Chapter 32

That night when I entered my bedroom I had a look out of my window that showed the back of the house and the stable. While I couldn't see Midnight since I wasn't born with x-ray vision I still liked to look at the roof of the stable and know that he was there. I know I'm weird. I moved from the jutting out window to the tower. The tower didn't go anywhere I think it was just for decoration.

I stared out the window at the bottom of the tower and began to feel like a princess which was enough to make me throw up. There wasn't much space in my tower since there was a big wooden block thingy ma jig.

I went to leave the tower when I tripped up and fell against the wall. A hollow noise came from when my head hit the wall. 'That's odd' I thought to myself. I stared at the wall hoping something would happen but it didn't. Just before the wall was a series of bricks instead of the white wall plaster stuff. I put my hand on one of the stones while I examined the wall.

My hand slipped onto a different stone and I immediately noticed a difference in the feel. The first stone, felt like a real stone, kind of cold and hard but the second stone felt plastic. I looked at it hard for a minute and tapped it. It sounded kind of hollow. 'Ok I have definitely read one too many spy books,' I thought to myself again.

I pressed and prodded the stone and the cover slid off. It revealed a blue button. I decided to press it because I can't contain my curiosity. An electric whoosh came and I jumped back with a yelp as the wall thingy slid open and revealed a spiralling staircase. It was dark outside and I had no idea where this would go but of course I entered the secret passage. I took one glance back and headed slowly up the stairs. White lights were in the wall level with the top of each step which lit the way. I had no idea where I was going and I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my body.

I finally reached the top of the stairs and saw a door. I opened it and a cool breeze blew past me. I stepped out of the tower and saw the most amazing view. It took me a minute to register that I was on the roof.

"Cool!" I breathed as I took it all in. I had known that the roof was flat but I had never realised that you could actually get on the roof. I wondered if Dad had actually known about the passage since he'd never mentioned it.

I gazed of the rail and looked around. I headed back for the tower and headed down the stairs again. I closed the door and climbed into bed.

I wouldn't tell anyone about the passage, it would be my secret. It seemed fair enough my room, my secret. I couldn't sleep at all that night for my mind kept wondering about the tower. I got back out of bed and went for a walk. I found myself in the entryway but I noticed something that I'd never noticed before. A door that blended into the wall really well. I opened it and found a couple of bags and some coats. I could walk into the small closet and I found a sliding door at the back. I slid it open and it revealed a staircase. I climbed up even though I had no idea where I was going and I finally reached the top.

I slid open the door to the left of me and walked out. I found myself in the walkway on the third floor looking over the balcony right next to my room. "Huh," I said to myself. I walked back into my room. "Well this certainly makes things easier

It wasn't that I got lost it was just that it was so big. I don't even know why I thought there were so many corridors. There two main corridors on the first and second floor that went through the whole length of the house it had the rooms on either side. Every now and again there would be a hallway separating segments that stretched from the front to the back joining the two corridors The second floor had no rooms where the entryway was but it had a curved balcony where you could look down on the entry way. The third floor only had one main corridor because it had a balcony that went the whole length of the house and looked down on the first and second floor.

At ten o'clock the next morning I heard the front door shut which meant that the flock had arrived. I left my room slid the hidden door and ran down the stairs. I crept quietly into the closet and waited for a minute.

"So where's Max?" I heard Ella ask.

"No idea, she'll probably be coming down the stairs any minute now," Iggy answered her. I opened the door just a crack and saw them all facing the opposite direction. I chose that moment to quickly duck out and stand behind them.

"Max is right here," I told them. I tried to hold in my laughter as they all jumped and turned around.

"Jesus, Max, you scared me to death," Nudge gasped.

"But you're still alive," Iggy pointed out.

"No need to sound disappointed," Nudge scowled at him.

"I'm not disappointed I was just pointing out that Max didn't scare you to death," Iggy argued.

"Shut up, Iggy," We all told him in unison.

"So, Max, where did you come from?" Ella asked me.

"Don't worry, so what do you guys want to do first?" I asked them.

"Max, can I please ride Midnight, please. I love that horse," Nudge begged me.

"Yeah come on," I agreed.

Fang put Angel down after she kicked up a fuss after seeing Ari. They ran to each other and hugged. It was so cute. They disappeared somewhere.

"Ah, the flock is together just like the day we saw the birds," Gazzy sighed.

"Gaz, there were seven birds that day," Nudge remembered.

"So?" Fang asked.

"Fang, there are eight of us," I pointed out.

"Huh?" The two boys asked in unison.

"Yeah, there' Iggy, Ella, Nudge, Gazzy, you, me, Angel and Ari," I listed them.

"Oh… whoops," The boys realised.

"Oh well we'll just say that one of the birds was lost since there were seven of us in the house at the time," Gazzy replied quickly. None of us could argue with that as we continued to the stables so we just agreed.

We did the usual rotation of riding Midnight, soon we'd get to the point where I wouldn't have to supervise they could just ride on their own. I only wished that Dad had maybe say six more horses and that way we could go on real rides like Fang and I had done the day before. We did the usual thing of heading back to the house and getting ready to go into the pool.

The others went to the pool but Dad called me and Ella aside.

"Ella, I want to show you something," Dad told her.

"Ok, what?" She asked curiously. Dad and I led her up the stairs to the third floor and stopped in her room. Dad opened the door and Ella's mouth dropped open.

"Just in case you decide you ever want to stay," Dad told her.

"This is mine?" She breathed.

"All of it, I hope you like it. I know that you like purple," Dad smiled at her.

"Thank you so much!" She turned and wrapped her arms around him. "I love it,"

"Good, of course this doesn't mean you have to stay, it's just in case," He assured her.

"I know," Ella nodded.

"Right, well I'll leave you to it," Dad told us and left the room.

Ella flopped down onto her new bed and sighed.

"Why would he do this for me?" Ella asked me.

"He cares about you, Els," I told her.

"But you're his daughter not me," Ella reminded me.

"That doesn't matter to him he did this for you because he cares for you. Now let's go and join the others before Iggy and Gazzy blow something up," I told her.

"Uh oh," Ella realised and raced down to the pool.

Thank god on our way down there were no loud bangs and they all seemed to be having fun.

"Ah, they return," Fang joked.

"Yes… mwahaha," I cackled.

"Well are you coming in or not?" Fang asked me.

"I don't know," I shrugged.

"I do," He smirked.

"Wha…" I began before I screamed and jumped back. Fang splashed me with a whole lot of water. "You're so dead!" I screamed at him.