AN: Thank you guys so much for reviewing me! :D Thank you Giovanna, jilla
kala, Temptress and Queen Anjie, for the lovely comments! Here goes…
'You can rest here, with the ladies. I'll have a talk with the Mistress of the house to let her know we have a new guest here,' Roald told me quietly, signalling to the door a few steps away with the sound of loud chatter sounding from the inside.
He left shortly, so I went to the door and took a deep breath.
I opened it; the laughter and chatter were so loud. It reminded me of Jerry Springer on a bad day. I swung the door open and peered inside.
Three girls in riding-clothes sat on three separate wooden chairs near the corner of the room. The loud laughter had only come from one girl, the one with emerald eyes. The rest were sullen-looking. The room was very wide and huge, with four beds opposite where the girls sat, the quilts looked soft and comfortable. There was a desk near where the girls sat with a half-used candle and strewn books all over the desk in an unkempt way. There was also a long mirror at the very back of the room.
The three girls turned to look at me.
One was a dark-haired girl with pearly teeth and soft, brown eyes, she had a kind look about her. Another had auburn hair with dazzling blue eyes; her nose was long and her chin stubborn. The last one, still laughing, had long, wavy chocolate-brown hair that bounced to her waist, her eyes were a deep set of emerald and her cheeks were rosy.
'Hello!' the redhead said cheerfully, getting up and walking towards me.
I smiled back. 'Hey,' I croaked.
'Are you new here?' the girl with pearly teeth asked, a deep smile on her kind face.
Nodding, I stood dumbly at the doorway, my eyes roaming the room with curiosity, until the redhead dragged me in with a giggle and closed the door behind me. She sat me down on one of the beds and said she wanted to know all about me and if I loved Tamora Pierce.
I laughed. 'Oh, of course I love Tamora Pierce and I can't believe—'
'—that you ended up in Tortall!' the kind-looking girl finished for me, laughing as well.
'We're all like that! We just can't believe our luck!' the redhead exclaimed.
The emerald-eyed girl that had stayed quiet all the while I'd been there, got up and sighed irritably as she crossed over to where I sat.
'And I suppose you're a bookworm.'
I didn't like her tone of voice; it was mocking like those boys on the bus, daring me to challenge her.
'Yes, unlike many other unintelligent life forms who prefer to lounge around staring at nothing but their reflections on the mirror—I read.'
I'd caught her there—in fact it was ironic, because when I'd said it, she'd been casually looking at herself in the mirror in front of her.
She glared at me.
'Oh, and I guess Ms Smartass over there came to teach us how to be nice, young ladies with their heads in their books twenty-four seven!' she said, her lilting voice mock-enthusiastic.
I shrugged. 'I didn't know you were so keen on being a lady—with your attitude, a bitch came across my mind rather than a lady.'
The redhead snorted and stifled laughter, while the kind-looking girl bit her lip and did the same. The emerald-eyed snob's eyes opened wide and then she huffed indignantly at me and raised her chin to the air. 'The only bitch around here is you,' she said, getting up and leaving the room.
The redhead rolled her eyes. 'Oh Goddess! I wish someone'd stuff a few smelly socks in her mouth! I can't stand her 'sweet' voice and 'perfect' beauty!'
The kind-looking girl nodded, then smiled. 'My name's Heather.'
'Mine's Sarah. But they call Heather, Hayley and me Serena.'
'They give you different names to your originals?' I asked.
'Yeah. They ask us if we wanna change them, coz they're quite boring, so we do.' Hayley replied.
'Ah, well my name's Reem. I don't think I'll change it, I'm used to it. What's that stuck-up pig's name?'
Serena groaned. 'Sandreline.'
'But—'
'—it's Sandry's name, from the COM books, we know,' Serena finished for me glumly. 'Fits the description. Although Sandry isn't obnoxious and self- gloating. I actually like Sandry, but that snob I despise! I wish they'd just chuck her in the Roof of the World or something! Get the monster to tear every limp of hers apart and keep her alive while he makes her watch him eat her remaining bits!'
'I think we'll get along just fine!' I said, laughing.
The door opened to reveal Khalil; his worried face peeping threw the door. His eyes found mine and relaxed. 'There you are!'
'And who's that hunk!' Serena whispered to me, her eyes wide open and her mouth in an O shape as she stared openly at Khalil.
I chuckled. 'My friend, Khalil.'
I got up and went to hug Khalil. I noticed a big bump on his head and when I voiced my worries, he touched my own head, making me wince and realize I had one just as big and gross on my head.
Great, Roald gets to see me in my grotesque form! Wonderful!
Why did I care what Roald thought of me? God!
So I pushed my 'crush' to the back of my mind and turned to my new friends, Hayley and Serena. 'Khalil, this is Serena and Hayley, and as I said, this is Khalil, girls.'
Serena grinned wickedly. 'Pray tell me, does the package come with chocolates, coz without the chocolates he's irresistible, but with the chocolates he's damn priceless—even thinking about it makes me wanna thrown myself at him!'
Hayley rolled her eyes and smiled timidly at Khalil and curtsied. 'Ignore my friend over there, she's a bit dented in the head, a wife of a young boy she'd flirted with had seen her flirt with her man and whacked her hard one day with a pot —obviously she hasn't learnt her lesson yet.'
Khalil grinned. 'So this world isn't too bad after all.' He turned to me and smiled warmly. 'So you got your wish, Reem, you're in Tamora Pierce's world. What're you gonna do now? Become a Knight and roam the lands with Kel? Or flirt with all the men at court and get married to a thief?'
'So he has a creative mind too!' Serena cut in, tucking Khalil's arm in hers and steering him away from us. 'I'd like to introduce you to a few of my friends! And give you a special tour of this wonderful palace!'
Khalil shot a pleading, helpless look at me, but I remembered his comments about flirting with the men at court and grinned ruthlessly at him. 'Have fun!' I called out, just as the door was shut.
I turned to Hayley and we laughed uncontrollably.
'So Serena has waylaid yet another trap for a helpless, gorgeous man!' Hayley grinned.
'You can rest here, with the ladies. I'll have a talk with the Mistress of the house to let her know we have a new guest here,' Roald told me quietly, signalling to the door a few steps away with the sound of loud chatter sounding from the inside.
He left shortly, so I went to the door and took a deep breath.
I opened it; the laughter and chatter were so loud. It reminded me of Jerry Springer on a bad day. I swung the door open and peered inside.
Three girls in riding-clothes sat on three separate wooden chairs near the corner of the room. The loud laughter had only come from one girl, the one with emerald eyes. The rest were sullen-looking. The room was very wide and huge, with four beds opposite where the girls sat, the quilts looked soft and comfortable. There was a desk near where the girls sat with a half-used candle and strewn books all over the desk in an unkempt way. There was also a long mirror at the very back of the room.
The three girls turned to look at me.
One was a dark-haired girl with pearly teeth and soft, brown eyes, she had a kind look about her. Another had auburn hair with dazzling blue eyes; her nose was long and her chin stubborn. The last one, still laughing, had long, wavy chocolate-brown hair that bounced to her waist, her eyes were a deep set of emerald and her cheeks were rosy.
'Hello!' the redhead said cheerfully, getting up and walking towards me.
I smiled back. 'Hey,' I croaked.
'Are you new here?' the girl with pearly teeth asked, a deep smile on her kind face.
Nodding, I stood dumbly at the doorway, my eyes roaming the room with curiosity, until the redhead dragged me in with a giggle and closed the door behind me. She sat me down on one of the beds and said she wanted to know all about me and if I loved Tamora Pierce.
I laughed. 'Oh, of course I love Tamora Pierce and I can't believe—'
'—that you ended up in Tortall!' the kind-looking girl finished for me, laughing as well.
'We're all like that! We just can't believe our luck!' the redhead exclaimed.
The emerald-eyed girl that had stayed quiet all the while I'd been there, got up and sighed irritably as she crossed over to where I sat.
'And I suppose you're a bookworm.'
I didn't like her tone of voice; it was mocking like those boys on the bus, daring me to challenge her.
'Yes, unlike many other unintelligent life forms who prefer to lounge around staring at nothing but their reflections on the mirror—I read.'
I'd caught her there—in fact it was ironic, because when I'd said it, she'd been casually looking at herself in the mirror in front of her.
She glared at me.
'Oh, and I guess Ms Smartass over there came to teach us how to be nice, young ladies with their heads in their books twenty-four seven!' she said, her lilting voice mock-enthusiastic.
I shrugged. 'I didn't know you were so keen on being a lady—with your attitude, a bitch came across my mind rather than a lady.'
The redhead snorted and stifled laughter, while the kind-looking girl bit her lip and did the same. The emerald-eyed snob's eyes opened wide and then she huffed indignantly at me and raised her chin to the air. 'The only bitch around here is you,' she said, getting up and leaving the room.
The redhead rolled her eyes. 'Oh Goddess! I wish someone'd stuff a few smelly socks in her mouth! I can't stand her 'sweet' voice and 'perfect' beauty!'
The kind-looking girl nodded, then smiled. 'My name's Heather.'
'Mine's Sarah. But they call Heather, Hayley and me Serena.'
'They give you different names to your originals?' I asked.
'Yeah. They ask us if we wanna change them, coz they're quite boring, so we do.' Hayley replied.
'Ah, well my name's Reem. I don't think I'll change it, I'm used to it. What's that stuck-up pig's name?'
Serena groaned. 'Sandreline.'
'But—'
'—it's Sandry's name, from the COM books, we know,' Serena finished for me glumly. 'Fits the description. Although Sandry isn't obnoxious and self- gloating. I actually like Sandry, but that snob I despise! I wish they'd just chuck her in the Roof of the World or something! Get the monster to tear every limp of hers apart and keep her alive while he makes her watch him eat her remaining bits!'
'I think we'll get along just fine!' I said, laughing.
The door opened to reveal Khalil; his worried face peeping threw the door. His eyes found mine and relaxed. 'There you are!'
'And who's that hunk!' Serena whispered to me, her eyes wide open and her mouth in an O shape as she stared openly at Khalil.
I chuckled. 'My friend, Khalil.'
I got up and went to hug Khalil. I noticed a big bump on his head and when I voiced my worries, he touched my own head, making me wince and realize I had one just as big and gross on my head.
Great, Roald gets to see me in my grotesque form! Wonderful!
Why did I care what Roald thought of me? God!
So I pushed my 'crush' to the back of my mind and turned to my new friends, Hayley and Serena. 'Khalil, this is Serena and Hayley, and as I said, this is Khalil, girls.'
Serena grinned wickedly. 'Pray tell me, does the package come with chocolates, coz without the chocolates he's irresistible, but with the chocolates he's damn priceless—even thinking about it makes me wanna thrown myself at him!'
Hayley rolled her eyes and smiled timidly at Khalil and curtsied. 'Ignore my friend over there, she's a bit dented in the head, a wife of a young boy she'd flirted with had seen her flirt with her man and whacked her hard one day with a pot —obviously she hasn't learnt her lesson yet.'
Khalil grinned. 'So this world isn't too bad after all.' He turned to me and smiled warmly. 'So you got your wish, Reem, you're in Tamora Pierce's world. What're you gonna do now? Become a Knight and roam the lands with Kel? Or flirt with all the men at court and get married to a thief?'
'So he has a creative mind too!' Serena cut in, tucking Khalil's arm in hers and steering him away from us. 'I'd like to introduce you to a few of my friends! And give you a special tour of this wonderful palace!'
Khalil shot a pleading, helpless look at me, but I remembered his comments about flirting with the men at court and grinned ruthlessly at him. 'Have fun!' I called out, just as the door was shut.
I turned to Hayley and we laughed uncontrollably.
'So Serena has waylaid yet another trap for a helpless, gorgeous man!' Hayley grinned.