Hansol tapped his foot eagerly as he watched the clock tick slowly.  One more minute and he’d be out of this class and the most anticipated event in the entire school year would begin… the beach party celebrating the end of the first semester.

“Hansol would you relax? You do realize that the more you watch the clock, the slower it’ll move right?” Xero said.  Hansol ignored him and bit his lip in anticipation as the clock hand finally moved and the bell rang.

“Oh yeah!” Seogoong shouted as he jumped out of his seat.  Gohn laughed deeply as they exited the class.

“I cannot wait for this party! It’s always so epic!” he said.

“Is Jiwon coming?” Xero asked with a hint of annoyance.

“Yes he’s coming… what’s it going to take for you to trust him Xero? It’s been two whole weeks.  We trusted Hansol in twenty minutes,” Seogoong wondered.

“I know but something’s off about him. I didn’t feel it at first, but the more I’m around him the more uneasy I get,” Xero replied.

“Don’t worry Xero, I felt it at first too, but then I realized that he’s just not used to having friends.  I know exactly how he feels,” Hansol said as the four of them were joined by Byungjoo and Yano.

“What are you guys talking about?” Byungjoo asked.

“Nothing, let’s head to our dorms and start getting ready, the busses leave in an hour,” Xero said.

After changing into some beach friendly attire and shoving a bunch of candy and sunscreen in a backpack, Hansol and Xero rushed to the busses.   Hansol was going to sit next to Xero, but then he noticed that Jiwon was sitting alone.

“Hey, what’s up?” he asked, taking his seat.  Jiwon looked surprised as he removed his headphones.

“Uh, hey Hansol… I thought you guys didn’t trust me?”

“Some of the others don’t, but you’re alright with me,” Hansol replied with a smile.

“That’s good to hear,” Jiwon said.  The busses pulled off one by one, heading for Brightstar Beach.  Every once in a while Jenissi would shoot Hansol a dirty glare and mouth the word “traitor”.  Hansol rolled his eyes and turned back to Jiwon.  They talked for the duration of the ride, and everyone cheered in unison when the bus arrived at the beach.

“I’m gonna try surfing, hyung you wanna come?” Byungjoo excitedly asked.  Hansol giggled at the feeling of the sand between his toes.

“You know I’m terrified of the ocean Byungjoo,” he said.

“Gotta get over your fear sometime!” Xero said as he picked Hansol up and threw him over his shoulder.  Moments like that made Hansol hate his short stature…

He kicked and screamed as Xero ran toward the water.  He squeezed his eyes shut as he felt the water clash with his skin.  He thrashed around wildly, but Xero held him in place.

“Hansol, calm down… we’re still in the shallow part,” Xero said.  Hansol opened one eye and his cheeks turned red with embarrassment.  He playfully punched Xero’s chest and splashed him before trying to run back to the shore.  Xero grabbed him and splashed water in his face.

“Aww look at the two love birds,” Hojoon teased as he sat down on the beach.  Sehyuk couldn’t help but laugh.

“Shut up,” Xero replied, sticking out his tongue.  Everyone was distracted by Byungjoo’s girly shriek as he fell off his surfboard.

“You okay!?” Hansol asked.  Byungjoo just gave a thumbs up before climbing back on. 

“Guys, come here! Me and Jiwon built the fire pit!” Sangdo called.  Everyone followed him to a more secluded area of the beach and sat down around the large pit.

“Let’s take a moment to thank our awesome wizard Hojoon for all of this magically acquired food,” Sehyuk said.

“What food?” Byungjoo asked.

“That food,” Jenissi replied, pointing at the open space behind Sehyuk.

“There’s nothing there,”

“Look again,”

“Oh… never mind,”

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

Kidoh sat quietly on the beach, watching the water and ignoring the loud music.

“Kidoh! Come dance with us… it’ll make you feel great!” Nakta said, pulling Kidoh’s arm.  He pulled him into the large group and Sanggyun handed him a Popsicle.

“This is your favorite flavor, eat it, dance a little and just have some fun,” Sanggyun said with a smile.  Kidoh sighed and put the Popsicle in his mouth.  He then unveiled his awesome signature dance move, “The super shuffle”, getting a huge laugh from Nakta and Sanggyun.  They hadn’t seen him like this in ages.

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

Hansol laid on his back and rubbed his stomach.  Sehyuk burped loudly, sending a short burst of flame into the air. 

“Time for a lion nap!” Seogoong said with a yawn.

“Don’t you mean a cat nap?” Hansol asked.

“Nope!” Yano replied, laying his head on Gohn’s shoulder.

“Guys… I’ve had a lot of fun today, thanks for welcoming me into your group,” Jiwon said shyly.

“Whoa, hold your horses. No one said we were welcoming you,” Jenissi replied.  Jiwon’s gaze shifted to the ground.

“Lighten up Jenissi,” Hansol said.

“Alright, calm down guys. I have an announcement to make,” Sehyuk stood up in front of the fire pit.

“What is it?” Xero wondered.

“Well guys, I think it’s time that we all have a history lesson!”

“Boo!” Yano shouted, his eyes still closed.

“I gotta agree with Yano… no one wants to hear you talk about history,” Gohn said.

“I know… that’s why I convinced the student council to organize a trip to Rome for the annual retreat next month!” Sehyuk announced.  Everyone cheered.

“I don’t really like ancient Roman history,” Byungjoo admitted.

“We’re not learning the history of Rome dummy… we’re learning the history of the Order of the Wolf! Sehyuk has been talking about this history lesson for years,” Jenissi explained.

“Wait… so we’ll be learning the history of the Order from the area where it began!? Uh… I gotta… go pee! I’ll be back!” Jiwon jumped up and ran off.

Hansol was really excited.  He’d always wanted to go to Rome, and he was curious about the origins of the order… this was going to be an awesome trip!