by Laura Gray
“Who is that?” Ellie wondered as she peered at them.
“Who cares?” Archer asked, stepping back into the balcony. “We don’t have to climb down this bloody drain anymore!”
“Hang on,” Ellie said, grabbing his arm. The person beside Arjun moved closer to them, dropping their hoodie. Long red locks of hair escaped from the hoodie and Ellie gasped.
It’s Connie! Ellie pulled herself away from the balcony so they wouldn’t see her, grabbing Archer’s t-shirt so he would be pulled along. She peered just barely over the edge to see Arjun and Connie speaking with each other with loud gestures, as though they were having an intense discussion. The wind and the sounds of the waves crashing on the rocks were making it impossible to hear their voices.
“What are these guys doing outside in the middle of the night?” Ellie wondered.
“We’re outside in the middle of the night,” Archer noted dryly.
“Something’s been going on with them...and for some reason, neither will tell me anything about it.”
“Maybe because it’s none of your business?” Archer offered.
“I already know that,” Ellie snapped at him. “It’s just so unlike them! Arjun has told me about every bang he’s ever banged and Connie...Connie’s been my best friend for, like, ten years now? Wow.” The number had caught Ellie by surprise herself. “I guess I just thought she told me everything.”
Archer sighed. “Look...it’s probably got nothing to do with you. Look at them,” he said, waving his hand in their direction. Connie’s arms were raised in the air as they often were when she was upset. Arjun paced back and forth at increasing speeds. “They’re obviously fighting...maybe they just don't know what to tell you because they haven’t figured it out themselves.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Ellie said half-heartedly.
“Great,” Archer said. “Now let’s call them, go down and—”
“Except that this is exactly the stuff Connie and I talk about,” Ellie interrupted him. “Stuff that we haven’t figured out, stuff that’s messy and confusing.”
“Can we go downstairs and talk about this?” Archer asked tiredly.
“Wait, they’re coming this way,” Ellie said, backing further away from the balcony. “Get down!”
“Get down?” Archer asked with a laugh. “You’re kidding me—”
He yelped as Ellie grabbed a fist-full of his shirt and pulled him down towards her. Archer crashed on the ground beside her and let out a loud curse.
“Shh, they’ll hear us!” Ellie whispered to him.
“Woman, you are certifiably crazy,” Archer complained. “They can’t hear shit, just like we can’t hear them!”
“Just...give me five minutes, okay?” Ellie asked him. “I want to see what’s going on. Just drink your whiskey.”
“Fine,” Archer huffed, pulling a glass towards him. Ellie peeked around the bars in the balcony at the scene downstairs.
Connie and Arjun had made their way towards the back entrance of the chateau. Warm yellow light seeped from the house into the night’s inky blackness, illuminating their faces. Connie’s eyes and nose were red, as though she’d been crying and Arjun’s shoulders were heavy and hunched. They both stood facing away from each other with an air of tension between their bodies.
What the hell happened here? Ellie wondered worriedly. Arjun’s mouth moved—he was saying something. Connie turned around to face him with and said something in response. Arjun nodded defeatedly, crossing his arms against his chest.
“Wow, that looks bad,” Archer commented from beside her. Ellie gave him a look from the corner of her eyes.
“What, I’m bored,” Archer said, offering her his glass. She shook her head no and turned her eyes back to her friends.
Connie walked forward and gave Arjun a hug. It didn’t look like a hug of reconciliation or love, it looked more like a goodbye hug. Arjun’s face crumpled during the middle of the hug and Ellie felt a lump rise in her throat. She’d never seen Arjun cry—the sight of it stabbed her in the gut.
Arjun quickly rearranged his features into a poker face as Connie pulled away from him. Connie turned and walked away from him into the mansion. Arjun stood motionless in the hallway of light cast by the chateau’s light, watching her go.
“Can we call him now?” Archer asked Ellie. “Before he leaves and we have to use the drain pipe.”
Ellie nodded silently. Archer stood up quickly, just as Arjun began to move towards the mansion’s door.
“ARJUN!” Archer yelled, waving his arms. “DUDE!”
Ellie saw Arjun’s face turn up with surprise. He took a couple of steps away from the mansion to get a good look at them.
“What are you guys doing?” Arjun yelled back, looking thoroughly confused.
“We’re locked out!” Ellie shouted. “Come open our room!”
“What?” Arjun asked as though he didn’t hear her.
“COME UP!” Archer and Ellie shouted in unison. “COME TO OUR ROOM!”
Arjun frowned and then hastened into the mansion without responding to them.
“Do you think he got it?” Archer asked Ellie worriedly.
“I think so,” Ellie said hopefully. “He’s quick on the uptake, that one.”
Arun reached their room two minutes later. Ellie and Archer let out a joyous whoop as he entered. Thankfully, the bedroom door wasn't locked. Arjun walked towards them with a slightly bemused look on his face. He reached for the balcony door and pulled it open.
“Thank you, god!” Archer cried, rushing past Arjun into the bedroom. Ellie walked over to where Arjun stood and gave him a strong hug.
“Hey, El,” Arjun said into her hair. “You guys okay?”
“We’re fine,” Ellie sniffed. “What about you?”
“I’m...okay?” Arjun sounded confused. “Why are we hugging like this?”
Ellie pulled away from him. “Oh...you know, as a thanks for opening the door.”
“Anytime, El,” Arjun said, tousling her hair. Ellie, who would have usually smacked his hand away, did nothing. Arjun gave her an odd look.
“How long have you guys been stuck out there?” Arjun asked suspiciously.
“We just got stuck, like, five minutes ago,” Ellie improvised. “We were so happy to see you were down there!”
“Yeah, our other plan was to climb down the drain pipe,” Archer piped up.
“So, you guys didn’t see anyone else?” Arjun asked. Ellie’s eyes briefly met Archer’s before she looked away.
“Nope, just you,” she said to Arjun. “It is like…” Ellie glanced at her phone and let out a gasp. “4 AM! Oh damn!”
“Yeah, what were you guys doing going to the balcony at four in the morning?” Arjun asked.
“Just fresh air, you know?” Ellie said.
“Really?” Arjun’s brows rose.
“Why were you outside in the lawn at four in the morning?” Archer asked. Ellie widened her eyes at him.
“I wanted a walk,” Arjun replied unconvincingly.
“Really?” Archer echoed him. Arjun’s eyes glinted.
“Yep, really,” he replied calmly. “Well, I’m going to head off to bed. I’m tuckered out.”
“Thanks, Arjun,” Ellie said again, giving his back a pat as he left. Arjun gave her a good-natured smile as he turned to pull the door shut.
“Oh, Ellie,” he said half-way through closing the door. “I won’t make it to the shopping thing tomorrow. I think I might go golfing instead.”
“Really?” Ellie asked, taking a step towards him. “Why? I thought you wanted to see the old buildings with me.”
Arjun shrugged. “I just changed my mind. I’ll meet you guys after?”
Ellie nodded silently. Arjun gave her a tight, parting smile as the door slammed shut behind him.
Chapter 6
A Shopper’s Tale
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Go away, Ellie snapped, twisting her head so her ears were cove
red by her comforter.
“ELLIE!” someone yelled from outside.
No.
“ELIZABETH!”
No, Ellie groaned. More. Sleep.
Ellie felt the bed underneath her shift and frowned. Why won’t they let me sleep? I just got into bed!
Ellie tried to recall her dream and slip and back into it. A loud click disrupted her effort and brought her closer to awareness.
“What the hell are you guys doing?” Ellie heard Archer ask in a rough voice.
“Elizabeth Wolfe!” A different voice cried angrily.
With great effort, Ellie pulled her lids apart from one another. She raised her face off of her pillow and squinted—blisteringly bright sunlight filtered in through the room’s enormous glass wall.
“You are, like, super late,” the voice said. This time, Ellie recognized it.
It’s Regina! Or Morgana!
Ellie sat upright, pulling a wayward strand of black hair away from her face. Regina and Morgana stood by side, dressed impeccably from head to toe. They wore identical outfits today; a navy skirt with a white bralette and a navy blazer. It made their resemblance to each other all the more dizzying.
“Hey guys,” Ellie grunted. Her voice came out hoarse, she cleared her throat to fix it. “What’s up?”
“What’s up is that we’re super late for our day out,” Morgana said. Or is that Regina?
“What time is it?” Ellie asked.
“It’s two in the afternoon!” One of the twins cried. “Constance is ready and waiting for us and you’re the only one left. Come on!”
“Okay, okay, I’m getting up,” Ellie said groggily. Two in the afternoon? Damn. I could swear I just fell asleep a minute ago.
It took Ellie twenty minutes to get ready. She nearly fell asleep on the toilet once, but her foot slipped on the wet tiles and she woke up with a jerk. Sighing, Ellie slipped into a pair of white shorts and a flowy orange blouse that showed off her collar bones. She tied her hair up into a high bun and looked into the mirror. Today was going to be a tiring day—she could already feel it.
When she stepped out of the bathroom, the twins were waiting by the door, while Archer had crawled back into bed, wrapped up in the comforter.
“Amazing, you’re ready!” One of them said with a clap of her hands. “Niles has got your breakfast in the car, so let’s go!”
“Alrighty,” Ellie said, slightly dazed.
“Uncle wants to know when you’ll be ready to head out for golf, Archer,” one of the girls said to him as she stepped out of the door. Archer raised one muscular arm and waved them off, saying nothing in response.
“Could I have gotten away with that response?” Ellie asked the girls.
“No chance,” they said in unison. One of them came by to throw an arm around Ellie. “Today’s our chance to get to know you without Archer hanging around like a weirdo.”
“You know it’s a really bad day for you guys to wear matching attires,” Ellie told them. “I can’t tell you two apart for shit.”
The twins laughed. “Don't worry, we’ve got emergency blazers in the car,” one of them said as they approached the elevator.
“One of us can change, right?” she finished. The other one nodded.
When they reached the driveway of the chateau, Ellie saw that Connie was already waiting outside. She wore shorts too, along with a turquoise crop top. Her long red hair was tied up into a high ponytail and it swung behind her as she strode towards Ellie.
“El! You’re here!” she said, looking genuinely happy to see her. As Connie came closer, Ellie noticed that she had bags under eyes.
“Long night?” Ellie asked her casually as she drew closer.
“Yeah,” Connie’s face well. “I actually want to talk to you about that.”
Ellie’s ears perked up with surprise. “You do?”
“Yeah, I—”
“Alright ladies, into the car we go,” one of the twins said. She’d changed from her navy blazer into a charcoal grey one. “I’m Regina and I’m the one in the grey blazer.”
“Later,” Connie said to Ellie as they moved towards the car. Ellie nodded quietly, wondering if she was finally going to get the real scoop on what was going on with Connie and Arjun.
They got in through the car doors, giving Niles a thanks as he held them open proudly. As Niles drove them towards Passeig de Gràcia, Ellie wolfed down the bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich that he’d prepared for her, left on a silver platter on top of the mini fridge. As Ellie chewed on the remaining pieces of bacon, she noticed that Connie wasn't her usual bubbly self, retreating into an uncharacteristic silence when not being spoken to directly.
“So, dresses or pants first?” Regina asked them.
“I say dresses because we need to get Ellie stocked up for Paris,” Morgana piped up.
“What do you say, Con?” Ellie nudged Connie.
“I say dresses too,” Connie replied with a small smile.
“Dresses sound good,” Ellie said. “Although, we do have to stick to our budget, so we shouldn’t buy from the first store we see—”
“Budget?” Regina interrupted. “Please!”
“What?” Ellie asked.
“Your shopping spree is on us, silly!” Morgana said, shaking her head.
“Oh, you don't have to do that,” Ellie said. Suddenly she felt Connie slap her knee.
“Let them pay for it, damn,” Connie muttered to her. Ellie grinned at her.
“Believe us, we do have to do that,” Regina corrected Ellie. “It would be offensive to let you spend money while we’re there with you.”
“No is not an option,” Morgana chimed in. “Whatever you can imagine buying today won’t even make a dent in our accounts.”
“We happily accept,” Connie said, grinning genuinely for the first time since they left. Ellie chuckled and agreed, happy to see Connie excited.
It took Niles a few hours to get them to Passeig de Gràcia. When they reached there, Niles parked in a special space reserved by the Bradfords. They all got out of the car and entered the crowded street outside.
It was peak travel season in Barcelona and it showed. Passeig de Gràcia was filled with people who’d dragged their tired spouses and incredibly loud children along for what they thought would be a breezy vacation. Ellie scoffed. This is as bad as New York. Ellie turned to her left and felt her jaw drop—she was standing right before the magnificent Casa Batlló, one of Gaudi’s most famous works. She suddenly missed Arjun’s presence.
“That’s Casa Batlló,” Regina said to Ellie from behind, placing a hand on her shoulder. “The line for entry starts there, I think.”
Ellie’s eyes travelled the length of the line that stretched out from the entrance to the stunning building and her face fell.
“There’s got to be like, two hundred people there!” Ellie cried.
“Try four hundred,” Morgana said distastefully.
“So…” Regina gave Ellie a meaningful look. “Do you want to go in?”
Standing for hours in a line in the sun with a million screaming children literally sounds like hell right now. Ellie sighed. Besides, Casa Batlló would have been much more fun had Arjun come along.
“Maybe we could skip the monuments,” Ellie suggested.
“Yes!” Regina and Morgana cried.
“Thank god,” Connie said with a chuckle. “I would rather die than stand in that line, to be honest.”
Ellie laughed, throwing an arm around her as Regina updated them on the new plan. First, they headed to the twins’ favorite boutique for formal wear, Wilma’s. Wilma’s was a quaint store, one of the only shops on the street that was practically empty. A few minutes within its white and wooden interiors told Ellie why that was the case. Everything in Wilma’s was mindlessly expensive.
Connie didn't seem to think so. With her knowledge of fashion and fabrics, she could see a clear difference between the quality and make of the clothes there versus the des
igner brands she purchased back in the States. She hopped around the shop excitedly, picking out outfits for both herself and Ellie, as she usually did. Ellie let her take reign happily. It was clear that whatever had happened with Arjun last night had upset her gravely and Ellie was relieved to see her tired face light up as she found the perfect outfits for them.
They left Wilma’s with two stunning dresses each. Ellie purchased a long red gown with a deep neckline that was perfect for a fancy, formal event. The other dress was a long brown dress made of the softest material, that gave Ellie the disturbing, momentary illusion that she was naked. Once she’d gotten over the initial shock, Ellie found the dress irresistible—it fit her in perfect, smooth curves and a long slit up the right side let her show off her toned legs. Ellie had decided—for her own peace of mind—not to ask the girls what the bill for the clothes was. The girls seemed unfazed by the amount, however, excitedly discussing which store they would go to next.
Sunglasses, pants, shorts, something called rompers—Ellie lost count of the different kinds of items they’d bought. Her feet ached from walking from place to place, hustling through the crowds of sweaty vacation-goers. Connie and the twins, however, were practiced shoppers. The three of them delighted in each other’s mutual interest in looking good. It powered their legs and Ellie followed behind tiredly, carrying her new wardrobe in several shopping bags.
The afternoon passed by as they worked through the boutiques. By the time the sun was setting, Ellie was ravenously hungry and getting close to being really cranky.
“Guys, I need food otherwise I’m gonna get weird,” Ellie warned the twins as they tried on diamond earrings.
“Just a few minutes, hon, and then we’ll take you to Haley’s,” Regina replied. “Best chicken parmesan in Spain.”
“Better be,” Ellie mumbled, stepping out of the shop. She'd never been someone that enjoyed wearing jewelry. It just felt like extra and often unnecessary weight.
“El?” she heard a voice behind her. Ellie turned to see Connie stepping out of the jewelry store.
“Hey, Connie.”
“No earrings for you, huh?”Connie asked with a smirk.
