A World Of Treason and Tides

Chapter 5: It's my House

Ryan's house was beautiful, not huge but definitely pretty. There was a long, paved pathway that led to the front door. Trimmed bushes lied along both sides of the pathway. For some reason, the bushes looked unusual— greener and livelier than a normal bush.

Even the abandoned patch of land just outside their house, which had looked dry and deserted when we first entered the lane, did not look like that anymore— it looked like a beautiful garden with tall trees and different kind of flowers. The flowers were bigger, more colourful than I had ever seen, the leaves and the grasses lusher than they normally should be. I had a feeling that it was enchanted. But I shushed my overthinking mind.

Catching a glance of that land (or garden—I really could not decide what to call it, because as though it looked like a big garden, it was still an abandoned land with an unfinished fence built around it.) I rotated the sling on the wooden gate that led to the pathway of Ryan's house. I did not want to go inside the house  I wanted to go to the garden.

I realized then that ever since we had entered the lane, and ever since I saw that abandoned land, I had wanted to go there. Even when it had looked like a dust-covered, dry land, I did not care— I just wanted to go somewhere quiet, and definitely not at Mrs. Waters' house, where there could be Ryan. One evening with him was enough for me.

I rolled my eyes at the thought of him.

"What are you rolling your eyes at?" my mother asked from where she stood beside me. We were standing infront of the main door of their house.

I wanted to say, at the absurdity of taking me to a place where I was not needed at all. Of course, I did not say that.

"Nothing," I rolled my shoulders.

"How long will we have to stand outside the door? I am getting bored," I started, "Maybe I should just go to that field outside the house."

Mother sighed.

"And all these days I thought you were the sensible one. Why would you want to go that dried up land?" she asked.

I narrowed my eyes in confusion. What did she mean by dried up land? Could she not see how really beautiful it was?

I was just about to ask her that, when the door opened.

I did not expect the face that greeted us in the hallway.

"Good to see you, Mrs. Hill," Ryan said to my mother and then seemed to notice me. "And Venus." He sounded surprised.

"Call me Allison, please," my mother smiled at Ryan.

"What are you doing here?" I cursed myself as soon as I said that.

"It's my house," Ryan said without as much as looking at me.

But since I had already overcome the embarrassing encounter, I asked him, "Shouldn't be you at college?"

"No." What even- he was clearly ignoring me. I already loathed that I had to come here. "The Hills are here," he called out to his mother instead.

"Hey Allison, hi Venus. I was just setting the table for some afternoon tea and scones. Please join us," Mrs. Waters came out from the kitchen holding a teapot in her hand. Eleanor Waters definitely knew how to look elegant even in a casual attire at home. I noticed that all the members of the Waters family were blessed with beauty and elegance I had never seen in anyone.

"I am sorry I would have to pass on the offer," I said to Eleanor.

"It's alright, dear. Ryan, why don't you show her around the house?"