Well. At least someone was happy they were Irish.

That was the wrong sentament to think. As previously thought, yes. Damien was proud of his heritage and enjoyed reading up on witches and wizards of Ireland's past. However, he had not memory of his own family background, other than the stories told by his Aunt. Even then, they weren't full of detail. And ever since Matty recognised something in Damien's surname, he hadn't been able to shake an uneasy feeling he'd been carrying.

But that's not what this girl wanted to talk about.

"Your birthday?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "Well a happy one to you then," he added before a short pause. "And why would a first year be planning a party for you? Someone in your house I take it?"

Damien spluttered a chuckle at the reference of swimming like squirels. "At least you swam," he said. "I myself wouldn't be caught dead in that lagoon."

Going back to her birthday, he realised that the two weren't too far in age. "I'm Damien, by the way," he added.

Beth watched the boy, but she could tell he was bothered about something. "Thanks." She replied, but then shook her head. "No, he's a Gryffindor, I'm a Ravenclaw. I'm not sure really, but he's nice though." She sighed, and stared across the water. "Why?" She asked. "Then again, there's nothing particularly exciting about it." Damien. "Nice name." She said. "I'm Beth, Beth Lourie."

"I'd say it's because I don't like water," he began before shrugging his shoulders. "But the truth is I can't really swim. Never was that good at keeping myself above water, so I tend to avoid situations in which I'm forced to."

Now he was being a bit of a prat. It was true he couldn't swim, but the way he spoke about it made him sound so ... rude.

Damien gave her an apologetic look. "Nice to meet you, Beth," he said with a crooked smile.

" I am back" Willaim told Beth. " I think we can have your party at the ROR" William said to Beth. "Sarah is going to get you a present and will be back for your party" William explained to Beth.

Beth nodded. "Yeah, the only reason I can kind of swim is because I fell of this smallish cliff in Devon, and I sort of had to improvise." She shuddered t the re-collection. "She smiled back at his crooked grin, her smile small, but wholesome. "Nice to meet you too Damien." She said. "So you're in Hufflepuff, right?" She asked,

Beth glanced over her shoulder. "Er, thanks William!" She called to him, with a grin, but then turned back to Damien.

Alfie was sitting in the grass on the grounds, her large blue eyes gazing up at the large castle as she thought about her first year at Hogwarts, which would be over in just a few short months. The day was beautiful, she couldn't help but wish vaguely that she had something better to do than just sit around and gaze up at the clouds. And then, as though the feline had read her thoughts, a familiar tabby cat approached the blonde just a few feet away. The girl's eyebrows rose just slightly at this, quickly recognizing it as Theo's own pet, and the corners of her rosy lips turned up just slightly in a smile as she caught sight of the collar. She quickly spotted the note and very cautiously gathered it from the cat's collar, reading it quickly as a smile grew on her expression with each word. Pulling out a spare quill, the girl wrote an immediate response:

I can't wait. - Alfie

And sent it back with the cat who was being wonderfully friendly to her. "Thanks Bree," she murmured as she fastened the note back to her collar, her fears diminshed slightly in her excitement, though she tried to conceal it.

About ten minutes later, Alfie Port arrived at the Lagoon, her large blue eyes originally searching for Theo, but quickly growing distracted by the surroundings. It was so beautiful here! When had this popped up? She bit her lip just slightly as she continued towards the actual waterside, taking in the sight of the large waterfall and crystal-like waters, when she caught sight of someone sitting on a rock near the shore. Someone familiar. She knew that hair and that profile she'd only stared at it a few times to be Theo. Seeing that he was facing the water, the blonde gave a bit of a grin and quietly approached him, standing just a few feet behind him and a bit to his right. "Hi there," she greeted, her tone soft as it always seemed to be, but her expression filled with amusement at his pensive-like appearance at that moment.

The girl seemed a bit excited, happy to be doing something other that cloud-watching, interested in seeing the boy once more. Her long blonde hair was lightly curled as it always was, cascading down her shoulders and over the majority of her torso, where her arms were crossed loosely. Her large blue eyes remained fixed on the boy before her though, just as saucer-like as always, but filled today with a bit of a happy sparkle.

Nuzzling against his legs, Bree had dutifully returned to Theo, the message still tied to her collar. Snatching it away as carefully as he could without incurring the cat's wrath, the three words neatly written onto the parchment placed a smile on his face. She was coming. She was coming! Why was it so pleasantly surprising that she had agreed? Who knew. The sixth year had rehearsed the day over and over in his head but actually getting down to business in reality was a scarier and more exciting prospect. He was possibly about to do something that he had never done before, and that terrified him. Yet, Theo didn't feel like jumping into the lagoon with a cement block encasing his feet, drowning himself from embarrassment. He felt ready to jump into action.

"Oh!" Theodore nearly did jump, although he had gotten better about not being so tetchy about everything. Craning his neck up as he turned around, he saw who he had been waiting for. "Hello," He greeted her. Was it just the location, or did Alfie appear a bit more mermaid-y than usual? Her long blonde curls and wide, inquisitive eyes seemed to fit the scenery. "I'm, erm, glad you came. I hope I didn't interrupt anything?" He asked, standing up and dusting himself off, although a few wet patches remained on his tan-colored trousers. Bree had disappeared in the interim, probably going off to snatch some fish from the opposite shore. "I-I just heard about this new lagoon and I wanted to do some exploring, but I wanted a... a partner to do it with," The 'claw was choosing his words carefully, attempting not to give too much away. To give his nervous hands something to do, he tugged at the collar of his t-shirt for a moment. It could get slightly humid around here.

Alfie's smile widened just slightly as Theo gave a bit of a jump at her arrival, rather amused at being the one who wasn't jumping in surprise for once. She watched as he got to his feet, listening as he mentioned that he was glad she came, hoping aloud that he hadn't interrupted anything. "You interrupted absolutely nothing," the girl assured him with a small smile still on her expression, recalling her rather boring day on the grounds. She had to look up at him a bit as he stood before her, listening as he explained that he wanted someone to explore the lagoon with. Her smile widened at this statement, slightly flattered that he had chosen her to be this partner, when he could've chosen any of the many friends she knew he had.

"Well..." she started, her arms unravelling, no longer crossed over her chest. "I'm glad you decided to ask me," Alfie mentioned softly, "I honestly hadn't heard about this place...it's beautiful here." Her large blue eyes glanced out over the clear, blue waters, her smile growing just slightly at the sight of the sunlight pouring onto the scene. She couldn't deny it was a bit warm though, and she was immediately glad that she had chosen to wear a pair of jean shorts that day, along with a blue tank top. "So, Theo," she began playfully, giving him a bit of a grin as she returned her gaze to him. "Where would you like to begin?"

Damien answered her with a nod of his head. "I am in Hufflepuff," he said. "And I recall you mentioning you were in Ravenclaw house. And judging from the fact that you're celebrating your 15th birthday you'd have to be in your 5th year, correct?"

"It's nice to meet you too, Beth," he added.

He turned his head in the direction of what he guessed was the first year Gryffindor attempting to throw some birthday bash for Beth. Though she, however, didn't seem all that excited. Giving her a sideways smile, Damien spoke in a low voice so only she would be able to hear.

"Do you need rescuing from your own birthday party, Beth?" he asked, Irish accent even more noticable than just a few minuets ago.

Gazing about in unison, Theodore couldn't help but admire the scenery as well. Only a talented bit of magic could have created such a beautiful oasis in the middle of rainy, soggy, cold, England-y England. But his eyes soon traveled back to gaze at the friend beside him, who complimented the lagoon nicely. Sunlight seemed to bounce off of her long hair and... oh no. It seems Alfie's staring problem had rubbed off on Theo. Blinking a few times, he looked around for a moment, sizing up one place from another. There was a small cliff where a long, thick rope hung from the branch of a tree. Gulping a bit nervously, he made a mental note of avoiding that place for now. "Hm..." He began, staring off into the short distance. "Do you want to go look at the fish? I passed by a small inlet when I came in and I think they're all congregating there."

It was a lame idea, but the only one that he had. Theo didn't much feel up for swimming right now and thus turning his fro into an even bigger bird's nest than it already was. Checking that his wand was still in the back pocket of his trousers, the teen unceremoniously stuffed his hands into his pockets, where they wouldn't be tempted to awkwardly gesture as they walked and talked. Talking a few short steps in his bare feet (he hadn't wanted the laces of his trainers to get stuck in the jagged rocks or branches or bushes that lay about), he began to lead the way.

Isobel considered that. Should she go on the water slide? It looked fun, but also slightly frightening. She did not like heights. "I-sure." She said with a smile and only a slight hesitation. "Let's go."

As Isobel was making her way to the slide with Penny she spotted someone she hadn't seen in a while. It had been at least a couple weeks, right? "Damien!" Did she just yell his name? Oh well. She sneezed and fast walked over to him. "Hi," she said in her normal cherful tone, but this time it showed signs of a cold. She sneezed again.

"Sorry. I don't want to get you sick." She smiled guiltily. "I haven't seen you in a while." It was a big school, so it was easy to lose someone, and she hadn't been particularily looking for Damien. Psh, 'course not. Well, maybe.

"Do you want to come down the waterslide with me, and Penny, and....Penny's friend." She wasn't sure who it was, but she did know that it would be more fun with Damien there. Because he was just awesome like that.

As Theo suggested they go look at the fish, mentioning a kind of inlet where most of them had congregated, Alfie's features lit up. "I'd like that very much," she agreed, about to follow after him when she caught sight of his bare feet. That actually wasn't a bad idea, especially since they were probably going to get awfully close to the water. So the blonde quickly removed her sneakers, revealing her bare feet just moments later, which were free of any nail polish or anything of the sort. Alfie wasn't really one for that sort of thing. Setting her sneakers down on the rock, she quickly caught up with the boy who was leading the way, finding her place at his side in the next moment.

They walked in silence for the next minute or so, Alfie's large blue eyes gazing around as they started towards the inlet. But her mind seemed to be on other things, as she glanced at Theo curiously every once in a while, quickly returning her gaze to the ground in the next moment. "You know," she started softly, a small smile on her expression. "I didn't really expect you to actually follow through with what you said at the Three Broomsticks," the blonde mentioned, interest in her tone. "About wanting to meet up again sometime," she clarified, daring to allow her blue eyes to meet his own with a small smile. But it was true, she had eventually assumed that the boy had simply said it to be polite.

As Alfie caught up, Theo slightly picked up the sluggish pace that he had been traveling at. He didn't want to bore her or anything of the sort; that would be a catastrophe. As she stated her doubts about his intentions, Theodore simply shook his head, chuckling slightly. "Really?" He asked, slightly surprised. "I wouldn't, I could never do that to someone. A promise is a promise." He shrugged nonchalantly. Not many people were trustworthy that way, but the eagle felt it wasn't polite to say things and not to follow through. He had learned his lesson many years beforehand.

Once again tugging at his collar, glad that he had worn a light-colored white t-shirt in this humidity, they arrived at the small cove where the rainbow-colored fishes swam about. A small turtle lay on a rock, sunbathing. "Well, here we are," He smiled, approaching the water slowly but hesitating, as if waiting for Alfie to follow him. Bending down onto one knee, Theo noticed the sun glinting brilliantly off of the scales of the fishes in the clear, fresh water. It was quite a sight; he made a mental note to not let a hungry Bree get near these sea creatures.

" You are welcome" William told Beth. " See you around at times" William said to Beth.

Alfie's blue eyes, which had been fixed on the ground before her feet, immediately zoomed back to Theo's expression as he simply explained that he could never do that to someone; that a promise was a promise. A smile grew on the girl's expression, her blue eyes evaluating his expression disbelievingly; she'd never been around someone with that kind of mindset. In fact, and unfortunately, many of Alfie's past friends and social circles had been filled with unreliable people. "Well, that's very noble of you, Theo," she decided playfully, but it was easy to tell that she was rather happy with his words.

In the next moment they had arrived at the inlet he had described earlier, which was filled with beautiful, rainbow coloured fish. They seemed to glitter in the sunlight, their scales reflecting the rays of warmth, swimming back and forth in random patterns. The girl's face lit up at the sight of it, and a grin spread across her expression as she approached the edge of the water. In the next moment her feet were just barely underneath the cover of the cool, clear waters, though she was careful not to disturb any of the fish. She didn't want to step on them! She carefully took a seat on the dry shore, resting one of her arms around her knees, hugging them to her chest as she reached her free hand into the water gently. As she reached forward, her long light blonde hair swept forward over her smooth shoulders, brushing Theo as it went considering he was right at her side.

"They're beautiful fish," Alfie admitted, her hand beneath the water beginning to attract attention from the underwater inhabitants. A couple of fish dared to go near the hand before quickly darting away so others could try. She let out a chiming chuckle at this act, her smile widening.

The sound of his name and a familiar voice sent Damien's heart racing. Turning towards the direction of where it came, his eyes spotted that well-known blonde head of hers; spunk felt from all corners of the globe. She was always that perky.

Isobel.

He smiled in spite of all that was just on his mind, quite instantly forgetting every worry that bombarded his thoughts. She seeemd excited to see him, too; which was the best sign since he hadn't seen her in about two weeks anyway. Isobel approached him and Beth, sneezing something terrible along the way. "Sick?" he asked worried. "And you're about to go down the water slide?" He chuckled, shaking his head slightly back and fourth. "No offense Isobel, but ... don't you think it'd make the whole cold ... worse?"

Technically.

And he'd forgotten his manners with Beth standing there with him. "Oh," he said running his hand through his hair, eyes going between the two girls. "Sorry, you two might not know each other. Beth, this is Isobel; captain of Hufflepuff's Quidditch team. Isobel, this is Beth ..."

Yeah. That's how normal introductions go, right?

Mimicking her movements, Theo hesitantly placed his hand under the water. It was only slightly cool; he had been expecting water the temperature of ice, like in the school's large lake. One brave fish swam straight up to his hand as the others backed away, nibbling on his pinky finger before zooming off. "Ouch," He muttered, his hand shooting back as he shook it out, a small red spot now on his finger. In his moment of spaztasticness, Theo had flung droplets of water into his face. Blinking a few times, Theo felt like a moron, to say the least. At least Alfie seemed to be enjoying herself. He had become frozen slightly when, moments ago, her hair had brushed against him. Pulling himself together, he turned to glance at his companion for a moment. They're beautiful fish, She had said. "Yeah, they are," He answered, barely noticing that he was staring again. Theo had a problem.

Adjusting his position, he lifted himself up and sat down at the water's edge, lightly dipping his feet in a small area that wasn't inhabited by fish. A few of them had cleared out to the more spacious area of the lagoon upon the arrival of the students, anyway. As they momentarily sat in silence, Theodore felt his heart begin to race ever so slightly. Now that Alfie was here, what was he to do? Would he go through with the plan, if you could even call it that? The only thing to do would be to wait, for now. Good things came to those who waited. Clearing his throat, he decided to spark some sort of conversation. His throat felt dry, but he plunged on as he examined one of the yellow-colored creatures in the water. "Bree loves her gift," Theo began, "She wears it like a crown." The corners of his mouth turned upward slightly, as if he had told a particularly hilarious joke. What he said was no exaggeration; Bree was truly acting more like a princess than usual, although she wasn't nearly as feisty as before.

Alfie didn't seem to notice as Theo's finger was bitten by a fish, otherwise she would've been sure to set her large blue eyes on the boy in curiosity and amusement. But she was a bit distracted by the fish around her own hand, examining the way their scales glittered beneath the water. It was only as she felt a pair of eyes on herself that the blonde looked up, turning her gaze only to find that his gaze had fallen away. Hmm...maybe she'd imagined that, but she could've sworn that he'd just been looking at her. A single butterfly-like sensation entered the girl's stomach but she quickly ignored it, turning back to the water with a sheepish smile.

Alfie didn't seem to mind the silence very much, distracted with the small fish beneath the water, who had now decided to swarm around her hand. They examined it before darting away in a group, heading towards the middle of the lagoon and away from the shore. Giving an amused smile, the blonde removed her hand from the water, gently shaking it to remove the excess water before leaning back onto her hands. She listened as Theo then mentioned that Bree loved her gift, that she wore the collar like a crown. Alfie's face lit up at this information, her blue eyes finding Theo's as she heard Bree enjoyed her gift. "I'm so glad she likes it," she admitted, seeming to be honestly happy that the cat hadn't taken one look and walked away. "She looked nice in it when she delivered the note," the blonde added with a small smlie.

Just as Alfie had commented on Bree's delivery of Theo's note, it all came back to him. "Haha, make sure you don't flatter her too much, it gets to her head sometimes. If she was a human, I think she'd be a Slytherin." Laughing at the thought of his cat as a fellow student, he paused. Theo wanted to continue, to explain the other reason why he had invited the fourth year to the lagoon in the first place, but words escaped him. Had he really called her over because he wanted a partner to explore with? Theodore was used to being alone and could cope quite well when he went off on his own, so partners in adventure weren't always necessary.

Theo had called Alfie here to give her something. Or rather, to tell her something? It was the gift that he had mentioned back at the pub in Hogsmeade. Or was it even a gift at all? Maybe it was a bit presumptuous to call it a present. Well, it was halfways a gift and halfways an admittance. Both. None. AKSJDAKSJD. "Alfie?" He started, sitting up. "I brought your, uhm, your gift. Your late birthday present, heh. Finally." He flushed pink as he began to dig into his pocket.

Alfie's smile widened as Theo suggested she not compliment the cat too much, as it could go to her head. This seemed to amuse the girl, listening as the boy then explained that the cat would probably belong to Slytherin if she was a human. The girl found it amusing and slightly endearing that Theo was so in tune with his cat's personality, that he treated her as a person even. "I promise, I won't feed her too many compliments," the blonde assured the boy at her side, biting her lip just slightly with amusement as she gazed out at the clear waters before them. She didn't want him to catch too much of her expression in fear that he might realize how much he amused her, how much she had grown to enjoy his company.

But in the next couple of moments, the silence was broken softly with the sound of her own name, stated as an almost question from the boy at her side. Alfie turned her head curiously back to face Theo, her long blonde hair cascading behind her as her large blue eyes focused on the sight of him reaching into his pocket with...were his cheeks pink? Curious, she listened as he mentioned that he had brought her late birthday present, and her smile fell in sudden shock, her large blue eyes immediately finding his expression. He...he'd really, actually gotten her something? She knew that he had mentioned it in Hogsmeade but... As she had mentioned before, she had hardly expected him to actually want to see her again, let alone honestly have a gift for her. "My...g-gift?" she managed to let out softly, her shocked expression slowly beginning to light up with the warmest of flattered smiles.

"Theo, I know you said you had gotten me something," Alfie started, her tone as soft as it always was. "But you really didn't have to, I don't want you to feel obligated just because I got the collar," she explained, but the excitement was clear in her expression. The butterfly in her stomach seemed to have gained a friend. Or five.

Theo realized that he sometimes took too much care when dealing with his pet, but why not? Bree was one of his best friends and to tell the truth, he was a big animal lover. For the most part. Only scary-looking beasts terrified him, like Sasquatch. Or nifflers.

"Yeah, it's... here!" In his search for the ever so belated birthday gift, Theodore had finally found it. He could swear that sometimes, the pockets of his pants were tiny vanishing cabinets that ate whatever he put into them and appeared at the last moment. A tiny box, nearly identical to the one that Alfie had given him at The Three Broomsticks, lay in his palm. Outstretching his arm in her direction, he bit his lower lip. Inside of the box was a small locket with a photo already inside, one of Jay fluttering around. It had been quite a task to take a photo of the flighty bird in the first place. Processing it through the correct, magical way, one that would make the picture move, had been another giant task. Theodore had considered putting more photos in, as the nifty locket could flash from one moment in time to the next with the tap of a wand or a finger, but he hadn't wanted to overload it just in case she didn't like it.

"Happy belated birthday," He smiled, his stomach in knots.

Theodore had also considered putting a small note inside, one that said what he wanted to tell her without him having to embarrass himself verbally, but he had negated that idea. He was going to say it to her, whatever it was, and he wasn't going to wimp out and write it down and hand it to her like a shy second year.

Alfie didn't have the guts to keep showing resistance to this gift that was about to be presented to her; she wanted to know what it was, she wanted to keep it. Her polite side told her to keep defending the fact that Theo didn't need to get her anything, but the rest of her desperately wanted to know what he had gotten her. And so she remained silent, her large blue eyes focused almost nevously on him as he finally found a box in his pocket, pulling it out and presenting it to her with a 'Happy belated birthday'. She looked at his outstretched hand, and for a moment, it looked as though she wasn't even going to pick it up. But that was simply Alfie's disbelief that held her back for a moment; there it was. He'd really gotten something for her.

And in the next moment she had gently gathered it from his hand, glancing at the boy with a sheepish smile, excitement behind her gaze as she quickly returned her eyes to the box now in her hands. Biting her bottom lip just slightly, Alfie opened the box only to find the most beautiful locket she'd ever seen, and she hadn't even opened it yet. She admired the outside of it for a moment before gently removing it from the box, setting the case down beside her on the shore so she could better examine the locket itself. Quickly finding where it opened, the blonde opened it only to find... Was that...Jay? Her large blue eyes widened at the sight of him, watching as he flew around the inside of it. She'd never seen anything like it! It was then that she seemed to register... Someone had taken a picture of her beloved bird, someone had developed the picture so it would move inside of a beautiful locket, someone had put this much extraordinary thought into the best birthday present she'd ever received. It took Alfie a moment to realize that this someone was the boy sitting across from her, but when it did register, she tore her gaze away from the locket to stare at Theo shamelessly.

Silence.

There was nothing but solid, thick silence for a long moment as Alfie examined Theo with a blank expression. And then, very suddenly, her features lit up into the warmest of bright smiles and she had launched herself at him. Her slender arms had found their way around his waist in a hug as she practically tackled the boy down in her excitement, letting out a long string of chiming chuckles as she did so. "It's the best gift, ever, Theo," she admitted to his ear, hardly aware of how forward she was being in her excitement. Somehow poor Theo had landed up on his back on the shore with a happy Alfie hugging him tightly. And a moment later, when she had realized what she'd done, the girl scrambled to sit up, her cheeks bright red, letting out a sheepish chuckle as she went. "I'm sorry!"

Theo's blush began to fade as she seemed to enjoy the gift. No, it seemed that she adored--OOF! Before he knew it, Theo was flat on his back on the smooth rocks on the shore being ecstatically embraced, and he knew nothing else but to return the hug. It would have been even more awkward had he lay there stiff as a board, wouldn't it? "You're welcome!" He laughed contentedly, his arms wrapped around her shoulders. But then reality hit him, and Alfie as well.

More silence.

They had separated and as Alfie laughed, Theo couldn't help but laugh as well. "No, no problem, really," He laughed, rubbing a hand on his cheek where he could feel the heat from another slight blush creeping up. The Ravenclaw hadn't expected such a warm reception. Maybe it would make what he desired to do a bit easier, with this awkward tackle incident having happened. "Hey," He began, breaking the awkward tension, "Do you wanna go check out the cove behind the waterfall? I heard that it's pretty... neat." Theo also didn't want to do this out in the open, in case things went less than well. Embarrassment was easier to handle behind closer doors. Or in this case, behind a wall of rock and thick sheets of water from the cascading falls. He tugged at his collar once more, although not so much from the humidity, as he gazed at Alfie and awaited an answer.

Alfie's expression was still bright red, but there was a warm smile still evident on her features as she listened to Theo assure her that it wasn't a problem. She had gotten a little caught up, that must've been it, and she couldn't help but be a bit embarrassed by her rather sudden actions. But she couldn't say that she regretted hugging the boy; he deserved it after a gift like this. Her blue eyes were stuck on the locket that was still in her palm, admiring it in the bright sunlight until she was distracted by Theo's voice breaking the silence.

She looked up at him with a bit of sheepishness in her pink features, listening as he asked if she wanted to check out the cove behind the waterfall. Her eyebrows rose at this and she gave an immediate nod, the warm smile still on her expression as she began to get to her feet. She gathered the box and gently put it into her own pocket, straightening up only to spot the locket still wrapped up in her right palm. "Theo?" she started, turning to him. "Before we go over there, could you help me put on the necklace?" she asked softly, slight sheepishness still in her blue eyes, but most of it was clouded over by her obvious happiness. She very gently placed the locket in his own hand as she stood in front of him before turning around so her back was to the boy. She then gathered all of her longe blonde hair in her hands and gently raised it abover her head so he could easily fasten the necklace around her neck.

Rising to his feet, dusting off his trousers for the second time today, Theodore could have facepalmed right then and there. What an ungentleman he had been! He had seen muggle movies before! After giving a girl a gift like this, you were always supposed to put it on for her. "O-Of course," He smiled, unfastening the clasp on the end of the chain and slowly approaching Alfie. It was hard not to get too close; Theo wanted to remain and a comfortable, friendly distance but this wouldn't permit it and before he knew it, Theo was worrying about breathing down her neck like a creep. Bringing the necklace around he front, the tips of her curly hair brushed against his skin once more. A chill ran down his spine and the teen was almost sure that a few tell-tale goosebumps had arisen on his forearm. As the two parts of the clasp united once more behind her neck, Theo fumbled with it for a moment. "Almost there... there," He breathed, stepping back and admiring his handiwork. First time was the charm, eh?

Allowing Alfie a moment to fix her hair and adjust her locket, Theo took one last look at the rainbow-colored amalgamation of fish, scurrying about in the shallow inlet of water, before he began to lead the way to the cove. The waterfall roared louder and louder as they approached but upon reaching the entrance and scrambling inside, there was only a soft rushing of water that was audible. Algae glowed in luminous colors as the sun shone through the water and glanced off of the moss and rock. This place was even more beautiful than where had last been. Placing his hands behind his back, Theo held his left wrist in his right hand a bit awkwardly, staring about as he knew the moment of truth would soon come.