UPSIDE DOWN
- twist IV -
I just got home. God it's already late. As I went upstairs I found my Uncle and Aunt inside the conservatory room.
"Slater! Where have you been? I haven't seen you all day."...says my Aunt Ericka.
"I went to visit Nanny Luz and then I helped in the pub."
"You never fail to visit your nanny each time you spend a vacation here. That's so sweet of you."...Aunt Ericka says, pinching my cheeks.
"My sister called by the way."...says Uncle Tol.
"Mom? Oh...I forgot to bring my phone."
"Yep. She's asking how are you enjoying your vacation with us and when are you planning to go back to the U.S."
"I think I'll be staying here for a while Uncle."
"Oh you could stay as long as you want Slater."
"Thank you Uncle."
"Our garden has flourished ever since you started tending it. Thanks for that Slater."...says my Aunt.
"It's nothing Auntie, you know I love gardening. By the way, why are you still up?"
"We've hired a new housekeeper."
"Really?"
"Yes! She's amazing! Cordon Bleu trained!"...my Aunt squeals.
"Oh! Where is she?"
"In her room. Sleeping. She had a nasty headache."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~♥♦♥~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I woke the next morning to an unfamiliar, smooth white ceiling above me. I frown in puzzlement, and then lift my head a little. The sheets make a strange rumpling sound as I move. What’s going on? My sheets don’t sound anything like that. But of course. They’re the Lees' sheets.
I sink comfortably back into my pillows—until another thought strikes me. Who are the Lees? I screw up my face, trying to remember. Snatches of yesterday are vivid in my mind, amid a dense fog. I’m not sure what’s real and what’s a dream. I came on the bus… yes… I had a headache...
At last I push back the covers and get out of bed, feeling weak and spacey. I walk to the window and take deep gulps of fresh air. What happened happened. All I can do is deal with it. Until this moment in time my whole life has been mapped out to the hour. Through exams, through holiday internships, the rungs of the career ladder… I thought I knew exactly where I was headed. And now I find myself in a strange room in the middle of the countryside. Plus… there’s something else.
