Rhiannon - Dragonrider

Chapter Two - The Inverenglass Lodge Hotel

But of course, with our bags lined up along one wall, and with about a million soggy girls wandering about like headless chickens, the place was total chaos, so I found a quiet corner for Megan and me to hide in.

"Stand still and be quiet a moment now, please!" Droopy tried shouting but of course everyone ignored her. "I said stand still!"

"Right," she said when, at long last, she managed to get everyone to stand still and shut up. "Here we are in Inverenglass and I'm sure we're all going to have a super time. This is Mrs Andrews." She gave a funny smile type thing to an old woman who'd appeared through a door. "She's going to make sure we have a really super time here."

"Would you like to say anything?" she asked Mrs Andrews.

"Oh, I just wanted to bid you a welcome to the Highlands and to The Inverenglass Lodge Hotel," she answered in this wild Scottish accent. Your rooms are up the stairs, there. Dinner's in about forty five minutes in the dining room, through here. I'll ring the bell to let you know it's ready. Now, if you've not got any questions, I've got to go and see to the potatoes."

She bustled back through the door into the dining room.

"Good... now, if you'll just excuse me... " Droopy said, gently shoving Claire out of the way and lumbering over to a notice board that was hanging on one wall. "Here's the list of who's in which room. Let me know if you want to change anything around but no squabbling, please."

I'd guessed what was coming so I made sure I was one of the first to get a look at the list. I'd been put in a room with Megan and another girl, Barbara.

We'll soon see about that!

"You've been stuck in with Megan and me," I told Barbara, "but I'm sure you'll have more fun here if we found another room for you."

"Oh, I don't know..." Barbara began but I quickly cut her off.

"You know that we're not very good company," I told her. "Look, Claire and Ellie are in a room together. I'm sure that you'd rather be in with them. Why don't you go and have a chat?"

"But Claire and Ellie might not want to share with me."

"If they don't, I'm sure I'll be able to persuade them. Why don't you go and see?"

I gave Barbara an encouraging smile and she hurried away to organise another room.

I could see Droopy looking at me. I mean... I knew she thought I was a bully but I wasn't really. I just wanted everybody to leave me alone... and Barbara really would be much happier in another room.

"Come on!" I said, grabbing my bag and chucking Megan's in her direction. "Let's get out of here."

We carried our stuff up the dark, wooden staircase and quickly found our room. It had a high ceiling and looked as if it had once been really posh but it had been split in two by an ugly partition wall.

Instead of a window, it had a fancy glass and metal door which led out onto a tiny balcony. "That looks like it might be fun if it ever stops raining," Megan said as she started to unpack.

I didn't bother answering. I just dragged a chair across and sat on it, backwards, with my chin resting on the backrest, staring out into the rising storm. Through the rain, you could see down their little street to the harbour where the boats were already being tossed about on the waves.

But, again, my eyes were sort of pulled off in the direction of the island, even though I couldn't possibly see the thing. "There is something out there," I said, pretty much to myself. "Old Droopy might be too stupid to believe me but I really could see something."