The Unusual Tales Of Winfrall.

Chapter 5 : Do Not Enter

Audrey's POV. 

"And this is for Princess Gazelle," Amber poured invisible tea in a cup which was placed in front of a lifeless Gazelle, with its stuffed hands sticking out and button eyes smiling.

"What was that Mr. Frog?" Her ears drew near the green soft toys mouth and nodded with her eyebrows creased in concentration. 

"Why can't Mr. Frog talk in front of us?"

I asked as I blew air on my tea and sipped my empty cup. 

"It's our little secret." Amber held her chin high, and bumped fists with Mr. Frog. 

Although bumping fists with the lifeless toy was a task for the kid. So Amber had to position the toys hand in front of her and she would bring her fist near it, but it would drop and she'd end up bumping her fist into Mr. Frogs stomach.

After a few failed attempts and almost injuring Mr.Frog,  she somehow managed to complete the gesture and resumed back to being the host of the party.

"Fine," I shrugged and said, "Even I have a set of secrets to share."

I tapped on a Mr. Arctics shoulder and asked, "Can I share a secret with you?" 

I waited for a few seconds as I smiled and looked at the penguin which had its eyes sticking in different directions.

"Yes?" I clapped as I feigned excitement at the imaginary reply and brought my mouth to its ear and spoke gibberish. 

"No!" The little girl sitting across me in the pink wallpapered room, slammed her little  fists on the table, "I am the host, all secrets are to be shared with me!" 

"Oh." I looked dejectedly and somehow I imagined the penguin giving me the same look. 

What is wrong with me?

"Amber, do you mind if I use the washroom?" I tried changing the topic and gave her a pleading look like  'I really need to go otherwise I'll do it here.' 

But she folded her arms and her amber eyes narrowed at me, "If I allow," she said slowly, "You tell me the secret and forget Mr. Arctic." 

I nodded obediently and said, "Deal."

I walk out into the long corridor and look around in search for the bathroom. Amber's room is on the first floor and there is one door right next to hers and two opposite. 

Amber had her own little bathroom. But I wouldn't dare sit on the tiny, pink commode. So here I was in search for a place to piss with no hints of 'pink' around. 

I couldn't tell which one was the bathroom as they all looked the same. Plain wooden doors, with brass door knobs, except one of them had a 'Do Not Enter' sign hanging down the knob. 

Maybe it's downstairs. 

I walked towards the stairs, my head turned backwards, my eyes fixed at the door with the 'Do Not Enter' sign. 

I wonder what's in there.

"Whoa! Hey!" I almost bump into the owner of the voice. 

Becoming oblivious to my surroundings, I don't realise the presence of the guy I almost bumped into. 

"I'm so sorry!" My hands flew to catch his unwavering posture for support as my own body was like disturbed jelly. Even in this state, I managed to mutter an apology and I don't even know how.

Noticing that I was about to fall, his hands quickly held mine to steady me. His green eyes meet my blue ones and there was a moment of awkward silence. He slowly retracted his hand from my hold when he was sure that I wasn't tumbling down the stairs anytime soon. 

Nicholas thrust his hands in his bluish grey jean pocket while he positioned his weight from one foot to another. His red sneakers squeaked under the tiles, and his white beater looked like it was suffocating his broad chest. His jacket matched with his shoes and reflected a soft shade from his tanned skin. 

"What are you doing here?" Nicholas broke the silence first and I could see from the look on his face that I was the last person he'd expect to roam around in his house.

Wait. Wasn't he there when his sister invited me to a tea party ? Wasn't he mocking me on befriending an 8 year old, and didn't he warn Amber to not talk to strangers afterward? 

"I'm here to attend a very important party." I replied in an animated tone and rolled my eyes but stopped mid way and pretended to examine the ceiling when his head jerked up. 

To my surprise, his eyes went wide in horror and all the colour drained from his face. 

"Are you okay?" I asked slowly when I saw him looking here and there and leaning down the barrister to check the ground floor. 

"Where are they?" He asked a bit agitated when he couldn't find 'they' and I stood there clueless and confused. 

"Who they?" 

"The guests goddamnit!" He frustratedly ran a  hand through his hair and looked at me with slight anger that I was slow to catch on things.

"Wait, whose party do you think this is?" I asked as I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion. Amber's party wasn't that horrifying to begin with, I thought. Or maybe, it was just the beginning.

Yikes. 

His expressions copied mine and for a moment he looked speechless, "I thought Mr.— I mean," he cleared his throat, "My father has hosted another party?" 

"Um no." I slowly shook my head and he gave a deep sigh of relief and leaned against the barrister. 

"Why would you freak out like that?"  His sagged shoulders turned rigid the second he heard my doubt filled question and he looked up at me with a stoic expression. 

Choosing not to answer, he diverted the topic on me, "You still haven't answered my question." His thick voice vibrated along the handrail to my hand which was resting on it and gave me a slight shiver.  "Whose party is it then?" 

Shiver again. 

I released the grip from where I was getting the tingling sensation and softly grabbed it with my other hand. Meanwhile, Nicholas kept burning holes in my face as he waited for an answer, and also looked mad for me not being direct about it. 

"Your sister invited me, remember?" I raised an eyebrow and hoped that he would recall and say, "Oh yes, tea party"  but all I got was a blank face.

"She invited you?" He sounded incredulous and successfully managed to offend me again. 

"Oh my" I began in my defensive and sarcastic tone, "Look at you," I said in a mock proud tone and wiped invisible tears, "Finally understands sentences." 

"Real mature Audrey." He narrowed his eyes at me, "What I meant was why would Amber invite you?" 

"You need to time travel and go back to the party." I replied in a joking tone and didn't miss his eyes go wide in slight shock and back to normal in a split second. 

Finally after a few moments something clicked inside him, and he nodded his head, "Oh. Oh, of course. Amber invited you."  

I rolled my eyes, this time all the way, and walked away from him as I began searching for the bathroom again. 

Is there no one else in this house that I could ask? 

"So you really came, huh?" Surprisingly, he matched my steps and walked with me, his tone filled with awe. Or was it despise?

"You sound like I shouldn't have." I stopped walking and somehow felt stupid to even have accepted the offer. 

Nicholas realised I'd stopped walking and retraced his steps towards me.

"No," he shook his head and had a tiny smile etched on his face, "Usually when my sister calls anyone, well mostly my friends, they say they will come and play with her, but all they do is say." 

"Oh." Of course, it was an eight year olds 'tea party'. What was I expecting ?

Showing up here like I'd been invited for tea by the President. 'Audrey Bennett sips tea with the President and the Princess Gazelle of Montgomery. Next on her list is world domination.' 

"You're a first." 

"Huh?" I replied dumbly since I wasn't able to concentrate on anything else than self embarrassment. 

"I apologise if I said something that made you ashamed of it." He examined my facial expression dejectedly, "But all I want to say is thank you, not just for today but for looking after Amber at the party." 

"It's nothing." I said after a moment of silence, my cheeks burning with the gratitude flowing out of Nicholas for me. It was awkward to see this side of him, that too for me but then again I didn't know him, so every side of his was weird, I concluded. 

After we exchanged smiles; his a genuine dimpled one and mine an awkward shaky one ; I resumed climbing down the stairs when I get interrupted by his voice. "Heading away already?" 

"No, I was just looking for the restroom." I say and turn around. 

"Oh let me help you." He walked towards me and looked excited like showing directions to the bathroom was his favourite task, "Listen carefully." He began slowly and I raised my eyebrows, unsure how to reply to it, "Go down, take the first left, there will be a white statue, take a right from there and you will reach a long passage.....two doors away is another hallway..."

"Right!" I smiled excitedly as I actually managed to remember the directions but my grin dropped when he replied, 

"...No you still haven't reached the restroom."

"What if there was an emergency?" I whispered to myself and had an incredulous look on my face but Nicholas seemed to have heard it because the next I knew was that he burst out laughing. 

"What's going on?" I raised an eyebrow at him. 

"I was just pulling your leg. The bathroom is right there. On the first floor."

"All I saw were those three identical doors and I couldn't tell which one of them was the bathroom." I said as I pictured them mentally, 

"And this stupid door which said 'Do Not Enter'"

"Why would you use that word?" He asked curiously as he motioned me towards the hallway from which I walked out previously. 

"I mean what's the point of that sign? You're unknowingly making  people indulge in the reverse theory." 

Nicholas looked blank so I went on further to explain it to him. 

"You're putting up a sign which has a negative approach.  Of course the person who reads it is not docile and thus, will be more inclined to open and explore what's inside than the other three doors which have nothing on them." I finished and looked up to see an amazed Nicholas. 

"So you mean to say I should put a sign which says Enter?" I couldn't make out if it was sarcasm or an actual doubt coming out of him, but judging from his face he looked genuinely bemused. 

And I hate to admit that he looked slightly attractive when he was confused. 

"Of course not," I laughed a bit at his hypothesis and said, "If you do that the person gets to have a rationalised excuse when they are caught red handed."

"Right." He gave an exaggerated word reply and didn't say anything, so I decided to continue. 

"So that's your room?" 

Realising that it slipped out, he squeezed his eyes briefly as he gave a nod and scratched his eyebrow with his finger. 

"There you go." We came to stop at a narrow off white door, which matched the hallway colour and I realised that there were five doors and I missed this one alone, given that it could be easily camouflaged. 

I looked at Nicholas and muttered a 'thank you' as he thrust his hands in jean pockets and slowly walked backwards. 

"Thanks again."

"For what?"

"For looking after Amber."

"You have to stop saying that." I said in mock serious tones. 

"Yeah, I probably should." He agreed and we both chuckled. 

Realising it was now his cue to leave, he gave a tiny salute in my direction and asked, "See you at school then?" 

I knew he wouldn't ever meet me in school and  he only felt obliged to talk to me, but I still smiled and replied, "Sure."