EIGHT

Louise kicked off her shoes with a triumphant look. "Last one to the lake is a rotten quail egg!" She giggled and chirped with childish laughter, taking off running so quickly her shoes went flying into the air.

"You little cheater, Louise!" Elizabeth smiled wide with laughter, narrowly missing Louise shoes. "You ran before you said we were racing!" She pulled up her dress and suddenly took off after her.

Elizabeth moved with pounding legs and pumping legs. Her dress was not made for such movement and as a result, a layer of the dress ripped while one of her diamond earrings soared off ear.

"Ladies!" Nickolas shouted, picking up their fallen personal articles. "Try not to lose things while you run?"

Once Louise had suggested to drink, their conversation had turned into chaos. First, they were laughing and chatting, then they were standing and moving, next they were running and playing. Their running and playing had went from the wrecking the rooms and halls of Elizabeth's house to frolicking outside by her the property's lake.

Louise, the lightweight of the drinking party, sustained the most damage to her reason and sense. After only one glass she was bouncing on her feet and eager for physical activity. She was also eager to drag Elizabeth into her playtime.

Elizabeth, with every other dared drinking challenge became more susceptible to silly suggestions went from agreeing to play darts to jumping on the couches and standing on tables.

"Nicky you're going to lose!" Louise lightheartedly shouted as she picked up her speed.

"That's right, Nickolas!" Elizabeth yelled, trying to catch up with the cheating girl who already had a head start.

"Uh huh!" He sighed, shaking his head. He sat their things neatly against a tree, and walked to meet up with them.

He appeared to be the most stable of the drinkers. While they were hyper active fairies, he was a flushed face calm man. The only affect to his body was the red as a tomato rogue to his cheeks.

"I won!" Louise jumped up and down as she ran to the border of the lake.

"You cheated!" Elizabeth was second behind her.

"No, I won!" She blew raspberries.

"Nickolas, tell your sister she cheated!" Elizabeth huffed, catching her breath.

"Louise. You cheated."

"Don't listen to her, I'm your sister Nicky!"

"Adopted sister."

"Oh, hush up, you're always emphasizing that." Louise rolled her eyes.

"You're a cheater, Louise." Elizabeth stuck out her tongue.

"Sore loser." She smirked.

Elizabeth giggled in response and looked out to the lake. "Wow. I haven't been outside to the manor lake in a long while." She walked closer to the deep blue waters bending down to graze the surface. She saw her smiling reflection in the ripples of the water. "I think the last time I was in---."

SPLASH!

Louise pushed her hard into the lake and Elizabeth plunged directly into it, the water soaking her fancy dress.

"Louise!" She shouted, fumbling around in the water under the weight of soaked dress.

"Ahaha!" Louise snickered with a hand over her mouth. "I got you!"

Elizabeth smacked the water and stumbled back to the shoreline, water seeping from her head to her toes. "You little wench!" She flicked water her direction but Louise evaded her on quick feet.

Nickolas laughed as they ran around lively fighting as if they were juveniles in their youth again. "Be civil ladies! You're married woman, not street thugs." They were tugging at each other's clothes.

Louise stopped her struggled with Elizabeth and turned her eyes on Nickolas. "You're next, Nicky!" She made a sudden beeline to him but he simply dodged her.

"Who's next?" He plucked her up without warning.

The moment he did, she kicked, screamed, and shouted with a big smile. "Nicky put me down you impossibly tall brute!"

"I don't think so!" He lifted her and tossed her into the lake. She made a big splash, splatters of water hitting his clothes.

"Nicky!" Louise gurgled water as she sprang back up to the surface.

"That's what you get for pushing me in!" Elizabeth chortled, wiping water from her face.

"You had what was coming to you!"

"You sure did, Louise." Nickolas stood by the lake edge, placing his hands on his hips.

Elizabeth stepped next to him. "And so do you!" Grinning with mischief, she shoved him from behind with all her might.

"AHH!" He slammed into the water, making an even bigger splash in the waters.

"You got him good, Liz!" Louise giggled as she swam back to land. "High-five, baby!" She wiggled her palm.

With a laugh, Elizabeth high fived her back.

"Elizabeth, I never would have thought you could betray me like that!" Nickolas chuckled, flapping to the shore and brushing back his slick hair.

For a moment, Elizabeth stared at him. His shirt clung his chest, and she could see his muscles and raw skin. She for a split second she wondered what he may have looked like without the shirt.

She wanted to slap herself. Why did she keep having those types of inappropriate thoughts? Even in a slight drunken haze, her mind still betrayed her.

"Why not?" Louise questioned to Nickolas. "She's learned from the best, did she not?" She stood tall and proud, smiling.

"Not a good thing." Nickolas shook his head, sliding off his soaking wet suit coat.

"Anyways!" Louise hopped, clasping her hands. "Since we're all wet anyways, let's play water volleyball! Like we used to do in dormitory school, Liz!"

Before they could agree or disagree, Louise was stripping down to her underwear. "Come on!" She balled up her shirt in a knotted ball and ran into the lake.

"Louise! What did I tell you about just stripping off your clothes like that in front of me!" Nickolas's eyes followed the almost bare wild woman.

"What?" She waded around in the water. "Oh, don't pretend like I didn't help to bathe you when you were younger. I nearly raised you, silly!"

"Louise!" He heaved another sigh.

"Don't Louise me! Help Liz out of the layers of that dress, get into your briefs, and get over here both of you!"

Elizabeth and Nickolas turned to each other.