A Fox's Vacation (American Kitsune Book 5)

by Brandon Varnell

  Iris rolled her eyes at the couple. “You two are way too excited. It’s just a stupid trip.”

  “How can you say that?” an appalled Lilian asked. “This is more than just a trip. This is spring break. Our first spring break. We’re going to California!”

  “The only reason you’re so excited is because you get to wear those dumb costumes that you and Kevin spent so much money on.”

  “They’re not dumb! These costumes are amazing! I won’t have you say anything bad about them.” Lilian’s cheeks became large, inflating with her intake of oxygen. They swelled up and became red, like a balloon with too much helium.

  “Aw!” Iris squealed. “Look at you! Now I just want to pinch those adorable cheeks of yours.”

  “Eek!” Lilian covered her rear. They all knew which cheeks Iris was talking about. “No, wait! S-stay back! No! Stay away! These cheeks can only be touched by my beloved!”

  Kotohime sighed as Iris chased Lilian onto the bus, her fingers making the creepiest grasping motions known to both man and yōkai, as if already imagining Lilian’s buttocks underneath their grasp.

  Really, that girl is just so…

  Over near the bus, Camellia tried to put away her luggage.

  “My Lady Camellia, why don’t you let me take care of that for you?”

  “Ah, don’t worry, don’t worry.” Camellia smiled at her maid. “Camellia’s got it—hawa!”

  “M-My Lady!” Kirihime cried out as Camellia’s luggage fell on top of the five-tails.

  Was it wrong, Kotohime pondered, to be amused by the sight of Camellia-sama being crushed by her own luggage? Maybe. Probably. And yet, wrongness aside, she could not help but feel amused. The suitcase didn’t weigh much, maybe a little over 20 pounds, yet Camellia-sama acted as if it weighed over 500.

  “Beloved, help!”

  “Uh, I would love to, but, um, a-actually, I think I heard Kiara saying she had something she needed help with something inside the bus, so I’ve gotta go. See ya! Bye!”

  “Beloved!”

  “Gotcha!”

  “Iyan!”

  From within her place at the driver’s seat, Kiara watched the group of kitsune with an amused smile. She had absolutely no clue what the future had in store for her, or them, but knowing this unusual bunch like she did, she knew that there would never be a dull moment.

  She was looking forward to an exciting trip.

  Chapter 3

  Road Trip

  Lindsay was a simple girl. She enjoyed the small pleasures in life: spending time with her friends, playing soccer, and going out. Among the simple pleasures that she enjoyed, one of them stood above the others.

  It wasn’t taking amusement in watching the antics of Kevin and Lilian, though she had to admit they were fun. Showers. She absolutely loved showers.

  Standing under the spray of hot water, she allowed herself this guilty pleasure. A groan of satisfaction escaping her lips as millions of tiny droplets hit her back, relaxing tense muscles, relieving the tension in her body. It was wonderful.

  Nothing could possibly beat this.

  Someone knocked on the restroom door.

  “Hey, Lindsay! Are you done in there? I still need to take a shower, too, you know!”

  Oops. I forgot I can’t enjoy a long shower this morning.

  Turning off the water, Lindsay stepped out of the shower, grabbed a towel, wrapped it around her waist, and opened the door. Christine stood on the other end. Her arms were crossed, her foot tapped an impatient rhythm against the carpet, and her face was set in a scowl. Lindsay thought Christine looked too cute for her own good, but she knew better than to say that out loud.

  “Sorry,” she said sheepishly, grinning at her friend. “I completely forgot you haven’t taken a shower yet.”

  “You always forget,” Christine grumbled. “Every single time I spend the night here, you forget that I also need to take a shower.”

  Lindsay squirmed under her friend’s gaze, trying not to flush. Did Christine even know how intense her gaze was? How it made her feel? Probably not. If she did, Lindsay had no doubt that the girl would be doing that tsun-thingy Lilian kept teasing her about.

  “Please tell me you at least didn’t use all the hot water this time.”

  “I… I don’t think I did…”

  “That’s not very reassuring.”

  Lindsay was pleased to note that she had not, in fact, used all the hot water, though Christine’s shower had gotten cool near the end. After they both donned their outfits—Lilian in her pixie pants, sleeveless shirt, and tennis shoes, and Christine in her Gothic Lolita outfit—the two sat at the dining room table and ate breakfast with Lindsay’s family.

  “Are you sure you two want to go traveling with that Pnév̱ma girl?” her mom asked. Lindsay would have rolled her eyes, but that would have been redundant by this point.

  “Mom, we’ve been over this a hundred times already. Lilian’s my friend, and I don’t want to hear anything about how she stole Kevin from me. She didn’t. I just… wasn’t smart in how I approached him.”

  Understatement of the century. Lindsay knew that she’d screwed up any chance she might have had at being in a relationship with Kevin. At the same time, she actually felt kind of relieved. She really did like him, but a part of her realized that they wouldn’t have been a very good match. The only thing they had in common was their love for sports, and they loved different sports anyway. Lilian was much better for him.

  She’s an anime nerd like him. They’re two cute anime nerds who do all those strange Japanese things.

  “That is why I told you to sink your claws into him before he could get away,” her mom lectured. “Honestly, you were too lenient with him. You should have simply told him that you and he were dating, and that you wouldn’t put up with any of his complaints.”

  Lindsay saw Christine stiffen in her seat at the mention of Kevin and grew a bit concerned. She knew that the yuki-onna still harbored some feelings for him. She didn’t necessarily blame the girl. Kevin treated her with kindness and respect and accepted all of her personality flaws, but that was how he treated everyone. She was sure Christine had realized this, but getting rid of those feelings locked in her heart could be tough. Lindsay knew that all too well.

  “And in either case, I was not speaking of the redhead. I was talking about that other one. That… that vixen with the atrocious attitude.”

  Ah, so she’s talking about the twin.

  “You mean Iris, don’t you?”

  “Yes.” Her mom’s scowl made her think of a bomb about to go off. The woman looked like she might explode. “That accursed girl who dresses so scandalously. Ever since I first laid eyes on her, I could tell that she was trouble.”

  “Well, there’s something you and I can definitely agree on,” Christine said, scowling. Lindsay almost sighed. While Christine and Lilian had settled their differences, her snow-hating friend and Iris had been butting heads ever since the other girl had arrived.

  Not that Lindsay couldn’t understand why. Iris might have been the hottest girl she’d ever seen, but that attitude of hers was a serious turn off. The raven-haired femme was disgustingly arrogant.

  “You see? Christine agrees with me. That girl is bad news. If you stick around her for too long, she’ll end up corrupting you. Just knowing that girl is living with my dear Kevin is enough to make my blood boil!”

  The woman slammed her hands on the table, startling the two youngsters. Gritting her teeth, Lindsay’s mom held a clenched fist up to her face. Fire burned within her eyes, a blazing inferno that could scarcely be contained.

  A droplet of sweat trailed down Lindsay’s face. Her mom got way too excited whenever Kevin was involved. And was it just her, or did her mom look sort of like a demon with that apoplectic expression?

  “Who knows what that girl is doing to him right this very second! She’s probably corrupting that poor, innocent boy!”

  “Uh, I don’t think Kevin’s
all that innocent anymore,” Lindsay murmured, too soft for her mom to hear. It would be better not tell her progenitor what she knew about Kevin’s sex life.

  “For all we know, she could be having her devious, detestable way with him right this very moment! Yes! I can picture it now! That sickening, shameless girl! She’s probably seducing him with her body, tempting him with her wily seductress act right this very moment! It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if she’s broken into the shower with him, pushing him against the wall and rubbing herself all over his bare, naked flesh… caressing those budding muscles… and… and… oh… Kevin…”

  Her mom trailed off, eyes glazing over, cheeks flushing red. Drool starting leaking from the plump woman’s mouth, which she didn’t seem to notice.

  Lindsay suddenly felt a very strong urge to slam her face against the table.

  Christine leaned over to whisper in the tomboy’s ear. “No offense, but your mom really scares me.”

  “None taken,” Lindsay mumbled. “To be honest, she scares me sometimes, too.”

  Breakfast was an awkward affair after that.

  ***

  Like most of the middle class, Lindsay’s family lived in a cul-de-sac. All of the houses looked alike: one or two-story houses, stucco and brick walls, and tiled roofs. There wasn’t much differentiation between residences.

  The one they arrived at didn’t appear any different from any other house. It was one story tall, made of red bricks and red tiles. There were several cacti in the yard, small, squat, round ones. A tree also stood alone, surrounded only by many small shrubs and bushes.

  Kevin and the others disembarked from the large bus and walked up to the front door. Lilian, the brightest smile anyone would ever see plastered on her face, pressed the doorbell. There was a second’s pause. Then rushing footsteps came from inside. Several shouts could be heard behind the door, which soon opened to reveal a grinning face.

  “Lilian!”

  Lilian laughed as she and Lindsay hugged, squealing like a couple of, well, like two teenage girls. Behind Lindsay trailed Christine, who was followed by Ms. Dianne. The eldest of the trio caught one look at Iris and scowled.

  At least she knows better than to say anything.

  “Hey, Christine!” Kevin greeted his friend with a sunny smile.

  It was interesting, the way Christine’s face turned blue, then went back to pale, almost as if the yuki-onna was undergoing hyperpigmentation.

  “K-Kevin,” she greeted, “how, um, I hope you slept well.”

  “I did. Thanks for asking. So, are you two ready for the trip? Got your stuff? Need any help? I wouldn’t mind carrying your luggage to the bus.”

  Christine went back to blushing.

  “H-h-h-he… w-w-w-who said I wanted you to help me?! Huh?! Stupid jerk! I can carry my own luggage! Hmph!”

  Kevin’s shoulders slumped. “What did I do now?”

  “Uhuhuhu,” Iris chuckled. “Look at you, always jumping the gun and getting angry for no reason. And you wonder why Kevin doesn’t like you.”

  “A-as if I care about something like that!” Christine’s eyes could have melted ice, or created ice. Her glare was certainly bone-chilling. “And you’re the last person I want to hear talking about my personality!”

  “Ho? It seems the snow-prude’s claws are out today.”

  “Bitch!”

  “Do you two really have to fight?” Kevin asked.

  “YES!” they shouted at the same time.

  “Eep!” Squeaking like a little girl, Kevin hid behind Lilian, whose expression was more amused than concerned.

  The argument continued unabated.

  “You had better take good care of Kev—I mean, my daughter,” Ms. Dianne said to Kotohime and the other adults.

  “Hawa! Do not worry. Camellia will look after her!”

  At the sight of an enthused Camellia, whose eyes sparkled with childish determination, Ms. Dianne faltered. “U-um, erm, yes, that’s good to hear… I think.”

  “Do not worry, Dianne-san,” Kotohime assured the woman with a placid smile. “I shall ensure that no harm comes to anyone during this trip.”

  “I’m pleased to hear that.”

  “Ufufufu, of course.”

  “And now I’m not so pleased.”

  “Why does everyone say that to me?” Kotohime wondered. Meanwhile, the argument between Christine and Iris continued.

  “Cow.”

  “Icicle.”

  “Skank.”

  “Dead fish.”

  “Whore!”

  “Doesn’t that mean the same thing as skank?”

  As Christine and Iris degraded to childish name-calling, Kevin looked at Lilian. “Think you can stop these two?”

  “I’m not suicidal enough to get between their arguments,” Lilian declared.

  He and Lilian then looked at Lindsay, who noticed their stares and raised her hands. “Whoa! Don’t get me involved in this. I’m just a regular human.”

  “Used catcher’s mitt!”

  “Oh, that’s a good one, for a frosty little prude.”

  We’re going to be here a while, aren’t we? Kevin groaned.

  ***

  Alex and Andrew were alone in their house. Neither of their parents were home. Their mom was at a club meeting of some kind, and their dad had been called into work due to an emergency. That meant they were on their own, until Kevin and the others picked them up.

  “Hey, Andrew?”

  “Yeah?”

  “You ever get the feeling that our friends are hiding something from us?”

  “What do you mean?”

  Lazing around in the living room of their humble abode, Alex and Andrew stared at the ceiling. The auburn-haired Alex lay on his back on the couch. His eyes went from the ceiling fan to his fraternal twin brother. The redhead sat on one of the living room’s two chairs, his feet propped up on their coffee table. He looked contemplative.

  “What I mean is that I can’t help but feel like all of our friends know something that we don’t. It feels like they’re all in on some big secret and aren’t telling us for some reason.”

  “I noticed that you didn’t mention Justin,” Andrew said.

  Alex rolled his eyes. “I doubt Justin even knows what’s going on half the time—or cares.”

  “Hmm.” Andrew rolled onto his stomach. “I suppose you’ve got a point. There’s definitely been something happening that no one’s telling us about. Kevin’s changed, and in a big way. A few months ago, he was just like us, kind of a scrawny kid who could run well and had no luck with women. Now look at him. He’s got a hot girlfriend, that goth chick likes him, and he also gets to hang around with his girlfriend’s super-hot sister.”

  “Don’t forget about whatever new workout he’s been doing.”

  “Please don’t remind me.” Andrew sounded depressed. “Just thinking about that makes me feel inadequate. It shouldn’t be possible for someone’s muscles to grow that fast. Ugh…” Rolling onto his back again, he covered his eyes with a forearm. “I just don’t get it. What’s going on? And why does everyone but us know about it?”

  “Who knows?” Alex shrugged.

  The ringing of a doorbell interrupted the rest of their conversation. They answered the door and were greeted by a large amount of pretty… plus Kevin. Really, seeing Kevin with all those gorgeous ladies—more than half of whom he lived with—was just unfair.

  “You guys ready to go?” Kevin asked.

  Alex and Andrew looked at each other, and then hurried to grab their luggage.

  Neither of them knew what was going on. They didn’t know why, or even how, their friend had gone through so many drastic changes in such a relatively short time period, but on that day, in that moment, they made a promise. One way or another, they were going to find out what big secret everybody was hiding from them.

  Believe it.

  ***

  “Yes, we’ll be traveling to California today for spring break. No, I
’m not sure when we’re going to get there. It takes at least six hours of straight driving to reach Los Angeles. I imagine that means we’ll arrive sometime late in the afternoon.”

  “…”

  “We’re really going through with this, then? I thought you had adopted a wait-and-see approach? Isn’t that the entire reason you had all of those people who tried kidnapping your son’s girlfriend disposed of and sent those machines after Ms. Grant?”

  “…”

  “Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter. I’ll do whatever you order me to. Justin, out.”

  Justin hung up the phone after he had finished his conversation. It looked like things were about to get interesting again.

  A knock came to the door.

  “Justin! Your friends have arrived!”

  “… Coming…”

  Grabbing his luggage, Justin made his way out of the bedroom.

  He wouldn’t be sleeping there again for a long time.

  ***

  Earlier that morning, Heather Grant had driven over to Eric’s place to make sure her apprentice had everything he needed. While his mom had not been pleased, feeling like this strange woman wanted to usurp her position, his dad couldn’t have been more pleased. The old man definitely enjoyed the eye-candy.

  “Binoculars?”

  “Check.”

  “Camouflage?”

  “Check.”

  “Mini cameras?”

  “Check.”

  “Old sock?”

  “Check—wait, what?” Eric looked up from where he was checking the supplies that had been neatly organized into his suitcase. “What do I need an old sock for?”

  “You’re a guy, ain’t ya? That means you’re going to be pleasuring yourself a lot. You know, basting the ham, arguing with Henry Longfellow, battling the purple-headed yogurt slinger, bludgeoning the beefsteak, flinging the phallus, frosting the maple bar, genital stimulation via phallengetic motion—”

  “All right, all right, I think I get the picture here. Old sock, check.”