"What? You want me to go in? If you reckon it's so easy, why don't you?"
"It's girl territory, I can't go in."
I heard Alexander and Selene arguing down the hall.
"Oh please, do people in America argue over everything all the time?" Stella's voice scolded. "And what this about 'girl territory', anyway? Back at home, I wake my brothers up all the..."
Stella faltered.
"Ugh, she's gone sad again. Never mind, I'll wake her up." Selene said in a resigned sort of way. Figuring this was my cue, I shot up.
"Um, hello? Already awake here." Selene huffed. "Then get up, and get dressed." I eyed her oversized black T-shirt and shorts. "Speak for yourself."
"Ah yeah, I know, don't get me started. But you're not going down to breakfast in that getup, right?" Selene waved aside my remark like a cloud of midges.
"And you are?" Selene turned red. "I was just about to change when Alexander barged in."
"Then get back into your room and change." I hopped down from the bed and proceeded to push her out of my room. Selene rolled her eyes and yelled, "She needs her privacy!" at the other two and shut the door.
Shaking my head, I changed into a pair of jeans and a striped shirt. When I came out, I found the other three in the drawing room, fully dressed. Selene and Alexander were having a staring contest. Stella was doodling cats and dogs and other barnyard animals on a piece of paper at the coffee table.
"So, you guys ready to go?" I asked uncertainly.
They got up obligingly, and went to the door of the suite.
Down at the dining hall, a lot of people were already having breakfast. Instead of the round tables I saw last night, there were long rectangular ones, with benches along the length of the tables. A lot of people were already there.
"What time is it?" Selene asked.
"About 7:30. So?" Alexander reported from his watch. "I could be wrong though." He added.
"Great, and then I was thinking we'd be the only ones here." Selene said.
"A lot of people are early risers." Stella yawned.
"Yeah, I just wish there weren't so many people." Selene complained.
"What, you've got agoraphobia?" Alexander taunted.
"Define agoraphobia."
"Fear of crowds, basically."
"Meh, I just hate them." Selene batted Alexander's remark away like an annoying fly on a chocolate cake.
"Let's just find a place to settle down, alright?" I said exasperatedly. Stella stared at the tables.
"But where would we sit?"
Before she even finished, Selene ran down to the tables, waving her arms, yelling, "Budge up, budge up!" causing quite a commotion.
"Alright, I've already secured seats for you guys, and since I'm extremely hungry, let's get a move on!" Selene hollered over to us and started to march towards the nearest end of a table.
"Aren't we all?" I muttered under my breath.
"Looks like we're learning all sorts of things about our new friend." Alexander said
"Oh please, she isn't so bad, you know. And honestly, why are you ganging up on her?" Stella protested.
"Well, we technically aren't ganging up on her. It's only me. Alexis is currently a neutral party."
"Neutral... party...?" I spluttered. I regained my composure. "Isn't that a bit formal?"
"Depends on what you call formal." Alexander replied as he sauntered towards where Selene was busy gorging herself.
"For me, that sounded formal!" I called after him. I turned to Stella.
"Come on, let's go get some breakfast."
I was just getting started on a piece of bacon when a maid barged in.
"Ambassador, you have to listen to me! Children are missing!" She screamed.
The Ambassador stood up. "When did you last see the children?" He said in a deep, booming voice I didn't reckon he was capable of.
"A-a-at the nurseries, sir. I went to get something, a-and when I returned, the children were nowhere to be found!" She stammered.
"Who were they?" The Ambassador's voice was considerably softer.
The maid wrung her hands. "Three five-year-olds, two three-year- olds, a-and four four-year-olds!"
"Very well, you are dismissed." The Ambassador was gentle but firm. The maid ran out of the hall, muttering prayers under her breath. The Ambassador had a talk with his wife and other associates, who all looked tense. Then they settled down and acted like nothing happened, although the tension was still there.
I went back to my bacon. Figures this should be none of my business.
Everything seemed to go back to normal for the next few days, but there was a definite increase of people spreading rumours about the kidnapping. One time, I heard an Indian girl telling another that the missing children were spirited away to be offered as a sacrifice to a goddess. Another time, I heard from a Japanese boy that they had been taken by a yokai, whatever that is.
Alexander wasn't helping, either.
"I reckon they've been led out of their nurseries and taken somewhere. At least, that's my hunch. If only we had a little more info..."
Selene nodded sarcastically. "Yeah, like somebody's gonna let us solve the mystery? Get out of it!"
"Look, let's just, y'know, chill, okay?" Alexander said.
"Good idea." I said.
"The grounds are a good place." Stella said.
We spent a lot of time trying to pick spots that weren't full of other people. Once, when we thought we were totally at peace, a bunch of teenagers had to ruin it for us by kicking up a storm nearby. We argued with them for a while, but after nearly getting beaten up by a particularly beefy one, we retreated to another place.
Finally, we settled down under the shade of a flowering tree by an isolated side at the lake.
"Sooo..." Selene mused, drumming her fingers on her lap. Suddenly, she reared her head at Alexander, startling Stella.
"OK, we're chill, blah blah blah. What now, wise guy?" Alexander rolled his eyes.
"Look, don't you think this is funny?"
"Ha-ha." Selene taunted.
"And I'm really forgetting how much of a headache you are."I muttered under my breath, which earned me a disapproving look from Stella. Alexander gritted his teeth.
"All I'm saying is, don't you think that it's funny when you're whisked away by some mysterious train just when you're stuck in a problem with your family?" Alexander said.
I nodded. "It is a little strange. I mean, how do they keep track of so many kids, for instance? How do they know when some kid has a problem with his family?"
Selene raised an eyebrow. "For a village girl, you sure are philosophical."
Stella shot her a disapproving look. "Do take something seriously for once, won't you?""Also, that's not being philosophical..." I said.
Alexander raised his hands like he was preaching to God. "What is our purpose here? To live in luxury and have fun? Even if it's just for some period of time?"
"... that, however, is." I finished.
"Err, Alexander? Are you Christian?" Stella asked.
Alexander lowered his hands. "Um, no. That was for dramatic effect."
"Who cares about religion these days?" Selene asked.
"Lots of people back home do." Stella said.
"Enough about religion. What about the Train of Hope?" I asked.
"Aw man, I thought we were past that." Selene said.
"And we are. Who wants to play Two Truths and a Lie?" Alexander asked.
Stella scratched her head. "Two truths and a what?"
"Two Truths and a Lie. Each player says three things about themselves. The other players have to guess which is the lie."
"I know this game! I've played it once during a camping trip." I said."I'll go first, then Selene, then Stella, and then Alexis." Alexander said.
"Why do I have to be the last?" I asked indignantly.
Alexander shrugged. "Because I said so."
I rolled my eyes.
"OK, here are the facts. You have to guess which one is the lie."
"Should be easy enough." Selene said.
"Don't think so just yet."
"Whatever, smarty pants. Just give us the facts."
"OK. Fact number one: I hate roller-coasters. Fact number two: I used to take art lessons. Fact number three: I have acted in a Shakespeare play."
"Fact one?" I guessed."Fact two. No offence dude, but you don't seem like the artsy type to me."
"Fact three." Stella said.
"Actually, Alexis is correct. I absolutely love roller-coasters. Best before lunch, though." Alexander said.
"You kidding?" Selene said.
"That'll teach you not to judge by appearances." He looked at a crestfallen Stella. "It's OK. I didn't act that big of a part anyway."
I nudged Selene. "It's your turn."
"Okey-dokey. I never wear black in the summer, I have older twin brothers, and I have a gun in my house."
"Fact number three." I said. "Who keeps a gun in their house?"
"American gun laws are pretty loose. Besides, I wouldn't put it past her to have a gun in her house." Alexander said.
"Fact number two." Stella said.
Selene looked at Alexander. "And you, smarty pants?"
"Fact number one. Anyone would expect you to wear black all year round." Alexander said.
"Stella guessed the lie. I don't have any older brothers." Selene smirked.
"So you don't wear black all year round." Alexander mused.
"Nope."
"So you actually have a gun in your house." I said weakly.
"Hey, it wasn't me who put it there. It was my dad."
"But why would your dad keep a gun in the house?"
"Safety."
"What?"
"Y'know, when someone breaks into the house, you gotta have a weapon."
"So you shoot them? Isn't that illegal?"
"Well, like Mr. Smarty Pants over there said, gun laws are pretty loose in America."
"What is wrong with Americans?"
"Dude, I didn't make the laws, OK? And you're not the only one who doesn't appreciate having a gun in the house."
"But, still... a gun... in the house..."
Selene patted me on the back. "Just forget I ever said that."
"Alright, it's my turn." Stella piped up. "I used to have shorter hair, I have three older brothers, and my father is a garbage collector."
"Fact one." I said.
"Fact two." Selene said.
"Fact three." Alexander said.
"Alexis guessed the lie. I have never gotten a haircut until last night." Stella said cheerily.
"OK, OK, you win. Whose turn is it now?" Selene asked, a little annoyed that she didn't get anything right.
"Mine. The facts are: I've been to London before, my middle name is Annabel, and I prefer dark chocolate over other chocolates." I said.
"Fact one." Alexander said.
"Fact three." Selene said lazily.
"Fact two?" Stella asked.
"Stella guessed the lie. My middle name is Isabella. I've been to London once, and um, Selene, what made you pick fact number three?"
"Wait, you actually like dark chocolate?" Selene asked.
"Yes..."
"Seriously? They're bitter!"
"That doesn't mean I can't like them."
"But still... they are super bitter..."
"So? I know plenty of people who like them as well."
"What is wrong with you Brits?"
"Nothing, as far as I can tell. Oh, by the way, you do know you're referring to Stella as well when you say 'Brit', do you?"
"Jesus freaking Christ."
"You're not Christian."
"Whatever."
Alexander leaned over to Stella. "This, Stella, is deja vu."
Stella looked at him questioningly. "What's that?"
"Well, think of it as experiencing something you feel that is familiar."
"Umm... alright?"
"Yeah, I don't know the full definition myself. But I'm pretty sure it's something along those lines."
Stella pursed her lips.
"Why not milk chocolate? It's nice."
"It also contains a high amount of sugar and saturated fat. Not a lot of cocoa."
"And dark chocolate is better?" Selene groaned.
"Dark chocolate is mostly cocoa, which is what chocolate is supposed to be." I smirked.
"Um, I don't mean to interrupt your chat, but it's almost lunchtime." Alexander said.
"Thanks, dude. I swear, Alexis can literally bore people to death by chocolate." Selene said. "Thank you for ruining chocolate, Alexis."
"You're welcome." I said.
Selene grumbled something incorrigible under her breath and got up, dusting grass off her backside. Stella, Alexander and I followed suit. My stomach, unfortunately, had to choose that moment to express its sentiments.
"Alexis? Dude, was that you?" Selene snickered.
I crossed my arms over my chest. "Yes, it was me. Like yours isn't doing the same right about now."
Selene's stomach growled, and she clutched it. Alexander chuckled."Whoa, if I didn't know better, I would've thought a lion was living in your stomach."
Selene turned beet red. Stella laughed, and ended up getting chased by Selene around the tree, which erupted peals of laughter from us. Selene finally caught Stella, and led her back to us like a triumphant hunter bringing back his kill. By that time, Alexander and I were laughing so hard we could barely stand.Just then, the dinner bell rang, and we headed to the dining hall, single file. As we went, I glanced back at the serene lake behind me, I pondered, why are we here, really?