Chapter Three
Four's POV
Paradise, Ohio. That's what the card read. But Brandon had other plans. 'We're not going to Paradise, Four. We're going to the Southern Himalayas. I think it's best if we isolate ourselves for the moment.' He said. I didn't argue. I had no idea where Paradise or the Southern Himalayas were. They could be in outer space for all I knew. I dozed off halfway through the trip and woke up to the sight of massive snow-capped mountains. Brandon handed me a big puffer jacket and pants and told me to put the hood on. 'But I'm not going to even feel the cold!' I protested. 'That's the point. You might be seen not feeling the cold and draw attention.' Brandon explained. He then handed me a piece of paper. 'Your new name will be Hunter Kings. I will be Henri Kings, your uncle. We have to pretend that your parents died in a house fire and I was told to take care of you. Remember it.' Henri said and pocketed his wallet. We drove up the mountain to some huts halfway up. We rapped on the door and a big man came out. 'Hello, welcome to the Himalaya Huts. How can I help you?' he asked. 'Well, we're looking for some accommodation. We're hiking up you see.' Henri said. 'What are you taking a tiny kid up the mountain for?' He says astonished. Henri glared at him. 'Just give us a room for two.' He said and ended the discussion. The man showed us to a large room at the end of the corridor. 'Enjoy your stay at the Himalaya Huts. We are very hospitable.' He said and left the room. Even though my strength hadn't developed yet, Henri started to train me even though I was only four. We practised out in the snow out of people's view, throwing punches and kicks everywhere. After training, I was famished and ate a lot at the huts. Because I ate so much, Henri had to pay extra. But that wasn't a problem because the Elders left us a bag of Loric gems that we could trade for money on Earth. Henri told me that it would last us ten lifetimes, if not more. We ran up and down the mountain every day, punching trees and stones along the way. I grew stronger each day as Henri nurtured and trained me. About eight months from when we moved here, a big mob of people came to the Himalaya Huts. We couldn't risk being discovered so we moved. We packed up all our things and jumped into the truck. Henri drove the truck down the mountain and we headed off to a place called Beijing. Apparently they had nice Peking Duck. Whatever that was...
Seven's POV
Adelina told me that we were heading to India. I had no idea where that was so I just sat back and enjoyed the ride. Once we got there, we got out of the truck and were attacked by a massive cloud of flies. I used my book to swat them all off then held Katarina's hand as we pushed through the crowded markets of India. I spotted many stalls with colourful sauces and food in trays. 'Can we eat that?' I asked. Adelina laughed. 'You can if you want your mouth to burn for the next three hours.' She warned. 'Okay! Can we get the red thing with lumps over there?' I asked cheerily. Adelina sighed and walked over to stall. 'One chilli curry please. Oh, and one cold bottle of water as well.' She told the person behind the counter. He nodded and proceeded to scoop up the red lumpy thing into a dish. He dug into a fridge and pulled out a bottle labelled: Mount Franklin. Adelina smiled and paid for the food and drink. 'Here you go, enjoy!' she said as she handed the dish to me. I picked up the food with my hands and dug in. As soon as the food reached my mouth, I spluttered and my eyes watered. My mouth felt like it was on fire. Adelina handed me the bottle that was labelled Mount Franklin and I gulped it down. The fire in my mouth started to die down after a while. I rubbed my eyes to dry them and the fire spread to my eye. 'AAAA!' I screamed and continued to rub my eye some more. 'Open your eyes.' Adelina commanded. I opened my eyes the best I could and Adelina threw water all over my face. The throbbing in my eye started to fade. 'Still want some more of the red stuff?' Adelina teased. I glared at her and pushed the dish away. She handed me the water and started eating the red stuff. 'Indians call this stuff curry. It's made of spicy herbs and chilli. You just happened to pick the red one. That's the spiciest. It's red because of all the chilli that they put in.' Adelina explained. 'The yellow one is mild. They use saffron instead of chilli. Maybe we should try that one next time.' She said. I nodded and stood up. I took Adelina's hand and we made our way to the nearest accommodation house. Adelina paid for the rooms and we walked up the stairs. I turned the key in the lock and the door sprang off its hinges. 'What…' Adelina muttered as she screwed the door back on. I walked in and sat down on the bed. The bed frame broke. I looked at Adelina for help and she was holding back laughter. It was only then that I realised how ridiculous I looked. She helped me out and we took the mattress off. Adelina laid it on the floor and I went to take a shower. I caused a lot of destruction. I pulled the taps off, the sink, the shower curtain and even the toilet seat. It looks like we'll need maintenance work. Adelina walks into the bathroom and explodes with laughter. Literally everything is broken. I wrap my wet hair in a towel and sit on the mattress and draw in my diary. Fifteen minutes later, I hear Adelina screech and I sit bolt upright. I dash to the bathroom door and throw it open. There is water spraying everywhere. Adelina emerges from the shower wrapped in a towel and she starts to laugh. I look behind her and discover that she has pulled the shower head out of the wall. I walk out of the room and call for maintenance. Five men arrive at the door and I show them the damage. They start to laugh and say we can take another room on the fifth floor. Adelina and I take our bags and we discover that this room is slightly better than the one we previously stayed in for twenty minutes. This time, the shower is made of glass and has a door. And it doesn't come off. The bed doesn't cave in. The toilet seat stays on. I sigh in relief and go to sleep.
The next morning, I wake before Adelina does and I take a quick shower. The drain seems to be slightly blocked… I finish up and close the shower door behind me. I blow dry my hair and come out. Adelina is sitting on the bed and yawning. 'Morning sleepyhead!' I say and she smiles. We go down to the café for lunch and have mild curry, eggs and saffron rice. It was a pretty good meal for our first day in India. Adelina takes me out and we walk through all the shops on the street. She buys us a papery pastry called 'roti' and it is filled with delicious sauces. I much it as we walk along. We learn how Indian people dress. The women wear long saris and material over their heads. Adelina buys long scarves so we can blend in. Mine is patterned with black and red diamonds and Adelina's is patterned with turquoise and green stripes. We walk around for the rest of the day then return to our room. I take my towel and pyjamas and enter the bathroom. My eyes widen at shock at the shower. It is nearly halfway full with water. I cannot open the shower door without flooding the whole room. I must have left it on this morning. 'Adelina!' I call in a small voice. 'What is it?' she asks as she comes in. She gasps when she sees the shower. 'Come on, let's go to another hotel.' She says and we leave the room.
A/N: Haha! I was laughing so hard when I was writing the bit when Adelina and Seven were breaking everything! Thanks to GothGirl69 for reviewing both my chapters so far! I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. Chapter Four will be coming tomorrow!
~Celinachanz