Never Have I Ever

Chapter 2

Chelsea jumps from her car to unlock the gates. The driveway is lined with hedges, pruned to manicured perfection, until the final section, which is walled. As we drive up towards the front of the house, a fountain sits in the square in front of the house, a pretty white terracotta bowl thing, and Ember's eyes light up. The front of the house is sculpted and scalloped, with three floors of massive windows and at least four or five large rooms across on the second and third floors. Heavy curtains hang in each window, in different pastel colors.

"Welcome to your home for the next week," says Chelsea, waving a hand while unlocking the door. "Pick a room upstairs, I guess. Sam, Mason and I have stuff in ours stating our rooms, but feel free to pick any of the others."

"Sounds ok, I guess," says Ember, walking into the house after slamming her door closed. I park up first, feeling incredibly out of place.

I walk into the entrance hall and smile. This is more my speed. The room is painted white, but with mahogany paneling on the bottom half of the room. Sideboards filled with china ornaments clutter the walls of the room, as well as an open-facing cabinet filled with shoes. A few coat hooks sit on the walls as well, empty as a consequence of the extremely hot summer. I walk into the room and the front door slams with an echo of finality. I feel as if I've just been trapped. Mason pokes his head in.

"I just opened one of the back doors. It caused an air pressure change. It slams every time someone does that."

That is slightly reassuring. I keep looking and go through the door to the left of the front. It brings me into a regular utility, filled with a washer, a large dryer, and a few boxes and cupboards filled with random items to help with the daily running of the household. My eyes are drawn to an orange pack left out on the side, the name emblazoned on my eyes after the craze started and I saw a video of it on YouTube. There's another door set into the wall, leading to a set of stairs and another room.

I go back to the entrance hall and into the room on the other side. A modern kitchen, with steel appliances and marble countertops, greets me, with everything safely back in their regular places. The lights turn on automatically as I walk further in, admiring the blinding shine glowing from the items laid out inside it. A massive fridge dominates one corner, as does a magnetic strip with kitchen knives stuck to it for easy access. My eyes are drawn to a rolling pin in one cabinet, a tea tray on a shelf and a bottle of oil in a glass-fronted cabinet. I walk into the next room, which is another set of stairs, and into the room beyond.

The room is dominated by a massive dining table, to easily seat sixteen or more. The polished wood shined bright enough for me to see my reflection in it, which I promptly turn away from. A few paintings hang on the walls, of different landscapes, behind thick glass. A sideboard sits against one wall, filled with silverware and gold-rimmed plates. Wine glasses sit in a different cabinet, within easy reach of one of the chairs. I backtrack through the other rooms, avoiding the big one in the center until last, and end up in a games room, with both a pool and a foosball table. A dartboard sits on one wall too, the darts all in the center. I walk into the biggest room of the house, figuring I can't put off the others forever.

Surprisingly, the room is empty. Two sofas face each other, with a coffee table made entirely of glass sitting between them. A TV is mounted on the wall closest to the front door. By each end of the sofas are table lamps, and behind them, closest to the backs of the sofas, are tiny palm trees, taking the advantage of the floor-to-ceiling french windows and patio doors. I can see the rest of the group outside, and I keep looking. My eyes are drawn to one lamp, a darkened spot on the wall that's been painted recently, and a bookcase on the wall bordering the dining room. There's an open door leading to a bathroom, but I don't feel the need to poke around in there. I resist the urge to travel upstairs and leave it for later.