Zietta: Italian for Aunty.
*
I barely noticed the sway of the train throughout the night, despite this I couldn't sleep. I was mainly distracted by the passing shadows out the window. Something was mesmerising about looking out a window, like staring at the fire in a fireplace. I found myself staring absently at the half moon, my eyes losing focus and jolting back to a form of alertness when the train changed tracks.
I rubbed my eyes as I laid on my back, unable to see the features of the ceiling.
As I started drifting off, I heard my door open. "You awake, Landon?" It was Ava.
I groaned in response; this seemed to satisfy her as I heard the door close and my bed shift as she crawled towards me. I felt her weight next to me, and I rolled to face her, the moonlight managed to cast a dull light onto her face. "Can't sleep?"
When she spoke, she sounded tired, but her eyes were wide orbs, "I don't like overnight trips," she stretched her hands above her head, "can never sleep on them." She reached a hand out to me and found my hair, using that as a guide to boop my nose. "What about you?"
"I just got distracted by the window," I said, "Very hypnotic."
Ava lifted her gaze to look out the window and sighed, "I could use some hypnosis," she yawned, "I'm tired…"
I smirked. My Mum subscribed to the theories of hypnosis and meditation after living amongst different cultures. There were psychics with their otherworldly practices, Shaman and tribes that examined storytelling and song to lull children to sleep, the peacefulness behind Buddhist practises and basic self-help psychology mumbo-jumbo about the benefits of meditation. My sisters benefited from these. "Want some help?" I offered.
Ava raised an eyebrow. "How?"
I yawned but maintained focus, "Just close your eyes and listen to me," I instructed.
After another sceptical look, Ava obeyed, closing her eyes. "Now take a deep breath in the nose," I said, making my voice a calming hum. I heard Ava inhale. "And now exhale out the mouth." I felt her breath against my skin as she sighed. "And now repeat this as you listen to my voice."
Ava continued the breathing exercises.
I recalled what my Mother use to say. "Imagine that you are walking along a path... entering a wildlife sanctuary. This wildlife sanctuary is a preserved nature area, maybe in the wilderness, or perhaps in the middle of a city." Ava continued her steady breathing. "The path is paved... just wide enough for walking. You enter the wildlife sanctuary, walking along the path. Wild grass grows beside the path, and there are trees on both sides." As I continued, Ava stirred slightly, but still seemed to be listening to me, "Birds are singing off in the distance. It is a beautiful, sunny day. The air is pleasant and warm, a slight breeze making it even more comfortable. Feel the sun shining down on you, warming and relaxing your body." I rubbed my eyes, trying to remember the rest of the script, "The path curves up ahead, continuing deeper into the beautiful wildlife sanctuary. As you keep along the way, you admire the scene around you. Small trees grow near the road, their bark smooth and light coloured, small round leaves twisting gently in the breeze.
Further back from the path, larger trees grow. There is a variety of trees. Wildflowers grow in the grass right next to the trail." I paused, trying to think of what came next on the path. Ava didn't seem to notice; she just continued her breathing. I started making it up, "As you round a curve in the path, you can see up ahead a clearing.... it is a pond or a small lake. Continue to walk toward the pond, seeing the reeds growing among the grass near the water. As you approach the pond, you can hear even more birds singing. Getting closer to the water, you see the reeds getting thicker toward the water's edge and continuing around the shallow edges of the pool. The deeper water toward the centre is smooth." I blinked, my eyelids becoming heavier as I tried and failed to keep them open, "You see some ducks swimming.... leaving small wakes behind them... the water flowing out in a V shape as the birds slowly swim through the water." I couldn't suppress my yawn as I stretched under my blankets.
My movements disturbed Ava, but her eyes remained closed and her breathing steady. She snuggled against the pillow next to me. I smiled and allowed my eyes to close, managing to fall asleep by Ava's breathing.
*
I felt something warm against me, a comforting presence as I held it tighter thinking it was a pillow. I rested my chin against its top, snuggling against it in my drowsy state.
"Good morning!"
I jolted awake as my room door was thrown open and Estelle leapt inside, behind her Mia, and the twins followed. "Ooo," Estelle chanted, "This looks cozy."
It took me a moment to sober up, but I realised Ava had nestled under my chin and my arm draped over her torso. I wasn't hugging a pillow. I could feel Ava blinked against my neck as she grunted and pushed herself up, her hair in tangles as Mia climbed onto the bed and started jumping on it.
"What're you doing in here?" Amia asked. I could see her bite the inside of her lip as if she was uncomfortable by this.
"I couldn't sleep," Ava groaned smoothing out her hair before rubbing her face, "What're you doing in here? Mia, stop jumping." Mia obeyed, dropping into a sitting position, partially sitting on my leg.
"I was hoping Landon sleeps with his shirt off," Estelle cooed. She crossed her arms and pouted in disappointment, "But no! Landon is too fancy to go shirtless."
I shrugged, sitting up and allowing my blanket to drop to show my blue singlet, "Sorry to disappoint."
Estelle rolled her eyes and announced her departure. Amada lost interest quickly as he followed. Amia followed her brother, not before she told us the train was ahead of schedule and we'd be at the station in the next hour. Mia followed suit, crawling off my bed and practically tumbling out of the room.
Ava stretched again and sighed, "Looks like your meditation crap works," she grunted arching her back. Similar to me, Ava dressed in a pink singlet as her pyjamas and purple shorts. She looked back at the pillow and made a longing sigh, "That was a good sleep. I'm tempted to go back."
I flicked her arm. "Go to your bed. You've already smooched half of mine."
She smirked, "Oh hardly. You started holding me halfway through the night. Am I just some teddy bear to you, Mr Dorm Guard?"
I laughed as I ran my hand through my hair. "Let's just be glad we don't snore," I joshed.
Ava smiled at my joke and sighed, "It's been hard for me to sleep lately," she confessed, rubbing her eyes, "Thanks for not being weird about it."
I tried to hide my sudden bashfulness by shuffling further down the blanket, but mentally I was pleading with Ava to give me a moment to myself.
Ava made a final stretch before pushing herself up and saying her goodbyes. "Thanks for the body heat. I'm gonna go check on Robyn."
I nodded, "Say good morning to her for me."
"Yep!" Ava called closing the door behind me.
I gently slapped my cheeks, widening my eyes to wake up. I needed a cold shower.
*
The train station along the coast was significantly less busy than the one we started on. There were a few families dressed in holiday outfits of dresses and shorts, not a suit or pencil skirt in sight. From the train station, I could see in the distance the blue ocean water, its endless stretch reaching further then Windmill Lake ever does. There was a road along the cliff's edge, allowing a constant view of the sea and horizon in people's travels.
The drivers sent by the twins' Aunt greeted us. As they started packing our bags, Alexis nudged me with her hip. "Heard from the grapevine you slept with Ava."
The matter-of-fact way she stated that made me tense up and exaggerate my answer. "What? No!" I shook my head, "Of course not…" I took in the statement and forced a laugh, "Very funny. Yes, Ava spent the night in my room. She couldn't sleep."
Alexis made a smug expression. She was dressed in an overall denim dress with a red shirt under it; the colours intensified her auburn hair. "Ava doesn't have a sense of boundaries sometimes," she commented, "She poked her head into my room to see if I was awake, I ignored her cause I was this close to sleeping." She pinched her fingers together, but she wasn't facing me, so it looked like she was trying to crush something.
I shrugged, "I didn't mind."
Ava's smug expression returned, "I bet you didn't."
I gently pushed her arm. "It's not like that," I assured, before taking a playful stab, "You must be quite jealous."
She scoffed but said nothing.
"Just quickly," Ava called, gaining everyone in our groups' attention. She was rummaging through her backpack as she spoke, "The school issued me with some whistles to replace our bells," she announced taking out several whistles on some black string, "Not as fashionable as our antique carillons, but even the public knows what a whistle trill means if you need help." She started handing them out, slipping them over the heads of those closest to her and tossing it to the rest of us. "Alexis, catch. Three, two, one." Ava flicked the whistle at Alexis, who caught it by the string.
Bonnie ran her fingertips over the cold metal, looking at the contorted face reflecting at her. "Why would we need rape whistles?" she asked.
Ava paused. "They aren't rape whistles, Bon," she informed.
"Yes, they are," Bonnie turned her chair around, "My parents have issued me with six of these in the past few years. So I'm going to say to you what I say to them, I am not carrying a bloody rape whistle." She threw it back at Ava, who wasn't prepared and endure the whistle to the chest.
Upon seeing her sister act this way, Mia went to take off her whistle. I watched as Estelle subtly stopped Mia by touching her hand. Mia accepted the cue and left it around her neck.
"Bonnie, these are just so if any of us are hurt we can call out for help," Ava informed picking up the whistle, "Bells don't carry in the open air."
"Something wrong with our common sense? I don't see these people armed with whistles," Bonnie stated gesturing to a group of teens walking down the platform, "Disabled people don't need whistles."
"Bonnie don't be immature," Ava said, holding the whistle out to her.
Bonnie scoffed, "You know you have no authority over me. We're the same age and everything."
Ava sighed, "I might not be, but your parents do," she threatened, "And they'll believe me before they'll believe you."
It frightened me how real and cold Ava could sometimes be. I knew her actions stemmed from a place of worry, but it was unnerving how aggressive she was about a whistle.
Bonnie lost whatever mental battle the two were having. "How about you give one to Landon?" she spat snatching it, "Wouldn't want anything to happen to him." She placed the lip of the whistle in her mouth and started rolling her chair away.
I watched Ava's body language shift, many different hidden reactions forming in the small twitch of her hand, her relaxed jaw, her blank expression and matching eyes. She dropped her arm, Robyn, immediately by her side, holding her, a concerned expression etched on her face. Ava's best friend managed to calm her as whatever Stormfront in Ava passed, and she managed a smile, offering small signs to Robyn to assure her she was okay.
Estelle reacted with a loud voice, trying to break up the intensity of the interaction by teasing Amada.
"Did you notice that?" Alexis asked.
I blinked. "What?"
"Ava."
I sighed, "I noticed… something."
Alexis licked her lips and nodded, "Right."
When we got in the cars, they drove down the road that offered a view of the ocean horizon. Robyn leaned close to the window, almost pressing her face against the glass to stare out at the water quietly. Ava's face was blank as she fiddled with her phone, the screen's blue colour illuminating the tip of her nose and mirroring in her eyes. Her sombre expression made the idea of talking to her pointless, so the car ride was silent.
The scenery shift was incredibly jarring. Whereas on the train everything was gradual, it was as if we had driven through a portal to another world. Our height on the edge of the cliff dipped to water level, and the greenery and trees turned to beach houses and close-knit cottages with gardens and white picket fences. The people I saw in passing, from kids to adults, were all beautifully tanned, and many dressed in swimsuits or shorts holding water floaties and picnic baskets as they made their way to some water.
I felt cold air brush against my skin as Alexis pressed a button on the arm of the seat, making the window go down. She closed her eyes and leant into the breeze, taking a deep inhale of the outside.
The houses started to space out, more official looking buildings taking up large lots of land from brick post offices to supermarkets. I was able to see the water again soon; it's edge much closer then it had been on the cliffs as the sandy beaches came into view, their natural pathways overgrown from reeds and grass. I leaned out the window to get a better look, seeing the handful of people bopping behind the small waves.
"Does it look touristy?" Alexis asked.
"Not particularly," I commented, "More like locals."
"It's a little early for beach-goers," Ava chimed in, her eyes still on her phone, "I'd imagine this area would get busier in the middle of the day."
Robyn started shaking my arm as she pointed to something on the beach for me to see; little pop-up food stands trying to sell fried corn cobs. She made small signs at me, and I managed to decipher them, "I love the colours." As we passed the pop-up stand, I noted the bright red and yellows of the striped roof and matching chalk sign. The food stand gave me a waft of it goods, making me salivate.
A few minutes later, there was nothing but the beach on the left side of the road, stretching on and on without any interruption from buildings or stores. On the right, there were small shacks, so uniform in design I suspected they were renting houses.
"Looks like we're here," I announced. Further down the road, building against the rock formation of the cliff that ended the beach was an enormous white building, its design spread out to the sand and across the road. It was a tall building with dozens of balconies with large windows that allowed a glimpse into people's rooms. There was a small roundabout that led to the resort, stopping before the revolving doors decorated by fascinatingly unusual plants.
Robyn opened the door before the driver could and ran to the white cobblestone ground, staring up at the intricate details in the columns. The rest of us spilled out of the car, moments later the others arrived in the second vehicle.
The drivers started taking out our luggage, passing the responsibility onto the porter. Robyn and Mia were squatting by a plant, looking at a butterfly as it fluttered its wings.
Bonnie was still sitting in the car, the chauffeurs having difficulty taking out the wheelchair.
Amada and Amia were consulting a phone, each holding the mobile with one hand to read the text. It was ridiculous how similar the pair looked in that moment, the couple looking like one person leaning against a mirror.
The glass doors were pushed open as a woman announced her presence with the click of her heels. A glamorous woman approached us with open arms, a pink furry shawl hanging from her elbows as she angled her pointed chin upwards. Despite the beach resort, the lean woman dressed in a tight-fitting ruby sequined dress, her eyes shielded by large round sunglasses that intensified the sleek and pressed appearance of her blonde hair. "Darlings," she announced, taking her glasses off with an elegant flick.
The twins looked up from their phone, and their faces lit up as they sprinted to the woman, her shawl passed to a man who had followed behind her as the pair halted in front of her. "Glad to see you've made it safely, dearies," she hummed. She stretched her hands out to them and placed big kisses on their cheeks as a sort of greeting.
"Aunty Carina," one fondly said.
"It's great to see you, we've missed you," the other finished.
"And I you, my dears," the woman cooed. The way she spoke was firm and deep as if she was speaking from the pit of her stomach. It made her sound both powerful and close to vomiting. She lifted her piercing gaze as she looked to the rest of us, "Oh and you did bring guests!" It wasn't so much surprise I heard hinted in her voice but more fascination, as if we near extinct creatures.
The twins led their Aunty to us as we all gathered into a small grouping. "Zietta, these are our friends," I believe Amia informed.
She considered us for a moment, making not a single sound. I managed to take in her intimidatingly flattering form. If she wasn't or hadn't been, a model in her life she was missing an opportunity. Her angular face supported by sharp, high cheekbones and full, naturally reddish lips. Her skin was a soft olive complexion, and, mixed her with platinum blonde hair, made her blue eyes seem like an infinity of blue. Nothing gave away her age, aside from the way she held herself, she was a woman with experience, a strange air of wisdom only achievable by understanding life.
"My name is Ava, Miss," Ava introduced, stepping forwards and holding a hand to shake, a formality she seemed well versed in, "It's very nice to meet you."
Aunt Carina brushed aside her hand and planted her kisses on her cheeks, momentarily stunning Ava as she retracted her hand. "Sweetie, you can call me Zietta," she assured, "Miss makes me feel old."
Ava seemed flustered, becoming tongue-tied before managing to say, "Z-Zietta, allow me to introduce you to everyone else." She gestured to the rest of the group with her arm, listing off everyone in the order that they stood. Occasionally Zietta would chime in with a comment, stating how she had heard so much about Alexis' artworks, how adorable Mia was, guessing which one Estelle was by her 'impeccable fashion' and assuring Bonnie everything had wheelchair access. When
Ava introduced me, Zietta obtained a quizzical smile, tilting her head as she approached me. "So, this is the famous Landon Becks?" she asked. She examined me with her eyes, her blue gaze running up and down my front as if considering me. "No good, Amia, he will not make strong children."
Something shattered in my chest that made me feel like I got punched, the statement causing a chorus of shocked giggles amongst the girls as Amia, looking horrified, stomped her foot and exclaimed, "Zietta!"
Zietta roared with laughter and dismissed her niece's outburst, "I kid, darling. He's a very handsome young man." She held a hand out to shake, taking mine in a firm grip. "You're somewhat of a star to the Romano family, Landon. My brother speaks fondly of you," she assured.
I considered this for a moment, "Andrea Romano?"
"My baby brother. I got the looks, and he got the masculinity," she chuckled, "Very old-fashioned fellow."
I nodded slowly, recalling the last time I spoke with Andrea Romano.
"Come, my dears. Friends of my niece and nephew are always welcome. Let's get you all settled in," she announced snapping her fingers. The man holding her shawl scurried behind her, replacing her cloak as she twirled around and started walking back into her resort. The twins shared a grin as they followed, after some fleeting glances, the rest of the group followed, our luggage trailing behind us.
"I'm thinking red," Alexis informed as we passed the glass doors.
"What?"
"That's what I see. A scarlet, dominant presence like red," as Alexis spoke her hands scrunched as if she was crushing a mould of clay, "Powerful, intimidating."
I paused, off-putted by her sudden passion. "She's wearing red," I informed.
The artist relaxed her hands as she considered it, "Very fitting."
"You're lucky, my dears," Zietta called over her shoulders, "We've got the finest rooms for you all. My resort is getting busy with the holiday rush. I expect you all on your best behaviour, especially around my clients." She turned to address us personally, "You've all grown up around these types of people I imagine. They don't like to be disturbed, much less from strangers. I don't wish for the reputation of my business to be affected by your rowdiness." She tapped the arms of her sunglasses against the side of her head. "Do I make myself clear?"
If everyone was as intimidated by her as I was, then none of them showed it they all seemed unaffected by her warning, acknowledging it with almost bored expressions.
"Don't worry, Aunty," Amada assured, "We'll be on our best behaviour."
The twins held their hand up as if pledging, "Twins' promise."
Zietta clapped her hands and nodded, "Excellent. If you grow bored, there are many activities in this area, my darlings. Feel free to ask Antonio at the front desk should you need information." The man who had been scurrying behind her the whole time suddenly passed her a phone, producing a pen and clipboard as she took the phone and looked at who was ringing her, "Feel free to explore, my dears. The employees will take you to your rooms when they're ready for you."
Zietta answered the phone and started speaking in a different language, the foreign words dancing off her tongue as she absently walked away from us, her human shadow following close behind.
With her presence absent, I took in the lobby we had walked into; I had never seen a mixture of clean marble and beach styles match so well. The architecture, being the floor, the columns and most of the permanently place pieces of furniture like the counter and some wall designs, were made of polished grey and white marble. The décor, on the other hand, was beachy and casual, as if a completely different person who built the room decorated it.
Large pot plants were sitting on every corner, wicca armchairs with blue cushions and matching side tables and display cases. The lobby was a large oval of space with four hallways leading to different sections of the resort, a map being presented to us next to the receptionist counter. The ceiling was a skylight, and behind the reception the walls were made of glass, allowing the morning light to brighten up the room to the point it was blinding. Through the window, I could see the beach.
Ava and Robyn considered a magazine stand, picking up brochures and activity books to flick through the options in the area, the pair having a silent conversation. Estelle was chatting with the receptionist, who seemed less than enthused to be talking to her, but she ignored him to ramble about something.
Alexis stood beside me, standing rigid with wide eyes. "Need a hand?" I asked as her head started twitching around at every little sound.
"Please," she replied.
"Where do you want to go?" I asked.
"Is there somewhere to sit?"
I looked over to some chairs and took her hand, "Over to your right." I guided her towards the chairs and, letting go of my hand a few meters away, approached the furniture and sat down, immediately appearing more comfortable as she looked around the room as if she could see.
I sat down in the chair next to her, soon accompanied by Mia, who sat on Alexis' lap, and Bonnie, who was complaining about how slippery marble was.
Upon hearing her voice, Alexis spoke to Bonnie, "You need to lighten up, dude."
Bonnie crossed her arms, "What do you mean?"
"That whole rape whistle tantrum you had at the station?" Alexis rolled her eyes, "Bit ridiculous."
Bonnie pouted, grunting as she glared at a plant. "It wasn't a tantrum."
"Sure, sounded like one," Alexis informed. She was running her fingers through Mia's hair. "And give Ava some slack on this trip, okay? She's only following someone's instructions." When she said someone, she became overly exasperated.
"But it's ridiculous to have to carry these," Bonnie informed, holding up the whistle she had now placed around her neck. "Normal people don't have to carry them."
Alexis smirked, "Well we aren't normal, are we?" She stopped brushing Mia's hair. "We're all extra special in fascinating ways," she stated lifting Mia and placing her back on the ground.
Bonnie didn't come off as apprehensive to Alexis' statement as I expected, she scoffed and dropped her gaze, "Whatever."
Bonnie didn't seem convinced as she sat there in silence. "You didn't bring Fritz?" I asked, noting a lack of ferret.
She puffed out her cheeks in further annoyance and grumbled, "No animals allowed."
"Wow, that sucks," I stated.
The man behind the reception desk got a phone call, cutting off Estelle as he answered it, and, with relief, he announced our rooms were ready.