"Let's go explore," Eva said importantly. She wanted to act like a kid
now, as Cassidy was around and she didn't have to be Responsible Big
Sister.
"Well, Cassie said…" Marie said nervously.
"Stuff that, we'll be careful," Eva said. "Come on!" She shoved the door open. "Hmm, how do you lock this thing?" She pushed the door shut. "Oh, that's how." She looked at Marie. "You do have the cardkey, don't you?"
"No," Marie replied. "It's on the table."
Eva swore under her breath. "Right, now whatta we do?" She kicked the door, but nothing happened. "Oh, god," Eva muttered. "Two minutes and we messed up. Cassie ain't gonna like this."
Someone walked down the corridor, not watching where they were going, and walked into Eva.
"Apr—Domino!" Eva said gratefully. "Thank you, God. Domino, we shut the door and the cardkey's still inside."
"So what do you want me to do about it?" Domino asked. "OH, except this." She gave the door a gentle push. "It won't open if you kick it—however, if you don't lock it, it will open easily. Be careful next time though."
"Thank you thank you thank you," Eva said. "We are eternally in your debt—"
"I've got stuff to do," Domino replied coldly. "I better go get on with it."
"Yeah, bye," Eva called as Domino marched down the corridor. "Right, now we just need to work out how to lock this thing…"
"Let's go to the canteen, Eva, I'm hungry," Marie whined. "I want foo- ood."
"Alright. We're on… prob'ly the sixth floor, that's why our room is SIX- twelve, right? It IS six-twelve, yeah?" She didn't wait for Marie to answer. "So if the canteen is downstairs, it must be… on one of the floors below. And I wonder how many there are above? Maybe there's a lift, right? And we have to go through this door to get out this corridor…" She pushed the door that had a bookcase on the other side. "Yeah! That's a good start." She looked around. There was a corridor ahead, one to the left, and one to the right. She couldn't see stairs OR a lift in any direction. "There's gotta be… Marie, which way?"
"Left," she suggested, and pointed right.
"Okay," Eva compromised, and went straight ahead. "Ooh, nice carpet," she said. "It's all fluffy and nice and… Marie, take your shoes off, okay. Don't go messing it up." Eva pulled her shoes off too; she wanted to walk on the fluffiness in her socks. "I wonder where this is…" There weren't any doors off the corridor. There wasn't anything except two double doors at the end. "Hmm…" She pushed the doors open gently and then let it swing back quickly. "No, that's not the canteen," she giggled.
"What is it?" Marie asked.
"Store cupboard," she said quickly. "Come on." She turned round. "Let's try left this time," she suggested.
"No, right," Marie argued, but when they got there, went left anyway.
"So… there is… that's… hmm…" Eva muttered to herself as she wandered. "It's… ah…" The carpet was similar to the one down the other corridor. "Ohh!" She grinned. "Stairs!" She was pretty sure this wasn't the way Cassidy had brought them, but still… "Ooh… Fancy!" She smiled at Marie. "You get to live in real luxury round here, don't you?"
"Yeah… nice," agreed Marie, running her hand along the handrail. She ran down the stairs, yelling, "yay!"
Eva stopped to look around a little. "Careful, Marie," she warned. "Don't go too far."
"I won't!" Marie yelled back. She wandered off a little.
Eva stared at the walls. There were portraits all over them. She wasn't sure who any of the people were; they didn't look familiar. She turned to look at one last one, and then tripped down all the remaining stairs.
"Oof," she said when she got to the bottom. "Ah well, I'm alright… err… I think," she laughed.
"Maybe they have a playroom!" Marie suggested, and ran on ahead. Eva was about to doubt her, then realised, in a place this size, there was bound to be. "Marie, be careful," she warned again. "If you get lost, I might not find you for about a month."
Marie shivered and moved closer to her sister. "I'm hungry," she repeated. Eva wanted to ask someone but there was no one there to ask. "Hmm… I think we're… lost." She announced.
"Yay!" Marie called. "Let's go… this way!" She pointed to a door.
"Alright," Eva said gingerly. "If you say so."
She pulled the handle and opened the door. "Ooh, wahey, a lift!" She laughed, as they stepped inside. "Wow, this place is like a funhouse. To think we've been to Viridian so many times and never even thought a place like this could exist." There were mirrors everywhere—on the ceiling, the floor, and the walls. Eva was immensely glad she was not wearing a skirt. "Okay, which floor do we want?" She read from the top. "15th floor, 14th, 13th, 12th, 11th…" she skimmed down. "1st floor, 1st UG… UG? Oh, underground. UG 20? Whoa. At least this lift goes to every floor. Which one should we try? There are loads below us. Oh, let's try the first floor." She pressed the button and the lift immediately swooped down. Marie squealed. "It's like going to a theme park!"
It was, sort of. Eva felt a little sick—maybe it was because she was reminded of the line in Charlie and The Chocolate Factory that went "well, we'll be alright if the Oompa-Loompas aren't using the other lift that runs the other way on this track. We've been lucky so far." It wasn't the Chocolate Factory, but what she'd seen caused her to feel she wouldn't be surprised if that happened. She breathed a sigh of relief when it stopped. "Ah, come on Marie, let's go see where we are."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------
As for Butch's little cliff-hanger-ry thing…
"Well…" Butch took a deep breath. "Cassie, I'm getting promoted."
"We—" Cassidy stopped. By Butch's face it obviously wasn't we.
"I'm getting a new partner." Butch stopped to let the news sink in. "Domino."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------
I just wanted to finish on telling you what he was going to say before I forgot. I haven't finished with Marie and Eva—not by a long shot. Has anyone noticed that Eva is a pun too? Eva Cassidy? No? Never mind. Marie isn't, it's just the first name I thought of. Does anyone else imagine Rocket HQ to be totally crazy like that? I was thinking of the Rocket parts of the GB games, I suppose.
New chapter coming soon, hopefully!
"Well, Cassie said…" Marie said nervously.
"Stuff that, we'll be careful," Eva said. "Come on!" She shoved the door open. "Hmm, how do you lock this thing?" She pushed the door shut. "Oh, that's how." She looked at Marie. "You do have the cardkey, don't you?"
"No," Marie replied. "It's on the table."
Eva swore under her breath. "Right, now whatta we do?" She kicked the door, but nothing happened. "Oh, god," Eva muttered. "Two minutes and we messed up. Cassie ain't gonna like this."
Someone walked down the corridor, not watching where they were going, and walked into Eva.
"Apr—Domino!" Eva said gratefully. "Thank you, God. Domino, we shut the door and the cardkey's still inside."
"So what do you want me to do about it?" Domino asked. "OH, except this." She gave the door a gentle push. "It won't open if you kick it—however, if you don't lock it, it will open easily. Be careful next time though."
"Thank you thank you thank you," Eva said. "We are eternally in your debt—"
"I've got stuff to do," Domino replied coldly. "I better go get on with it."
"Yeah, bye," Eva called as Domino marched down the corridor. "Right, now we just need to work out how to lock this thing…"
"Let's go to the canteen, Eva, I'm hungry," Marie whined. "I want foo- ood."
"Alright. We're on… prob'ly the sixth floor, that's why our room is SIX- twelve, right? It IS six-twelve, yeah?" She didn't wait for Marie to answer. "So if the canteen is downstairs, it must be… on one of the floors below. And I wonder how many there are above? Maybe there's a lift, right? And we have to go through this door to get out this corridor…" She pushed the door that had a bookcase on the other side. "Yeah! That's a good start." She looked around. There was a corridor ahead, one to the left, and one to the right. She couldn't see stairs OR a lift in any direction. "There's gotta be… Marie, which way?"
"Left," she suggested, and pointed right.
"Okay," Eva compromised, and went straight ahead. "Ooh, nice carpet," she said. "It's all fluffy and nice and… Marie, take your shoes off, okay. Don't go messing it up." Eva pulled her shoes off too; she wanted to walk on the fluffiness in her socks. "I wonder where this is…" There weren't any doors off the corridor. There wasn't anything except two double doors at the end. "Hmm…" She pushed the doors open gently and then let it swing back quickly. "No, that's not the canteen," she giggled.
"What is it?" Marie asked.
"Store cupboard," she said quickly. "Come on." She turned round. "Let's try left this time," she suggested.
"No, right," Marie argued, but when they got there, went left anyway.
"So… there is… that's… hmm…" Eva muttered to herself as she wandered. "It's… ah…" The carpet was similar to the one down the other corridor. "Ohh!" She grinned. "Stairs!" She was pretty sure this wasn't the way Cassidy had brought them, but still… "Ooh… Fancy!" She smiled at Marie. "You get to live in real luxury round here, don't you?"
"Yeah… nice," agreed Marie, running her hand along the handrail. She ran down the stairs, yelling, "yay!"
Eva stopped to look around a little. "Careful, Marie," she warned. "Don't go too far."
"I won't!" Marie yelled back. She wandered off a little.
Eva stared at the walls. There were portraits all over them. She wasn't sure who any of the people were; they didn't look familiar. She turned to look at one last one, and then tripped down all the remaining stairs.
"Oof," she said when she got to the bottom. "Ah well, I'm alright… err… I think," she laughed.
"Maybe they have a playroom!" Marie suggested, and ran on ahead. Eva was about to doubt her, then realised, in a place this size, there was bound to be. "Marie, be careful," she warned again. "If you get lost, I might not find you for about a month."
Marie shivered and moved closer to her sister. "I'm hungry," she repeated. Eva wanted to ask someone but there was no one there to ask. "Hmm… I think we're… lost." She announced.
"Yay!" Marie called. "Let's go… this way!" She pointed to a door.
"Alright," Eva said gingerly. "If you say so."
She pulled the handle and opened the door. "Ooh, wahey, a lift!" She laughed, as they stepped inside. "Wow, this place is like a funhouse. To think we've been to Viridian so many times and never even thought a place like this could exist." There were mirrors everywhere—on the ceiling, the floor, and the walls. Eva was immensely glad she was not wearing a skirt. "Okay, which floor do we want?" She read from the top. "15th floor, 14th, 13th, 12th, 11th…" she skimmed down. "1st floor, 1st UG… UG? Oh, underground. UG 20? Whoa. At least this lift goes to every floor. Which one should we try? There are loads below us. Oh, let's try the first floor." She pressed the button and the lift immediately swooped down. Marie squealed. "It's like going to a theme park!"
It was, sort of. Eva felt a little sick—maybe it was because she was reminded of the line in Charlie and The Chocolate Factory that went "well, we'll be alright if the Oompa-Loompas aren't using the other lift that runs the other way on this track. We've been lucky so far." It wasn't the Chocolate Factory, but what she'd seen caused her to feel she wouldn't be surprised if that happened. She breathed a sigh of relief when it stopped. "Ah, come on Marie, let's go see where we are."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------
As for Butch's little cliff-hanger-ry thing…
"Well…" Butch took a deep breath. "Cassie, I'm getting promoted."
"We—" Cassidy stopped. By Butch's face it obviously wasn't we.
"I'm getting a new partner." Butch stopped to let the news sink in. "Domino."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------
I just wanted to finish on telling you what he was going to say before I forgot. I haven't finished with Marie and Eva—not by a long shot. Has anyone noticed that Eva is a pun too? Eva Cassidy? No? Never mind. Marie isn't, it's just the first name I thought of. Does anyone else imagine Rocket HQ to be totally crazy like that? I was thinking of the Rocket parts of the GB games, I suppose.
New chapter coming soon, hopefully!