the food's all right, right Tiffany?'

Tiffany stole a glance at Sooyoung then replied simply, 'we don't attend school here.'

Taeyeon, Hyoyeon, Yuri and Yoona immediately snap their heads towards Tiffany, brows furrowed with a look of complete confusion.

'How could you guys not go to school here? You guys are our age.'

'Yeah, we're just taking a break before starting school. We don't feel quite ready to get back into the grind yet. I'm sure the food's okay though, don't worry~' Sunny chuckled to lighten the mood, which she easily did.

'Bummer,' Yoona sighed, looking at Seohyun, 'we thought we'd at least have some friends to hang out with in school.'

Taeyeon agreed, 'yeah, because we're not taking the exact same subjects, so there's a high chance we'd have pretty different timetables. We were hoping we'd have similar schedules as some of you.'

'Oh man, we're so sorry. Don't fret too much, the students here always seem really happy, I'm sure they'll welcome you guys with open arms!' Seohyun tried to assure the girls.

'Hopefully!' Yoona giggled, 'so what do you guys do every day? Are you guys working?'

Sooyoung spoke up this time, worried the others would say something wrong.

'We used to, but now we're just taking time to rest and have a bit of fun.'

'Ah, must be great to have such freedom,' Yuri sighed enviously, 'sadly, we start school this coming Monday.'

‘This Monday? Wow, didn't you guys just arrive? Hm, well on the bright side, at least you guys still have two days to relax and explore,' Jessica barely spoke the whole day. She had always found it slightly more difficult to socialize than the others.

'Well, considering half the day's already gone, we technically only have a day and a half left.'

'All right then, let's make the most of it! Come on guys, finish up the food and let's head down to the beach for some water fun!' Tiffany beamed her beautiful eyesmile.

Soon after, nine fully satisfied and happy girls were seen leaving the burger joint at the corner of the street. They were chatting amongst themselves, laughing and singing along their way. 

There weren't many people in this little town, and life was slow-paced. Hardly any place was ever really busy or packed to the brim, not even the marketplace. It was a modern town with the hint of a village vibe, and many of the locals knew one another like family. How the witches had managed to stay distant from the people, was all due to the Alkonost Teardrop. They were given a fresh supply by the Council every single week, and they used it on nearly everyone they met. Just one drop cleared the memory of those they encountered of their brief meeting, and enabled the witches to stay in hiding. That prevented the stir of unnecessary questions and digging to discover who they were. Years and years went past with this same cycle of rescuing the people and then making them forget, forcing the witches to retreat into their own little fortress. Or at least until now...

The girls spent an hour or so picking shells and pretty rocks while waiting for their food to digest. Taeyeon had the most, using a little plastic container she found on a bench nearby to hold her loot. She was planning to buy a fish tank to place in her room and wanted to use her hand-picked items as decoration.

'Okay guys, are we ready to get on with the main course?' Yuri couldn't wait to finally try surfing.

'Yes! I think all my food has pretty much gone down,' Tiffany said while rubbing her tummy, earning a giggle from Taeyeon.

'Okay, there's quite a lot to choose from. Like surfing, paddle boarding, kayaking, wind surfing. I think they have the list somewhere at the counter so let's pick what we want to do,' Seohyun turned away from Yoona to face the others as she spoke.

After deciding, the girls split up into their own groups for the different activities. Sooyoung, Seohyun, Yoona and Sunny chose to paddle board and made their way to the shallower waters. The more sporty ones, Jessica, Yuri and Hyoyeon picked up their surfboard of choice and headed to the shoreline, ready to catch a few waves. That left Taeyeon and Tiffany alone at the kayak shack.

‘Hi there! Can we get a rec two-person kayak please?’ Tiffany asked smoothly. She had always been a big fan of rowing.

The lady at the counter gave a small nod and went to the back to haul a kayak for them.

‘Rec?’ Taeyeon asked after the woman left.

‘Recreational. The ones used in competitions are a little different and people do come here to train so we have to specify which kind of kayak we want.’

‘Ah, I see. I take it you’re into kayaking?’<