By the time we exit the lift, my friends are shaking with laughter. It's a pretty funny story, I have to admit, smiling slightly.
"Linka, you of all people!" Wheeler grins. "And I thought you were a hygiene freak. No wonder you keep your room locked all the time!"
"Very funny, Yankee," I elbow him lightly in the ribs.
Valentina pulls a swipe card from the inside of her jacket and walks towards the only door in the hall.
"This is your suite," she explains, swiping the card through the reader and leading us into the exquisitely furnished entrance hall. "You can make as much noise as you like. You have the whole floor to yourselves and all the rooms are soundproof."
"Including the bedrooms? That's good news for us, right Linka?" Wheeler winks mischievously at me.
"Wheeler!" I hiss, as heat rises furiously to my face. He always makes the most inappropriate jokes.
"What?" He feigns innocence. "I meant 'cos we argue all the time. This way we won't annoy the other guests… You have a dirty mind, Linka. A dirty, dirty mind." He shakes his head, grinning. I glare at him and, turning away, see that Valentina is examining us intently. Ok, so I don't talk to her about everything…I never told her about Wheeler and his constant chasing after me. But it's only because I do not think it's important, not because I want to hide anything from her. It's just the way Wheeler is; no more worth talking about than his red hair or blue eyes, really.
As Valentina shows us around the suite, the wonderful surroundings lift me out of the sour mood Wheeler's tasteless teasing had put me in. She leads us towards a panelled door and pulls it open to reveal a small but cosy bedroom with two single beds.
"Hmmm…" Wheeler voice comes from over my shoulder, as he surveys the room. "The bed's a bit small, but I guess we'll just have to make do, huh, babe?"
Valentina laughs heartily along with him, while Gi and Kwame chuckle under their breath. My dark mood returns, and I give Wheeler my iciest stare. It's one thing to tease and embarrass me in front of the other Planeteers, but in front of Valentina…in front of my perfect cousin…Add to that the fact that I've barely ever mentioned Wheeler and now she's going to think we…Urgh, why does Wheeler always have to take his jokes too far? I know I must be blushing deeply and it angers me even more that there's no way to control it.
"Aww, come on, lighten up, Linka," Wheeler says, seeing the look on my face.
"I will lighten up when you grow up, but that's not going to happen anytime soon, is it?" I retort coldly, walking away from him into the room. The stiffness in my back must have been enough to warn him not to follow me. There is a lengthy silence, but I do not turn around to look at everyone else.
"Erm, come on boys, I'll show you your room…" Valentina says finally, uncertainly, breaking the tension.
"You ok, Linka?" Gi says gently, as soon as Valentina leads Wheeler, Kwame and Ma-Ti to the other side of the suite.
"Yes, why would I not be?" I say dangerously, daring Gi to challenge me. I open my suitcase and gaze at all the clothes that now seem so inappropriate for our elegant surroundings.
"Nothing," Gi mutters, then seemingly has a bold change of mind. "It's just that…you were a bit harsh with Wheeler…" She is careful not to look me in the face as the words fly quickly out of her mouth, wary of sparking me off again.
"Gi!" I cry. "He does need to grow up. Why does he keep having to make these jokes? Don't you dare laugh!" I can see a grin tugging at her face. "It was not funny. And now Valentina probably…"
"Oh, come off it, Linka," Gi sighs. "She doesn't think anything, ok? Stop worrying so much what people think of you. You're on holiday; relax a little! I'm gonna take a shower," she adds quickly, before I can respond.
Maybe she's right, I think, as she heads for our shared bathroom. Maybe I did overreact. But she has no idea what it's like growing up in the shadow of someone perfect, someone you look up to so much. It becomes really hard to take embarrassment, anything that makes you look even worse next to her.
"Linka?" Valentina's voice interrupts my thoughts. She is standing at the door. "Are you all right?" She looks so concerned that I wonder just how upset with Wheeler I had come across.
"Da," I nod, dropping to my bed, and reclining into the soft folds. "It's just that…" I pause.
"Linka, you can tell me anything," Valentina says kindly, as she folds her lean frame gracefully down beside me. She brushes a strand of hair from my face. "Come on…" she urges, seeing the reticence on my face. "This Wheeler guy…why does he bother you so much?"
I sigh. How do I explain to her when I don't even know the answer myself? I can hear the water running from the bathroom but I switch to Russian just in case.
"I don't know, Valentina," I start, gazing at the ceiling. "I don't know what it is about him, but he gets to me. He winds me up so much. And he does it on purpose, too. It's like he's poking at my mind, trying to see how far he can go before I'll explode!"
"I don't think he was being malicious, Linka," Valentina says.
"No, I know. I don't think he ever means to hurt me. It's just that I get the feeling he keeps making all these jokes because…I don't know…maybe he's trying to change me into someone else. The kind of person who would laugh at these jokes…I don't really know how to explain…"
"It seems to me as if he likes you just the way you are," Valentina smiles knowingly. "I mean, I'm just saying from what I've seen…" So she had noticed. Well, I guess, it must have been impossible with Wheeler being Wheeler….
"Valentina, he doesn't mean anything by it," I say quickly.
"By what?"
"By…by…the way he acts. That's just the way he is around girls. He is a flirt, that's all."
"So you're saying there's nothing between you two?" She is looking at me, eyebrows arched in scepticism.
"No, nothing. We're friends," I say firmly. "He just likes the chase. If I…if we were together he would get bored instantly!"
"Are you sure about that?" Valentina's blue eyes are piercing into mine, scrutinising every inch of my face for any tell-tale signs that I am hiding something from her.
"Yes!" Look how he reacted to you, I think. Clearly he's not serious about me…
Valentina looks at me for a few seconds more then seems satisfied.
"Well, I can see you don't think so, but he seems like a pretty funny guy to me," she says lightly.
"He is. But I would like for him to be serious at least some of the time," I sigh.
"Now who is trying to change who?" Valentina counters. I throw a pillow at her.
"You're supposed to be on my side!" I protest.
"I am, am," she laughs. "All I'm saying is he seems like a really good guy. Maybe when you're more mature you'll realise it!"
"Excuse me?!" I am indignant. Sure, she's older than me by a few years, but that doesn't give her the right to patronise me!
"Oh, Linka don't take it the wrong way," she says quickly, wary of my temper. "I don't mean you're immature now. Just that…you live in this bubble on Hope Island. You don't know how horrible some men can be. So maybe when you gain a bit more experience with guys you'll appreciate the few good ones you meet…"
I frown at her.
"And which horrible men have you met?"
"It's nothing, Linka, don't worry your pretty little head. I have to head back to work." She makes to stand up, but I grab her hand and stop her.
"Valentina, which horrible men have you met?" I repeat.
She looks down at me with a sadness in her eyes I have rarely ever seen.
"It was a really long time ago, Linka. Remember that guy, Robert?"
"Yes…"
"Well, all I told you was that we were together for a few months and then broke up. Well," Valentina sighs. "We were supposed to get married. He proposed, and the next day I caught him with Suzanne, another one of the hotel managers!"
I can feel my eyes widening in shock. How come I never knew about this?
"What?!" I exclaim.
"I know!" Valentina smiles mirthlessly. "What I don't understand is why he proposed to me if he clearly didn't want to be with me and me only…"
"I'm so sorry, Valentina," I say softly. This is the first time she has ever come to me with a real problem. I had always thought it would be good to be the one giving the advice, and not the helpless one, but I feel terrible instead. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Oh, it was a long time ago. You had just started this Planeteer thing…I didn't want to bother you when you were so busy."
"Valentina, you should have come to me," I say, slightly hurt. "I mean, I have called you at all hours of day with the most stupid problems…" Valentina smiles.
"Yes, but it's different. You're like my baby sister. I can't burden you with my problems. You know what the worst thing is?" she adds, before I can protest. "They're still together. Robert and Suzanne. I have to see her everyday and he still sometimes comes here!"
"That's terrible!" I exclaim. "What a-"
"I know," Valentina laughs. "Every possible word to describe him, I've already thought of, trust me! Maybe you're right with your attitude to Wheeler. It's probably best to just stay away from guys. Even the nice ones will break your heart!"