"WOW!" Kawaii~Chan, Katelyn and I gasp, looking around at the party.

"This is a part-eh!" Garroth says happily.

I gasp and point. "LOOK!" Garroth, Travis and kawaii~Chan all squeal with me and race for the face-painting stand.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!" Zane groans.

"They actually have it!" Katelyn says in shock.

"OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH THEY ACTUALLY HAVE IT!" Garroth screams, his eyes sparkling.

"I didn't think it was possible..." Travis says faintly.

"I NEED IT I NEED IT I NEED IT!" Kawaii~Chan shrieks.

"COME ON GUYS, LET'S GO!" I squeal, running for it. I notice Travis hangs back, but I don't question it.

Garroth, Kawaii~Chan and I start rifling through the patterns. Garroth gives another gigantic gasp. "WOW THEY HAVE IT! A SWAN PATTERN!" He holds it up.

"Wow!" Kawaii~Chan says, and keeps looking for cheetahs.

"Ready to get your face painted?" We all turn and see Guy and Nate sitting there, holding paint brushes.

"Wait. Huh? Why are you the one painting?" Garroth asks.

"We gotta do somethin' while we wait." Nate says. "This makes money!"

"Yep! Now, what can I get for you guys?" Guy asks.

"Heads up---uh, Guy is terrible at this." Nate warns. "He just thinks he's good at it."

"That's not true!" Guy says. "I'm great at painting out animals, just watch!"

"Whatever you say, hun."

"I don't know if I should be excited or scared." I admit. "You've done this before, right?"

"NOPE! Now, pick an animal!" he sings.

"Fine by me!" I say, grabbing a purple butterfly pattern.

"WHEEEEE!" Kawaii~Chan squeals. It takes a few tries, in which Guy hastily wipes our paint off to Nate's knowing smirk, but we finally get all our paint done the way we want. I have to say, I kinda look like a butterfly is eating my nose, and it's awesome. We find Zane afterward, who tells us that Katelyn is touring the place with Kai (Some Meif'wa boy from high school) and Travis. Then he tells us to write our names on the cards so we can save our spots.

I do so, loving how my handwriting looks exactly like Mummy's:

"There!" Garroth says proudly. I look up at him. "Wrote my name on my card, haha!"

"I still hate the fact that our handwriting looks the same." Zane gripes.

"Well maybe you should change yours because I was born first! Hmm!" Garroth says grumpily.

"I honestly don't care." Zane sighs.

"Didn't sound like you didn't care a minute ago." I tease.

Garroth gasps. "THEY HAVE RING TOSS!" he gets up and runs for the game.

"Is it bad to think my brother has the attention span of a sloth?" Zane asks.

I laugh and slip out of my seat. "Nah, because it's true. I'll go with him, make sure he knows to come back." I go over to Garroth as he tries over and over to get the ring on the bottle.

"ALL I WANT IS A STUFFED DOLPHIN!!!" Garroth wails. "WHY IS THIS SO HARD??"

I roll my eyes, grabbing the rings from him and throwing all three of them at once, each one landing on the golden bottle.

"Yay!" Garroth takes the dolphin to the game-runner's dumbfounded expression. I wink and walk away with Garroth, beaming.

"You're welcome, big brother." I say.

He beams at me. "Thank you, baby sister! SWAN OF THE SEA, YEAAAAH!" he runs whooping, hugging his animal. 

My big brother... I hope he never loses this part of him. The giggly, bubbly, happy-go-lucky,  dumb boob-brain thing that makes Garroth, Garroth. 

_______________________________

Back at our table, I notice Kawaii~Chan is missing, and Zane is looking confused and scared, stirring his drink without actually drinking any of it. I have to poke his arm three times before he notices me.

"W-what?" He asks.

"Uh, Zane, are you okay?" I say slowly.

He looks down at his cup and keeps stirring it.

Oooooookaaaaay...

"Uh, Zane, where's Kawaii~Chan?" I ask.

"How should I know?" Zane mutters. "Seems I have no idea what to say to her, and so she's disappeared and I don't know what I said to make her sad, but she's---" he looks up, almost seeming like he wants to cry. "I don't know what I said!"

I pat his arm awkwardly. So, Kawaii~Chan must have talked to him about feelings.

"I'm sure, whatever you said, that she's not mad at you for it." I tell him. "Maybe she's just confused. I don't know. Kawaii~Chan's mood changes quick, you know? But she's easygoing. She'll forgive you no problem."

"Not now." Zane snaps. "I'm going to get food." He gets up and walks away, leaving me shell-shocked. Zane hasn't snapped at me in... well, since the lodge.

"Zane---Wait!" I get up and chase after him. "What did I say? Zane! ZANE!" I grab his arm and stop him. He doesn't look at me, but I can see the guilt in his one visible eye. "Zane, what---"

"I'm sorry, okay?" Zane snaps again, and then breathes for a moment to calm down. "I'm sorry. Okay?" he repeats. "I just want to be alone right now."

I let go of his arm, but he doesn't move.

"Zane, are you okay?" I ask tentatively.

"I'm fine." he promises. "I just... I'm fine."

"Did Kawaii~Chan ask you to be her boyfriend?"

His eye widens. "N-no! W-what makes you ask that?"

I grimace sadly. "She did, didn't she? And you said you weren't ready."

Zane curses under his breath. "Why are girls such emotional-spies-y people?"

I smile in spite of myself and resist the impulse to hug my big brother. "Zane, if you told her no, and she's mad at you for it, it's because she thinks you don't like her anymore. Kawaii~Chan is the kind of girl that moves fast even when she's trying not to, Zane. Obviously she's feeling hurt right now, but she'll know it's not your fault, she knows she moves fast, and she's trying her best not to, but if you give her time I'm sure she'll come around."

Zane stares at me. "How'd you know all that?"

I laugh. "Because I'm a girl, and I have emotions just like she does. Why don't you go back to the table and I'll get food, okay?"

"Okay." he agrees, looking at least a little happier. I grab a pair of plates and fill them with cupcakes of all sizes and colors, and head back to our table, where Zane is nowhere to be found. I set the plates down and look around, my smile fading when I see Zane heading for the beaches.

"What the...?" I mutter, abandoning my cupcakes and following Zane as sneakily as I can. He doesn't stop, just keeps walking quickly, almost hopefully, towards the beaches, with an air of confidence around him I rarely see. Ohhh, my fat little nugget is all grown up!!!

Well, grow-ing.

I stop and peek around the bushes, watching Zane round a clutter of shrubs and pull up short, his face paling in fear.

"Oh, that was..." I hear Garroth's voice say. "HUH? K-K-KAWAII~CHAN??" his voice yelps. I risk peering further, and can just make out a pink-haired someone dangerously close to Garroth's very red face.

And Zane saw it.

"GARROTH?" Kawaii~Chan demands.

"GAAAAAAH!" Zane yells. And he starts crying. My big brother, the emo, the hunk of emotionless rock, starts bawling his eyes out, each sound ripping my heart open, and he sprints away.

"ZANE!" Garroth and Kawaii~Chan yell.

"KAWAII~CHAN!" Garroth screams accusingly.

"I'm---I'm so sorry!" Kawaii~Chan wails. "I don't---I didn't mean for---"

I emerge from the bushes, barely able to contain my fury. "WHAT DID YOU JUST DO?!" I bellow, feeling my face heat up with anger. "HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO HIM?!"

"I THOUGHT HE WAS ZANE!" Kawaii~Chan shrieks.

"Huh? What do you mean?" I ask, feeling my anger dissipate a bit.

"I--I left a note for Zane, and I told him to come here, and---" Kawaii~Chan starts.

"YOU LEFT A NOTE FOR---I get it now." Garroth moans. "This is my fault. I-I got so excited I didn't even think!"

"Wait. Let me guess. You read the note, and thought it was for you." I say. I'm still mad at both of them beyond words, but now I understand it was just an accident.

"This is my fault!" Kawaii~Chan wails sadly.

I battle between my raging KILL BROTHER AND OTHER BROTHER'S GIRLFRIEND self and my ZANE NEEDS HELP self. I sigh. "Go after him, Kawaii~Chan. You need to speak with him---NOW. Garroth can talk to him after you're done. He's my brother, and yours too, Garroth! He doesn't deserve this. He..." I shake my head. "Just go."

Kawaii~Chan nods and races after Zane. And I turn on Garroth, who looks heartbroken. "Zane... I'm sorry..."

"A little too late for that." I snap. "Why on Earth would you not look before---"

"Please, Violet. Don't make me feel worse than I already do." Garroth pleads. The pain in his eyes makes my anger disappear entirely, and shame replaces it.

"I'm sorry." I say softly. "I just---I---"

"It's fine." Garroth says. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

I sigh and hug him. "I know you didn't. It's just your boob-brain."

I feel Garroth smile.