The Kingdom of Noitcif

Chapter Eight - Concern

  Espen and Camilla sat down to a simple supper, over which they shared their excitement about the captivating beauty and intrigue of the land of Noitcif. She filled him in on his parents, some of the other leaders in the land, and Noitcif's recent history, as she had traveled there several times since moving to the Base World. The teen's head was spinning as he was still coming to terms with his new reality and a flood of questions kept welling up for attention.

  "But, how do the islands float, Mom? How did everything form that way in the first place?"

  "Oh, Espen. There are many mysteries about Noitcif that even I don't understand. I'm sure the scientific principles that operate there are far different from this Base World. Just think of all the new things you'll have there to explore and learn!" Camilla exclaimed.

  "Tarquin's unicorn is amazing," Espen stated wistfully, leaning back in his chair and looking contently up at the ceiling.

  Camilla began to chuckle, but, just then, there was a loud knock at the door. She jumped up from her chair and swung it open to reveal none other than Rosalind.

  Espen groaned quietly from the dining room.

  "Oh, hello!" Camilla exclaimed brightly to the black haired teen.

  "Hello, is Penny here?" Rosalind asked, her voice wavering slightly.

  "Penny?"

  "Espen."

  "Oh, yes!" Camilla exclaimed, opening the door wider. "He's in the dining room. Come in!"

  Rosalind said a quick 'thank you' before practically running into the house and sitting in the chair directly next to the young teen, who scooted further away from her, wondering why she needed to speak with him. She had never been inside his house before, and Espen thought the Daily Doings of National Celebrities paper was far back in everyone's mind by now. But it ended up not being the essay which caused Rosalind to visit his abode. Instead, it was something he would have never predicted.

  "I can't stay for long," Rosalind breathed, just as Camilla set a glass of ice water beside her. "My mom and brothers are out shopping, and I need to be back before they get home."

  "You sound like you're in peril or something," Espen replied, one eyebrow raised.

  Rosalind bit her lip. "Well... I might be. But anyway; let me make this quick. All the members of my family have been acting very strange this afternoon, and their strange behavior all started yesterday when I came back from school and Mom asked me how my day was."

  "That doesn't sound odd."

  "Let me finish. I told her about the essay - along with some other things - and she asked who my partner was. I'm pretty sure I addressed you as 'Penny', because she looked confused, and I corrected myself by saying that everyone calls you 'Espen', but your real name is 'Estevan."

  "Yeah..."

  "Anyway," Rosalind continued, "after I said that your real name was Estevan, I could tell that my mom got interested. Then Jax – my nineteen-year old brother - asked what you looked like. He's never interested in anything I'm up to, so that was a shock. So I told him you had red hair, hazel eyes, and you were about the same height as me. I think that's what started it, because for the rest of the day, Jax, Griffith (my other brother), and my mom were all whispering to each other and acting really suspicious. I tried to ask them a few times what they were talking about, or why this was such a big deal, but they always blew me away and said that it was none of my business.

  "Anyway, on a completely different note - but still on the same page - my Dad and Mom got divorced when I was six, and he comes out to our house every now and then for a couple of days. But every time he comes, he and Mom only exchange a few words to one another. But this afternoon, Mom called him on the phone. I knew it was him because she had him on speaker phone, and I overheard part of their conversation. She thought I was still studying in my room with my headphones on. And..." At this, Espen noticed Rosalind's eyes were slowly filling with tears, and her voice cracked slightly as she verbalized her next statement. "... they were talking about you!"

  "Me?" Espen exclaimed, suddenly completely alert.

  "Yes!" Rosalind confirmed.

  "Why on earth would your parents, of all people, be talking about me?!"

  "I have no idea! All I knew is that it wasn't good, and they were talking in hushed voices like they were planing something. I just knew I needed to warn you in case something really bad comes out of this, so when Mom, Jax, and Griffith left, I ran over here to tell you."

  Throughout this conversation, Camilla had been sitting in silence at the head of the table, her hands underneath her chin. When Rosalind finished her story, however, she leaned over and gently patted the back of the black-haired teen's hand.

  "Thank you so much for coming," Camilla said sincerely.

  "Oh, it's not a problem," Rosalind replied, "it was just luck that my family decided to go out this afternoon."

  "Just... Rosalind?" the lady-in-waiting asked.

  "Mmm hmm?"

  "Promise me you won't tell anyone in your family any more about Espen. And... better keep my name out of the mix, too."

  "Oh, of course!"

  "Also, try not to seem suspicious or afraid if they bring him up any more. It will only make them more secretive."

  "OK."

  "Thank you," Camilla said with a smile, standing up from her chair and clearing Rosalind's water glass.

  "I should probably head back," Rosalind said, a bit reluctantly.

  "All right," Espen murmured, his head still churning. "Thanks."

  "And... I'll see you at school on Monday, Penny?"

  He gave a vague shrug. "Probably."

  Rosalind smiled, but as soon as she put her hand on the doorknob, Camilla passed her a small note.

  "Hide this well in your room," Camilla explained. "If things start getting worse at your house and you don't have anyone to help you... I would suggest shouting the name I wrote on the paper – 'Tarquin'. Assistance is sure to follow."

  "Tarquin..." Rosalind repeated, slowly reading the note and then looked up with a puzzled expression.

  "It's best if you don't think too hard about it," Camilla responded with a wink. "Just don't tell anyone, and only call him if you're in a predicament and can't possibly get out of it on your own."

  Rosalind – still looking a bit confused – nodded, and stepped out into the cool evening. With a wave in Espen's direction, she wandered down the gravel driveway back to her large house on the other side of the street. Espen, meanwhile, was thinking about their conversation with a furrowed brow and the largest question mark a person could draw hovering over his head.