Sometimes I question
My sanity, but the
Unicorn in the kitchen
Told me I'm fine.
Blinking and rubbing my eyes to make sure I'm not dreaming or that my brain is fooling me, I look at the house in front of me. At least I don't think you can call it a house, it is more like a mansion. The house has three floors with a large annex. Each window has its own balcony and there is a large veranda at the front of the house. The front garden ends with fences that close the house from the street. Furthermore, the garden consists of a large lawn with a long driveway that ends at a roundabout with a fountain in the center.
Closing my mouth with difficulty, I take another good look at the house. When I saw the car, I already expected that my host family wasn't poor, but I certainly didn't expect this. They must be really stinking rich. "Are you okay, Lily?" Edward asks softly. I nod, not trusting my voice.
The door is pulled open and an elderly lady comes walking happily. "Miss Lily, welcome," she says as she approaches me. Next to me, I hear Edward chuckling as he blocks the woman's way to give her a kiss on her cheek. Blushing, she tries to look at him harshly. "Edward, you should be ashamed. We've got a new guest and you want to scare her right away. Soon I'll have to tell Miss Amy that Miss Lily's already gone home and then what?" she scrolls him, "no physical contact until we get home.'
Looking at the pair, I can't suppress a smile. They remind me so much of my grandparents. Unfortunately, I had to say goodbye to them a few years ago. "Oh no, Mrs. Amy doesn't know you've arrived yet," says the old lady as she turns around and rushes back into the house in a hurry. Looking at her I hear Edward say something to me, 'That's my wife Lucy'.
Before I can answer another woman walks out the door. She has brown hair lying on her shoulders and green eyes looking kindly at me. It's one of the most beautiful women I've seen. Laughing, she grabs me and she pulls me into a hug. 'Oh Lily, I'm so glad you're here. I needed a daughter I could do more with than play Barbie.' She says cheerfully. She grabs my hand and pulls me out the door. "You can call me Amy, or anything else, it doesn't matter. I'm just so glad you're here.'
Inside of the house is even more beautiful than outside. Marble comes back often and the furnishings make you feel right at home. 'Not everyone's home yet. My husband is still working and my eldest son has a meeting with his coach' Amy apologizes. 'My other son, who is the same age as you, and my daughter are here. Let me call them.'
Upon hearing their names, two people walk into the hallway. A little girl in a princess dress is the first to come running and hides shyly behind her mother's legs. Then a boy with golden-brown hair enters. He has brown eyes that stare at me kindly, just like his mama. "This is Finn, And this princess here is my daughter Lizz," Amy tells me.
I focus first on the little girl who can't be more than 4 years old. She has long brown hair and brownish-green eyes that stare at me scared. I bend down so that I get to the same eye level as Lizz.
"Your Highness," I say when I take a bow. Giggling, she steps from behind her mama and gently steps towards me. When I smile at her, a smile appears on her face and she gives me a hug. Quickly she lets go of me and walks away laughing. I shake my head laughing and stand up again.
Standing up look at the surprised faces of Amy and Finn. Suddenly feeling nervous I look down, afraid I've done something wrong. Unexpectedly I am hugged by Amy who then says something to me, 'thank you' and then she disappears in the direction that her daughter had walked. Confused I look at the place where she stood. 'Lizz is very shy and doesn't make friends easily. It's the first time she finds someone so quick to like' I hear a voice saying when I turn around and see Finn staring at me as if he could feel my confusion. 'I'm Finn' he says when he reaches out his hand to me. 'Lily' I mumble shyly and I look at the ground.
'Also a shy person, maybe that's why it clicks so well with Lizz' I hear him laughing and teasingly saying it. Showing a little smile I follow Finn up the stairs to the second floor. 'On the first floor my parents are sleeping and my dad's office and the rooms for important guests' he announces. 'On the second floor lives the rest of the family. Your room is at the back on your left. I sleep at the beginning of the corridor on the left with Lizz's opposite of me. My brother sleeps over your room. The rooms in between are Lizz's playroom and two guest rooms. The third floor is mine and my brother's, but now it is also yours. There's a library, a game room, a cinema, and a few more empty rooms.' He'll tell me when we get to my room.
When he says goodbye and says he has to continue training, I step into my room. For the second time today, my mouth falls open. In my room, there is a queen-size bed in the middle against the left wall. One of the walls is painted light blue with white birds flying away. The wall also has a large window. Opening the window, I end up on a small balcony. The balcony overlooks the backyard and if I thought the front garden was impressive, it's nothing compared to what I'm seeing now. In the garden, there is a large swimming pool and a playhouse with a few swings and a seesaw. Under a large tree hangs a lounger and the garden is surrounded by a large forest.
Back in the room, I see a large desk against a wall with a new Apple laptop on it. Not knowing if this is meant for me, I leave it and look around the room. There are two more doors in my room. The first one leads to a walk-in closet and the second one to a nice and large bathroom finished with marble. In the bathroom, I have my own shower, bath, toilet, and washbasin. Amazed by my room, I drop myself on my bed and soon fell asleep.
I wake up by light shining through the window. Glad that I have probably been able to sleep for an hour, I grab my mobile phone and send mom a message that I am well and arrived. But when I see the hour I jump out of my bed and leave my room in record time. Walking to the first floor, I look for the dining room. Since it is 9 o'clock in the morning, I hope Amy is already having breakfast.
After having missed a few times, I end up in the dining room. Panting I stop walking and put my hands on my knees to catch my breath. Once I can breathe normally again, I look up. My gaze immediately finds Amy's and stuttering I start talking, 'I-I'm sorry. I-I fell asleep and-and...'
"You don't have to be sorry Lily. I came to get you for dinner yesterday and I saw that you fell asleep. I let you sleep because it had been a long trip. So sit down quickly at the table, I bet you're hungry." Amy kindly interrupts me.
When I sit down, I look around the table. Next to me is Finn who is trying to hold back his laughter. Next to Finn sits Lizz who waving her little hand at me. I wave back with a smile and see her laughing happily. Across of Lizz sits a man I do not know yet. The man nods and I give him a little smile. "I'm glad to have you in the house. You can call me James' he tells me. I nod and my gaze moves to Amy sitting next to him. I let my gaze wander further until I'm face to face with him.