Sparks, "water balloon fight", had proven to be both a blessing and a curse for the girls. Yes, they had succeeded in soaking the guys enough for them to take their shirts but, it came at a cost.
The cost, as the girls would learn, was apparently the unknown power of Travis. The teen had tremendous accuracy, a supernatural dead eye, which allowed him to soak the girls with every toss of a water balloon. Within twenty minutes the girls found themselves drenched, their shoes squishing with every step. "Yeah maybe we shouldn't have made this a girls vs boys thing," Amara grumbled as she emptied what seemed to be a half gallon of water out of her sneakers. Needless to say, when the fight was over the boys may have ended up shirtless but the girls were barefoot, realizing it would probably take a week to dry out their shoes.
The second ability the girls discovered about Travis was an unexpected yet appreciated talent. With the battle of the sexes taking place, little Aaron of course wanted to be part of it. For their part the teens let the 3 year old join in on the fun, Aaron giggling as he ran around trying to shoot the girls with a water gun. Unfortunately, when a stray water balloon hit the boy, he tumbled to the ground scrapping his knees. As the girls tried to comfort him, Travis approached, giving the boy a kind smile as he placed his hands on his skinned knees. The teens watched in amazement as Aaron's tears began to dry, his skinned knees completely healing in only seconds. "Thank you," he chirped, wrapping his arms around the teens neck.
As the week ended, Nat now came up with a fun idea that everyone would enjoy.
The towns annual lobster festival took place in the middle of August. The event itself was usually one of the biggest events in the area, drawing people from all over. With live music, carnival rides, food vendors, artists, and various other events the festival was always a fun event that Nat and the others had enjoyed previously. As Nat and Rei now parked nearby, they could see their friends waiting for them. "Hey guys any problems parking?"
"None except the fact we had to park like half a mile from the main area," Miranda stated. "I can't believe how many people are here."
"Doesn't really surprise me," Stephanie shrugged. "My moms took me here the first summer after they adopted me. It's always fun but there's probably almost a thousand people here."
"So any idea what to do first," Rei asked as the group began to walk.
"I'm up for anything," Amara replied. "As long as it doesn't involve water. Pretty sure I'm still trying to dry off from the water fight last weekend." The others giggled, nodding as they glanced over at Travis. "Sorry," he blushed.
"No need to apologize dude," Miles smirked, Miranda casting him a sour look. "Oh don't give me that look. It's not Travis's fault you guys got wrecked."
"My sneakers are still drying out," she grumbled. "And I'm not mad at Travis. Now Spark on the otherhand."
"Hey why me," Spark exclaimed. "You guys were all in when I came up with the idea and my sneakers got soaked too you know. Plus they're starting to stink."
"This is why I'm glad I left my shoes inside," Chenoa smiled. "Deer fur dries much, much easier." A collective laugh now emanated from the group as they now crested a hill. Gazing out they could see the ocean of people now masses around the festival grounds.
It was hard to make out individual people as they gazed at the festival grounds. Masses seemed to intermingle amongst the various bars, stores, and restaurants. Vendors calling out trying to sell their wares from stands they had set up. Further down the group could see a stage setup for music as well as various carnival rides positioned strategically around the stage. "Wow there's alot of people," Nat gasped.
"So," Connor asked, glancing around at his friends. "What are we thinking? Grab a bite to eat, check out some art stuff, see what the carnival has to offer."
"Well," Stephanie smirked, wrapping her arms around her boyfriend. "This one promised to win me the biggest stuffed animal the carnival has to offer."
"I did," Travis asked. "Uh yeah," Stephanie exclaimed, dragging Travis forward. "If your that accurate with a water balloon I want to see what you can do with a ball." The others now laughed, watching Stephanie race towards the fairgrounds as they pondered what they should do.