~*Day 1*~
JC looked out of the small kitchen window above the sink and smiled softly as he watched the sun rise over the small lake. The burning embers shone across the lake, making it shine and shimmer as if diamonds were at the bottom. The sun rose high into the air, bathing the earth in new day�s warmth, marking the beginning of their vacation.
JC turned and walked over to the coffee machine and made himself a cup of coffee before sitting down at the table. He grabbed the tiny remote and turned on the small tv that was perched on the fridge and changed it to the news channel. He sipped his coffee as the news anchor relayed the local news before going over to the weatherman. Today proved to be a beautiful day and he planned on spending it outside rather than cooped up all day in the drafty house.
The night before they had all clambered into the dark house, feeling their way around for light. Chris had sprinted up the stairs to investigate, his fatigue forgotten while the other guys stood around half dead, wondering what to do. After a few minutes Chris returned and showed the guys upstairs where they all picked their rooms and promptly went to bed.
From what he had seen, JC had to admit that the house was beautiful. It had been redecorated but had kept the plain and simple country look. Various paintings of different scenery were spread around the house, adding a homely touch, as well as some little knick-knacks from what he assumed to be from the local shops.
The living room had a decent sized tv with a VCR and cable hook-up, two couches, an armchair, and a loveseat. The family room, which was connected to the living room, had several bookcases filled with timeless classics, a large fireplace, and even a piano that JC knew he�d make use of. There was also a dining room, a downstairs bathroom, and a laundry room that connected with the kitchen.
JC hadn�t gotten that good of a look upstairs since he and Justin had just drug their luggage into a random room and quickly went to bed, without unpacking. When he had woken up that morning, he had quietly padded down to the kitchen and made coffee, which was where he was now.
A door and some heavy footsteps jarred him from his thoughts and he looked expectantly at the doorway. A few minutes later, after hearing the toilet flush, a disheveled looking Joey walked through the doorway. When he saw JC, he grunted a good morning and quickly made his way to the cupboards, looking for some breakfast.
�Bowls are in the third cupboard from the fridge, spoons are in the first drawer and cereal in the pantry, milk in the fridge,� said JC.
�Thanks, man,� mumbled Joey. He quickly gathered his things and made a bowl of cereal before plopping down next to JC at the kitchen table. He ate for a few minutes, watching the news before asking, �How�d you sleep?�
�Like a baby. Good bed,� replied JC. �You?�
�Same, which is weird since you know I can�t really sleep any where other than home, but I slept really good,� he answered. �Didn�t want to leave but I had to piss.�
JC laughed. �What room did you get?�
Joey ran a hand through his hair, spiking it up, as he tried to remember. �I�m rooming with Chris and I think he said it was, uh, Butch�s room.�
JC�s eyes went wide. �Butch�s room?! Isn�t he the one who shot everyone?�
�Yeah, so? You don�t think his soul is gonna possess me and force me to kill all y�all in your sleep one night, do you?� asked Joey, a wicked gleam in his eyes.
�Naw, I�m just surprised any of y�all wanted to sleep in his room.�
�Well, it�s not like I did it voluntarily but you and Justin grabbed one room, Lance grabbed the master, and now I�m stuck with Chris in Butch�s room. I�m not sleeping in the attic all by myself, fuck that shit.�
�Is Joey a little afraid to sleep all by himself?� teased JC. Joey laughed and pushed JC a little bit before getting up and rinsing his bowl out.
They heard a door open and close upstairs, followed by the sound of water running and then another door. Seconds later Lance appeared in the doorway. His hair was sticking up all over the place and he had his glasses on.
�Mornin�, guys,� he said. He stretched and yawned, �Do we have any food?�
�Yeah, we�ve got cereal or you can cook eggs, plus there�s bacon and sausage in the fridge and mix for pancakes in the cupboards,� replied JC.
�Damn,� mumbled Lance sleepily. �Chris wasn�t kidding when he said the house was stocked.� He walked over to the fridge and pulled out the carton of eggs along with some bacon. �You guys want?�
�No thanks, man,� answered Joey. �I already ate.�
Lance looked at JC and JC shook his head. �Thanks anyways but you know I don�t really eat in the morning. Chris might want some but you know Justin only eats his cereal.�
Lance laughed as he began making his breakfast. �Yeah, heaven forbid he not have his cereal.�
�Oh man, I don�t even wanna experience that again,� groaned Joey. �That boy is so damn grumpy when he doesn�t get it. It�s not very pretty when you�re cramped on a bus with him and we�re not stopping for another 3 hours.�
�I�ll take your word for it,� said Lance, chuckling.
Two more doors slammed and then they heard a yell followed by a clamber of feet down the stairs. Justin popped his head in the kitchen and growled, �One of you had better tell me that there�s a bathroom down here or else there is going to be one dead elf man.�
JC swallowed his mouthful of coffee quickly and pointed. �Follow the hallway down past the stairs and there�s a bathroom, the second door on the right.�
Justin grunted his thanks and quickly made his way to the bathroom. The door slammed and they heard a sound of relief that the guys burst out laughing over. By the time Chris came down, Lance had finished cooking his breakfast and Justin was hunched over a bowl of cereal.
�Good morning, boys!� shouted Chris happily as he bounced into the kitchen. �I slept magnificently and you?�
�Fuck off, Chris,� grumbled Justin through a mouthful of cereal.
�Awweee, did poor wittle Juju not sleep well?� teased Chris, smirking.
Justin narrowed his eyes at Chris and swallowed. �Fuck you, Chris. I had to piss and you knew it but you still had to get in there first.�
�Snooze you lose, twerp,� replied Chris.
Justin flipped Chris the bird and went back to eating his cereal, a scowl set upon his face.
Chris hopped up onto the kitchen counter and grabbed an apple out of the basket that sat on the windowsill. He took a quick bite before asking, �So, what are y�all�s plans for today?�
�I was thinking of going into town and seeing what�s going on there. Check out the locals, see if there are any hot spots to go to,� replied Joey.
�I�m staying here and putzing about the house,� came Lance�s reply. �I was thinking of finishing up the last rough draft I have and then just going out on the boat for a little while.�
�Jayce?� asked Chris. He bit into his apple and began swinging his legs, bouncing them off the cabinets.
�Well, um, I�m not sure. I�ll probably just hang around outside, sit on the dock and write for a bit, I might join Lance out on the boat if that�s okay with him,� answered JC, looking at Lance who nodded his consent. �Chris, stop kicking the cabinets, you�ll leave a dent.�
Chris rolled his eyes and promptly stopped swinging his legs. �Yes, father.� He took one last bite out of his apple before tossing it across the room into the garbage can. He raised his hands up into a V as it went directly into the can. �Dare I ask what Justin plans on doing today?�
Justin rubbed his nose and got up to rinse his empty bowl out. He was much calmer now and more civil since he had his scheduled two bowls of cereal. �Um, I�ll probably go with Joe if he doesn�t mind.�
�Naw, I don�t mind, Jup. You can come with me.� He smiled wolfishly. �We�ll go see if there are any hot chicks hanging about.�
�What are you gonna do, Chris?� piped up Lance.
�Me? Wellll, I�m gonna do what I came here to do. I�m going to investigate.�
�I�ll be sure to pick up your magnifying glass in town, Sherlock,� snickered Joey. He got up out of his chair and stretched languidly before turning to Justin and saying, �I�m gonna shower and then we can leave.�
�Sure, I need to shower too, though.�
�There�s another bathroom connected to my room, you can use that,� said Lance.
�Fuck, Lance, why didn�t you tell me that earlier when I was about to piss my pants.�
Lance shrugged. �You never asked.�
The guys cracked up as Justin glared pointedly at Lance. Joey walked over and put his arm around Justin�s shoulders and pulled him toward the door. �C�mon, Just, we need to go shower.� He sniffed and made a disgusted face. �You more than me, man.�
~*Later that day*~
After Joey and Justin had disappeared to grab showers, Chris went to do more hunting while Lance and JC went to their respective rooms to change into swimming trunks and tank tops. Lance had grabbed two fishing poles along with some bait while JC grabbed his guitar and notebook. Now they were in the middle of the lake the sun shining down upon them and the wind lightly blowing keeping them comfortable.
Lance baited his hook before swinging the pole deftly, watching the string sail out until the red and white bobber plopped softly into the water. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his ankles on the edge of the boat. �Man, I hadn�t realized how much I missed this.�
�Hmm.�
�This,� answered Lance simply, sweeping his arm around, motioning towards their surroundings. �We�re always so busy and we never get to do any of this.�
�Oh, I know.� JC sighed. He set his notebook down and mimicked Lance�s position. He closed his eyes and smiled as the sun basked down upon him, warming his face. �We�re always moving so fast and it seems like these simple pleasures that most people get to do every day are such a treat to us, y�know.�
Lance �hmm�ed� in response and closed his eyes as well, savoring the quietness the lake offered. He had to admit to himself that this vacation was a pretty good idea. If they had gone to the Bahamas or Hawaii they would have been caught immediately, their anonymity gone instantly. But this was a small town where people knew each other and left their doors unlocked at night, no one really cared who they were as long as they didn�t mess with the peaceful ambiance the town offered.
JC glanced over at his friend when he heard soft snores emitted from his mouth. He grinned and shook his head before picking up his notebook and scribbling down a few random notes. He stopped abruptly and turned toward the house, as if he felt someone staring at him. He looked around the yard for any sign of the guys but noticed that the car was still gone so he turned his attention to the house. He glanced quickly at all the windows, checking to see if Chris was looking at him.
His eyes fixed on the top window in the corner of the house where he saw the shadow of a stocky figure. He grinned and waved wildly. The figure turned and walked away without a second glance. JC frowned and looked back at his notebook. Why didn�t Chris wave back? It�s not like he couldn�t see me. He looked back at the house and frowned deeper when he realized the room that Chris had been in once belonged to Butch, the infamous Dafoe family murderer.