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."