GOMEZ estate wasn't an estate.
It was city with no buildings.
That was an exaggeration on Isaac's part but it was impressive.
He was probably the only person who was impressed by the sight of Reyna's house, if he could call it a house. He didn't imagine it to be so glamorous. He felt like he was tarnishing its image with his very presence.
The so-called estate had a five acre hedge maze in front of it mansion. There was a magnificent fountain shaped like a spider's web in the centre.
The outside walls were cladded with sandstone and there ivy vines creeping along the wall. The windows were glinting in the sunlight.
The orchards on either side of the maze were vast and looked like they would be harvested soon. There were guard towers in the centre of each orchard .
Somehow, Isaac was starting to see the estate as a prison.
As the car pulled up in front of the mansion, Isaac saw four people waiting for them at the entrance. They got out of the car and Blanc handed his keys to a valet.
They being Isaac, Leo, Reyna, Blanc, Irene and Lisa.
Leo's mom, Irene, had long strawberry blonde hair and warm brown eyes. Unlike her husband, Irene was warm and social.
And there was Leo's sister, Lisa. She was two years younger than Leo. Her blond hair was gotten from her mother but, like Leo, it was lighter. She had her mom's brown eyes and beauty. She, too, was social like her mother. She'd been disturbing Isaac since they'd met at the airport and he was tired of her asking him what his charism was.
Another car pulled up behind them and Isaac couldn't care less for the people that stepped out of the vehicle.
He watched the Reeds stepped out of the car. Behind Adrien and Audrey was their father. Isaac could see the resemblance between them. Maybe their attitude ran in the family.
Isaac decided to ignore them.
Blanc began to walk up the steps and they followed.
Isaac could finally see the four people welcoming guests.
There was a beautiful woman with sleek black hair and grey eyes, whom Isaac guessed was Reyna's mother. The three people, all in their twenties, beside her were so identical that Isaac would probably mix them up if they weren't wearing different clothes.
One was dressed in a simple black T-shirt, blue shorts and black sneakers. He was the normal one.
The next wore a red track suit and sneakers. He was drenched in sweat which depicted that he had just finished a run. He was the jock.
The last wore a green hoodie, Bermuda shorts and green sneakers. He also had a pair of headphones on his neck. He was the artist.
They all had black eyes and their black hair was styled differently.
Isaac had decided what to name them.
Red was Huey, blue was Dewey and green was Louie.
As soon as Reyna stepped on the landing, they ran over to hug her.
"We've missed you," said Louie.
"That's our adorable little sister," Huey said.
"Look how much you've grown!" Dewey exclaimed.
"Boys," Reyna's mother said.
They realized that Blanc was in front of them and they welcomed him and his wife.
"How are you, Irene?" Camilla said and came over to greet her.
Was it Isaac or were Blanc and Camilla not happy to see each other?
She welcomed the rest of them.
When she got to Reyna, the atmosphere suddenly became cold.
Reyna stepped forward.
"Good afternoon, Mother," she said while looking down.
Camilla regarded her daughter disdainfully and turned her attention to Isaac.
"You must be Isaac," she said. "I've heard marvellous things about you -"
Blanc interrupted her. "Why don't we move in Camilla, or would you rather leave us outside?"
She chuckled. "My apologies, do come in."
They walked into the palace and Isaac was more flabbergasted.
The interior put the exterior to shame.
There were chandeliers, fountains, tapestries and statues.
"You must be tired from your long flight," Camilla said. "The servants will take you to your rooms."
Isaac felt his eyebrow twitch.
He was getting irritated by their show of wealth but he held it in.
A set of people came forward and led them to their rooms.
"Reyna!" Camilla called. "I'd like to see you in my study."
Isaac looked at Reyna who sighed as she passed by him.
He wanted to ask her what was wrong when one of Reyna's brothers grabbed him by his wrist and whisked him away.
* * * * *
Reyna stepped into her mother's study.
She shook as she remembered what it was like being inside. All the years of fearing the worst. She was only called into this room when she had disappointed her mother. She had never felt the beauty of the room only the bad memories.
The room was exquisite. It contained more clothes than books for it to be called a study. Her mother owned one of the leading fashion brands.
Her mother was adjusting the fabric on a mannequin when she entered.
"Where's your wig?" Camilla asked without turning around.
"Um... " she stuttered. "It's in my luggage."
"Haven't I told you to always wear it?"
"Yes, Mother," replied Reyna.
Camilla sighed. "You know your very status taints the Gomez family image."
The 'talk' had begun.
For as long as Reyna could remember, her mother had always complained about her, calling her all sorts of names from 'mistake' to 'cursed child'.
She was the only one in her family born with white hair and didn't inherit the family charism. She was the only one who never met her mother's standards. There was always a flaw and there was nothing she could ever do about it.
The only thing she could do was keep quiet and nod like a fool whenever her mother was talking and she was getting sick of it.
* * * * *
Isaac was lost after a few hours.
Yeah, you read that right!
He couldn't believe he had let Reyna's brothers talk him into finding his way into the heart of a five acre maze.
For people who were six years older than Isaac and Reyna, they were unusually childish. Well, especially Huey, also known as Ludovico, Ludo for short. He was the one who came up with the idea. Dewey, aka Vittorio, Tori for short, the free spirited one and youngest had second the idea. Then Louie ,Filippo, the eldest and most level headed, was against it at first then he gave in.
At different entrances of the maze, Leo, Lisa, Adrien, Audrey and Isaac had entered and had to find their way to the middle.
He took a step forward and his leg sunk a little.
He jumped backwards as an arrow sailed past where he had been standing two seconds ago.
Isaac recalled that Filip had said that there would be traps.
This was going to be a hassle. He couldn't see what was ahead because there was a web of fine golden thread which ran along the top of the hedges. They were so thin that they seemed invisible but the slightest touch was going to leave you bleeding. Tori had said that they could even cut through metal.
He looked at the pressure plate that he had stepped on. He wouldn't have noticed it if head hadn't stepped on it. It was well camouflaged with the floor.
Facing the path ahead of him, Isaac took a deep breath and continued walking.