Legal Notice: "Fighters Megamix" and all related stuff TM and copyright Sega. All rights reserved. 
The characters and events are entirely fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons and/or events is purely coincidental. 

 
Harbortown Summer
Chapter 2- Home Away From Home 
 
 

 The road trip didn't turn out as expected. There were some stretches of road where the only radio stations they could pick up were ones whose format none of them liked. During those stretches, Raxel played for his friends. Stopping for meals was difficult because of everyone's preferences. Between stops, the gang constantly worried that the Vipermobile wouldn't make it to Fairwestern Harbor. However, they did get to see a lot of interesting sites. 

 When they reached the Maine state line, Candy explained how the owner of the house they were staying in always rented it to vacationers. She also mentioned what all they could do once they got to the house. 

 "There's a pool out back," she said. "And there are horses (some hired person takes care of them, but we're free to ride). The beach isn't very far, either. Plus, talk about convenience, there's a lot of stores within walking distance! There's one small drawback, though." 

 "What's that?" asked Grace. 

 "We can't each have our own room," replied Candy. "Everyone's gonna have to share with someone. I'm real sorry about this, but there really weren't any other options." 

 "Oh, that's no problem," said Heather. "The only ones we wouldn't wanna share a room with are all the way back in Armstone City." 
*******


 After a few hours, the gang found themselves in Fairwestern Harbor. The noise, traffic, smog, and skyscrapers of Armstone City were missing. Fairwestern Harbor was a quaint seaside town, not a big city like the gang was used to. 

 "Man, Armstone City could eat this place alive!" said Picky. "It's so small and quiet here." 

 "It won't be so quiet the day of the festival," said Laura, making everyone including herself laugh. 

 "Turn here," Candy instructed the chauffeur. The Vipermobile turned onto a dirt road, then pulled into a driveway and parked in the garage of a brick house with a huge front porch and rosebushes growing in front of it. All that was in the front yard was a big tree with a rope swing hanging from a branch. However, the back yard, as Candy said, had an inground pool. And a little ways to the side of the yard was the stable. 

 After a minute or two of seeing what was outside, everyone carried their stuff through the front door. There was a big kitchen and a very pretty living room downstairs as well as a game room, a gym, and a library. Between the living room and the hall leading to the game room, gym, and library was a staircase with a green carpet. These stairs led to seven bedrooms and four bathrooms. At the end of the upstairs hallway was a door leading to another staircase (this one wasn't carpeted). That led to the attic. 

 As soon as everyone was upstairs, they investigated the bedrooms. Almost right away, Otto chose the one with the double bed for himself and Heather. The other rooms each had three beds, so the others divided into groups of three and took what was left. 

 Once everyone had settled in and dropped the chauffeur off at the airport, they explored the town en route to the grocery store. It seemed strange that everything was within walking distance. Sure, there were lots of things within walking distance back in Armstone City, but there were just as many things that weren't. Also, the usual Friday night ritual seemed nearly impossible the more anyone thought about it, since there wasn't half as much town to hit. 

 "This place is really gonna take some getting used to," said Grace when the gang stopped at the ice cream parlor in town after they had pcked up enough supplies to last for at least the first week. 

 "That's not the only thing," replied Aoi. "We've all been in the same house before, but only for visits, sleepovers, and parties." 

 It was late when everyone got back to the brick house, so they got ready for bed. But it was a long time before any of them so much as closed their eyes. The only lights were the stars and the quarter moon in the sky, and it was very quiet.