Honey’s Fantasy Break • 1

“I can’t wait to get out of here!” Trixie raised her eyes heavenwards and ran both hands through her unruly curls. “Tell me again why I thought it was a good idea to take so many classes.”

Her two best friends smiled at each other.

“Is it because you’ve gotten more studious since we finished high school?” Di suggested, lying back on the couch and letting her long hair dangle over the armrest.

Honey, sitting opposite, tapped a pencil against her lips. “Or, is it because a certain fellow Bob-White will be moving away from here before you’ve finished your studies, and you want to catch up a little?”

Trixie groaned and banged her head on the text book on the coffee table in front of her. She was sitting on the floor of the living area in the tiny New York City apartment the three shared. The Bob-Whites planned to leave for a Spring Break trip to a little town called Lakeview, South Carolina, first thing the next morning. In order to enjoy the time off, some work needed to be done in advance. Di, whose workload was the lightest of the three, had already completed everything and also packed her bag. The other two were still hard at work.

“It seemed like such a sensible idea at the time,” Trixie muttered, her voice muffled against her book. “But now, I’m going to have to take some of this with me. There’s no way I can finish it all tonight.”

Di swung her feet off the cushions and stood up. “How about if I pack for you? Would that help?”

Trixie’s head practically leapt off the pages. “Would you? That would be great!”

“It’s no trouble,” Di answered, smiling.

“Well, that’s one thing I don’t need to worry about.” Trixie shifted her legs and then rearranged the books to suit her new position. “Half the time when I pack for myself, I leave something really important behind.”

“Maybe that’s because you do your packing at the absolute last second,” Honey suggested, hiding a smile behind the page of notes she had just picked up.

Trixie waved the matter away and frowned in concentration at her textbook. Honey let a smile linger on her lips for a moment, then followed Trixie’s example.

“I hope you girls are ready; it’s time to leave,” Brian announced, as Honey let him into the apartment.

The sun would not appear above the horizon for another hour and a half. The one lamp alight in the living room did little to chase away the shadows.

“I think we are,” Honey replied, then covered her mouth to yawn. “I hope we are. I feel like I only just got to sleep, so I don’t know that I’m the best person to judge whether we’re ready or not.”

“Is that them?” Trixie demanded, rushing into the room with her bag in one hand and a pile of books tucked under the other arm. “Oh, hi Brian. Come on, let’s go.”

“I only count two of you,” he answered, giving her a look.

She glanced around, then yelled, “Hurry up, Di! It’s time to leave!”

“Shh!” Brian and Honey both urged, to no effect.

Both of them winced as they heard the stream of profanity from the next apartment, clearly audible through the rather thin walls.

“I’m ready and there’s no need to shout.” Di walked out of the bedroom, stylishly dressed and with coordinating bag in hand. “Morning, Brian.”

He returned the greeting and ushered them out of the door. Downstairs, two cars supplied by the Wheelers were waiting. Being city-dwellers for the duration of their studies, the Bob-Whites usually relied on public transport for most of their needs. But while suffering a bad cold in January, Honey had hit upon a plan to drive south at the first available opportunity. Her fantasy break had included a lake with boats on it, wooded hills, sunshine and lazing on a balcony with a lovely view. Her friends had not been difficult to convince and the trip had been arranged, including arranging for two vehicles to be brought in from Manor House.

On the street outside the building, the three girls’ bags were stowed and the group mingled for only a few moments in the chilly New York air before dividing into the two cars. One was the car that Honey usually drove while in Sleepyside, and the other actually belonged to Jim. As they were sorting out who would travel with whom for the first leg, Honey looked at the set of keys she had been handed and held them out.

“I’m too sleepy. Who wants to drive?”

Mart held out a hand and took them. “I will, if you’ll let me.”

She smiled approval and got into the front passenger seat. Dan eyed the rest of the group, then got into the back. Trixie claimed the front seat of Jim’s car, while Brian and Di took the back seat.

“We stick together, okay?” Jim reminded Mart, just before he got behind the wheel.

Mart nodded agreement and in moments they were off.

Several hours later, they stopped for their second break of the trip and something to eat. Honey had slept through the rest stop and change of drivers two hours before, but she roused this time as the car pulled into a parking space.

“Breakfast?” she asked, sleepily.

Mart smiled at her from the back seat, where he had been reading a weighty tome. “If that’s what you want to call it, Honey. I, myself, would call it a mid-morning snack. Breakfast is what I ate four-and-a-half hours ago.”

Honey glanced at her watch, finding it to be just before nine, and raised an eyebrow. “You have an odd definition of mid-morning.”

“Whatever you want to call it, let’s go eat,” Dan urged. “I’m starving.”

They went inside and found that Jim had already nabbed a large table for them. Diana was contemplating the menu, but Trixie was apparently deep in conversation with a complete stranger. The two men seemed torn between choosing their food and keeping up with what was being said.

“What’s going on?” Honey asked her brother, with a glance at her best friend.

He let out a sigh. “We’re less than half way there and already Trixie’s heard of something mysterious in Lakeview.”

“Seriously? That’s quick work, even for her.” She looked perplexed. “How did she even find anyone who knew the town, when none of us had ever heard of it before we started searching for a place to stay?”

Jim frowned. “I’m not even sure how it happened. We’d been here about ten minutes when you arrived and in that time, Trixie got talking to the guy there and they somehow figured out that he travelled a similar route to the one we are, only in the opposite direction, a couple of weeks ago and now he’s heading home to Florida. And then he started talking about the interesting things he’d seen along the way and top of his list was the Lakeview Castle Hotel in South Carolina.”

“But that’s where we’re staying!” She glanced over at Trixie, who was still engaged in enthusiastic conversation. “What’s the problem there?”

“Apparently there’s some hermit who goes around posing riddles and playing pranks, but I’m not sure I’ve got the whole story.” He turned towards Trixie and a small smile appeared on his lips. “You know, I’d be more surprised if she didn’t find a mystery on our trip, than that she found it before we arrived.”

Honey smiled and picked up a menu. “Me too.”

Trixie’s conversation came to an end and she dropped into the chair next to Honey with a thump.

“You’ll never guess what I just found out from that guy,” she crowed. “Honey, you’re a genius! You’ve booked us into a place with a mystery waiting for us to solve it.”

Mart groaned and bumped his head with his fist. “I really wish the place I’d chosen hadn’t been fully booked. I thought we were going to have a peaceful week.”

Brian eyed him in concern. “You might need some medical attention for those delusions. When did we ever have a peaceful week?”

His brother thought for a moment, then declared, “Peace is overrated. But I still liked my choice better.”

“Well, I hope the place we’re going will be nice,” Honey answered. “I thought it sounded interesting, even without a built-in mystery.”

“I’m sure we could have fun anywhere, so long as we were together.” Di glanced around to see if others agreed with her. “I’m looking forward to getting there, though. How long until we arrive?”

“We still have more than six hours’ driving after we leave here,” Jim told her. “Which means that we should hurry up and place our orders.”

When they had all eaten their fill, they returned to the cars to continue the trip.

“Who else wants to drive?” Honey asked, holding up her keys again. “Dan?”

He shook his head. “Not me.”

Brian had already taken the wheel of Jim’s car, so Honey held up her keys to Di and Trixie. It was Trixie who took them.

“Who’s coming with me?” she asked, hopping in.

Jim claimed the front seat, while Honey and Mart took the back. Dan slid into the back of Jim’s car, folded his arms across his chest and shut his eyes.

“Wake me when it’s time to eat,” he requested.

From the front seat, Di shook her head. “You can just keep on sleeping, as far as I’m concerned.”

“Nice,” he muttered. “I’ll remember that the next time you ask something of me.”

Just after four-thirty in the afternoon, they drove into the picturesque town of Lakeview, which was set into the side of a hill. To one side, they could see the water of a small lake glistening in the sun, its edges fringed with trees, some with their branches still bare. On the outskirts of town, amidst a grove of evergreens that hid the upper part of the slope, stood a group of large, pale brick buildings. They seemed to date from a more imaginative age, with their confusion of small towers, arches, balconies and other architectural features. The years had roughened the brickwork in places, resulting in a rather shabby look.

“Is that where we’re staying?” Trixie wondered, pointing to them. “It looks just like the picture on their website. I hope we get to stay in a tower.”

“It would be great, wouldn’t it?” Honey, now at the wheel, agreed. “But, I think we’re staying in what they call Vista Suites. The towers didn’t have any suites, only single rooms.”

“Just my luck,” Trixie grumbled, without really meaning it. “But I guess that Vista means it has a view.”

“And a balcony, I think,” Honey added. “That’s almost as good, right?”

Trixie considered for a moment as they took a turn. “Probably. And it’s a whole lot better if all of us can be close together, I guess. Probably the tower rooms are a long way apart.”

They arrived at the gates, where a sign declared it to be the Lakeview Castle Hotel, and Honey pulled into a parking spot.

Trixie threw open her door. “Everyone out? Or do you want to go by yourself, Hon?”

“Whatever you like,” her friend answered, hopping out of the car. “I don’t mind at all.”

“Nice view,” Di noted, having gotten out of the other car. “Though, I think it would be better without that ugly house over there.”

She pointed to the opposite side of the lake, where one lone house could be seen. Its stark white walls and expanses of glass stood out against the surrounding green. Its lines were square and boxy, the extreme of minimalism.

Honey considered the house for a moment. “It would look more appropriate somewhere else. It reminds me of the boxes that cupcakes sometimes come in.”

“How about if we go inside and get checked in?” Mart suggested. “If you’re going to talk about cupcakes, I can’t be held responsible for my actions.”

All seven of the group ended up squashing into the lobby, where they were welcomed by a middle-aged man with crinkly laugh-lines around his eyes. Honey had soon dispensed with the formalities and the man handed over two sets of room keys.

“I’ll show you up there; it’s a little tricky if you don’t know your way.”

He explained how to reach the parking area for their suites. Taking both sets of keys, Trixie and Jim went outside to move the cars. The rest set off on foot, following the desk clerk. From the lobby, they passed through a narrow hallway and out a door into a courtyard overlooked by two of the towers. On the opposite side, an archway beneath the next building was shrouded in shadows.

“This way,” the man urged, leading them across the sunny patch and through the arch.

From the cool, dim, sloping passageway, they emerged into another courtyard similar to the first but smaller. Another archway lined up with the first one and they followed it as well. This time, when they emerged into the sunlight, there was no courtyard. The next building ran across the slope and appeared more plain than those further downhill, with no towers or arches to be seen. A narrow terrace separated the two buildings. The man led the way up a few stairs to the left, opened a door and they entered the building. In the lobby was a stairwell, and it appeared that there was at least one level lower than the one they were on.

After ascending one flight of stairs, they passed along a corridor lit at intervals with old fluorescent lights, and then the man indicated some doors. “These are yours. Your friends should come up those same stairs. And that door at the end of the corridor there leads out into the grounds. I hope you enjoy your stay.”

Honey thanked him, echoed by her friends. They opened the two adjacent doors and looked inside.

“Which suite is whose?” Brian asked, looking to Honey.

She shrugged. “As far as I know, they’re the same.”

“I like this one,” Di announced, stepping inside the second room. “What do you think, Honey?”

Honey nodded her approval. Mart, Brian and Dan went into the other suite just as the other two could be heard coming up the stairs.

“Just wait until you see the view,” Trixie told her friends, as she came into the room, bag in hand.

She dropped it onto the floor just inside the door, went over to the full-length curtains opposite and began tugging them open.

“Isn’t the view in the other direction?” Di asked, frowning. “I thought the lake was behind us. Or have I gotten myself all turned around?”

“That little bit of lake we saw when we arrived is behind us,” Trixie confirmed. “But the main part of the lake is over this way.”

She managed to get the curtains all the way open, revealing a set of sliding glass doors that opened onto a wide balcony. Beyond, the land dropped steeply away to a much larger expanse of water than they had seen previously. When they had opened the doors and stepped outside, they could see that their building straddled the top of the hill and that the ground was much lower on this side than on the side where they entered.

“You can’t see it from here,” Trixie explained, “but the end of the hill kind of sticks out into the lake and almost cuts off that little bit we saw before. The cars are way down there, so I hope you’re feeling energetic. There’s no elevator.”

Honey peered over the railing and saw the edge of another balcony below theirs. Below that still was what appeared to be a sunken garden. Off to one side, just past the end of the building, was a small parking area with a few cars in it, including hers and Jim’s. Over to the left, a walkway extended from the building, level with the lower balcony, across a gap and onto a little patch of lawn.

“Hey! Look at this!” Di was facing to the right, where a partition separated their section of the balcony, which ran the length of the building, from that of the next suite. “It kind of looks like a door. Can we open it?”

“Try it,” came Dan’s voice from the opposite side. “I’d guess that if we both want it open, it can be.”

In moments, they had it open, folded up and fastened against the wall. Brian, Jim and Mart were behind Dan and the four of them moved onto the girls’ part of the balcony.

“Have you seen the bedrooms yet?” Mart asked. “They’re something else.”

Honey shook her head. “We’ve only had time to look out here.”

Trixie was already back inside, looking around the living area. On the side adjacent to the room being occupied by the men was a door, which opened into the bathroom. At the back of the living area, next to the entrance, a steep, narrow staircase led upwards. Before Di or Honey could do more than enter the room, Trixie was racing up to see what was at the top.

“Come and see!” she called down, having disappeared from sight. “It’s great!”

They had soon followed her. Two rooms were situated on the upper level. Each had two windows, one facing the same way as the balcony and the other in the opposite direction. The latter gave a view of the upper part of the other buildings, across the town and with the arm of the lake in the distance. Beyond the water, the large, white house they had seen earlier was visible, looking very much out of place compared to their own lodgings, which looked rather like they had grown there. One room contained two sets of bunk beds; the other one large bed.

“Let’s all share the one room,” Trixie suggested. “I’ll take a top bunk.”

The other two were happy to let her and each chose one of the bottom bunks.

“I guess we’d better go and get our things.” Di turned away from the window. “Walk down with us, Trixie?”

Trixie nodded and jumped down from her chosen bed. “It’s not hard to find. Let’s go.”

“I’m not wearing that!” • 2

Soon, all seven had settled in and were ready to explore the area. Without even having to discuss it, they chose to use the door at the end of the corridor and take a walk around the grounds. Outside, they found that a set of stairs was built into the side of the building. It led to the walkway that Honey had seen earlier and from there onto the hillside facing away from the town. A short distance away a path disappeared between the trees.

“That way,” Trixie suggested, pointing to it. “Maybe it will take us down to the lake.”

She bounded ahead, while the others followed along behind. The path wound back and forth down the steep hill, sometimes hidden by thick evergreens and sometimes emerging into the sunlight. The branches of the deciduous trees showed a hint of green here and there. It ended on the banks of the lake, where a boathouse stood. A notice outside declared it to belong to the place where they were staying. Their room keys opened the door.

“Canoes,” Trixie noted, pointing to the rack that held them. “Maybe we could paddle out to one of those little islands. Who wants to do that now?”

“How about tomorrow morning?” Mart suggested, frowning at his watch. “It’ll be dinner time long before we’d get back.”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “Trust you to be thinking of your stomach.”

“Not to mention the fact that it’s not all that long until dark.” Brian eyed his siblings in consternation. “Not that I suppose that would stop you.”

“He’s not the only one who’s hungry,” Dan added, disregarding Brian’s contribution. “Last one back to the rooms gets to pay for everyone.”

Trixie let out a shriek and began racing up the slope, closely followed by Mart and Dan. Jim trailed them at a moderate pace, but not for any fear of being last.

“I’d happily pay, just to avoid running up that hill,” Di declared, smiling.

Honey nodded. “Me, too.” She sighed. “But, I think I’d better try to catch up a little. I just realised that both sets of room keys are down here and they’re not going to be able to get in.”

“You’re right; they are,” Di answered, pulling the key to their room out of her pocket. She handed it over. “You don’t mind, do you?”

Honey shook her head. She took the proffered key, and the one that Brian held out as well, and started taking the path at a much faster pace. As she disappeared from sight, Brian stopped altogether and pulled on Di’s arm so that she would do the same.

“At last,” he murmured, drawing her close. “It feels like forever since we had a moment to ourselves.”

Di had no time to respond before his lips were on hers. After an interval, they drew apart enough to speak, their faces still touching. Brian kissed down the side of her face.

“They’ll miss us if we don’t turn up soon,” Di pointed out, without pulling away. “They might even come looking.”

He paused, his lips still against her jaw. “I guess we’d better go soon.” He kissed her on the lips once more. “I know they all say they’re okay with us, but… well, I just don’t feel comfortable in front of them yet.”

Over the years, the Bob-Whites had gone to dances and parties in a number of different combinations. Times when one or other of the men could not attend had led to dates that the three women might not have considered otherwise. Somewhere along the way, Brian and Di had come to prefer going places together. When Di started college and they were finally living in the same place once again, a relationship had blossomed. There were no hard feelings among the other Bob-Whites – in fact, Mart and Honey had embarked on a relationship of their own – but that did not ease Brian’s occasional guilty feeling of having stolen his brother’s girl.

Di kissed him once more and then took his hand. “Well, come on then. Let’s get back before someone sends out the search party.”

“That would be Trixie,” he joked, allowing her to pull him up the path. “She’s more impatient now than she ever has been before.”

Di let out an inelegant snort. “I hope not. In fact, I’m certain that she’s improved lately.”

The sound of crashing footsteps up ahead made a lie of Di’s words. In only a moment, Trixie appeared through the trees.

“There you are. We’ve been waiting for ages.”

“We haven’t been that long.” Di shook her head and pushed past her friend. “You just ran too fast.”

“Well, hurry up.” Trixie was now behind both of them, urging them along. “Mart and Dan are both about to expire of starvation, if you ask them, and the rest of us can’t put up with much more.”

Brian gave Di’s hand one last squeeze and let go, stepping ahead of her. “In that case, Trixie, I guess there’s only one thing to do.”

“What’s that?” she asked.

He took off, calling over his shoulder. “I’ll race you back!”

Trixie made an angry noise and ran after him, yelling threats. Di continued at the same pace, smiling at the sound of her friends and their squabbling.

After dinner that evening, the seven gathered in the girls’ living area. With the curtains closed, the room was cosy while the air outside was cool. There was no shortage of conversation to be had, but as the night wore on, certain of the group began to droop.

“I think I’m going to call it a night,” Honey decided, after yawning three times in a row. “Good night, everyone.”

As the others returned the greeting, Trixie frowned.

“What’s up, Trix?” Mart asked. “You’re not going to make her stay, are you?”

She shook her head. “I’m just trying to decide whether to go and do some homework now, or get up early in the morning.” She gave him a rueful smile. “I don’t want to do either.”

Honey went over and took her friend by the arm. “Go to bed now and get up early in the morning to work,” she suggested. “You’re the most fresh first thing.”

Trixie’s frown deepened, but she allowed herself to be led away. “Fine. I’ll be responsible now, but I fully intend to be irresponsible later.”

Brian laughed. “That’s our girl. Good night, Trixie. See you in the morning.”

“Maybe we should move next door,” Mart suggested. “That way, we won’t disturb them.”

This met with general agreement, so five of the group moved into the next suite. Honey and Trixie began getting ready for bed. Honey had little difficulty with this, but delayed hopping between the sheets due to Trixie’s increasingly frantic rummaging.

“Can’t you find something?” Honey asked, walking over to the place where Trixie was strewing belongings all over the floor.

“Pyjamas!” Trixie tipped her bag upside down and shook it. “I can’t believe Di forgot to pack me any pyjamas! Or even a baggy shirt and some old shorts.”

Honey surveyed the wreckage and had to agree with Trixie’s conclusion that the desired garments were not there.

“I’m going to talk to her,” Trixie declared, jumping to her feet. Moments later, she was on the balcony, banging on the sliding door.

“What is it?” Mart grumbled, as he allowed her inside.

Trixie looked around at her friends, who were playing some sort of card game. “Di! I don’t have any pyjamas!”

“What does that have to do with Di?” Brian asked, amused.

She rose gracefully to her feet. “I helped Trixie with her packing. I’ll just go and see what the problem is, okay?”

Together, they returned to the bedroom, where Honey had nearly finished refolding Trixie’s clothes. Di stooped and selected a garment from one of the piles.

“Here.” She held up a short, blue satin nightdress. “This is what I packed for you.”

Trixie glared at it. “I’m not wearing that! I need pyjamas. Or, at least, a reasonable approximation.”

“You don’t need anything.” Di shrugged a shoulder and turned away. “If you don’t like what I packed for you, Trixie, you can take the other bedroom and wear nothing at all.”

“No, I’m not doing that, either!”

A look of mischief crossed Diana’s pretty face. She snatched up the nightdress. “Well, I’ll go and ask Jim what he thinks. He’s sure to have an opinion.”

“What?” Trixie shrieked, but Di had already gone. “Hey! Come back!”

She followed her friend down the stairs and out onto the balcony. Unfortunately for Trixie, the others had left the door unlocked for Di’s return and she slipped inside before Trixie could catch up.

“Jim, I need your opinion,” Di declared, holding the nightdress firmly. “Does this, or does this not, constitute appropriate female night attire?”

Instinctively, Jim caught the bundle that Di threw into his lap, then turned a delicate shade of pink. “Erm. I suppose so.”

“You can’t really tell if you don’t actually look,” Di chided, walking over to him.

“Di. Please.” Trixie stood in the doorway, scowling. “Just give it back and I won’t complain again.”

The plea was ignored. Di picked up the nightdress and held it up. “Now, Jim. Don’t you think this would look good on Trixie?”

Jim made a strangled noise, while Brian and Mart glared at him. Dan, on the other hand, was struggling not to laugh.

“Because the other option,” Di continued, eyes shining with suppressed mirth, “is nothing at all. Which do you think she should take?”

The Belden brothers’ outrage, combined with Jim’s deer-in-the-headlights expression, tipped Dan over the edge and he roared with laughter.

Di pretended to be bemused by the range of reactions. “Well, since Jim doesn’t seem to have an opinion after all, maybe we should ask Dan.”

“Or, just maybe, you should stop trying to embarrass me,” Trixie snapped, snatching the nightdress back and stalking to the door.

“Trixie, wait!” Jim called and in a moment had caught up to her.

They stepped out onto the balcony together, where neither of their red faces could be noticed. Jim closed the door and they walked almost as far as the girls’ entrance. For a long moment, neither spoke.

“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything,” Jim told her, sliding an arm around her shoulders and pulling her against his chest. “Your brothers…”

“Are dirty hypocrites,” she finished for him.

“Not quite the sentiment I was wishing to express,” he replied, with a smile in his voice. “But if you want to look at it that way, I guess it works, too.” He sighed. “I think it’s a very nice blue and it feels really good, too – but I don’t want Brian to hear me say that, because he’ll probably find a way to take it the wrong way.”

Trixie’s good humour was rapidly returning and she giggled. “And I wasn’t even wearing it at the time. So, which option do you prefer, now that my brothers aren’t listening?”

This surprised a laugh out of him. “Seriously, Trixie? You want me to answer that?”

She nodded. He leaned in and whispered the answer into her ear. Trixie’s breath caught in her throat.

“Trixie! Get dressed so that we can go get breakfast together!” Di urged the following morning. “You’re the last to be ready.”

Trixie looked up from her books and gasped. “Oops! I must have lost track of time.”

She raced from the spare bedroom, where she had been working, into the one the three were occupying and began looking for something to wear. After a few moments, her brows creased and she turned to Di, perplexed.

“What am I supposed to wear? None of this stuff goes together!”

Di, in turn, looked surprised. “But I chose lots of things that coordinate. There are more than twenty outfits in that bag; I counted.”

Trixie looked from the clothes to her friend and back again, the disbelief obvious on her face. Di stepped forward and began rearranging.

“See? This could go with this and this. Or with this. Or this. Or this.” She laid out various garments in turn. “There are lots of options.”

“But I wouldn’t wear any of these things together!” Trixie wailed. “And some of these things I don’t wear at all, unless it’s underneath something. Like that shirt; I always feel like it’s too tight.”

Honey entered the room at that moment and looked at the clothes. “How about these?” she asked, putting together a different outfit. “I think this would look nice if you rolled the sleeves up.”

“Or, you could stay in the nightdress,” Di suggested, waving at it. “You seem to have gotten over your problem with it.”

Trixie threw up her hands and grabbed the selection Honey had made of cropped jeans, a blue tank top and a long-sleeved white shirt. “Fine. I’ll wear this.”

She began rummaging for a bra to go underneath, but only shot Di a long-suffering look when she did not find the one she wanted. In a few minutes, she was ready and the three went next door to meet the rest of the group.

Trixie drew admiring looks from both Jim and Dan. Brian considered her appearance for a long moment, then nodded approval, but Mart’s reaction was the one that stung. On first setting eyes on her, he did a double-take. Already self-conscious from being forced out of her comfort zone, she barely registered the others’ approval.

“Is this what was taking so long?” Mart wondered. “Were you trying to make Trixie look normal?”

Honey stood on his foot, but it was too late.

“I see that no one tried the same for you,” Trixie answered, face flaming with anger and embarrassment.

Diana eyed the combatants for a moment. “Well, Mart, if you don’t want breakfast, I guess you could stay here and insult Trixie. I just thought you were hungry.”

His dragged his eyes away from his angry sister and began back-pedalling. “There’s nothing wrong with Trixie looking normal, really. And I am hungry. And there’s no reason we can’t go right now.”

“Then, let’s go,” Brian suggested, ushering the rest out of the door.

They reached the small restaurant attached to the hotel and got a table. Over the course of the uncomfortable meal that followed, they decided that they would spend the morning exploring the town and that they might try canoeing on the lake in the afternoon.

Breakfast concluded, they set out to find what there was of interest in the immediate area. It soon became clear that the town was a quiet little place, smaller even than Sleepyside and with less excitement to be had. By half-past eleven, they had exhausted all forms of amusement that presented themselves and headed back to their rooms.

“I hope the lake turns out to be more interesting than the town,” Mart grumbled, as they all entered the girls’ suite. “I’ll never call Sleepyside dull ever again!”

Di rolled her eyes at him, and started twitching open the curtains. “Sleepyside isn’t dull. Just think of all the adventures we’ve had there.”

Behind her, Trixie was staring at something. “Don’t look now, but I think we’re going to have an adventure right here.”

Continue to next chapter.

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