“Hurry up, Ivor!”

A ginger boy with the name of “Soren” energetically sprang away from the schoolhouse, of the step of the establishment’s staircase, his boots scraping the dirt beneath his soles as he turned around while one foot hit the ground, graceful as could be. In a movement of enthusiasm, his scarf’s loose end waved behind him slightly, cutting through the summer’s air in motion, the same for the drawstrings of his hoodie. It was summer at last! After numerous months of academy, he was remarkably thrilled to have time to sit back, relax and enjoy the stress-free glow! Hell, he was so excited the schoolbell didn’t even ring yet, he ran out a second before the chime went off which would be the signal for the conclusion of class for the ensuing several weeks! He couldn’t wait to play with his good, probably best, friend, “Ivor”--The irony--all throughout the holiday. The two had been good allies since around the beginning of the school-year and ever since then, the pair have always hanged out whenever possible. Because of that, Soren was eager to call out for him in exhilaration and he did just that, soon before the schoolbell rang;

“It’s finally summer vacation!”                                                    

- - -

The schoolhouse immediately filled to the brim with children’s cheers and exclamations as the bell fell out. The doors of the school were swinging open. Not a second went by without a younger running out of the building, shouting in glee. Students eagerly rushed down the few stairs onto the ground, some jumping, others running. The delight of the concept of this wonder-filled holiday commenced to the calls of names, footfalls and everything in-between to be let into the atmosphere of this play of an environment twice more than it usually would on any ordinary schoolday, same for the mirth and laughter of the children. In the background, Ivor wasn’t a fan of Soren just running out ahead of him. It was something that happened every day though, so he was used to it. Besides, he knew Soren for a while and if he knew anything about him it was that he was a very energized and enthusiastic person and that nothing he could think of would be able to stop him from his passionate personality and nothing besides isolation ever did, did it, Sorie?

“Soren!” Ivor called out, running up to him, his longer, sable hair in the wind. “It’s not polite to make a friend run!” 

“Yes well, the more time we spend in that school, the more time summer is gonna pass by us, Ivor and I for one, am not letting a second of this spectacular vacation pass by!”            

“We’re going to be asleep for the majority of it, Soren.”                                       

Ivor reminded his green-eyed friend of that in an eye roll, shortly before he turned to the dirt trail the both of them had always walked aside home, prompting Soren to follow him to the dusty path that led to their home village which they shared. The two accompanied each other on their saunter which wasn’t a short distance from their school but not a long one either. It was good, however, for it gave them more than enough time for the pair to talk, mainly discussing their plans of the ventures and activities they would be doing throughout the season break, exclusively involving only the two of them, alike to how they always did. They weren’t sad about that either. They never needed nor did they have anyone else to be getting in the way of their hang-outs with one another. Ain’t that ironic?   

“We could always go to the beach, Ivor.” 

“I’ve told you about a million times, Soren! I can’t swim! What I would be doing would be making a laughing stock out of myself!” 

“Very well, forgetting the beach...we could...go and explore a cave...!” 

“With kitchen knives? I prefer to live, thank you.”

“Ivor, where’s your sense of adventure? I recognize that you like to explore!”

“Well, yes…” Ivor sighed, “Listen Soren, I just...don’t want to get in trouble just as summer is starting, alright?”

“I understand...all that I wish is that you’d lighten up a bit. It’s best we take chances and do things...! Without taking chances...well...life is point–” 

Arg!  Soren’s vision took a blur briefly in distress as his eyes took a cross in startlement. He shook his head slightly, trying to clear his perception from blear. His hands felt a dirt trail, small pieces of dust clouded his arms throughout. Once his mind was freed from confused he gazed up and saw a boy and a girl before him, standing on the field ahead where the clay route had yet another fork of right and left, the greenery with an overhead carven, numerous feet behind the quad that truthfully looked like something that should be of a world-wonder. Ivor was knelt on one knee next to his gingered friend, though his robe didn’t seem to help his action. The boy who Soren had fumbled into had a shaved head whist the lass had some shorter light brown hair, the bloke’s expression could be said to be unimpressed but a bit mad. The lass was more neutral than anything but clearly expecting someone to say something. You didn’t change one bit, did you, Ellie?

“Do you mind looking where you’re going?” The boy asked with a slightly rude tone but not that he was screaming, the boy brings his hands open-palmed above his head in a sarcastic movement, "Here I am, innocently trying to talk with my friend and you have the nerve to bump into me...!” 

The unnamed lass did nothing more than a facepalm at her friend’s play but she didn’t say anything. Soren got to his feet and quickly dusted off any possible dirt that could have came onto his clothes when he fell onto the dusted track and quickly settled the loose end of his scarf back into the place around his neck, how it was beforehand. Ivor stood back up almost in sync of Soren who took a glance at him. Ivor didn’t really seem to be offended or remarkably concerned about Soren’s moderate injury. It was nothing more than a small fall, after all. 

“I should have been looking where I was going and I’m sorry I crashed into you,” Soren takes his arms down a bit which were previously at the same height as his head, a surrender-like stance, fingers loosely fixed and opens his eyes, slight sarcasm removed, “You’re not hurt, are you?”

“Yeah, I don’t think a small bump would break my neck, if you didn’t know.” 

“Magnus, hear yourself,” The girl stepped up, reaching an arm out, almost cutting off her bandana-wearing friend, “He clearly didn’t mean to.” The lass unpressed shrugs her arms, palms open, “Do you really think that they’re out to get you or something?” 

The boy sighed a breath of sass because of his friend’s remark. Nevertheless, he turned gazed back at the ginger and black-haired, looking at a slight angle. The damsel in a dress, for the first time, in the thirty seconds that Soren and Ivor knew the lass, was the one to speak up instead of the bloke she had for an associate. She first did a sigh of the air regarding her dismissal of the event;

“I’m sorry about him.” The girl slightly waves her hands apart, around the same height as her chest, “He can be friendlier but when he remembers that the world doesn’t revolve around him, it starts to make him intolerable.” 

“Ellie!” Magnus shouted forcefully to “Ellie,” hands clenched and drawn to his heart. The scene causes Ivor and Soren to have a small laugh as “Ellie” rolled her eyes with a smile of backhand before loosely bringing a hand to just below her throat;

“The name’s Ellegaard, by the way. I habitually go by ‘Ellie,’ though. This is Magnus. AKA, the world’s best rogue.” Ellegaard hastily nods her head down, clenched hand in sync.

“I’m taking that as a compliment!” Magnus announced proudly, both wrists on his hips.

This is yet another case of the kids having a cursory case of laughter while Ellegaard and Ivor shook their heads both donning unimpressed smiles. Honestly, none of them understood if they were laughing at Magnus or with him, though Magnus was wearing a proud beam, therefore, it was likely the ladder if anything. They did seem to have a sense of humour. Perhaps these two aren’t so bad, after all. Given the fact that these two unfamiliar kids gave their names to the duo, Soren took it upon himself to provide him and Ivor their customary introductions, bringing a hand to his chest, talking a bit slowly at first;

“My name is Soren and this is my friend Ivor. Do you two live around here? I have never seen either of you before.” 

“Don’t answer, Ellie!” Magnus interrupted, hands hovered above his chest, “They may be creeps...!” 

“Stop being so paranoid.” 

“The worry can be understandable,” Ivor added quietly, close to interrupting Ellegaard, turning his head slightly aside, an out-of-character thing to say. Nowadays, at least.

Although Ivor spoke this one-liner nearly alike to inaudibly, a wave of hush befell upon each and every one of the kids in result, leaving the sound of a slight breeze and distant, unimportant voices all to the ears of the four. Ivor had single-handedly brought them all to an awkward silence, uncomfortable for all of the children for a few, thin seconds, though it felt like longer before Soren discontinued the inconvenient deadlock on any kind of known social cue with an apprehensive shrug, more to the right and a proposal which he said slowly;

“Perrrrrrhaps we could be friends? Ivor and I were planning some plans for the summer! If you want, you can join us.” 

“All I was going to do this summer was study redstone techniques,” Ellegaard raised an arm swiftly as she said that, closing her eyes and raising her shoulders with slight sass, “So, I wouldn’t mind.” 

“Yeahhhhhhh, I got nothing better to do either,” Magnus said glinting away with a shrug before turning back to Ellegaard addressing her, “Ellie, we should include Gabe.” 

“Gabe?” Ivor asked slowly, tilted head, “Who’s that?” 

“Gabriel,” Ellegaard answered, “He’s our friend. He’s likeable.” 

“This will be excellent!” Soren exclaimed, clapping his hands together, “Ivor and I were discussing how we were going to go and explore a cave later! You both could come too!” 

“I never agreed to that!” Ivor retaliated in a gasp, his hands bitterly closed and brought to his chest. You know something? It’s kind of funny how some people never change even throughout the span of several years.

“Well, if purple-eyed is up to it, so are we,” Magnus asked casually, one hand on his hip, “Where you two wanna meet?” 

- - -

The four children processed to discuss their plans to go on an adventure through a cave that same night which wasn’t quite a ways from Ellegaard’s, Magnus’s and “Gabriel’s” village, though their village wasn’t a very far venture from Soren’s and Ivor’s town either, which was good. It might be a dangerous risk, lives might be put in jeopardy but that would mean nothing more than it also being an adventure. After talking it over with one another, Magnus promised to bring wooden swords for the group, Soren promised to bring torches for the four, Ellegaard promised to inform their unseen friend, Gabriel to come along and, most importantly, each kid promised not to tell their parents that evening and go with the other few at nightfall without their parent’s knowledge or consent. Who knew that an adventure could be sparked by a clumsy action? What would happen if Soren wasn’t distracted? Maybe The Order Of The Stone would’ve never existed...! If only, huh?