Pack Lands

Chapter 3 Pack Lands

The first thing Alexis noticed when she drove through the beautifully ornate gates at the entrance to Pack Lands, was that everything seemed like it had been frozen in time. The stone walls, although well looked after, gave the impression of having been there for centuries. The architecture of the buildings had a stately air, and the overall feel of the space was entirely regal. The land itself was picturesque. She spotted dark hills in the background and the land seemed to go on for miles. Lush green trees rolled out on every side as far as the eye could see. She has always seen beauty in her own town, but this surpassed anything her mind had imagined.

The second thing Alexis noticed was far more surprising and yet should not have shocked her at all. She pulled up and parked right next to a bright red convertible. The car was strewn with clothes and bags, a total shamble of disorganization and she tried not to roll her eyes visibly. She peeped inside and noticed Missy’s cell phone lodged between the mess on the front seat. No wonder she had not answered her calls this morning. She must have decided to drive through herself the day prior and forgotten to let Alexis know. This kind of erratic behaviour might have been surprising – but it was Missy – and being unpredictable was her only solid characteristic.

The thought had barely crossed her mind when Kylie and Missy came barrelling down the stone walkway towards her. As was typical for them, they were talking over each other and both trying to get their point across before they even reached her. They were dressed casually as if they had just stepped out of the house to hop into the pool – bathing suits and wraps in bright colours – with Kylies outfit being far demurer than Missy’s one! Alexis grabbed them and hugged them both, so glad to see her 2 best friends again after a long stint of working nights and weekends. She had learned that it was a sure-fire way to get them to stop rambling and it helped to settle them all. They hugged her back for a miniscule amount of time before heading straight back into their conversation at a mile a minute.

‘I’m so sorry I didn’t call and tell you I couldn’t come with you; I just haven’t been able to find my phone since I got here,’ said Missy.

‘She’s lying, she’s just woken up and she’s as guilty as sin herself standing here in front of you, aren’t you Missy?’ said Kylie, quickly interjecting.

Missy looked slightly uncomfortable and a little embarrassed and Alexis wondered what she had done this time. Silence hung heavily as both Kylie and Alexis stared at her, waiting for her to admit her latest indiscretion.

‘I’m so sorry Lex, I didn’t plan for it to happen, it was just, well, like love at first sight but with more sexual tension. I promise I didn’t come here to steal him from you, but he’s not even really your type and I know you wouldn’t really have even liked him and I just got lost in his eyes and you know how I feel about dreamy eyes.’

Alexis put two and two together and realised what had happened. Missy had the decency to look sheepish while she watched Alexis process the news that her potential blind date had been hijacked by one of her best friends. Alexis could not help but laugh out loud. Who was she to stand in love’s way after all? This was truly the cherry on top of the decline of her love life!

She puzzled at the fact that felt strangely relieved at the turn of events. She had not realised the amount of pressure she had put herself under on her way here, leading up to this moment and it felt good to know that she would not need to be on her best behaviour the whole weekend trying to impress someone she had just met. She gathered her bag and walked up to the main house, arms linked with her friends and a big smile on her face. This weekend was going to be more fun than she had hoped after all!

They reached the outdoor balcony first and she was surprised to see a few familiar faces amongst the crowd of guests. She scanned the area and noticed people standing around, lounging in the sun, and swimming in the large sparkling pool. A few of her bar regulars looked just as shocked to see her there as she was to see them in this setting. Looking at them in these surroundings, it slowly dawned on her that they were from a vastly different upbringing than hers and she was sure the reason they never flirted back with her before or took her up on any of her advances, was probably because she was just the hired help to them. Before she could ponder the idea too much, some of the guys recovered enough to make their way over to greet her. She remembered most of their names and chatted easily with them and if nothing else, their good manners won out and they treated her as an equal in this setting.