Truce

Twenty Six // Drink, Drank, Drunk

Twenty Six // Drink, Drank, Drunk

Kaia

Thanks to my sister's excellent efficiency we arrived at Landon's an hour late. I had been ushering her to get in the car for half an hour before she finally emerged from her room, claiming an emergency that needed tending to.

I didn't realize where Landon lived until we reached the new estate, rich in expensive real estate and even more expensive people. His property was in the back pocket of the area, with the closest neighbor on the next block.

Large black gates like those at Hayden's house guarded the driveway, extending roughly two hundred metres until the house came into view. Not that house was an adequate description; rather mansion. Even that didn't do it justice.

It was the type of place to have separate wings, like the north wing for sleeping perhaps, and the south wing for recreation. It wasn't as if our town was unfamiliar to wealth, but this was the type that children dream of living in when they are young.

Parker rounded the gardened roundabout and parked beside what I recognized as Hayden's car. Another car was one over and I figured it was Zavier's.

Parker was unfazed by this architecturally beautiful building, walking straight through the front door without bothering to knock. I adjusted my shoulder bag and loosely followed, closing the door behind me.

The inside was just as grand, with an entire entrance hall that made me weary of possible dirt I could traipse in. I checked the flipside of my sandals and deemed them okay, but then was faced with my next problem.

My so called sister had run off to God knows where, while I was stuck at the front of a maze I'd never be able to find my way out of.

I pulled my phone out and texted Landon, asking him to come to the front door for me because I didn't know where they were. Within sixty seconds I heard footsteps coming from the left and then Landon appeared, seeming on the edge of laughter.

"You're house is huge," I observed as we started to head back the way he'd come. I couldn't help but stare at all the incredibly detailed fixtures, including chandeliers which featured in nearly every room.

"It was my great grandfathers and had been passed down the generations. You know how it goes."

"Mmh." I was in awe; the ceilings higher than I'd seen before with modern artwork hanging on the walls at intervals.

"My parents will be home late tonight but they have the west wing. I managed to talk them into letting me have the east wing after my brother moved out a couple of years ago, which is at the back of the house."

I was right; they had wings.

We rounded a corner into what could be called a lounge room, other than the fact it ran along at least half of the back of the house with glass windows making the distance. There was a pool table at the far end, and a tennis table, and an ice hockey table. Ahead of that was a space piled with mattresses, blankets and bags and nearest to us were couches and on top of those, our friends.

My eyes caught sight of my sister first who, upon eye contact, burst laughing. Beside her sat Annaliese, her legs over Zavier's lap who was elbow to elbow with Hayden, chatting with Jacob on the extended part of the couch. He was laid back with his weight held up on his elbow, relaxed as he chatted easily with Hayden.

It was Hayden who spotted me first, his eyes catching me just before I tore mine away from his best friend. His eyebrow quirked up along with the side of his mouth which formed his smirk, and I just scowled, set my bag on the floor and climbed into the corner of the L shaped couch between the two boys.