A short while, letting them get situated

Michael pulled onto the gravel road, leading a short distance through the trees before coming upon a two storey cabin. The Australian let out a low whistle, prompting Brianna and James to look up at the building and remark at the luxury house.

"Damn. I knew Danielle's family was rich, I didn't know they were THIS rich." Brianna commented as Michael pulled the car in and parked to one side of the lodge.

The three disembarked, each spending a few moments to stretch out their legs and get some fresh air in their lungs. Mike rolled his shoulders, before facing the lodge and taking a good look at it.

The lodge's exterior was fashioned with wooden beams, logs and grey stones. Despite the rustic aesthetic, the construction itself was clearly modern and rather high end. Mike noted that the place was built atop a sheer drop, a hill that curved sharply downwards and lead further into the woods. He paced back and forth, seeing that the back half of the lodge was supported by thick, reinforced beams. Being impressed, he raised his eyebrows and nodded.

"Looks like a nice spot." he noted

James was leaned up against the car, still tapping away on his phone. He was known to bury his face in his tech, blocking out the world around him to focus on whatever game he had recently become obsessed with. Brianna pulled her backpack from the back seat and slung it over her shoulder, stepping up to James and giving him a light punch on his arm.

The leaner boy winced, bringing a hand up to rub the impact site. "Ow. What was that for?"

The redhead tilted her head to one side and gave him a sharp look. "Mike brought us out here for a holiday, you gonna spend the entire time with your head in the sand?" she asked.

"No..." James denied, reluctantly backing out of his game and stashing his phone in his pocket.

"Good." she said, speaking to him like a parent before looking over her shoulder at Mike. "Hey! I don't think the others are here yet!" she called over to him.

"Doesn't seem like it." the boy observed, "That's fine, we'll just start taking stuff out of the car and leaving it by the door, makes it easier for when they do get here."

The three of them moved around the car, Brianna opening up the trunk and starting to pull out the luggage and bags they'd packed, with the help of James. Michael was at the side of the car, reaching up onto the roof racks and retrieving some belongings of his own. Within a few minutes they'd set everything down by the front door, and started conversing amongst themselves to pass the time.

"Hold up. Just going to ring my Dad and tell him we're here." Michael said, stepping away from the two and speed dialling his father, as he'd agreed to do before departing from town. The phone ringed three times, before an older voice spoke from the other end.

"Hey kiddo. Reach the place okay?"

"Yeah Dad, just got here. Waiting on the others to show up but they shouldn't be too far behind." Michael confirmed.

"Alrighty. Brianna and James doing alright?" his father followed up, the sound of a lighter flicking coming through the speaker.

With a brief turn back to his friends, Michael nodded. "Yeah, yeah they're all good. Bit nervous about staying here with strangers."

"Makes sense, and how about you? You holding up?" his father continued questioning after taking a drag of what was most likely a cigarette.

Mike paused for a few moments, processing it all in his head. "I think I'll be alright. I'm a bit nervous too but, excited as well."

"You'll be fine kiddo, you handle new situations better than you give yourself credit for." the older man chuckled, "Got everything you need?"

"We got clothes, swimmers, toiletries, snacks, James brought one of his consoles, Brianna brought a book just in case. Should be sweet."

"Phone charger? Spare undies? Condoms?" Mike's father casually added.

With an uncomfortable grumble, Mike interjected. "Dad-"

"-I wasn't born yesterday Mikey, you're a man now, try as I might to stop it you're gonna do what all teenagers do when they're away from their parents. I'd at least prefer you be smart about it. So?"

Michael sighed, "Yes. Dad. I brought those too."

"Good. Well, give my love to Jamie and Bri, see you back in a few weeks, have fun buddy."

"Thanks Dad, love you."

"Love you too kiddo."

The phone clicked, the disconnect tone playing for a moment before Mike stashed the phone back into his pocket, pacing back over to his friends and crossing his arms casually as he slips into the conversation they're having about what the inside of the lodge might be like.

"Dad says hi." he informs them, earning a soft smile from Brianna. She'd always had a fondness for Michael's father, in some ways she felt more of a kinship with him than her own father. Tom Hayden was a good guy, often confused for being rude or too forward, but it was plain to see he was a good father and a hard worker, and some of that had clearly rubbed off on his son.

"Is he going to be alright with the house to himself for a while?" she asked out of interest.

"Hm? Yeah, yeah no he'll manage. Gave him a few recommendations for shows to watch while I'm gone, he'll probably try and go fishing a few times. Keep himself busy"

The redhead nodded, turning her eyes to James who sat on a small bench by the door. "What about your folks? Think this might be the first time you've been away from them for so long"

James just chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Frankly I think they're glad I'm actually getting out of the house, doing something social for once. Probably more than I am really." he said with a bit of an anxious jitter.

Michael reached down and firmly gripped his friend's shoulder reassuringly. "You'll be fine mate, you don't have to walk up to people on your own and strike up a conversation on the fly, you can stick with us and see what happens. There's gonna be eight of us here, you're not obligated to be involved in everything"

With a thankful nod, James eases up a touch. "So. Have you seen the patch notes for SteelFist 8?"

"Ugh. Don't get me started." Mike groaned, "Why the hell did they buff John Vic again? Dude's already broken!"

Brianna chuckled to herself, watching her friends nerd out for a few minutes until the second group arrived.