The Hidden World of Nitea [2 | The Other Realms Series]

Chapter Fifteen

Eddie leaned over to his side as he peeked into the picnic basket. There were still two tarts left. He picked up one of them with his right hand.

"Are there any tarts left?" Jon asked.

"There's one left," Eddie replied. "You want it?"

"Sure."

He picked the last tart and handed it to Jon.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Eddie lifted his right hand and took a bite out of his tart. He hummed a soft "mmm" as he savored the dessert, juicy bits of fruit blending with crust and soft custard on the surface of his tongue. Sweet scents entertained his nose as he ate. His eyes had a treat of their own, indulged by the sight of a calm canal flanked by expanses of grass and walls of trees.

It was a Saturday afternoon at Versailles. Eddie, Colette, and their guests were having a picnic in the park after a private tour around the palace grounds. Though Versailles had been swarmed by visitors since the morning, the area where they sat remained rather uncrowded. It was not pure luck—prior to their weekend outing, Eddie had visited the place in search of the perfect picnic spot. It took him a few hours of walking around the Grand Canal, but they were well worth it. There were only a handful of tourists nearby as the seven of them had their lunch.

Eddie wiped his mouth with a napkin before cleaning his hands. He glimpsed over his shoulder. The adults were absorbed in a conversation, sipping red wine in between sentences, while Jon and Stella were more occupied with their desserts. From the emptiness of the picnic basket and the rate of bites they were taking, he reckoned that they would be done in a few minutes.

"Eddie, what's the time?" Stella asked.

Eddie glimpsed his watch. "Two fifteen."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

She then continued to converse with Jon. A little while later, Eddie stood up and helped his mother with packing up their belongings. He checked the time once more; it was 2:20 p.m.

"So now we have free time. You can go visit any part of Versailles you want," Colette announced. "At four o'clock we'll meet at our meeting spot, near the gate."

"We'll keep that in mind," José said. "Thank you."

And so the group dispersed. Eddie walked towards Jon and tapped him on his shoulder.

"Jon."

"Yes?"

"We have to go now," Eddie said, pointing at his watch. "We only have ten minutes and we still need to find a place to teleport."

"Okay. Uh, where's Stella?"

"She's over there—"

Eddie pointed in a direction only to find that she was not there. He paused. He swore he saw her nearby a few minutes before.

"I think I saw her mom taking her somewhere," José told them.

"Where?"

"There, I think."

"Let's go," Eddie said, beckoning with his head.

He and Jon jogged across the grass in search of their friend. Eddie waved a hand. Fwoom. His telekinetic sight detected a dozen people walking near him. Among them, he spotted a ponytailed girl with a sling bag slung over her shoulder.

"I see her," Eddie told Jon, "follow me."

The boys pursued the figure. She was passing between the trees. The two turned left, expecting to see her on the other side.