Chapter III - The Mysterious Altor Manor

They walked in silence, both helping Gabriel not to make any extra effort on her knee. She was still wondering what they had done to scare Bruno like that, the king of the school, and why they had helped her. She had never talked to them. She wondered if she'd do the same thing if the situation had happened otherwise. She realised she would help them, because that was the right thing to do. It was a good explanation for their gesture towards her.

"You know," Gabriel looked at her left side, at Telmo "Your essay was actually very good but it had a couple mistakes."

"Mistakes?" she repeated and looked at Teodora.

"Yep, mistakes. Specially what you said about witches and wizards." The girl smiled. "You really think that all witches and wizards are bad?"

"And that have big noses with huge warts and that all of them are old, ride brooms and have black cats?" Telmo kept on his sister's question.

"And have cauldrons on basements and eat little children that don't behave?" and Teodora ended her brother's question.

Gabriel smiled at them, even giggled a bit. The way they kept on talking interrupting each other but maintaining the same line of thought amused her.

"You guys talk like that all the time? I mean, interrupting each other but thinking the same thing?"

"Yes!" they said at the same time.

"Cool!" Gabriel said, swallowing a moan of plain. "Well, I only wrote about what comes on books. There they say that witches are bad, have warts on their nose and eat little children that don't behave."

"They are sooooooo wrong." Telmo laughed.

"What makes you say that?" Gabriel inquired, feeling again curious.

"It's just a gut feeling." Teodora completed her brother with a mysterious smile again and they fell into silence once more.

The avenue was empty, Gabriel realised she had never crossed that street filed with big houses surrounded by tall bushes and big iron gates. The sidewalk was quiet and very clean. On both sides of the road were big green trees. Everything there seemed huge but it inspired peacefulness. Gabriel took in a deep breath and in some odd way, she felt the pain on her knee diminish a bit.

"This is our house." Teodora said pointing to a dark red with two golden lions gate.

She pressed a button on the wall and the gates started opening slowly. Gabriel looked around amazed as they walked inside by the grey marble road. Before the house was a big garden with a very green and soft grass and roses, dozens of rosebushes everywhere, of all colours, scenting the air. There was also a large fountain on their left that had four unicorn statues pointing to each cardinal point. And birds, there were birds everywhere, some singing some screeching. Gabriel found it amazing that they even had owls.

"I hope mom is in the home." Telmo said looking around.

"I bet she's in the music room."

Gabriel didn't hear that, she was feeling impressed by the house. House?! Noooo, it was a manor! It was big, with big windows and big solid oak doors, with tall white walls. The manor looked like a small castle. It certainly was not the kind of home she was used to see.

"They must be filthy rich!" Gabriel thought amazed as the door opened and they walked in. The hall's floor was made of rich marble, with red and golden tapestries on the walls and white statues on the corners.

"Cadbury?" Teodora called and her thin melodic voice echoed through the walls and Gabriel shocked a giggled, making twins look at her.

"What's so funny?" Telmo asked a bit annoyed and steeps on the marble stairs became more hireable.

"It looks like you're calling a chocolate bar!" Gabriel and made a wide smile to prevent from laughing.

"We're calling our butler." Teodora said as annoyed as Telmo, but also smiling as a man came finely into view.

TO BE CONTINUED... (unfinished chapter)