The Tree House Mystery

Chapter 16

I spend the entire afternoon half-sitting, half-lying in my tent, engrossed in the book in my hands. It is only after about two hours when I finish the book, that I realize what the time is —6:25 pm.

The others ought to return by now, it will get dark soon, I think. As if answering my thoughts, I hear Raquelle's voice from outside the tent, "Hey, Ashlee! We're back!" She comes inside the tent and flops onto a mattress. Jade follows, flashes me a grin, then sits down on a mattress herself.

"So, did you guys enjoy?" I ask.

"Far from it! You know what? They took us to a place so far from the camp, and then they made us work like slaves!" Raquelle bursts as soon as I ask the question.

"Raquelle, you're scaring the poor thing. Ashlee, don't believe a word of what she says. She's such a lazy person that some serious trekking exhausted her to the core and now she's just making silly excuses." Jade remarks.

"Hey!" Raquelle protests.

"Anyway, we didn't have much fun, though." Jade continued, unfazed. "All we did was hunt for fruits that we could really eat, and the one who had the maximum number was crowned the winner. That took up about one whole hour, and in the next one we did nothing but play 'Barn Yard Hunt'. Since Raquelle found most of the hidden things but couldn't copy even a single animal's voice properly, her team came last and as a punishment, now she's supposed to help in the cleaning up of the place before we leave, tomorrow morning, along with her team." Jade finishes, with a smirk on her face.

Raquelle seems depressed at the thought, so I say, "Don't worry, Raquelle, we'll help you with it tomorrow. Right, Jade?"

Jade dramatically rolls her eyes and says, "Right, but only if she promises us a treat of ice-cream once we get back."

"What for?" Raquelle asks curiously.

"For blabbering non-stop and making our ears bleed from hearing to you for two whole days!" Jade comments and starts laughing. Well, I do admit that Raquelle talks a lot, so even I can't help joining in the laughter, while Raquelle looks on with a hurt and innocent look on her face at first, but then gives in and laughs herself.

The next half hour is spent as Jade tells me of Raquelle's doings in the past and how she often embarrasses herself and the people around her because of her silly antics.

Then Raquelle, after sulking for a while, chirps in and narrates Jade's obsession with new dresses and the latest fashion trends. She even informs me about Jade's crush, who's none other than Evan. I raise my eyebrows at that revelation, and look enquiringly at Jade, while she starts blushing and pretends not to hear us, by picking up a fashion magazine and leafing through it. It's the first time I've seen her shy side, and I smile, thinking how cute a couple they'd make.

It's dark outside now and we switch on a lamp inside our tent, filling it with brightness. How beautiful it looks now, from the inside!

Just then, a silhouette of a person appears outside our tent and Evan puts his head inside. "Hey girls, hope I didn't intrude in the conversation, but I just came to tell you that dinner's ready and everyone's being called outside."

"Sure Evan, we're coming in a minute. By the way, why don't you take Jade with you while I help Ashlee up and escort her out?" Raquelle gushes, and I grin, understanding where she's headed.

"Sure thing. Come on Jade, let's go." Evan says with a smile, that I'm sure, would have melted Jade's heart right away.

Jade stands up, shot a quick glare at Raquelle, flipped back the curtain that acted as the door to the tent, and steps out.