Worlds Collide (Alimentria, #1) [ON HOLD]

Chapter Six: The Surprise

After a half-hour of half listening to the other girls debate, Brianna finally rolled her eyes, stuck two fingers in her mouth, whistling a piercing whistle that got everyone's attention, including a maid who'd been setting a vase of fresh flowers on a table. The poor girl cringed, managing not to loose her hold on the crystal vase before putting it in place and quickly scurrying down a hall.

Brianna scowled at her friends and sisters. "We can talk about this another time, okay? For all we know, Flamey could be perfectly innocent. Right now, I either need some very satisfying dinner, or I want to see whatever we came here to see in the first place before it's time to go back to Wisconsin!"

Estelle started to nod slowly. "You know what, you're right. We shouldn't be talking about this right now. You only come home so often. We should be doing something fun right now." Then she frowned. "Wait, you came for something specific, did you?"

Marilee nodded eagerly. "Oh, that's right! Felicity and I forgot to tell Brianna that we were bringing her to meet Erin."

"Erin?" Brianna asked, confused.

"Number ten. Weren't you wondering why Fay didn't say that there were nine of us?" Estelle said.

Brianna's brain took a moment to process what Estelle was saying, but when it finally clicked, her hand flew over her mouth as she gasped. "You mean that-"

"Yes," Fay jumped in with a grin. "We've got a new little sister! And she's been name to be our peacemaker. You know we need one of those around here."

Brianna laughed, partly from joy, and partly from amusement. "Yes, we definitely do! How come I'm just hearing about Erin right now? When was she born, by the way? And how did Marilee and Felicity know before me? And-"

Estelle chuckled. "Calm down. Let's see Erin first. You can ask your billions of questions later, okay?"

Brianna nodded, calming herself. "That's a good idea."

Despite what Estelle had said about "asking billions of questions later" the girls chatted excitedly about Erin as Estelle lead them through several corridors and up several stairways.

"Oh, she's a perfect angel," Fay was gushing when Felicity asked if Erin was well behaved. "She doesn't even cry much unless she's feeling sick to her stomach. It's like..." Fay went on like this for the whole walk, Felicity and Marilee listening eagerly, but Estelle and Brianna rolled their eyes, smiling at their younger sister's enthusiasm about the new baby.

Finally, Estelle lead them to a lovely vine-carved wooden door, announcing proudly, "We're here. Now, one at a time so we on't overwhelm the ba-"

Estelle's warning was in vain, because all the other girls immediately followed Brianna—who had opened the door—into the sunny room, where the baby princess stared blankly at her new visitors from her crib made of a material that looked like wood, but when Brianna walked forward and touched it, felt like a cross between silk and cotton.

"Hello Erin," Brianna said softly. "I'm you're big sister, see?" She leaned closer and showed her baby sister the birthmark on her wrist shaped like a maple leaf that all the Contestellas had.

Erin cocked her head in a very cute way at her big sister, making Brianna smile.

Erin herself looked to be almost a year old, with silky-looking blond curls starting to form as her hair got longer.

Brianna scowled at her sisters. "Why didn't you tell me about her sooner? You could have sent for me when she was born."

"They couldn't tell you because it wasn't safe," said a new voice from behind the room's silky curtain that divided the space in half.