Dreamer's Ball [ENOLA HOLMES]

eleven; discovering secrets

chapter eleven; discovering secrets

Into the woods Enola and Amélie walked in search for clues about Pierre and Tewkesbury. Enola swapped clothes with that gardener they'd just spoken to, despite Amélie assuring her she didn't have to do that... Enola insisted still. (Again, Amélie didn't care. She was happy if Enola was happy with changing clothes) The thick woodlands must've housed some of the answers they were looking for.

Amélie had to admit, she wasn't exactly paying attention. She knew she should've been looking around her for clues and helping... but... god, Amélie loved how the world looked. The land behind the Tewkesbury mansion was beautiful! It was obviously way more property than her brother or even her father owned, but Amélie could still admire the landscape. The sunlight shined through the small gaps between the very green trees. The trees were a bright green and the humming of birds could be heard in the distance. An artist's dream, and by that, also Amélie's dream setting. She now understood Pierre when he mentioned that him and Tewkesbury would stay out in the forest...

Suddenly, the two girls came upon a large branch on the ground. Well, Enola found it and nudged Amélie's shoulder, taking the French girl out of her blissful creative thoughts revolving around their surroundings, and pointed to the branch. Enola crouched down to the fallen branch, running her hand along the wood. Amélie soon joined her by her side, but continued standing. This must've been the branch that Pierre saved Tewkesbury from...

Amélie noticed something in the distance, not far from where they stood before the fallen branches. She shook Enola's arm and pointed in the direction her eyes were staring at. There in the trees, a little treehouse just in the distance. The two girls shared a look of pride at their discovery. They grinned at each other before bolting to the tree to continue their investigation. What could be hiding in those trees?

"You can come up now!" A young Viscount Tewkesbury shouted down a hatch. The boy couldn't have been past the age of 12, the same age he and Pierre were when they first met. The young marquess stood on his newly built treehouse in the middle of the woods behind his large manor where he lived. It was his new escape from the world and the first thing he did was show his best friend. He stood with her arms on his hips and he waited for his friend... Pierre.

Pierre's little head poked up from the trap door that lead up to the treehouse. He struggled his way up the rope later due to his weaker arms, but managed his way up. He stumbled onto the platform as he pushed his oversized glasses up the bridge of his nose. He soaked in his surroundings, his eyes widening in amazement as they darted around the wooden treehouse, "Woah... you built this?" He couldn't believe his eyes. This little hideaway was so... so... Pierre's head couldn't comprehend the right words.

"With my own bare hands!" Tewkesbury flexed his arm, trying to prove to Pierre how strong he was. Pierre shot him an unimpressed glance, knowing that wasn't exactly the truth. He knew his friend tended to embellish his accomplishments. Tewkesbury grew flustered and rested his hand against the back of his neck, "and... my father helped in secrecy... but I did most of the work! I decorated it." Tewkesbury's proud smile couldn't be wiped off his face as he gestured around him. A little hammock hung in the corner of the house, books scattered about, potted plants, baskets, chests, a climbing latter, truly a dream. For Tewkesbury decorating the place, it looked great. Just as he finished motioning around, he lowered his voice and shuffled close to Pierre as if he was afraid someone who overhear him, "Just, don't tell my mother. She'll freak if she sees me up here... You know how she gets"