The day of the Brighton vacation had finally arrived. Nicholas exclaimed after the friends finished packing, "Jolly good! Everything's ready!" Timothy wagged his tail excitedly. Rosie told him as she gently stroked his fur, "Our vacation will be even more fun and memorable now that you're with us, Timothy!" "Woof! Woof!" Timothy barked in agreement. After getting a phone call from Nicholas' parents to inform them that they are almost there, the friends left their dorm and decided to wait at a nearby cafe. Rosie locked the door and placed the key inside her backpack. Once they went outside the building, they saw the Geordie twins waiting by the sidewalk. Timothy ran towards them and gave both twins a friendly rub on their legs, much to their delight. Scruffy said as he saw Rosie and Nicholas, "Greetings, my friends! I see you got a new dog here." Rosie replied, "We sure did! We adopted him just the other day, and the interesting thing is that he chose us!" Buzzy said, "Aw! He sure is very sweet and loving. What's his name?" Nicholas replied, "His name is Timothy." Scruffy remarked, "That's a great name for a Westie. I think it suits him really well." Rosie replied, "We think so, too!" "He's going to be an amazing companion on this vacation and in our future adventures." Chirped Buzzy as he carried Timothy while the Westie licked his face. His brother and friends nodded in agreement. The foursome then bought some muffins and ice-blended beverages for take-out in the cafe to keep them sataited during the road trip. Soon, Nicholas' parents arrived. Everyone was surprised when they saw a giant, inflatable dolphin strapped to the roof of the van. Nicholas' father went out and helped the teenagers with their bags while Nicholas' mother stayed inside. Rosie commented, "I see you got that dolphin ready for us to play with on the beach and pool." Nicholas' father replied, "That's right, love! We also brought inflatable swim rings for the four of you and a beach ball. But, we will inflate them in the hotel. Is that all right?" Nicholas responded, "Yes, that's fine, father. What else did you bring?" "Oh, we brought a picnic blanket, some canned food, and our video camera and voice recorder." Explained Nicholas' father. "Awesome!" Exclaimed Rosie. As the foursome boarded inside the van, Nicholas' mother asked them, "It's great to see you all again. How have you been doing the past months, darlings?" Nicholas replied, "We've been doing well, mother." Rosie and Nicholas then told her about how their classmates now idolize them and the time when they saved Oxford from a mad scientist. They told her about their friend, Alice, too. Nicholas' parents were amazed after the friends finished their stories. They were also very happy to meet Timothy, who was politely sitting beside the two. At last, the road trip started. Nicholas' parents played the Beatles' Help! album while the foursome munched on their muffins. When they reached the highway, Rosie decided to take a nap. She laid her head on Nicholas' shoulder, and he held her hand and gave her a kiss on the forehead as she snoozed for the rest of the ride.

TO BE CONTINUED