"Bye Mom!" said a cheerful young girl.

It was a bright, Friday morning, and Vera Jones was on her way to school, accompanied by her three best friends: Devan Lockmore, Gabriel Lockmore, and James Morgan.

"Have a blessed day at school." said Vera's mom.

The four of them waved goodbye and walked to school.

"So.. judging by the bandages on your hands, you got into another fight yesterday, didn't you Gabe?" James askes.

"Wait... I got into a fight!?" Gabriel asked sarcastically.

"Who did you get in a fight with this time?" Vera asked.

"Our cousin, Will. You guys met him before. Yellow hair, blue eyes. Thinks he knows absolutely everything." Devan said.

"Oh... really Gabe? You fought Will?"

Gabriel nodded his head.

"I must say, he did put up a good fight. He actually won." Devan said.

"Really now?" Vera asked.

"That's what I'm talking about." James said, pulling Gabriel into a side hug.

They laughed and talked all the way to school. When they got to their school, Gladiolus Academy, they went their separate ways to class. After three treacherous hours, the four best friends met up for lunch. They went out into the courtyard and sat at a nearby table.

"Hey guys, I took this really cool quiz the other day, and it tells you what your spirit animal is. Want to give it a try?" Vera asked.

"Sure." the boys said.

Vera showed them the website, and the boys pulled it up on their phones.

"Question 1: What's your favorite color?" Vera asked.

"Red." Devan said.

"Gray." Gabriel said.

"Brown." James said.

"Gold."

They clicked on their answers, and moved on to the next question.

"Question 2: If you had one ability, what would it be?" James asked.

"To camouflage." Vera said.

"Hunting instincts." Gabriel said.

"To paralyze my opponents with a single touch." Devan said.

"Super strength."

They then moved onto the next question.

"Question 3: What character trait best defines you?" Gabriel asked.

"Courageous." Vera said.

"Confident." James said.

"Strong." Devan said.

"Independent."

Then they moved onto the final question.

"Question 4: What is most important to you?" Devan asked.

"Friends." the group said.

They looked up at each other and smiled. Few seconds later, they got their results.

"My spirit animal is a leopard. You observe different situations with clarity. You trust your instincts to lead you to the right direction.... sounds just like me." Vera said.

"My spirit animal is a wolf. You're extremely attached to the ones you love and respect. You might be misunderstood as a loner, but you actually love to be around your mates... well, I don't need to retake this quiz." Gabriel said.

"My spirit animal is a bear. You have a lot of strength and confidence and you are not afraid to tear your enemies to shreads, but you also have compassion to help those in need... my whole life right here." James said.

"My spirit animal is a scorpion. You will not hesitate to kill your enemy if they hurt the ones you love and respect. You will do anything to protect your friends and family, even if it means laying down your life... definitely sounds like me." Devan said.

The friends smiled at each other nodded. They were very happy with their results. Then, the school bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.

"Well, we better get moving. Remember, you guys are coming to my house after school." Devan said.

"Right." the others said.

They walked back in the school and went to their classes. After a few hours have past, school was over, and the four friends walked to the Lockmore Brothers' house. They walked in, and put their things by the doorway.

"Dad, we're home!" Devan cried.

Then, their father walked in from the kitchen. He smiled at his sons and placed his hands on their heads. He then ruffled their hair.

"Welcome home, boys," he said.

"Hey Mr. Lockmore." James and Vera said.

"Hey you two... You guys came at the perfect time actually. Want to see how to make these two cry with laughter?"

The Lockmore Brothers' eyes widened.

"Dad, not Protocol 8! Anything but Protocol 8!" Gabriel whined.

"What's Protocol 8, Mr. Lockmore?" James asked with a sly grin.

Mr. Lockmore grinned like the devil himself. He hoisted the two brothers by their waist and started tickling them. Devan and Gabriel were laughing like crazy. They were struggling to free themselves from their father's grasp, but he was too strong. They pleaded for him to stop, but he just ignored them. Mr. Lockmore is a retired military soldier, and he was one of the strongest the military had on the battlefield. Vera and James laughed as they recorded the hilarious scene on their phones. After a few minutes, Mr. Lockmore set his sons down, and laughed along with Vera and James. The brothers panted and looked up at their friends and their father.

"You had to ask?" Devan asked, glaring at James.

"Well, at least I can watch this over and over again whenever I want to now." James said, waving his phone in the air.

Vera did the same.

"DELETE IT!" the brothers said.

"Not going to happen." Vera said.

"You three are so cruel. Especially you, Dad. Why did you have to do Protocol 8?" Gabriel asked.

"Well, it's been a while since I've seen you two smile and laugh like idiots." Mr. Lockmore said.

The other two friends laughed. Devan and Gabriel shook their heads in disbelief.

"There's some food in the kitchen if you guys are hungry," Mr. Lockmore said.

"Thanks Mr. L." Vera said.

"I'll be in the garage if you need me."

He gave a small wave and walked away. The minute they heard the garage door close, the Lockmore Brothers glared at their friends.

"Delete. The. Video." Devan said.

"Or what? We know Protocol 8, so I'd tread carefully if I were you." Vera said.

Devan and Gabriel smiled and dashed toward their friends. The four of them laughed and chased each other until they were too tired to even walk.

"Okay, fine... You guys can keep the video, we don't care anymore," Gabriel said.

"Really? You won't be bothered if you hear your laughter coming from our phones?" Vera asked.

"Don't push it..."

"But you guys are okay with us keeping the video?" James asked.

"Yeah, I mean, we're getting worked up over a video of us bonding with our dad. Heck, if it was with you guys, I wouldn't care if other people saw it. But you guys seeing it is good enough." Devan said.

The other two friends smiled at the brothers and the brothers did the same. It was getting late, and the four friends turned in for the night. Vera and James were staying with Devan and Gabriel for the weekend. They all slept in the living room, enjoying each other's company. In the morning, the friends were going to Hemlock Park Woods. What adventures will find them tomorrow?