The lake house was located just outside the city of Chikago in the county of Belviyn. It was a county known for farms, cows, and the faceless dairy maids. It was far enough away from the city for life to seemingly move a bit slower but close enough so that the city lights still caused there to be a severe lack of stars.
Evan liked Belviyn but he didn't prefer it by any stretch of the means and he supposed that was, in part, due to his aunt--a woman of which he had a slightly strained relationship.
Aunt Norma had married well to an investment banker; well enough to afford two houses, one of which resided in the city and the other being the lake house. The Lake House was found by following the main road, turning right onto Meadow Lark, and then taking the third street whose name was a symbol. Following it for twenty minutes, you made a sharp right between two cow pastures and drove until you saw trees and a large house whose frame was made of large stone and larger panes of glass. Inside existed a grand kitchen, spacious living room, and four bedrooms; each with a private bath. In the hallways, pictures of the family lined the wall in uniformed black frames. The place had been done to have the homeliness of the country while the showiness of someone who had money and wanted people to be aware of that fact.
Honestly, Evan wasn't exactly sure why they were boasting as, from his knowledge, his aunt hardly stayed at the residence. He only remembered being there with her once but she was kind enough to have allowed him the use of it for every birthday on the condition he didn't leave it a mess. He thought it may have been her way of comforting the loss of his father and also making amends for the disagreement that occurred between them five years before.
During that time, Azizah had been almost his only company. Occasionally their friend Jason would tag along but, every year since he was seven, Azizah had been Evan's companion. When he turned eleven, it was for a comfort he, at ten, didn't know he would end up needing. While time had passed, her dedication had not and that morning they set out together to ready the place for the others. While they unloaded the car, Azizah chirped about her experiences looking for a suitable host for her soon to be husband. This ranged from the acceptable to 'hell-to-the-fucking-no' as she eloquently put it. When Evan began to grow silent, she switched gears to bombard him with questions concerning those that would be coming: how did they meet? Did they have classes together? Was anyone hot? Please say someone's hot, and so forth.
Once setting up was finished, the two took to their respected rooms and fetched bathing suits before re-emerging and making a dash to the lake. Azizah had purchased a new bikini that had been modeled after a sailor girl--a fact she found amusing given her tentacles. She had managed an 'adorable' sailor hat but, as she was pushed into the lake after striking a pose, it was quickly lost. The two took turns dunking one another before finding themselves exhausted and climbing back up to the dock.
"Ugh, we forgot towels." Azizah huffed, her tentacles coming down to wipe water from her eyes.
"I can go inside and get some." Evan offered as he pushed up the last ladder step to stand beside her.
"Kay, mine is the Beatles' one. The yellow submarine."
"No." walnut colored eyes narrowed. "You did not. I loathe that song."
There was a car pulling up but Evan hardly had time to check who it was before Azizah scream-sung into his ear.
"WE ALL LIVE IN A YELLOW SUBMARINE--"
Hooking his arm around her middle, he pushed forward back into the lake and the girl screamed before they both splashed into the water.
