Dedicated to sugababe16, the reason this chapter was written.
RIDDLE OF THE CHAPTER: What has many keys, but can't even open a single door?
Riaaz and Yasmin get called to go and do something at the computer. Yasmin gives me the bag I found in the forest saying she picked it up after she knocked me in the head. She gives me a paper with a Q243 on it and gives me directions to my "room". She smiles at me, rushes after Riaaz and I'm left on my own.
I decide to spend a little time exploring, the rest of the place is just as strange as HQ. There's people everywhere, engrossed in various things. I walk out of HQ into the corridor lined with rooms on the right and left. I peep into a few, am thoroughly freaked out and continue walking.
There's something that I can only describe as a seriously unhealthy gym in one room. Sure there's exercise machines in there but it's just there for show. The neon Mochachos and KFC stores on either end are far more eye-grabbing.
I'm guessing there's a tea party going on in another. It looks like something straight out of Alice in wonderland. I'm half expecting to see the mad hatter jumping up with a teapot in his hand and scream, "No more room, no more room!" In this situation, even that would make "sense", However I see no Red Queens or strange, talking creatures, just a few people animatedly yapping away and drinking some murky grey liquid that I do not intend on drinking. I guess I'm not in Wonderland. I'm about to walk away when I look up at the ceiling and gasp in surprise.
The entire ceiling is lined with every confectionery you can imagine, cakes, biscuits, pastries, in every size and shape imaginable. I hear what sounds like an order off a restaurant menu being called out and a large pink cake lined with strawberries and cream lands with a 'plop' on on of the people's plates. It lands so perfectly that you'd think an invisible hand placed it there. I suddenly hear a rather loud and embarrassing growl from my tummy and realize that I haven't eaten since... well since I got up or maybe even before then, or... another growl shuts my train of thought up and I hurry to the table.
I look around for someone to take my order and nudge the person next to me who turns looking a little annoyed, his? mouth stuffed with chocolate cronies. "umm, sorry to disturb you, sir?" he? wipes his mouth and says in a really sweet and womanly voice. "Just order bugger!" I open my mouth to say something else but s/he's turned around and has continued stuffing um, 'their' mouth. I look around, my growling stomach seeming to scream at me angrily. I hear a man on the other side of the table call out in a very sophisticated voice, "creme truffle with vanilla flavored danish pastry" and down tumble 3 buttercream biscuits. The man doesn't seem to mind. I hear on the other side of the table, "3 buttercream biscuits please" and down falls a creme truffle with vanilla flavored danish pastry. Odd system.
It appears that each thing's name is swapped. I hesitate then say out loud, "Pineapple fresh cream cake" and down on my plate falls a banana pastry. I try again. "Banana pastry, please." And onto my plate falls a delectable slice of the nicest looking pineapple fresh cream cake I've ever seen. My mouth immediately starts to water and I lift a small piece of the cake up to my mouth and take a huge bite. Aggh! I feel like screaming as the taste of banana pastry has just started to leave my mouth. I put down the deceiving cake and eat the pineapple fresh cream cake tasting banana pastry instead.
My growling stomach quiets down a little and I eat the banana pastry tasting pineapple fresh cream cake as well. When I'm done eating, I keep walking down the hall and see, among other things, a "mommy and kitty" yoga class, a baby feeding chair cleaning facility(teaching them early responsibility, I guess), and a learning "how to respect your neighbors boundaries while keeping a very watchful eye on them at the same time because you never know who might be from enemy tactics" or HRNBWKVWESTNKMET for... short? class. I step in for a little while but it's a really uncomfortable class because everyone keeps eyeing those around them suspiciously until it gets to a point where some really mousy looking guy jumps up from his seat and screams at the woman next to him, "I knew it! You're part of the enemy! Only DejavuRebels blink so many times!" He has to be carried out by the security, but hey, that's life.
I wind up at my room eventually and look around at what I've now come to think of as normal. It's, as usual, absolutely nothing like I would expect and everything I would. The bed's nailed/ glued/ maybe just levitating against the wall with no possible way to get there, the colours are nothing I would consider normal, mauve, pomegranate, teal, indigo and serese pink with a hint of pale yellow underneath. It looks horrible, like a badly sewn patchwork quilt of randomly found colours. Ugly colours. It's not the colours that strike me, however, it's the person laying on the bed on the other side of the room.
ANSWER: A keyboard!
