ADVENTURES AT THE OTHER BLAKE ESTATE PART THREE

Apparently, Cecelia also received an invitation to Neil's birthday party. She was still in her towel from swimming on the beach with Butterfly and Ray when we all sat down for dinner at the long dining table. There were perhaps twenty of us young people; the adults had gone elsewhere to dine, but the atmosphere of the room was no where near childish. Quite conversation, with classical music coming from the surround sound system, it seemed like a cultured, flawless party.

Until, that is, everyone went to sit at the table and found that instead of name plate, we had been given brain teasers and riddles. I think mine had to be the easiest, for on my white name card, there was the word 'Ethan' written in size ten font, thus "little" Ethan. Neil's name plate read 'bow' and Adam, seated on his right, had '+am' which I didn't understand until half the meal had passed.

I sat between one of Ishtar's friends, a girl named Rebeca, and a boy who introduced himself as Benjamin. His name card had said 'had been playing with the band.' I was amazed he figured it out.

I saw no other people from Lakewood, besides the Blakes, Adam and Edmund, who showed up right before the first course was served. I had to wonder if they would come for the next night, when the real party began, or if they were simply not coming. I really hoped they would show up, just to have a few more familiar faces around. You see, I still hadn't adjusted to the life of a rich boy.

"I like this song." I commented, as one of Beethoven's masterpieces came on in the background. I had been working on a violin rendition to play with the Second Violin all summer, but I wasn't sick of it yet.

"I do too." Ben said. "Though my opinion may be biased. My father was the conductor for this orchestra."

"Amazing." I said.

"I'm glad no one brought their own music." Rebeca said softly. "I just returned from a language immersion program, and, on some days, the other children brought iPods to the table and listened to them the whole meal."

"That's so rude." I exclaimed.

"I know." Rebeca said sweetly. "I just wanted to tell them to learn to make some f*cking conversation already."

I giggled, but, somehow, my laughter seemed out of place. I drank a sip of water (I was avoiding the wine) to smother it.

"Forgive my sister." Ben said. "Her time away has--" But Ben was cut off by a loud gunshot.

I turned around in my high backed seat, and saw a burly man in a black ski mask, holding a pistol. "Don't move." He said in a gravely voice, pointing his gun at the table. He closed in, and even the quite conversation had stopped. The Beethoven, however, remained, making the whole scene surreal and hardly believable.

The man put his gun to Ishtar's--who just happened to be the closest--head. "Don't move or I blow her pretty little brains out."

I glanced at Neil, who seemed to be taking the situation very calmly, considering a strange man who had just broken into his house now held a gun pointed at his sister. When I thought about it, all the rich kids seemed strangely relaxed. Even Ishtar didn't look the slightest bit scared. I wondered if they were all just in shock.

But then the reason clarified itself when several butlers took down the potential kidnapped in a matter of seconds. The limp body--it might have even been a corpse--was removed.

"Have you been to the beach yet, Ethan?" Ben asked, turned to face me and sipping his wine.

"N-no." I stammered, not quite sure what exactly had happened.

"It's very nice." He said.

"Very." Rebeca agreed.

Dinner resumed as if nothing had happened. I guess rich kids were used to armed men waving guns around, trying to threaten them. But I wasn't. It freaked me out so much that, when I was taken to guest bedroom number eight, I couldn't get to sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I kept seeing the kidnapper, or whatever he was, and his eyes through the ski mask. Finally, around one in the morning, I texted Cecelia, who had also witnessed the event, to see if she couldn't sleep either.

She ended up coming to my room, and we talked until the fear left us and crashed on my bed. Unfortunately, when Neil came to wake me up in the morning, we were still crashed on my bed.

"I'll come back later." He said as I sat up, wiping my blurry eyes.

"It's not what it seems." I called after him, but he had already left. "Happy Birthday, Neil."

ADVENTURES AT THE OTHER BLAKE ESTATE PART TWO

Neil was in the courtyard. At least, that's what the butler told me, but, within the walled expanse of dense flowers, rose bushes, and perfectly landscaped ponds, I couldn't find him. I sighed. This would totally suck, if I never found him, I thought, but then the not-so-distant chords of an acoustic guitar led me to him.

Neil was seated on a short, stone wall, coaxing music out of his guitar. I would have ran up to him excitedly and wished him a happy birthday, if not for two reasons:

1. Guys do not rush up and excitedly wish other guys 'happy birthday'

2. Adam was sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall, right across from him.

So I hid behind a large oak tree and hoped that Adam left soon.

"Neil," Adam began. "Who is coming to this party?"

Neil shrugged. "Most of the kids from Lakewood were invited, plus Boris, Evelia, several of Ishtar's friends, my father's friends, their kids, everyone who has exchanged conversation with me in the last year."

"Can you be a bit more specific?" Adam asked. "I really just want to know if two people are coming."

"Raiden has a case in California, so he won't be able to make it." Neil said. "And I suppose the other one is Ethan? He should be here any minute."

Who the hell was Raiden? I asked myself, but drew a blank. Maybe it was unimportant.

"I'm glad he's not coming." Adam sighed. "I was worried that I'd have to see him more than once a year."

There was a lull in the conversation, and, after a moment, Neil called out, "Ethan, you can come out now. You're not fooling anyone."

"How did you know I was there?" I demanded, walking over to them and trying to hide my embarrassment.

Neil tapped his ear. "I could hear you breathing."

We went inside in house-castle, where everything was decorated with an old world charm. It was so beautiful, with antique white furniture and giant clocks, that it would have easily been a cover article for Better Homes and Gardens. It had an un-lived-in look to it that made me wonder just how many days the Blake family stayed there.

"Where is your family?" I asked Neil, as we sat in a parlor.

"Ishtar's out riding horses." He said. "I think Butterfly and Ray are swimming in the ocean, and--"

"The ocean?" I asked. "As in the Mediterranean Sea?"

"Yeah." Neil said. "It's really nice this time of year."

"I want to go down to the beach." I said. I wouldn't be able to swim, but at least I could dip my feet in the foreign waters.

"No." Neil and Adam said at the same time.

"Why not?" I asked. Were there poisonous fish or something?

"Because I said so." Adam replied at the same time Neil said, "Just...no."

"What is so bad about the beach?" I asked, now getting frustrated. I hated it when people kept important information like this from me.

There was a soft knock on the door, and Ishtar, holding a towel around herself, came in. "I'm going down to the beach." She said. "Lucy wants to see the water."

A blonde girl behind her, also wrapped in a towel, nodded.

"I'll come too." I said.

"Really?" Ishtar's face lit up.

"No." Adam answered for me. "He has work to do."

"But he's a guest." Ishtar argued.

"Still, he has work to do."

"Can't he do his work later?"

"No." Adam said firmly. "It has to be now."

"What is so bad about the beach?" I asked.

"Nothing." Ishtar said. "Let's go."

"Ethan is not going to the beach." Neil said softly.

"What?" Ishtar and I chorused.

"Ethan is...not going to the beach." Neil repeated, more slowly and clearly.

"Neil." Adam said cautiously, as if the name was a warning.

Neil put his head in his hands. "Excuse me. I'm not feeling well." He got up and left the room.

"Well, little Ethan," Adam said, throwing an arm around my shoulders. "Let's go help the young master. You don't need to swim."

"But--" I began.

"Let's go too." Ishtar said to her friend. "We'll get Tammuz to come some other time." (Remember, Ishtar thinks she's a reincarnated goddess, and that I'm Tammuz, Ishtar the goddess's lover.)

As Adam steered me out of the room and down the hall, I asked him, "So when can I go to the beach?"

"You'd be stupid to go, little Ethan." Adam said. "Since it's a nude beach."

ADVENTURES AT THE OTHER BLAKE ESTATE PART ONE

True to his word, I was kidnapped at precisely eleven AM. The man in the black suit and sun glasses drove me to the nearest airport, and I felt a surge of confusion. Where exactly was this party taking place?

I was shepherded through the airport as if I was one very valuable sheep. The men in suits and sunglasses showed IDs which allowed me to jump ahead in all the lines, earning me glares from all the potential passengers who didn't have insanely rich friends.

I boarded a plane, but it wasn't just any place. This thing screamed "private jet" louder than, well, a person screaming "private jet." The seats were more like couches, and the whole thing was arranged sort of like a living room, with plasma TVs and a minibar in the back. The pilot came to the back and welcomed me formally, calling me 'Mr. Smith' and referring to Neil as 'the young master Cornelius.'

Finally, we actually set off, and I spent a very long time watching Bruce Lee movies and historic documentaries. (They were the only DVDs on the plane.) Then we landed in France.

Apparently, Neil's birthday party was at his french villa on the beach. And this house (Dare I call it a house? It's more like a castle.) was even more beautiful than his Florida house. Ivy covered and gorgeous, it stood on a little hill. Pastures with galloping horses lined one side of the drive to it while an orchard stood on the other, complete with servants tending to the trees.

I got out of the car almost apprehensively, carrying my duffel bag over my shoulder. I didn't have to ring a door bell anything when I walked up to the main doors; they opened wide for me like I was a princess from a fairy tale or an actor.

"Master Ethan, we have been expecting you." A butler with a French accent told me and took my bag. "Welcome to the Blake estate."

ADVENTURES AT THE OTHER BLAKE ESTATE PART TWO COMING LATER

I decided the only thing I could get Neil was something homemade, because he could have anything money could buy, and I probably couldn't afford his tastes. So I would make him something. It was the wrong season for a scarf, and, though it was a good idea, a "boy" giving another boy something like a sweater with love in the stitches probably wouldn't be appreciated as much as brownies, made under the supervision of Neil's chef and tasted by the food taster. I just hoped Neil liked brownies.

I packed several outfits today, all something a boy would wear. I didn't have a clue where this party was being held, other than the name of the beach, and I wondered if the weather would be as hot as it was in Boringsville or not. I packed for all weather conditions. One never knew what Neil's father had planned.

The hardest thing was finding Neil a present. Sure, he had said not to worry about bringing anything, but I couldn't help it. One simply did not go to a party without a gift, or so I had been told. And I had never shopped for a rich kid before. Would he be offended by anything less than brand name? Would he think I was cheap if I gave him something homemade? Since gift cards were out of the question (Neil had no need for more money), what else did boys want for their sweet sixteen?

I asked my brother this last question. He told me "a car."

Since a car was just a bit out of my birthday present budget, I spent several sleepless nights trying to think of something to get Neil.

What does Neil want? I asked myself, but the question was very hard to answer. He was pretty much content with everything. He liked soccer, guitar, good grades. He collected swords, played chess, and knew more martial arts than I could count on one hand. He disliked germs, Evan (I think), and being in Adam's clubs. But you couldn't give him a free pass for an A or a germ bubble. I was stumped. Would he like a battle ax just as much as a sword? Was he sick of Kung Fu, or could I get him the first season of the show? Did he need anything for his guitar, like a cheap amp?

Shopping for a boy is tough, even if it is your roommate.

I still haven't decided what to get him, and there's less than a week until 'the car is sent to pick me up'! Please, help me!

Nothing has happened in weeks. Seriously. Boredom hit record highs, and I had to illegally download The Matrix trilogy to keep the absolute tedium at bay. I was about ready to give up, and tell myself that the rest of my summer would be hopelessly boring, but then, this morning, the end of my listlessness came in the mail.

It was an envelope, roughly the size of a hard cover book, and was too big to stuff in the mailbox with all of the other letters and bills. The postman delivered it to my door, where he handed it to my hardly-dressed brother with a "you've been invited to one hell of a wedding, kid," and was gone.

I snatched the royal blue envelope from my brother. "That would be mine." I said.

"But it has my name on it." Ethan grumbled, still half asleep.

"Shut up and go get dressed." I told him and took the letter into the living room to open it.

Inside the blue envelope was an ivory card, decorated around the edges with silver and blue letter pressed designs. It was beautiful, right down to the finest detail, and, after gazing at the swirls and curls and loops, I finally lowered my eyes and read the invitation.

Mr. Bernard Acelin Clovis Gemino Blake

requests the pleasure of your company

in celebrating the sixteenth birthday of his eldest son

Cornelius Algernon Theodoric Christopher Blake III

at the Plage de l'Espiguette house

on July the thiry-first, starting at five O' clock

Formal attire, s'il vous plait

So, Neil was having a birthday. I looked at the reply card, wondering which of the elaborately decorated boxes I should check, when I felt another piece of paper under my hand. It was a hastily written note by the birthday boy himself. Though he didn't sign it, his neat handwriting was unmistakable.

Ethan, it read. I'll be sending a car for you on the twenty eight. Please come. Don't worry about bringing anything, just be ready at eleven am. If your parents say you can't come, the car will still come and get you. My father will work out the illegalities if it turns into a kidnapping. See you then.

I folder up the note and neatly marked the, "Yes, I would be honoured to celebrate with Mr. Blake the III" box. So long, boring summer life. Hello again, crazy rich people.

Let me sum up.

Cecelia would not tell me what she and Neil talked about. She told me that if I really wanted to know, I could ask him myself, but I missed my chance because his crazy father knocked him unconscious and dragged him away. Poor kid.

Adam left the lake soon after, followed shortly by Butterfly dragging a crying Raymond. He didn't want to leave the popsicles, you see. It was his only chance to eat food not made by the family cooks.

I got an email from Taki. It pretty much contained nothing, just those routine "how's the weather?" sort of questions. It was as if he could think of nothing to say. He signed it "I miss you a lot." I considered deleting the message, but didn't want to hurt his feelings, so I had to keep it.

I also got an email from Hans and Frans, who told me everything about their time in Germany. Everything. Even the part unsuited for women's ears (or eyes in this case.) I deleted that message, unsure of what my parents would do if they ever had the irrepressible desire to read all my past emails.

Then Cecelia made ramen. She was supposed to make chicken noodle soup for her sister for lunch, but she didn't want to make a whole, family-sized can for just one girl. "You know how to make soup." She shouted. "And, if that's too hard, just make yourself some stupid, f-ing ramen." But she did not say 'f-ing.'

I received a letter in the mail today from the Zachs. It was entirely in code. I have not yet cracked it.

I found a recording device in my purse. I say recording device because it was not a tape player or a CD or anything I could identify. When I hit the 'play' button, the Second Violin's voice came through as clearly as if he was right next to me. "I'm bored, Nathi. Play a song for me." He--it--said. I'm still wondering how it got into my purse.

I called Xoi today. I told her that Cecelia thought she was bordering on fangirl for Adam. After googling the definition Xoi replied, "At least I'm not hanging up pictures of guys in my closet." Cecelia laughed since we were on speakerphone and swore fluently at her when I hung up.

But back to the crazy rich boys.

Ray ate cake today. Strawberry cake. With white frosting. And strawberries. Cecelia had a fangirl fit.

"You've got a weird Raymond fetish." I told her seriously. "What will happen when he gets older and looks like Neil?"

Cecelia sighed blissfully, imagining him. "What does it take for it to be considered rape?"

"If you need to ask that question, whatever you're thinking is probably very wrong."

"True." Cecelia sighed. "He's just so cute, sitting there on Butterfly's lap, eating cake."

I had to agree, then I pushed her in the lake. Neil, who just happened to be walking by, dropped into lifeguard position and pulled her out. Cecelia, after a fair amount of swearing, whispered to me to get out of her semi-romantic situation. I complied, but decided to try to eavesdrop on them from around the corner.

"Hey, Neil." Cecelia said to him. "Your not stupid, are you?"

Neil's reply, "No," sounded slightly hurt.

"Then you've probably noticed that--"

"Why are we hiding, little Ethan?" Adam asked, drowning out the conversation. He ear was pressed against the wall, like mine, and he stared down at be with those beautiful blue eyes.

He was way to close for comfort.

After pushing him into the lake too, I left. Neil, still talking with Cecelia, their conversation indistinguishable above Adam's splashing, didn't seem too much in a hurry to help him, and I just left, walking up to the house for watermelon and lunch.

Cecelia and I went jet skiing. It would have been fun, if I hadn't been convinced that she was trying to kill me. After holding on for dear life so long that my fingers were numb, we headed back to her house, only to find Poseidon's Warriors drinking smoothies on her dock.

I swore. I wasn't exactly wearing my most mannish clothes at the moment, and I couldn't risk letting Neil know. He was too much of a good person to allow my lie to remain secret. And, even though the life vest covered up my figure, there was still the small matter of bikini bottoms to contend with.

So, in lack of a better plan, I jumped off the jet ski, swam into an empty boat slip as inconspicuously as I could, and climbed up behind them. I threw on my pair of boy's shorts and another handy dandy over sized tshirt.

"Strawberry is the best." Ray was telling Butterfly, who was the only one drinking water.

Butterfly nodded. Neil, who was sitting next to his little brother, ruffled his hair affectionately. "In a few years, you might want to try something like this." He held up his caramel coffee cooler.

"I thought you two weren't allowed to eat anything that your chefs didn't prepare." I said.

Neil pointed his thumb over his shoulder at a skinny, nervous looking man I hadn't noticed before. "I brought a food taster."

So that's what they look like I was thinking, and Adam downed the last of his peach smoothie. "Shall we?" He asked the group of boys.

"Yea!" Ray jumped to his feet. "More jet skiing!"

"You can come two, Little Ethan." Adam offered. "You can ride with me."

"I'll pass." I said.

"Really?" Ray asked me.

"Really." I stated more firmly.

"Okay, then." Ray hopped aboard Butterfly's jet ski with only a little assistance from it's owner, and began asking all sorts of questions from him. Completely random questions, like "What does a wave taste like?" and "where do angels go when they die?" and "if I ate a whole cake, do you think I would get as fat as Neil was?"

When the boys were pulling away from the dock, Cecelia returned to my side. "What's up?" She asked.

"Nothing much."

She grinned and pulled my hair. Hard. I let out a yelp, more in surprise than pain. "What the hell?" I asked.

She laughed. "That was your sex sound."

"And I really needed to know that why?"

"So when you sleep with Adam, you can--"

I cut her off by pushing her into the water. "In your dreams." I told her as she tread water. "I hate that guy."

C laughed and got water in her mouth. Spluttering, she said, "Yeah, well, I bet he doesn't think that way."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded.

Cecelia pulled herself out of the water, chuckling to herself. "If you don't know, then I'm not going to tell you."