The 12 Elementals

Chapter 13

   "Where is it?" Zane asks as his eyes raked over the trees.

   "Hidden. At first, it was like a skeleton. Foundation but empty. Thanks to Mel's rich sperm donor, we got it fixed up. Real nice once you see it." Kyle sounded like a proud father.

   "How do we get up?" Zane searched on.

   "Easy." Kyle replied smugly, for once being the superior one. He picked up a leaf-shaped rock by the trunk and put it in the trees owl hole. There was a metallic clunking noise as the metal ladder descended a few inches to his left.

   As I look up I couldn't help but feel smug also. The tree house was completely hidden, the branches so thick no sunlight able to seep through. It's truly spectacular; two-stories and obscured from wandering eyes.

   The wood was solid oak and in perfect condition when we stumbled upon it. All it needed was a little love.

   "Awesome." Zane poked the ladder, as if it were a sleeping dragon.

   Aliyah smiled proudly. "My doing. There's a paper weight in the hole that is pressure sensitive. Kyle carved it. The rock is the exact weight for it and when placed inside the hole, a signal is sent to the ladder, causing it to fall." My little Einstein at her finest.

   I am a nerd. But I'm the fantasy nerd. I love Harry Potter, Disney movies, Star Wars, Magick and the likes. Aliyah is a science nerd. I used to snooze in chemistry, but she would be correcting the teacher. She's just that much of a geek.

   Everyone already climbed up the ladder, leaving only me and Zane, still locked hand in hand.

   "Ladies first." Zane grandly gestured to the ladder.

   Such a gentlemen. Zayden inquired.

   "That's an excuse for the guy so he can check out the girl's ass. Especially Mel's cute little behind, trust me, I know!" Kyle's voice came from above. I buried my beet red face in my hands.

   I take that back. Zayden laughed.

   "I'll go." Zane reliantly let go of my hand and started the climb. Then I did likewise.

   We were outside the tree house, standing on the patio.

   "How do we get in?" Zane questioned, staring at the wall.

   Only it wasn't a wall exactly; its tinted bulletproof glass.

   "Again, easy." Kyle trod over to the glass-wall and gently pushed it. A portion the size of a double door twisted sideways, making an easy entry. "Ester, get the ladder, 'kay?"

   Ester rolled her eyes but did as she was told.

   We settled in the main room and Kyle closed the twisting door and flicked the lights on. I studied the room and felt impressed. To my left was a huge flat screen T.V. hanging on the wooden wall. Below it was an Xbox and PS3. Two floor to ceiling book shelves on either side of the T.V. both with nothing but video games. On the right was a big blue fluffy couch with a dozen bean bags spread out, and a black coffee table a few feet from the couch. The back part was like a mini-kitchen complete with a refrigerator, island, cabinets, and sink. Though the sink doesn't work, we still use it for draining purposes. Everything in the kitchen was junk food; cookies, ice-cream, chips, and Beefaroni (gotta have some Beefaroni). Last but not least, the spiraled staircase in the far right corner that lead to the second floor.

   "This is all solar powered?" Zane asked, astonished.

   "The only thing this bad boy doesn't have is indoor plumbing. Hakuna Matata, there's a stream not that far and we have toilet paper." Kyle grinned.