Sorry for not updating this story yesterday. I was at a sleepover the previous night and got five hours of sleep. Then I didn't have a chapter ready.


Photo #22: No Boys/Girls Allowed!

The next two photos were posted side-by-side, making Eadlyn think they happened during the same day about five years ago. As she gets a closer look, she sees one photo of Ahren, Kile, Kaden, and Osten in a small, wooded room. All the boys were lit up with amusement.

Eadlyn wonders where they were at the time since she remembers no room in the palace looking like that.

The photo next to it seems to have been taken from a higher point of view. It shows her mom with Miss. Marlee, Josie, Miss. Lucy, and herself all sitting on a picnic blanket. Like the boys, they seemed excited. Well, except for Eadlyn in the picture. She was grouching and her father blamed the sun for that (although that wasn't the reason).

That's when Eadlyn remembers the situation of the picture.

-o-

When Kile was thirteen, he designed a treehouse he wanted and Mr. Woodwork built it in an apple tree located in the middle of the garden. It took him a couple of weeks, but when it was finished, Kile took charge and leadership of his new territory.

Eadlyn stands at the bottom of the treehouse, squinting her eyes to block out the sun. She looks at the hand-written sign posted on the window that reads 'No Girls Allowed!' and frowns.

"This really isn't fair!" Eadlyn screams up, mostly towards Kile.

Kile peeks his head out the window and looks down at Eadlyn, choosing not to spit on her forehead.

"I don't really care!" Kile cackles back. "Go have fun with Josie!"

Eadlyn looks over to where Josie parked her picnic blanket in the middle of the sun. Marlee and her own mother sit alongside Josie, playing along with the fake tea set. Eadlyn grumbles to herself as she trudged through the grass towards them and takes a seat in the middle of Marlee and America. She doesn't like Josie, but she doesn't see any other options for her.

Eventually, the Legers show up, both with foods for their respectable groups. Lucy had a tray of delicate desserts for the ladies and Aspen walked towards the treehouse with bags of chips and cans of soda. Eadlyn frowns as he climbs up.

"Quit grouching, Eadlyn," America scolds, passing her a small cupcake to munch on. "Your face will become stuck like that."

"No, it won't," Eadlyn responds.

America rolls her eyes as Josie pours Lucy some "tea" from her toy teapot (which is actually lemon-flavored carbonated water).

"This is quite a nice setup," Lucy comments, beaming in the sunshine.

"See, Eadlyn," Josie says. "This is way better than whatever could be happening in that treehouse."

None of the adult ladies saw this, but Eadlyn narrows her eyes at the younger girl.

Meanwhile, up in the treehouse, Maxon puts down his camera after taking a quick photo of the ladies and their tea party. The only thing missing is a sign that reads, 'No Boys Allowed!'. He hears Aspen making his way up the ladder. He tosses the chip bags and the soda cans he brought before hoisting himself up.

The young boys launch themselves towards the junk food as Aspen joins Maxon and Carter.

"Couldn't get us a beer?" Carter jokes, lightly slapping Aspen's shoulder.

"I wanna beer!" A young Osten pipes with a mouthful of chips, some falling out.

"No," Maxon says, getting a picture of the young boys amusing themselves. "You are already trouble when you're sober."

The men laugh their hearty laughs as they hear the women with their more high-pitched laughs from their situation from the ground.


I never had a treehouse but I still want one. I needed a sanctuary where I could get some alone time.

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