The guards escorted us to our rooms. I tried to memorize where Lilly's and James's rooms were but I was way too exhausted. All I could think about was seeing my parents again. When we got to my parents' room, I took a deep breath and knocked on the door. I had been trying to piece together my memory of them but I didn't have many. Moments later the door was flung open and slightly familiar people engulfed me in hugs.
"She's here, she's here she's really here!" My mother was crying and stroking my hair while my dad was standing nearby with his eyes shining. My mom held me at arm's length and studied me as if to make sure it was really me. Then she went right back to squeezing the air out of me. My dad walked up.
"Lenala stop it, you'll suffocate her."
"She's my girl I'm allowed to hug her!"
"Well then it's my turn to hug her."
My mom stepped back and my dad gave me a humongous bear hug. "My little angel." he whispered.
After all the drama, my parents decided to show me around the palace. My mom refused to go within a few feet away from me. All around there were kids playing, but whenever I walked past they swarmed me and kept trying to get me to play with them.
"Hey mom?"
"Yes?"
"Why are there so many kids here?"
My dad said, "they're all refugees that Fenaka took in."
"So that's why the whales are all the size of my finger."
"Yes, Treho has no mercy for anyone. He will experiment on anything he can get his filthy hands on, said my dad, "including dolphins, whales, seahorses, anything."
My mom asked me if I trusted Fenaka, but I didn't answer. I wasn't sure yet. After they showed me around it was dinner time. I met with Lilly and James. Mico was giving Lilly a ride on his back. I sighed.
"Lilly, why in the world are you riding Mico?"
Lilly raised her finger to show us the tiny scratch. "I got a booboo."
James raised his eyebrow. "So you couldn't swim?"
"That's right, a scratch is a very serious injury."
My mom giggled. "I assume this is Lilly?" She looked at James and her eyes widened, "you got a boyfriend!?!"
I don't know who was more embarrassed: me or James. "Mooooooooooooom! Stop it!"
In the dining hall, an entire buffet had been set out. There was steak and chicken, soups, desserts of every color of the rainbow, and new, exotic fruits I had never seen before! Almost any kind of food you can imagine was available for us to enjoy. I piled my plate with everything that sounded good. Lilly was gaga over the desserts. The first thing she put on her plate was some pink strawberry ice cream. The only healthy thing she put on her plate was a half pound plate of carrots covered in ranch.
"Lilly!" I complained. "You're going to turn orange if you eat all these carrots!"
She frowned. "They're not all for me. I'm splitting them with Mico."
Mico swam over. "Chitter chitter squeeek."
Lilly said, "Yes Mico, of course you can sit next to me."
"How does a dolphin sit?" I asked.
"Oh," said Lilly, "I'm teaching him to act like a gentleman, see?"
She whispered in his ear and Mico went on his back then bent upward so it was basically like he was sitting up.
I sighed, "Lilly you are annoyingly ridiculous."
James swam over. "I was talking to Fenaka, he wants to talk to us after we're done eating." He raised his eyebrow, addressing LIlly, "are you trying to turn yourself orange?"
Lilly sighed, "why is everybody giving me grief about eating one fourth pound of carrots?"
James laughed, and mirroring what I said moments before, "you are the most ridiculous person I have ever met. Any way, he told me to tell you to come as soon as you can."
