"Randall, you're one of my favorite people, but right now, you are driving me crazy." Layton Dunn threw her face into Randall's pillow before slowly turning to look at him. He was currently at his desk, a smirk carelessly sitting on his lips, as he rhythmically bounced a tennis ball off the door. She could feel her patience slip with every thud. The summer heat wasn't helping either and Randall was never a fan of the AC. He preferred to keep his room, as he would like to call it, "tropical," and Layton absolutely hated it. She has and always will be a winter-loving spirit and the fact that her skin was starting to perspire was aggravating her to no end. How could another human stand being cooked from the outside in? "Randall," she seethed as he threw the ball again. Her normally mellow temperament out-matched by Randall's actions. "Don't make me come over there." Her eyes narrowed as she tried to bore a hole through the side of his face with her chocolate hues. She dug her fingers into the previously assaulted pillow before sitting up. Randall caught the returning ball before shooting her an amused look. They stared at each other for a moment before Layton launched herself at him. He quickly got up, chair flying to the side, and shimmied out of her reaching grasp.

"Hey, hey! You can't attack your RA!" he laughed as he bounced to the other side of the room. She caught herself on the desk before turning to give him a half-hearted glare. He wiggled the tennis ball teasingly.

"You're not my RA, you're a pain in my ass!" she shouted before lunging at him again. Randall danced out of her way again to jump onto his bed. He let out a hearty chuckle before leaning forward to taunt her with the object of her frustration. Layton blew a stray piece of hair out of her face before analyzing his movements. He shifted from foot to foot as he waved the ball in front of her.

"Let's play fetch!"

"Oh, that's golden coming from you," she waited a moment before diving onto the bed. She managed to grab the end of his pant leg and he toppled to the floor. The tennis ball bounced lightly towards the door before rolling to a stop at someone's feet. A soft clearing of the throat caught both their attentions and they looked up like deer caught in headlights. A dark-haired student stared back at them with thin raised eyebrows. Caught up in the commotion, both hadn't noticed the door open. Randall currently had half his body on the floor. Layton was sprawled on the bed, stomach first, with his feet in her hands.

"What the hell?" the student managed to sputter out.

"Oh, hey, Lilith!" Randall propped himself up. He quickly wiggled his sock-clad feet out of the brunette's grasp. She merely crossed her arms as she took in the sight. It was like she was dealing with children sometimes. Her eyes scanned the askew desk chair, the tennis ball at her feet, and the two college students attempting to act nonchalant.

"What's up?" Layton ran a hand threw her hair to try and detangle the mess. Her and Lilith were more acquaintances than friends. Layton has tried multiple times, but she just can't get Lilith to warm up to her. Sure, they had different personalities, but the former has always prided herself in her ability to connect with people and form strong friendships. Unfortunately for her, Lilith has been an unwavering road-block since day one and Layton has yet to figure out how to deal with that. No amount of pushing and prodding has worked, and the college senior decided that she would take a new approach. Letting Lilith come to terms with their almost non-existent, but budding relationship, at her own pace.

"You two are needed at the house," she gave them another once over in silence before swiftly leaving. Layton let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. It wasn't that Lilith hated her, she was sure, it was just so darn uncomfortable sometimes. She didn't know what went on in that head of hers and she was definitely not willing to share.

"Well, that went well," Randall gave the brunette an excited smile. He pushed himself off the floor and dusted his hoodie off.

"Yeah," she thought for a moment before nodding in agreement. She hopped off the bed and stretched her arms before heading towards the door. "Shall we?" she tilted her head after kicking the tennis ball back into his room. He gave a nod before following her out. "I wonder what it'll be about." She bit her lip as she shoved the dorm's main doors open. The light and the heat immediately hit her, and she quickly shielded her eyes. "God, it's hot. I don't know how you're wearing that," she motioned towards his double-layers before heading down the steps.

"I like how it looks on me. There's no beauty without pain," he shoved his hands into his pockets as they walked down the sidewalk together. Layton gave a light hum as she scanned the school grounds now that her eyes have readjusted. There were only a few people walking around, most being faculty. It was a couple weeks before school would officially start. Randall was here early to attend the Residential Advisor training while Layton was here to finish up the last bit of her summer internship with the college's science department. It was pretty much smooth sailing from now on. She just had to draw up her final conclusions for her lab reports and research paper. As for Lilith, who knows? She was definitely not going to tell the brunette of her daily whereabouts.

When they finally reached the house, Randall held the door open for her. She quickly ducked inside to be greeted with a warm feeling. She was never entirely sure if it was because this felt like her true home or if she wished it was. Layton has always held a high appreciation of the beautiful nature tones in the wallpaper and the dark ebony of the wooden trims. All of it came together under the golden cast of the antique wall lamps. She breathed in the subtle scent of sandalwood and vanilla before turning to watch as Randall shut and locked the door.

"In here," a voice called from the other room. The two quickly made their way towards the living room where a tall man with dirty blonde hair stood behind a small bar. His hair was parted on his right and neatly combed. His outfit consisted of a gray button up, black tie, and a vest and to say that this man was good-looking would've been an understatement. Layton gave him a smile, willing her heartbeat to remain steady, as she entered the room and took a seat on the couch. Randall followed suit, throwing his legs onto her lap. Lilith had positioned herself on the edge of her arm chair, her eyes flickering from party to party. The man continued pouring out drinks after giving them all a nod. There was a moment of silence before he spoke. "How has everyone's day been so far?"

"Really?" Lilith raised a brow. "That's what you brought us all here for?" Randall coughed to hide his light chuckle, but Lilith turned to glare at him regardless.

"I'm not allowed to check on you guys?" he asked with an amused smile.

"You do realize we have phones, right?" she paused for a moment as he continued to stare at her. "You do know what a phone is? You can't be that ancient." She huffed when he looked down to grab some of the prepared drinks. He brought a couple over before doubling back and bringing the rest. He had set a gin and tonic in front of her with a delicate slice of lime.

"Thanks, Hamish," Layton offered a smile before she took a small sip of the cocktail. He responded with a quick nod before standing in front of all of them. His hands settled on his hips before he spoke. Layton let out a small breath as she tried not to focus on his stunning blue eyes. She knew she shouldn't be having these thoughts. It was completely inappropriate, especially considering that he was still hung up over Cassie. She couldn't share the same extent of pain he felt but she understood him. Cassie was like an older sister to her, always watching out for her with the best of intentions. They had girl-nights out and shared many fond memories together. It was hard for her when she passed. Layton can only imagine the pain that Hamish felt that night. Unfortunately, her heart was dead-set and despite her best efforts, she just couldn't get him out of her mind. She had always thought he was handsome, even when he was with Cassie, but their relationship had always stopped her interest in progressing. Now that she's gone, as tough as it is to admit, her feelings can't help but evolve for him. But she couldn't do anything. She couldn't fathom the thought of ever tarnishing their ex-leader's spirit. Oh, the shame and guilt she felt every day for even looking at Hamish in that way. Cassie would turn in her grave if she ever made a move on him, she just knew it.

"I was wondering what you guys were planning to do before the semester starts." His eyes fell on Layton, curious as to why she suddenly seemed deflated, before looking at Randall expectantly.

"Well, nothing really. Sleep and eat," Randall thought out-loud. "Probably hit the gym." He flashes Hamish his signature not-a-care-in-the-world smile.

"This is a waste of time," Lilith groaned, throwing her body back into the arm chair.

"Why do you ask?" Layton prodded the eldest, finally coming out of her sudden stupor. She set her drink down on the table and folded her hands over Randall's feet. "Did you have plans for us?" Hamish's eyes flickered over to her for a moment too long before answering. Layton's brow furrowed when his eyes quickly adverted towards Randall.

"I was hoping that we could do something that would bring us closer together as Knights. Team building, if you will," he explained with his hands.

"Team building?" Lilith scoffed, her interest in the conversation diminishing by the second. "Count me out."

"Wait, no, this is great," Randall shot up, throwing his legs up into the air. Layton quickly pushed herself against the back of the couch to avoid his flailing limbs. "What about a Knights' Road Trip, eh, eh?" he looked around the room with pure excitement. "Come on, guys," he smiled brightly. "I know Layton would be up for it," he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her towards him. "Right?"

"I mean, sure, sounds like fun," she nodded, trying to wiggle out of his grasp. He let go of her before standing up.

"It could be short, just a couple days." Randall began pacing in front of the couch. Layton watched as Lilith rolled her eyes and Hamish put a hand to his chin in thought. "We could go down to the lake," he snapped his fingers, eyes lighting up even brighter as he began chasing the idea. "Barbeque? Drinks? A couple nights under the stars?" he offered. "Tents! We could get some nice tents!"

"You're actually really excited about this," Layton chuckled. Her curly haired friend turned to look at her.

"Of course, what's not to like? We could go right after my training is finished. That should give us a couple days to get ready," he turned to fall back onto the couch. "We'll get snacks, get a music playlist ready, and everything. So, what do you guys think?"

"I'm not against it," Hamish started, nodding his head. "The magic hasn't been frequent since college hasn't started up yet."

"Well, I'm still out. You boy and girl scouts can do whatever," Lilith stood up, completely over the conversation.

"Hey, come on," Randall begged as she turned to leave. "It'd be fun. A great bonding experience. You're our newest Knight, don't you want to get to know us better?"

"I'll watch the house," she ignored him and quickly left the den, nearly slamming the door on her way out. It was followed by a couple beats of silence.

"Any hope we can turn her around?" Randall sighed. The remainder of us looked at him as if he were crazy. "Right."

A/N: Thank you for reading!
Hopefully you guys enjoyed the intro chapter. I wanted to start the story a little before the show takes place to solidify where Layton stands in the group. Let me know what you think!
For those coming from Wind Rider, please don't kill me! I know I haven't uploaded in a year. I've just been having a tough time getting back into it at the moment. I promise there will be a conclusion to her story, however long it takes!