A/N: Yeah, yeah, standard disclaimer. Just get on with it... Orli in upcoming chapters, promise! Oh, and all the places mentioned are made up. I've never been to New Zealand...anyone wanna take me? So, I have to use my imagination, so, if you see any glaring errors; please tell me so I don't look so stupid -_-;
Chapter One
Plane Rides and Dreams
Hortense was seated next to Lisa, her head leaning against the cool, reassuring glass of the plane. The flight would be long, and she was already heavily drugged on Dramamine. She frowned as she saw the small paper sack tucked in the seat-back pocket. No, she mused, she would not need that this time. With any luck, she would be asleep for most of the flight.
Lisa was busily riffling through a script, written completely in Portuguese.
"Why did you take this audition?!"
"Because it'll be fun! Something new! Don't be such a spoilsport! Where's your sense of adventure?!"
Hortense eyed the small paper sack.
"It left me for another woman," Hortense muttered dryly. Lisa stuck her tongue out, and then went back to memorizing highlighted lines.
The Dramamine started to kick in and she felt herself slowly start to drift off. Had she known then what she was getting herself into, Hortense probably would never have agreed to come.
The plane landed and Hortense stumbled to her feet, groggily trying to wipe the sleep from her eyes. Lisa was already grabbing for various bags, the script tucked under her arm.
"You coming?" she muttered, quickly picking her way towards the plane exit. Hortense scowled.
"Yes," she mumbled, hefting her own bag over her shoulder, books falling everywhere. Grumbling absently, she started throwing them in, not caring how many pages she bent in the process.
Fifteen minutes later, Hortense emerged, bags hanging from every available limb on her body.
"Are you ok?" Lisa asked tentatively, watching as her friend's eyes glaze over.
"Yes. I'm fine. Let's just get out of here," Hortense answered, looking for the nearest exit. Lisa nodded.
"Well, lucky for us, I have an uncle that lives around here," Lisa said with a smirk. Hortense paused.
"Uncle Willie?" she ventured with a slight shudder. Lisa nodded happily. Uncle William Edward Applegrass was notorious for his practical jokes and get rich quick schemes. The latest of which had something to do with real estate. But Hortense allowed herself to be led towards a jovial, rotund, middle-aged man, with graying black hair, and a huge grin spread across his sunburned face.
"Lisa! Horty! Girls, it's so good to see you!" Uncle Willie exclaimed, wrapping them both in a massive embrace. Pleasantries were exchanged and the group made its way through the throngs of people in the New Zealand airport.
Uncle Willie led them towards his beat up, blue chevy pick-up and ushered them in. Hortense, by then, had already fallen in love. The atmosphere was enough to send her into a sort of head rush, and the clear blue skies beaconed to her. Flowers were everywhere, and a sweet breeze combed through her tousled hair. It was a paradise, and she started to wonder if maybe they hadn't landed on the wrong island.
"This is amazing," she breathed, throwing her bags into the pick-up. Lisa nodded.
"I know. We're going to have so much fun!" Lisa squealed as they piled into the battered truck. It started with a growl and they sputtered off.
"Where do you live Uncle Willie?" Lisa questioned, trying to get comfortable, squeezed into the small seat.
"A few miles from the coast," he answered with a gleam in his eyes. Obviously, business was good.
"Really? Must be beautiful!" Hortense said. Her gaze remained glued to the window. Everything was green and somehow bigger. She couldn't wait to get out and wander. She wanted to see every square inch she could, wanted to experience everything. Lisa's gaze was turned towards the script in her hand.
"Do you know Portuguese?" she asked. Uncle Willie shook his head.
"No, but I think the housekeeper might," he answered. Hortense bristled.
"You have a housekeeper now?" she sputtered. Willie shrugged.
"She doesn't really do much. Actually, she just sits around and smokes. Sometimes she yells at me for wearing my shoes in the house, or screams something in a foreign language. But boy, can she cook!" he started into huge detail about a tuna casserole she threw together a few nights ago, and how it was almost better than sex, but not quite. Hortense shivered as a horrible mental image manifested itself in her mind. She looked to Lisa, who was trying not to giggle.
"Oh, well...see, the script is in Portuguese. And...well, I'm not even sure what I'm saying," Lisa said, flipping idly through the script.
"All in Portuguese you say? Well then...hmmm...I'm sure there's someone we can find to translate it. Maybe Ol' Eddie could find someone. He has connections, you know," Uncle Willie started. Hortense smiled to herself. Eddie was an ancient old man, which had "connections" in everything. Nobody knew quite how he made all these connections, only that if you ever needed anything, Eddie could get if for you. Lisa nodded.
"I think it would do wonders for my delivery if I knew what I was saying," she blushed.
Miles later, the pick-up pulled into a rather deserted, almost abandoned resort area.
"Uncle Willie...what is this place?" Lisa asked. The once paved road was now almost completely overtaken by weeds and grass. Trees were everywhere, and ivy had started to grow on the half-destroyed buildings.
"It used to be a high-end resort, but the owner went bankrupt. It went ignored for years, and then I found it," he said with a grin.
"Are people actually staying here?" Hortense asked, incredulous.
"Not yet," he answered, pulling onto a side road, in just as bad shape.
He stopped in front of a partially restored building. It held a spark of its once grand past. An elegant white building, with sloping lines, graceful arches, and lavish balconies, set beside a sea of flowers and flourishing green trees.
Willie hopped out of the truck, towards a creaking, slightly crooked rod iron gate. He whipped out a key and soon, it was open.
"This is unreal," Hortense breathed.
"I know," Lisa murmured.
Uncle Willie meandered his way through the overgrowth around the building, stopped the truck, and with a formal sigh, got out.
"Here we are ladies...welcome to château d'étoile."
Hortense smiled. Uncle Willie had a deep southern accent, and anything said in a foreign language came out slightly mangled. French, especially, was absolutely shredded. He blushed slightly.
"The previous owner was French," he explained.
"I think it's a wonderful name," Lisa exclaimed. Hortense nodded.
"What does it mean?" she asked.
"I'm not sure. Haven't gotten around to translating it," he answered.
The girls gathered their bags and followed Uncle Willie. Hortense's breath got caught in her throat as she saw the entrance. A huge, soaring arc, intricately detailed, outlining an ancient black gate that was hanging a bit awkwardly on the hinges. It looked so Romantic, so strangely tragic, she felt a chill run up her spine as she stepped over the threshold.
It dawned on her, slowly, that maybe this was no ordinary resort. She quickly put the thought out of her mind, dismissing with a small laugh. What? Is it haunted or something? She was old enough not to be scared of the dark or things that went bump in the night. But still, she remembered the strange tingle that danced across her skin as she had walked inside.
Eh, ok, so, what'd ya think? R/R please!!
Chapter One
Plane Rides and Dreams
Hortense was seated next to Lisa, her head leaning against the cool, reassuring glass of the plane. The flight would be long, and she was already heavily drugged on Dramamine. She frowned as she saw the small paper sack tucked in the seat-back pocket. No, she mused, she would not need that this time. With any luck, she would be asleep for most of the flight.
Lisa was busily riffling through a script, written completely in Portuguese.
"Why did you take this audition?!"
"Because it'll be fun! Something new! Don't be such a spoilsport! Where's your sense of adventure?!"
Hortense eyed the small paper sack.
"It left me for another woman," Hortense muttered dryly. Lisa stuck her tongue out, and then went back to memorizing highlighted lines.
The Dramamine started to kick in and she felt herself slowly start to drift off. Had she known then what she was getting herself into, Hortense probably would never have agreed to come.
The plane landed and Hortense stumbled to her feet, groggily trying to wipe the sleep from her eyes. Lisa was already grabbing for various bags, the script tucked under her arm.
"You coming?" she muttered, quickly picking her way towards the plane exit. Hortense scowled.
"Yes," she mumbled, hefting her own bag over her shoulder, books falling everywhere. Grumbling absently, she started throwing them in, not caring how many pages she bent in the process.
Fifteen minutes later, Hortense emerged, bags hanging from every available limb on her body.
"Are you ok?" Lisa asked tentatively, watching as her friend's eyes glaze over.
"Yes. I'm fine. Let's just get out of here," Hortense answered, looking for the nearest exit. Lisa nodded.
"Well, lucky for us, I have an uncle that lives around here," Lisa said with a smirk. Hortense paused.
"Uncle Willie?" she ventured with a slight shudder. Lisa nodded happily. Uncle William Edward Applegrass was notorious for his practical jokes and get rich quick schemes. The latest of which had something to do with real estate. But Hortense allowed herself to be led towards a jovial, rotund, middle-aged man, with graying black hair, and a huge grin spread across his sunburned face.
"Lisa! Horty! Girls, it's so good to see you!" Uncle Willie exclaimed, wrapping them both in a massive embrace. Pleasantries were exchanged and the group made its way through the throngs of people in the New Zealand airport.
Uncle Willie led them towards his beat up, blue chevy pick-up and ushered them in. Hortense, by then, had already fallen in love. The atmosphere was enough to send her into a sort of head rush, and the clear blue skies beaconed to her. Flowers were everywhere, and a sweet breeze combed through her tousled hair. It was a paradise, and she started to wonder if maybe they hadn't landed on the wrong island.
"This is amazing," she breathed, throwing her bags into the pick-up. Lisa nodded.
"I know. We're going to have so much fun!" Lisa squealed as they piled into the battered truck. It started with a growl and they sputtered off.
"Where do you live Uncle Willie?" Lisa questioned, trying to get comfortable, squeezed into the small seat.
"A few miles from the coast," he answered with a gleam in his eyes. Obviously, business was good.
"Really? Must be beautiful!" Hortense said. Her gaze remained glued to the window. Everything was green and somehow bigger. She couldn't wait to get out and wander. She wanted to see every square inch she could, wanted to experience everything. Lisa's gaze was turned towards the script in her hand.
"Do you know Portuguese?" she asked. Uncle Willie shook his head.
"No, but I think the housekeeper might," he answered. Hortense bristled.
"You have a housekeeper now?" she sputtered. Willie shrugged.
"She doesn't really do much. Actually, she just sits around and smokes. Sometimes she yells at me for wearing my shoes in the house, or screams something in a foreign language. But boy, can she cook!" he started into huge detail about a tuna casserole she threw together a few nights ago, and how it was almost better than sex, but not quite. Hortense shivered as a horrible mental image manifested itself in her mind. She looked to Lisa, who was trying not to giggle.
"Oh, well...see, the script is in Portuguese. And...well, I'm not even sure what I'm saying," Lisa said, flipping idly through the script.
"All in Portuguese you say? Well then...hmmm...I'm sure there's someone we can find to translate it. Maybe Ol' Eddie could find someone. He has connections, you know," Uncle Willie started. Hortense smiled to herself. Eddie was an ancient old man, which had "connections" in everything. Nobody knew quite how he made all these connections, only that if you ever needed anything, Eddie could get if for you. Lisa nodded.
"I think it would do wonders for my delivery if I knew what I was saying," she blushed.
Miles later, the pick-up pulled into a rather deserted, almost abandoned resort area.
"Uncle Willie...what is this place?" Lisa asked. The once paved road was now almost completely overtaken by weeds and grass. Trees were everywhere, and ivy had started to grow on the half-destroyed buildings.
"It used to be a high-end resort, but the owner went bankrupt. It went ignored for years, and then I found it," he said with a grin.
"Are people actually staying here?" Hortense asked, incredulous.
"Not yet," he answered, pulling onto a side road, in just as bad shape.
He stopped in front of a partially restored building. It held a spark of its once grand past. An elegant white building, with sloping lines, graceful arches, and lavish balconies, set beside a sea of flowers and flourishing green trees.
Willie hopped out of the truck, towards a creaking, slightly crooked rod iron gate. He whipped out a key and soon, it was open.
"This is unreal," Hortense breathed.
"I know," Lisa murmured.
Uncle Willie meandered his way through the overgrowth around the building, stopped the truck, and with a formal sigh, got out.
"Here we are ladies...welcome to château d'étoile."
Hortense smiled. Uncle Willie had a deep southern accent, and anything said in a foreign language came out slightly mangled. French, especially, was absolutely shredded. He blushed slightly.
"The previous owner was French," he explained.
"I think it's a wonderful name," Lisa exclaimed. Hortense nodded.
"What does it mean?" she asked.
"I'm not sure. Haven't gotten around to translating it," he answered.
The girls gathered their bags and followed Uncle Willie. Hortense's breath got caught in her throat as she saw the entrance. A huge, soaring arc, intricately detailed, outlining an ancient black gate that was hanging a bit awkwardly on the hinges. It looked so Romantic, so strangely tragic, she felt a chill run up her spine as she stepped over the threshold.
It dawned on her, slowly, that maybe this was no ordinary resort. She quickly put the thought out of her mind, dismissing with a small laugh. What? Is it haunted or something? She was old enough not to be scared of the dark or things that went bump in the night. But still, she remembered the strange tingle that danced across her skin as she had walked inside.
Eh, ok, so, what'd ya think? R/R please!!