THE BOAT SPED ALONG THE SURFACE OF THE WATER, Bronwen clinging tightly to Peter's arm in fear of falling out. They had departed the plane, collected their luggage, and made haste toward the hotel they were staying in.
The glistening streets of Venice shone before Bronwen. Age-old buildings towering well above her. Venetians bumbled through the streets and canals, surrounded by excited tourists venturing into the new culture. With a faint smile, Bronwen allowed herself to relax. They were safe, this was only a holiday.
Only a holiday.
A familiar click caused Bronwen to jump in her seat, head whipping toward the sound. Her eyes were wide as she searched for the source.
"Relax, it was just my phone." Peter whispered, a soft smile decorating his face.

Peter continued taking photos on his phone as Bronwen calmed herself down. The sun beamed down upon them, a cloudless sky overhead. She took a deep breath as the boat slowed to a stop.
"Looks like we're here." Mr Harrington spoke, clambering out of the boat first.

Bronwen's good mood turned sour as she saw the state of the hotel. Scaffolding decorated the outside of the building, with a workman loitering outside — clearly on a break. The poor hotel looked as if it should be closed for at least a year while they fixed it up. The sign advertising that it was a hotel hung on loose hinges, and the doorway looked to be covered in mould.
Bronwen heard a student whisper exactly what she was thinking; this place is trash.
She wondered what went through the school's mind when they booked the trip for the students.

Bronwen sighed, tugging Peter along as she exited the boat. There was no point in delaying their inevitable stay at the hotel. With Bronwen leading, the other students followed, lugging their bags with them.
Mr Harrington strode into the hotel with confidence, clearly expecting the inside to be cleaner than the outside.

It was not.

A dingy desk — acting as the check in — sat to the left of the doorway. The ceiling was exposed, with wood and rubbish littering the inside. A stream ran through the room, and if one inspected closer, they would find that it was not water.
No way was it water.
Bronwen's face fell. Sure, she wasn't expecting anything grand for their holiday to Europe considering the school, but this? This was unhygienic. This violated so many health codes it was a miracle the building still stood.
Mr Harrington turned to the desk, somehow a cheerful smile was plastered on his face, "Morning!"

A conversation began with the clerk behind the desk. Meanwhile, a constant muttering rang from the students.
"This place is sinking." Flash said, spotting the water running through the hotel.

Mr Harrington turned from the clerk, keys in hand, "I think you mean charming!"

The other teacher — Mr Dale? Mr Dell? Bronwen couldn't remember his name. She'd settle on the first one — stepped before the students, "Okay everybody. Drop your bags off and we're gonna meet at the Da Vinci museum at three. Go!"

"Vamanos!" Mr Harrington said.

"It's andiamo!" A student piped up.

"Andiamo!" He corrected, leading the students upstairs to their rooms.

Bronwen sighed, looking over to her roommate. Betty was great and all, better than any other girl she'd expect to room with for this trip. The pair stayed out of each other's hair, quietly acknowledging one another.
The two blondes ‍‍‍took to the stairs, taking the key to their room from Mr Harrington when they passed him. The room was easily found, and once unlocked they saw it was no different to the rest of the building.

A bucket sat below a hole in the ceiling, water slowly dripping from a leaking pipe. Their beds were parallel to each other, and to their relief, they were the cleanest thing in the room. Bronwen could tell the sheets were fresh, the dark colours holding no dust or grime or mould.
In silence, the two girls dumped their suitcases on their beds.

Before they left for the vacation, Bronwen's... condition had been explained to Betty by her mother. Pepper had visited the family one weekend, teleported in by Bronwen. It was another reason for their pairing, that Betty understood what was to happen if Bronwen had another... nightmare. The teacher's were in no way qualified, and Bronwen refused for a therapist or some kind of psychiatrist to attend their trip. She could survive at home, so she could survive this.
And anyway, Betty was told to find Peter as soon as possible. The teacher's advised it too. They didn't know what to do, and Peter had been around Bronwen long enough to know.

"Do you want to look after the key or should I?" Betty said, holding out the sliver of metal.

Bronwen shook her head, "I'll lose it."

Betty nodded, slipping it into her purse. The pair left their room, joining the few milling students waiting for their classmates.
Bronwen headed straight toward Peter and Ned, standing beside the front door.
Surprisingly, Betty had followed. She pecked Ned on the cheek, interlocked hands, and stepped out into the Venetian sun.
Bronwen frowned, turning to Peter, "What was that all about?"

"They're... together." Peter answered.

"Together?!"

"I know, I'm just as surprised as you are. Ned said they started talking on the plane and... now they're boyfriend and girlfriend."

"No way..."

"Yes way."

Bronwen huffed a laugh, playfully shoving Peter, "It was only a nine hour flight. How can they happen so fast?"

The pair exited the hotel, Bronwen's mind still processing the fact that Ned and Betty were a couple.
"Love at first conversation, apparently." Peter answered.

"But that's so unrealistic! They never even looked at each other before."

"We can't say anything." Peter grinned, taking her hand.

She looked over at him, shielding her eyes with a hand. The light of the sun gave Peter a halo, "What do you mean?"

"We knew each other for all of two weeks before we..."

Bronwen smiled, "At least it's not nine hours."

"Touché"

∆ ∆ ∆

"Peter!"

Bronwen had run off only moments before, a store had caught her eye. It gave Peter the perfect chance to slip away, and with the small bag in hand, Peter returned to the busy streets.
"Peter, look what I found!" She held out a half-mask, to cover the eyes. Red and blue decorated the mask in a web design, "It's a Spider-Man mask."

Peter's brows rose, "All the way out here in Venice?"

She nodded, "The shop over there— " She pointed behind her, "Had all kinds of superhero masks. This one was right at the front." Bronwen grinned as she put it on, "What do you think?" She spun around, grinning.

Peter grinned back, "Looks amazing."

Bronwen's eyes darted to the small bag Peter was holding, but thought nothing of it, "Oh! And I learned the most perfect word while over there. Bo!"

"What?"

"The Italians created it."

"What does it mean?"

"That's the thing. It could mean a million things. It could mean I don't know, get out of my face. I don't know and get out of my face." A man had arrived before the pair, holding out a rose, saying words in Italian. Bronwen shook her head, "Bo..."

The man frowned and turned away.

"Woah..." Peter said.

"Bo's my new super-power. It's like the anti-aloha. I was born to discover this word." Bronwen looked at the bag again, now curious, "What's in the bag?"

"Oh... uh... Bo."

Bronwen grinned, "Nice."

Large ripples in the river caught the pair's attention. Bronwen slowly slid the mask off her face, features forming a frown.
She watched as tens of crabs scuttled out of the river, scurrying down the path.
The canal became still. The only sounds were the tourists shopping around. Bronwen spotted Betty and Ned right above where the ripples receded.

And—
A massive wave formed, pushing the gondola toward shore. Bronwen pushed Peter out of the way as it came to a stop before them.
Ned and Betty clambered out. Behind them, the water began to form into some kind of monster.
"What are you going to do?" Bronwen heard Ned say as she pulled Betty out of the gondola.

"I left my suit in the hotel room."

"Why?!"

"I'm on vacation!" Peter huffed, "Everybodies gonna see me... Ned, get out of here."

Bronwen watched as Ned and Betty ran off.
"Peter!" Bronwen caught his attention and tossed the mask over to him. "Give me your bag!" Peter through it back just as the massive water creature crushed a building.

Just as Bronwen slipped the straps over her shoulders, the water creature turned toward them.