"I'm tired," Lucy complained to me. We had been walking for perhaps an hour.
"Why don't we go in there and get something to eat?" I suggest to her, pointing at a small restruant.
"Yes!" she practically dragged me into the restruant.
"What do you want to eat?" I asked her.
"Fries," she looked very excited and I couldn't help but laugh. I ordered fries for both of us and sat in a secluded booth. Lucy dug into hers while I ate at a more regulated pattern. I picked up an old newspaper and flipped through it. I was wondering where we were going to stay tonight when the buzzing in my ear started. For some reason, ever since my dad died my episodes of vertigo have been much more frequent than it had been before. I scrambled through my bag for my Meclinze. I wasn't sure that I could swallow it but I managed to. I felt light-headed and tried to focus on something else. The episode had to end. I didn't want to know what would happen if it didn't.
"Esme?" Lucy was suddenly besides me. Kneeling on the hard leather.
"I'm fine," I murmured. I knew that I couldn't continue tonight so I needed to find a place to stay. I looked out the window. This area was very dark and faded. There were few working lamps and barely any cars on the road. Then I saw it. A taxi stand. I check the map to see if Aunt Maggie had marked out any landmarks and sure enough I saw Mediocris Park right next to my destination. "I'll be back." I told Lucy and walked up to the counter. "Excuse me. Can you help me out?" I asked the guy behind the counter.
"Sure," he gave me a half smile, "what can I do for you?"
"Could you call a taxi here please?" I asked.
"No problem," he picked up the phone and dialled a number. I waited until he was done, "It'll be here in five minutes."
"Thank you," I went back over to the booth and gathered out stuff up. I took Lucy to the stand and we waited. True to it's word the taxi was here in no time. As i slip into the back seat with Lucy the driver asked me a question btu he spoke too softly.
"Pardon?" I asked him.
"Where to?" he repeated.
"Mediocris Park," I answered and sunk into the seats as he drove. By time we arrive at the park the sun was starting to rise. I paid the driver and thanked him.
"Are we nearly there yet?" Lucy asked me.
"Yes. Nearly," I smiled. I followed the rest of Aunt Maggie's instrucitons. They lead me to a locked door. I rapped softly on it.
"Hello?" I girl about my age answered it.
"Umm... I'm Esmerelda. I was told to come here by my Aunt... Her name is Maggie," I smiled sheepishly.
"Oh yes! We've been expecting you," she ushered me into the building. Actually, I think that was the understatement of the year. It was more like a mansion.
"Wow," Lucy gazed, wide eyed.
"It's a big difference from what you're used to isn't it?" the girl smiled sincerley.
"Yeah," I looked up at the stain glassed windows.
"By the way, my name is Amber," Amber guided us through the mansion, "usually it's much busier here but it's still early."
"Where are we?" I asked her.
"Abscondita Est In Terra. The Land of the Hidden," she said.
"But... there's no such place!" I exclaimed.
"You have a lot to learn," she giggled.
"It's so big here!" Lucy finally finished staring at the mansion.
"This is your sister?" Amber asked me.
"Yes. This is Lucy," I watched Lucy as she look at the marble floors.
"I'll show you to her room first then. I believe you both need to rest," Amber went down another corridor and opened a door. The room was very big. Bigger than our house was. "This is Lucy's room."
"Really? Mine?" Lucy's eyes lit up.
"Yes. Yours," Amber set her bag on the ground next to the door. "I'll have someone come in and help her get settled in but for now I think I better show you to your room."