“May I show you something Kaelneth?” Mary asked her.
“Sure,” Alix said.
Mary pushed a button on the side of the chair that allowed it to swivel. Then she pushed another button that made the chair lean back and the bottom part come up. When it stopped the chair was almost flat and surprisingly comfortable.
“Thank you, Mary. This is much better.”
“It’s my pleasure,” she said.
Mary then went and showed the others how their chairs worked. Ben had claimed the longer couch and Shay was on the smaller one. Everyone actually looked pretty relaxed. She hoped no one snored too loud. That thought made her smile.
Chapter 9
The next thing Alix heard was the Captain announcing that they would be landing in London in thirty minutes. She wasn’t sure how many hours of sleep she had gotten, but right then it didn’t matter. They were almost there.
She sat up and got her chair back in place and went to check on Shay. To her surprise, she was already awake.
“Good morning sleepyhead,” Shay said.
“Good morning,” Alix replied. “How long have you been up? You don’t look like you’ve slept at all. I mean your hair isn’t even messy.”
Shay giggled at the look on Alix’s face. “I’ve only been up for a little while, but I did go and fix my hair in the restroom.”
When Shay mentioned she had fixed her hair Alix’s hands immediately went to her head. She ran her hands over her hair and tried to smooth it out.
“Don’t worry Alix, your hair looks fine. I’m not sure you moved while you were sleeping. But if it makes you feel any better grab your brush and hair tie and put it up.”
Alix thought that sounded like a great idea. She got her bag out of the compartment under the couch and took it to the restroom with her. She wasn’t sure what a restroom was like on a normal plane, but she was sure this one was way better. From everything she’d seen on TV they were really small and cramped but this one wasn’t. There was a full-size toilet and sink as well as a big mirror and enough counter space she could put her bag on. Alix made sure she was quick, so she didn’t miss anything as they were flying over England.
She joined Shay in the chairs they sat in as they left New York. Both girls wanted to see as much as they could. For the most part all they saw was a lot of green space and a few small towns.
Captain Gregory told them to prepare for landing. Alix and Shay just looked at each other and smiled. Alix glanced around the plane at everyone and it seemed like they were all excited. She looked back out her window and they could finally see London. From the air it just looked like another city, but as they got closer she could see the old mixed with the new. She couldn’t wait to see it from the ground.
They landed and taxied to the gate. When it was safe everyone gathered their belongings and waited for the door to open. Gordon took the lead and they all followed him to another private waiting lounge.
“Please make yourselves comfortable for a few minutes,” he told them. “I’m going to find out where our transportation is.” He took out his phone and made a call.
Alix, Shay, and Ben went and sat down while they waited. Ben took out his phone and turned it on. The girls decided to do the same thing.
“What time is it right now anyway?” Shay asked.
“I know it’s Tuesday morning,” Ben said. “I’m waiting for my phone to adjust to the time zone. Hang on a minute.” He stared at his phone as if it would make it faster. “Okay, it’s 7:21 am.”
“Wow,” Alix said. “I guess that explains why I’m a little tired. I think sleeping on a plane isn’t quite the same thing as sleeping in a bed.”
“Not really,” Ben said. “It’ll probably take a couple of days for us to adjust to the time difference. Back home it’s only just after midnight.”
“Ugh. I hope I get my beauty sleep before the ceremony thing,” Shay said with a yawn.
“Maybe that’s why they had us come a couple of days early,” Alix said.
Gordon interrupted their conversation with an announcement. “I’m afraid that our transportation will be delayed by an hour or so. I have arranged for breakfast to be brought in shortly. My deepest apologies Kaelneth … I mean Miss Alix.”
“That’s okay Gordon,” Alix told him.
About fifteen minutes later two carts were rolled into the waiting lounge. One was full of coffee, tea, milk, and juice. The other one was stacked with an assortment of pastries and fruit. They all helped themselves.
“I’m not sure what this is,” Shay said with a mouthful, “but it’s really good.”
Alix had to laugh at her. Shay’s plate looked like it had one of everything on it. Alix often wondered how Shay managed to stay slim with all the goodies she ate. But she had to agree with Shay, the food was really good. She wondered where the pastries came from and if she would be able to duplicate the recipes.
Alix looked at her phone to see the time. It was 8:32 am. She wondered if she had time to read before they had to leave. Just as she was taking out her eReader, Gordon came back into the lounge and let them know their transportation was there.
Once again, the group followed Gordon. When he finally stopped they were outside. Shay started giggling beside Alix.
“What’s so funny?” Alix asked her.
“All the cars are facing the wrong way,” Shay said. Her giggle turned into a full-on laugh.
“Did you forget that cars drive on the left side of the road here?” Alix asked, trying to keep a straight face.
“No. It just looks funny,” Shay said still laughing.
“I think it must be lack of sleep,” Alix said to Ben, who had heard the entire conversation.
“You have to admit it’s a little strange to see,” Ben said.
“I agree, but I don’t think it’s as funny as Shay does.”
“This way everyone,” Gordon said. “Our transportation is just over here.” He walked until he stopped in front of what looked like a small bus. There were two men loading the luggage into compartments under the bus. Alix wondered if they had to arrange new transportation to accommodate everyone’s suitcases.
She was the first one on the bus. She and Shay sat in the seats closest to the driver, so they could see out the big front window as well as the side windows. The bus could seat about twenty people. The seats were grouped in twos with an aisle down the middle. Alix was anxious to get going and see some of the sites. She also wondered where they were staying.
As soon as all the luggage was loaded they left the airport. Alix could tell everyone was excited as they pointed out different things to each other and talked about what they were seeing.
Everything was so different from what Alix was used to. She saw huge old churches, quaint little pubs, and large department stores. There were people walking everywhere and it was really strange to be driving on the other side of the road. She was really happy she wasn’t driving.
Their route took them past Buckingham Palace and at one point she could even see Big Ben and the Tower of London. She hoped they would be able to come back and tour those places. After a while the big buildings got smaller and the houses became farther apart. And then they were in the countryside.
“Excuse me Gordon,” Alix said to him. “Can you tell us where we’re going? I thought we were staying in London.”
“Actually, Miss Alix we’re heading to a private estate that the Council owns. It’s where we’ll all be staying.” Gordon could see the look of disappointment on her face. “But don’t worry Miss Alix, I think you’re going to love it there. I don’t want to give too much away as I think you’ll like the surprise.”
Alix was disappointed, but she had other questions for him. “Do you know if we’ll be coming back to London at any point? We were all hoping to see the sites. None of us have been here before.”
“I believe that the Council has some things planned that involve seeing London.”
That made Alix smile. Now that she knew they’d be back to see London she was really curious to see where they were staying.
Alix had been busy watching out the windows and wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but they finally turned off the main road they were on. The driver stopped at a gate. Gordon got out and punched in a code and the gate opened. The driveway was long and had trees on either side, just like Ben’s house did. But this driveway was much longer than Ben’s. When the trees opened up Alix couldn’t believe what she was seeing. It was a castle. An actual castle. She was almost too excited for words.
It had at least three floors and it looked like a hundred windows. When they pulled up to the front the heavy wooden door opened, and several people walked out. They looked like business people to Alix. Everyone got off the bus. Gordon escorted Alix to the people that were waiting.
“It is my great pleasure to present the Kaelneth,” he said to them.
The group that was facing all bowed their heads to her. Alix was completely out of her element. She had no idea what she was supposed to do. When they raised their heads back up all she could do was smile and wave at them.
“Um … hi?” she managed to say and looked at Gordon for help.
“My apologies Miss Alix. I keep forgetting you’re not used to this. Esteemed Council members, I would like to remind you that Miss Alix is still new to our world and is unfamiliar with our protocol in situations like this.”
“Miss Alix?” the woman with short brown hair said.
“Um yes Mrs. Flynn. She prefers to just be called Alix and not the Kaelneth and insists that we use their first names.”
“Hmm … I see. In that case please allow me to make introductions,” she said in an accent Alix couldn’t place. My name is Ruth Flynn, to my left is Perry Humphrey and Shelley Woods. To my right is Maria Ramos and Aleck McTaggart. We are all current Council members. It is an honor to meet you Kaelneth.”
“It’s nice to meet you as well. And please call me Alix. Kaelneth is much too formal for me. And let me introduce our group. These are my parents Heather and Ted and my best friend Shay. Over here is Ben and his parents Natalie and Rick. And behind me are Kris, Karin, and Mike.”
One of the Council members started laughing. “Is something funny Miss Woods?”
“I’m sorry Mrs. Flynn, but we had an official welcoming ceremony planned and that just went out the window. I think Alix is going to be a breath of fresh air around here.”
Alix didn’t think that Mrs. Flynn thought it was all that funny, but Alix wasn’t going to change who she was for the Council or anyone.
The woman named Shelley walked down the steps and went over to Alix. “I think it’s great that you aren’t familiar with the formal protocol. I’ve always found it a bit stuffy myself. I think I’m really going to like you. I’d love to show you around if you like. Your luggage will be delivered to your rooms.”
“That sounds great. I can’t wait to look around. I’ve always wanted to see an actual castle,” Alix told her in a very excited voice. Alix was really anxious to see it and almost couldn’t contain her excitement. She looked over at Shay who looked almost as excited as her.
Chapter 10
Shelley walked back up the steps and they all followed her. The entryway was amazing. She could see up to the second floor from the doorway. There were paintings everywhere she looked as well as swords and shields used as decorations. This was a real castle inside and out.
“How old is this place? And does it have a name?” Alix asked.
It was one of the other Council members that answered her, Aleck she thought. “Yes, it does have a name. Fox Hollow Estate was originally built in 1625 by James Atkinson. It has gone through some changes over the years and now has all the modern conveniences like plumbing and electricity, but it’s still a fully functional castle with built in defences.”
“That’s so cool,” Alix said. “You and Ruth have interesting accents. Where are you from?”
“I’m from Scotland,” he answered. “And Ruth is from South Africa.”
“I’m from Canada,” Shelley said.
“And I’m from Columbia,” Maria said, in another cool accent.
“What about you, Perry?” Alix asked.
“Australia is my home,” he told her.
“Wow. I’ve never met so many people from so many different places,” Alix said in amazement.
“Well you’re going to love meeting the rest of the Council then,” Shelley told her. “There are more people from all over the world.”
Alix was sure it would be interesting to meet those different people. She hoped she didn’t need to learn any other languages though. This was her fourth year of Spanish and she still wasn’t very good.
“What put that frown on your face?” Ben asked her.
“I was just wondering if I needed to learn any other languages to communicate with anyone else. The Council seems to have a lot of people from other countries.”
“I doubt it,” he said. “I’m guessing that English is mostly spoken.”
“I certainly hope so. I suck at other languages,” she said smiling.
Ben just laughed at her. They continued on the tour of the castle. It was remarkable. The walls were stone but the whole overall feel was luxurious and elegant. When you entered the castle, you were in a huge foyer. It had numerous couches and chairs and a really big fireplace. It was a big open space and you could see all the way up to the third floor. From there it branched out in three directions. Straight ahead there was a huge ballroom with intricate chandeliers. A dining room with a table that looked like it could seat thirty or forty people. To the left was the kitchen. It was massive but very modern and had a full-time staff to cook. There was a room that looked like a sports bar with about a dozen TV’s. Another room that looked like a den or something. On the right of the foyer there were also about ten other rooms that Alix wasn’t even sure what they were, and all of that was just on the first floor.
They went up a grand staircase to the second floor. It was quite a bit more modern than the first floor. It looked more like a high-end hotel than a castle. The entire second floor was bedrooms. Actually, bedrooms was putting it mildly. Each room was more like a suite, complete with a sitting area that had a TV, a full bathroom and the most beautiful beds Alix had ever seen. They looked like something she would imagine should be in a castle. Big four poster beds so if you were sleeping you would still feel like you were in a real castle and not a hotel. The dressers looked old, but they were beautiful. In fact, when Alix looked closer everything was old but beautiful. She wondered how much was from when the castle was originally built. Every room had a different name on it and each one was decorated differently but they were all very, very nice.
“What do the names mean?” Alix asked.
It was Ruth who answered her. “Each one is named after a different town in England and the decorations correspond to the name. It also helps to find the correct room you’re staying in. I was told that there were quite a few mix ups before the names were added to the rooms,” she said smiling.
Alix was almost shocked to see her smile. She had seemed very stiff and almost intimidating when she first met her. Maybe it was the “formal” setting and she wasn’t as uptight as she seemed. The other Council members just seemed like regular people. They had joined the group for the tour and were talking to everyone. Alix was glad that they were all getting along. After meeting a third of the Council she was less nervous to meet the rest.
The tour moved to the third floor. One wing of the castle was an outdoor garden. There were benches to relax on and so many plants. There was even a fountain in the middle of it all. Alix knew she’d be visiting the space again. You couldn’t help but relax when you were up there. And the views were incredible. Each of the castle floors was about twice as tall as a regular house so they were quite high. Alix could see a small lake off in the distance as we
ll as lots of trees and hills. Directly behind the castle was a knot garden. It was beautiful from above and she couldn’t wait to see it from the ground.
The second part of the third floor was a training and practice area. There were a few pieces of gym equipment but mostly it was just a wide-open space.
The last part of the tour took them to the last room on the third floor. When the doors opened Alix just stood there and stared. It was a library, a huge library filled to the ceiling with books. She was so excited she wasn’t even listening to what anyone was saying. She left the group and started wandering. A lot of the books were old and many of them were in other languages, but she loved them all. There were even several of those rolling ladders she’d only seen in pictures. There was a big fireplace and comfy chairs scattered all over the place. She was in heaven.
“Are you going to be okay?” Shay said, grinning as she walked up to her. “You look like you have a case of book overload.”
“Oh Shay, this is just so wonderful I don’t even have the right words to describe it. It’s just so … so … big and full of books.”
Shay had to laugh at Alix. For as long as they’d known each other, Alix was always a lover of books. “So, I can safely guess that this is your favorite room in the castle.”
“Oh, for sure. I mean the kitchen was pretty impressive, but this is like the library I’ve always wanted. I hope I get to spend some time here just exploring the shelves.”
The group was leaving the library. Alix was reluctant to follow but didn’t want to miss anything. They went back down to the second floor where they were shown to their rooms. Everyone was close to each other. Their rooms were in the wing that faced out to the back of the property. Alix smiled when she saw she had the London room. Shay’s was right next door to her and Ben was next to Shay. Her parents and Natalie and Rick were across the hall.
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