*CHAPTER 4*

"Momma?"

"Yes, Evelyn? You want to talk with me?"

I smiled inwardly, but I had a slightly nervous look on my face. "Um... never mind." I said.

She looked up, and I felt a pang of disgust. She wasn't my real mother. She was a human. In my opinion, the only things humans are good for are to help raise my empire, and then to be my minions. I began to turn away, but she stopped me.

"What is it baby?" she asked me. 

"Well, I, um..." then I brought on the tears. "I-I don't want to say it!"

She rushed to me and hugged my face to her shoulder, "Tell me baby!" 

'I can't do that with my face in your shoulder, idiot!' I thought spitefully. I pulled my face away and with fake tears still funning down my face I said, "Leora was being mean today!"

"What do you mean?" she asked, she loved Leora too, but she was a sucker for my tears.

"She laughed at me and w-when I turned a-away, she, she...."

"What?!" she asked urgently.

"She attacked me!" I said, I showed her my forearm which had a long, open cut that the blood had stopped flowing. I had done this a couple of minutes ago to myself. She stared at my arm and then went beserk.

"OH MY GOSH! ARE YOU OKAY BABY?! I PROMISE! LEORA WILL BE PUNISHED!!" she dragged me to the sink, washed out the wound and then pulled down the First Aid kit. While she was wrapping my arm I said, "Maybe she should be put on house lock-down?" I suggested innocently. She pause and looked into my eyes. I kept my face smooth and innocent and the fish took the bait. She nodded and continues wrapping my arm. Then, a small smirk had returned to my face.

*     *     *

"This isn't a tree house," Lilac said, her mouth gaping, "It's a tree palace!" She was right, in a way. The tree was huge, and a walkway spiraled around the trunk and up into the branches. Bridges and ladders wove in, out, to, from and between the branches, connecting about twenty platforms and rooms.

"How did you make it?" Lilac asked awed. Then her expression turned suspicious. "DID YOU KILL TREES?!"

"NO!!!" Rosalyn and Basil shouted at the same time.

"We employed the services of several tree sprites." said Basil, proud of himself.

"How did you get those conceited little bugs to help?!" I asked.

"Cake." replied Rosalyn.

"Oh, of course." I felt pretty stupid, sprites love, let me repeat, LOVE cake. Any kind, chocolate, strawberry, you name it. They will do ANYTHING for it.

"What are we doing down here?" Lilac asked, "LET'S GO!"

We climbed up the ladder and up to the first story. They led us around to each of the rooms. Some were sleeping quarters, some storage. They showed us the tactics room, with a circular table and a bay window on the opposite side. We walked farther and Basil opened a door, "And this, is the common room." We gasped in amazement, it was like out of a book! There was a roaring fire, plush couches and chairs, a round bar with stools made out of magically reinforced sunflowers, there was a mini-fridge, a HUGE bookcase, and finally a sliding door out to a balcony.

"WICKED!!" Lilac cried as she ran in. I followed.

I stood in a sort of awed stupor. "Whoa."

"And this isn't even the best part." said Rosalyn. "Well, in my opinion anyways." She walked over to the bar counter and walked to the other side. She pushed a button on the wall and a small door opened next to it. Four blue lozenges popped out.

"NO WAY!" shouted Lilac. "ARE THOSE--?"

Basil interrupted. "Yep. Those are Mermaid mints."

Rosalyn scooped the candies into her hand and turned towards the far bookcase. With a wink, she pulled a hidden lever, and the bookcase turned, exposing a door.

"Come here Leora," Rosalyn beckoned with her hand. Then without warning, she shoved a mermaid mint into my mouth, opened the door, and pushed me  in.

I wasn't really surprised, I was anticipating something like this. What did surprise me was the fact that I was suddenly staring at a sleek grey dolphin.

*     *     *

The aquarium was amazing! Soon after I was rudely pushed into it, the others entered, laughing bubbles.

Mermaid mints (or, "Mermints") were magical candies. Consuming one allowed you to breathe under water for up to an hour.

The large center trunk of the tree had been hollowed out and magically reinforced so it wouldn't leak. The sprites had filled it with water and teleported a few friendly sea creatures. Among dolphins, there were also several colorful and exotic schools of fish. At the bottom of the pool, bubbles filled with light floated around us. Sea anemones waved their thin tentacles, snatching food pellets floating in the water. Starfish clung to the sides of the aquarium.

When the candy began to wear off, the four of us floated to the top of the water. I expected to see either he top of the wooden caver or a light bulb of some sort. I saw neither.

There was sky, blue sky, with a few thin clouds floating overhead. The sun was beginning to set in the west. I blinked, and looked closer. As I stared, I began to see through the illusion to the bare wood cavern. I quit trying to see. The sunset began to turn the magic sky pink. 

"Come on," Basil said, "Lets get out and dry off."

There, in the air, in the magical sky, was a door, and a ladder led up to it. We climbed the ladder in the middle of the air, and Lilac touched the magic wall, it had a ripple effect that you would see wood from the middle, but the magic covered it again and it appeared we were hanging in the air. We reached the door and we fell into a room full of showers and shelves of towels. We each picked up a pillowy soft, white towel and dried off.

"These are the showers, obviously." Basil told us. Now we were on the second floor. We continues our tour of the magnificent tree house. 

Reviews

[Kyle]

Just wondering how much would it be to rent the tree house, i want it. lol

Well done i am even more hooked then i was after chapter 2

[cheeeeese]

Wow, I feel like I'm in a whimsical world! :) Very fun to read.